So, I've had this nasty cold for a bit.  Which is what, the fourth or fifth respiratory bug of some sort this winter?  I figured I'd make myself some homemade chicken noodle soup to help me get better, or at least feel better.  I always forget how squeamish I am handling any sort of meat.

There really needs to be packaged meats for those of us who ( Read more... )

Bold the ones you have and use at least once a year, italicize the ones you have and don't use, strike through the ones you have had but got rid of.

I wonder how many pasta machines, breadmakers, juicers, blenders, deep fat fryers, egg boilers, melon ballers, sandwich makers, pastry brushes, cheese knives, electric woks, miniature salad spinners, ( Read more... )

I've got the cold from hell.  I blame my allergies for giving the bug a nice gooey place to live.  Of course, I still have allergies, too, so I'm just having all kinds of fun.  I'm missing another day of work today, since I didn't magically get better over the weekend. *sigh*

While slumping around the apartment like a great glob of mucus, I've made ( Read more... )

Oh dear.  When will people learn that they should be very, very careful with wish-granting entities?  Would you also wish for the gas you put in your car not to count for 24 hours?  I would think not, unless you planned not to drive for that time.  But it doesn't hurt a car to spend 24 hours without fuel.  A human spending 24 hours without calories ( Read more... )

I'm not a big fan of water, even though I know it's good for one, so I generally have ice tea or lemonade in my canteen-thing at work, but I'm getting a little tired of the same two things.  Does anyone have some new drink suggestions?  Herbal teas that make yummy ice teas?  Lemonade relatives I might not be aware of?  I don't think straight up ( Read more... )

Okay, cooks of my friendslist, I could use some cooking advice.  Again.

I've had really good tofu in things from restaurants - mainly soups and stir-fries, but when I cook it at home, it's always kind of meh.  Are there any tips or tricks I'm overlooking?  Really awesome stir-fry recipies I should be trying?  Extra yummy marinades?  I know there are ( Read more... )

I picked up some herb plants today.  It seemed like a good sensible way to have fresh herbs without a ton of waste.  Maybe I'll expand my cooking horizons ( Read more... )

I find sushi quite tasty - in fact, my fondness for the fishy sorts is probably the largest reason I'm not a vegetarian - but it's really hard to eat.  I'm not very good with chopsticks (I probably need remedial chopsticks classes) and most sushi places make rolls too large to fit in a human mouth.  Or at least, too large to fit in this human's ( Read more... )

And now we take a break from politics with the Vegetarian Hundred, which I found on marag 's, and which comes from Tigers and Strawberries .  I forsee a bit of wikiing of this list as well, even though my parents were vegetarians when I was a kid.  The rules are:  bold any items you have eaten and strike out any you would never eat[/ or eat again], and ( Read more... )

I just got back from the local farmers market with a pile of lovely garden and farm fresh goodies.  Potatoes, onions, carrots, tomatoes, and enough cucumbers that I can have one a day for the next week.  Omnomnom.   (I have some kind of weird cucumber addiction.)  I love farmers markets.