annabelle

I drink my coffee (dark roast) with half and half. I used to drink it black, but as I have gotten older, I find that it upsets my stomach if I don't add cream.

Generally, you're out of luck as far as insurance claims go on items like this. They will fall under an Act of God clause. I'd freeze it all again and call it lucky that none of the internals were above freezing.

Added to the authenticity? Are you for real? I can't believe that you are finding the benign presentation of a religious sentiment in a non-ethnic setting to be inauthentic. Unreal.

In my experience, the book banners are of a secular stripe. The Westboro Baptists are loathed by everyone and are not endorsed by the Baptists of any stripe.

We used to have abalone quite often when I was a kid in Santa Barbara. My mother always pan fried it after, as you note, pounding the hell out of it. I've never had it grilled.

I love Ree's blog and meant to catch her show, but missed it. Her throwdown with Bobby Flay was fun. Her family is charming. I think she will go a long way. I have used a couple of her recipes, with some tweaking, and my family likes them very much. She is not "shtick". Her family owns and operates a very large cattle ranch in Pawhuska and the food she cooks is reflective of feeding hard-working cowboys and hungry children.

It's just a sign. I also see this as Christian-bashing. Notice the references to other religions that are not Christ centered that are couched in respectful terms. It's bigotry, pure and simple.

I'm pleased to see Hubert Keller there and that Johnny shaved off those awful sideburns. I have to say that I wish there were more European-trained chefs. The American chefs and their "I'm the baddest chef in the kitchen, yo!" attitudes get on my last American nerve. If you're going to act like a pompous bad-ass, have the skills to back it up.

I'm pleased to see Hubert Keller there and that Johnny shaved off those awful sideburns. I have to say that I wish there were more European-trained chefs. The American chefs and their "I'm the baddest chef in the kitchen, yo!" attitudes get on my last American nerve. If you're going to act like a pompous bad-ass, have the skills to back it up.

Well, I finally agree with Frank about something, bless his heart. I keep waiting for Tony to discover biscuits and gravy...in Chinatown.

I am friends with a couple who have an apiary, so we buy from them. Hubby has allergies and local honey is supposed to be good for that. It doesn't hurt that the honey is delicious and cheap! Ten dollars a quart for us.

I agree. Sleeping pills, prescribed by your doctor, are really the way to go here. I mean, caffiene is a drug. Alcohol is a drug. Prescription drugs are, well, drugs. Think of it as better sleeping through chemistry. My son's roommate is an employee of NOAA and is also an insomniac. He takes prescription sleep medication because it is important to be rested at his job.

Ambien.

Yuck. I hope not. Bananas are fruit of the Devil.

Thanks, Katie. I'll plan on about 2.5 times yield. That sounds about right. I'll even measure it so I can report back.

I don't eat at potlucks just for that reason.

Yikes! Sounds like my ex-husband's grandmother's refrigerator: 15 year old bottles of salad dressings! I threw away tons of stuff while we were visiting. This was nearly 30 years ago and it still pisses me off that she had all of that stuff in there. She had five daughters living within driving distance and we lived over 400 miles away. Don't tell me that no one ever looked in that fridge.

Umiboshi (sp?) plums. Everyone hates them except me. They must be two years old.

Katie, I want to make some of your Limoncello recipe for Christmas gifts (obviously, I don't need to start right now). How many 750ml bottles does your recipe make? I apologize if this has already been asked and answered. I haven't read the whole thread. And thanks to all for clearing up that Everclear question for me.

I seldom cook large enough batches of anything to have to worry about things being "too hot" to put in the fridge. In the winter when I do make large pots of soups or chili, I dip out what we are going to eat for the meal and then after we finish up the dishes, I measure out the rest into containers for the freezer. By the time I get done doing this and making labels out of masking tape with contents and date, the items are generally cool enough to put in the freezer or one or more in the refrigerator. I have an obscene amount of refrigerator and freezer space, though, and also use my porch as an ice box in the winter.

Where do you live? I generally think of taffy pulling as an autumn/winter sort of thing. I am not much of a candy-maker, but I know from my aunts who are, that humidity and ambient temperature can have terrible side effects of candies that are sticky, yet fluffy, such as divinity.

Cottage cheese and salsa. Velveeta cheese and pretzel rods. Chocolate graham crackers and coolwhip. (Yes, I ate this when I was pregnant.) My mother eats crumbled up cold cornbread in a tall glass full of buttermilk, eaten with an iced tea spoon.

I wasn't talking about viruses. I was talking about the casual attitude that it's okay to use sloppy hygiene. Cross contamination anyone? How's about a little salmonella?

That is funny! I once went out to get the mail and left a freshly baked lemon meringue pie cooling on the countertop. I came back in the house with the mail and caught my big white angora cat with a faceful of meringue and the closest thing to an "oh, sh*t!" look on his face that a cat can have. I'm glad someone in the house got to enjoy the pie, since the rest of the family didn't get any.

At the risk of taking a lot of arrows from pet lovers: People who let their cats walk on their countertops and dining tables. I have dogs and a cat and I washwashwash my hands anytime I touch the big and little darlings when I am cooking. I have had pets all of my life and love them dearly. I do not love the pests and parasites that they carry and I don't want them in or near the food. I shudder when I see people feed their animals from their eating utensils or kiss their pets on the muzzle, give them a scratch behind the ears and then turn back to the stove. Yuck.