Special K

The only surefire way I know is to use older eggs, and when they're done, pour out the hot water, add some ice, and give the pot a vigorous shake to crack the shells all over. Then peel under running water. The eggs should stay fairly warm through all this, if you're quick.

I hope I haven't already posted this one: Keurig K-cups make perfect little seed starters. I give them to our horticulture teacher.

Good haul, Genkinaonna. Play With Your Food is such a fun book!

Beecher's Handmade Cheese in Seattle! (And coming soon in Mthe Flatiron District in Manhattan, I just learned) http://www.beechershandmadecheese.com/ The website has a list of retail outlets and you can order online. They also run a wonderful "mobile pig" restaurant, Maximus Minimus. You'll have to come here for that, though. http://www.maximus-minimus.com/

Right, and it seems that Not-so-Fat Guy has done it right, too, slowly and steadily. I'm sure the exercise has done much more good for you than merely helped get the weight off. You're undoubtely stronger and healthier overall, and now you have the stamina it takes to chase after a six-year-old! Congratulations.

Those pepper grinders from Trader Joe's (unlike McCormick's) can be taken apart and refilled with more peppercorns, or spices - whatever you'd like in a handy grinder. Now that I don't throw them away, I don't feel so guilty about buying them.

I make two gross of cookies almost every Sunday, and it's a snap with the KA mixer - goes very quickly. It helps to have one of the new silicone paddles, as runwestierun and others have mentioned. Also, extra bowls come in handy. Oh, and a convection oven, six half-sheet pans, ready-cut parchment paper and six stackable cooling racks. I'll have to time myself this weekend. I'm glad yours is already out on the counter. Mine went unused when it was hidden away in a cabinet. Having it always out and handy makes it really easy for me to "just do it." Plus, the kitty loved to play in it when she was little, as you can see by my avatar.

Or, for the low, low price of $29.90, you can have this: http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Bread-Toaster-Company-jesus247/dp/B0042QRYO8

I'm thinking it would be fun to have a set of plates and coasters that are modeled after the new guide. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ I have a bet with my husband that we'll see them for sale somewhere within a month.

Just thought of another one: I used to really enjoy Michael Chiarallo's cooking shows, but I quit watching Easy Entertaining (I think it was called) when he added the "Michael Rants" segment. The one that pushed me over the edge was the rant about the mustard splorting out of the container. I mean, really! I'm sorry, I konw this is shallow, but for such a good looking, seemingly (I had always thought) easygoing guy, he looks and seems ugly and irrational when he's ranting. I don't want to see Angry Michael!! It just spoiled it for me. Now I can't think of him without visualizing that angry scowl.

Oh, I thought you meant make her laugh ...

Well, then, you're already way ahead of the game! Good luck and have fun!

It certainly was worth it for me. I entered the "breads and desserts" program at the local community college, even though it was for would-be professionals and I just wanted to learn for myself. It was a five-quarter program and I finished three (the last two were mainly about the nuts and bolts of running a business and I wasn't interested in that). Those three quarters were wonderful, life-changing! Not only did I learn a lot about bread and desserts, but I thoroughly enjoyed the short rotation in general culinary, too. The best part, however, was something totally unexpected. You see, the rest of the people in my class were about 30 years younger than me, and the experience of working and spending time with them was just wonderful - really, really good for me. I hadn't given much thought to the fact that I'd be older than the rest - if anything I thought there'd probably be a lot of second-career types, but nope, I was the only (ahem) "older adult" there - and I wasn't treated any differently than anyone else. I came out of this experience seriously wanting a tattoo ...

Wait, when did we start condemning people who are "short" and "a little wide?" (And yes, she's short, but where does this "a little wide" even come from?)

I would like to see him do a victory lap - all those "but that's another show" episodes!

What BekkiM said. But I run my Miele dw at bedtime, so I don't really mind that it takes a long time. I love that cutlery tray!

Either way, their on-camera chemistry (or lack thereof) was just so awkward it was unbearable to watch. I agree. It was dreadful. I seem to remember a time when he wasn't on with her, and it was a pretty good show then. But maybe I'm just thinking of her cookbooks, which seem to be all hers.

That's funny. I always thought he tried to undercut her every chance he got. Seemed to me he kept butting in and correcting her, or trying to hog the spotlight. Maybe I was responding to the same body language you noticed, only I identified with her? I don't enjoy any of the competition cooking shows. I want someone (like Alton Brown, say) to teach me something. Just my preference. I wouldn't say Iron Chef, et al are bad, they're just not my cup of tea.

What a nice idea! It will be appreaciated more than you know. I like judiu's idea a lot.

Especially the Parmesan ones...

I'm in the load as you go camp. Same reasons: small kitchen and I can't tolerate a sink full of dirty dishes. I actually like unloading the dishwasher, though. The small kitchen helps - cupboards and silverware drawer are all right there, no extra steps. My dishwasher, a Miele, is relatively new and I still enjoy admiring what a good job it does on everything.

Only once.

We have a Keurig single cup brewer, and I use one little tea K-cup again and again over the course of a couple of hours each morning. I wouldn't do that with coffee, but with tea it works fine.

I think you're right, RRO. The point of the first greasing is to keep the baking paper in place, and probably the phrase "dot a bit of shortening in the corners of the pan to hold down the baking paper" just got left out of the instructions because it was obvious, and then over time it just got forgotten. The reasons we do a lot of things have been lost in this way. Trying to think of an example before I've had my morning tea ... all I can come up with is the phrase, "because we've always done it this way." Nobody knows or really cares (except you ) why we've always done it this way, we just do. But dig deeply enough and you'll find that there is a reason for most rituals.

Here's a 2008 article from the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/magazine/30food-t.html