Margaret Pilgrim

Husband has been snitting that we have no microwave safe bowls in the country. Yesterday we fell over a batch sat s garage sale. Trying to decide how many to get, he asked the price. “Here. Fill this box. Heaping full. $5.” So, 24 bowls in three sizes plus a new micro plane and two novels.

The highest praise.

I would serve this to the gods! Thanks so much for the thinking and the doing.

Maybe some help from the source?

You had me right here!

Indeed.

Similarly, a family member double polyurethaned the hardwood floors of a family that gave onto the pool area. Thousands of wet, bare feet later, it still looked great.

Planting tongue firmly in cheek, I relate how we tore up asbestos tile in the kitchen of our weekend place and found "boards". We decided on paint. Since I make all of the decorating decisions, I told husband he could choose this one. He picked "International Orange". I cringed, but a deal is a deal. He gave it two coats, roughly 20 years ago. I vacuum it daily and mop it down every stay. I actually love it, and it fits the place's funky vibe. In our first home in town, the former owners, two guys, had put cork in the large kitchen. It looked great when we moved in, but my spike heels rutted it terribly, and our sheepdog puppy did a number digging at it one day when we left him alone. Again, it was great for guys without pets.

Thanks, Dave, for pointing out the erroneous info I posted. I, too, read up on Denver steak and its relationship in the shoulder. That said, it is a very flavorful steak, and if properly sourced and cut, extremely tender. San Francisco butchers started selling it for around $15 a pound. It is now $20 plus.

97F outside. Today's lunch = frozen yogurt, made to husband's specs, as he chases the ones he's enjoyed in France. VERY SIMPLE: 1 quart Fage 2% plain yogurt; 3/4 cup sugar; 1/3 cup corn syrup. Freeze in our ancient Simco. Exquisite texture. A little sweet for me but exactly what he was aiming for. Will be interested in how it sets up in the freezer. Hopefully, the corn syrup with mitigate its turning into a brick.

Ants Climbing a Tree is what I thought of also. A favorite dish, while the concept of raisins + jarred cheese + celery eludes me.

Yes, the Opinel does fold and has a sliding lock to prevent damage or injury. The biggest problem with a pocket(book) knife is remembering to move it to checked luggage when traveling. eta I notice that the pictured knife if INOX Both of mine are vintage and carbon steel. As a French woman told me, no need to wash them. Just wipe them on a piece of bread. The sausage or cheese fat is perfect protection.

I have always assumed that. But so should the ubiquitous gentleman's pocketknife?

Do handbag knives count? I travel with my trusty carbon steel Opinel #10. One never knows when a sausage or pot of rillettes or wedge of cheese or a pear will present itself. Essential for street markets and impromptu picnics.

Two Celeries Soup uses both bunch celery and celery root. I usually top it with just creme fraiche and chives or drops of curry oil.

Celery soup, either from just stalk celery or by combining with celery root, is fabulous. With it's elegant and elusive flavor, it is always a hit at dinners. It can be served hot or cold, in bowls or cups.

FWIW, chuck eye is marketed as Denver steak where I live and is PRICEY. Note, over $25.lb here.

Am reminded of one of my first jobs. During my afternoon coffee break, I would go to a nearby butcher shop to buy meat for dinner. My boss found out and asked me to shop for her at the same time. "A filet mignon, ground fresh." For maybe 6 months my butcher complied. Then one day he said, "NO! I will not grind up a beautiful piece of beef. I will grind round and you can tell her or not." Well, I had to either tell her or keep the substantial change. She was chagrined at first but admitted that it was jut as good, maybe a little tastier!

Amen, Sister.

Vaguely on subject, we stopped at a rather fancy roadside stand this afternoon. $4.95 for a large eggplant! I always buy small eggplant which I think have a larger proportion of firm meat to yuck. Also, $2.75 for a fist sized green tomato. $1/lb watermelon. But this guy must understand his clientele but it ain't us. We drove on.

My previous dry milk experience has mirrored Paul's and Anna's. I remember mixing up some to give a visiting semi-feral cat who loved a bowl of warm milk. She sniffed it, arched her back and retreated. Fast forward 10 years, reading Paul's ice cream recs, I bought a bag at our village country store. The only thing they had was IGA's house brand. I found it's amazingly fresh tasting. The only drawback was that this store only had a large (and expensive) bag. I split it between town and country and keep it in the freezer to prevent degradation. Would buy Essential Everyday Dry Milk again.

Different strokes. I much prefer the dial to buttons. BTW, the MSP is $269. We paid less as a restaurant supply store. The $4000 quoted above is for an entirely different model.

No, something much less impressive. Will have to ask. But it was so simple, like this one, only a dial, few gismos to go off kilter. Confession: I hate smart appliances that I have to neuter in order to do simple things. As I wrote on another thread, when we wanted to replace a fancy but failing car radio, the salesman chatted up husband,then would turn to me, "the little woman", and ask my opinion, and I blew him away with, "Off, on and no static." It didn't compute in his world. This has become our mantra, and it is increasingly impossible to find. Simple, straightforward, few gimmicks or bells and whistles to go astray. I don't want to have to see if the food I'm trying to reheat is (even) listed on their menu. OFF, ON AND NO STATIC!

I want to move in. I'm relatively agile, a neatnik around the house, already love your kidnik, and am 1/4 Baden Baden German.

I can understand that, but this guy is such a hassle free helper. I have spent many hours in friends and relatives houses where they asked me to nuke something and i needed a 747 pilot's license to heat a cup of soup. This little machine is effortless and will be passed on to my descendants. We're easy on our stuff. Our last microwave was preemptively replaced after 40 years. It most probably had a few more huffs in it but when we found this new on, we gave him early retirement.