Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[Kitty Redstone]

2 hours ago, kristen111 said:

I haven’t used my oven in four years.  My kids bought me a very large Oster counter top oven, so I use that.  I use it for everything, and I even can fit a small Turkey in it or a big ham.  I only use the stove top, not the big oven anymore.

Ditto, except we use a large air fryer rather than a countertop oven. I wouldn't mind one of those, though we'd need more counter space than our kitchen currently has. I don't know how the previous (original) owners of this house raised their litter of children here. We're just four humans plus animals and are constantly tripping over each other.

Anyway, one of the trails we regularly walk is along a river, and in the winter and spring you can see one of those ovens from the 20s or 30s stuck along the bank. It's all rusty but has those pretty cabriole legs and was probably a very nice oven back in the day. 

[annzeepark914]

Well, I guess this is my unpopular opinion. I tried Rao's marinara several years ago, after hearing all about it. To me it tasted like Chef Boyardee. The only jarred sauce I buy is Belletieri, made by an Italian restaurant in PA & sold at Wegmans. It reminds me of the sauce that Italian-Americans made back in my child/young adulthood in NYS. I usually doctor it with a little white wine, garlic and rosemary or basil. I can make my own but this sauce is very good (& a lot easier!)

 

 

[nokat]

Now I feel shamed for using the wrong sauce. 

[kristen111]

8 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I also grew up in Queens.  We had some favorite Italian restaurants there, but some no longer in business.

You can get some great bread on Arthur Ave in the Bronx. 

Yes, then put some Genoa salami and Privalone cheese on it.  Some black olives too, lol.  Then, take a water pill.  I could barely get my sneakers on yesterday.

[kristen111]

5 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Well, I guess this is my unpopular opinion. I tried Rao's marinara several years ago, after hearing all about it. To me it tasted like Chef Boyardee. The only jarred sauce I buy is Belletieri, made by an Italian restaurant in PA & sold at Wegmans. It reminds me of the sauce that Italian-Americans made back in my child/young adulthood in NYS. I usually doctor it with a little white wine, garlic and rosemary or basil. I can make my own but this sauce is very good (& a lot easier!)

 

 

No Wegmans in my vicinity.  Upstate N.Y. Yes.  Tomorrow, we take the ferry to Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.  I haven’t been that far out since Covid started, like three years ago.  We go to Mystic first for fresh shrimp. I don’t gamble, just go for the ride.

[EtheltoTillie]

5 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Well, I guess this is my unpopular opinion. I tried Rao's marinara several years ago, after hearing all about it. To me it tasted like Chef Boyardee. The only jarred sauce I buy is Belletieri, made by an Italian restaurant in PA & sold at Wegmans. It reminds me of the sauce that Italian-Americans made back in my child/young adulthood in NYS. I usually doctor it with a little white wine, garlic and rosemary or basil. I can make my own but this sauce is very good (& a lot easier!)

 

 

I agree that Rao’s is not totally like homemade, but it’s not as bad as Chef Boyardee LOL. That stuff was vile. It was only sold with those mushy canned raviolis and other pastas. Gag worthy. 

[PRgal]

I wasn’t allowed to have Chef Boyardee when I was growing up.  Funny, because my parents definitely bought Campbell’s and other canned goods!  And it wasn’t just broths they got.  I definitely had my share of chicken noodle and cream of mushroom.  They also got Kraft Singles (ewwww) 

[Caoimhe]

10 hours ago, Anela said:

I've been considering shutting down social media for a while. Nothing has happened recently, to warrant it, I just remember how free I felt that one day when facebook went down for five hours. The last time I shut it down, was maybe eight years ago, and I went back a month later. 

I was reading a discussion about it the other night, and most people said they just replaced it with reddit, or something else. I probably would, too. I might try, just to change the pattern, or something. 

This is something I keep considering but never do. I spend too much time between Reddit and Facebook and YouTube and MacRumors and MobileRead (and here) so I really should restrict my internet/online time. I can’t say I ever felt better or free when it was down though. I went outside with my Kindle yesterday and even though my phone was just inside the door (and my watch gets calls and texts when it’s within range) I felt unsettled that it wasn’t right next to me. In some ways that was a learned behavior from when my father was still alive and would call a dozen times a day so I either kept it with me or had to run for it.

I should be doing more reading (Kindle is fine, but I need the phone for audiobooks!) and sewing (I have a hand stitching project in progress now).  Even if I limited it to maybe an hour in the morning and another hour at night it would be a start.  I don’t know if it would help me at all but it probably couldn’t hurt.

Edited May 31, 2023 by Caoimhe

[nokat]

47 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I wasn’t allowed to have Chef Boyardee when I was growing up.  Funny, because my parents definitely bought Campbell’s and other canned goods!  And it wasn’t just broths they got.  I definitely had my share of chicken noodle and cream of mushroom.  They also got Kraft Singles (ewwww) 

Campbell's was in every casserole. I still use cream of celery occasionally. For myself as comfort food.

Edited May 31, 2023 by nokat

[SuprSuprElevated]

10 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

I'll have to try that the next time I buy red sauce. I'm not a huge red sauce person and only buy Prego Original, which I was raised on (and hated). Now when I want to taste my mom's cooking without going back to CA I make spaghetti with Prego Original w/ a can of sliced mushrooms thrown in. I did upgrade my cheese to actual Parmasean vs green can Kraft.

I can cook, and I am sure I could make a kick-ass "simmer all-day" old family recipe type sauce if I were to get my hands on such a recipe, but, eh. 

If you're a Prego buyer, you will not like buying Rao's. In our area, Prego can be had for under $3/jar I think, whereas Rao's is in the $7-8 range (24 oz), depending on the store*.  We buy it because my husband is a sauce snob, and loves it. I am unwilling to make my own for some weird reason.

*Costco used to sell a 2-pk of 32oz jars for a good price, can't remember what it was, just that it was a comparitive bargain. Don't know if they still carry it.

[nokat]

4 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

If you're a Prego buyer, you will not like buying Rao's. In our area, Prego can be had for under $3/jar I think, whereas Rao's is in the $7-8 range (24 oz), depending on the store*.  We buy it because my husband is a sauce snob, and loves it. I am unwilling to make my own for some weird reason.

*Costco used to sell a 2-pk of 32oz jars for a good price, can't remember what it was, just that it was a comparitive bargain. Don't know if they still carry it.

For me it is Classico spicey basil.

[ECM1231]

2 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

agree that Rao’s is not totally like homemade, but it’s not as bad as Chef Boyardee LOL. That stuff was vile. It was only sold with those mushy canned raviolis and other pastas. Gag worthy. 

And that smell! Ugh!

Funny story: After prom, a group of us had breakfast together and then drove out to the North Fork of Long Island, where one of the guys parents had a vacation home. Having been awake the entire night I fell asleep on the beach. Everyone got hungry and decided to wake me up so that I could cook. Good thing as I had not applied sunscreen  and was already as red as a lobster. 

This was mid 70s. No Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc.

It was decided that I, the only Italian -American, would make the pasta. They had spaghetti in the cupboard. I asked where the canned tomatoes were, garlic, onion, etc. Blank stare. They handed me a jar of Ragu. I was incredulous. What the hell do you need me for? They couldn't boil water and heat up the sauce in a saucepan? Oy! I heated the sauce, boiled the pasta and had my spaghetti only with butter and some cheese. I think it was that Kraft stuff out of a can. Ugh!

[RealHousewife]

How do you all plan your after work hobbies?

 

There’s a dance class I’d like to take. It’s twice a week from 6:45-8:15. A big part of why I’m interested is because it’s a funner form of exercise. But I feel like I’d either have a rushed dinner as soon as I got home from work, or I’d have a late dinner, which could actually cause weight gain.

[oliviabenson]

Rao’s sausage and mushroom red sauce is divine! I rarely buy it since I’m trying not to eat pasta much. 
 

Rao’s is the best jarred sauce I tried.

[oliviabenson]

Chef boyardee changed their sauce to worse lol. It’s okay to eat when I dont feel like cooking dinner.

I don’t use my oven either. Air fryer all the time.

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, nokat said:

Campbell's was in every casserole. I still use cream of celery occasionally. For myself as comfort food.

Except we didn't have casseroles.  Not even the Hong Kong baked rice kind.  I don't think casseroles were ever on my grandma's (the family chef) mind.  Cream of mushroom (or chicken) was for comfort food consumption (as was chicken noodle).  Otherwise, it was the broth stuff.  I tried explaining "casserole" to Poh Poh, but I didn't know the term in Cantonese.  And her English was limited (as was my Canto).  I also didn't know how to explain North American comfort foods like Sloppy Joes (dirty Joe didn't sound right).

[EtheltoTillie]

My mother would serve canned soups, and I would still eat Campbell's bean soup and split pea, although I never think of buying them now.

But she would never have served Chef Boyardee.  She made homemade sauce like our Italian relatives by marriage (I still make it that way).  My uncle's mother, born in Napoli, made ravioli from scratch.  It was amazing to watch her cut them out. 

I was served Chef Boyardee ravioli at a friend's house for lunch when I was about 7 years old, and I was eager to try it, as I had seen it on TV commercials (the power of advertising to kids!).  I couldn't have imagined what it actually was.  I could not swallow it.  I was wishing for a dog under the table to slip it to.  In the end I just left it and didn't eat it.  I was given some again as an adult and had the same reaction. 

52 minutes ago, RealHousewife said:

How do you all plan your after work hobbies?

 

There’s a dance class I’d like to take. It’s twice a week from 6:45-8:15. A big part of why I’m interested is because it’s a funner form of exercise. But I feel like I’d either have a rushed dinner as soon as I got home from work, or I’d have a late dinner, which could actually cause weight gain.

I used to take a tap dance class in the evenings once or twice a week.  It was so much fun. Usually I would eat after.  Sometimes the class started later, so I'd eat first.  Worth it for the fun. 

Edited May 31, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[peacheslatour]

All this talk of jarred sauces and casseroles baffles me. I guess I just grew up with a mother who really knew how to cook. The only thing I can think of that is a casserole is her lasagna. It was great.

[Mondrianyone]

48 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I used to take a tap dance class in the evenings once or twice a week.  It was so much fun.

So did I! I think it was one night a week when I was in my late twenties. My best friend from college and I went to the Helen Butleroff School of the Dance on Third Avenue. Helen Butleroff was a retired Rockette and if I remember correctly also had been a June Taylor Dancer, so she had an A-1 pedigree. She also had a dancer daughter whose name was Bambi Butleroff (I swear I'm not making this up). Bambi might've been a Rockette, too.

The day that Helen told me I had great legs for tap-dancing was the day I could've died completely fulfilled. My friend (who now teaches at that college) and I took that class so seriously. It was the most fun.

[Moose135]

We've had Rao's a few times lately and really liked it. We may have to get some Belletieri the next time we're up to the Raleigh area on a Wegmans run.

[EtheltoTillie]

23 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

So did I! I think it was one night a week when I was in my late twenties. My best friend from college and I went to the Helen Butleroff School of the Dance on Third Avenue. Helen Butleroff was a retired Rockette and if I remember correctly also had been a June Taylor Dancer, so she had an A-1 pedigree. She also had a dancer daughter whose name was Bambi Butleroff (I swear I'm not making this up). Bambi might've been a Rockette, too.

The day that Helen told me I had great legs for tap-dancing was the day I could've died completely fulfilled. My friend (who now teaches at that college) and I took that class so seriously. It was the most fun.

I used to take my tap class at Steps on the Upper West Side.  The teacher had done some real theater.  I was in advanced beginner, but sometimes Rockettes and other Broadway dancers would come in just for the practice.  I just stood in the back.  But it was the most fun ever. 

They had a tap class for PE at our mutual college, you know.  But I could never fit it in to my schedule!  I took archery and bowling instead. 

Edited May 31, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[kristen111]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

All this talk of jarred sauces and casseroles baffles me. I guess I just grew up with a mother who really knew how to cook. The only thing I can think of that is a casserole is her lasagna. It was great.

OMG, when first married, I made stuffed shells from scratch.  My husband is Italian, I am not.  He told his Mother the shells were better than hers.  Yikes!  Big mouth.  She didn’t like me much after that. Lol.

[Bethany]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I was served Chef Boyardee ravioli at a friend's house for lunch when I was about 7 years old, and I was eager to try it, as I had seen it on TV commercials (the power of advertising to kids!).

I'm the opposite, had this for the first time as a teen and was hooked!  With a family our size it was definitely not in the budget to rely on these canned products too often and when I first tried it at a friend's house it was everything I'd hoped it would be 😃. 

This was the same friend who introduced me to Kraft Dinner plain and also gussied up with a can of tuna added.

I wanted to live at her house.  My poor mother!  We did not appreciate, at the time, all the work she went to to provide us with delicious homecooked meals.  Luckily as time went by we did!  But :small voice: I still like Chef Boyardee and also Kraft dinner.

[peacheslatour]

54 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

So did I! I think it was one night a week when I was in my late twenties. My best friend from college and I went to the Helen Butleroff School of the Dance on Third Avenue. Helen Butleroff was a retired Rockette and if I remember correctly also had been a June Taylor Dancer, so she had an A-1 pedigree. She also had a dancer daughter whose name was Bambi Butleroff (I swear I'm not making this up). Bambi might've been a Rockette, too.

The day that Helen told me I had great legs for tap-dancing was the day I could've died completely fulfilled. My friend (who now teaches at that college) and I took that class so seriously. It was the most fun.

When I was in my late teens/early twenties. I took a ballet class with my then BF's mom. I had been on my high school's gymnastics team for years so I figured "ballet? no sweat!" Oh boy, was I wrong!

[theredhead77]

3 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

If you're a Prego buyer, you will not like buying Rao's. In our area, Prego can be had for under $3/jar I think, whereas Rao's is in the $7-8 range (24 oz), depending on the store*.  We buy it because my husband is a sauce snob, and loves it. I am unwilling to make my own for some weird reason.

*Costco used to sell a 2-pk of 32oz jars for a good price, can't remember what it was, just that it was a comparitive bargain. Don't know if they still carry it.

I appreciate the heads up. Cost isn't the reason I buy Prego so it should be fine.

13 minutes ago, Bethany said:

Kraft dinner

Kraft Dinner (Canada) is 100,000,000,000% better than Kraft Mac & Cheese (states). I live in the states and will die on this hill 

[EtheltoTillie]

@Bethany  I make really good scratch mac and cheese with a white sauce base, but I too enjoy Kraft dinner, knowing it's "fake" mac and cheese, it tastes like what it is.  Just like I enjoy a MacDonald's hamburger--and I love MacDonald's breakfast sandwiches.  But no to the Chef Boyardee.

[annzeepark914]

3 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

@Bethany  I make really good scratch mac and cheese with a white sauce base, but I too enjoy Kraft dinner, knowing it's "fake" mac and cheese, it tastes like what it is.  Just like I enjoy a MacDonald's hamburger--and I love MacDonald's breakfast sandwiches.  But no to the Chef Boyardee.

I love the regular hamburger at McDonald's & also order small fries & a small Coke. It's a once-in-a-while trip down memory lane treat 😊. I think I've already mentioned here that there's one McD's near me that serves *the best* French fries...hot & crisp!

[EtheltoTillie]

There's a new(ish) Wegman's in Brooklyn, and it's tantalizingly close to my downtown Manhattan office, where I sit right now.  But tantalizingly is the operative word.  It's not near any subway stops, and I'd have to change trains on a bad route even to get to the closest one.   One day I'll take an excursion and try to get that sauce. 

[annzeepark914]

There is a Wegmans in NYC...I think it's in Brooklyn. It opened last year.

Just saw EtheltoTillie's post. 🤞they have the sauce!! 

Edited May 31, 2023 by annzeepark914

[EtheltoTillie]

Just now, annzeepark914 said:

There is a Wegmans in NYC...I think it's in Brooklyn. It opened last year.

Jinx. 

[annzeepark914]

3 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Jinx. 

Great minds, yada yada. You might want to give them a call to see if that store carries the Belletieri brand. 

[EtheltoTillie]

1 minute ago, annzeepark914 said:

Great minds, yada yada. You might want to give them a call to see if that store carries the Belletieri brand. 

Yes, best to call first. 

[ECM1231]

11 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

There's a new(ish) Wegman's in Brooklyn, and it's tantalizingly close to my downtown Manhattan office, where I sit right now.  But tantalizingly is the operative word.  It's not near any subway stops, and I'd have to change trains on a bad route even to get to the closest one.   One day I'll take an excursion and try to get that sauce. 

Interesting. I thought they were only upstate. My friend near Syracuse shops there. 

Any idea where in Brooklyn?

[EtheltoTillie]

Just now, ECM1231 said:

Interesting. I thought they were only upstate. My friend near Syracuse shops there. 

Any idea where in Brooklyn?

Yes, I see it on Google maps.  21 Flushing Ave.   It was the first (and so far only) one in NYC.  They have them in NJ.  Some friends who go to the Jersey Shore swear by it. 

[annzeepark914]

9 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

There's a new(ish) Wegman's in Brooklyn, and it's tantalizingly close to my downtown Manhattan office, where I sit right now. 

Is your office near the Fulton Fish Market? Does it still exist? In 1989, my mom & I flew up to Manhattan for Mother's Day weekend. We stayed at the Algonquin, enjoyed midtown, & on Sunday took the Staten Island ferry just to see the harbor. Then we walked from the ferry to the FFM & had lunch at some small restaurant (had baked stuffed clams that were divine!)

[RealHousewife]

44 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

When I was in my late teens/early twenties. I took a ballet class with my then BF's mom. I had been on my high school's gymnastics team for years so I figured "ballet? no sweat!" Oh boy, was I wrong!

Lol ballet looks easy when ballerinas dance, but it’s not. It is what I want to take up though. I want calves, dang it!

[ABay]

Please stop taunting me with Wegman's! The nearest one is 50 miles away and it's not fair! Being close to one is one of the many reasons I'm moving back to Western New York as soon as I retire (fingers crossed). That and sponge candy. Oh, and some of my family also lives there.

[EtheltoTillie]

13 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Is your office near the Fulton Fish Market? Does it still exist? In 1989, my mom & I flew up to Manhattan for Mother's Day weekend. We stayed at the Algonquin, enjoyed midtown, & on Sunday took the Staten Island ferry just to see the harbor. Then we walked from the ferry to the FFM & had lunch at some small restaurant (had baked stuffed clams that were divine!)

The market no longer exists, but there's still the South Street Seaport.  I could walk there in a few minutes from the office.  I'm near the World Trade Center and the Brooklyn Bridge (can see BB from my window).  I could also walk to the ferry, it's in a different direction.  I could walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and then a bit further and get to Wegman's.  If I wanted to get in a lot of steps that day. 

[kristen111]

3 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

The market no longer exists, but there's still the South Street Seaport.  I could walk there in a few minutes from the office.  I'm near the World Trade Center and the Brooklyn Bridge (can see BB from my window).  I could also walk to the ferry, it's in a different direction.  I could walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and then a bit further and get to Wegman's.  If I wanted to get in a lot of steps that day. 

I haven’t been to the Seaport since they changed it.  We used to walk to Chinatown from the Seaport .. when I could walk long distances.  We haven’t been in the City either.  They are opening about a thousand “Lidl’s on the Island, but we mostly shop at Shop Rite.  Husband is the master shopper now.  I’ll have to buy him a purse for his coupons.  They all know him by name now .. “Big Mike”.  I told him he should be a greeter.

[Mondrianyone]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

sometimes Rockettes and other Broadway dancers would come in just for the practice.

There's nothing like taking classes in NYC for that kind of contact, is there?

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

They had a tap class for PE at our mutual college, you know.  But I could never fit it in to my schedule!  I took archery and bowling instead.

I took tennis, because I'm left-handed and I thought, "This is college. Maybe I'll actually get some attention." So she spent 90 percent of the class time telling everyone else exactly how to hold the racket and return shots and approach the net--all that good stuff--and in the last minute she told the other sad lefty and me, "You two just do the opposite."

I should've taken tap.

[Mondrianyone]

15 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

The market no longer exists

It does, but they moved it up to Hunts Point in the Bronx, where the vegetable market has always been.

I was a member of the Broadway Local, which at the time was the biggest food co-op in the city. We used to go to the original FFM and to Hunts Point to buy for all the chapters. It was an amazing experience to see where so much of the food for the whole city was distributed. I also learned to drive a huge truck through Manhattan. It gave me hair on my chest.

[EtheltoTillie]

8 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

I haven’t been to the Seaport since they changed it.  We used to walk to Chinatown from the Seaport .. when I could walk long distances.  We haven’t been in the City either.  They are opening about a thousand “Lidl’s on the Island, but we mostly shop at Shop Rite.  Husband is the master shopper now.  I’ll have to buy him a purse for his coupons.  They all know him by name now .. “Big Mike”.  I told him he should be a greeter.

I have voiced my, er, displeasure with Lidl on this board before.  I'll refrain from further rants. 

[kristen111]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

When I was in my late teens/early twenties. I took a ballet class with my then BF's mom. I had been on my high school's gymnastics team for years so I figured "ballet? no sweat!" Oh boy, was I wrong!

I LOVE ballet.  My daughter and I used to go to the City to see.  Sleeping Beauty on Broadway made me cry .. it was so beautiful.  Another German troupe also was gorgeous.  The costumes and scenery outstanding.  I haven’t been in a long time.  Ballet was very hard, right?  Error up there .. I think it was “Swan Lake” we saw.

[peacheslatour]

3 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

I LOVE ballet.  My daughter and I used to go to the City to see.  Sleeping Beauty on Broadway made me cry .. it was so beautiful.  Another German troupe also was gorgeous.  The costumes and scenery outstanding.  I haven’t been in a long time.  Ballet was very hard, right?  Error up there .. I think it was “Swan Lake” we saw.

It was very hard. Man, I could do back flips and all kinds of acrobatic stuff so I thought "dancing around on tippy toes, big deal". I was in so much pain after every session. Turns out you use a whole different set of muscles with ballet.

[kristen111]

2 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

It does, but they moved it up to Hunts Point in the Bronx, where the vegetable market has always been.

I was a member of the Broadway Local, which at the time was the biggest food co-op in the city. We used to go to the original FFM and to Hunts Point to buy for all the chapters. It was an amazing experience to see where so much of the food for the whole city was distributed. I also learned to drive a huge truck through Manhattan. It gave me hair on my chest.

You are so lucky, living in the City.  Then the Hamptons.  Both worlds.  Then Wall Street.  So impressive.  All tourists love Wall Street.  Cha Ching.

[kristen111]

1 minute ago, peacheslatour said:

It was very hard. Man, I could do back flips and all kinds of acrobatic stuff so I thought "dancing around on tippy toes, big deal". I was in so much pain after every session. Turns out you use a whole different set of muscles with ballet.

I have a dvd of “The Nutcracker” with Barishnicoff and Kelsey something.  I watch it all the time.  My neighbor tried like you.  She couldn’t do it.  At least you tried.  My two Grandaughters took ballet and tap, but at a very young age.  The recitles were priceless.  We were crying the whole time.

[Mondrianyone]

7 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

You are so lucky, living in the City.

I don't, not anymore. Now I live in the middle of nowhere. But I still have that NYC hair on my chest.  💪

[PRgal]

9 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

I LOVE ballet.  My daughter and I used to go to the City to see.  Sleeping Beauty on Broadway made me cry .. it was so beautiful.  Another German troupe also was gorgeous.  The costumes and scenery outstanding.  I haven’t been in a long time.  Ballet was very hard, right?  Error up there .. I think it was “Swan Lake” we saw.

Not exactly ballet, but I'm taking a virtual barre class that is A LOT more ballet-inspired than a "traditional" barre program.  As in we're doing a lot more pliés and ronde du jambes, jetés, etc...WITH WEIGHTS.  I also take a (virtual) barre program that is more "typical" through Barre 3.  

[kristen111]

21 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I have voiced my, er, displeasure with Lidl on this board before.  I'll refrain from further rants. 

We just run in in emergency.  For some reason, I don’t trust food that cheap.  We go to Shop Rite and Stop n Shop.  Lidl reminds me of a flea market.

[Quof]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

Kraft Dinner (Canada) is 100,000,000,000% better than Kraft Mac & Cheese (states). I live in the states and will die on this hill 

This Canuck agrees.