Streams of Consciousness & Thoughts~~~

[Fenner]

I might actually cry. Dunno yet. Either way, I'm out.

I was a waitress for.ten years, moved walked, ran. Then I got a desk job, gained weight, had horrible back.problems and hardly moved. I went back.to an on my feet job as an Optician, now I'm on my feet working at the Preschool. Invest in some good.shoes, neutral color like.black, Aerosols are good and not horribly pricey. If you have a Gabriel Brothers they have some good shoes at really good prices. I know it's tough on your feet, but it's actually good for you. Think of Dory, just keep swimming.

 

[gypsygirl]

P.P.S. Do I get bonus points for knowing what a mirepoix is, as well as "the other" holy trinity?

The kicker is, while I don't cook anymore, I still occasionally take sneak peeks at all kinds of cooking shows. 99.9% of the time I'm not interested in what they're making but I like the little tips you pick up along the way.

sure, you can have credit. : ) yeah, i have to admit, i always admire when someone demonstrates good knife technique, and there is no such thing as too many or too sharp of knives. : D

by the way, i am sorry if i insulted you with the comment about teaching you "how to make a white sauce" with my assumption.

you would be surprised how many people don't know any of the classic sauces. yes, we have recipes, but it seems like the focus on cooking/recipes this days isn't on good technique, classic building blocks and ingredient education as much as it is on how to take things like boxed mixes and turn them into something that tastes reasonably good. or anything fast and easy.

even on the food channel, they are teaching people how to make stuff by opening three or four bags of things and combining them. jazzing up something like kraft macaroni and cheese with a few extra ingredients so that it tastes more like homemade instead of the tiny straws of weirdly textured pasta covered in a faux-cheese sauce that is the color of a traffic cone. which is a ridiculous shame, considering the real thing tastes 45234523454 times better and might take a full 20 minutes longer to make, depending upon the prep.

speaking of the holy trinity, you know what i find really cool? usually that label (in this country, anyway) is a reference to the creole variety, but there are lots of other, and much tastier trifectas. why anyone would want to ruin perfectly good onions and celery is beyond me. : )

for example, i prefer the soffritto, sofrito, and especially duxelles; otherwise known as the "holy trinities" of italy, spain, and france.

i have always enjoyed cooking, and over the years, have enjoyed the challenges associated with expanding my skills and techniques. and since there is so much to learn (especially as you broaden into other ethnic arenas) it's a fun way to meet my hunger to keep learning cool stuff.

p.s. i'd really love to get that "fudge-stuffed sole" recipe. ; p

 

[CatHerder]

...speaking of the holy trinity, you know what i find really cool? usually that label (in this country, anyway) is a reference to the creole variety, but there are lots of other, and much tastier trifectas. why anyone would want to ruin perfectly good onions and celery is beyond me. : ) ...

Am I detecting some anti-pepper bias here? Honestly, you have to get over this, or else you can't come to my Italian themed Halloween party next year!!

 

[seoulsearch]

by the way, i am sorry if i insulted you with the comment about teaching you "how to make a white sauce" with my assumption.

p.s. i'd really love to get that "fudge-stuffed sole" recipe. ; p

No offense taken at all, Gypsy. It's kind of a hallmark of my personality. I try not to take myself too seriously and make a lot of jokes, so people often assume I don't know anything either. Which usually isn't too far off. A few months ago at work I was given a task and someone commented, "Wow, you finished that REALLY fast." "Yes," I replied. "That's because I've been doing (that kind of work) on and off for 22 years."

I am NOT saying you are like this at all Gypsy, because you're not--but have you ever noticed how most people nowadays are so concerned about showing off what THEY know, it never dawns on them that the people around them might know something, too?! But they're too busy showing off their own self-imagined superiority to ask. I say, whatever floats their boat. But, they're missing out on a lot of valuable resources standing right there next to them.

There are a lot of cases in which I DON'T know, but when I do, I often keep quiet about it. It often works to an advantage, and I like waiting to see if anyone will take the time to ask others what they know, too. I also have to admit that I also do this simply because I love shocking people in subtle ways.

I was thinking about it today and once upon a time, I also made a bread pudding that would have been very yummy except that I think the recipe called for too much fresh orange zest. My other crowning achievement was a supposedly authentic spinach lasagna with homemade tomato and bechamel sauces (no mozzarella or ricotta at all.)

Don't you know that the "fudge-stuffed sole" is a secret family recipe I can't give away? One must understand, I LOVE my Mom but she spends more time cleaning her kitchen than actually cooking in it. I was NEVER allowed to cook at home. By the time I got my first apartment, I was around 21 years old, nearly engaged, and "one of those people" who had literally never boiled water on the stove before. The bulk of my cooking experimentation came during my 2-year marriage.

After he left, my interest just died. Several years later I had a good friend whom I cooked for a few times, but if I don't at least have someone to share it with, I'd just rather be doing a zillion other things.

However, if you and the other Foodies here were volunteering lessons, I'd try anything you wanted to teach me from start to finish. And, I'd volunteer to help clean up afterward. (Meaning... I will help to "put away" the food!!! )

Nah, I even do dishes, too.

 

[Lynx]

Being underestimated comes in handy. 1, you can shock people who have underestimated you. 2, you don't get asked to do as much.

 

[violakat]

Can someone stop the Merry Go round. I'm getting a little dizzy and want to get off. Grumble Grumble, stupid sinus infection.

 

[Immawildthing]

Well.... Guess what everybody! I'm 5 weeks and 2 days pregnant.
This totally explains everything.

 

[ServantStrike]

I was a waitress for.ten years, moved walked, ran. Then I got a desk job, gained weight, had horrible back.problems and hardly moved. I went back.to an on my feet job as an Optician, now I'm on my feet working at the Preschool. Invest in some good.shoes, neutral color like.black, Aerosols are good and not horribly pricey. If you have a Gabriel Brothers they have some good shoes at really good prices. I know it's tough on your feet, but it's actually good for you. Think of Dory, just keep swimming.

In general, movement is life.

When you stay still, you die. Maybe not immediately, but a lot more quickly than if there was some activity in there.

Don't you know that the "fudge-stuffed sole" is a secret family recipe I can't give away? One must understand, I LOVE my Mom but she spends more time cleaning her kitchen than actually cooking in it. I was NEVER allowed to cook at home. By the time I got my first apartment, I was around 21 years old, nearly engaged, and "one of those people" who had literally never boiled water on the stove before. The bulk of my cooking experimentation came during my 2-year marriage.

No marriage here, but I realized in order to potentially secure one (maybe), it could come in handy if I could cook. That said I haven't been doing jack or squat with the skill of late (too busy), and I'm still at mid level dishes, nothing particularly fancy.

My mom didn't let me in the kitchen as a kid because I always made a mess... possibly a large one.

 

[blueorchidjd]

Diary time.
Pondering where my sanity went.
*Knows*
I felt like a complete limp pile of flesh walking around at work today, started off my morning with a cop pulling me over as well.
BUT, here's the kicker...even though I was speeding *angelic smile*, God was good to me, because when the police officer came back with my license and my insurance card. He came back and said that he would just give me a warning because my birthday is next week! 0 But in all of reality, I really know it is because God has favor over me and that I am...well.....not bound by the law. So I guess I'm gonna take it super literally.


Also, my coworkers are getting too.....rebellious.
So I may talk to my manager, haven't decided yet.
But definitely don't want to be random about it.

 

[Roh_Chris]

I am back after the long trip. It was on short-notice, so I was unprepared for it. But God preserved us. While driving, I had to wash my face and drink a can of Red Bull every 2 hours. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the entire drive and I had a lot of time to pray. Now I am back home. I have to take some rest but it is Sunday. Sigh.....

 

[lil_christian]

I was a waitress for.ten years, moved walked, ran. Then I got a desk job, gained weight, had horrible back.problems and hardly moved. I went back.to an on my feet job as an Optician, now I'm on my feet working at the Preschool. Invest in some good.shoes, neutral color like.black, Aerosols are good and not horribly pricey. If you have a Gabriel Brothers they have some good shoes at really good prices. I know it's tough on your feet, but it's actually good for you. Think of Dory, just keep swimming.

You're right, and it does have its perks. I'm gonna be able to buy a Keurig coffee maker, and with my associate discount paired with another coupon, the savings will be crazy. It'll be a happy birthday, Merry Christmas/Happy Kwanzaa/Happy New Year/Happy Whatever.

Also, today didn't go too bad. It was really slow, but my sister let me borrow her shoes again and I wore some thicker socks, so my feet don't hurt as much and no new blisters! I was also sent home early, because it was so slow today, my supervisor asked if I wanted to go home early. Man, it felt nice to get home early and enjoy the rest of my evening.

 

[zeroturbulence]

Ok there is this little jumping spider in my bedroom that I've seen twice now in the last 2 days. Its just a tiny thing about the size of a fly. I've tried to kill it a few times now but the sucker's just too fast! It's like a little spiderman! Oh well, til we meet again I guess.. I actually thought about just letting it go since they're not poisonous or anything.

oh and ladies... the first time I saw it, it was on my leg. luckily its a cute spider and not one of those scary looking ones..

 

[IDEAtor]

I ate oysters and frog legs for Thanksgiving . I also had ham, but no turkey :C
My bro-in-law brought in some corn-kernel candles, from which my grandmother and I grabbed some pieces to practice our Kernel Ball skills. (For the record, my 84+ grandmother made, at least, 4 out of 40. I made 3.) Watched my 1yr nephewish (nephew + nephew-ish= "nepheWISH," my almost adopted nephew) dunk a basket ball on his first attempt trying. Let's see... oh, i stayed AWAY from Black Friday fever. Sad news: My uncle missed out due to a real fever. He has been suffering cancer for 3 years, plus. Great news: A man at our church needed a heart (this is hard to pray for, because it means someone else has to die). Well, on Thanksgiving morning... he got one, after 50+ days of waiting. #yikesbutYES

 

[lil_christian]

Any spider that is on me is a dead spider. Well, any spider I see is a dead spider.

 

[maxwel]

Any spider that is on me is a dead spider. Well, any spider I see is a dead spider.

Not much spider love around here.

 

[blueorchidjd]

Gah. I feel better now.
Thank goodness, I was dying.

*Psalms*

 

[blue_ladybug]

Ok there is this little jumping spider in my bedroom that I've seen twice now in the last 2 days. Its just a tiny thing about the size of a fly. I've tried to kill it a few times now but the sucker's just too fast! It's like a little spiderman! Oh well, til we meet again I guess.. I actually thought about just letting it go since they're not poisonous or anything.

oh and ladies... the first time I saw it, it was on my leg. luckily its a cute spider and not one of those scary looking ones..

ooh i hate those tiny spiders! I had a bad infestation of them in my apartment this summer. Be thankful it was a TINY spider that jumped on you, and not a TARANTULA!! I hear those can jump too--i'd have a heart attack right there and then if one of those jumped on me!! :/

 

[Lynx]

Spiders are cool. Anything that eats mosquitoes is a friend of mine. As long as they stay outside... if they come inside they get flattened.

One year a writing spider (the really big black-and-green spider that makes a zig-zag in the middle of its web) set up a web right over our front porch light. I made sure to leave the light on every night (hey I pay the electric bill) to draw a lot of bugs for it. In the morning when I went to work that web would look like a flag that had been through a battle - all shot full of holes. Yay for mosquito eaters!

 

[error]

So...I've found a butterfly in my house. What should I do with it?

 

[LightningClap0002]

Put it in a jar and keep it forever!!