Mabelline

No problem, arjay. I frequently have to explain myself. I wonder what diet foot in mouth fits into.

Gee, arjay, I guess you missed the sarcasm factor. I made a statement about what the marketing group managed to come up with.Lighten up.

Bickery, welcome! One last suggestion- as a student, make use of those libraries. And when a cookbook sucks you in so completely that you don't want to take it back, you know you've found a keeper, and then you can get it from Amazon.com.That'll save a bucket of bucks in the long run.

Those crispy little crickets or grasshoppers in Mexico. They were good, but did not inspire to start catching and doing my own.

To both Kristen and helen, I have been fascinated by this foodblog.You both cook such wonderful-looking food! Thank you so much

Huckleberries. Homemade tamales and green pork. Either chile or Thai. Homemade coconut milk, even with our pitiful coconuts.My own seasoning mixes, and heated spices.

Well now, that made me feel SO much better. According to the market research group, the cattle industry won't be in any trouble if there's only one sick cow, because folks like the Atkins Diet. That's so comforting. Excuse me, I need to go put a nail in the wall with my head.

Yep, SO is the same. Only he calls it "bug juice', like that tobacco juice from grasshoppers. His dad taught him that (bless his heart).

Now see there, I knew the wait would be worth it! That sounds so good, MM, I wish I could make food sound as good as you all do. Backstrap, yum. Nessa, thanks for that info. I only occasionally drink scotch or wine, so I don't keep up with the particulars anymore. Suffice it to say that I had one in my drink(the killer cherries) and it was enough, thanks. And would anybody be surprised that a couple of rows broke out? Thanks also for the soy info. I have some tracked down. I'm just waiting for better weather to go shopping. fifi, you gonna try yours that way?

Need help with carnivore issues?"The Complete Meat Cookbook" by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly. "Barbeque Bible" by Steven Raichlen. Any New York Times Cookbook you can beg,borrow, etc.

Well, actually, you end up with a big ole powerful lobby that decides stuff on their very own. They don't send out any ballots, for sure.

This is what I was trying to say-the N.C.B.A. is rich and powerful- and they got that money by a squirrelly beef check-off from the raisers. Then they point to it and say we're independently supported by our members.

Pan, try nearly 40 years of court cases.

Well, you can pretty much believe it. And not only that, the good land is leased on a twenty-five year option, and renewed everytime it comes around. About the only time it becomes available is if someone disperses a ranch.And right now at this time there are Native Americans attempting to regain use of their own land, which has been leased out to off-res folks 2-4 generations. And it's not easy, because these folks have 'grand-fathered' rights. It's not their fault the government leased to them when Washington was the Great White Landlord.

I think most ranchers as such would do like jsolomon said: we take the loss and put the cow in our own freezers. The downers like what you refer to come from large dairies and feedlots. And those folks have always got someone like that very small processor to take the animal to fill an order. And the large concerns are quite different from stockmen(women). It's just a big sweatshop with no roof.

When you talk about big money, think about this: everytime a head of cattle is run through and sold, an involuntary $1. goes to the beef board. How many cattle were we talking about selling? The last two years there have been a couple ranchers fighting a class action suit to no longer involuntarily pay this fee. Has not gotten too far as we speak.

Not only that, but I don't think any of us realized that parts of that one cow would make it to so many states, so fast.

Well, now that I think of it, this story is right up the tree of Roald Dahl. He was fiendishly clever. We were just talking about his murder story on Alfred Hitchcock, the lamb leg weapon.

Ah, but fifi, once you've eaten, you are still in Billings!!

Was anyone else totally unaware that C&TCF was written by R. Dahl. I wasn't, and I read it to my kids. Ah, the joys of parenting. Makes you lose your mind. Eggshell & lvory You forgot the best documentary of them all: a clockwork orange

I mentioned Brucellosis being possibly found in Wyoming. The Billings Gazette reported that 31 of 391 cattle in that same herd have tested positive. Up until now Wyoming has enjoyed B-Free status, which is one requirement in order for WYO. cattle to be sold across state lines. Since that original posive test announcement Colorado, Nebraska, & California have implemented various restrictions on the importation of WYO. cattle.

No, it's electric, which makes it perfect for when I'm gone a big part of the day. But I also like that I can deep fry in something other than my Dutch Oven, which is a monster.

Can do, Pan! I'm always in the market for slow cookers, and I try different types, etc. This Presto one is real neat, good price, and I've been cooking with it most every day since Christmas. It's a multi-cooker that "steams, stews, roasts, boils and deep fries." It has a control like an electric skillet, has an aluminum frying basket, is nonstick inside and out, light weight, and has a submersible pot. SO let me pry out of him that it was under $30 at Sears. Maybe Amazon.com has them. But it is great. The heat control makes the difference to me.

I guess it might be the fact that Billings has a couple of refineries, mines close by, two hospitals (BIG ones), a University, and a college.We have Chinese in abundance (restaurants), Greek, Japanese, and a bunch I'm forgetting. But the successful ones are good, for the most part, and they have customers aplenty because there are so many noncooks, I reckon. As an aside I read a real nice Korean cookbook a while ago that mentioned 5 flavors (bitter). I'd not heard that before.

Now I'm just amazed. Up here in frozen Billings (1*), we have Thai Orchid, NaRa Korean, & Korean Groceries, a store/restaurant combo. And all three are very good, very spicy, very delicious.