The thermostat isn't trustworthy. Luckily, in

That's a good reason to replace it. It's also a good candidate for a thermometer in both sections. We used to do that as a matter of course,
after having some flaky ones in military housing.

It doesn't matter to Rosemary, as with many
things about the kitchen. These things combine
to make a space where it's now difficult for
me to work to my satisfaction, but my
preferences are secondary.

most places it cools colder than it says. The
humidity is too high, which means that the
drawers get wetter than they ought to, plus
the ice maker, which is down at foot level,
makes cubes that are stuck together.

So, other than the fact that it's paid for, why does she keep it?

Because she doesn't much care about food the
way her husband did. I was really friends with
him, but he died, and I sort of inherited
Rosemary. Not that was a bad thing, of course.

compost bucket. I've still got to sort/organise the freezer section.

I'd feel better about the wastage if there were
a compost bucket.

We started keeping one when we moved into this house. Didn't need one in
the rental house in WF but the soil here was poor for grass growing.
We've got 3 compost bins going--their output has really helped the yard.

Compost in general is a good thing for
aspiring gardeners (and harvesters).

Tell me about it. I was all set to make my quiche
with it, as Rosemary had said it should be fine. O
ended up sending her to the market to get half-and-
half, which is better anyway (full cream is better
yet, but it makes an expensive and indigestible dish).

Sounds good the way it was. I don't have the lactose issues but I think
that the full cream version would have been a bit too much for me.

We had three caramel custards last week, the
richest (at Commander's) being best.

Rosemary likes the new look. I don't appreciate the
poor working layout, and even she admits that there
is no more counter space than before (plus before
there was the butcher block island that provided
6 to 8 more square feet of workspace, helpful when
rolling out pastry or pasta or butchering a 50-lb
halibut, all of which I'd done in the old kitchen
but could not do now.

Not good. We just changed out the fridge and put in new flooring.

The original plan was to put the butcher block
island back, but Rosemary likes the open feel of
the kitchen without it, and when she cooks, the
dishes are of the simplest, so not a lot of
space is needed.

Not a task I'd put my computer to, or Alexa.

Pretty easy for those who would be so inclined.

Probably so, and some people might want to do such things. I'm not

of > that persuasion tho.
To be honest, I just ask someone else to do it,
but when it needs to be done in a hurry, I can.

If I can do something, I usually will. Steve handles a lot that I can't. Anything else, we hire out, if needs be or fall back and punt.

I find that if you punt something, it tends to
come back and haunt you.

That's my point. Unlike ethics, in aesthetics
there is no unanimity about what's good or bad.
Some of the people you see with black lipstick
actually think they look better that way. In
various cultures, whiteface, through powder or
paint or staying indoors or whatever, is
considered beautiful; I find it affected and vain.
And matching colors to skin smacks of the same.

Not so much matching as finding what colors work well with them.

There's that "well" thing again.

For me, anything but yellow. Even orange and
green are sometimes okay.

Depending on the hues (shades), they will work. But, you have seen what doesn't work for you--a bit more experimenting, with someone who knows,
will help you figure out what your color season is. That'll help you co-ordinate clothes so you don't end up with orphans (shirt or slacks,

Most people have said that I look okay in
green. They lie.

ties, whatever) that don't look good on you and don't go with anything
else in your wardrobe. Makes packing easier--this trip I packed in my
blue and brown families.

I almost always pack navy, brown, gray, and
black.

As we've noted before, I run the gamut.

It sounds like quite a wide range of occaisions.

I have to pack for many occasions in limited
space. More than 50 years of experience helps.

I did, while Steve was in the Army. Now, most of the time we pack the
camper instead of suitcases. (G)

Do you find you pack first and think later
and take along a lot of stuff you don't need?

Italian dressing
1/2 garlic clove
2 Tb fresh parsley
1 ts dried oregano

Basically, I use Italian herbs/spices, olive oid and vinegar of choice (cider, red wine, balsamic, etc.

Such as garlic, parsley, and oregano no doubt!

The following recipe refers back to my post
to the other Ruth. Malfatti means badly made,
and the original name of this dish is "ravioli
malfatti," ravioli that are badly made because
there is no wrapper!

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.01

Title: Malfatti Cheese and Spinach Dumplings
Categories: Cheese/eggs
Yield: 1 servings

4 lb Spinach Pepper
Salt Freshly grated nutmeg
2 c Ricotta Flour
2 Eggs 6 tb Butter, melted
1 1/2 c Freshly grated parmesan

Wash the spinach and remove the stems. In a large pan with the lid
on, steam the leaves with a little salt in the water that clings to them,
turning them over, until they crumple. Strain and squeeze every bit of
water out with your hands: this is all-important and is the secret of
success (otherwise the dumplings would fall apart). Finely chop the
leaves
Mash the ricotta and stir in the eggs, half the parmesan, salt,
pepper, nutmeg and spinach. Work very well, shape into balls the size of
a
walnut and roll in flour.
Fill a large saucepan halfway with water, bring to the boil and very
carefully drop in the dumplings. Keep the water barely simmering until
the
rise to the surface - they do so very quickly.
Lift them out very carefully with a slotted spoon and serve very hot
with melted butter and the remaining parmesan.

-----
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)

Hi Michael,

The thermostat isn't trustworthy. Luckily, in

That's a good reason to replace it. It's also a good candidate for a thermometer in both sections. We used to do that as a matter of

course, > after having some flaky ones in military housing.

It doesn't matter to Rosemary, as with many
things about the kitchen. These things combine
to make a space where it's now difficult for

Not fun working in a space that doesn't "flow" well. Our daughter
Rachel's house in LV had a big kitchen. Fridge was across from the stove
but there was a good sized counter top between the stove and sink. It
was a good spot for the dirty dishes that pile up in food prep (as she
used it) but would have been better to find another place for them. She
did a lot of her prep work on the end of the (large) island that was
furthest from the stove and and fridge. They bought the house set up
that way; I think I would have tried to make a better work set up had it
been my kitchen. The kitchen in her new house is more compact, better
working flow.

me to work to my satisfaction, but my
preferences are secondary.

And it sounds like she's not that much of a cook so it probably doesn't
matter to her how it's set up.

drawers get wetter than they ought to, plus
the ice maker, which is down at foot level,
makes cubes that are stuck together.

So, other than the fact that it's paid for, why does she keep it?

Because she doesn't much care about food the
way her husband did. I was really friends with
him, but he died, and I sort of inherited
Rosemary. Not that was a bad thing, of course.

No, but when that fridge dies, you might be able to have some input into
its replacement.

We started keeping one when we moved into this house. Didn't need

one in > the rental house in WF but the soil here was poor for grass growing.

We've got 3 compost bins going--their output has really helped the

yard.

Compost in general is a good thing for
aspiring gardeners (and harvesters).

Yes, and building up the yard. There's very little topsoil and it's of a
very poor quality (We keep finding things in it that shouldn't be, like
glass fragments.) so Steve has been working on building it up. What will
also help is that we had some trees taken out, others trimmed so the
yard will get a lot more sunlight.

ended up sending her to the market to get half-and-
half, which is better anyway (full cream is better
yet, but it makes an expensive and indigestible dish).

Sounds good the way it was. I don't have the lactose issues but I

think > that the full cream version would have been a bit too much for
me.

We had three caramel custards last week, the
richest (at Commander's) being best.

Sounds yummy. I'd have maybe tried to restrict myself to one or two,
trying to make sure that if it were only one, I'd get it at Commander's.
(G)

Rosemary likes the new look. I don't appreciate the
poor working layout, and even she admits that there
is no more counter space than before (plus before
there was the butcher block island that provided
6 to 8 more square feet of workspace, helpful when
rolling out pastry or pasta or butchering a 50-lb
halibut, all of which I'd done in the old kitchen
but could not do now.

Not good. We just changed out the fridge and put in new flooring.

The original plan was to put the butcher block
island back, but Rosemary likes the open feel of
the kitchen without it, and when she cooks, the

I can understand. When Steve was putting down the new flooring, we had a
lot of stuff moved to the one side. It did open up more space but the
butler is needed. Bought it for the house on Pearce Ave. as the kitchen
had very little storage. This one has more, but we still need the butler (basically, it's an island on wheels). We park it under the hanging pot
rack so we don't bump our heads (as much) on the pots.

dishes are of the simplest, so not a lot of
space is needed.

No, but even then, an adequate prep space is important.

To be honest, I just ask someone else to do it,
but when it needs to be done in a hurry, I can.

If I can do something, I usually will. Steve handles a lot that I

can't. > Anything else, we hire out, if needs be or fall back and
punt.

I find that if you punt something, it tends to
come back and haunt you.

Not always in our case. Plan B has often worked out much better than
Plan A would have.

considered beautiful; I find it affected and vain.
And matching colors to skin smacks of the same.

Not so much matching as finding what colors work well with them.

There's that "well" thing again.

What word would you use?

For me, anything but yellow. Even orange and
green are sometimes okay.

Depending on the hues (shades), they will work. But, you have seen

what > doesn't work for you--a bit more experimenting, with someone
who knows, > will help you figure out what your color season is.
That'll help you

co-ordinate clothes so you don't end up with orphans (shirt or

slacks,

Most people have said that I look okay in
green. They lie.

Depends--if it's a pastel green, it doesn't look as good on me as a
darker shade. Also, depends on if it's a blue-ish or yellow-ish green;
one will look better on you than the other.

ties, whatever) that don't look good on you and don't go with

anything > else in your wardrobe. Makes packing easier--this trip I
packed in my > blue and brown families.

I almost always pack navy, brown, gray, and
black.

Since I rarely wear black or gray, I'll pack blue and either green or
brown. For instance, for this trip, I packed a dark persimmon colored
shirt that looks good with either blue jeans or the brown slacks and
jeans that I also brought.

As we've noted before, I run the gamut.

It sounds like quite a wide range of occaisions.

I have to pack for many occasions in limited
space. More than 50 years of experience helps.

I did, while Steve was in the Army. Now, most of the time we pack

the > camper instead of suitcases. (G)

Do you find you pack first and think later
and take along a lot of stuff you don't need?

We tend to be "night before we leave" packers but I pretty well have a
good idea of what I'm going to take before pulling it out of the closet.
i do find that I'm packing some things I don't need but we found out the expensive way that it helps to have some things. For the picnic in
September, I'd packed a pair of somewhat dressier slacks with a top that
was a bit more dressed up. Steve hadn't really packed anything dressy so
when we got word that my aunt had passed away, we needed something
appropriate. We ended up buying Steve a pair of dress slacks, a sport
coat, dress shirt and tie. Bought me a light weigh jacket to go with
what I had---------------then we ended up missing the funeral because of
the accident.

Italian dressing
1/2 garlic clove
2 Tb fresh parsley
1 ts dried oregano

Basically, I use Italian herbs/spices, olive oid and vinegar of

choice > (cider, red wine, balsamic, etc.

Such as garlic, parsley, and oregano no doubt!

Also basil--the combo of basil, oregano and parsley is my "go to"
trinity of herbs for Italian cooking. Add garlic and salt/pepper to get
my usual seasoning.

The following recipe refers back to my post
to the other Ruth. Malfatti means badly made,
and the original name of this dish is "ravioli
malfatti," ravioli that are badly made because
there is no wrapper!

Interesting--we had home made manicotti. My MIL made the wrappers. As
good as they were, I only ate 2, to save some carb room for other
goodies. (G)

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... Always butter up the SYSOP, they taste better that way.

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

On 12-26-18 11:52, Ruth Haffly <=-
spoke to Michael Loo about 723 was was overflow^2 <=-

Compost in general is a good thing for
aspiring gardeners (and harvesters).

Yes, and building up the yard. There's very little topsoil and it's of
a very poor quality (We keep finding things in it that shouldn't be,
like glass fragments.) so Steve has been working on building it up.
What will also help is that we had some trees taken out, others trimmed
so the yard will get a lot more sunlight.

Talking about finding things in the yard that don't belong -- we once
came up with a rubber car tire buried a little bit below the surface.
That was in the rear yard which is mostly fill dirt [really fill red
clay].


MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Mexican Lentil Stew With Roasted Garlic And Chilies
Categories: Low fat, Stew, Posted
Yield: 4 Servings

1 1/2 c Brown lentils
4 c Cold water
1 Bay leaf
2 Fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 t.
Dry)
1 Fresh oregano or marjoram
Sprig (or 1 t. dry)
1 Head of garlic
24 oz Canned tomatoes with juice
1/2 c Water
1 Red onion, diced
1 ts Cumin seed, toasted and
Ground *
1/2 ts Dried oregano, toasted *
1 sm Carrot, diced
1 sm Red or yellow bell pepper,
Diced
3 New potatoes, preferably
Roasted, cut in eights
Chili powder to taste
1/2 ts Chipotle Chili puree **
1 tb Chopped cilantro (optional)

adapted from "Fields of Greens", by Annie Sommerville

Put the lentils, water, bay leaf, sage, and oregano or marjoram
in a soup pot. Bring the water to a boil, then turn down to
a simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the lentils are
tender. Remove the bay leaf.

While the lentils are cooking, preheat the oven to 350 F. Put
the head of garlic on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.
After it has cooled, squeeze the garlic out of the skin and into
a food processor or blender. Puree with the tomatoes and juice.
Set aside.

Put the 1/4 cup water in a skillet or large saucepan and turn
the heat to medium. Add the onion, the cumin and oregano.
Cook until soft. Add the carrot and red pepper and cook until
tender. Add chili puree, the potatoes, and the tomato-garlic
puree and cook for 10 minutes at medium-low heat.

Combine the lentils and liquid with the vegetables. Cook over
low heat for 30 minutes, covered. Test for salt and chili flavor.
If not hot enough, add some chili powder. Just before serving,
sprinkle the cilantro on top (if desired).

Notes:
* Toasting herbs and spices: Use a small and heavy skillet.
Place the herb or spice in the skillet over low heat. Shake
the skillet until the aroma of the herb or spice is released.
Be careful not to burn them. Then grind the spice if necessary.

** Chipotle chilies are jalapenos that have been smoked and
dried. They are pretty hard to find dry (Epicurean
Specialty, WestWorks, Inc, San Francisco, CA 94121 is
one company that sells them. They also sell other dried
things like mushrooms, chives, etc.), but most Mexican
groceries carry cans of the chilies packed in sauce.
Puree a whole can and store the puree in the refrigerator.
They keep forever. For Bay Area readers: You can get
"fresh" chipotle chilies at the Marin and SF Ferry Plaza
Farmer's markets sometimes. I'm not sure which week
the farm sells at which market, though.
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 93 23:14:03 PST
From: mrum@firebug.Berkeley.EDU (Marc Rumminger)

MMMMM



... Shipwrecked on Hesperus in Columbia, Maryland. 00:34:50, 28 Dec 2018
___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30

--- Maximus/NT 3.01
* Origin: Owl's Anchor (1:261/1466)

Hi Dale,

Compost in general is a good thing for
aspiring gardeners (and harvesters).

Yes, and building up the yard. There's very little topsoil and it's of
a very poor quality (We keep finding things in it that shouldn't be,
like glass fragments.) so Steve has been working on building it up.
What will also help is that we had some trees taken out, others trimmed
so the yard will get a lot more sunlight.

Talking about finding things in the yard that don't belong -- we once
came up with a rubber car tire buried a little bit below the surface.
That was in the rear yard which is mostly fill dirt [really fill red clay].

Really makes you shake your head in amazement sometimes, doesn't it? How
does a tire not get noticed when a load of dirt is put in and spread
around?

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... I believe the technical term is OOPS!

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)