Because there’s a lot of frustration going around recently. Make stew, not sausage! Take it away, Bad Horse’s Filly:
In honor of the fall colors, it’s time to break out the slowcooker and make a traditional menu. How nice is it to come home from a day’s work or outdoor chores like raking leaves and have a hearty beef stew waiting for you? Add some biscuits and baked apples and you have the perfect fall dinner. On the board tonight:
1)Beef Stew
2)Wheat Biscuits
3)Baked Apples
Click on the blue highlight for full recipes & shopping list.
annie
Thanks, really really thanks, for the beef stew recipe. When my husband travels, which is often, I eat chicken — roasted chicken, rice and chicken, chicken sandwiches, chicken salad etc. Chicken is good when you are cooking for one (and, my monster cats love chicken)
It has been 5 weeks, I am totally sick of chicken. This weekend it is beef stew. I can make a big pot, and even take some to work on Monday…
General Winfield Stuck
Sounds a little like Stuck’s Surprise Stew. I would say what was in it, but then it twouldn’t be a surprise, twould it?.
SiubhanDuinne
I have GOT to buy me a crock pot.
General Winfield Stuck
@SiubhanDuinne:
Not having a Crockpot is like a cowboy without his horse.
annie
@General Winfield Stuck:
Oops. What do I get first — the crock pot or the horse?
General Winfield Stuck
@annie:
Unless your last name is Oakley, I’d go for the crockpot first.
annie
@General Winfield Stuck:
Thanks! I needed the laugh. I will consider a name change. I always have wanted a horse.
geg6
SuibhanDuinne: I don’t know how people survive without a crock pot. Seriously. For myself, I am having a panini made of veggies (portabellos, zucchini, and roasted red peppers) marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then roasted and provolone. On sourdough. Yummy, yummy, yummy. And chocolate frozen custard for dessert. It goes beautifully with all the Dem win I just saw on Ed Schultz and Tweety. Part 5 of the Monty Python mini-series on IFC and then Project Runway. A good night, all in all. Oh, and my John and I have made plans to go to his cottage up in rustic Titusville next weekend for leaf viewing and fine dining at the nearby resort. I am a happy woman.
General Winfield Stuck
Sounds like our favorite sadist is getting a bit tight around the collar.
Libelous libtards. Why do you hate torture and America?
cleek
i have never used a crock pot.
but, i made this awesome and super-easy split pea soup yesterday. instead of pork hocks, i use smoked turkey wings or legs. fannnntastic.
namekarB
I small onion and 1 tsp of garlic. Are you kidding me?
Gotta have more onions and garlic. At least a dozen pearl onions for starters. And how about some real garlic, break up one bulb and put in all the cloves. I would do two garlic bulbs but this ol’ railroader loves me some garlic.
South of I-10
I finally got Mr. South to make some chicken and sausage gumbo. I just had a bowl and it was freakin’ delicious.
jeffreyw
@South of I-10: mmm….gumbo!
jeffreyw
A covered cast iron dutch oven or similar turns any oven into a slow cooker. Also
SiubhanDuinne
I used to be a pretty good cook, back in the ’60s and early ’70s when I was as close to being a corporate wife as I ever wanted to be. But I was never a cook; I pretty much gave up kitchen duty along with the marriage; and, until recently, food has just not interested me all that much. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy eating, but I’d just as soon somebody else did the shopping, prep, cooking, serving, and cleanup.
But now as I contemplate retirement within the next few years I am also beginning to think of other fuundamental shifts in my life, and one of those is being much more mindful of what I put into my body. Thus, the very belated glimmers of interest. I do read and drool over the menus and recipes and foodie threads and all, so please don’t despair of me. And yes, I will buy and use a crockpot. Maybe I’ll get a horse too :-)
cleek
and on that beef stew…
water is not the key to a good stew. you need at least chicken stock (tho beef stock is preferred). it wouldn’t hurt to throw in a 1/2 cup of wine or port. a splash of a good hefty beer isn’t a bad idea if you don’t have any wine. nobody in my family ever got in trouble for browning the beef in a touch of bacon fat, either.
SiubhanDuinne
“But I was never a cook” should read “But I was never a *natural* cook” — makes all the difference.
jeffreyw
@cleek: mmm…split pea soup!
I love it, and may make a batch. I use some finely diced carrots and onions in mine, along with smoked ham. yum yum yum
AhabTRuler
I’ll see you in the Hague, sir.
And after I try you for crimes against humanity, I’ll take you out for Dutch erwtensoep, a split pea soup made with ham, sausage, bacon.
Mnemosyne
I don’t think it counts as a real beef stew if there’s no alcohol in it. Where’s the stout?
General Winfield Stuck
Why do people split a perfectly good pea?
AhabTRuler
@General Winfield Stuck: Um, bilateral symmetry?
Ash Can
@cleek: A couple of years ago we had a whole smoked turkey for our Christmas house party. The following day I made a big pot of split pea soup with the carcass. It was out of this world.
@AhabTRuler: ::blows raspberry::
Chad N Freude
@AhabTRuler:
Fixed.
Tattoosydney
@annie:
When you revert to chicken, you should try my Portuguese chicken with peas. Yum.
South of I-10
@cleek: That sounds delicious. I may have to try it and toss some tasso in there.
I made this soup last weekend and it was very good. Mr. South loved it. I didn’t add cilantro and it was good without it. (I don’t want to reignite the great cilantro wars of 2008, I just don’t like it.)
Phoenix Woman
@SiubhanDuinne:
I hear you. I grew up in a non-cooking household (or at least a non-cooking-from-scratch household) and only within the last twenty years have I really got into the whole cooking thing — and only within the last ten, with my husband’s health issues, have I really learned to cook as a way to have more control over what goes into our mouths.
The first step was realizing what a fraud “Minute Rice” is: Unless you’re going to be eating nothing but rice and have only five minutes in which to do it, you’re much better off using real rice and starting it first (boil water, toss in rice, cover, turn off heat and let sit for fifteen minutes; get other stuff going while rice does its own thing without any prodding from you).
Well, gotta go: There are some apples sitting on the counter that need to be turned into apple crisp. Later taters!
cleek
@South of I-10:
I made this soup last weekend
sounds awesome. next time fall shows itself i’ll give it a try.
Mnemosyne
I love to cook, but hate to clean. And, unfortunately, ever since the marinara on the ceiling episode, G. refuses to clean up after me in the kitchen, so I rarely cook.
gwangung
A rice cooker is a VERY reasonable investment.
FearItself
We made a traditional slow-cooker beef stew last weekend, and we tried this bread with it for the first time. The bread was very tasty and quite easy to make (especially if you have a powerful mixer with a dough hook to do the kneading for you).
Ours only rose for about 1.5 hours before baking, so it came out a bit dense, but it was still fantastic. I’m sure a longer rise would have given us a lighter loaf.
Bad Horse's Filly
@namekarB: Ditto, but I try and make recipes for everyone. Remember, you can always add more, but it’s very hard to remove it. ;-)
South of I-10
@cleek: Definitely wait for cool weather. It would be perfect for a cold weather football gathering. It’s really easy to make too.
smiley
I had grilled fish tonight. I intend to make up for it by having a grilled filet mignon on Saturday. With a spinach salad and new potatoes.
SiubhanDuinne
@Phoenix Woman
I was probably in my mid-twenties before I had rice that wasn’t Minute Rice. Took me one forkful to realize what a fraud had been perpetrated. (For one thing, AFAIC, rice grains are *supposed* to stick together.)
asiangrrlMN
@gwangung: Beat me to it, my brother. Rice cooker. It’s your friend.
I don’t have a crock pot either ‘coz I don’t cook.
Bad Horse's Filly
@cleek: Mmmmm, bacon. Makes life worth living, doesn’t it?
And wine – I usually sneak some in both my stews, my sauces and my pot roasts.
smiley
@gwangung: Maybe I don’t have a good one, but my rice cooker usually burns the rice on the bottom. Even though I follow the directions, maybe I should add a little more water than is suggested. Actually, however, rice can be cooked like pasta. Just throw a bunch in boiling water and cook until al dente. Not good for people who like fluffy, starchy rice, but perfectly acceptably for me.
Bad Horse's Filly
I use my pressure cooker almost daily. Rice, potatoes, quick stews and soups. I couldn’t live without it. Especially the rice, since I really, really love brown rice and it cuts the cooking time in half and it’s the perfect consistency.
Alan
I use a crock pot weekly to cook beans and rice. Of course I add bell peppers, carrots, onions, other veggies like broccoli and squash–whatever looks good. I used to season with sausage but instead I add seasoning (4 packets of Sazón Goya) with olive oil and garlic. I soak the beans overnight in salt water so I don’t need to add anymore salt. Also, I add only one container of chicken stock–too much liquid and the rice doesn’t get soft. I only use whole grain rice. It actually tastes pretty good. It only needs to cook for five hours on low. And it’s cheap.
asiangrrlMN
@smiley: More water. I like my rice fluffy.
Pockmark Notorious
Evening everybody.
I’m doing this video production class, and I had to make a commercial parody, post it to Youtube, and get 200 hits. Since I love this site, and I know it has a sense of humour, I figure I’d post a link here.
It’s my first time using a camera or an editing program, so I apologize for the quality. Next time, I’m using a tripod.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwVlxOHQgUU
South of I-10
@asiangrrlMN: Beat me to it. I always add some extra water.
cleek
@smiley:
we had a reallllly cheap one that would do that.
then we got one of these, and we haven’t had burned rice since.
i made some perfect basmati in it tonight.
it plays “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” when you start it up. so cool.
SIA aka ScreamingInAtlanta
For those of you who have adopted Rep. Alan Grayson as your new boyfriend, I think I love him too.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/10/22/794216/-Grayson-SCHOOLS-Paul-Broun-on-Constitution.-He-will-NOT-yield!-(Update:-Now-with-even-more-EPIC-WIN)
AhabTRuler
@Tattoosydney: ‘allo, mate! The Nu Breed: Sultan set is pretty freakin’ awesome. I also like that the Amazon download gives you the individual tracks in addition to the two mix tracks.
2th&nayle
@South of I-10: I’ll take the blame for that! haha! Mine was Gadwall ducks and Smoked sausage with hominy, field peas, and home grown okra. Roux is the key!
jeffreyw
@smiley:
Mine does the same thing, won’t call it burnt, but it does stick. Not sure if more water would help if yours is like mine, it goes by temperature and won’t trip off until the water is pretty much gone-while there is water the temps won’t get over 212, but when the water is gone the temps spike up and the cooker shuts down.
Litlebritdifrnt
@gwangung:
especially if you buy it from a thrift store for $2.00.
asiangrrlMN
@South of I-10: Oh, and, mmmmmm, gumbo.
smiley
@asiangrrlMN:
@South of I-10:
@cleek:
Noted. Thanks.
Considering how infrequently I eat rice anymore, boiling it seems easiest. BTW, try fired eggs over rice. Good stuff (from Mexico).
Flappy McScrotum
@smiley:
We have two rice cookers in our house. A cheap panasonic and a higher priced Sanyo. The panasonic will burn the rice if you leave it go too long. The sanyo could probably be left on all day and have no problems.
gwangung
Well, if you’re Cantonese (and of peasant stock), a little crust on the bottom is a good thing…a bit of a delicacy.
However, for less sticky rice, I learned to turn it off, take the pot out of the heating element and place on some non burnable surface. Let it sit there for 30-60 seconds, then open the pot and scoop it out as fast as possible. Less sticking to the bottom.
On the other hand, you could just invest in a cooker with a non-stick surface on the inside…
Tattoosydney
@AhabTRuler:
Howdy…. Yes, it is. After the last 18 months, where even my favourite DJs seem to have fallen under the spell of tracks that consist of random buzzing and blooping, and sound exactly the same for the entire CD (I’m looking at you, Satoshi Tomiie and even (forgive me for the blasphemy) Dave Seaman), it’s wonderful to listen to a mix that has actual tunes, and actual lyrics, and happy hands in the air smiley moments. Glad you like.
HRA
We had gumbo tonight, too. It did the job of giving me some energy after a long long day at work.
I have had a crockpot (not the same one) forever. I bought a new one last week. The old one sprung a leak.
Last week I made broccoli cheddar soup in it. My French Onion soup in the crockpot was a big hit last Thanksgiving. An inlaw makes her hot artichoke/sausage dip in it and transports it to parties.
I am trying to find a good brand of rice. I cannot believe that long grain rice today is so horrible. We had chicken and rice (an ethnic dish) every Sunday when I was a child and the rice was very different. Need help for I have been asked to make rice pudding next Wednesday for a family birthday dinner. Any suggestions? I’ll try anything you suggest.
South of I-10
@2th&nayle: This is why Mr. South is in charge of gumbo. I can make it, but his is so much better. Dark roux. That first gumbo of the season is always so good.
Tattoosydney
Puggle!
SiubhanDuinne
@SIA aka Screaming in Atlanta
That Allan Grayson-Paul Broun transcript was a thing of beauty.
Also, geg6 if you’re still around, that takedown of Ann Coulter you posted a few threads back is perfection. Glad I didn’t read it at work.
phillip anderson
Seems Sarah Palin, the GOP’s most recent VP candidate, just declined to endorse the GOP hopeful in NY-23. Instead, she gave her blessing to the teabagger in the race.
Kick ass.
asiangrrlMN
@Tattoosydney: How the hell are you, fake hubby #1? FH#2 was asking about you the other night.
2th&nayle
@South of I-10: It’s just a man thing. No real logic attached. Same thing goes for BBQ, and chili. There’s just something primal about it. haha!
SIA aka ScreamingInAtlanta
@SiubhanDuinne: It was indeed. I’m getting a faint whiff of some other dems growing a spine also….
what was the Coulter thing about?
SiubhanDuinne
@ Tattoosydney
Oh how adorable is THAT?
I have impressed (or, more likely, pissed off) people for years by asking them if they know the term for baby monotremes. First they are forced to admit that they don’t know what a monotreme is, so I say egg-laying mammal, such as a platypus or echidna, and *then* they are further forced to admit that they don’t know the term for baby monotremes, so I get to be all superior and say: Puggles.
Spongebob is very cute.
SiubhanDuinne +1.5
SiubhanDuinne
@SIA aka: Oh jeez, I seriously doubt I could even find it now. It was probably six or seven threads back and I don’t even remember what the thread title or topic was.
But the gist of it was a very funny blogger that geg6 found somewhere, who was talking about how irrelevant AC is now that Glenn Beck has overtaken her in the batshit-crazy stakes, and Sarah Palin has outpaced her as a starbursty babe, and then the blogger said (paraphrasing, but close) “Ann Coulter is now just like a toothless old whore who hangs out in bars and offers to suck you off for a dollar.” But the whole column was pretty funny. I’ll try to track it down and post link or at least thread ref.
SIA aka ScreamingInAtlanta
@SiubhanDuinne: Intriguing. I’ll look for it. Will just google those delightful words: “Ann Coulter is now just like a toothless old whore who hangs out in bars and offers to suck you off for a dollar.”
South of I-10
@2th&nayle: Funny. You are right though, he is also in charge of BBQ and all things rice and gravy.
Svensker
@HRA:
I love a good basmati in rice pudding. Gives it that extra kick. If you have a Whole Foods near you, their basmati is good. Otherwise, any other brand should do.
Anne Laurie
@smiley: Once you have a good rice cooker, you will eat MUCH more rice. For the lazy and/or cooking-challenged (I am a proud member of both groups), the cooker makes it as easy to prepare tasty rice & rice dishes as it is to prepare pasta. Got my Zojirushi on sale through Amazon (back when I first started reading this site, in fact) and it’s the third-most used appliance in our kitchen, behind the microwave and the Hamilton-Beach grill. Measure out a cup or two of rice, rinse it, add water to the mark plus a splash extra, punch the button — even I can manage that. Add some minced vegetables, or cashews & raisins, or cubed cooked chicken or sausage, and it’s what’s for dinner. Main thing to remember is that the rice sold in Japan has a lower starch content, or they like a “drier” rice than most Americans expect, so a little extra water is a good idea.
IANAC(ook), but after experimenting with what’s available at the local chain grocery, I’ve been happiest with the stuff labelled ‘basmati’ or even ‘American basmati’. The individual grains keep their shape, and they have a good mouth-feel, not gummy or inconsistent (some grains too soggy, some still undercooked & crunchy). Rinsing the precooked rice several times also seems to be essential, whether it’s the expensive ‘gourmet’ varieties or the big plastic sacks — I don’t remember ever rinsing the Uncle Bens when we were growing up, but times & tastebuds change.
Tattoosydney
@asiangrrlMN:
I’m ok – have just found out I am being summoned to give evidence in a trial when we are supposed to be on honeymoon, and may have to reschedule everything….
That wasn’t the upsetting bit… the upsetting bit was the lawyer who I spoke to, and whose witness I am supposed to be, suggesting that my honeymoon wasn’t really a valid excuse, because “you can’t get married in NSW, so it’s not a real wedding”.
Cow.
SiubhanDuinne
@ SIA aka Screaming in Atlanta:
Found it! I’m not going to try to provide the link because I’ll just screw it up (+2) but the thread is called *This will surprise no onem* the post from geg6 is #56 at 3:39 pm and it is worth clicking her link.
That sounds rude, doesn’t it?
Tattoosydney
@SiubhanDuinne:
I love a good puggle shot.
asiangrrlMN
@Tattoosydney: Wow. Nice thing to say to you. Cow, indeed.
Anne Laurie
@Tattoosydney: You sneaky Aussie! You do know that in America a “puggle” is a pug-beagle crossbreed invented by marketeers to sell to
idiotsunsophisticated pet shoppers, right?(P.S. Spongebob is cuter, IMO.)
arguingwithsignposts
Well, the gf was supposed to fly out to see me this weekend, but she developed flu-like symptoms today, so no visit.
FML
Anne Laurie
@phillip anderson:
I will admit my first thought was, “I wonder how much Hoffman had to pay for Sarah to say such nice things about him?”
Tattoosydney
@asiangrrlMN:
How you? You’re having a bit of a rough time of it at the moment…
geg6
SiubhanDuinne and SIA: That was The Rude Pundit. Find him at http://www.rudepundit.blogspot.com. Don’t know if that will link since I’m on the BlackBerry. I can’t believe you haven’t read him before! I love him! He’s quite crude, but he says things I only think. He’s great and he’s done fabulous ongoing stuff about New Orleans and the environs post-Katrina. He’s friendly with Harry Shearer. Another angry college professor.
SiubhanDuinne
@Tattoosydney/10:54 pm
Awwww. Those are both so cute. I WANT them.
geg6
Okay, I just heard the most astonishing thing and only another Pennsylvanian will understand. On the local news, they just announced that two (TWO!) Pittsburgh area grocery stores are going to be allowed to sell beer! We’re finally entering the 20th century!
SiubhanDuinne
@geg6: thanks for that. Now SIA doesn’t have to wade through lots of dead threads to find your earlier post.
And the Rude Pundit is new to me. Glad to know about him. I think I possibly saw archives on his site, so I’ll bookmark and prowl around.
I like Shearer. He’s about the only thing remaining on HuffPo worth the trip over there. I don’t know what happened to that once-fine blog, but these days it feels all Drudge-y.
Mark S.
@SiubhanDuinne:
Here’s the link.
It’s funny, Coulter used to send me into such a rage, but now she’s so pathetic I couldn’t care less what she says. Re-arguing the Willie Horton ad? Who gives a fuck?
asiangrrlMN
@arguingwithsignposts: Aw, sucky! I hope she feels better soon.
@Tattoosydney: Yeah. I’m hanging in there. That’s about all for now.
geg6
SiubhanDuinne: Agreed on the HuffPo. I also like Jason Linkins, especially his Sunday pundit stuff. As for the Rude Dude…he’s deadly on Coulter, who he has been relentless about for years. But I have a personal soft spot for any of his tales of Dick Cheney’s leather slave. Last I heard, though, the poor leather slave had finally managed to escape. Another Obama failure, no doubt.
geg6
I’m going to the opening of a Shepherd Fairey show at the Warhol Museum this weekend. My John just told me. I’m kinda excited. I love, love, love the Warhol and I’ve been to a cocktail party there before. Great place. Pittsburgh sure has been an exciting place lately.
arguingwithsignposts
@SiubhanDuinne:
Here’s another rude pundit classic from earlier this month:
Rep. Alan Grayson May just Fuck Your Shit Up.
Tattoosydney
@SiubhanDuinne:
We had an echidna living in our back yard when I was a kid… he was quite friendly, but if he got spooked he could dig straight down into the ground and vanish in about ten seconds… also a platypus couple living in the river behind us, but you only saw them very rarely…
The cute factor is also very high with these little devils.
asiangrrlMN
@arguingwithsignposts: Nice. I would add Anthony Weiner and Sherrod Brown to the list of newly-elected progressives who are tearing shit up.
Martin
Woo! 2 Angel wins to go!
You guys think you could maybe give yourself a little more breathing room next time?
asiangrrlMN
@Tattoosydney: OK, those Taz devils are so cute, but sound so mad! You keep showing me all the darling animals you have in Australia, and you might find me on your doorstep one day.
Ash Can
@geg6: Hot damn! I love PA (it’s been too long since I was there last), but the liquor laws there are just plain silly. I feel like I’m in Ontario when I try to buy beer there.
Yutsano
@Tattoosydney: I could not help but notice the Jamie Oliver style of giving that recipe there. :)
SiubhanDuinne
@(attoosydney
I do love platys. They’re so unlikely. It’s like God woke up one day, hungover, strolled over to his design pad, and said “I think I’m going to fuck with the heads of Aussies today.”
@arguing withsignposts: Great link, thanks! BTW, on the next thread up, I reminded everyone what we were all doing a week ago tonight.
asiangrrlMN
@Martin: No kidding. I was wondering where you and your FTFY were.
asiangrrlMN
@Yutsano: What, nekkid? Woot! FH #1 & FH#2 in da house at the same time!
Ash Can
That was some damned ballgame, all right. I love playoff games like that.
SiubhanDuinne
@Tattoosydney: Oh, and I meant to say, thanks for the taz vid. I’ve never seen them before. And what an extraordinary noise they make!
Yutsano
@asiangrrlMN: Yep, and about to disappear here for a spell whilst I head home from work. Thank the Heavens it’s my Friday and I could technically sneak out of here early if I wanted to. Prolly won’t, but I could.
Tattoosydney
@asiangrrlMN:
Two words: Koala baby.
asiangrrlMN
@Yutsano: Aw! I am going to make an early night of it, so I probably won’t see ya later. Have a good rest of the night.
Yutsano
@Tattoosydney: Is it just me or does Momma look about ready to kill the cameraman?
Tattoosydney
@Yutsano:
Doesn’t every good recipe involve drinking time?
asiangrrlMN
@Tattoosydney: SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! That’s cuter that Kylie Minogue’s ass!
Tattoosydney
Yep. The Warner Brothers character wasn’t very far off the mark… they’re scary little buggers… and yet somehow adorable… and unfortunately, at great risk of extinction…
SIA aka ScreamingInAtlanta
@geg6: thanks for the link. Loved the post re Coulter. Just bookmarked the page for future enjoyment.
Yutsano
@Tattoosydney: Dating a Sicilian pretty much set me in drinking wine while I’m cooking now, regardless of whether the recipe calls for it or not. It just made me giggle to see that out of nowhere in the recipe. BTW I might try making that this weekend.
SIA aka ScreamingInAtlanta
@arguingwithsignposts:
So, so true. Thanks for the link.
Bad Horse's Filly
@Tattoosydney: Come to BJ and learn something new every day. What a cute little alien that is.
Tattoosydney
@Bad Horse’s Filly:
Yep. The world is an amazing place, and we Aussies got more than our fair share of the extraordinary…..
Tattoosydney
@Yutsano:
It’s goooood.
Yutsano
@Tattoosydney: Fantastic. I really need to get off my duff and go down there for a week or two. I could try to look up an old online friend and catch up with him for a spell. Also don’t hate me, but I investigated becoming a Kiwi. Don’t ask me why but the idea just popped into my head. I haven’t done too many concrete moves towards that goal however.
Tattoosydney
@Yutsano:
I’m a great advocate for Australian tourism – we have an insanely beautiful country here, full of magnificent places, great beer, wonderful restaurants, and attractive persons of all genders wearing speedos. What more could you want?
Some of my best friends are kiwis, so there’s no problem there…
Church Lady
Yum. I saw that the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook was mentioned. I got mine when I got married almost 24 years ago. It’s a great cookbook but, needless to say, after many, many years of frequent use, it had gotten pretty nasty. Last weekend, I went to the thrift store to make a donation and they were having a cookbook sale. Sitting there, on top of one of the tables, was a brand spankin’ new copy of the BH&G NEW Cookbook, priced at $5. JACKPOT!!! Needless to say, it came home with me.
Yutsano
@Church Lady: Did you happen to notice for a brief time “The Art of French Cooking” spiked to number one in cookbook sales after Julie & Julia came out? I really really REALLY need to get a hold of that, and also get a copy for my brother as well.
@Tattoosydney: I’m just waiting to build up the cash reserves to go. Plus arranging the time off etc (I love America sometimes but we really have gone backwards in the last thirty years while the rest of the world jumped head-first into the 21st Century, leave is not mandated by law.) and getting all the other ducks in a row. That and I am NOT sitting on a Qantas plane for 20 hours in coach! First-class the whole way baby.
Tattoosydney
@Yutsano:
I know. It seems insane to me, from my “gets four weeks a year paid holidays” perspective. I spend a lot of time on Tripadvisor (on the Lisbon forum) and there are so many Americans who want to see the whole of Portugal in a week, because that’s all the holidays they get. Insane.
I made the mistake of flying Business class once, and have never been able to return to coach.
Yutsano
@Tattoosydney: I made the mistake of flying Business class once, and have never been able to return to coach.
Domestically I can handle coach. I flew to Europe in coach, that was just eight hours, Hell has a new definition for me because of all that. 20 hours from LAX to SYD? No way on the planet LOL.
Tattoosydney
@Yutsano:
Even in First, you have to put up with the Qantas staff…
Yutsano
@Tattoosydney: Priceless. Too much. As long as there’s a Starbucks near the Qantas International terminal I’ll survive all that. Yes I’m one of those insane Seattleites (or close enough at any rate) who cannot function without a constant infusion of caffeine.
Oh and just took a quick gander at the job market in my field in New Zealand. Not as lean as I thought it would be.
Tattoosydney
@Yutsano:
OUr economy is tootling along quite well, and I suspect New Zealand’s is being dragged along behind us…
Yutsano
@Tattoosydney: It’s fair to assume the two are inexorably tied. Something similar to the economic relationship between the US and Canada, although ours is probably a touch more equitable. (Don’t ask me why I suddenly got into a multi-syllabic word mood, it’s probably because I need sleep!) It’s certainly encouraging, since I guess NZ has somewhat of a labour shortage. Right now it’s just a thought in my head but if I can somehow work out the big quirks (visa will be the biggie at this point) then maybe it’s worth exploring seriously.