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

[SuprSuprElevated]

Aaannd I'm ded. 😆

[kristen111]

I love sauerkraut.  Anybody?  My Mother and I made sauerkraut soup with pork ribs in it.  Sometimes, you just want something hot and tangy.  My husband is Italian, but loved everything ethnic she made.

[SoMuchTV]

41 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

Yes just bake the corn bread according to the directions. The chili is cooked already so should not take that long.

So kind of like a Shepard’s pie? (Not that I’ve ever actually made that). So the chili is hot, then you spread the cornbread batter over it and bake it?

[oliviabenson]

4 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

So kind of like a Shepard’s pie? (Not that I’ve ever actually made that). So the chili is hot, then you spread the cornbread batter over it and bake it?

No the chili is cold it’s from a can. You don’t heat it before placing the raw cornbread mixture on top.

[Browncoat]

Jiffy cornbread mix is waaaaaay too sweet for me.

[Bastet]

11 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Jiffy cornbread mix is waaaaaay too sweet for me.

Oh, my -- I just looked it up, and it has 16g of sugar per serving.  That's only 7g less than their yellow cake mix.

[peacheslatour]

4 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Oh, my -- I just looked it up, and it has 16g of sugar per serving.  That's only 7g less than their yellow cake mix.

Krusteaz isn't much better coming in a 13 grams.

[Bastet]

2 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Krusteaz isn't much better coming in a 13 grams.

Since I'm of the "cornbread should not have sugar" persuasion, I'm sure most mixes are not my style.  (It's quick to make, with minimal ingredients, and I do it so infrequently, I have no need for a mix -- I'm a fan of several other shortcuts in cooking, just don't need one for this.)

[SoMuchTV]

21 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

There are two types of cornbread:  northern version and southern version. The northern is sweet; the southern isn't.

That surprises me! The south is the home of sweet tea, so I would have expected the tastes in cornbread to be similar. I’m pretty much in the middle, but I prefer the less sweet version of both. 

[annzeepark914]

27 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

That surprises me! The south is the home of sweet tea, so I would have expected the tastes in cornbread to be similar. I’m pretty much in the middle, but I prefer the less sweet version of both. 

In NC, I quickly learned to ask for unsweetened tea (& if not available, would ask for lots of lemon slices & extra ice).  Sweet tea in the south was like a watery maple syrup to me.  I don't eat Jiffy cornbread every week or every month but it's a nice treat occasionally...just like other treats.

[Bastet]

I'm curious: Do those of you who like sweet cornbread eat it as a side dish (which is what [unsweetened] cornbread is to me, with a soup or stew), or as dessert?  (Or just by itself?)

32 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Sweet tea in the south was like a watery maple syrup to me.

Boy howdy.  I'm not an iced tea fan to begin with (I like tea hot), but I can drink the regular stuff with some lemon if someone hands me a glass.  Sweet tea, though?  That's a smile politely, sip here and there, and look for a potted plant to surreptitiously dump it into situation.

Edited September 25, 2023 by Bastet

[annzeepark914]

8 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I'm curious: Do those of you who like sweet cornbread eat it as a side dish, or as dessert?  (Or just by itself?)

For me it's like a dessert that I enjoy with a cup of coffee. 

[EtheltoTillie]

I love the pudding made with Jiffy mix. You add creamed corn and sour cream and butter. The recipe is on their web site

Edited September 25, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

@Bastet I like the sweet cornbread or muffins by themselves. I would enjoy regular unsweetened cornbread as a side dish with brisket or chili. 

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

For me it's like a dessert that I enjoy with a cup of coffee. 

45 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I like the sweet cornbread or muffins by themselves.

These both make gustatory sense to me.  Marie Callender's serving sweet as sweet can be "cornbread" as a side to every frakkin' entree they serve does not.  (I haven't been there in decades, but that was where a friend and I dined whenever we spent the day at an amusement park to which MC was the closest restaurant; they had a salad we both loved, but it oddly came with this slice of cake.  Tasty cake, mind, so we saved it for dessert and enjoyed, but don't hand me dessert with my salad and call it bread!)

[annzeepark914]

50 minutes ago, Bastet said:

These both make gustatory sense to me.  Marie Callender's serving sweet as sweet can be "cornbread" as a side to every frakkin' entree they serve does not.  (I haven't been there in decades, but that was where a friend and I dined whenever we spent the day at an amusement park to which MC was the closest restaurant; they had a salad we both loved, but it oddly came with this slice of cake.  Tasty cake, mind, so we saved it for dessert and enjoyed, but don't hand me dessert with my salad and call it bread!)

That's the way I look at hush puppies served with bbq or seafood. It's too peculiar for me, a sweet roll or bread served with a savory dish.

[kristen111]

5 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

In NC, I quickly learned to ask for unsweetened tea (& if not available, would ask for lots of lemon slices & extra ice).  Sweet tea in the south was like a watery maple syrup to me.  I don't eat Jiffy cornbread every week or every month but it's a nice treat occasionally...just like other treats.

Yes, and what about some people that eat tons of chocolate and drink soda?  Tons of sugar in there.  Or cake and cookie lovers.  I rather have the cornbread.  My sugar is always low in my blood tests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kristen111]

23 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

That's the way I look at hush puppies served with bbq or seafood. It's too peculiar for me, a sweet roll or bread served with a savory dish.

A sweet roll with jam or orange marmalade on it.  With coffee.  With milk and sugar.  Lol.

[Caoimhe]

13 hours ago, kristen111 said:

I love sauerkraut.  Anybody?  My Mother and I made sauerkraut soup with pork ribs in it.  Sometimes, you just want something hot and tangy.  My husband is Italian, but loved everything ethnic she made.

That sounds delicious to me!  Unfortunately my husband hates both sauerkraut and pork (unless it’s ham or bacon) so I wouldn’t even attempt it.  Finding a decent sauerkraut isn’t easy though, every time I find somewhere that has a good one they stop carrying it.  

[Mindthinkr]

13 hours ago, kristen111 said:

I love sauerkraut.  Anybody?  My Mother and I made sauerkraut soup with pork ribs in it.  Sometimes, you just want something hot and tangy.  My husband is Italian, but loved everything ethnic she made.

When I was in Europe this summer I had a delicious sauerkraut and bean soup called Jota. They say it’s originated in Slovenia, but the areas of Italy that turned into Croatia also claim it as well. Lidia Bastianich has a good recipe. When I buy sauerkraut I usually get the kind in a bag that comes in the refrigerated section. Especially in this recipe it’s important to rinse it well so the soup doesn’t come out too salty. 
 

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, Bastet said:

Oh, my -- I just looked it up, and it has 16g of sugar per serving.  That's only 7g less than their yellow cake mix.

Here’s my cornbread recipe from the 1980s.
My very rough guesstimate at the moment is about 7g of sugars per generously sized piece.

 I made it about a year ago for the first time in many years and thought the honey could be cut in half.

[annzeepark914]

Wegmans sells sauerkraut in a bag in the refrigerated section. It's quite good. 

[kristen111]

3 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

When I was in Europe this summer I had a delicious sauerkraut and bean soup called Jota. They say it’s originated in Slovenia, but the areas of Italy that turned into Croatia also claim it as well. Lidia Bastianich has a good recipe. When I buy sauerkraut I usually get the kind in a bag that comes in the refrigerated section. Especially in this recipe it’s important to rinse it well so the soup doesn’t come out too salty. 
 

Vitamins galore.  Yes, you have to rinse it a bit and add a bit of tomato sauce.

 

[EtheltoTillie]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Here’s my cornbread recipe from the 1980s.
My very rough guesstimate at the moment is about 7g of sugars per generously sized piece.

 I made it about a year ago for the first time in many years and thought the honey could be cut in half.

Shapeshifter, why did you write down those reduced quantities next to each ingredient?  Did you make a smaller batch? 

[kristen111]

4 hours ago, Caoimhe said:

That sounds delicious to me!  Unfortunately my husband hates both sauerkraut and pork (unless it’s ham or bacon) so I wouldn’t even attempt it.  Finding a decent sauerkraut isn’t easy though, every time I find somewhere that has a good one they stop carrying it.  

I use the Shop Rite cans.  No problems.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Shapeshifter, why did you write down those reduced quantities next to each ingredient?  Did you make a smaller batch? 

Yes. As the household size shrank.

[EtheltoTillie]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Yes. As the household size shrank.

Well, then, how did you measure 1.5 eggs?

[stewedsquash]

I would crack two, mix them well with a fork and then take out 1/4 of the mixed eggs.

eta I always mix my eggs until yellow before adding them to stuff anyway. 

Edited September 25, 2023 by stewedsquash

[BooksRule]

All this food talk is making me hungry! (I just got home from work and plan to work in the yard for a little while before dark.  My dinner might be leftover large lima beans with bacon. I don't know yet.)  Speaking of cornbread, I got cornbread at a restaurant in Kentucky years ago (deSha's, for you who know the place in Lexington) that I really liked.  I've baked some once or twice since then.  It makes a huge panful and can be on the rich, sweet side.  It's almost like a cornmeal sheet cake, LOL!

On another chit-chat topic, I don't know if it was due to me getting an entirely new central A/C system installed several weeks ago, or because the temps outside have come down a little bit (upper 80s/low 90s during the day, upper 70s at night) but my electric bill this month was about 1/3 lower than last month.  I'm a happy camper about that.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Well, then, how did you measure 1.5 eggs?

2 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

I would crack two, mix them well with a fork and then take out 1/4 of the mixed eggs.

eta I always mix my eggs until yellow before adding them to stuff anyway. 

No doubt @stewedsquash’s method is the correct one, but I think I’ve always just tossed one of the yolks.

[annzeepark914]

Yuk...today in Target I was standing in line behind a mom & maybe an 8?? year old kid. He started picking his nose and then, geez laweze, he ate the booger! 😲 I haven't seen anything like that since my grade school days (yeah, I never had kids of my own). I couldn't wait to get outta the store, trying to put pleasant thoughts in my brain. I know all you moms (especially of boys) are rolling your eyes. Told my husband and he laughed. Males-they truly never get totally domesticated.

[SoMuchTV]

44 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

No doubt @stewedsquash’s method is the correct one, but I think I’ve always just tossed one of the yolks.

Blasphemy! I don’t think I could bring myself to toss food!  I would probably save the unused egg until I added it to the next batch of scrambled eggs (or forgot about it, then we’re back where we started 🙂)

[stewedsquash]

Ha I would immediately cook the 1/4 egg mixture and eat it out of the pan.  I think your way is correct also shapeshifter. I think if you put the white in it would be lighter and if you put the yolk in it would have been denser. So it’s a texture decision but both options work. 
 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by stewedsquash
Is not if

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

Blasphemy! I don’t think I could bring myself to toss food!  I would probably save the unused egg until I added it to the next batch of scrambled eggs (or forgot about it, then we’re back where we started 🙂)

I am actually the same about not wasting food, but egg yolks are an exception because more than one yolk at a time makes me queasy, and I live alone, so saving them seems pointless.
I often fry 1 egg + 1 egg white for myself.
However, I did feel extra bad about tossing a yolk when eggs were $4/doz. during the height of the pandemic.

[oliviabenson]

I had the apple cake from Aldi today. I brought it to a relatives bday party along with other treats. The cake is beyond delicious! Wow wow wow. 
 

And I brought horseradish/cheddar spreadable cheese and it was a hit. Nothing left. 
 

Well I’m tipsy and full of food, it was a nice day.

[Ancaster]

I know there's a writer's strike and all, but I turned on the TV just now (it's 9:30pm here) and ABC is airing a paid commercial for NEW Shark Vacuum!  Your Pet Hair Solution!

What the hell?  These things are unwatchable at 2am.  Do they really have no repeats they can show?

Edited September 26, 2023 by Ancaster

[Gramto6]

On 9/24/2023 at 3:37 PM, kristen111 said:

I love sauerkraut.  Anybody?  My Mother and I made sauerkraut soup with pork ribs in it.  Sometimes, you just want something hot and tangy.  My husband is Italian, but loved everything ethnic she made.

I love sauerkraut! I always buy it at the Farmer's Market at the Hutterite stand from Miller Colony on Saturdays. It has just the right tang and the only ingredients are green cabbage, water and salt.  Once the farmer's market shuts down I buy a brand at the store that comes in a glass jar, not as good and has a bunch of additives I wish it didn't... I don't eat as much of that.

I'll eat the Miller Colony's fresh, cold right from the jar to a bowl on a fork and drink the juice cold too. Usually I sauté a sausage and then put it in the kraut with a carrot to slowly cook so the flavors mingle. Simple but yummy!

[kristen111]

17 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Wegmans sells sauerkraut in a bag in the refrigerated section. It's quite good. 

I just read Wegmans is coming to Long Island.  I only saw it before upstate N.Y.

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I am actually the same about not wasting food, but egg yolks are an exception because more than one yolk at a time makes me queasy, and I live alone, so saving them seems pointless.

I despise egg yolk and will not eat it as part of a fried/scrambled egg, only as part of a whole egg ingredient in something baked/battered/etc, which doesn't happen often, but I also despise wasting food.  Thankfully, I don't eat very many egg white scrambles/fried egg whites, so I have few enough yolks I am generally able to find someone (via NextDoor or Freecycle) to take them.  I miss my teen days when we had a cat who loved egg yolks so much he could be sound asleep on the other side of the house, hear an egg cracked, and come running into the kitchen to see if he got some yolk -- easy peasy.

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

However, I did feel extra bad about tossing a yolk when eggs were $4/doz. during the height of the pandemic.

Eggs hit about $7/dozen here at one point (not due to COVID, but a bird flu epidemic - CA has some bare minimum requirements for how chickens producing eggs sold here must be treated, so a big hit to the supply chain is more disruptive than in states where chickens have no protections), which is a dollar more than what I pay a neighbor for fresh eggs from chickens housed and fed properly, so I could not believe the number of people shelling (no pun intended) out that kind of money for eggs from factory-farmed chickens.

[shapeshifter]

51 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Eggs hit about $7/dozen here at one point (not due to COVID, but a bird flu epidemic - CA has some bare minimum requirements for how chickens producing eggs sold here must be treated

That regulation must’ve been enacted after I left California in 2001, because a decade or so later — when a daughter visiting from California was surprised at the low egg prices in Illinois — I was as surprised at her high prices back in CA.
A dozen eggs here in NY is now back to under $2. 
I wouldn’t mind paying more to clean up the poultry industry.
Same with cheap bananas.
But I’d want to see those higher prices improve the lives of exploited laborers.

[EtheltoTillie]

3 hours ago, kristen111 said:

I just read Wegmans is coming to Long Island.  I only saw it before upstate N.Y.

What town?  Long Island is so long!

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

I despise egg yolk and will not eat it as part of a fried/scrambled egg, only as part of a whole egg ingredient in something baked/battered/etc, which doesn't happen often, but I also despise wasting food.  Thankfully, I don't eat very many egg white scrambles/fried egg whites, so I have few enough yolks I am generally able to find someone (via NextDoor or Freecycle) to take them.  I miss my teen days when we had a cat who loved egg yolks so much he could be sound asleep on the other side of the house, hear an egg cracked, and come running into the kitchen to see if he got some yolk -- easy peasy.

Eggs hit about $7/dozen here at one point (not due to COVID, but a bird flu epidemic - CA has some bare minimum requirements for how chickens producing eggs sold here must be treated, so a big hit to the supply chain is more disruptive than in states where chickens have no protections), which is a dollar more than what I pay a neighbor for fresh eggs from chickens housed and fed properly, so I could not believe the number of people shelling (no pun intended) out that kind of money for eggs from factory-farmed chickens.

Wow, Bastet has fruit trees in her parents' yard, neighbors raising chickens, it's like farm country.  This is in the middle of LA?  They allow backyard chicken coops?

Edited September 26, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[ginger90]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

What town?  Long Island is so long!

This made me laugh! I believe it will be in Lake Grove.

[kristen111]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

What town?  Long Island is so long!

 

31 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

This made me laugh! I believe it will be in Lake Grove.

Right.  Smack in the middle of L.I.

[theredhead77]

11 hours ago, Bastet said:

CA has some bare minimum requirements for how chickens producing eggs sold here must be treated, so a big hit to the supply chain is more disruptive than in states where chickens have no protections), which is a dollar more than what I pay a neighbor for fresh eggs from chickens housed and fed properly,

I buy eggs from Vital Farms and other Certified B companies. If I knew someone who sold eggs and could guarantee none were fertilized, I'd buy from them. I don't think too hard about eggs when I'm not at home. It's a futile effort to get my parents to switch it up to humane eggs.

[Bastet]

9 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Wow, Bastet has fruit trees in her parents' yard, neighbors raising chickens, it's like farm country.  This is in the middle of LA?  They allow backyard chicken coops?

A lot of people (including me) have backyard (or front yard, in some cases) fruit trees, especially citrus and avocado trees.  Some avocado trees have been here over 100 years.  Areas that allow chickens are more scarce, because there has to be a certain distance between the chickens and the neighbor's house, so in a lot of old neighborhoods the houses are all too close together for that to be possible.  But there are pockets where houses are more spread out (there are even pockets zoned for horses that you'd never expect), so you can discover someone fairly close by offering fresh eggs from humanely raised chickens.

[stewedsquash]

Peta filed a lawsuit against Vital farms for their deceptive practices. If you are squeamish about this kind of stuff do not google Vital Farms Peta. 

If you go to the Vital farms site, there is a picture of two people holding chickens in a wooded area. There is a building behind it. That is actually where the birds are confined. It is just like the other factory farms buildings. There is a small opening for them to get out into the grass area and woods but their source of food and water is in the building so that is where they choose to stay. There are probably 15,000 chickens in that building above.
 

This is the least squeamish part I will post. So many of these humane brands are frauds. On a large scale.

Edited September 26, 2023 by stewedsquash
Picture

[theredhead77]

Considering PETA is essentially a terrorist organization who wants to eliminate the use of all animal products AND Vital Farms has not lost any of their certifications nor has this so called animal cruelty made it to the media (it would be a huge scandal for Certified Humane and B Corp) I have no reason to believe this lawsuit is anything more than rage bait.

Edited September 26, 2023 by theredhead77

[stewedsquash]

Oh they are following all the rules to get certified people just probably won’t like the rules that are followed. 

Spoiler

Chickens come from hatcheries that kill the males. They burn the beaks of the chickens so they don’t peck. They are given medicines to increase egg production. 

There is no rage on my part. I am in the farming business and well informed on what the rules are and how Peta is terrible. In this case they are calling out the rules that mislead people into thinking these chickens are treated differently than other factory chickens. Vital is factory farming their chickens.

[BlueSkies]

looking back on books I was forced to read as a kid:

 

The Westing Game: tried to re-read it.  Didnt care for it.  I had some group assignment years back in grade school on it.  I had no idea what the hell was going on it with the book and no idea what the hell was going on in this particular group.  The book brings back awful painful and confused memories.  But good memories in a way I got through those days!

 

The Phantom Tollbooth: Awesome book.  The wisdom of it transcends childhood into adulthood.  Grateful I was introduced to it 

Edited September 27, 2023 by BlueSkies

[theredhead77]

Does anyone else play "try to make my utility bill less than the previous month" or "make it less than the estimated bill '? I'm on track to beat the initial projection by $30 😀