annzeepark914

Just looked at Ina's recipe (and the reviews with suggestions) and I need to make this (but I'm going to only roast 2.5 to 3 lb). When I've seen the episode where Ina makes this and the gorgonzola sauce, I'm salivating like Pavlov's dog!!

I just made Duncan Hines little cheesecake and it's good. I zested a little lemon in the batter first (a la Ina); next time I'll add a bit more lemon zest. IMO, this is a good deal if you just want a little cheesecake (and not have tons of leftovers tempting you all week). It reminds me of the ones my mom was making back in the late 60's, the kind with a little sour cream on the top (it's not THAT good, but hey...it's not as much effort). So, that's the chocolate cake and the cheesecake we've tried in this Little Cake line. Next will be the Strawberry Lemon Kiss, a 6" heart shaped cake and glaze mix (maybe closer to Valentine's Day!) They also have a Red Velvet Cake mix too.

I used to watch Greta back in her CNN days. She was ok. Then she began to interview Palen and that's when I bailed on Greta (later finding out that Greta & spouse were besties with Sarah & spouse). Isn't she now on at 6? I'm watching PBS news then (it's a more tranquil way to take in the news these days).

I was half watching Poppy Harlow tonight who was interviewing Rep Marsha Blackburn from Tenn (who just had to let Poppy and us know that she didn't read some pertinent email until she "got home from church today"). The woman just could not bring herself to answer Poppy's questions, constantly deflecting. Poppy did try to nail her down but to no avail. I think Kellyanne must give classes in how not to answer media questions. I finally hit the mute button and every time I looked up, Blackburn was babbling away and Poppy was sitting there wooden faced. What are they going to do about these Republicans who refuse to answer questions (chief among them being Trump)?

My sister, who lives alone, is trying Blue Apron for a month. Neighbors were given a gift certificate for 3 months and weren't thrilled with the concept because she likes to do her own shopping/deciding on types of meals they'll have. I wish that place where you can pick up entrees (Delish...I think it's called) were still around here. I'm another one who wants control over portions and ingredients (but hey, if some place already made the dish for me? I'd buy it!!)

Well, tonight was international night I guess. My husband has a friend staying overnight so he decided to cook a pork roast in sauerkraut. Whoa...I'm not eatin' that! So I made peanut noodles and then sauted a couple salmon fillets in a little sesame oil with seasonings. We had one of those Duncan Hines little cakes (chocolate w/ fudgy frosting) for dessert. The sauerkraut is the mild stuff from Wegman's which I've had on hot dogs and it's good (but don't cook me anything in sauerkraut, puhleez). When I emailed a friend about the pork in sauerkraut and that I wouldn't eat it, she said to let her know the next time and she'll eat my portion :>)

Hope you feel better today, DeLurker.

Thanks for the chuckle! I was just reminiscing the other day about diner breakfasts at 1:00 AM after an evening of dancing and imbibing (wow...this was back in the old days).

Thanks for the schedule, Good Queen Jane. Wow--I'm going to be able to watch some ice dancing & pairs instead of just men's and ladies singles! Pass the popcorn cause I'm ready for some skating.

When I was a kid, that's the way it was. Looking back at press clippings in the early 60's, you see captions under photos of Mrs. John J. Smith, Mrs. Edward V. Walker, etc., etc. attending a (whichever club) meeting. The occasional unmarried woman attending the meeting would be Miss Mary Jones (Ms didn't come into fashion until the 70's thanks to the feminists). So that co-worker's uncle must have been old fashioned, not comfortable with the modern way of addressing females. A few years ago, one of my husband's nieces, a medical doctor, sent out wedding invitations and the rsvp's were to be returned to her, addressed to Miss (first name & maiden name)...no Dr. so and so, no Ms. so and so. Miss! We found that so peculiar in this day and age.

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.