Another drizzly overcast day today in the 50’s. Joelle worked from home today so with both of us here, it has been free range kitties, and Maxwell and Steve have been wandering around the house. I think that is just how we are going to do it. Keep them in crates in the kitchen overnight and when we are not around, and let them out under close control.
Just spent an hour caramelizing onions to make french onion soup. I had my bag of frozen veggie scraps and the bone from the steak the other night in the freezer, so I made some beef stock. Cooked that down a bit then poured it through some cheesecloth, added a pat of butter, just a small squeeze of tomato paste (tomato paste in the tube is a must have- the cans are great when you know you are going to use the full thing, but if you just need a little bit, a tube on hand is awesome and does not take up fridge space) some thyme, a little salt, a bay leave, and let it reduce more, then started on the onions.
It’s such a long, slow process. Also- pet peeve- people referring to sauteed onions as caramelized when they are not even remotely the same thing. Caramelizing is like making risotto- you gotta strap in for the long haul.
Turned the leftover garlic knots I made for Joelle’s office staff into some croutons, and realized I had no worcestershire sauce. Joelle was heading to the store, so I made a list of stuff, and it’s funny how I’m really not very brand conscious about things, but there are a few key items where I draw the line. It’s gotta be Heinz ketchup, it’s gotta be Duke’s or Hellman’s mayo, and it has to be Lee & Perrin’s worcestershire with the paper wrapper.
When we went over the list, I said “and it has to be Lee & Perrins” and she said “with the paper wrapper” and I said “my girl” and smiled at her.
Baud
What’s happened to you. man?
Kristine
::trying to adjust to happy Top Chef Cole::
Anonymous at Work
Are there other Worcester brands?
cwmoss
Isn’t it Best Foods, not Hellmans, in AZ?
Gin & Tonic
No. No no no. These are not equivalent – you have to pick one to the exclusion of the other.
Walker
Obligatory:
https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/05/how-to-cook-onions-why-recipe-writers-lie-and-lie-about-how-long-they-take-to-caramelize.html
HumboldtBlue
Use this method to caramelize onions, it doesn’t take an hour, and anyone who says it does is lying to you.
Almost Retired
Open thread Phoenix observation. My maternal grandparents and aunt and uncle lived on the west side of Phoenix. In the 1980s and 90’s I made that painful drive from Los Angeles to Phoenix so many times that I had pretty much named every cactus on the 10 (“hello Sammy Saguaro”).
My mom is digitizing a bunch of family photos and sent a blurry Kodak of me from the late 60’s on my bike with training wheels on 83rd Avenue. The other side of the street was all cotton fields. That was pretty much the western end of the city during the last year of the Johnson Administration. Needless to say, that is no longer the case. I guess this observation is Suzanne bait!!!
John S.
@cwmoss: Yes. West of the Mississippi River, Hellman’s is Best Foods. They even print it on the label. 🙂
Old Dan and Little Ann
My old neighbor friend got a German Shepherd puppy a few months back. My 5 year old black lab has fallen in love. It took about 7 playtimes for them to figure out how to have fun. My dog had been way to hesitant to show the GS who was boss. Once he gave her a few loud barks after one too many nips at the face, it has been hysterical watching them play. Now I want GS puppy. lol…
schrodingers_cat
Hunt’s ketchup made with real sugar (not corn syrup) is better. Another ketchup that I have on hand is Maggi’s Hot and Sweet Tomato Chili Sauce. It makes a great dip for savory snacks like samosas when I am too busy to make Tamarind and Date chutney. Also works as a dip for egg rolls and such.
schrodingers_cat
@Almost Retired: I was wondering if you watched the debate for the CA senate seat? Your thoughts?
Gin & Tonic
@HumboldtBlue: The “30 seconds” at about the 1:24 mark of that video is absolutely, positively not 30 seconds.
SomeRandomGuy
Sauteed until brown is enough “caramelized” for me, but, I do agree: sauteed until wimpified is not caramelized. Still: I don’t *know* what “caramelized onions” look or taste like. I *do* know they must be (at least) slightly browned – that’s what “caramelized” means!
Huh? Oh: Wimp-i-fied, or “made wimpy”. I think “cook onions until wimpified” describes what actually happens to the onions texture and flavor. “Translucent” isn’t *wrong* but it’s not as colorful. (HAH! See what I did there? Translucent, colorful?! BWA HA HA HA HA_okay, it was a dumb joke.)
An internet cook, given a platform, said that a *lot* of recipe books lie, and say “saute until caramelized, about 10 minutes”, and “EVERYONE KNOWS IT TAKES LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES!!!” (Emphasis, though not all-caps, present in the original – it sounded all-but like a conspiracy by cookbook editors – our cook-with-a-plaform was *scandalized* by how bad the general advice was.)
Anyway: a lot of people have been given a false picture of caramelized onions, by “official documentation”. Official documentation… sheesh, can you tell I’ve worked tech support?
Another Scott
I liked L&P as a kid. I didn’t appreciate until recently that it’s basically a fish sauce. Lots and lots and lots of varieties of fish sauce…
Cheers,
Scott.
Kristine
@Old Dan and Little Ann: GSD puppies are so adorable. They’re all ears and paws.
NotMax
If you can find it, Heinz bottles with the “Simply Ketchup” label are so much better than standard (read: sugary) Heinz.
Also too, the Whole Foods house brand (365 organic) ketchup is good. (And here, at least, less expensive than Heinz at other markets is.)
BTW, those tomato paste tubes say Refrigerate After Opening on the back.
WaterGirl
@schrodingers_cat: I didn’t know that about real sugar vs. corn syrup in the different ketchups / catsups.
Not sure if they sell Maggi’s Hot and Sweet Tomato Chili Sauce. Is it kind of like a spicy ketchup?
I am not a bit ketchup person, but there used to be a store here that carried jalapeño catsup and that was good.
*I use salsa on burgers instead of ketchup. Would Maggi’s work for that?
Trivia Man
@Walker: surprisingly entertaining read, thanks
RSA
I’ve recently started volunteering at a local rescue operation that specializes in German shepherds. I walk the dogs on the weekend, to give them a bit of exercise, help socialize them, and (I’m just starting here) maybe a bit of training. The focus is on placement, so the dogs that come through are soooo appealing! They really want and deserve to be adopted. It’s rewarding, the time spent.
VFX Lurker
The Visual Effects Society has its own annual awards, and any candidate that wins a nomination will knock your socks off.
I’m looking at five great nominations for one award, and they’re all amazing for different reasons. It’s like trying to choose the “best jewel” from a priceless set.
SteveinPHX
We became a Duke’s family. No more Hellman’s. Kind of a religious conversion. The missus took the first plunge.
schrodingers_cat
@WaterGirl: Yes it will. You can usually find it in Indian and other Asian grocery stores.
You can also buy it from Amazon but it is much more expensive there
I found out about the real sugar thing from taste test years ago on ATC. It just tastes better.
Almost Retired
@schrodingers_cat: I totally forgot about it in real time, but I’ve watched curated highlights (which is not the same as watching the whole thing). I didn’t come into it objectively- I’m a Schiff donor from way back, and I also adore Barbara Lee but wish she had sought higher office sooner.
And TBH I am not enamored with Katie Porter. But they all acquitted themselves well and the baseball dude was just totally out of his element.
But objectively if you were undecided between Porter and Schiff I didn’t see anything that would seal the deal. I wish we could export one of these three spectacular Senate candidates to a state that could use them!!
NotMax
Can also nuke ’em.
How to Caramelize Onions Like the Lazy Badass You Are.
WaterGirl
@schrodingers_cat: Good to know.
For a long time I couldn’t figure out why would kind of swell up a bit if I ate stuff from the World Bakery in town, but not if I ate sweets from Pekara bakery.
Turns out that Pekara used sugar and World Bakery used corn syrup.
So i always try to get the real sugar version of things and stay away from corn syrup whenever possible
edit: I used “save for later” on Amazon so I will be able to remember the name if I go looking for it in a store. thanks.
Phylllis
@Gin & Tonic: And the correct answer is Dukes or GTFO.
BruceJ
“it’s gotta be Duke’s or Hellman’s mayo”
Hellmans Is Best Foods on this side of the continent
schrodingers_cat
JGC if you like carmelized onions, you will love the curries from west coast of India. We use carmelized onion + carmelized coconut flakes (unsweetened), make a paste of that as a thickening agent. Trader Joe has them or any Indian grocery store or natural food store will also have them. It adds a lot of body and flavor to any stew from seafood and vegetarian to poultry and meat.
Usually a paste of 3Gs is also added (ginger, garlic, green chilies). Along with dry spices whole and a ground.
Jay
Back in the place, we got roped into doing a Charity event, (off road toys) as the cooks. Burgers and hotdogs in support of an Austistim group, James our “adopted” nephew is.
Dave chopped a ton of onions, that nobody wanted.
So I caramelized them, and had a hard time keeping up with demand.
schrodingers_cat
@WaterGirl: This the Hunt’s ketchup I buy
Anonymous At Work
@Another Scott: Lee and Perrin’s was derived from a Brit returning home from SE Asia, asking a chemist to make him a fish sauce, the chemist making it, forgetting it about it (until it had fermented), and loving it when he remembered about it. And now it’s popular in SE Asia as a fish sauce in its own right.
History is so weird.
Xavier
A neighbor of mine once made ketchup out of home grown tomatoes. It was divine.
Harrison Wesley
Ketchup? Naw – gochujang is the real deal. Back when I lived in Philly, one of my sisters sent me a jar of it. Took it over to the bar and we all got trashed while eating burgers and fries layered in the stuff. No coincidence that I got GERD and haven’t been able to eat spicy food since then. Oh, well. Fun while it lasted.
schrodingers_cat
I make a tomato chutney of carmelized onions and tomatoes, it is to die for.
NotMax
A flessenlikker comes in very handy for getting the remainder out of those squeeze-type bottles. Amazing how much product refuses to dispense on its own.
MagdaInBlack
@schrodingers_cat: I love Tamarind Date chutney so much. There is one brand I buy ( name escapes me now) that I have even put over vanilla ice cream and OMG good .
schrodingers_cat
@MagdaInBlack: TD chutney FTW. Freshly made is so much better than the bottled stuff and it is pretty easy. No cooking involved and it will keep in the fridge for a week. Is the brand that you are thinking of, Deep?
brendancalling
@Harrison Wesley: Gojuchang is the SHIT. I thinned some out w/ some chicken stock and added it to the crockpot pot roast I made last night, and it is SO good.
John Cole
@HumboldtBlue: Don’t try to gaslight me those are not the same onions at 1:20 and 1:30 that did not happen in 30 seconds.
MagdaInBlack
@schrodingers_cat: I think it was Saral. The only empty jar I can find is Tamarind chutney.
Lately, me actually making something like that is just not happening. However, I do feel the urge resurfacing
Eta: wanna share your recipe?
WaterGirl
@schrodingers_cat: Thanks. It helps to have a visual – I’m sure I would have been looking for a glass bottle.
Alison Rose
Help me out, jackals who are not constantly running on 98% anxiety: My power was just out for about three hours. The stuff in my freezer is fine, right? I didn’t open it at all.
(Not worried about the fridge, I only have soda and mineral water in there, ha ha ha life is great when you’re a mess.)
schrodingers_cat
@MagdaInBlack:
Soak tamarinds about
1 cubic inch of the tamarind block
4 to 5 dates
2 tsp or more Brown turbinado sugar (or 1 inch block or gur or palm sugar)
pinch of salt
Half cup of fresh cilantro
1 to 2 green chilies ( I use serrano or thai )
A cup of water + Soaking water of dates and tamarind.
Soak the dates and tamarind in hot water for about an hour or two before blending
Extract the tamarind pulp using a sieve and throw the rest of it away.
Blend everything in the blender.
Adjust with more salt or sugar as per your taste
ETA: How to use tamarin
Don’t use the tamarind concentrate (Tamcon) for this chutney.
Suzanne
@Almost Retired:
The city goes out at least 20 miles further now.
Scout211
@Alison Rose: You’re fine.
food safety.gov
schrodingers_cat
@Alison Rose: Don’t open and it should be fine for at least a day.I would throw away milk based products like icecream. Otherwise you are good.
Glyph2112
Hey Cole, did you go see the Pens the other night at Mullet arena? Also, how about a Tempe meet up now that you are in my neck of the woods. It would be nice to meet you.
NotMax
@Alison Rose
Three hours? Should be just fine.
In theory 24 hours is the outside limit for freezer concern (though in practice maybe more like 16).
Alison Rose
@Scout211: I figured, but my brain is like the ball in Breakout when you dig through the side and it goes ping-ponging all over the place above the blocks.
Thank you :)
Oh BTW…I did the iPhone update last night and texts are still all funky. Sometimes the notification plays, sometimes not. Sometimes I get the banner drop-down, sometimes not. Still no badges at all.
Alison Rose
@schrodingers_cat: No ice cream, just frozen vegetarian stuff.
sab
Heinz worchestershire sauce tastes fine, but the lid to the bottle is a real problem.
schrodingers_cat
@Alison Rose: You should be fine for a day or two.
Alison Rose
@schrodingers_cat: Good to know. God I was so happy when it came back on, LOL.
sab
@Old Dan and Little Ann: They are the best dogs, except they aren’t called german shedders for no reason.
Ella in New Mexico
@John Cole:
You really need to watch “The Bear” because you, (and maybe Joelle) are a “Chef’ at heart.
Suzanne
Ketchup is gross. Better with harissa mixed into it.
sab
@John Cole: My french onion soup recipe ( Carol Cutler’s) says it takes an hour to carmelize. I find it takes three times that.
Adam L Silverman
@Baud:
Sure Lurkalot
I’m going to concur with SC that Hunts (especially without corn syrup) is better than Heinz. I have preferred it since my first french fry as a very small fry. Heinz has a nasty backnote and is too sweet.
NotMax
Ketchup? Obligatory.
;)
Sister Golden Bear
@Kristine: I know. Where is the real Cole, and what have they done with him???!!!
schrodingers_cat
@Sure Lurkalot: Agreed about Heinz. Ketchup with its umami notes and mild flavor pairs well savory and spicy Indian snacks like samosas and pakoras. Indian ketchups are usually made with sugar and not sickeningly sweet.
Hunt’s All Natural is a good substitute and not as sweet. To give it a kick I will sometimes add this Schezwan chutney.or Chili Garlic Sauce by the makers of Sriracha
zhena gogolia
@Alison Rose: I agree with sc.
Jackie
@Phylllis: Dukes has a Miracle Whip adjacent tartness/sweetness that I hate. You can gasp in horror, but I did a blind test with my daughter, who swears by Dukes, hates Miracle Whip and thinks Dukes is better than Best Food. She didn’t realize I snuck the Miracle Whip into the blind test, so she wasn’t looking for it, and she actually wore a blindfold lol
Started with Dukes. She recognized it correctly. Next Best Food; she also identified it correctly. Then came the Miracle Whip. She paused, asked for another taste, then confidently identified it as Dukes.
She claimed I cheated by sneaking in Miracle Whip. I simply stated she proved MY point that Dukes is more Miracle Whip than mayo.😂
Jackie
@schrodingers_cat: I buy that, too. It’s so uncomplicatedly delicious.
Jackie
@schrodingers_cat: NO! You eat the ice cream NOW! Don’t throw away perfectly good ice cream!
Suzanne
Also Valentina makes ketchup less boring. (Or Cholula, but Valentina is a little bit thinner and mixes up into ketchup better.)
Trader Joe’s makes an Italian hot pepper paste called Bomba, which is akin to harissa and gochujang. I have all three of those in my fridge. The Bomba stuff is just awesome in a roast or soup.
I basically need everything savory to be spicy.
ETA: Mayonnaise is garbage.
Omnes Omnibus
@Jackie: This is true.
Jackie
John Cole, you need to start a YouTube cooking blog! Seriously.
Timill
@Alison Rose: You should eat all the contents immediately :-)
satby
I do caramelized onions in the oven, way easier, how to here.
And Kewpie mayonnaise is my new favorite.
schrodingers_cat
@Almost Retired: Thanks for your insight. If I was a California voter Schiff would have been my first choice.
schrodingers_cat
@Jackie: My lactose intolerance is now keeping me from eating icecream. Sad. Otherwise ice-cream was my dessert of choice.
Chetan Murthy
@NotMax:
For both tomato paste and crushed tomatoes, I’ve taken to putting the leftover paste/tomatoes into an ice cube tray overnight, then cracking them and putting them into a ziploc bag in the freezer. They eventually get used, but meanwhiile, no mold!
Steeplejack
@zhena gogolia:
HELLMANN’S!
(To add to your list.)
KrackenJack
You’d have pry the Kewpie from KrackenJill’s cold, dead hands…
schrodingers_cat
@Steeplejack: Homemade or Hellman’s for me. Nothing else is close. Also full fat or go home.
My secret to quick cooking is having a lot of pastes (ginger, garlic, chili-cilantro), sauces (tomato) and chutneys (mint, tamarind-date, green coconut etc ) at hand. I make every 2 weeks or so.
Yarrow
@Alison Rose: The stuff in your freezer is totally fine. Don’t worry about any of it. Unless you live in Death Valley and it’s summer so the outside temperature is a zillion degrees, the freezer won’t heat up fast enough to do any damage.
Alison Rose
@schrodingers_cat: I’m voting for Schiff. I like Porter but her seat is so much riskier to lose. I have always liked Lee, and I’m not someone who thinks we need to have a max age limit for candidates, but like…she’s gonna be 78 at the election, running for a six-year term. Just seems a little odd.
Alison Rose
@Yarrow: LOL! I wouldn’t live in Death Valley if you gave me a free mansion.
Chetan Murthy
@NotMax: My beamish boy! Caloo callay! Oh Frabjous day! Put it in my Amazon cart!
Yutsano
Come sit by me…
Omnes Omnibus
@Yutsano: I believe that my opinion on this topic is already a matter of record.
Chetan Murthy
@Another Scott: Heh indeed. When I learned that, I bought L&P low-sodium worcestershire sauce, and since then, hardly ever use my vietnamese fish sauce. B/c damn, the latter is *salty*. So salty.
Steeplejack
@schrodingers_cat:
LOL, I meant the spelling: Hellmann’s.
I do use Hellmann’s, and I also have a plastic bottle of Kewpie for a change of pace. There’s one potato salad recipe where it goes much better than “regular” mayonnaise.
Alison Rose
@Chetan Murthy: Obligatory.
Scout211
There are several brands of ice cream that are lactose-free, now.
Breyer’s is one example.
My SIL gets the lactose-free ice cream.
Steeplejack
@Chetan Murthy:
I think maybe Cole meant “does not take up [much] fridge space.” 🤔
Scout211
Me too.
Also, sorry about your phone. ☹️
Jackie
O/T but this is too good!
TIFG has decreed ANYONE WHO DONATES TO NIKKI HALEY IS BANNED FROM MAGA:
Won’t open/link to TIFG’s social media so RawStory it is.
Chetan Murthy
@Scout211: I see this “lactose intolerance chocolate bites” in the line at the WF, hanging right in front of the ice cream case. The pitch is that you eat this little bit of chocolate, and then you can eat your ice cream and …. no intestinal upset. I wonder if it works. I mean, I’m not a big ice cream fan (I’d prefer my calories more cheese-y) but still …..
Chetan Murthy
@Steeplejack: Weeeellll, I’ll just note that a ziploc with a coupla ice cubes of tomato paste isn’t gonna take up much freezer space.
Scout211
I remember one summer at
bandMAGA camp . . .Suzanne
@Yutsano: I will happily come sit by you, and we can enjoy food that doesn’t taste like white people left a snail trail all over it.
Seriously, it’s slime.
Chetan Murthy
@Scout211: I wanna vote for Schiff. I love me some Adam Schiff. But he’s old, isn’t he? If Porter is just as good (and she’s so good, isn’t she?) why not choose somebody younger? I’m 59, so it ain’t like I’m that much younger than Schiff. But …. geez, at this point in our nation’s history, with our nation’s travails, shouldn’t we be thinking “younger is better” ?
AFAF
Chetan Murthy
@Jackie:
Obligatory: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/313211349078177707/
Alison Rose
@Scout211: There’s also sorbet, which I know isn’t the same thing, but I like it!
Steeplejack
@Chetan Murthy:
C’mon, a 4½ oz. tube of tomato paste goes in the fridge door with all of the other small, odd-shaped things. And you don’t have ot thaw it out.
Alison Rose
@Jackie: The fuck does that even mean? “Barred from the MAGA camp”? And how would they even know?
schrodingers_cat
@Steeplejack: Ahh. I like how you keep us all honest about spelling and punctuation, you remind me of old English teachers (some of them were nuns).
Alison Rose
@Suzanne: LOLOL!!!!
schrodingers_cat
@Scout211: I have tried some. Some are good and some middling.
Alison Rose
@Chetan Murthy: Schiff will be 64 this year. A little older than some would prefer, but not “old” IMO. He could easily serve three, maybe four Senate terms.
Chetan Murthy
@Steeplejack: oh fair enough. But I buy the small cans of Cento tomato paste, and use a tablespoon; the rest typically molds faster than I can use it up. And …. as you say, it’s a tiny volume, so once frozen it’s almost unnoticeable. About the same size as a ziploc baggie of some powdered spice.
Suzanne
Pro tip: if you don’t mind Big Bezos, you can subscribe to tomato paste in a tube. I love that shit!
Jackie
@Chetan Murthy: 🤣Exactly! Please, oh PULEEEZ!
Steeplejack
@Chetan Murthy:
I don’t think Porter is just as good as Schiff. Her legislative record is thinner, and her whiteboard shtick doesn’t appear to do much beyond providing video clickbait. Not saying she couldn’t be a good senator someday, but she’s not a better candidate than Schiff.
Chetan Murthy
@Alison Rose: My belief is he’s saying “when you come wth your hand out for some sort of regulatory relief, we’re gonna f**k you hard, f**k you like you’ve never been f**ked before”. It’s a mob boss telling a grocer about what might happen to the nice business he has here.
schrodingers_cat
Mayo is awesome in chicken Junglee sandwich.
Its like a chicken salad sandwich on the wild side, it has fresh chopped green chilies, finely diced red onion and green chilies.
A chain of bakeries called Croissonts etc in Mumbai used to make them.
Also mayo + chipotle = awesome
Hellmann’s mayo makes a good base for all the spicy goodness
ETA: Everything can’t be hot and spicy, you need to balance flavors, a meal should be a symphony of flavors, textures. You need contrast, everything can’t hit the same notes.
satby
@Yarrow: Hey, did the package you sent get on its way?
wjca
@Jackie:
Does that mean that, if I donate to Haley I get permanent immunity from MAGA fundraising emails, text messages, phone calls, etc.? If so, I’ll have to seriously consider it!
Steeplejack
@Chetan Murthy:
Problem solved!
Jackie
@Alison Rose: 🤷🏼♀️ I didn’t write it. Supposedly straight from TIFG’s mouth, and he, shall we say…is consistently incoherent. I didn’t click on the TS link to verify.
Chetan Murthy
@Steeplejack: 3x the price of the small cans, my friend.
ETA: I’m a cheap-ass bastard. I wash (and spray with bleach solution) ziploc bags so I can reuse ’em. Ditto the ziploc bags you get from the Whole Foods deli counter with sliced meats.
Almost Retired
@Steeplejack: agree 100 percent. But it’s delightful to have good choices.
TS
@Jackie:
Trying to imagine the media reaction if Biden said this to any democrats in any of his campaigns.
Chetan Murthy
@TS:
To heck with the *media* reaction: there’d be widespread (perhaps even unanimous) condemnation in the Democratic base. That’s not who we are.
Omnes Omnibus
Golly.
Chetan Murthy
@Omnes Omnibus:
It’s atavistic, not completely-thought-out. I mean, I also buy fancy French cheese, French wines, etc. I have a 32oz can of creme de marrons in my cupboard waiting to be opened. I just can’t abide wasting money when I didn’t have to (at the price of a small bit of effort).
ETA: and it’s not wholly about the $$. The idea of throwing away a reusable bit of plastic really grates on me. So much plastic waste, and I know in my bones that “plastic in the recycle bin” just ends up in the Pacific Ocean, so that’s no help.
Scout211
In other news . .
The House ethics probe of Matt Gaetz is heating up, according to a source.
Jim Harbaugh has been hired by the Spanos family.* Ugh.
*LA Chargers
schrodingers_cat
@Chetan Murthy: That’s hardcore. I resuse glass jars but what you do would put an Indian mami to shame. Just make sure you are not ingesting the said bleach.
Jackie
@Steeplejack: Can Porter or Schiff withdraw within a time window? Or have they burned their bridges to stay and rerun for their congressional seat?
I hate to lose both as congress members. I want one in Congress and the other in the Senate.
Unicorn wishes…
Chetan Murthy
@schrodingers_cat: I’m actually not so much of a stickler about glass jars: they’re easy to recycle, and I assume most *do* get recycled. But plastic? That shit just ends up in the ocean. And washing/spraying a little bleach solution is so *easy*. Leave it inside-out to dry on the counter, and you can store it the next day for reuse.
schrodingers_cat
@Chetan Murthy: Heh I use sushi trays to keep my art supplies! I don’t mind buying expensive art supplies but don’t want to waste money on buying pencil cases.
Although I may eventually break down and get these for my pencils.
.
Jackie
@TS: Impossible to imagine because Biden is WAY ABOVE THAT!
It IS possible to imagine Biden and Harris ROTFLTAO though.
Donald’s running scared by this admission. I’m more curious how Nikki Haley spins this. She’s surely busting a gut laughing and high fiving her staff.
Scout211
@Jackie: The primary is March 5th. The filing deadlines have passed. So AFAIK, they all will be out of their House seats.
Jackie
@Scout211: Let’s see if he does better with the Chargers than the Niners. He didn’t like millionaire players disrespecting him then; we’ll see if he fares better now.
Scout211
@Jackie: Yes. I am not a Harbaugh fan after his awful tenure in San Francisco.
Yarrow
@satby: Nope. I am going to the post office tomorrow. I’m really upset about it. It’s a birthday gift for a good friend.
Jackie
@Scout211: Sigh… So many awesome Democrats; so few seats.
I can see Porter rerunning for a congressional seat in two years; she’s young with a lot ahead of her.
Schiff, maybe a shot at governor? I could see that, but I’d rather see him continue raising hell in Congress.
Jackie
@Scout211: As a Seahawks fan…
I’ll let you imagine my thoughts of both 😂
laura
Observing from a far as you’ve self-actuallized is not nearly as satisfying as watching you fall ass over tea kettle in love. So, thanks for that and please carry on.
Joelle
@Ella in New Mexico: We ARE currently watching The Bear together! That show gets how we feel about cooking and ingredients. The integrity. The passion. Yes chef!
Lyrebird
@schrodingers_cat: @Chetan Murthy:
Everyone at our house is lactose intolerant, and some have casein problems as well. The ones who do eat dairy highly recommend these lactase pills which are not only cheaper than the name brand ones, they also have no mannitol. For some people with tummy troubles, mannitol makes ’em worse.
In addition to what @Scout211: listed, of course. The pills are nice if for instance you want to go out for ice cream.
Ruckus
OK we just had an earthquake in SoCal. Measured 4.2, approximately 40 miles from me. Not all that bad, but it’s the first that I’ve felt since I moved to this location 5 yrs ago.
rekoob
@Jackie: Both Schiff and Porter strike me as ready for the national stage. Either could be a great choice at some point for Attorney General in a 2nd Biden Administration, and Porter probably has a lot of choices should she decide to return to the groves of academe.
Sure Lurkalot
@Chetan Murthy: The tubes are more expensive but convenient if not at constant go to item. World Market has Mutti brand for $3.
General comment: The World Market food section has a lot of great finds and interesting things to try. It’s nice to have one close by.
Alison Rose
@Ruckus: Congrats on your initiation, I guess. Glad it wasn’t too bad!
We had a 4.4 here a little over a year ago, and it was centered about 2 miles from my apartment. Believe me when I tell you I felt that. And it was one of those back-to-back ones. The 4.4 hit and shook for about 20 seconds or so, and then maybe a minute later, the shaking started again. I’m not sure if they considered it one quake or two separate ones. My living room looked like a tornado came through. I have a bunch of bookcases with tchotchkes all over them, and a good portion of those things, as well as some books, ended up on the floor.
Jackie
@Ruckus: WHOA!! Hope for no/minimal aftershocks!
Bupalos
@schrodingers_cat: 3 hours? Don’t throw away anything, that’s nuts.
Prometheus Shrugged
@Almost Retired: I can’t remember which comedian made this joke 30 years ago, but it still applies decades after his baseball career: “Hey it’s Steve Garvey! Anyone want some sugarless gum?”
Kayla Rudbek
@schrodingers_cat: Breyer’s makes almond milk ice cream that’s pretty close to the milk version, and is fairly affordable as vegan ice creams go. They don’t have as many flavors as some of the other brands though. And Ben & Jerry’s also makes good vegan ice cream. I personally tend to prefer almond or coconut milk based ice cream as the amount of fat is closer to regular ice cream.
Who knows, maybe I will live long enough that someone will start making vegan ice cream in the big bucket pails like Kemps does for dairy ice cream…
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Jackie:
Drag a $10 bill past him on a string and he would run after it. Fuck if he wouldn’t take any money offered…lol! That greedy fuck?
Hair Furor is a pathological liar.
Odie Hugh Manatee
Anyone else read the OIG report on the free drugs and care that TFG’s White House Medical Unit dispensed to around 6,000 people during his administration. They installed their own pharmacy rather that use the DoD systems as in the past. They bought brand name drugs rather than generics and dispensed fentanyl and other narcotics & meds, all with little to no record keeping. The public should hear about this outrage but our fucking media is so busy humping Trump’s leg that they don’t have a hand free to write a story about it.
Laws were broken, best standards and practices were ignored and taxpayer money was wasted in the swamp that the White House Medical Unit became under Trump rule. No wonder Donny Jr.’s eyes were glazed all of the time, free prescription drugs from Daddy’s job!
Trump is a fucking nonstop crime scene.
Jackie
@Odie Hugh Manatee: Run??? 😂
But, I get your meaning.
Ruckus
Cooking – pffft.
Tasting food – PFFFT….
I lost my sense of smell a number of years ago, maybe a decade or so. The difference in food is rather amazing when you can’t smell. A number of years ago I had a roommate and her daughter stayed with her for a bit. I was cooking garlic shrimp. RM’s daughter was sitting in the living room watching TV, asked me what I was making, told her, and she said it smells amazing. That’s how I knew it was going to be as good as I expected because of course I can’t smell. Even garlic shrimp with my nose over the pan. OTOH, nothing smells bad when you can’t actually smell it. Does have a plus side.
wjca
More usefully, hope that this one wasn’t a foreshock.
Ruckus
@Alison Rose:
No initiation here. Born in LA, have lived in SoCal for all but the Navy and a decade back east, so most of my very close to 3/4 of a century. I been in earthquakes.
Northridge was fun, just in case you weren’t sure, I had to close my business because of the cost to rewire my business, which I’d just finished doing a couple months prior, and make payments on my newest, most productive machines while doing and producing nothing. that was prohibitive. Also the 5 freeway fell down so I had to take back roads to get to work or home. 15 minutes on the freeway, minimum 1 1/2 hrs each way on the back roads, what with the traffic and all the closed roads/bridges. That’s only about 1/2 of it. Good times. And that doesn’t even count all the good times during it.
RaflW
I am a total convert to Duke’s mayo. And i’m enjoying these domestic updates!
NotMax
@Chetan Murthy
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Jackie:
TFG would send someone chasing after it is probably more like it…lol!
NotMax
@Chetan Murthy
Made to be reusable. Dishwasher safe, also too.
Kristine
I’m a fan of Trader Joe’s Organic Ketchup. It also uses sugar instead of corn syrup.
JAFD
IMAO, most mayonnaise has too much sugar and too little vinegar, except Mrs. Schlorer’s (RIP) and Bowl & Basket (the Shop-Rite house brand, methinks is Mrs. Schlorer’s relabled)
Catsup, though – I can’t tell one brand from another
Hav’ta get over to the Asian markets in Jersey City soon, get new bottle of the good soy sauce…
cain
@NotMax:
I use Portland Ketchup. It’s the best. I grew up on Heinz but PK is better and has a more subtle taste.
Also I caramelize onions in the instant pot. Way easier.
MagdaInBlack
@schrodingers_cat: Thank You!
Miss Bianca
@NotMax: Heinz is the only ketchup, it’s true – and the “simple” – ie, organic with sugar, no corn syrup – is the only Heinz.
And yes, Lea and Perrins is the only Worcestershire sauce. And A-1 is the only steak sauce.
That is all, thank you.
ETA: Couldn’t find the Heinz Simply at the local grocery store, went with Hunt’s variation, and I’m sorry…there is NO comparison. The Hunt’s tastes like battery acid with some tomatoes thrown in for color.
Paul in KY
@Alison Rose: Should be good. Best wishes on that!