annzeepark914

That's probably a good idea since they're near a campus. But Wegman's asks everyone to show ID's and they're not near a campus. The other supermarkets in our area don't ask me for ID. It has to be a tricky situation, deciding which customer you ID. And they can get in a mess of trouble if they sell to someone under 21.

I do the same when I make chicken soup...cook the noodles separately. It's tricky when making lasagna as those noodles absorb so much sauce. Same thing with pasta salads...I have to remind myself to make extra dressing. Tonight we had Turkish Chicken (actually I just called it that so it wouldn't sound like boring ol' baked chicken breasts--I just put Turkish seasoning on the chicken & marinated in a vinaigrette) plus baked tomatoes au gratin and reheated green beans.

I think I've learned the most from watching the Barefoot Contessa. Little tricks preparing food that she does, the fruit or cheese platters she arranges, and those wonderful all one color but different flower arrangements--love them and enjoy making those floral displays. Ina's recipes are the ones I've made the most altho' I've made some of Joanne Weir's and a few of Dave Lieberman's. One of these days I've got to make fried oysters & deviled eggs, a Katie Lee dish. It looked so good when she made it on a Bobby Flay show.

Speaking of Xmas gifts: At what age is it no longer appropriate for a kid to be searching under people's trees for gifts with his name on them? or running up to relatives and asking if they have a gift for him? I'm not a mom so I'm not up on this stuff.

Re grandparent names: When my stepdaughter had her baby, I did a little research. The thing that stood out was the warning to select the name you want to be called and not what the child creates or else "you run the risk of being called Old Buckethead" or something like that. So I researched names for grandma in different languages. I'm Swedish-American heritage but I knew I couldn't ask to be called Mormor (mother's mother) as my stepdaughter's mom would be that (she chose Grammy). So I picked the Italian name: Nonna. Easy for my grandson to say. His paternal grandmother is called grandma.

I always liked the southern (USA) custom of kids calling friends of their parents either Miss (first name) or Mr (first name). It showed respect to the adult but it also sounded sweet and friendly.

Once again, Ina's eggplant au gratin. We haven't had it in well over a month and it's so easy to make. Plus, I discovered a delicious jarred marinara to use in it. It's called Belletieri's Marinara Sauce. I bought it a while back...maybe at Wegman's??? Not sure. Belletieri's makes the sauce in Boyertown, PA. On the label it says they have a restaurant, Louie's, in Allentown, PA. I could just eat this sauce right out of the jar. It reminds me of the sauce Italian-American families served at home when I was growing up in New York State.

So why are the "judges" on NFNS so critical of the contestants? If they prefer having actors hosting cooking shows because they're so comfortable on camera, why bother with these amateurs (who really CAN cook!)?

Hmmm...I thought the Danish nanny was enjoying the "boys" way too much. She had to have known it was ticking off Julia, Charlene and Mary Jo. I loved it when Suzanne had a private early morning chat with the nanny and told her to start packing (and then adjusted the little tiara headband on her head, my favorite part of that episode!)

What in the world is going on with the Weather Channel? Whenever I turn it on, it's one female after another, all as skinny as get out, pageant hair, etc.. the station moving from one area to another, the women changing with each regional change. I won't get into the nonsense of having Jim Cantore et al standing out in a blizzard or hurricane, getting buffeted around while giving an on-the-site report.

What the heck is happening at MSNBC? Greta? Best friend forever with Sarah Palen and her hubby? They must be desperate for viewers.

Oh boy...Krispy Kreme. My first year living in Raleigh I was out late with friends and we hit the downtown Raleigh store. Being in jovial moods after an evening of imbibin' & dancin' we got a big kick out of watching the doughnuts riding up and down a tiny escalator-like conveyor belt. Many years later, I ended up working for NC government in the downtown area. Once a week you could count on seeing huge doughnut boxes in every department. But they were so delicious when they were hot (I only ate the glazed--they just about melted when you bit into them--so wonderful with a cup of coffee).

One thing about the cramps: I had them for a few years and they finally decided it was from adhesions (probably from when I had my appendix out when I was a kid!!) After the same day surgery? No more cramps.

Another road trip report. We went to Michigan for Christmas and on the way up and back stopped to eat at Panera's on the Ohio Turnpike. Their food is good. Mr. P914 shared a tip with me. Tell them it's "to go" or else you end up paying some kind of tax on it. Then we took it over to that large eating area and had a good lunch and brief rest. I haven't been on this turnpike or the PA turnpike in at least 10 years (usually fly up) so I was impressed with the new-ish rest/food areas. And all the employees we encountered were friendly (just like on our trips to NYS & New England). Both ways I got tunafish on a French baguette (half size). It's delicious.

And those were the days when "Keithie" was really good (Worst Person In The Wooorrrrllllddddd), before he got carried away by his anger. I miss the old Keith.

@Lisin: But I never received a gift card from anyone. They just dumped what should have been a credit on my Visa into this gift card! Very weird.

Has there been a policy change regarding refunds/credits at Amazon? I just found out that I have a "gift card" and they used some of that "gift card" to pay for my recently ordered Ina Garten cookbook. What happened to crediting one's Visa? Maybe I was out to lunch when they made some announcement about this but sheesh! I don't like this (but then, I buy stuff via amazon so it's not like that gift card's balance is going to be sitting there forever, but still...)

They also go every year, in late summer, to a fairground in southwestern Virginia (another section of Appalachia) and the people were standing in line for hours, sometimes all night. One family, this past year, walked for 4 hours to the fairgrounds. I saw a program on PBS that interviewed some of these people and most of them voted Republican (federal and even for the VA state legislature where the GOP has refused to let the Governor increase Medicaid coverage). And yes, almost all of them need to have a tooth pulled. I used to feel sorry for them until that program where so many of them said they supported smaller government, didn't like those folks who got govt. handouts (really?), admired folks who pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, and all that malarkey that they're fed by Faux Newz, Rush, etc. Except for the kids. My heart breaks for them. So, this year is an election year in Virginia. We elect a governor and our state delegates and senators. It will be interesting to see how Trump as commander in chief influences this election.

Our next president actually tweeted this? He should be spending his time studying up on the hellish responsibilities coming his way in 3 weeks, not tweeting about which photo of himself that a broadcasting company uses on its book. Y'know what, fellow Americans? This isn't going to go very well. He's obviously going to be a "front" and I'm very concerned about who actually is going to be president of our country.

I took a bag of frozen uncooked shrimp out of the freezer to thaw for shrimp cocktail. Then I noticed the container of leftover frozen onion soup. Then frozen pesto. Then another bag of frozen shrimp. So I thawed/am thawing them all. The freezer was getting jammed so tonight's supper will be a hodge podge + sauerkraut and bratwurst (bought while in Michigan for Xmas). I think I'd best get out a bottle of Pepto Bismol too, just in case!

I bought the cookbook for myself--found it on amazon (but in the used section & the seller said it was new). Yeah, the White House visit was the best of that episode, especially Ina chatting with the WH chef. That was interesting. The scene with the First Lady was nice. Two good people on a couch having tea. I loved the birthday luncheon & would've given my eye teeth to be there. Sheesh--1/2 of "Woodstein" was there. An intelligence agency dude was there & his presence really intrigued Woodstein! I'd have been in my glory. Plus, that dessert looked divine. Well, I live in metro DC and get a big kick out of intelligence folks.

The Washington Post finally had an article on this earlier in December and the coroner and police finally decided (after many months) that those bruises came when he fell several times in his room due to his being extremely drunk. Un-hunh. I guess using plutonium once again would've made things look a little too suspicious. It's getting creepier and creepier around here.

We went to Paris last year and were treated very kindly by the French shopkeepers, restaurant staff, etc., (and they knew we were Americans). However, whenever we've visited the Maritime Provinces we could always count on a snarky comment about America.

I've loved white wine for years (the drier & crisper the better) but last year I got hooked on Prosecco and haven't looked back. Less alcohol and always festive!

I met a campaign volunteer who gave her elderly dad a Veterans for Tim Kaine bumper sticker (back when he was running for Governor of VA). He put it on his car which was parked in her driveway. The next morning they found garbage had been dumped all over his car (real garbage--coffee grounds, peels, nasty stuff, etc). So I do worry about the subhumans attracted to the Republican candidates. It's no hoax about what they've done.