Omelet wrote:

> You won't notice it until it affects you personally. I lost a job of
> nearly 23 years thanks to it. I feel fortunate to have only been
> unemployed for 6 weeks.
>
I could have sworn you wrote that you voluntarily quit ("seeing the
writing on the wall")? Did you qualify for unemployment in that time?

pavane > wrote:

>"Steve Pope" > wrote in message

>| Many Americans don't realize you can use a knife to chop lettuce.
>| They have been taught to tear it leaf by leaf. (Did some popular
>| cookbooks recommend the latter?)

>Yes, it became a fad about the time that "everyone" stopped
>buying iceberg lettuce for some absurd reason. This cute entry
>in Wiki.answers gives three arguments to the knife/tear controversy,
>and somehow has all three disagreeing with the others:
>http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Should_you...p_it_by_h and

Wokay. So I'm not imagining things.

S.

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
>
> > I'll have to play with that just for grins. I use a lot of Romaine as
> > it does keep, stays crispy and is convenient due to it's shape. I've
> > been increasing my use of it for awhile now and I do intend to
> > eventually try it grilled.
>
> There's a restaurant I like that has a salad they call Mesquite
> Caesar or along those lines ... the romaine is grilled and has
> asiago with caesar dressing. It's a half head of romaine (intact).
> It's so good, I didn't know if I'd like it.
>
> nancy

Thanks for the encouragement. ;-)
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

In article .com>,
"Pete C." > wrote:

> It's not self centered to notice that there are still a tremendous
> numbers of new construction starts, new business openings, new retail
> openings, business expansions and tremendous numbers of shoppers and
> diners out every day. There certainly was nothing "subterranean" about
> the thousands of shoppers at that outlet center, nor the hundreds
> filling each of those restaurants with lines out the door. I think your
> recent experience is clouding your view.

That could very well be.

My recent bad experience has also caused me to cash out some assets and
try starting a new home business.

The outlook is positive at the moment. The trouble is is that not
everybody has the assets to take the risk I'm currently taking. I'm
looking at a minimum of a 7K investment.

How many people are willing to cash in IRA's and take that kind of risk?
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
Christine Dabney > wrote:

> On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:05:27 -0500, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
> >In article . com>,
> > "Pete C." > wrote:
> >
> >> Omelet wrote:
> >> >
>
> >> What recession? I've yet to see it anywhere around here (Dallas area).
> >
> >You won't notice it until it affects you personally. I lost a job of
> >nearly 23 years thanks to it. I feel fortunate to have only been
> >unemployed for 6 weeks.
>
> It is even affecting nurses, and the ability to get jobs. Hospitals
> have cut hiring way, way back..and the temporary contract jobs are
> much less plentiful than they once were.
>
> I am applying to every travel nursing job in sight, and some permanent
> jobs. So far, no luck: it has been 4 weeks for me. Some are in the
> works, so things could look up soon...at least I hope.

I feel for you. I think the major thing that worked in my favor was a
verve to work nights. I actually wanted that shift. I wish you luck in
your hunt! I truly do. I'm all too aware that I got lucky.

You may have better luck at this point in time hunting down a permanent
position. You can always quit later.

>
> OB Food: I am trying to stretch my food pennies as far as they will go
> right now. I do have a cushion, so I am not broke, but I still want to
> try to make my food dollars go a long way. Today, I went out
> marketing, the first time in a week. Found whole chickens at
> $0.59/lb: yes these are probably factory farmed chickens, but I got a
> few of them. I also found broccoli and cauliflower cheap: I am
> thinking of pasta dishes with each of them, with good Parmesan on top
> of them. And back to the frozen vegetable thing, I was at Trader Joes
> and got some of their frozen vegetables to add to some dishes.
>
> Christine

I did no shopping for people food those entire 6 weeks. Just pet food
so I know how you feel! Poultry is always a good investment.

Good hunting Chris'!
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

Omelet > wrote:

> "Pete C." > wrote:

>> It's not self centered to notice that there are still a tremendous
>> numbers of new construction starts, new business openings, new retail
>> openings, business expansions and tremendous numbers of shoppers and
>> diners out every day. There certainly was nothing "subterranean" about
>> the thousands of shoppers at that outlet center, nor the hundreds
>> filling each of those restaurants with lines out the door. I think your
>> recent experience is clouding your view.

It's possible to have a healthy economy, but also another 15% of the
people on the side who are shut out of that economy. Most
businesses focus on increasing their sales to people with jobs
and money. Markets can go back up while unemployment levels are high;
employment can lag the rest of the recovery by many years.

>My recent bad experience has also caused me to cash out some assets and
>try starting a new home business.

>The outlook is positive at the moment. The trouble is is that not
>everybody has the assets to take the risk I'm currently taking. I'm
>looking at a minimum of a 7K investment.

>How many people are willing to cash in IRA's and take that kind of risk?

In my opinion you almost never want to cash out retirement plans
prematurely, for any reason, for any kind of investment. For
one thing, if the funds remain in an IRA, they cannot be attached
via bankruptcy.

But, every situation is unique.


Steve

In article >,
Goomba > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
>
> > You won't notice it until it affects you personally. I lost a job of
> > nearly 23 years thanks to it. I feel fortunate to have only been
> > unemployed for 6 weeks.
> >
> I could have sworn you wrote that you voluntarily quit ("seeing the
> writing on the wall")? Did you qualify for unemployment in that time?

It was more complicated than that.
I won't go into detail...

I did receive unemployment benefits but that was less than 1/2 of what I
was used to earning. I have no wish to try to live that way.

I'd rather work for a living...
And now I am.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> Omelet > wrote:
>
> > "Pete C." > wrote:
>
> >> It's not self centered to notice that there are still a tremendous
> >> numbers of new construction starts, new business openings, new retail
> >> openings, business expansions and tremendous numbers of shoppers and
> >> diners out every day. There certainly was nothing "subterranean" about
> >> the thousands of shoppers at that outlet center, nor the hundreds
> >> filling each of those restaurants with lines out the door. I think your
> >> recent experience is clouding your view.
>
> It's possible to have a healthy economy, but also another 15% of the
> people on the side who are shut out of that economy. Most
> businesses focus on increasing their sales to people with jobs
> and money. Markets can go back up while unemployment levels are high;
> employment can lag the rest of the recovery by many years.
>
> >My recent bad experience has also caused me to cash out some assets and
> >try starting a new home business.
>
> >The outlook is positive at the moment. The trouble is is that not
> >everybody has the assets to take the risk I'm currently taking. I'm
> >looking at a minimum of a 7K investment.
>
> >How many people are willing to cash in IRA's and take that kind of risk?
>
> In my opinion you almost never want to cash out retirement plans
> prematurely, for any reason, for any kind of investment. For
> one thing, if the funds remain in an IRA, they cannot be attached
> via bankruptcy.
>
> But, every situation is unique.
>
>
> Steve

I only cashed out 25% of my IRA assets. At this point, it looks like
it's going to be beneficial as it will be in addition to a full time
income even tho' I'm going to have to do cold selling. I already have
customers in the wings and anticipate more.

The return on that initial investment, if it works out, will be 50%
interest. Far more than those assets were earning.

I just have to get off my ass and sell and working night shifts will
allow me to work during regular business hours on the secondary income.

I started the cash out on the retirement funds prematurely because I had
no real hope in sight when I did it. I had no guarantee of getting a
new job any time soon so did not want to wait on trying to generate an
alternate income until I ran out of assets.

It was a gamble but like I said, I already have customers waiting for
the product. I plan to increase my customer base with cold selling and
internet selling.

Cashing out some retirement accounts can be good if you find a lucrative
product.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:57:20 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits
> wrote:


> If it is for you and not the galloping hordes, this ought to allow
>you to stretch quite a bit. Good job!

Yes, it is just for me. Right now, I am eating more vegetarian, to
try to stretch things, hence my missing all my bean supplies, along
with the other things. I figure the chickens can be stretched a good
distance. I am thinking eating with less meat/chicken/fish....

I used the rest of the meat in a bean dish that I slow cooked
>and the carcass to make soup. It fed our family of eight for quite some
>time, and that was just one 3 1/2 pound smoked chicken we bought.

Good job! I hope I can do as well...

Christine

In article >,
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> Many Americans don't realize you can use a knife to chop lettuce.
> They have been taught to tear it leaf by leaf. (Did some popular
> cookbooks recommend the latter?)

Some metal alloys are able to accelerate the browning of cut edges. I
learned a trick though, that inhibits this. When you cut lettuce, throw
it into a tub of very cold ice water to which you have added 2 to 4
ounce of clear white distilled vinegar to each gallon of water. The
vinegar will help dislodge any dirt, and it reacts with the cut edges to
inhibit browning. It also seems the acid reacts with other compounds
and helps the lettuce stay crispy. Drain well or use a good salad
spinner before serving.

We did this at Trailhead Brewing Company in St. Charles, MO, and the
effect on the lettuce was noticeable and good.

jt

On 4/18/2010 9:05 PM, jt august wrote:
> In >,
> Mark > wrote:
>
>> A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
>> yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
>> went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
>> market today.
>
> I'm amazed. People will pay double the price on lettuce just so they
> don't have to use a knife.

More that we can buy a mix of several different kinds of lettuce and
have a chance of using it all up before it goes bad.

> The way things are going, how much longer
> until the fresh produce and fresh meat sections get pushed out in lieu
> of pre-made everythings?
>
> jt

"jt august" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> (Steve Pope) wrote:
>
>> Many Americans don't realize you can use a knife to chop lettuce.
>> They have been taught to tear it leaf by leaf. (Did some popular
>> cookbooks recommend the latter?)
>
> Some metal alloys are able to accelerate the browning of cut edges. I
> learned a trick though, that inhibits this. When you cut lettuce, throw
> it into a tub of very cold ice water to which you have added 2 to 4
> ounce of clear white distilled vinegar to each gallon of water. The
> vinegar will help dislodge any dirt, and it reacts with the cut edges to
> inhibit browning. It also seems the acid reacts with other compounds
> and helps the lettuce stay crispy. Drain well or use a good salad
> spinner before serving.
>
> We did this at Trailhead Brewing Company in St. Charles, MO, and the
> effect on the lettuce was noticeable and good.

I see there are plastic knives for sale for lettuce. I can't say how they
work because I haven't tried it.

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/lettuce-kn...e/product/6451


--
--
https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

Christine Dabney wrote:
>
> On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:05:27 -0500, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
> >In article . com>,
> > "Pete C." > wrote:
> >
> >> Omelet wrote:
> >> >
>
> >> What recession? I've yet to see it anywhere around here (Dallas area).
> >
> >You won't notice it until it affects you personally. I lost a job of
> >nearly 23 years thanks to it. I feel fortunate to have only been
> >unemployed for 6 weeks.
>
> It is even affecting nurses, and the ability to get jobs. Hospitals
> have cut hiring way, way back..and the temporary contract jobs are
> much less plentiful than they once were.
>
> I am applying to every travel nursing job in sight, and some permanent
> jobs. So far, no luck: it has been 4 weeks for me. Some are in the
> works, so things could look up soon...at least I hope.

Up by me, there has been billboard advertising recruiting nurses for a
couple local medical centers for some time.

>
> OB Food: I am trying to stretch my food pennies as far as they will go
> right now. I do have a cushion, so I am not broke, but I still want to
> try to make my food dollars go a long way. Today, I went out
> marketing, the first time in a week. Found whole chickens at
> $0.59/lb: yes these are probably factory farmed chickens, but I got a
> few of them. I also found broccoli and cauliflower cheap: I am
> thinking of pasta dishes with each of them, with good Parmesan on top
> of them. And back to the frozen vegetable thing, I was at Trader Joes
> and got some of their frozen vegetables to add to some dishes.

I don't think the economy is great by any means, but the problems are
not at all evenly distributed. As I noted, around the Dallas area I see
little evidence of any recession. The Texas unemployment rate is notably
lower than the bulk of the country, and even at that it is artificially
high due to the large influx of people coming here looking for work,
with most of them finding it.

Omelet wrote:
>
> In article >,
> Goomba > wrote:
>
> > Omelet wrote:
> >
> > > You won't notice it until it affects you personally. I lost a job of
> > > nearly 23 years thanks to it. I feel fortunate to have only been
> > > unemployed for 6 weeks.
> > >
> > I could have sworn you wrote that you voluntarily quit ("seeing the
> > writing on the wall")? Did you qualify for unemployment in that time?
>
> It was more complicated than that.
> I won't go into detail...
>
> I did receive unemployment benefits but that was less than 1/2 of what I
> was used to earning. I have no wish to try to live that way.
>
> I'd rather work for a living...
> And now I am.

I'd rather not work for someone else for a living as that seems to be
the source of instability - being dependent on someone else for
employment. I'm working on a plan that should have me working for myself
in a couple years, essentially subsistence farming, with some passive
income sources to cover the minimal expenses.

"Ophelia" > wrote in message
...
>
> I see there are plastic knives for sale for lettuce. I can't say how they
> work because I haven't tried it.
>
> http://www.lakeland.co.uk/lettuce-kn...e/product/6451
>
>
> --
> --
> https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/




They work very well, I have one and use it a lot.
>

Jean B. wrote:
> Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:

>> That reminds me, the last time I bought frozen okra, I found one
>> package that was still 16 ounces. All the rest had been converted to
>> the new and improved 12 ounces.

> Heh! Don't you know that this is done for your benefit--or so
> they like to say.

Well, we were all eating too many vegetables, and the serving
sizes were so large! Something had to be done.

nancy

On 4/18/2010 9:05 PM, jt august wrote:
> In >,
> Mark > wrote:
>
>> A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
>> yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
>> went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
>> market today.
>
> I'm amazed. People will pay double the price on lettuce just so they
> don't have to use a knife. The way things are going, how much longer
> until the fresh produce and fresh meat sections get pushed out in lieu
> of pre-made everythings?
>
> jt

Marketing works. Just keep on repeating how much work it is to chop an
onion or eat around the bone on chicken or whatever and soon everyone
will believe that the 2x cost to the the prechopped/precooked/boneless
whatever is a bargain...

Pete C. wrote:
>
>You need to realize that something like "spring mix" requires a number
>of different components, all of which are perishable, so that if you
>were to buy all those components separately in normal sizes to make your
>own, most of it will go bad before you can use it unless you have a
>large family.

Not true. I prepare a 24 cup stainless steel bowlful of salad once a
week, part of my regimen... I finish it within 4-5 days and it's just
as fresh day five as day one... in fact I not ten minutes ago finished
preparing my weekly salad. The secret to longevity is to squeeze in
the juice of one lemon/lime and toss to coat... don't have the citrus
an ounce of vinegar works just as well. Todays salad contains
iceberg, romain, broccoli, celery, carrot, red bell, green bell, cuke,
and a can of white kidney beans... I'll slice in tomatoes when I
plate, onyuns a last minute thing too. As the days pass and the level
lowers to make room I may add other ingredients to make it more a
complete meal; cook up a few handfuls pasta... in the same pasta water
burl a few spuds~cold taters are nice in salad, at the last I may toss
in a can of tuna, sliced hard cooked aigs, cubed cheese, etc. I've
never yet had a bowl of salad show any signs of age. This takes me
maybe 20 leisurely minutes... don't need any schtinkin' FILTHY,
PRICEY, LAZY *******, SICKO, doucheBAGGED greens. And you canNOT wash
salmonella/botulism out of already cut salad stuff, once inside the
ruptured cells it's too late, it's like trying to wash the nasties out
of previously ground mystery meat. Rewashing doucheBAGGED salad is a
waste of water and indicative of supreme ignorance.

Do yoose think the farmers are hacking up perfectly good veggies to
sell in doucheBAGS... of course not, they're not nearly so stoopid as
the consumers who buy that crap. Those are the after harvest stepped
on, tractor rolled over, salvage from half rotted dregs that are
normally left in the field to plow under for compost

I've posted pictures of my past salads so I'll spare yoose today.

Steve Pope wrote:
>Omelet wrote:
>
>>You won't notice it until it affects you personally. I lost a job of
>>nearly 23 years thanks to it. I feel fortunate to have only been
>>unemployed for 6 weeks.
>
>Statistically you are very fortunate. But in my opinion, you're
>not fortunate, you're good!

I figgered she flashed a lotta cleavage.

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> Jean B. wrote:
> > Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:
>
> >> That reminds me, the last time I bought frozen okra, I found one
> >> package that was still 16 ounces. All the rest had been converted to
> >> the new and improved 12 ounces.
>
> > Heh! Don't you know that this is done for your benefit--or so
> > they like to say.
>
> Well, we were all eating too many vegetables, and the serving
> sizes were so large! Something had to be done.

I've been following this discussion with some interest. I like frozen
vegetables, but we very seldom eat them. My wife and daughter prefer
fresh. It's really not a whole lot of work, once you get into the swing
of it, especially since they prefer broccoli. Costco sells large bags
that are ready to cook with no cutting.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Pete C. wrote:

>
> It's not self centered to notice that there are still a tremendous
> numbers of new construction starts, new business openings, new retail
> openings, business expansions and tremendous numbers of shoppers and
> diners out every day. There certainly was nothing "subterranean" about
> the thousands of shoppers at that outlet center, nor the hundreds
> filling each of those restaurants with lines out the door.


New construction starts? In Colorado there are dozens of large
constructions projects that have been hanging fire for over a year
because the developers/contractors can't get loans.

Your outlet shoppers were probably there because they couldn't afford to
go to higher priced malls. Shopping is the major recreation for some
people, whether they are buying or just looking.

Yes, restaurants are more crowded, very possibly because so many of them
have closed, leaving the survivors more patrons to divide up.

Our Saturday newspaper has a list of housing sales by county. Our
county is usually 2+ newspaper-page columns long, in small font.
This Saturday it was exactly five inches long. The entire Denver metro
area used to fill 1 to 1 1/2 pages. It is now down to barely 1/2 page.

Perhaps not where you live, but things are rough out there.

gloria p

On Mon, 19 Apr 2010 08:15:00 -0700, Dan Abel > wrote:

>In article >,
> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>> Jean B. wrote:
>> > Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:
>>
>> >> That reminds me, the last time I bought frozen okra, I found one
>> >> package that was still 16 ounces. All the rest had been converted to
>> >> the new and improved 12 ounces.
>>
>> > Heh! Don't you know that this is done for your benefit--or so
>> > they like to say.
>>
>> Well, we were all eating too many vegetables, and the serving
>> sizes were so large! Something had to be done.
>
>I've been following this discussion with some interest. I like frozen
>vegetables, but we very seldom eat them. My wife and daughter prefer
>fresh. It's really not a whole lot of work, once you get into the swing
>of it, especially since they prefer broccoli. Costco sells large bags
>that are ready to cook with no cutting.

Frozen is more nutritious than those cut up bits.

Dan Abel wrote:
> In article >,
> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>> Jean B. wrote:
>>> Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:
>>>> That reminds me, the last time I bought frozen okra, I found one
>>>> package that was still 16 ounces. All the rest had been converted to
>>>> the new and improved 12 ounces.
>>> Heh! Don't you know that this is done for your benefit--or so
>>> they like to say.
>> Well, we were all eating too many vegetables, and the serving
>> sizes were so large! Something had to be done.
>
> I've been following this discussion with some interest. I like frozen
> vegetables, but we very seldom eat them. My wife and daughter prefer
> fresh. It's really not a whole lot of work, once you get into the swing
> of it, especially since they prefer broccoli. Costco sells large bags
> that are ready to cook with no cutting.
>

I buy those at Sam's Club sometimes (3 pounds for about $4.) That's a
*lot* of raw broccoli florets for one person to eat before it goes
bad... (I slice it thin and eat it raw with some red onions for a
salad sometimes) I always seem to throw away some of it; if I can
keep it down to 1/2 pound of waste I'm doing pretty good.

One thing that helps is to open the bag from the bottom so you don't
block the air vent when you close it back up.

Bob

On Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:47:56 -0500, zxcvbob >
wrote:

>Dan Abel wrote:
>> In article >,
>> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>>
>>> Jean B. wrote:
>>>> Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:
>>>>> That reminds me, the last time I bought frozen okra, I found one
>>>>> package that was still 16 ounces. All the rest had been converted to
>>>>> the new and improved 12 ounces.
>>>> Heh! Don't you know that this is done for your benefit--or so
>>>> they like to say.
>>> Well, we were all eating too many vegetables, and the serving
>>> sizes were so large! Something had to be done.
>>
>> I've been following this discussion with some interest. I like frozen
>> vegetables, but we very seldom eat them. My wife and daughter prefer
>> fresh. It's really not a whole lot of work, once you get into the swing
>> of it, especially since they prefer broccoli. Costco sells large bags
>> that are ready to cook with no cutting.
>>
>
>I buy those at Sam's Club sometimes (3 pounds for about $4.) That's a
>*lot* of raw broccoli florets for one person to eat before it goes
>bad... (I slice it thin and eat it raw with some red onions for a
>salad sometimes) I always seem to throw away some of it; if I can
>keep it down to 1/2 pound of waste I'm doing pretty good.

Nothing is stopping you from freezing part.

"Phyllis Stone" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Ophelia" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> I see there are plastic knives for sale for lettuce. I can't say how
>> they
>> work because I haven't tried it.
>>
>> http://www.lakeland.co.uk/lettuce-kn...e/product/6451
>
> They work very well, I have one and use it a lot.

Thanks I will have a wee look

--
--
https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

"gloria.p" wrote:
>
> Pete C. wrote:
>
> >
> > It's not self centered to notice that there are still a tremendous
> > numbers of new construction starts, new business openings, new retail
> > openings, business expansions and tremendous numbers of shoppers and
> > diners out every day. There certainly was nothing "subterranean" about
> > the thousands of shoppers at that outlet center, nor the hundreds
> > filling each of those restaurants with lines out the door.
>
> New construction starts? In Colorado there are dozens of large
> constructions projects that have been hanging fire for over a year
> because the developers/contractors can't get loans.

Yes, new construction starts, lots of them. A tractor / AG equipment
dealer just built a huge new building and moved to it from a nearby
location. A steel company just built a large new building to supplement
their existing one. Several new Braum's and Jack-in-the-Box locations
have just been built and opened. A new hotel just finished construction
and opened nearby. New residential construction is chugging along.

There is *one* large project that I know of that is on hold for
financing and the developer indicates they will be continuing with it as
soon as they can re-secure financing.

>
> Your outlet shoppers were probably there because they couldn't afford to
> go to higher priced malls. Shopping is the major recreation for some
> people, whether they are buying or just looking.

This isn't a low priced place, it's one of the huge "outlet" malls, not
a strip mall of dollar stores. Everyone seemed to be buying and carrying
stuff.

>
> Yes, restaurants are more crowded, very possibly because so many of them
> have closed, leaving the survivors more patrons to divide up.

Not around here, new restaurants keep opening. The entire complex we
were at was just built over the last two years, is probably 50+ acres of
mixed retail, restaurant, residential, etc. and is pretty much full and
booming. Not a trace of empty storefronts in this new development.

>
> Our Saturday newspaper has a list of housing sales by county. Our
> county is usually 2+ newspaper-page columns long, in small font.
> This Saturday it was exactly five inches long. The entire Denver metro
> area used to fill 1 to 1 1/2 pages. It is now down to barely 1/2 page.

Recent reports indicate that housing prices in my immediate area are
down 0.6% from last year. Recent appraisal indicates my house is up some
21% from 5.5 years ago.

>
> Perhaps not where you live, but things are rough out there.

That is exactly the point, it is not at all an across the country
recession. It is very much tied to state governments that lost sight of
the basics of how you maintain a stable economy and let their economies
get over inflated and very stratified and are now suffering as a result.

zxcvbob wrote:
>
> Dan Abel wrote:
> > In article >,
> > "Nancy Young" > wrote:
> >
> >> Jean B. wrote:
> >>> Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:
> >>>> That reminds me, the last time I bought frozen okra, I found one
> >>>> package that was still 16 ounces. All the rest had been converted to
> >>>> the new and improved 12 ounces.
> >>> Heh! Don't you know that this is done for your benefit--or so
> >>> they like to say.
> >> Well, we were all eating too many vegetables, and the serving
> >> sizes were so large! Something had to be done.
> >
> > I've been following this discussion with some interest. I like frozen
> > vegetables, but we very seldom eat them. My wife and daughter prefer
> > fresh. It's really not a whole lot of work, once you get into the swing
> > of it, especially since they prefer broccoli. Costco sells large bags
> > that are ready to cook with no cutting.
> >
>
> I buy those at Sam's Club sometimes (3 pounds for about $4.) That's a
> *lot* of raw broccoli florets for one person to eat before it goes
> bad... (I slice it thin and eat it raw with some red onions for a
> salad sometimes) I always seem to throw away some of it; if I can
> keep it down to 1/2 pound of waste I'm doing pretty good.
>
> One thing that helps is to open the bag from the bottom so you don't
> block the air vent when you close it back up.
>
> Bob

If it's just starting to get less than perfect for normal steamed
presentation, try roasting it like you would asparagus, or turning it
into cream of broccoli soup.

I like spinach salad a lot in the summer and get big bags / boxes of
spinach. When it starts to wilt I just turn it into creamed spinach.

Phyllis Stone wrote:
>
> "Ophelia" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > I see there are plastic knives for sale for lettuce. I can't say how they
> > work because I haven't tried it.
> >
> > http://www.lakeland.co.uk/lettuce-kn...e/product/6451
> >
> >
> > --
> > --
> > https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/
>
> They work very well, I have one and use it a lot.
> >

I cut my lettuce with a regular metal knife, and I never seem to have
any issues. I also cut it just a few minutes before serving so that
probably helps.

George wrote:
>
> On 4/18/2010 9:05 PM, jt august wrote:
> > In >,
> > Mark > wrote:
> >
> >> A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
> >> yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
> >> went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
> >> market today.
> >
> > I'm amazed. People will pay double the price on lettuce just so they
> > don't have to use a knife. The way things are going, how much longer
> > until the fresh produce and fresh meat sections get pushed out in lieu
> > of pre-made everythings?
> >
> > jt
>
> Marketing works. Just keep on repeating how much work it is to chop an
> onion or eat around the bone on chicken or whatever and soon everyone
> will believe that the 2x cost to the the prechopped/precooked/boneless
> whatever is a bargain...

Whenever I have analyzed the cost vs. yield for boneless skinless
chicken I haven't found much of any cost penalty. I find I'm paying some
poor schmuck something like $0.50 to do the work that would take me 30
minutes to do, and since I don't work for $1/hr I think it's a bargain.

Omelet wrote:
>
> In article
> >,
> none of your business > wrote:
>
> > On Apr 18, 7:51 pm, "Jean B." > wrote:
> > > Mark Thorson wrote:
> > > > zxcvbob wrote:
> > > >> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> > > >> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> > > >> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> > > >> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> > > >> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> > > >> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> > > >> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also
> > > >> getting hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
> > >
> > > > A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
> > > > yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
> > > > went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
> > > > market today.
> > >
> > > > I'm old. I remember when potatoes had dirt on them.
> > >
> > > Those bagged greens are a nice source of salmonella.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Jean B.
> >
> > Not if you wash them first.
>
> Washing will not get rid of Salmonella.
> Only cooking will.

It's something I'll worry about when/if I ever get ill from bagged
spring mix.

Back when they had the big spinach recall/scare I didn't stop buying
fresh spinach, though I did use it as an excuse to use it for creamed
spinach which is a favorite of mine.

"Pete C." > writes:

> George wrote:
>>
>> On 4/18/2010 9:05 PM, jt august wrote:
>> > In >,
>> > Mark > wrote:
>> >
>> >> A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
>> >> yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
>> >> went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
>> >> market today.
>> >
>> > I'm amazed. People will pay double the price on lettuce just so they
>> > don't have to use a knife. The way things are going, how much longer
>> > until the fresh produce and fresh meat sections get pushed out in lieu
>> > of pre-made everythings?
>> >
>> > jt
>>
>> Marketing works. Just keep on repeating how much work it is to chop an
>> onion or eat around the bone on chicken or whatever and soon everyone
>> will believe that the 2x cost to the the prechopped/precooked/boneless
>> whatever is a bargain...
>
> Whenever I have analyzed the cost vs. yield for boneless skinless
> chicken I haven't found much of any cost penalty. I find I'm paying some
> poor schmuck something like $0.50 to do the work that would take me 30
> minutes to do, and since I don't work for $1/hr I think it's a bargain.

Except its not work. It's cooking for yourself and you are probably sat
on your fat arse in that time saved rather than earning money
anyway. Your support of slave labour is somewhat nauseating and wholly
unexpected.

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:18:45 -0500, zxcvbob wrote:

> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.)

do you defrost the frozen vegetables before stir-frying, or what? i
haven't tried this.

i think i've twice bought bag of 'stir-fry vegetables' (on sale, as sort of
a just-in-case item) and then thrown them away two years later.

maybe i should try steaming them for a cold vinaigrette-type salad. that's
what i usually end up doing with frozen green beans.

your pal,
blake

blake murphy wrote:
> On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:18:45 -0500, zxcvbob wrote:
>
>> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
>> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
>> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
>> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
>> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
>> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
>> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.)
>
> do you defrost the frozen vegetables before stir-frying, or what? i
> haven't tried this.
>
> i think i've twice bought bag of 'stir-fry vegetables' (on sale, as sort of
> a just-in-case item) and then thrown them away two years later.
>
> maybe i should try steaming them for a cold vinaigrette-type salad. that's
> what i usually end up doing with frozen green beans.
>
> your pal,
> blake


I usually just pour half a bag into the wok straight from the freezer.
Sometimes I'll put them in a sieve and rinse them to thaw first,
then shake off the water. Just depends on whether I'm concerned about
them cooling the stuff that's already in the wok. (but green beans go
in early, so usually not)

Bob

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:33:11 -0500, Omelet wrote:

> In article .com>,
> "Pete C." > wrote:
>
>> It's not self centered to notice that there are still a tremendous
>> numbers of new construction starts, new business openings, new retail
>> openings, business expansions and tremendous numbers of shoppers and
>> diners out every day. There certainly was nothing "subterranean" about
>> the thousands of shoppers at that outlet center, nor the hundreds
>> filling each of those restaurants with lines out the door. I think your
>> recent experience is clouding your view.
>
> That could very well be.
>
> My recent bad experience has also caused me to cash out some assets and
> try starting a new home business.
>
> The outlook is positive at the moment. The trouble is is that not
> everybody has the assets to take the risk I'm currently taking. I'm
> looking at a minimum of a 7K investment.
>
> How many people are willing to cash in IRA's and take that kind of risk?

i would really think long and hard before taking that plunge, om. that
kind of thing might be best undertaken when you're in a somewhat secure
position, just in case it doesn't pan out and you're out money you *really*
can't afford to lose.

your pal,
blake

On 4/18/2010 5:18 PM, zxcvbob wrote:
> The selection of plain frozen vegetables at the grocery stores is
> getting smaller and smaller because they are being pushed out by
> "microwave ready" bags of vegetables. One of my favorite frozen vegs is
> french cut green beans (they are great in stirfry) but most of the
> stores have stopped selling them altogether to make room for microwave
> bags of peas or broccoli or whatever (in addition to the regular bags of
> peas and broccoli that haven't totally gone away yet.) It's also getting
> hard to find frozen okra that's not already breaded.
>
> Is everybody so busy now that they can't spend the 10 seconds to open a
> bag and dump it in a covered glass bowl? Or even just stab a few holes
> in the plastic bag? Or are they just stupid?
>
> Of course the microwave bags are 12 ounces instead of 16, and they cost
> a little more on top of that.
>
> Bob

I know what you mean! My favorite frozen veggie is peas. The normal
size - not the baby peas! Can't hardly find them anymore. Also lima
beans - again not the baby limas but the normal size. Hard to find.
Everything is baby now and they have all these combinations and
microwave crap which is more expensive as you say. It's very
frustrating. And then when you do find the regular peas and limas
they are not Birdseye but some crappy store brand. I won't buy anything
but Birdseye. The others are too irregular with more bad pieces and
even stems and stuff in them. Bah humbug

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

On Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:45:38 -0500, Pete C. wrote:
>
> I don't think the economy is great by any means, but the problems are
> not at all evenly distributed. As I noted, around the Dallas area I see
> little evidence of any recession. The Texas unemployment rate is notably
> lower than the bulk of the country, and even at that it is artificially
> high due to the large influx of people coming here looking for work,
> with most of them finding it.

my understanding is that texas largely avoided the housing bubble, for
reasons that are not entirely clear.

<http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2010/04/06/did-consumer-protection-laws-prevent-texas-housing-bubble/tab/article/>

that might have something to do with it, as re-financed mortgages didn't
turn temporary household setbacks into foreclosure disasters.

your pal,
blake

"Pete C." writes:
>
> Whenever I have analyzed the cost vs. yield for boneless skinless
> chicken I haven't found much of any cost penalty. I find I'm paying some
> poor schmuck something like $0.50 to do the work that would take me 30
> minutes to do, and since I don't work for $1/hr I think it's a bargain.

If I'm spending 30 minutes on one breast I'm having sex.

In article >,
blake murphy > wrote:

> On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:33:11 -0500, Omelet wrote:

> > My recent bad experience has also caused me to cash out some assets and
> > try starting a new home business.
> >
> > The outlook is positive at the moment. The trouble is is that not
> > everybody has the assets to take the risk I'm currently taking. I'm
> > looking at a minimum of a 7K investment.
> >
> > How many people are willing to cash in IRA's and take that kind of risk?
>
> i would really think long and hard before taking that plunge, om. that
> kind of thing might be best undertaken when you're in a somewhat secure
> position, just in case it doesn't pan out and you're out money you *really*
> can't afford to lose.

Well, I'm kinda conservative about money stuff, but not everybody is.
She owns her own home and the mortgage is almost paid off. I assume she
is only supporting herself. I don't know about her Dad, but hopefully,
if he isn't collecting Social Security, at least he has Medicare.
Perhaps he has something else. Om has a significant job skill, with 23
years experience at it, and the willingness and ability to have a
flexible work schedule.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

I speculate that if romaine lettuce is fresh, you can chop
it with a SS knife, place the bowl in the refrigerator and there
are no brown edges even four hours later. I speculate this
because I often serve romaine/caesar salads to groups and
have not noted an edge-browning problem.

I speculate the edge-browning becomes an issue when the lettuce
is not as fresh and is fixing to start wilting anyway.

Someday I'll test this hypothesis.

Steve

Bogbrush wrote:
>
> "Pete C." > writes:
>
> > George wrote:
> >>
> >> On 4/18/2010 9:05 PM, jt august wrote:
> >> > In >,
> >> > Mark > wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> A related topic is bagged salad greens. On America's Heartland
> >> >> yesterday, they said pre-washed, pre-cut bagged vegetables
> >> >> went from nothing 15 years ago to being 70% of the lettuce
> >> >> market today.
> >> >
> >> > I'm amazed. People will pay double the price on lettuce just so they
> >> > don't have to use a knife. The way things are going, how much longer
> >> > until the fresh produce and fresh meat sections get pushed out in lieu
> >> > of pre-made everythings?
> >> >
> >> > jt
> >>
> >> Marketing works. Just keep on repeating how much work it is to chop an
> >> onion or eat around the bone on chicken or whatever and soon everyone
> >> will believe that the 2x cost to the the prechopped/precooked/boneless
> >> whatever is a bargain...
> >
> > Whenever I have analyzed the cost vs. yield for boneless skinless
> > chicken I haven't found much of any cost penalty. I find I'm paying some
> > poor schmuck something like $0.50 to do the work that would take me 30
> > minutes to do, and since I don't work for $1/hr I think it's a bargain.
>
> Except its not work. It's cooking for yourself

No, it's not *cooking* for myself, it's *butchering* for myself. I'll
spend my time *cooking* and pay someone else to spend their time
*butchering*.

> and you are probably sat
> on your fat arse in that time saved rather than earning money
> anyway.

No, in the time I saved by paying someone who is faster and better at
*butchering* to do the work, I freed up the 30 minutes that it would
have taken me to do the *butchering* so that I could do house and/or
yard work.

> Your support of slave labour is somewhat nauseating and wholly
> unexpected.

How do you figure that paying someone else who is faster and better at
*butchering* to do the job is supporting slave labor? While it would
take me 30 minutes to skin and bone the chickens to fill the 8# package
of boneless skinless chicken thighs, the people I'm paying to do that
work are working on an optimized production line and probably process
that much chicken in 3 minutes.