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Special K

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Posts posted by Special K

    SodaStream – at home soda maker

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    ... SodaStream system ... I flirted briefly with an attempt at sparkling wine, but ended up wasting half a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc as it fizzed all over the kitchen counter - I may return to that experiment another time.font]

    Just eavedropping on my husband's high school chemistry lesson on gas laws ... did you chill the wine? (Henry's Law)

    Insane Kitchen Hoarding Disorders

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    I hoard martini glasses. I'm always looking for sets of four in thrift shops - I want the small ones, not the huge ones that retail stores sell new. Then one of the set will get broken, and I think I should re-donate the remaining three, but I . . . don't. Some of them are scattered around the house, holding trinkets or nuts or whatever, but most are taking up too much room in the cupboard.

    The food-coloring topic

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    Cheetos, gummy worms, jello - not things I should be eating anyway. Not things I'd give kids if I had 'em (kids, I mean). I get my pickles from a neighbor and I don't mind that they're not bright green. I posted last week in the Trader Joe discussion the news (to me) that nothing they sell has dyes - I never even noticed that. I have often wished that diet Coke and Pepsi came in a clear version, without the teeth-staining caramel coloring.

    Is it safe? I don't know. I think it's unnecessary - it's a marketing tool to make (mostly) junk food attractive to kids.

    Is is essential for enjoyment of many products? Not to me, but then I don't eat those products. (Well, maybe I do sneak the occasional cheeto, and I'd be grateful if they didn't give me away by staining my fingers orange! :laugh: )

    Are current regulations adequate, too little, too much, wrong-headed, wise, or what? I suppose current regulations are adequate, but I'd like to have a choice. I mean, how many different kinds of Coke are there? They can't make a dye-free one? I would think that would actually gain them more customers, for reasons of health or, as in my case, vanity. :rolleyes:

    Best Bets for Take Out Success at Parties

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    I remember once, long ago, I had been married about a month, I think, and it was our turn to host my husband's squadron party (about 40 people) and I couldn't get out of it. I was feeling very inadequate about my lack of cooking skills, so I went to the local 'cue joint and picked up brisket, ribs, sausage and chicken, and arranged it all on my outdoor grill! Worked pretty well until folks began asking me how I managed to turn out "commercial smoker" quality barbecued meat with nothing but my little gas grill. At the time, I didn't really know enough about BBQ to understand how difficult (in fact, impossible) that was to do. So of course, they all wanted tips. Luckily, I held them off for the several months we had left there, until we moved away.

    Ha ha ha! Thanks for my belly laugh of the day! :laugh: Reminds me of the "Was My Face Red" column from the old Calling All Girls magazine.

    Define "empty stomach"

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    After taking way too much Ibuprofin for years, and noticing that it's become less and less effective - not to mention bad for my hypertension - I've just switched (with my doctor's blessing) to turmeric, 1,000 mg twice daily. I've only taken two pills so far, so it hasn't had a chance to kick in yet. If it does, I'll let you know.

    Fat Guy, I'd keep taking the 12 p.m. Advil with the yogurt (I would think that just a few spoonsful (spoonfuls?) within an hour of taking the pill would be enough - "a light snack" is what I've read), and I'd also elevate the head of the bed. You don't need an ulcer or esophageal problems on top of your other aches and pains!

    K

    p.s. My prescription Ibuprofin had a cute little picture of a submarine sandwich and a note to "take with food." Woo hoo! A guilt-free sub! :biggrin:

    Minimalist No-Knead Bread Technique (Part 2)

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    My no-knead bread goes like this: mix ingredients. Shape. Put in loaf tin. Allow to rise. Preheat oven. Bake. Your approach sounds unnecessarily complicated :wink:

    This is exactly what I do, ever since I burned my hand trying to transfer the dough into a searing hot preheated dutch oven when I first tried this bread. Now sometimes I use a cold lidded dutch oven, sometimes a lidded pullman loaf pan, and (another breakthrough for me!) recently just a French baguette double loaf pan (no cover at all). The bread comes out fine every time.

    So, while I do think the oven does need to be preheated, I have found that I don't really have to preheat the baking vessel, and I don't even have to fuss with a lid at all. I conclude that the real secret to this method is not the preheated pan, and not the lidded pan, and not the business with the towels or parchment paper or whatever. It's just that wait time.

    Food Epiphanies

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    Cheesecake! I first heard of it when I was a kid, about 7 or 8 years old. I thought, "Cake? With cheese in it? Ewww!" and nobody enlightened me (probably figured it meant more cheesecake for them). It took me years to try it, and when I finally did, I felt the way Darienne feels about pulled pork - so much cheesecake I missed in those intervening years! Now I'm doing my best to catch up. :laugh:

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