FabulousFoodBabe

3. "Two out of Three Ain't Bad," Meatloaf 4. Some really awful song by Paul McCartney and Wings ..Admiral Halsley, maybe?

I've loved Gilmore Girls since the time I caught a brief part of it -- the toaster was broken, and Lorelei was beside herself at the thought of eating cold Pop Tarts. Season Six was disappointing -- Lorelei ate escargot, instead of playing with them and making snail trail jokes. And Rory drank tea. I'm going to miss this show. I always loved the main characters eating whatever and whenever they wanted, without a comment about their weight or waistlines. The only time I remember nutrition being discussed was when Lorelei knew she was pregnant because she ate an apple.

If I could cross-stitch, I'd put that on a pillow. I can still remember standing in line at a farm in Modesto, California, early on Saturday mornings during berry season. I can't remember the name of the farm but I remember a lot of the people I met on those days -- we'd bring coffee, and coo over the babies, pass around business cards, and wait for an hour or more until we could see the trucks coming in from the fields with flats of berries. Instead of forgetting how intense their color, and their flavor, I remember it more every time I have a strawberry in March, here in NY. Thanks for the excerpt -- can't wait to read the whole thing.

Ahhhh, S&W! Makes me miss California all over again. I never got a stinker can of those. Here, I've started using Master's Choice (the A&P brand), and like them almost as much as Progresso. I used to do a lot of work for Combi-Bloc, and used their Pomi's for years and years. Not canned, of course, but I wonder if anyone else could taste the difference.

The only taboo foods/drinks at our breakfast table are margarine and instant coffee. My MIL has learned to bring her own and I turn a blind eye to it. I never ate breakfast until I was pregnant/diabetic and now, though I am neither (thank god for that) I have to eat something with protein or I feel out of sorts. Mr. FB eats the same thing just about every day (coffee, cereal with skim milk, whatever fruit is nearby). My sons eat whatever they're hungry for: Today it was sushi rice and soy sauce. Yesterday, leftover pizza. Tomorrow may be leftover steak and green beans from dinner.

Very good topic, FG. It's easier when the kids are little, and their schedules can be formed to yours. When I started my business, years ago, I had a 2 year old and a 6-month old. When I needed to be in the kitchen at 7 a.m., I got them up at 4 and we hung out a little bit. The sitter's job was to bring them over to the kitchen when I had time. They could also stay up late. Not quite so easy when they got into school, and then when other issues called for attention. We juggled an au pair and day care, and took turns picking the kids up and taking them places. I was also a lot younger and could function well on less sleep! I had a rule about not working from noon on the 23rd of December, until after New Year's. Since my business started out as a catering business and then blossomed into something else, I worked hard to develop a business clientele, so I could have weekends and holidays more flexible. My husband had a boss who completely disapproved of my working so much and gave him a terrible time about coming to work at 8:10 instead of 8:00 on the days he had to drop the kids at day care. He would corner me, and the working mothers in his employ, at business functions and criticize us about how much we were working. Anyway, it made things even more stressful for us at home. That, we just didn't need, but it was a fact of life (and a private company -- today, the man would be sued and reprimanded). So I guess we always just did the best we could. Funny thing: when we relocated and I started working for other people, it was a lot easier.

White-hot envy, here. Cool! I do have the Squidward watch, from the SpongeBob series. I love it.

Yep. I may be a royal PITA, but I'm a loyal one, too.

O-M-G. How could I have forgotten ... Teenie Beanie Babies?

When Burger King had their "Treehouse of Horror" toys, I'd stop into every one I came across and order a kids' meal. Just for the toy. Not the crisp, salty fries. The toy.

I like answer #1 best! The caramel in this PJ is just too, too burnt for me. We put some over vanilla ice cream last night -- more to say, "ooh, this stuff is nasty alone, but makes an incredible ____," but, no go. I'm going to try the floor-cleaner flavor next. Fabby, Glutton for punishment

And you know that, how? Am I correct in thinking that since it's got no sugar, it won't explode with the shaking? If that's the case, MizD., I'll do it! Well, what fun would that be? For me, I mean? I'd much rather sign on and whine about it. And like I said, I feel like this guy can take a look at me and know if I ate doughnuts over the weekend ... Oh, does it? I had NO idea Silly! (Once I wrote a piece about how to make fat-free foods taste better. Caramel sauce and whipped cream figured in prominently. The reader outrage still rings clearly in my ears. )

When I read this in your first post, I thought you were referring to your husband... ← Umm, I was.

I think you're my new favorite chef.

There's also an urban issue here: people in a place like New York put hundreds of street miles on their shoes every year. It's not like in the typical suburb where people are just walking from indoor space to car to indoor space most of the time. The city is much more like jsmith's vision. ← Yes, the suburban thing is very true. Perhaps in my home, though, people should keep their shoes on to protect themselves (and their shoes). Jean-Luc loves bare feet, stocking'ed feet, and since he is a Basset Hound, grabs onto anything he can snuffle up into his mouth. When people take off their shoes here, it takes him about five seconds to sneak them off into his hidey-hole and drool all over them. If I get the shoes out of the way quickly enough, he shoves his face into the un-shod feet and makes a "vuff" sound, which is just not cool. I usually have five or six kids racing through the house at any given time. Some of them come over the hill through the back yard, which was just a construction site ... my younger son's current agricultural project (a dozen flats of hyacinth, hops, and bhut jolokia) is in the living room under lights. I've had stray dogs and cats wander into my house, and stray people, too. Yeah. I think shoes should stay on in this house. Starting with mine.

Remember, he is pure evil! I wouldn't want to be GC at this point! The man has a sword, and he's not afraid to use it! ← OMG, you might be my favorite blog-couple! Does aiki-b rhyme with achy-breaky? Can he use his sword like the Samurai Baker? Can we see that, too? I would love the whoop-ass to be documented as well, for entertainment and educational reasons, and as a deterrent for my contractor.

Depending on the environment, I ask either the diners or the manager, "Are you (they) planning to do this the entire meal? If you are, it's cool, but we can't sit near one another." I'm with Kent D. "No PDA" should be the rule in restaurants -- that should cover the Crackberries and the groping. (Ugh, and the feeding of sushi by mouth to one another. Bleah!)

Ooh! DG, that crust ... what's the word for it? (My Asian Cuisine chef would smack me upside the toque for forgetting.) Aside: I'm getting ready to go through what your family is now, JGarner, and will access this blog to remind myself that others have lived through it, and very well.

So this person I'm afraid of (personal trainer) has a family connection to the new Diet Pepsi Jazz line of products. Said the Diet Caramel was to die for, amazing stuff, loved it, best new product around. I hate it, and I won't tell him because I am afraid he will hurt me (whine). He gave me a LOT of it. ::shudder:: I don't know if this is simply a local market item for now -- anyone else know of it? I keep thinking that if I make a smoothie with it, or freeze it and add whipped cream, it'll be palatable. Or maybe it's made for rum drinks? As someone else said, "Gah." Just my opinion, natch.

I Love: Soapstone Orange Cats (John -- our cat-- looks just like yours) Renovations Renovation stories. Questions: Does aiki_brewer use his powers for good or evil? If it's been answered upthread, forgive me -- but who's the adorable avatar girl?

And a lot of that lip-service is being handed out by a woman with no kids, herself (Oprah). Does that woman know her audience, or what? OT, sort of: A mother, a parent, is what I am, not what I do. I don't abdicate that responsibility, no matter how tired I am. But I'm one of the weird ones, I know. Just got back from Maui -- dinner one night was at Hail'e Maile (sorry for the spelling,I'm sure) General Store. Abridged version: The restaurant was high-energy, full of families on vacation, and we didn't go in expecting to dine in quiet. Table next to us was a few generations of a family. Littlest girl was taken from the table by whomever was finished with their plate, to cruise around the porch and jump up and down and clap and whatever adorable things children do, and then brought back when she was ready to sit down again This happened several times during the dinner. Her father, when they were leaving, apologized for all the activity next to our table. We said, "no problem, cute kid, wish we had that energy, and honestly, we hope you weren't taking her out on our account." His reply? "Never too young to learn manners!" ::but she wasn't doing anything but being a kid!:: "Oh, that'll change one day ..." edited for clarity.

My god, man! Where do you find these people, and how long do they hike to get to your home? Love it! (Did she actually let you use the cups? was everyone handed a bottle of club soda and a scrubber?)I recall catering a party where the menu was planned around such a home. People who didn't know my work prior to that called me "that caterer who does such bland foods ..." Oh well.

Well, honey, why didn't you say so? That's a completely different thing! Now, that's what I call multitasking. Bathing with the dishes, mid-party? wow. (Where is that salaaming emoticon when you need it?) Seriously -- I've spent 90% of my life in da 'burbs, where room is plentiful and often underused. Those peevie things I wrote of happen in places where the homeowners care way more for their things than their people.

Yes, yes! I think of parties where I feel uncomfortable and find some common threads: -Host/ess cleans up constantly. Uses plastic cups and then walks around with a trash bag cleaning up during the party. (Are we in your way?) -Guests are asked not to drink red wine or eat certain items outside a small area. (If you are worried about your rugs or furniture, why serve red wine or drippy stuff?) -Guests are left sitting alone while host/ess cleans the kitchen, loads the dishwasher, etc. Stacking and rinsing and soaking silverware is one thing. (Guests are an afterthought.) -Guests who are allowed by the host/ess to dominate conversation. (Good Lord, don't get me started.) Whew, I'm Blabby Fabby today!

What can I say? I'm just an old-fashioned girl. Of course you believe this! If you didn't defend it, well, there goes your blog ... I'm really not trying to get far with this. I'm not trying to get anywhere. The "blogs" I read are either people I know and like, or pros like Ruhlmann, Liz Johnson, or the dude from New York Magazine. People who learned the right way first. ::ducking::I still think that Bruni wouldn't cause as much fuss if he wasn't in print.