KateW

"de-thaw" I usually say "veg" instead of veggies but that's just usually on the job, like "what's the veg tonight?". If I'm anywhere else I say vegetables.

The party's in New Hampshire, end of July--could be rather hot. But now I'm not even sure we're going--there's a conflicting event that a good deal of the family is going to be at (block party my uncle's band is going to be playing at) and we're going to see the family at our wedding in September anyway. Thanks for the ideas though--they all sound wonderful!

A quick reference to the temperatures reached by certain substances (boiling water, sugar syrup, hot oil), coupled with the non-evaporating, skin-sticking qualities of caramel, roux, etc. would argue otherwise. And having had numerous steam burns ("lessee... are those steamed scallops ready yet? I'll just lower my hand into this roiling steam basket and poke around...") and one Prudhomme-sized roux burn, I'm here to tell you that the roux is far, far worse. Why I'm making a case for roux being the worst burn at 3:34 am is beyond me, however. Ok, ok, I didn't mean scientifically...just ouch-wise I find steam and liquid to be worse than say, an oven or stovetop burn. Just the other day I was holding a bowl and spooning mashed potatoes into it and glopped some onto my hand...now I'll never forget to just put the bowl down...

Yep, steam is the worst, followed by most liquids because you can't just pull your hand away--it's still covered with the offending substance. I have sensitive skin and while none of my burns were that bad, you can still see the evidence. There's this awesome gel stuff at work that looks and smells nasty but works wonders for pain, if not appearance.

It never occurred to me to take grocery store food in a way other than how it was presented, just like it never occurred to me to order something different from how it's on a menu on a restaurant, or not on a menu at all. I guess the question is, like with the "ordering off the menu" question, where do we draw the line? Can we start taking a chicken breast here, a lamb shank here? "Testing the batch" like with grapes or cherries never works for me because I could get a delicious one from the same stem or bag a gross moldy one might be in. If I were going to a grocery store with a cranky kid or a low sugar level I would take responsibility for it with previously bought food (or discipline, in the case of the kid). At least, I hope I would.

Ok, so my upcoming family reunion (July 24) has a French theme and I have to bring dessert. I'm not a dessert person and a lot of the recipes I find say "serve immediately" or "warm in an oven before serving". I have to make something that will make the couple hour trip and then sit for a few hours after that. I'd like something easy to medium difficulty (my level being culinary school graduate but minimal experience in dessert). Also it has to feed about 50 people. I considered individual creme brulee, creme caramel, pots de creme, etc. but then I'd have to spring for the ramekins (and probably lose most of them at the reunion). Tarte tatin is best served warm and I don't want to risk there not being room in the oven where we will be. I can see making a pie or cake. Or maybe crepes and toppings? Anyway, any ideas?

Sliding zipper bags are my new best friend (diamonds are just too expensive). Why have bag clips, plastic wrap, tin foil, etc. lying around when you can just tear into anything and dump it into a bag?

Whenever I start thinking like this, I realize people are probably thinking the same thing about me. "What's she going to do with all that raw meat and no Helper?"

Not really food related but the bit in the restaurant where Sally acts out an orgasm, and another woman in the restaurant says....(see signature)

Kate is hereby nominated for sainthood LOL

I get your point, but I guess I just don't agree with it. I don't consider other people having conversations, one sided or not, as being an inconvenience to me.

I think requesting that cell phone conversations be carried on in hushed tones makes about as much sense as asking everyone to start whispering in face to face conversations. Less sense in fact, considering it's harder to understand someone over the phone. Is there something about hearing a one-sided conversation that drives people nuts? Curiosity, maybe?

I can think of many times when I'd love to have a cell phone. From work: "hey it's slammed, I'm going to be an hour later than usual" From the car: "Traffic is a bear, please wait for me" --almost missed an appointment with our wedding officiant because of this! From the middle of nowhere: "I'm lost...there's a Wendy's and a traffic light...where am I?" (yes this has happened too) And yes, even from the bakery or grocery store: "Honey, what kind of bread/razors/tampons do you want?" I also can't help but think it's selfish to expect that when people are with you, the rest of their lives disappear.

I had been drinking C2 from the can until recently I didn't have any cold ones. So I poured it into a glass with some ice. It tastes totally different--much more diet taste. Why does this happen?

Not produce, but here's an exchange: Cashier: I don't like sushi. I've tried it a couple times and I just can't develop a taste for it. Bagger: Do you like shrimp cocktail? Cashier: Yeah. Bagger: Well that's raw fish... Cashier: I know. I wanted to say something but then the bagger complimented the color of my hair and I figured I should just let it go. It's going to bug me all day though.

I found this topic today and said "Oh cool, maybe I can find out how to do that!" Then I read it and find out I posted here over a year ago. Well not much has changed. Ruby Tuesday practically forced me to do that flip thing with the boneless wings in the bowl, but the track doesn't care if you just use tongs or a gloved hand to toss things. It's great. I still think about teaching myself, though.

Wow. Do you do therapy sessions?

Actually, it's not that big a chunk--usually I'm in there when he comes home, scurrying to get food done relatively in synch with when he's ready for it, which is hard because I rarely know when he's going to be home. Or I'm in the kitchen making breakfast. Other than that I'm not, except to get a snack maybe, which rarely involves actual cooking. And I don't actually say "Hey my day was ruined when I fumbled the egg and the yolk broke" but he knows I take my food seriously enough to be sulky for a while when it isn't right. That's why I stopped going to fast food places. In the 3 apartments I've lived in, my kitchen has never been big enough for more than one person to stand around in. The one I have now is around a corner so I can't even talk to people in the living room while I'm there. It's like I'm in my own little world. I think that's part of the problem. I like the bell idea.

It's not so much at work, although that is annoying too when I'm trying to do something delicate and someone's talking my ear off. The egg incident I mentioned was at home. I can never hear my fiance coming to the kitchen and he always has to bound into the room and immediately start talking and I always jump. Sometimes I'm doing something with food, sometimes I'm not. Sometimes it's his food that pays, but usually it's mine At work, I hate to be watched. I start second guessing myself when someone's watching.

I've told him time and time again don't come around the corner and talk to me while I'm cooking. But he always does it. This morning I was trying to get the sunny side up egg from the pan to the bread in one piece, he comes around the corner saying some crap about flooding and I screw the whole thing up. I'm particular about my food. He knows that. My day is ruined if something's wrong with my food. Sure, that yolk would have broken when I bit into it anyway, but that's when I wanted it to break. Am I too skittish? This doesn't happen when there are people around me talking. Only when someone talks directly to me, all my concentration goes out the window and I screw something up.

Compared C2 with regular coke. So close but C2 is just a tad sweeter, I think. (Hey, I don't work again until Friday, so I got a lotta time on my hands )

I just had to say, and it's too bad he's not in Q&A anymore or I'd kiss his feet, that Alton Brown's ribs are awesome. I didn't use exactly his dry rub recipe because I remember him saying in the show that you can use anything you want for the last 1 part. So I made my own. I used one rack of beef ribs and one of pork. They were SO GOOD. I never knew how much I liked ribs. I really have to set up the webcam again. The recipe is on foodtv.com if you search for alton ribs.

I found it at a Shaw's in New Bedford Mass. It was in 20 oz. bottles in one of those little fridges near the checkout lines. I didn't notice what packaging for Pepsi Edge was in the soda aisle but they had the 8-packs of C2.

I got one of each of these today (actually I had to get an 8-pack of the C2) and I went into it expecting to like the Pepsi better because of what I'd read here. I found I like the Coke better. I'm wishing I had an original Coke here to compare because I can taste no difference. I don't taste any diet-like or metallic flavors even when it's warm. I taste a little diet hint in the Pepsi which is weird because it doesn't even have the same sugar substitute as diet. Just called the fiance and asked him to get a "real" Coke before he comes home. I don't touch diet soda and I can see myself having a C2 to quench those rare soda cravings.

I've entertained the thought of personal cheffing for a long time as well and this thread has just reinspired me. Thanks!