Special K

My answers inserted in the quotation: * * * * * You know, reading this over I realize it sounds kinda sad, so I should say that as he got older (after we all left home!), Dad got a lot more mellow. His grandkids got all kinds of good attention and love from him. He got a dog, put in a pool, learned to laugh . . . it was great! By the end, he and I were actually trading recipes. Mom still can't cook, though.

Cool site! And dayum, those Stilton Dumplings look GOOD!

Ooh, AmritaBala! Thanks for sharing!

I'd like to know, too. The only place I can find file' around here is at Cash 'N Carry, and it's in a BIG jar. I've never made gumbo, and I'd like to try, but then what do I do with all the rest of the file'?

In the last 35 years we've moved about a dozen times. Each time, the first meal in the new home was a pizza, at first take-out and then homemade. Move=pizza. Don't know why. Well, yes I do. We pizza!!

Ah, "Co-Cola!" That takes me back. Thanks!

My husband thought he hated tomatoes. I went out and bought a few tomato plants!

Ah, thanks! (Now I feel even stupider, er, more stupid).

But in the commercials, the pillows expand right back up again--how come the scones won't? Besides, think how much valuable freeze space you're saving! I'm still giggling at the mental picture of those compressed scones... ← Nooo, nooo, they don't expand right back up again! And yes, they were pretty funny looking . . . but DH didn't seem to mind (he'll eat anything, as long as it's sweet).

Did that thing with the superfine-not-confectioner's sugar on Valentine's Day - 140 red velvet cupcakes with grainy icing. The kids didn't seem to mind, though (they'll eat anything, as long as it's sweet). Then I made DH a green velvet cake (because I and every other home baker in town used up all the red in their Valentine's Day confections) and used waaaay too much green food coloring (wow, a little green goes a long way!). I wanted a nice light green because it was a pistachio cake, but it turned out Brrrrright green. Oh, well, DH didn't seem to mind (he'll eat anything, as long as it's sweet). But then I topped myself last week. Made a beautiful batch of scones and decided to freeze most of them. Never again will I think it might be a good idea to seal them in a Handi-Vac baggie and not pay attention to how much air (all of it!) I'm sucking out of the darned bag!! Think 1/8 inch thick scones. I'm never gonna live this one down. I may have to turn in my apron.

My late MIL used to hover, too. We have a tiny kitchen and a very small dining room area. We solved the problem by moving the table over towards the (sort of in the) living room and putting in a couple of little but comfy chairs and a small table where the dining table was, so she could sit there (just a few feet away) and chat without being in the way. We've kept this arrangement, and now all of our guests who want to "hang out in the kitchen" can do so without driving us nuts. Now I just hope the two kittens we're about to adopt will get the message! Sigh. I miss my MIL. She was the best thrift store shopping buddy ever! K

There is a chef/owner of a very expensive, very nice, small restaurant here who has a reputation for his temper. Well, I know how he got that reputation, and I tell you, it isn't his fault. It was my husband's then-boss who pushed him to his limit. This man was the worst a** of all time, and especially in restaurants. I guess he was trying to impress somebody (his wife? his business guests? his employees? the chef? who knows?), but what happened instead was that his guests discovered a wonderful restaurant that they then felt they could never return to because of his behaviour. Diners at the other tables probably had their evenings ruined, as well. Every time he'd come to this restaurant, which was often, he'd include his wife and sister, and sometimes, if the rest of us were particularly unlucky, one or more of his completely obnoxious children ("My dad OWNS this company!" - Oh, really? Wonder where he got that idea? Ever heard of shareholders, kid?). True, he did spend a lot of money (shareholder's money, of course), but that seemed to make him think he owned the place. The sister liked to smoke at the table, and the CEO thought she should be able to do so - and that he and his family should be able to do just about ANYTHING they wanted to do - he really seemed to think he was in his own home, with servants to order around. The chef and his staff were unfailingly polite, and endured many of these visits with good grace, but finally, one night the chef had had enough (I think the last straw was the smoking) and ordered the CEO and his family to leave and never return (Unfortunately I wasn't there that time - but I'd bet the rest of the diners in the place cheered!). His CEO-ness then proceeded to ban all company employees from dining there, on or off the payroll, and I believe he and his lackeys are responsible for spreading the poisonous rumors about the chef's bad temper. We have eaten there a few times since (as often as we can afford it!) and the chef has been warm and friendly - even though I think he might have recognized us as having been at the same table as the CEO that first time we ventured back, to his everlasting credit he did not kick us out immediately!

There's a new rival food vacuum system being advertised on TV (Food Network, I think). It's called the Vacu-Seal™ Cordless Handheld Vacuum, and it's very similar to the Handi-Vac. The bags are a little different; they have a little valve that the vacuum sort of plugs into. They're also advertised as being dishwasher safe and reusable "over and over again." At $29.99 for the kit (the vacuum, 3 quart-sized bags, and six batteries) the system is quite a bit more expensive than the Handi-Vac, but it looks like the sealing mechanism *might* be a little more reliable. That said, I found that when I changed the batteries, I no longer had the problem of the Handi-vac not starting to seal right away. I'm not planning to run out and buy the Vacu-Seal just yet. Has anyone ever seen an ad for the Handi-Vac? I know I haven't, although I am seeing it in most of the grocery stores here now. K

Oh. I just assumed that they'd kept you waiting for the menu because they expected someone to join you, and the waiter was apologizing. And my Dad did that "do as I say, not as I do" thing, too!

I just went to the fabric store and bought a length of canvas and hemmed it. Cheap and works well. (You probably don't really need to hem it; that's just me )

Tried them today on your recommendation - YUMMY!

Eh, I used to bake a dozen different kinds of cookies, but everyone loves the Snickerdoodles the best, so that's all I'm doing this year. Say, cinnamon is supposed to be good for lowering blood sugar, so maybe it cancels out the sugar in the cookie? Oh, and I am baking one pecan pie - I tried out the Impossible (Bisquik) recipe on a friend last weekend and she loved it, so she's getting it again, in a nice new stoneware pie dish. But that's it! Unless I decide to make cheesecake truffle bombs . . . . . . and a red velvet cake . . .

And then you could get yourself some Plasti-Dip! Handy stuff to have around.

I really like this gizmo for keeping bread fresh. I learned the hard way that if you just shove a fresh, cooled loaf into the bag and seal it, the hard crust makes tiny holes in the bag. Not good. But when wrapped in a paper towel or in a paper bag first, the bag doesn't get perforated, and the bread stays unbelievably fresh. Also, I've had great luck with freezing snickerdoodles this way (they never stay frozen very long!). I am so tickled that I got these for a lot of people on my Christmas list. Kay

My favorite is my 14 inch chef's knife, Chrissie (from "Bring me the big knife, Chrissie!" - the movie Moonstruck). Chrissie always means business!

Salt House 545 Mission St We went there with friends this past August and really enjoyed it. A bit noisy.

OK, I'll be honest. I keep the ones I cut out of the paper, etc., in a big basket in the kitchen/dining room. When it overflows (or has been overflowing for a while!) I break down and file the ones I decide to keep in the beautiful library-card file cabinetI bought a while back, under general headings (chicken, beef, fish, bread, cakes, cookies, soups & stews, etc.), or specific holidays (Thanksgiving, Easter, etc.). Soon I'll have to do a major cull, though, as it's filling up fast. Cookbooks are in four bookcases (two in the kitchen/dining room, one by the comfy chair, and one in the bedroom for the overflow), on the shelves of the little occasional tables in the living room, and in piles all around the comfy chair and the bed. Magazines are in more baskets. Oh, and there's always the front of the cheesebox (Refrigerator, for you non-Pushing Daisies fans). No, not very organized. I can't always find the recipe I started out looking for, but I CAN always find A recipe!

I haven't seen the CI issue yet - did they tinker with the salt? Really, I find that just adding an extra teaspoon of salt makes a huge difference (but I can't seem to help also adding some shaved Asiago or Parmesan and some chopped rosemary, too). I made two loaves yesterday, one in my Romertopf and one in a round Corningware casserole. I've been adding just a little less water than the recipe calls for, and just turning the dough into the hot pot at the end of the 18 hours. Both loaves turned out fine. The lager and vinegar additions sound great - I'll try that next.

Not a confection, but . . . butter?

Yeah, I already had a live-in Handi-Vac at home (my husband), but honestly, this does a better job of really, really sucking ALL the air out of the bag. He still gets to do the brownies, though! K