MaryIsobel

My husbands's mother had a huge tablecloth that her mother had crocheted. It was brought out for special occaisions for my husband's family of 10.(two parents and 8 kids) At about age 5 my husband took scissors to it - little brat that he was. He recalls being sent to his room by his teary-eyed mother. To this day, he remembers the shame he felt. Not for destroying the tablecloth, but for making his mother cry. This was over 60 years ago. I still tease him when I put a tablecloth on our dining room table and say "please don't cut this!'

I have been tasked/volunteered to contribute to my daughter's Musical Theatre fundraising bake sale- I volunteered. The bake sale is aimed at the high school students, rather than say a church bake sale where there are pans of cinnamon buns and bundt cakes. So, I'm looking at individually packaged treats. I'm going to do a dozen 6" frosted and sprinkled sugar cookies as in searching ideas, apparently kids like huge cookies. I'll either do big brownie squares or chocolate chip cookies using red and greem M&M's. Just wondering if anyone has any better ideas. Since I will be making 24 pieces, I don't want to go too crazy on decorating.

I often enjoy this same type of salad for lunch or dinner

That would definitely be annoying.

Mine doesn't start screaming til about 30 seconds of nothing on the burner; plenty of rim to flip or swirl.

Maybe egg salad sandwiches? I like my yolks runny but egg salad on whole wheat (with some romaine or spinach or sprouts is a pretty healthy lunch or dinner. Those and some carrot, pepper strips on the side?

I took FoosSafe years ago - it was required to do hot dog days, cupcake sales, etc., in our school district. It was a very quick course and if you already knew safe food temps, it was very easy to complete.

I believe in a full belly for every child, filled by the village.

I haven't tried my Instapot for rice. I cook big amounts of white or brown rice using the pasta method.I then freeze it in 1 cup portions flattened in freezer bags.

A long standing conumdrum. Home made sandwiches vs. eating out of dumpsters? When trying to donate birthday cake kits to our local food bank, I reached out to two local ones with the question; "can I repckage bulk sprinkles into baggies?" One said yes, one said no.

I'm noticing more and more "pop top" cans here. I think it's a great idea - espeecially for donating to the unhoused.

That salad sounds great. One of my daughters is allergic to penecillin so any blue cheeses are out for her. So now I put out a couple of bowls; one with blue cheese and one with chunked up brie so - to each their own!

Also Canadian but pretty close to the border on the west coast. I think I first had pulled pork about 10 years ago - so in my "ahem" 50's. What a revelation - so many ways to use it and in this day and age around here -- pork is the best bang for your buck meat-wise.

Thanks Patti. I know my cake kits will not be organic or locally sourced or even vaaguely healthy, but if they bring a smile to a kid's face - who cares?

We call it a hole saw - my husband has about 20 different sizes.

Stuffed with? Always looking for "squid ideas."

I have made a committment to myself that starting in December, I'm going to do birthday cake kits for our local food bank. I hate the thought of any child going without a birthday cake. A kit contains a 9x13 foil pan, a box of cake mix,a can of pop/soda (which can sub for the oil and eggs called for in the cake mix instructions) a can of frosting, a package of candles, some sprinkles and a package of balloons and maybe streamers or some little toys. For December, I will focus on Christmas, with red and green sprinkles and balloons and streamers. Just waiting to hear back from the food bank as to whether or not I can include sprinkles re-packaged in baggies.

I really have to try uni again. I may have mentioned that it is the only thing that I have ever spat into my napkin at a restaurant. Just the idea of swallowing it brought on my gag reflex full force. I love all kinds of seafood and have eaten many raw oysters and a lot of ceviche, crudo, sashimi... I now suspect that the uni was bad. It was at a very high end steak house in Vegas, on one of those 400.00 seafood towers (trade show - not my money.) What I tasted was decomposed seafood with a side of excrement. I'm sure that is not the taste that everyone raves about!

I agree. many of the things that I like to have with pasta (parmesean, pesto, olives...) are already salty

I'm with you on the carrots - the way I like to cook them, my husband has named them hot, raw carrots.

I did a double take when walking through the bread section of our local grocery. I did not purchase any.

O often make mashed potatoes ahead of time and freeze. I use sour cream and or cream cheese instead of mik and they freeze aqnd reheat just fine.

Our local Co-Op has ground bison but I've never seen ribs - I'll have to ask for them.

Fig and honey bread sounds fabulous!

Love the white almond sour cream cake - it's my go-to for special occaision cakes.