George wrote:
> Jean B. wrote:

>> "Lawrence Summers, the president's director of the National Economic
>> Council, told a think tank gathering Friday that 'fear begets fear'
>> and that 'is the paradox at the heart of the financial crisis.' "
>>
>> Well, gee. What do they expect when that is about all one hears on
>> the radio (and presumably on news programs on TV etc. too)?
>>
>> Actually there was something else about fear that was on the
>> radio--even more striking.
>>
>
> Yes, yes, blame it all on us scardy cats...
>
> I suppose no mention was made of the:
> lack of regulatory controls and lack of over site on the part of
> government agencies and politicians
>
> Greed and stupidity on the part of financial institutions...
>
> Greed and stupidity on the part of borrowers...
>
> Just, fear not, go on out and spend...
>
> God, but we are so screwed if this is all our leadership can come up
> with...

I have no idea what you're saying has to do with getting
us out of this. Government can't fix it by themselves. we all
have to do a part.

nancy

Lou Decruss wrote:
>
>
>> I wanted to grab him thru the tv screen when he tossed boxed
>> mashed potatoes in his cart along with some other convenience type
>> boxed and canned junk.
>
> I've seen several spots with a similar theme. They all buy that crap.
> I've also seen it first hand in the store. If I had to live on food
> stamps the last thing I'd buy was convenience food.


It takes all kinds to make a world. I am not painting everyone with the
same brush but can't help but be reminded of a family I knew and became
so disgusted with that I learned to avoid them like the plague. They
were on welfare. Dad and the two teen girls lived on Kraft dinner while
mom went next door to a restaurant. He was signed on to every employment
workshop around and managed to sabotage every job they lined up within
weeks. The younger daughter left home to live on student welfare but
spend most of her waking hours at her parents' house, not at school.
Mother went to college to take a course that would train her to be a
social worker. The older daughter somehow got into the same two year
program but set out to get pregnant just in time to have to drop out on
maternity leave half way through the second year.

It was ironic that they would be taking courses to be social workers.
They needed a social worker.

Somehow they managed to maintain two cars, and everyone in the family
had their own state of the art computer, and this was a few years ago
when computers were a lot more expensive than they are now. Of course
they had to have multiple telephone lines so they could each be on line
most of the day.. before the days of DSL.

They even had handicapped permits for both cars. It seems that big fat
momma had broken her arm and it was hard for her to carry books to
class. Years later they were still using the permits. She was just too
lazy to walk, and he had no excuse for using a permit issued to her.
Thank goodness they tightened the requirements for those things.


I have no idea what those people are up to these days. I hope they moved
out of the country so that the rest of us don't have to support their
lazy asses.


rant mode off

In article >,
"Michael \"Dog3\"" > wrote:

> Christine Dabney >
> : in rec.food.cooking
>
> > Now I am trying to use everything up, before I get ready to move back
> > to California.... Trying to use up my chicken I got on sale: I have
> > several packets of chicken parts, and BSCB in the freezer. Still
> > have a few fryers of which I am trying to use one a week. Last one
> > provided several sandwiches, then the rest went to make a casserole of
> > chicken tetrazzini.
>
> Speaking of chicken, this will be dinner tonight.
>
> From cookbook "Bake Until Bubbly" by Clifford A. Wright (which I've
> discovered has quite a few typos in it)
>
> Chicken and Sausage Casserole
>
> 3 medium russet potatoes (1 1/2 lbs. total), peeled and cut into
> sixths
>
> 1 large garlic clove, very finely chopped
> 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
> 1 teaspoon dried oregano
> 1/2 teaspoon salt
> 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
> 1 1 1/2 - 2 pound frying chicken, cut into serving pieces
> 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1in. pieces
> 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
>
> *1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees
>
> *2 In a 10-inch round baking casserole, arrange the potatoes to
> cover bottom. In a small bowl, mix the garlic, parika, oregano, salt, and
> pepper. Sprinkle half of the seasoning over potatoes. Lay the chicken
> and sausage pieces on top of the potatoes. Pour the olive oil over the
> ingredients and sprinkle with the remaining seasoning. Cover with
> aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375, remove
> the foil, and bake until the chicken becomes golden brown and the sausage
> browns, about 45 minutes. Serve hot.
>
> Michael


Oh, my! And to think that I just picked up 1.5# of sweet Italian
sausage this afternoon. And I think I've got a big potato in the
drawer, too. Thanks, Michael.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller
"What you say about someone else says more
about you than it does about the other person."

Michael "Dog3" wrote:
> It really sucks right now. None of my family is in need but several of
> our friends are. Right now a friend/co-worker of Steven's is in serious
> trouble and we're helping out. She is a nurse and was a Godsend to me
> when I was at home recovering. She came over and helped me out on her own
> time. Well, we're helping out their pets more than the couple. Her
> husband lost his job. We help out with their cat food and veterinary
> bills. They have 2 diabetic, geriatric(sp) cats that need insulin. We
> use the same vet, so Steven has told the vet to just bill us for the
> medical needs of the puss cats. I work 8 hours a week for a pet food
> company and get coupons/discounts/samples of dog and cat food so I give
> them a lot of discount type items for the cats. It's about the only way
> they can keep them and feed themselves. They're newlyweds and just
> starting out. This economy has been a big blow to them and they had just
> bought their fist home in a modest area. They're living by what the
> media calls "the rules" but the economy has just shattered them
> financially.
>
>
>> We are going to Alaska and Canada in May, and it is still fairly cold.
>> I am going to a resale shop this morning, to see if I can find some
>> warm clothes. The stores here are selling bikini's, beach towels and
>> suntan lotion. lol
>>
>
> I've never been to Alaska and I'll bet you'll have a blast. You'll love
> Canada. Whereabouts are you located? I'm sure I've got stuff in the
> closet you can use. Send me your location and email addy with
> particulars and I'll see if I have anything I can send to you. My email
> addy is in my sig.
>
> Michael
>

You are so thoughtful to help Steven's friend/co-worker with their cats
food and vet bills. I hope they can hang on and pay the expenses of
their new home.

We live in Louisiana. Thank you so much for the offer, that is very
generous of you. I went shopping this morning and I found everything I
need. My husband moved here from the Lancaster area, near Philadelphia,
so he has plenty of warm clothes. I promised him on this trip I will
not complain about the cold weather. I am always cold, while he is
always hot.


Becca

"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
>
> "cybercat" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Becca" > wrote in message
>>> Well, I dropped my health insurance a few years ago when the rates
>>> became incredibly high - they were raising the rates quarterly, it was
>>> that bad. Now, I self insure. That money is taken out of my checking
>>> account monthly and it goes into savings.
>
>> I've been thinking about doing this for the same reason.
>
> That is OK if you are young and healthy but as you get older, having at
> least insurance for the big ones is a good thing. Not uncommon to have
> $50,000 to $500,000 in hospital bills for heart or cancer problems.
> Every year for the past 7 years our medical costs have exceeded our
> premiums by a factor of at least 3. My wife's medication alone cost
> about 50% of the premiums.


And that's just the beginning.....

Dimitri

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
5.247...
> On Fri 13 Mar 2009 10:25:21a, Jean B. told us...

<snip>

> It depends... The store I frequent most often has, I believe, ten
> unlimited item checkout lines, two 12 items or less checkout lines, six
> unlimited item self-checkout lines, and four 5 items or less self-checkout
> lines. At the time of day I usually shop, the checkout lines with
> cashiers
> and baggers have long lines of people waiting and the cashiers and baggers
> are fully occupied. None are closed down. If there are short lines
> waiting I go there. If not, I use self-checkout. It doesn't appear that
> any employees are without work in that store, nor are they being laid off.
> The self-check lines have very sensitive scales on the bagging platforms,
> so I doubt that many items get through without being scanned or charged.
> This is probably not the typical scenario, but it works for me and I don't
> feel bad about using the self-checkout lines then.
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright

I think using a self check out ultimately costs jobs.

The more we do for ourselves the less staff the stores need and will employ.

Dimitri

Mark Thorson wrote:
> Dave Smith wrote:
>> I have no idea what those people are up to these days. I hope they moved
>> out of the country so that the rest of us don't have to support their
>> lazy asses.
>
> Actually, wasn't one of them elected to Parliment?
>
> :-)

:-) None quite do bad as this family.
As I said, I don't want to paint them all with the same brush, but there
are some incredible leeches out there. I am all in favour of a system
that helps the truly needy, and I don't want to see anyone starve, but
we have to admit that there are people out there who abuse the system.

Dimitri wrote:
>
> "Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
> 5.247...
>> On Fri 13 Mar 2009 10:25:21a, Jean B. told us...
>
> <snip>
>
>> It depends... The store I frequent most often has, I believe, ten
>> unlimited item checkout lines, two 12 items or less checkout lines, six
>> unlimited item self-checkout lines, and four 5 items or less
>> self-checkout
>> lines. At the time of day I usually shop, the checkout lines with
>> cashiers
>> and baggers have long lines of people waiting and the cashiers and
>> baggers
>> are fully occupied. None are closed down. If there are short lines
>> waiting I go there. If not, I use self-checkout. It doesn't appear that
>> any employees are without work in that store, nor are they being laid
>> off.
>> The self-check lines have very sensitive scales on the bagging platforms,
>> so I doubt that many items get through without being scanned or charged.
>> This is probably not the typical scenario, but it works for me and I
>> don't
>> feel bad about using the self-checkout lines then.
>>
>> --
>> Wayne Boatwright
>
> I think using a self check out ultimately costs jobs.
>
> The more we do for ourselves the less staff the stores need and will
> employ.
>
> Dimitri
Unfortunately our local supermarkets are chronically short on employees.
The local Kroger has 11 checkout lanes with two being express, ie 15
items or less, and four are self-checkout. I seldom see more than three
checkers on the lanes that take more than 15 items.

Store manager and I are friends, he tells me he can only get high school
kids to come and work and they work just long enough to get a little
spending cash and they're gone. There are two retired men working there
as baggers and cart boys, they like the work they do and get a little
pocket money too.

Up until about a year ago there were three or four cashiers who had been
there from 20 to 30 years but they all retired, as did the produce
manager who had been there 29 years, the meat market manager, aka
butcher, did the same.

Our area is in a construction boom and anyone who can walk and talk can
pretty much get a job paying $15.00 an hour or more and most with
benefits. There are about 27K construction workers in our parish and we
need another 10K just to complete the work we have on hand, not to
mention the 3 or 4 billion dollars of work waiting to start.

Dave Smith wrote:
>
> I have no idea what those people are up to these days. I hope they moved
> out of the country so that the rest of us don't have to support their
> lazy asses.

Actually, wasn't one of them elected to Parliment?

:-)

Christine Dabney > wrote:

>(Steve Pope) wrote:

>> Some things I like to buy
>>do not pass this test (e.g. 8 ounces of hummus for $2.49 does
>>not add up).

>This is an instance where you can change your mindset and ways of
>doing things, and make the hummus yourself at home. For probably much
>less than you pay for ready made, and probably much better.

This is true. I've never made hummus, because I consider store-bought
hummus a convenience food. The TJ's organic hummus is really
quite good, and I doubt I could make it turn out any better,
and I have a real potential barrier to doing anything requiring
using (and therefore cleaning) the food processor.

I am however perfectly happy to boil up some garbanozo's
and eat a bowl of them instead.

Steve

On Mar 13, 8:08*pm, "Michael \"Dog3\"" > wrote:
> Bobo Bonobo® > *news:da294994-58bd-4470-ab7b-
> : in rec.food.cooking
>
>
>
> > Yes, but many folks here on the NG, who ostensibly know how to cook
> > use that Kraft boxed crap. *They turn it into their own unique semi-
> > homemade masterpieces, and then tell us all about it.
>
> I've never seen anything like you posted. Sure, lots of people use canned
> soups in recipes but the recipes are simple, usually casserole type things. *
> This is a cooking group, not a gourmet group. *Never have I seen anyone
> jazz up "Kraft boxed crap" and claim it was anything else.

There was a thread last week.
>
> Michael
>
--Bryan

"Michael "Dog3"" > wrote in message
...
> Bobo Bonobo® > news:da294994-58bd-4470-ab7b-
> : in rec.food.cooking
>
>>
>> Yes, but many folks here on the NG, who ostensibly know how to cook
>> use that Kraft boxed crap. They turn it into their own unique semi-
>> homemade masterpieces, and then tell us all about it.
>
> I've never seen anything like you posted. Sure, lots of people use canned
> soups in recipes but the recipes are simple, usually casserole type
> things.
> This is a cooking group, not a gourmet group. Never have I seen anyone
> jazz up "Kraft boxed crap" and claim it was anything else.
>
> Michael
>
>
Yeah, but... many have called Kraft Mac 'n Cheese caserole gourmet cooking
because they added <drum roll> shrimpsss. hehe

Christine Dabney > wrote:

>On Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:15:06 +0000 (UTC),

>>This is true. I've never made hummus, because I consider store-bought
>>hummus a convenience food. The TJ's organic hummus is really
>>quite good, and I doubt I could make it turn out any better,
>>and I have a real potential barrier to doing anything requiring
>>using (and therefore cleaning) the food processor.

>>I am however perfectly happy to boil up some garbanozo's
>>and eat a bowl of them instead.

>Is there a reason you are so resistant to using a food processor?

Just the time involvement. Very little cooking that I do
requires as lengthy a cleanup process as using the food
processor. So I don't use it much.

>What if you found out that a much better hummus could be made with it,
>as well as being much cheaper?

>For me, I would shelve my resistance in the interest of saving
>money....and use the appliance.

Yeah, I might try making hummus sometime.

The other factor is that while I like hummus, I will only
eat an 8-ounce container over the course of say a week.
So a food processor would want to make somewhat too large
of batch of it.

Steve

Christine Dabney > wrote:

>On Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:51:42 +0000 (UTC),

>>Just the time involvement. Very little cooking that I do
>>requires as lengthy a cleanup process as using the food
>>processor. So I don't use it much.

>Oh, I find it easy to clean it up..... I am not adverse to sticking
>the parts in the dishwasher...so I use mine pretty often.

Yeah, I got no dishwasher either. However I do plan sometime
to use the food processer a little more often to get
a better fix on how time-consuming it really is. It may
be more of a mental barrier than a true time problem.

Steve

In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> Dan Abel wrote:

> > I don't know either, but I just have to wonder if the oven uses more
> > electricity than the crockpot. Here's a random stove:
> >
> > http://products.geappliances.com/App...QUEST=SPECPAGE
> > &SKU=JGBP28MEMBS&SITEID=GEA&TABID=2
> >
> > It's rated at 5 amps vs maybe one or two for a crockpot. I think that
> > covers the oven light, and the three igniters for the top, broiler and
> > oven. I think the broiler and oven igniters probably use the most. Of
> > course, if you have an old stove with a pilot light, then electrical use
> > would be nominal.
> >
> IIRC the oven light and the igniters only draw juice when they're used.
> The clock on my gas stove is the only thing that is continuously drawing
> juice.
>
> For an igniter that would be only momentary,

I think you're right:

http://fixitnow.com/2004/09/applianc...revelation.htm

Looks like the oven igniter is 3 amps for up to 3 minutes. Even though
the oven will cycle on fairly often, it will still be less electricity
than the crockpot.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:51:42 +0000 (UTC),
> (Steve Pope) wrote:
>
>>Christine Dabney > wrote:
>
>>>Is there a reason you are so resistant to using a food processor?
>>
>>Just the time involvement. Very little cooking that I do
>>requires as lengthy a cleanup process as using the food
>>processor. So I don't use it much.
>
> Oh, I find it easy to clean it up..... I am not adverse to sticking
> the parts in the dishwasher...

I word is "averse."

cybercat wrote:
> "brooklyn1" > wrote
>>
>> No one donates unless it's something they won't use.
>
> No true, Sheldon!

Perhaps it is true of him. One can only speak for oneself after all.

Steve Pope wrote:
> Christine Dabney > wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:51:42 +0000 (UTC),
>
>>> Just the time involvement. Very little cooking that I do
>>> requires as lengthy a cleanup process as using the food
>>> processor. So I don't use it much.
>
>> Oh, I find it easy to clean it up..... I am not adverse to sticking
>> the parts in the dishwasher...so I use mine pretty often.
>
> Yeah, I got no dishwasher either. However I do plan sometime
> to use the food processer a little more often to get
> a better fix on how time-consuming it really is. It may
> be more of a mental barrier than a true time problem.
>
> Steve
>
Or maybe this would be a task for a stick blender? Then cleanup
would be easy.

--
Jean B.

Gregory Morrow wrote:
> Dimitri wrote:
>
>> Well with the economy as it is and with unemployment increasing daily, I
>> believe conspicuous consumption may be out of order. Food Banks are
> running
>> out of food, our wonderful State of California is closing down a tent city
>> that has popped up - I think they should pitch their tents on the lawn
> that
>> leads to the State capitol building, Where Arnie smokes his cigars
> (probably
>> 10 bucks a piece).
>>
>> http://www.news10.net/news/local/sto...?storyid=56175
>>
>> Today I was thinking I was going to braise some chunks of pork in the
>> crock-pot when it occurred to me gas is much less expensive than
> electricity
>> so the oven went to 200 and in went the Dutch Oven.
>>
>> Are you conserving?
>> Buying less extravagant foods?
>> Donating to the local food bank?
>> Watching the sale prices more closely?
>
>
> That's the way I've always lived, I grew up frugally...

Me too, and what a kick in the face we got from the red and blue teams.
People were buying mega homes they couldn't afford and taking out second
mortgages to buy other stuff they couldn't afford with the encouragement
of barnie frank and the piggy bankers and brokers were more than happy
to game the system. Then when the house of cards fell in the red and
blue team rushed to pull the money out of the pockets of the folks who
weren't irresponsible to bail out the irresponsible folks and pigs.

>
> It's amazing that so many peeps have no clue as to how to budget for vittles
> (and other things), all the "frugal" articles and such I see about saving
> grocery money are really pretty much targeted to the monetary morons out
> there...

Pretty much. Ever try to buy anything beyond basic and get the actual
price when you ask not $xx/month or "we can put that in the computer to
determine your payment?"

>
> One of things that is "interesting" about the current economic crisis is
> that many are just *now* realizing where money "comes from"...
>
>

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Fri 13 Mar 2009 10:25:21a, Jean B. told us...
>
>> cshenk wrote:
>>> "Nancy Young" wrote
>>>
>>>> Maybe this will sound really weird to people, or maybe people
>>>> will take it the wrong way and be ****ed off with me. Like I'm
>>>> running around buying Bentleys and furs or something. All I'm saying
>>>> is I don't think it's helpful to the economy to have more
>>>> and more people out of work because all the businesses are going under
>>>> from lack of customers.
>>> No, you arent weird at all Nancy. I'm trying to shop more in the
>>> smaller places where I at least *think* much of the money stays here,
>>> even if it's just the employee wages made to run the store.
>>>
>>> I also use the real checkout stands. I've noticed since the 'self
>>> serve' came in, that jobs are drifting away yet some dishonest folks
>>> are not scanning everything so prices are going up in some of those
>>> stores. One local one, had a person just standing there, paid to watch
>>> to make sure everything was scanned!
>>>
>>>
>> Yes to that last part too!!!! Most people don't seem to
>> realize--or care, if they do realize this. This is not done to
>> benefit the consumer. And, in the long run, most of the cashier
>> and bagging jobs will be gone.
>>
>
> It depends... The store I frequent most often has, I believe, ten
> unlimited item checkout lines, two 12 items or less checkout lines, six
> unlimited item self-checkout lines, and four 5 items or less self-checkout
> lines. At the time of day I usually shop, the checkout lines with cashiers
> and baggers have long lines of people waiting and the cashiers and baggers
> are fully occupied. None are closed down. If there are short lines
> waiting I go there. If not, I use self-checkout. It doesn't appear that
> any employees are without work in that store, nor are they being laid off.
> The self-check lines have very sensitive scales on the bagging platforms,
> so I doubt that many items get through without being scanned or charged.
> This is probably not the typical scenario, but it works for me and I don't
> feel bad about using the self-checkout lines then.
>
The details must vary by area--or even store then. Here, the
space for the self checkouts came from previous staffed checkouts.
There are fewer other lanes open, with an obvious reduction in
staff.

--
Jean B.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> "cybercat" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "Becca" > wrote in message
>>> Well, I dropped my health insurance a few years ago when the rates became
>>> incredibly high - they were raising the rates quarterly, it was that bad.
>>> Now, I self insure. That money is taken out of my checking account
>>> monthly and it goes into savings.
>
>> I've been thinking about doing this for the same reason.
>
> That is OK if you are young and healthy but as you get older, having at
> least insurance for the big ones is a good thing. Not uncommon to have
> $50,000 to $500,000 in hospital bills for heart or cancer problems. Every
> year for the past 7 years our medical costs have exceeded our premiums by a
> factor of at least 3. My wife's medication alone cost about 50% of the
> premiums.
>
>

Plus in essence that is gaming the system because any insurance system
depends on spreading the risk over a big pool.

I wonder how the Massachusetts idea worked out where they required
everyone who can afford health insurance to buy it with one of the
objectives being to have a bigger pool plus to minimize people showing
up and wanting the government to pull money out of other people's
pockets because they didn't want to pay?

Nancy Young wrote:
> George wrote:
>> Jean B. wrote:
>
>>> "Lawrence Summers, the president's director of the National Economic
>>> Council, told a think tank gathering Friday that 'fear begets fear'
>>> and that 'is the paradox at the heart of the financial crisis.' "
>>>
>>> Well, gee. What do they expect when that is about all one hears on
>>> the radio (and presumably on news programs on TV etc. too)?
>>>
>>> Actually there was something else about fear that was on the
>>> radio--even more striking.
>>>
>>
>> Yes, yes, blame it all on us scardy cats...
>>
>> I suppose no mention was made of the:
>> lack of regulatory controls and lack of over site on the part of
>> government agencies and politicians
>>
>> Greed and stupidity on the part of financial institutions...
>>
>> Greed and stupidity on the part of borrowers...
>>
>> Just, fear not, go on out and spend...
>>
>> God, but we are so screwed if this is all our leadership can come up
>> with...
>
> I have no idea what you're saying has to do with getting us out of
> this. Government can't fix it by themselves. we all
> have to do a part.
> nancy
>
>
Government *IS* the problem. The red and blue teams both did their best
to get us here. There were regulations put in place after the great
depression to prevent what happened including limiting the size of banks
and not allowing banks and brokerages to be married. The last of those
regulations were removed in 1997. Then there was the foolish idea
fostered by barnie frank (the smartest man in Congress <cough> according
to the media) among others that anyone should be able to buy a home and
the only requirement should be that they could fog a mirror. They had
Fannie and Freddie process these toxic mortgages and since there were no
transparency requirements the banks and brokerages were free to produce
and profit greatly from bizarre stuff like CDOs that no one understood.

Then when it all caved in both teams gave responsible folks a kick in
the face and rushed to the aid and pulled huge sums of money out of our
pockets to bail out irresponsible and for some likely criminal people.

There would be more faith if these organizations were left to fail.
Thats why we have bankruptcy laws. The responsible banks (mostly the
local/regional banks and not the giant piggy megabanks that the
government fostered by changing the laws to enable them) could take
over. Homes are nothing but sticks and bricks. If you bought something
you couldn't afford then find something you can.

George wrote:
> Nancy Young wrote:

> Government *IS* the problem. The red and blue teams both did their
> best to get us here.

I know that. Everyone knows that. I didn't get us into this.
Likely you didn't have a part the way you're talking. That doesn't
change anything, what's done is done. Bitching about it won't
help. Hell, it would be fixed because I bitched enough for
everyone.

Now, what do we do. I'm doing what small part I can by spending
more money than I normally would. If people just completely stop
spending, we're just digging the hole deeper. Of course I'm not
saying people should start charging up their cards spending money
they don't have. I'm saying if you're in a good position, it is a good
idea not to curl up in a hole and wait for the government to fix it.

The government isn't 100% at fault and they cannot fix this by
themselves either. I don't give a crap about oh the democrats
oh the republicans. Whatever. Not helpful.

If giving all these companies money to tide us over until things
stabilize and the companies start paying us back helps, then I'm
for it.

nancy

"Steve Pope" wrote

> Yeah, I got no dishwasher either. However I do plan sometime
> to use the food processer a little more often to get
> a better fix on how time-consuming it really is. It may
> be more of a mental barrier than a true time problem.

I dont have a food processor (my cookery doesnt lead to one really) but I do
have a small blender. A friend of mine saw me use it and about to clean it
up and started laughing. Then, she squirted a small dibble of dishwasher
soap in and a cup or 2 of water and turned it on.

So obvious but it had never occured to me!

"Michael "Dog3"" wrote

>> Yes, but many folks here on the NG, who ostensibly know how to cook
>> use that Kraft boxed crap. They turn it into their own unique semi-
>> homemade masterpieces, and then tell us all about it.
>
> I've never seen anything like you posted. Sure, lots of people use canned
> soups in recipes but the recipes are simple, usually casserole type
> things.
> This is a cooking group, not a gourmet group. Never have I seen anyone
> jazz up "Kraft boxed crap" and claim it was anything else.

Grin, I've not mentioned it here, but I've done that. I agree, I do not
pretend it is haute cuisine. Just a more palatable 'boxed crap' than the
plain box crap ;-)

Trick 1) Melt the butter and milk in a separate pan and add the cheeziodal
stuff to that. Let bubble gently and add to the hot pasta.

Trick 2) Add stuff to it. What is mostly limited by your kitchen fodder of
the time.
About 1/2 cup total additions from any of the following or add something
new:

Montery Pepper Jack (only use the box if not enough to go it alone with
this)
Cooked leftover ham bits
Bacon (cooked) bits
Olives (green and black both work)
Bell Peppers
Onions (even green ones or chives which I grow along my fence)
Rosemary (just a little, I have a 3ft bush of it in my front yard)
1-2 Can(s) of well drained water pack tuna
Leftover chicken adobo meat (deboned)
Broccoli fast stirfried to al-dente in small bite sized bits
Bacos sprinkled on top (shamefully, we like'em in a few things)
Heavy cream instead of milk or for part of it
Green peas (fresh if got'm)
Green beans (fresh only)
Kang Koon leaves and stems (a type of asian spinach)
Leeks (greens and/or whites)
Mini sausage meat balls, precooked and drained
1/2 can of cream of mushroom soup (odd but roomate liked that one)

Grin, was fine enough college student level fodder.

"brooklyn1" wrote

> Yeah, but... many have called Kraft Mac 'n Cheese caserole gourmet cooking
> because they added <drum roll> shrimpsss. hehe

LOL! I still wouldnt call it 'gourmet' but that would be a nice little
addition. Thinking the spicy dried ones sold in asian markets.

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
...
> George wrote:
>> Nancy Young wrote:
>
>> Government *IS* the problem. The red and blue teams both did their
>> best to get us here.
>
> I know that. Everyone knows that. I didn't get us into this.
> Likely you didn't have a part the way you're talking. That doesn't
> change anything, what's done is done. Bitching about it won't
> help. Hell, it would be fixed because I bitched enough for everyone.
>
> Now, what do we do. I'm doing what small part I can by spending
> more money than I normally would. If people just completely stop
> spending, we're just digging the hole deeper. Of course I'm not
> saying people should start charging up their cards spending money
> they don't have. I'm saying if you're in a good position, it is a good
> idea not to curl up in a hole and wait for the government to fix it.
>
> The government isn't 100% at fault and they cannot fix this by themselves
> either. I don't give a crap about oh the democrats
> oh the republicans. Whatever. Not helpful.
> If giving all these companies money to tide us over until things
> stabilize and the companies start paying us back helps, then I'm
> for it.
> nancy

Nancy, your buying stuff you need/want and can afford is perfect, good for
you.... but don't go trying to convince us you're so magnanimous that your
spending your money for the good of everyone else.

Putting good money after bad is the very worst way out of this mess, in fact
it's what got us into this mess... giving anyone unsecured money is actually
no way out, it's just digging the hole deeper... would you cosign a loan for
your loser nephew so he can drive a new sports car without putting in a dime
of his own.. well that's exactly what fannie, freddie, acorn, etal. does.
Corporations never pay back loans, they go bankrupt, let them go bankrupt
sooner rather than later, before they cost us tenfold more... the losers
need to be forced into reorganization, they will never change on their own.
The incompetants need to lose their way over paid cushy jobs and homes they
could never have afforded, let them improve the infrastructure, they always
shoulda been digging ditches and sharing rentals in trailer parks.

The only way to "change" for the better is *tough love*... being an
*enabler* is how we arrived at this point... and both factions are equally
responsible, the grubbermint as well as the voters... make no mistake about
it, *everything* grubbermint does in the big ER on the hill is pandering to
the lowest common denominator because all votes are equal and the masses are
easily led asses..

On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:33:13 -0700, "Dimitri" >
wrote:
>
>"<RJ>" > wrote in message
.. .
>>
>> On a recent visit with relatives,
>> five of us went to a local steakhouse for dinner.
>>
>> When all was done, dinner, drinks, tax and tips,
>> the tab was close to a hundred bucks !!
>>
>> (and that was with picking from the cheaper page of the menu )
>>
>> Now, I'm reminded why I limit my outings to
>> Mickey-Dee's or Pizza Hut....
>
>
>$20.00 per person is not bad with drinks. In fact it's damn good!
>
>I would have expected at least double that.
>
I can barely do $20 per person with beer or wine at my favorite pizza
joint!

Just went out to dinner with another couple last night in North Beach.
The tab was $130 per couple. We had complete dinners with soup, salad
and dessert for $6 extra with the entree. The wine killed us (and it
was reasonable for the menu) at $36 per bottle - we had two bottles.

It's obvious the recession has hit hard, because our car was "valet
parked" right in front of the restaurant.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 10:11:52 -0700 (PDT), Bobo Bonobo®
> wrote:

>Yes, but many folks here on the NG, who ostensibly know how to cook
>use that Kraft boxed crap. They turn it into their own unique semi-
>homemade masterpieces, and then tell us all about it.

I don't. I make it according to the directions on the box, stick a
fork in it and call it done. Mmmm, mmmm, good.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On 14 Mar 2009 01:08:46 GMT, "Michael \"Dog3\""
> wrote:

>I've never seen anything like you posted.

It was a week or two ago when you weren't reading rfc much.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On 14 Mar 2009 02:32:21 GMT, "Michael \"Dog3\""
> wrote:

>I do eat the old blue box of Kraft
>but I eat it as a snack. From the old college days. I loved it and
>ramen. Still do. So sue me ;-)

I love it as the starch next to my pork chops. It's pdg with ham too,
but I hardly ever make ham. Hubby isn't a Kraft mac & cheese fan, so
I usually make something else. Gotta get my fix occasionally though.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:34:29 -0400, "cybercat" >
wrote:

>This is true of pancakes, too. I buy Krusteaz whole wheat, you just add
>water, they're delicious, and about one third the price of homemade done
>with eggs, milk, and flour.

I was enamored with Krusteaz as soon as I discovered it! Good stuff
and dead easy - I am a "just add water" fan. Why kid yourself about
"cooking" if all you're doing is opening a box? I prefer to drop the
charade of cracking eggs, melting butter, measuring milk etc when I
use a boxed mix.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

In article >,
"Michael \"Dog3\"" > wrote:

> Bobo Bonobo® > news:da294994-58bd-4470-ab7b-
> : in rec.food.cooking
>
> >
> > Yes, but many folks here on the NG, who ostensibly know how to cook
> > use that Kraft boxed crap. They turn it into their own unique semi-
> > homemade masterpieces, and then tell us all about it.
>
> I've never seen anything like you posted. Sure, lots of people use canned
> soups in recipes but the recipes are simple, usually casserole type things.
> This is a cooking group, not a gourmet group. Never have I seen anyone
> jazz up "Kraft boxed crap" and claim it was anything else.

Are you arguing about the words that Bryan is using? I haven't seen
anybody take a blue box and claim that they made a unique semi-hoe
masterpiece, but I've read lots of accounts of a quick dinner with, say,
a blue box with leftover diced ham from the fridge.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

"cshenk" > wrote in message
...
> "brooklyn1" wrote
>
>> Yeah, but... many have called Kraft Mac 'n Cheese caserole gourmet
>> cooking because they added <drum roll> shrimpsss. hehe
>
> LOL! I still wouldnt call it 'gourmet' but that would be a nice little
> addition.
>
Yeah, but,...you missed the point... *TIAD*.

Add ham to cheese, not seafood.

cshenk > wrote:

>"Steve Pope" wrote

>> Yeah, I got no dishwasher either. However I do plan sometime
>> to use the food processer a little more often to get
>> a better fix on how time-consuming it really is. It may
>> be more of a mental barrier than a true time problem.

>I dont have a food processor (my cookery doesnt lead to one really) but I do
>have a small blender. A friend of mine saw me use it and about to clean it
>up and started laughing. Then, she squirted a small dibble of dishwasher
>soap in and a cup or 2 of water and turned it on.

I do use a blender frequently, for making enchilada sauce.
It definitely cleans more easily than the food processor.

I don't usually squirt detergent in the blender, but I may
run it with water in it. But mainly, the main container
of the blender is open at both ends and is smooth, so
it can be easily cleaned with a sponge.

Steve

On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:42:57 -0400, cybercat wrote:

> "Becca" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Omelet wrote:
>>> I'm just trying to survive on a limited budget... and still afford health
>>> care.
>>>
>>
>>
>> Well, I dropped my health insurance a few years ago when the rates became
>> incredibly high - they were raising the rates quarterly, it was that bad.
>> Now, I self insure. That money is taken out of my checking account monthly
>> and it goes into savings.
> I've been thinking about doing this for the same reason.

it might be tempting, but i would think long and hard before doing so.
maybe the chances are something bad won't happen, but even if something
moderately bad does, you are ****ed.

and my understanding is that it will be much more difficult if you decide
to buy insurance again.

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:40:24 -0400, Goomba wrote:

> blake murphy wrote:
>
>> about a year and a half ago, a number of democratic congressmen and others
>> in the media and elsewhere took a challenge to live for a week on
>> twenty-one dollars (the amount alloted then for food stamps). they didn't
>> find it all that easy:
>>
>> <http://foodstampchallenge.typepad.com/>
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
> Is that $21 intended as the persons entire food budget, or is it
> intended as assistance to be combined with their own limited resources
> towards their total food budget? Does that make sense?

i'm not sure whether it's intended to be the whole food budget or not. but
given the fact that you have to prove you have a very low income (and no
money to speak of in the bank), it's unclear how much extra money the
recipient is expected to add to that. they also have housing, clothing and
other needs to spend their money on.

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:10:52 -0400, Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

> "Goomba" > wrote in message
>>
>> Is that $21 intended as the persons entire food budget, or is it intended
>> as assistance to be combined with their own limited resources towards
>> their total food budget? Does that make sense?
>
> Certainly does. Living on food stamps may not be possible, nor were they
> intended to be the sole source of food. Supplementing low income helps.
> Anyone that tries to live on just the stamp amount is doing so for the
> publicity.

actually, in part they're doing it so that assholes like you might stop
bleating that food stamp recipients are living high off the hog on your
measly dime.

blake

On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:14:05 -0400, Goomba wrote:

> Michael "Dog3" wrote:
>
>> I enjoy your blog I do have a question for you. At what point does
>> it become more expensive to cook food than to just buy the convenience
>> item. Example: When I make lasagne from scratch it is extremely
>> expensive. However, the ingredients I use to make it are all fresh and
>> bought from specialty shops in the Italian neighborhood here called "The
>> Hill". I could make it with less expensive ingredients but would
>> sacrifice taste. It would still be more expensive than buying the 72oz.
>> frozen Stouffers or Marie Callendars. Both of which I usually keep on
>> hand and make when my time is limited. Both are convenience foods but
>> less expensive for me to make than making the dish from scratch.
>>
>> Michael
>>
> I think that you're possibly comparing apples to oranges. I couldn't
> compare the two. There should be something more remarkable to
> differentiate the two, such as taste or quality. If your expensive
> homemade tastes no better than the frozen convenience versions, you're
> wasting your time and money making it.

some things are cheaper *if you have the money to invest in buying in
bulk*. if you're scrambling, the appeal of buying a year's worth of dried
pasta at one whack may not be very great.

as i said a while back in another thread, it costs a lot of money to be
poor.

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:14:11 GMT, brooklyn1 wroteday.
>
> But I
> don't donate food except to a local animal shelter. The government sponsors
> more than enough food programs for people but nothing for animals. No one
> in America need go hungry unless they choose to

sheldon, your home planet is calling. they need you to come back.

blake