PopsicleToze

My sister is the worst one in our family. She served us gumbo one day. Basically she boiled the chicken until the meat was into little strings, then added her seasonings. It wouldn't even pour from the ladle -- just plopped down on the plate. Daddy made the funniest face and just looked at Mom to see what he should do. He wouldn't eat it -- just shook his head from side to side in amazement. Never one to mince words, he actually said, "Don't ever cook this for us again."

Pirates would need to eat a lot of limes to prevent scurvy -- so ceviche would certainly make an appearance on the menu. Maybe rum-butt chicken would work, too Instead of stuffing the chicken with a beer can, it could be a vessel full of rum

My wooden lemon reamer

Thanks -- I'll post my success, or lack thereof, this weekend!

One more question. I'm trying the fish stock this weekend. It will be the first time after swearing it off a long time ago. I now know what to remove and how so it won't get bitter. Before I simmered for only 30 minutes, but that will now be reduced to 20. One last question. I make stocks to freeze and then use the stocks as a base for other dishes. If I cook the fish stock 20 minutes just to make the stock, won't cooking it in the final dish make it bitter anyway? Rhonda

You're right. A CEO's job is to add to the bottom line, and FoodTV is clearly not marketing to serious cooks. No one does any longer. It's clearly time for the E-Gullet honchos to put together a business plan and pitch it to a network. Bravo would probably do it

Just about everything everyone has said -- and especially for perfect, red, sweet ripe watermelon which is at its best in July. Right in time for July 4th weekend!

Another vote for tipping on everything but tax. I calculate 10% since it's so easy to do that, then I double the amount for 20%. Very bad service, however rare, is only 10%. Exceptional service goes to 25%, but the majority of the time I find waiters helpful and good at their jobs, and I tip 20%.

Paul, thanks. We have a market here where I can get heads and trimmings, but they look at me funny when I ask I'm going to try it using your suggestion. I'll go ahead and remove the eyes, too, just in case, because last time I dumped down the contents of the entire stock pot down the disposal! Phaelon, I want to go to the trouble if it tastes good. I already make all of my other stocks, and I use a shrimp stock in a lot of seafood dishes. Fish stock is the only one I'm lacking. Thanks! Rhonda

Since I'm out of cabinet room, I keep several LC pots on top of the kitchen cabinets in the space between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling. The shiny red looks good with the cookbooks, baskets, wine and other stuff I keep up there, and it reminds me to use them as much as possible. In the summer I use them manly for soups and bean dishes. Rhonda

Thanks for the all of the tips of removing eyes/gills. I had sworn off fish stock because of the bitter taste, but I didn't remove anything. Hate to think of those fish heads swimming in my stock pot again but I'm willing to try fish stock with the bitter-tasting things removed. Now, I'm using doctored-up bottled clam juice, and that gets expensive. Rhonda P.S. I haven't really cleaned animals before. Not meaning to be gross, but to remove the eyes, just pop them out? And the gills, just cut the outside part and any filter-type things on the inside of the gill until you get to the flesh??

I had been catching bits and pieces, but I just went back to Page 1 and read the entire blog. WOW I had to smoke a cigarette afterwards

I'm in limbo if it was out of line. If I saw a sign, I would make a note and just not ask, although I wouldn't have done it anyway. The Soup Nazi seemed to make quite a living from being rude. Compared to him, that little rule was nothing. There's a certain market/sandwich in town here that gets much publicity from its rudeness. When the owner actually smiles at me, I think something must be wrong with him I wouldn't say your response was rude, you wer just someone who had had enough. The question is how many customers you can afford to lose. Someone who buys 6 day-old muffins probably wasn't giving you enough too many cash flow concerns. Rhonda P.S. We used to have a secretary here with 2 signs on her desk: 1) Your lack of planning does not mean it's an emergency for me (or something along those lines). 2) I only please one person per day, today is not your day, tomorrow isn't looking good either. (I never did know if she was actually rude or not; I just never asked her for any favors.)

We had them today at Smiley's -- used to be a good restaurant, now it's trying to be, but the crabs were great! My co-worker ordered it thinking it was all shelled and in a patti -- oh, little did she know. She was hungry, and that was a good thing, so we had her eat the claws first. She gave in and ate the whole thing, but not without whining. In the end, it was worthe it :) (And another one bit the dust.)

When I die, I hope people remember that, "She was kind to me," and thus WAS WISE BEYOND HER YEARS!

Well, there goes Shakespeare out the window . . . Point well taken! I'll shut up now and let you continue

I know, and one of the reasons I enjoy lurking her a lot (and posting a little) is everyone's keen sense of humor and sharp wit. I just don't think it should be directed to someone who just passed away. Rhonda

IMHO it's very sad to see anyone making jokes or ironic suggestions when someone/ANYone passes away. I don't know of many CEOs who eat too many McDonald's meals. I hope we can show more respect to the dead than that! Rhonda P.S. Edited to Add With all of the bacon lovers on this board (moi included), I shudder to think what some people will say when something happens to us.

Gracious & practical -- you are a Godsend to your patients! And I'll remember the disabled before I make fun of any convenience food again! Can I still make fun of the canned cheese stuff that people put on their eggs at Shoney's????

Pickles, I meant no offense. My mother has rheumatoid arthritis and still makes mashed potatoes. I just never thought of that!

Non-dairy creamer & Artificial Sweeteners: I just don't eat things that seem to have no expiration date. Sometimes I'll use evaporated milk in my coffee or tea, but I've learned to just drink it black. Frozen Mashed Potatoes: This is just the food industry taking advantage of people. Potatoes are sooooo cheap. You can buy a 10# bag of potatoes for what they charge for 1 of those frozen bags. How hard is it to boil and mash potatoes, anyway. Semi-Homemade: Sandra Lee and her books/show should maybe not be banned, but just ignored by anyone with a clue

Just finished The DiVinci Code, and it was one of the most intriguing books I've read in a long time. Truly could not put it down.

Yeah, I would pay to subscribe to a continuous Mayhaw blog

I know I'm a little late for the topic, but I didn't see anything with roasted potatoes included (yes, a starch within a starch) This was the first recipe I used to make the dish, and it was great. Used it for a side dish, and had guests from youngsters to my grandmother. Everyone loved it! I still use the basic dish, but use red pepper flakes now and vary it up a bit (per bottom note). The main dish that day was fried shrimp. I wasn't very good at planning menus back then, but I've improved somewhat Spaghetti and Potatoes with Garlic and Oil 2 large baking potatoes with skin, scrubbed 12 ounces spaghetti 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 12 cloves garlic, sliced, not chopped 1 dried hot pepper, chopped ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste ¼ cup chopped, fresh Italian parsley Preheat oven to 400ºF. Prick potatoes with a fork. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until tender. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until tender but still firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil until very hot. Add the garlic, hot pepper and potato. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook, stirring frequently, until the ingredients are lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Drain the spaghetti as soon as it is cooked. Add it to the saucepan with the oil, garlic, hot pepper and potatoes. Mix well over moderate heat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the pasta amount 4 heated bowls, pouring any remaining oil over the top of the pasta. Sprinkle each serving with chopped parsley and additional salt/pepper to taste. [1990] Variation 2001: After garlic is barely golden, remove it from the skillet. Add a whole bulb of freshly roasted garlic pulp into the olive oil. (To roast the garlic, just cut the entire head off of the whole garlic so that the tops of the cloves are exposed. Drizzle the garlic head—skin and all—with olive oil and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Roast in oven for maybe 45 minutes or so at a moderate heat. When cooked, use your fingers to mash out the garlic. It will be the consistency of a paste.) Stir the roasted garlic into the olive oil, and then add a splash of white wine. Continue with recipe and sprinkle the golden garlic on top of the finished dish.

I can't help you on the baking, but possibly can offer an idea on cutting costs in general. There is a benefit center I help out at occasionally that cooks dinners and sells them with all profits going to help people in times of need (fire loss, medical emergency with no insurance, etc.). Instead of cost shopping and driving lots of places for the best deals, they have an arrangement with a local grocer (longtime store owner and most of the people in the group shop at his store) that he orders and sells them everything they need at cost. If there is someone in your church who could assist in this manner, it wouldn't hurt to ask him/her. Regarding bags and tissue paper, would your church let you but a donation box in the community room or something where people could donate some items for the bags? What a great, thoughtful thing you are doing! Good luck Rhonda