Daily Archives: December 27, 2008

New Year’s Resolution #4

I will try a recipe the first time with necessary abandon. If it works, I will try to calculate what I put in it, try it again and let you know about it. If it doesn’t work I’ll fix it or trash the idea.

First, let us see if anyone will sue me for this. Take two slices of bread, your choice. Place peanut butter of your choice on one slice of bread. Place jam or jelly or your choice on top of the peanut butter. Top with remaining slice of bread and eat. Preferably over the kitchen sink, hoping for a better dinner and a better life.

OK, now I own this recipe and can sue bloggers for re-printing it. No, I’ll probably be sued for using the term “peanut” instead of “nut.” Yes, I’m a nut for posting this. Dee

Cooking Mags II

In the past I ordered a cooking magazine or two, and they clogged up my mailbox or nightstand. Then I would go through the recipe page and look up a few. Then, heaven forbid, I couldn’t throw it out because I might never find it again. That has happened to me time and again. But being a blogger, no-one will give permissions to print credited recipes anyway.

Food and Wine gently suggests signing up. My problem is that I only want online access to the magazine to see what’s fresh and new and peruse the archives. I don’t need a tree cut down every month for my reading enjoyment. Some magazines are getting the hint.

But Cooks Illustrated does the hard sell, in my email inbox at least once a day. And now they’re limiting content in the emails they send me. Sorry, this one’s only for members! Ha! Gotcha! Subscribe to our online membership free for a month then we’ll charge you for life unless you spend three weeks calling India for customer support to cancel. Especially after a fellow blogger changed one of their recipes, published it crediting the company and they harassed her mercilessly, saying that their recipe was “perfect” and she had no right to change it.

I don’t work in restaurants anymore. If I want to change a recipe to please my fellow diners, I will do so as needed. No, I’ll do so because I don’t have one item in my pantry or Jim can’t eat anchovies or whatever I feel like doing. Ninety-five percent of the time I don’t use a recipe, just think of something and make it. But I don’t measure so have to do better on that so I can pass my recipes on to you. Should that be New Year’s Resolution #4? We’ll see.

How do you like the blog? It has its ups and downs, in terms of readership, and I thank a number of stalwart readers for writing in with their comments. I was thinking of some changes, not yet solidified, for 2009. What do you think? Hope you’re enjoying a warm and fuzzy weekend with your loved ones. Dee

p.s. Many years ago, on my first home computer, it came with AOL. When I tried to get rid of it, they wouldn’t let me. I spent months on the phone telling them I no longer wanted their service. They always asked “why” and tried to engage me in conversation. Incredibly annoying. It took having my purse (and credit card that paid for AOL) stolen in Italy for them to drop me. I returned with no money, having spent most of New Year’s at the police station or Consulate. But when I went to sign in I had no more AOL and was a happy camper!!!

El Paso II

My hombre braved the big mall and crowds and traffic, just to make it to the Apple Store to buy new video software. En route home I asked him to stop at the store and pick up milk and honey. He called from the store.

That was the first time he left home today, nearing 5:00 p.m. Three things I asked him to do today: replace a pendant light bulb I really need to cook by (and I had one on hand) that I couldn’t reach; walk the dog; and go to the store for two things.

Upon returning he walked the dog and stepped in a dog mess because there have been no bags out here or irresponsible owners or holiday caretakers don’t give a darn about picking up after their pooches. That really irks me, that people don’t pick up. He’s just had me wash everything he was wearing (yes, Val the Vet) and just took a 30-minute shower while dinner is in the oven.

I really don’t want to write something nasty about all of the people who make our lofts work, but so many things were left undone before they took off for the holidays. Simple things like doggie bags and paper towels and toilet paper for residents and their guests during a long weekend, in the public areas.

This is our second Christmas here, out of five. During the latter portion of the week, we basically were meringue mushrooms sitting on a chocolate hazelnut buttercream yule log cake, so far. Now we have a weekend but are still getting over this cold we got from different places starting at Thanksgiving. Personally, I’m working on pneumonia and am sitting up, here, in the middle of the night so as not to fill my lungs with fluid. ‘Tis time for drastic measures, Whole Foods beckons for Wellness Formula.

Even though this is a semi-transient locale, some of us actually stay here for the holidays. I’m even learning how to make latkes. So we need the people we pay to prep this place when they close things down.

Anyway, my cowboy Knight in Shining Armor took a bullet tonight. He’s picked right up and started all over again and looks forward to dinner. Yes, this man in near middle age has never changed a diaper in his life. I’ve done at least a few hundred. Icky stuff is out there. Cowboys deal with the situation, make their peace and go on with life.

Hopefully my Jim will be able to, as all he did was essentially step in a dog patty (and he grew up on a dairy), grow from this experience and see what mothers and cooks and veterinarians and nurses and others go through every day, without whining.

Yes, he’ll get a good dinner this evening: ham with grainy mustard and honey; scalloped potatoes and a salad. And we care for all the people who make our lives easier, pleasant and interesting. Hope you enjoyed the sales today – I stayed away. Dee

ps He’s watching Alton Brown on dips, loves the science of it, not the cooking. OK, he’s redeemed, except he did wash his leather driving shoes in the shower and they may never recover. D