FistFullaRoux

What docsconz said. I need to look at my Rolaids habit too, I guess. Though generally it's only one at bedtime, as a preventative, unless I eat something truly heinous.

I agree with the portion size being the difference. That's also why you have never seen foie gras supersized.

Mom is a registered nurse, I was an EMT (in a former life) and all I have to add is, what jsolomon said. It's the right thing to do. Although I think most people would go screaming for a doctor with genital burns, without much prompting.

Just my 2 cents on the freezer thing. 2 standup freezers will take up about as much floor space as 1 chest freezer. The space above a chest freezer is usually wasted, unless you like the idea of bending at the waist, diving into a frozen landscpe, while trying to read the sharpie marks on a ziplock bag, as a payload of who-knows-what hangs on a shelf above you waiting to put a dent in the back of your head. I suggest getting an upright freezer only unit, an upright fridge only unit, and put the freezer in the nearest out-of-sight area. A chest freezer will break your heart. Use the extra space for more pantry area, or some other common use. But that's me. A chest freezer could be used to store extra ice. My mom does this. Whenever she thinks about it, she empties the kitchen icemaker into recycled store-bought ice bags, then drops them in the chest freezer. It's about the only thing it's used for these days. They also have a second fridge in the utility room, but they entertain quite often. She always has ice at the ready, no need to stop at the convenience store.

Those of us with gastric reflux or hiatal hernias feel your pain. But bleeding is not normal. Get thee to a doctor. Without getting too graphic, if it's red, it's probably external, if you can control the bleeding, it may be able to wait for you to get a doctor's visit. You may be looking at a hemmorhoid (well, not really looking at it, but you get what I'm saying). If the stool looks black like tar, then it is internal, and that requires an emergency room, ASAP.

I did them for a short time at one of the bakeries I worked for. I used the standard french bread dough, but you can do the wheat ones as well. Roll them exceedingly thin after the first rising. Cut to shape, dock them with a fork and sprinkle the kosher salt on before proofing and baking. They proof in about 10 minutes. As soon as you see the slightest poofiness, stick then in a 375 degree oven and do not walk away. Once they are the color you dream of, remove from the pan asap, and put them onto cooling racks. As soon as they cool, not a minute before or after, drop them in ziplock bags and seal. Add ons are only limited to your imagination. I did one order with lemon juice and a little zest, it was to be served with raw oysters. Paprika, hot sauce, melted butter and garlic, cinnamon, dried herbs, you name it.

Saltines are nearly a food group for me. But I eat them weird. I mean, OK... I do have the PB&J, and the hunk o cheese on a cracker, but I freak my wife out a bit when I do the other stuff. Like thousand island dressing... or ketchup. Squirted right onto the cracker. Or tuna salad made right in the can (drain the tuna, add the fixin's, and mix it all up in the can - No dishes to wash!) OK, the last three were from my starvation just starting out days. But I still love'em. Admittedly, I don't HAVE to eat them anymore, but it is something I do develop cravings for. Call me crazy.

They do still make the dry Ranch packages, although you usually don't find them in the salad dressing aisle. Try the spice aisle, and I've even seen it in the chips/snack aisle. My wife makes a party dip with the stuff. Myself, I got Thousand Island (try it on a burger and find out what the Big Mac secret sauce is), a fat free Italian, and Newman's Own Ceaser dressing (because I am a lazy sort, and my wife does not like Ceaser. It's virtually impossible to make salad dressing for 1). If we are counting the expired ones that need to be thrown away, add 2 to my list.

First cooking scar I can recall - two words. Oyster knife. Now, another scar that I got from a cooking implement: I had a bedside lamp with a short in the wire. I located the spot, then grabbed a steak knife and cut through the wire. When the lights came back on I realized I had jammed the knife info my thumb, cauterized the wound, and blew a hole in the knife. I had just convinced mom to get me a new lamp. And I learned that unplugging electrical items before serivicing them is a very good idea.

What did your mother (or caregiver) feed you while you were recovering from an illness? - Mom is a nurse. She puts faith in modern medicine. But carbonation and saltines seemed to always settle the tummy. Chicken noodle soup once you were over the worst of it. I never wanted to get sick around my grandfather. He'd mix up a dose of honey, baking soda, and Vicks VapORub. Feed it to you by the spoonful until you could keep it down. <shudder> Do you ascribe any special healing properties to those foods? Maybe so. The carbonation can help settle the stomach by giving a feeling of fullness. Ditto for the crackers. Plus it removes hunger pains from the mix. Once you have something in the stomach, it tends to feel better, or at least it gives it something to do instead of just sitting there. Also raises the blood sugar. Do you crave them when you get sick now? - Coke and saltines. It was the doctor's favorite remedy. And the only time I usually drink Coke now. What do you serve your family and friends when they are getting over being sick? I've become a big fan of chicken and dumplings. You can hide a surprising amount of pepper in there, but I only do that for respiratory illnesses. My wife craves beef boullion (ich) when she has tummy trouble. Are any of these foods tied to a cultural tradition that you know of? - Nope. Even as a Cajun, it was the Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup.

Here's an update: Lafayette, LA newspaper article - Now that's timing.

20 oz Pepsi, ice cold. Cheetos if I want salty, Little Debbie Raisin cakes when I can get my mitts on them. If not that, then honey-roasted peanuts. Or something else that won't get gooey. If you are in the mood for retro candy, find a Cracker Barrel restaurant. Mallo-Cups, stick candy, horehound drops, clove gum, and other faves from days gone by... Get 'em in the gift shop. When in doubt, I can always find Cheetos and Pepsi anywhere I may wander. I once scored that combo in a state-operated rest stop, out of a vending machine. Yup, ya can't go wrong with the classics.

Am I the only person on the face of the earth who truly dislikes raspberries? Blackberries are fine, but raspberries ruin the whole thing. I've seen the lovliest chocolate pastries and cakes, and look forward to dispaching them at the first opportunity... then I smell them. The smell isn't so bad. I quite enjoy it. I think that was because this one girl I had a fling with used this body spray... but I digress. Once I know that rasperries are in it, I just cannot stomach it. And it seems that every recipe containing chocolate also has raspberry as an ingredient. Drives me bonkers.

But I would make sure the pinbones had been removed, myself..

In Louisiana, the "trash fish" are usually made into cakes or dumpling kind of things. Fish like garfish are boned out as much as possible (not that you get a good fillet, therefore - trash fish) then mixed with potato or a breadcrumb/egg mixture, then fried off. Quite good, actually. But you'll never see it in a restaurant. The trash fish were the ones that the fishermen brought home to the family. He sold the ones that would make money. It was born out of neccessity.

I wonder how many other places have someone just to prepare employee meals? And a dedicated shrimp peeler?

I'd try just making a batch (or batches) of preserves, then somehow just put ribbons of the preserves through a good vanilla ice cream, maybe cutting back on the sugar in the ice cream a bit. You can also make quasi fig newtons. Use your favorite yellow cake recipe made to directions, pour half of the cake batter into the pan, dot the surface with the figs or preserves, then cover with the other half of the batter. Bake until done. Good stuff. Fig preserves, though. Don't waste a single one. IMHO, fig preserves are about the best thing on the face of the earth. If you want to get fancy, you can do fig and strawberry preserves as well. About 50/50 by weight, or adjust to your taste.

Wow... Ya know, Birmingham is only a couple hours from Atlanta... Now definitely curious.

If it is a savory dough, brush with melted butter that has had garlic steeped in it. Sprinkle with a little paprika, and bake them off. Cut into whatever size or shape you like, and use them where would use croutons. Sweet doughs? Cinnamon thingees. Or use them for decorative purposes on the top of other pies.

I'll vote for the roux burn. Sugar does stick longer, but the oil/flour mixture gets hotter, especially when making a dark roux. The nickname says it all. Incident with a wooden spoon that was being used to stir the developing roux, and I stopped for a second to grab a towel. 3 seconds later, when trying to grab the top end of the spoon, I bumped it instead, and ended up catching the business end when it flipped in the air. The only 2 burn scars that still show are the one on my ankle from a motorcycle exhaust, and one on the forearm from a soldering iron. All of the bakery, McDonald's grill, and pizza place scars have gone away.

Unless you are in Alabama.... Really, oops. I'm from the northwest, I guess we're more sheltered here from people using racist terms. Yeah, there are times it can go weeks or months without someone being an ignorant skidmark around me, then some stranger in an elevator wants to tell you a joke.... Stupid. I work in a university hospital. We have people from all over the world working here. And we all get along with each other, until some out-of-town bumpkin walking the halls starts yelling at the Chinese doctor to "speak english!" when he already was. I am constantly amazed at how stupid people are. Sorry for the somewhat offtopic ramble, but this is mostly to say that these incidents are so rare that they stand out that much more. Like a Model T in Manhattan.

Actually the name of that place is pronounced "MOO-LOTS" Actually it's MEW-lots. Like a cat. A hungry, irritating cat. And it's the owners last name. I wouldn't call it a common last name, but it doesn't raise an eyebrow.

Unless you are in Alabama....

You get to keep the restaurant? What's second prize?

And sometimes, you really just hope it's an innocent twist of words... See this