Small Talk: Don't Tell Jeffrey!

[chessiegal]

Since people are talking about what they make for Christmas, Ina posted this on her FB page today.

 

"Homemade treats always feel a little more special to give as gifts around the holidays than store bought ones. I love to make my Salted Caramel Nuts, pack them in clear glassine bags, and bring them to parties as hostess gifts. And the good news is they are SO easy. All I do is make a simple caramel with sugar, water and vanilla, and then stir in almonds, walnuts, cashews, and pecans- with a little sprinkle of sea salt on top. This recipe makes a large batch so you can give some away and still have some left for yourself! I hope you love it! http://barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=1047&S=0".

[Lura]

chessiegal, it is so ironic that you posted this because I plan to make a batch of these salted caramels tonight for gifts!  They sound delicious to me.

 

My husband was going to the supermarket, so I asked him to pick up a couple of bags of whole pecans for me.  Tonight, he said he'd forgotten to tell me that he'd gone to Safeway, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, but that none of them had whole pecans.  One place even asked him if he wanted them in the shell.  Then, it hit me.  I meant to say "pecan halves" but thought that he knew that.  He was a good sport, but a note to my friends: If you mean halves, say so!  lol

[Iguessnot]

chessiegal, it is so ironic that you posted this because I plan to make a batch of these salted caramels tonight for gifts!  They sound delicious to me.

 

My husband was going to the supermarket, so I asked him to pick up a couple of bags of whole pecans for me.  Tonight, he said he'd forgotten to tell me that he'd gone to Safeway, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, but that none of them had whole pecans.  One place even asked him if he wanted them in the shell.  Then, it hit me.  I meant to say "pecan halves" but thought that he knew that.  He was a good sport, but a note to my friends: If you mean halves, say so!  lol

Chessie, I have several windows up on my desktop and I only read your first two sentences before focusing on something else. The first thing that came to my mind was whether he actually knew what he was looking for because I doubted there was a run on pecans at all the stores. I came back later and finish reading your post and saw the my inclination was right.

[Lura]

stewedsquash, I grew up in MA and OH, and we say pe-KAHNS.  You are so lucky to have a tree!  I envy you.

[vera charles]

One thing I find fascinating this time of year is how many people, who apparently never cook, venture out to the stores in search of unfamiliar ingredients. I have seen so many confused people in the produce section and I usually ask if I can help them. I have had a young couple ask if I knew which kind of potatoes they should use to mash ( I prefer russets), an older man who wasn't sure if his wife wanted curly or flat-leaf parsley ( I guessed flat-leaf), and a woman holding a shallot in her hand and staring at it in confusion (she turned to me and asked, "Do you know if this is a shallot?" I told her it was, so she put it in her basket). The baking aisle is also overrun by people who don't bake any other time of year, so at least someone is putting some effort into making instead of buying.

 

I say pi-KAHN, but my husband's family says PEE-can. His mother grew up in North Carolina and she brings me a bag of pecans from her hometown every so often. My husband doesn't like them! Oh, well, more for me.

 

If I remember correctly, Jeffrey and Ina's older brother were roommates at Dartmouth. That is how Ina met Jeffrey when she was still in high school. She went to Syracuse for two years, but when Jeffrey graduated, she dropped out and they got married.

Edited December 17, 2014 by vera charles

[Bastet]

I generally hear it pronounced pǝ-KAHN, but when traveling through parts of the South I have heard PE-kan instead.

 

I notice the same influx of befuddled grocery shoppers this time of year; I suspect it's a combination of those who don't often cook from scratch but want to entertain family for the first time and those who don't normally cook or grocery shop, being sent out to purchase ingredients by one who's too busy this time of year to do the cooking and the shopping. 

 

When my dad had to do the grocery shopping after my mom's knee-replacement surgery (something he only does when she's ill), my mom and I joked that we'd love to have someone trail him with a hidden camera.  And he was only doing the "here, we're out of a few things" shopping, because I took pity on him and did their main grocery shopping.  I hate shopping in an unfamiliar market, so I could just imagine how my dad would feel (since they're all unfamiliar to him, heh) and I could do it in half the time (or less) it would take him.  It was easier on my mom, too -- she can just tell me she wants hamburgers, and I know to buy a pound of 80/20 ground beef at a certain meat market.  To have my dad get it, she'd have to specify all that (and tell him where that market is).

Edited December 18, 2014 by Bastet

[Turquoise]

Do you say pee-can or pe-cahn? In this part of NC it is pee-can but towards the mountains it is pe-cahn.

My husband must be from your area of NC, because he is a "pee-can man". In my family, it was always pi-kahn.

[larapu2000]

I generally hear it pronounced pǝ-KAHN, but when traveling through parts of the South I have heard PE-kan instead.

 

I notice the same influx of befuddled grocery shoppers this time of year; I suspect it's a combination of those who don't often cook from scratch but want to entertain family for the first time and those who don't normally cook or grocery shop, being sent out to purchase ingredients by one who's too busy this time of year to do the cooking and the shopping. 

 

When my dad had to do the grocery shopping after my mom's knee-replacement surgery (something he only does when she's ill), my mom and I joked that we'd love to have someone trail him with a hidden camera.  And he was only doing the "here, we're out of a few things" shopping, because I took pity on him and did their main grocery shopping.  I hate shopping in an unfamiliar market, so I could just imagine how my dad would feel (since they're all unfamiliar to him, heh) and I could do it in half the time (or less) it would take him.  It was easier on my mom, too -- she can just tell me she wants hamburgers, and I know to buy a pound of 80/20 ground beef at a certain meat market.  To have my dad get it, she'd have to specify all that (and tell him where that market is).

 

My sister and I call our father's generation "The Generation of Helpless Men."  My mom had a bad fall and broke her wrist on one hand, and her thumb on the other, so she was out of commission for a while and my dad called my sister in a panic to go to the grocery store.  She said that he went to the grocery for us quite often, but he responded "You tell me what to buy then!  I don't know how to just buy things we need."  We had a pretty adorable shopping trip with him, he was fascinated at the selection.

 

I feel like there were a lot of newbies to canning this year, too.  Every time I was in the aisle with all of the canning/preserving things, I'd get someone asking me questions.  All this talk of people trying new ingredients like shallots gives me hope for humanity!

[Bastet]

I know what you mean about that generation.  My dad is far from helpless, but when my parents divided up who was going to be in charge of which household chores, my mom taking the grocery shopping was a no-brainer -- he cooked like a pretty typical bachelor, while she was a great cook, so it's pretty easy to decide which one of those two should be choosing the ingredients.  But then, fast forward through 45 years of this division of labor, and you wind up with a man who doesn't know where the bread aisle is in the grocery store, let alone which local bakery has the whole wheat he likes.

 

And, to be fair to him, the same can be said for the things my mom has rarely had to do in all these years.  I'm an only child, and I have this mental picture of, "If Mom dies first, I'm going to have to teach Dad how to X/do the Y for him, and if Dad dies first, I'm going to have to teach Mom how to X/do the Y for her." 

[vera charles]

My mother is legendary in her dislike of grocery shopping. For the last 50 years, my dad's favorite hobby was going to all the grocery stores in their small town. They are both retired teachers and when we were growing up, they both cooked, but my mom just cooked what my dad bought. He has been having some health issues the past couple of years, so she has ventured out to the stores and is amazed at what is available nowadays.

 

My mom told me recently that someone told my aunt that they had seen my mom at the grocery store. My aunt told the person, "Oh, you must have seen someone else. She never goes to the store!"

[mishy]

My mother is legendary in her dislike of grocery shopping.

This is my mother. My dad has been doing the grocery shopping for the entire 46 years they've been married. She hates it. My dad makes the grocery list and cuts the coupons. The only reason my mom sets foot in the grocery store now is because my grandma, her mom, sometimes needs my mom to go shopping with her but if she can get me to do it she will. I have no idea where this hatred for grocery shopping came from. I think it's hilarious to hate something so mundane.

Edited December 18, 2014 by mishy

[Quof]

Only slightly OT, but related to both Christmas and men shopping:

 

A few years my elderly (former) mother-in-law was visiting for Christmas.  On Christmas Day, my (former) stepson, age 25, was sent to the only pharmacy open that day to buy a hot water bottle for her bad back.  

 

He returned with a douche bag. 

 

True story. Bible.

[Bastet]

I have to be in the right mood to go to the market, and unless it's an absolute must, I'll only do it when I can take time to go in the middle of a weekday afternoon; I hate dealing with the evening or weekend crowd.  Of course, the downside to going then is the potential for several people having their kids with them ... which is fine, except for when they let Junior run up and down the aisles, stand right in the middle, fiddle with stuff, kick the cart, etc.

[chessiegal]

stewedsquash, I love "A Chef's Life". Such a refreshing show.

 

Bastet, I'm with you on the kids in the grocery store. One of the joys of being retired was being able to go anytime, until I discovered all the stay at home Moms shopping with their out of control kids. Whoever came up with the "customers in training" kid carts needs to be tarred and feathered and drawn and quartered. Now get your damn kids off my lawn! Rant over.

Edited December 19, 2014 by chessiegal

[grisgris]

I actually enjoy grocery shopping, even before I had my hip surgery and had to use the motorized carts. I might add that I was quite the menace on wheels. LOL! I was a master at the three-point turn in the middle of an aisle if my way was blocked as well as speeding around. I'm sure the store management breathed a sigh of relief when I went back to regular shopping carts.

 

However, it is always a nightmare any time snow is predicted, no matter how remote the possibility and even if a trace of snow is in the forecast, the shoppers come out in full force.

 

I can't stand kids in the grocery store, especially in numbers. At my store, they have shopping carts that have an entire extended front end that is designed like a child's car. That will accommodate two kids. So, that makes the cart extra long (and wide) to clog up the aisles. Ditto on running and screaming kids. I'm really good at glowering.

 

People who park their cart squarely in the middle of the aisle while they wander around trying to find what they're looking for; act obvious to others around them.

 

I don't see that many couples shopping. Either they are very young with a kid in tow or older. For the older ones, it's usually the man dutifully pushing the cart while the woman shops. There is one middle-aged couple who is like clockwork -- every Saturday between 2:00-3:00. They are both really into it. They slowly move about and carefully scrutinize their list. Instead of splitting up, they stick together and go item-by-item.

 

What bugs me -- couples that shop with their hands in each others back pockets.

 

I've also been asked before about products. Just the other day somebody asked me is a Cornish game hen tasted like chicken.

[Bastet]

At my store, they have shopping carts that have an entire extended front end that is designed like a child's car.

 

 I don't go to the supermarket often (I go to a local market, mostly, plus the farmers' market and some specialty shops), but one of the chains at which I do sometimes shop has those things.  I hate them!  They are big and bulky and always in the way and ought to be shitcanned.  It's a grocery store, not a playground.

[Lura]

Well, what is this?  The pre-holiday rants?  Gritch, gritch, gritch!  LOL  Actually, I do know where you're coming from, and I know how pesky those little kids can be.  Just let me say that it's mostly the parents' faults.  I've seen little angels, tired and shuffling along with their mothers, but being totally well-behaved.  And I've seen monster children who need to be confined to their rooms for a while.  My mom had a very effective way of ensuring that her kids were well behaved while she shopped.  If we weren't, we could look forward to having our rear ends whacked with a ping pong paddle when we got home, and my mom was a real whacker!!!  If more moms would sit the kids down for a quick talk about supermarket behavior (and the consequences of poor behavior) ahead of time, I think that would eliminate at least 50% of the problems.   The other 50% have probably missed their naps and are on sugar highs from too much candy. JMO.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Lura

[annzeepark914]

 I don't go to the supermarket often (I go to a local market, mostly, plus the farmers' market and some specialty shops), but one of the chains at which I do sometimes shop has those things.  I hate them!  They are big and bulky and always in the way and ought to be shitcanned.  It's a grocery store, not a playground.

IMO they're great because they keep the little monsters inside the cart ;>)

[Bastet]

Except those car-carts move about as smoothly through a grocery store aisle as a motorhome moves through an alley -- no problem, unless anyone else happens to need to use the passageway at the same time.

 

Just let me say that it's mostly the parents' faults.

 

I agree.  The best parent with the best child can still experience an embarrassing moment of rebellion; kids are like people that way.  :-)  So when I see someone trying to rein in a child who may be tired, over-stimulated or just testing boundaries, I swear that I - despite my dislike of children, period - am sympathetic, or at least non-judgmental.  But when the rugrat is wreaking havoc within eye or earshot of a parent who is happily ignoring the inappropriate behavior, it's on.  Corralling that shit is their job upon opting to become parents.  Try and fail ... a tip of my hat to them.  Abdicate their responsibility ... screw them. 

Edited December 19, 2014 by Bastet

[grisgris]

What I don't understand is why make it a family outing? Hand over the shopping list to mom (or dad or grandma) and have the other one stay home with the kids.That puts everybody out of their misery. I fail to see why there needs to be two adults and a whole passel of kids along.

[larapu2000]

I don't like grocery shopping, but even if I were married, unless I were married to Eric Ripert (a girl can dream, dammit), I would not trust anyone else save perhaps my sister or brother to choose the best alternative products if the ones on my list weren't available.  Plus, I just like to see what's in season, what looks good, etc.  I'll change up a lot of meal plans to accommodate seasonality.  

 

I find that Sunday mornings from 9-11am are the sweet spot of blissful grocery shopping.  No kids, people at church or in bed, and a well-stocked store before me. 

[vera charles]

I happen to love grocery shopping. The last two years, my husband and I have gone to the grocery store during the Super Bowl. If you don't care about the game, the stores are very quiet and you can take all the time you need to look at everything without being in anybody's way.

 

I also wonder why people make grocery shopping a family occasion. Usually the dad is wearily pushing the cart with a kid in it, other kids are running around wreaking havoc, and the mom is trying to gather items while also corralling children. It would be easier for us and them if one adult came to the store and everybody else did something else. When my son was in elementary school, I used to go shopping after work and leave him at daycare until I was done. That was much easier than picking him up and dragging him along.

 

The very first time I ever saw one of those awful car-carts, my son was already too big to ride in it. Too bad, so sad, I wouldn't have had enough patience to push him around in it anyway.

[Lura]

Like the old days of smoking and non-smoking sections, why not divide the supermarkets into kids and no-kids?  Or have a kiddy corner supervised by babysitters?  Dump the kids in a corner and go about shopping.  I think I'm kidding, but I'm not sure.  Every solution causes a problem!  I still say that it's all about the parents.

 

 

[anneofcleves]

 

Like the old days of smoking and non-smoking sections, why not divide the supermarkets into kids and no-kids?  Or have a kiddy corner supervised by babysitters?  Dump the kids in a corner and go about shopping.

Right.  I miss the days when parents left their kids in the car with the windows rolled down!  Just kidding.

 

I hate, hate, hate the mini-shopping carts.  It never fails that mom is 30 feet behind the hellion with the mini-cart, yacking obliviously on her cell phone.  While the kid torments and harasses everyone in his path.

[grisgris]

Or have a kiddy corner supervised by babysitters?  Dump the kids in a corner and go about shopping.

 

Actually, a more upscale Hen House over on the Kansas side had a kiddie's play corner at one time. I haven't been able to go in there for ages, so I went in the other day and noticed it was gone. Actually, at that store, I've never seen a lot of kids, even on Saturdays.

 

While I would welcome the idea, probably a lot of parents would argue that such a feature would be a prime breeding ground for spreading germs, colds, etc. (Frankly, looking at some of the hygiene of the parents and kids at my regular supermarket, I'd be leery, too if I had kids.) I don't see how that would be any different than the health risks posed by school. There probably also is a liability factor and the stores don't want to spend the money on the real estate, staff, toys, insurance, etc.  :-(

 

[chessiegal]

My grocery store has Ina's frozen dinners on sale this week for $5.99. They are also part of a "buy 5 of this group of products and get $0.40 off gas points", so I bought one for a time when I need something. They sure aren't calorie friendly, unless you leave off the sauce.

[3pwood]

Ina has frozen dinners?????????????

 

Yes, indeed.  I tried the scampi & it was pretty good, though too expensive for my budget unless on sale.

[chessiegal]

The parent company for her frozen dinners got bought out, so she pulled the plug on them. I guess they're around until the inventory runs out, unless something has changed. That's one reason why I bought one to try while they're still available. I'd say with the sale price, $3/person is a good price for dinner.

[Lura]

We only tried one -- her beef stew.  It was OK.  Not delicious, but not bad, either.  We bought it during a week when it was on sale.

[anneofcleves]

The parent company for her frozen dinners got bought out, so she pulled the plug on them.

 

Interesting.  The link between Ina and frozen food was always incongruous, to me at least.  I did try one of them, the shrimp scampi, and found it to be a solid "OK".  There is only so much someone can do to make commercially prepared frozen food taste great while being affordable.

 

Housewares would be a different story for me.  Of all people you would think would be associated with house and kitchenware, it's Ina Garten, and I'm sure her products would be great.  Does anyone know why she didn't branch into this (or maybe she did and I've been living under a rock)?  Is it because she wouldn't sign so much of herself away to Food Network for the products?

[vera charles]

I think I read somewhere that Ina has been offered many opportunities to endorse kitchenware and furniture, a la Paula Deen and others, and she's always turned down the offers. It seemed like she didn't want to spend the time or effort, since she doesn't need the money and is already plenty famous. I was a little surprised when she did the mixes, a deal that has since fallen apart, and then the frozen dinners. It does seem incongruous that Ina would want her name on frozen food.

[Lura]

Another thing that comes to mind is that Ina has said a number of times that she doesn't care for gadgets.  If it's something she'll use over and over, that's one thing, but she doesn't like lots of those drawer-fillers that I'm so fond of.  That makes me think that kitchenware wouldn't appeal to her.  I have to laugh lovingly at Ina.  She has all that money she wants to invest in something, and she can't seem to find the right niche.  It must be tough!  Her dad was big on real estate investments, which Ina has already done, so maybe she'll go back to that ... but I rather doubt it.

[anneofcleves]

I don't see her doing gadgets, but good cookware, flatware, dishes, stemware, and linens seem right up her alley.  Wishful thinking on my part.

[mousie]

 

It does seem incongruous that Ina would want her name on frozen food.

IIRC, that was the result of a settlement of a law suit with Contessa Seafood over the brand name. Since that company already produced  their own line of these kind of dinners, her participation was probably minimal.

[anneofcleves]

Oh, that's interesting, Mousie.  Thanks.

[chessiegal]

I never understood that lawsuit. Her company, of which she is President, owns the  "Barefoot Contessa" trademark/copyright. I checked it out on the US Patent & Trademark website. Maybe it was a case of being cheaper to settle than fight. Also, both the "Contessa" frozen foods and "Barefoot Contessa" frozen foods are sold side by side at my grocery stores.

[Lura]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.  May 2015 promise you only successful dishes all year long!

Edited December 25, 2014 by Lura

[Bastet]

I hope all those who celebrate Christmas had a merry one yesterday.  I spent most of the day reading on my parents' couch, with a fire going (even though it was a beautiful sunny day -- we have a fire all day on Christmas even if we have to open the sliding door to keep from overheating) and a cat on my stomach, so my day was just about perfect. 

 

One present for my parents didn't arrive until about an hour before I left for their house, and its bulk would have made it a pain to wrap even if I'd had more time, so I just told them Santa had left a present for them in my car.  (My mom still puts "Santa" gifts out for me Christmas morning -- the stuff she doesn't want to wrap -- so it fit right in.)

 

When I was a kid, the cookies I'd leave for Santa were peanut butter cookies made from my paternal grandma's recipe -- funny how Santa's favorite and Dad's were the same -- so several years back I made a batch after my parents went to bed Christmas Eve (I spend the night at their house) and left some out for "Santa."  So that became a new tradition, but now the note for Santa is from the cats.

[chessiegal]

I made my husband her Sesame Chicken and Noodle frozen dinner tonight. He said it was "pretty good". I took a small bite and it was good.

[Lura]

That's nice to know, chessiegal.  Speaking of Ina's chicken, every time I see one of her appetizer shows, I wonder how her Chicken Satay is.  I've never tried it, but peanut butter with chicken intrigues me.

[Bastet]

I've never made Ina's satay, but I'm a regular customer of a couple of terrific local Thai restaurants that do it well.  Satay (meat + peanut sauce) = divine.

[vera charles]

Ina's Chicken Satay was the very first Barefoot Contessa recipe I ever made. It is delicious. At the time, I lived in an apartment without access to a grill, so I cut the chicken into strips before marinating it and cooked it in a skillet.  I still cut strips, marinate, skewer, then grill. The way Ina does the chicken - cook the breasts whole, then cut into strips and put onto skewers - seems overly fussy and like it would be less flavorful. The sauce is what really makes the dish. I could just eat it with a spoon!

[Lura]

Oh, vera, that is just exactly what I was looking for -- someone who had tried it and loved it!  Did you serve it as an hors d'oeuvre or as a dinner?  How do you think it would be served on rice?  Or maybe on noodles?  Except for New Year's Eve, I don't make hors d'oeuvres very often, so I was hoping to make a dinner out of it.  Some kind of a citrus salad or pineapple might be good with it -- something acidic, don't you think?  Maybe not, since I haven't tasted it.  Thanks for your recommendation.  It's on my "to make" list!

 

Speaking of the new year, Happy New Year, everybody!

[grisgris]

Happy New Year to everybody!

 

Hey, Lura, I found out over Christmas that my dad had an aunt (great aunt?) Lura. How cool is that! Coincidence, huh?

[Lura]

How about that, grisgris!  My grandma was the only Lura I ever heard of  -- until now.  Was your Lura Irish also?                                                                                

[Bastet]

Happy New Year, all.

 

I spend New Year's Day at my parents' house, watching bowl games and munching on a smorgasbord of appetizers, so I'll be off shortly.  My dad is from Oklahoma, and thus requires black-eyed peas and cornbread for New Year's dinner.  My mom and I both loathe the black-eyed peas (personally, I hate all beans) and refuse to eat them, but she makes them for him every year (and I make the cornbread - which we all like - from his mom's recipe, but adding in jalapeños), so they'll be cooking away in the crockpot when I get there.  We have such a feast of snacks all day that my mom and I certainly don't go hungry for skipping the black-eyed peas.

 

Whatever you do to start the year, I hope you enjoy it, and wish you a healthy and peaceful 2015.

[BooksRule]

Being a southerner, born and raised, I feel compelled to fix black-eyed peas (for luck) and something green--usually cabbage--(for prosperity) on New Year's.  That's fine, since I like both.  So, I have a pot of peas on the stove and had some for lunch.  Cabbage is for a dinner side dish (don't know what the main course will be yet).  I had thought about making Hoppin' John (peas with rice, onion and bacon) instead of just a pot of peas, but forgot until they were already cooking.  Maybe next time.

 

Happy New Year!

[LazyToaster]

We had pork and sauerkraut and mashed potatoes at my nephew's, it was so good. And the blackberry cobbler with ice cream for dessert was awesome.

If I had cooked at home I would have done the family traditional and also included some black-eyed peas for good measure as a nod to living in Oklahoma for 11 years.

Bastet, the cornbread sounds so good!

[jcbrown]

Eleven-bean soup with ham and homemade whole wheat bread here. Enjoying hearing about everyone's traditions. Happy New Year!

[annzeepark914]

I'm not southern but I lived in NC for a number of years where I learned about the need to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day for good luck. Last night I grabbed a can of those peas, a bag of frozen corn and some other stuff and made a version of Cowboy Caviar just so I'd get my chance for good luck in 2015!  Happy New Year, y'all :>)

Edited January 2, 2015 by annzeepark914