MAY 2017...Whats cooking for dinner ?

OK, so I'm BACK !!! OMG ~ It's a miracle I survived the weekend and didn't explode from eating non-stop. We went to Grandma Angie's Memorial on Saturday, then a brunch at a fabulous Lebanese restaurant, an old Toledo favorite, The Beiruit. Dane's sister, Sally, had pre-ordered for the entire invited group (about 60 or so). We started with fatoosh, tomato/cucumber/onion salad, grape leaves and humus....I know I don't have the spelling right on this stuff, but it's all good! Then came the shish ka bobs....beef & chicken, on yellow rice, vegetable skewers and tons of the thinnest, most tender pita bread known to mankind.

Later that evening we went out to Mancy's Steak House, another Toledo old-time restaurant, for fabulous steak dinners with Andrea, Robin & fiancee Ben and our Jacob. The beef was as good as always (I had twin medalions of filet with crab, asparagus & hollandaise). Ben had always wanted to try lamb and I assured him if he had never tried it that Mancy's would do it justice ~ and he said I was right. He ordered the smaller portion, triple double chops which netted him six perfectly cooked (medium rare) lamb chops. I'm really glad my advice wasn't for something that was terrible. Jacob said he really preferred fish and asked if he could have the King Crab....and they said, no problem. I've never seen any one person INHALE so much crab in my life! He loved it. The meal was wonderful and the best part was the bill was picked up by our girls as a Mother's Day and Father's Day gift to Dane and me. How cool is that? LOL

Sunday we met Dane's sister and her friend, Barb, for breakfast and ate yet again.....KABOOM! I just about exploded.

Thank goodness Dane was able to drop me off at the airport to fly home last night and he drove home, arriving at about 9:30 this morning. But if it were a race I would have beaten him by about 11 and a half hours.....

So, tonight was fix what you can find.....I did some chicken in Huli Huli sauce, Trader Joe's California Sprouted Rice and a vegetable stir fry of onions, carrots & cabbage. I even remembered to get the fried onions and sprinkle on MY vegetables.....really a nice crispy contrast for the meal.

Ohhh, I love those curly noodles with the ridges. Sort of add 'body' to a meal. Your steak & tomato dish looks like a loose ragu...like it's got lots of flavor I can see! Yum.

NormM wrote:I am not super picky about frozen meat but when I get a whole prime brisket to smoke, I get it the day before so I won't have to freeze it.  No point of getting an extra nice piece of meat and freezing that.

Here is a piece of meat I don't mind getting in large amounts. It was $3.50 a pound while St. Louis ribes were $5.00 a pound. A package of St. Lo. ribs cost over $20. and it is the same thing as this but less meat. A lot less.  If I trim these I will have the same thing and enough left over to make a pound and a half of sausage or I can always freeze the extra for something else

Wow, your prices are a lot higher than ours usually run, Norm. St. Louis Ribs are advertised today at $2.79/lb., and Baby Backs are $2.99/lb.

I know some people don't even consider Country Style Pork Ribs as real ribs, but they're only $1.69/lb. Brian likes these 'cause they cook quicker so when he's not in the mood for a long smoke, he'll pick some up and use Mad Hunky on them and then he grills 'em. I prefer "real" ribs but they come out pretty tasty and I always enjoy them, and they are all meat so at $1.69/lb., that's a good deal.

I never see prime briskets down here, always choice. Today's paper has Choice Angus Whole Beef Briskets at $2.99/lb. I might pick one up to smoke; that's a big one for us but I often trim it (you have to, though I leave a nice layer of fat on top) and cut it in two, and freeze half. If the weather turns out to be too nasty for him to deal with the smoker, we have a super recipe for cooking brisket in the oven, too, that we love. You just have to be willing to use the oven for a couple of hours.

Whenever we make a brisket, whether or not we smoke it, I always make up a package for Brian to take to his friend Pete, who loves brisket. Last time, he was BSing with Brian after putting the pkg. in his fridge and then stood up after about 15 minutes, told Brian he could wait no longer, and went digging in his fridge for a taste! The next morning he phoned to say he was eating "the best breakfast he'd ever had" -- fried eggs and a biscuit with sliced brisket on it. He's such a nice guy and would drop everything (and has) to help us out if we need it. The amazing this is his apartment has no stove -- he has a hot plate and a toaster oven. It's amazing what he can make without a stove. I think he's lived there for more than 15 years so he's used to it and doesn't give it a second thought.

NormM wrote:I decided not to trim the spare ribs and cook the St. Louis part separate from the rest of the slab. I cooked it all together. I made a Rich Davis recipe for potato salad and sour dough bread. Rich Davis is the person who created KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce.
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Mmm. that looks absolutely delicious! I like that idea of not removing the St. Louis part, Norm, as you could always pack that part up for the freezer, too, and then you'd have a nice piece of smoked meat all ready for either eating as a main dish or seasoning something else like a big pot of beans. That would also be a good way to cook a slab when there's someone who doesn't like to either eat meat on the bone or else doesn't want to use their hands to eat ribs. There's no one around here anymore like that (big smile) but some of our older relatives would've liked digging into that piece of smoked pork.

Wish you lived closer, as Brian would really enjoy cooking outside with you. Your smoking get up is different from ours (we have two of the Weber Bullet Water Smokers, the bigger ones), and he'd love to learn how to use that type with someone as experienced as you are.

Hey, have you seen that Weber came out with its own version of the Big Green Egg?! It's a beauty but is approximately $1,000, too rich for our blood. It is really a looker, though, and if money were no object, I'd get Brian one in a heartbeat! The temps on those puppies go up so high that they open up a whole new area of grilling, smoking, etc. I've been noticing on my reading "travels" how many people have been opting to get the Big Green Egg or a facsimile. Occasionally, I peruse the Virtual Weber Bulletin Board and lots of those guys have supplemented their smoking tolls with one of them, more so the last year or so.

Bugster wrote:One peculiarity I have is that I do not like stainless tools, cups, bowls. I don't like the "feel" of them. I don't like the sharp edges, or the weight. I like the feel of plastic measuring cups and spoons and bowls. I have one set of magnetic plastic dry measuring cups by Progessive that I like. I have a beautiful set of stainless cups just like you that range from 1/8 to 2 cups. They are in the storage box. I won't get rid of them because they are too good, but I don't use them.

That's funny, Debbie, as I'm the same way but about plastic!  They feel too light to me and kind of flimsy.  One thing I never understood about dry measures, including the S/S set we have, is why manufacturers put a pouring spot on them!?  I think every single set of dry measures I have, except for a few stray aluminum ones I mentioned I still have, has pouring spots.  

And I sure do agree with you about the pourer on that 8-cup Pyrex bowl -- it's really useless though I can't seem to remember that and end up spilling stuff all over the counter when I try to use that darn thing again!  

I really enjoyed reading what people have in the way of measuring cups.  

Brian always jokes that I have every piece of kitchen equipment that exists and I always grin and say "not yet!"  Recently, I purchased something I've been wanting for ages.  Though I have a nice efficient electric juicer by Krups that I've had and used for many years, I always wanted one of those hand-held juicers that I often see TV chefs using -- where it looks like you put the half lemon or half lime in there backwards (cut side down).  John Besh has even commented on his TV show that it might be his favorite piece of kitchen equipment.  Well, honey, I got one and both Brian and I were AMAZED at how much juice it gets out of a lemon or lime -- it gets out more juice than our little electric juicer gets and quicker, too!  Here's a picture of the one I got, but you probably wouldn't like it, Debbie, as it's S/S and kind of heavy, too, with silicone handles, but I wanted a sturdy one instead of the plastic ones that also work well:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L5G2074/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1:

I thought I paid a lot for it at $19.99 but I see where it's even more now!

Another thing I recently bought that I never had and always want when I need it is an angled spatula for frosting a cake.  I know I can use it for more things than frosting a cake, as I've often thought one would be handy for some task I was trying to accomplish though, of course, I can't remember now!

Anything any of you want for the kitchen that you've never gotten? I waited for years, as some of you remember, before I got that KitchenAid stand mixer and wondered how I ever did without it, as I adore it.

One other thing I want is a motorized attachment for my Atlas Pasta Machine -- the roller type.  That way I can roll out fresh pasta without asking Brian to help me,  Have the one I want ID'd on Amazon and also know where to get the small adapter for a couple of bucks to hook it to my machine as one reviewer was kind enough to post a link for the place to pick it up, as my machine is an older model so I'd need that little adapter piece.  Ever since I got the stand mixer that can knead things I've been thinking of fresh pasta and more fresh bread!  

Anything any of you want for the kitchen that you've never gotten?  I really like to hear what you guys have, don't have and what you want to own!

Sometimes they have a sale on ribs but not often. Real country style ribs are good in a slow cooker but the boneless ones are cut (in my opinion) from a much less tasty part of the chuck. I like most chuck cuts but am not a fan of the boneless rib kind.

I get prime whole brisket from Costco for much less that choice from regular butcher shops and I can tell the difference. If I am going to spend 8 or 10 hours smoking it, I like to get the best I can, especially when I can get it at such a good price. I have not got one in over a year so I don't remember what they cost. Charlie is planning to ask some co workers over soon and I was thinking about getting one for that.

Mom used to put a brisket on the back burner with a little water and vegetables and leave it on low while we went to church. By supper time it was wonderful. I think it is great braised with beer too.

The smoker I have is almost 5 years old now. It's built to last for decades and was designed by a famous and widely decorated BBQ competition winner from Oklahoma and it wasn't cheap but it was the first thing I wanted when I first moved back to Kansas City.

Beth, your meals at The Beirut and Mancy's sounded fantastic. I've only had a few things Lebanese but I'd imagine I would like that cuisine as a whole. Were the 60 people all relatives or just people who showed up at the memorial service?

What a nice Mom and Dad's day treat from your daughters. Nothing like a meal out at a super restaurant -- the food is good, it's fun to visit and no one has to do the work cooking or cleaning up! Of course, for good cooks this is only fun if it occurs at a really good restaurant -- or you end up thinking the money would've been better spent at the grocery and then prepared by you!

I still find it hard to believe how quickly Dane makes that trip to Ohio and back!

Anything of interest you haven't yet mentioned that you had him tote home for you?

Well, Brian is at the doctor's (two appointments today) and so I'm headed downstairs to make that Stuffed London Broil I posted here a while back. He picked up some fresh spinach for me (a ton of it!) at a farmer's market a couple of days ago so I've got to get busy before I lose that spinach. It's enough for me to make some creamed spinach on the side -- something that Brian discovered a couple years ago that he actually likes. I love vegetables so I'm glad when I can add one or two to the small list he actually likes.

Depending on how the London Broil looks after I stuff it, I might makes some charred chimichurri sauce to serve on the side of the roasted meat. We've been talking about chimichurri sauce lately and Brian asked me to make it again; I picked up two bunches of gorgeous green onions that are the perfect size for charring on the griddle for the sauce. But I still have to make up my mind whether or not it will flatter this stuffed beef.

Crybaby, I have these juicers in yellow and green. They are great except if you have to do a large quantity and then I switch to an electric one.

https://www.amazon.com/Chefn-FreshForce-Citrus-Juicer-Lemon/dp/B002XOB0P0/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1495647387&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=lemon+juicer&psc=1

I would really like a Vitamix

I would like a walk-in pantry

I want a new fridge, dishwasher stove and toaster oven.

I saw something at Sur La Table I bet you don't have: a hasselback potato cutter

https://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-2419406/

I pulled a meatloaf out of the freezer to thaw for tomorrow and hiding beneath it was a nice rib eye steak that was supper tonight!

Normj wrote:I get prime whole brisket from Costco for much less that choice from regular butcher shops and I can tell the difference. If I am going to spend 8 or 10 hours smoking it, I like to get the best I can, especially when I can get it at such a good price. I have not got one in over a year so I don't remember what they cost. Charlie is planning to ask some co workers over soon and I was thinking about getting one for that.

We're not "members" at Costco, though I've always been tempted since it came here about 5 years ago. My brother-in-law is a member and I always wanted to go with him to see if it's worth my while. What I'm really afraid of is that I'll buy too much, as I have a tendency to do that at the regular grocery! But since I've never even SEEN a prime brisket for sale, I might ask Ed again to tag along the next time he goes -- he'd be easy to "bribe" as long as I told him he would come over and indulge in the smoked brisket.

One thing we don't have many of is butcher shops. I'd kill to have a really good butcher that not only carried a whole variety of items but one where you could have the butcher do things for you, like French the bones on a rack of lamb, or remove the chine bones from the bottom of a standing rib roast and also cut the rib bones from the meat just along the bone line and then tie them back on the roast, etc.

Recently, when I bought that London Broil, I asked the "butcher" (the guy behind the meat counter in the store -- I went to the door with a little window and knocked, in other words) if he would butterfly the LB for me. It wasn't cheap and I figured he could do it in a heartbeat so I'd take advantage of his skills. He seemed to be the only person back there and initially said, "Uhhh, it will probably take a while," while he looked down the line which contained no one (he was looking at the palms of his hands when I knocked). I just stood there, as I was debating how long I was willing to wait, and then he said, "Okay, I'll try." He came out just shy of 10 minutes or less with a big grin and said, "Boy, it had been a long time since I did that!" I thanked him and went on my way. When I opened it up today and took a look at it, I was sorry I hadn't just done it myself, as he didn't do a very good job. It was so uneven and much, much thicker on one side that I had to really hammer it for a while to try to get the sides close in thickness to one another. I'm not perfect at it but with a sharp knife, turns out I do a much better job than he did.

Boy, Charlie's co-workers are going to flip out at the meal you prepare, Norm, especially if it's smoked prime brisket! Plus, you've got such a nice yard for a get together, too. I know Charlie cooks, too, but is he into smoking stuff like you are? I'm not surprised your smoker costs a pretty penny, as it looks like a quality rig!

My sister added me to her Sams Club card and I bought a Costco membership a year later. I think the prices are better at Costco. There are two "famous" butcher shops here that I know about and have been to but the briskets I were both Choice. The ones at Costco were Prime and cheaper. Neither of those butcher shops are close by. There is a butcher section in a Mexican food store just down the street but I have never bought meat there. I should give it a try. There is one grocery store that I like to go to (Hen House) that has guys behind the meat counter that know how to cut meat but I have noticed in the last few months that there are some guys back there that aren't trained meat cutters. They usually have at least one though.

Charlie isn't as much into cooking as I am. He mostly is interested in making Korean food that I don't do very often. His mother has helped him on that score. He has not shown any interest in learning about smoking (meat, that is).

There is quite an interesting but long story behind the smoker guy that designed mine.

Bugster2 wrote:Crybaby, I have these juicers in yellow and green. They are great except if you have to do a large quantity and then I switch to an electric one.

https://www.amazon.com/Chefn-FreshForce-Citrus-Juicer-Lemon/dp/B002XOB0P0/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1495647387&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=lemon+juicer&psc=1

Yep, the plastic ones like yours are the ones I see chefs using most often.  Don't you find you get more juice out of them than you're used to?  Brian was surprised how little pressure it takes to use ours, too. -- he's got what they think is a pinched nerve in his shoulder/neck area with pain radiating down his arm into his hand so he was shocked that he could even use it.  

Funny thing about those juicers is I watch Valerie Bertanelli's cooking show when it's on and I'm watching TV and she always put the lemon or lime half in it upside down, with the flesh up, which I admit SEEMS logical though it's wrong.  Someone finally wrote in and told her to flip it over and she howled that she hadn't known that!  

Bug wrote:I would really like a Vitamix. I would like a walk-in pantry. I want a new fridge, dishwasher stove and toaster oven.

I often think about a Vitamix but we'd never use it often enough to justify the price.  I rarely even use the blender we have and I don't need it to make soup or do the other fancy stuff the Vitamix does.  I know it works rings around a regular blender but I just don't have the need.  Now if money were no object....

I recently converted the closet holding my water heater into a quasi-pantry.  I took down the two-bit shelves that were in there and cleaned up the tons of stuff that Brian had just shoved in there to "store."  I bought a big stainless steel shelf from Frontgate (each shelf comes with a translucent plastic shelf liner, too, which helps make things stable on it) and got wheels for it and two extra shelves.  It barely fit it per the measurements and I knew I'd have to take the wood molding off the bottom of the closet in order for it to slide into it's area, as it was just a bit less than 1/2-inch of clearance.  Both Brian and the lady who cleans for us (and who put the shelves and the cart together for me) thought that big shelf would never fit in there even though I measured the space several times; I knew the molding on the sides would have to be removed (it did) and the thing slid in perfectly; it's so big and fits so tight that it looks custom! I threw out tons of stuff that we'd stored in there for years and never used and also organized the stuff I wanted to keep.  It has six 18-inch deep shelves and is about 6-1/2 feet high; I have to use a step stool to get things off the top shelf.  So I have cooking equipment on top that I don't use often (the Atlas pasta machine and a couple of cutters for it), my old 14-inch carbon steel wok (I have a bigger one I use now that's stainless and which has a glass lid with a steam hole in it so it doesn't fog up), a big thermos and things like that.  I also had to use a shelf for gardening equipment, supplies, fertilizer, etc. but I was able to use two shelves for cooking stuff, primarily canned goods I keep a lot of, like big cans of San Marzano Italian tomatoes (I have to order those so I get a lot at once), tomato puree, diced tomatoes, fire roasted diced tomatoes, etc., and also canned beans (I keep a bunch of different types for bean salad and also to throw together as a side dish with bacon or tasso),and also big containers of different flours, sugar, topping containers full of toppings for things like scones, bread and homemade pizza, oddball things like espresso powder, etc.  

I also bought a stainless steel rolling cart with three shelves from Frontgate that I can store in the pantry (it just fits with about 6 inches of spare room) between the new shelving unit and the water heater.  I have lots of kitchen stuff (especially the heavier items) on that cart, some of which I use right from the cart, like the KitchenAid stand mixer, which I wanted to get off my little desk in front of the kitchen window for a while now, my big ol' French mandolin that I'll use more often since it's now handy, the blender, the ice cream maker, the waffle iron, the bundt pan, a huge sterling silver oval tray that was my grandmother's which I break out for the holidays (it weighs a ton, as it's solid and not plated; plus I keep it in a plastic bag to minimize tarnishing so it now lives on the bottom shelf under a couple of other things I use more often), and a couple of big trays that won't fit in my vertical tray cabinet due to all the cutting boards, baking sheets, half sheet pans, etc. that I have stuffed in there.  When I want to use the stand mixer, I just roll out the cart to the convenient place in my kitchen which is near an outlet and the island and use it right there.  It's at a much better height than it used to be and neither of us has to end up moving that 26 lb. mixer anymore!  Same goes for the mandolin, too, plus I have a place for its box of blades now.

That's about as close to a walk-in pantry than I'm ever going to have, Debbie, but to me, it feels like one and I really love what I did with that closet.  Years ago, I planned to put in a tankless water heater in that closet when ours died, but the installer talked me out of it as he said he'd already pulled out a couple from clients who hated them due to low water pressure.  I can't tolerate low water pressure so I ended up sizing up to the biggest water heater that wasn't commercial and he installed it as close to the wall as he could, as the previous one had spare room behind it that was dead space.

Bug wrote:I saw something at Sur La Table I bet you don't have: a hasselback potato cutter.

Laughed, as no, I don't have one of those potato cutters, though it sure was neat.  I'm stealing a line from Norm by saying I don't make Hasselback potatoes 'cause I hate Elizabeth Hasselback (I really do!) but besides that, Brian doesn't like potatoes so I only make them occasionally and in ways I think he'd like.  I tried those once and he was so-so about them but that truly is a neat little gadget.  But I have so much stuff that I have few places to store more stuff that is convenient for me to get to, especially things that are good for one thing like that puppy.  But it sure wasn't pricey!

Crybaby wrote:

Bugster2 wrote:Crybaby, I have these juicers in yellow and green. They are great except if you have to do a large quantity and then I switch to an electric one.

https://www.amazon.com/Chefn-FreshForce-Citrus-Juicer-Lemon/dp/B002XOB0P0/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1495647387&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=lemon+juicer&psc=1

Yep, the plastic ones like yours are the ones I see chefs using most often.  Don't you find you get more juice out of them than you're used to?  Brian was surprised how little pressure it takes to use ours, too. -- he's got what they think is a pinched nerve in his shoulder/neck area with pain radiating down his arm into his hand so he was shocked that he could even use it.  

Funny thing about those juicers is I watch Valerie Bertanelli's cooking show when it's on and I'm watching TV and she always put the lemon or lime half in it upside down, with the flesh up, which I admit SEEMS logical though it's wrong.  Someone finally wrote in and told her to flip it over and she howled that she hadn't known that!  

Bug wrote:I would really like a Vitamix. I would like a walk-in pantry. I want a new fridge, dishwasher stove and toaster oven.

I often think about a Vitamix but we'd never use it often enough to justify the price.  I rarely even use the blender we have and I don't need it to make soup or do the other fancy stuff the Vitamix does.  I know it works rings around a regular blender but I just don't have the need.  Now if money were no object....

I recently converted the closet holding my water heater into a quasi-pantry.  I took down the two-bit shelves that were in there and cleaned up the tons of stuff that Brian had just shoved in there to "store."  I bought a big stainless steel shelf from Frontgate (each shelf comes with a translucent plastic shelf liner, too, which helps make things stable on it) and got wheels for it and two extra shelves.  It barely fit it per the measurements and I knew I'd have to take the wood molding off the bottom of the closet in order for it to slide into it's area, as it was just a bit less than 1/2-inch of clearance.  Both Brian and the lady who cleans for us (and who put the shelves and the cart together for me) thought that big shelf would never fit in there even though I measured the space several times; I knew the molding on the sides would have to be removed (it did) and the thing slid in perfectly; it's so big and fits so tight that it looks custom! I threw out tons of stuff that we'd stored in there for years and never used and also organized the stuff I wanted to keep.  It has six 18-inch deep shelves and is about 6-1/2 feet high; I have to use a step stool to get things off the top shelf.  So I have cooking equipment on top that I don't use often (the Atlas pasta machine and a couple of cutters for it), my old 14-inch carbon steel wok (I have a bigger one I use now that's stainless and which has a glass lid with a steam hole in it so it doesn't fog up), a big thermos and things like that.  I also had to use a shelf for gardening equipment, supplies, fertilizer, etc. but I was able to use two shelves for cooking stuff, primarily canned goods I keep a lot of, like big cans of San Marzano Italian tomatoes (I have to order those so I get a lot at once), tomato puree, diced tomatoes, fire roasted diced tomatoes, etc., and also canned beans (I keep a bunch of different types for bean salad and also to throw together as a side dish with bacon or tasso),and also big containers of different flours, sugar, topping containers full of toppings for things like scones, bread and homemade pizza, oddball things like espresso powder, etc.  

I also bought a stainless steel rolling cart with three shelves from Frontgate that I can store in the pantry (it just fits with about 6 inches of spare room) between the new shelving unit and the water heater.  I have lots of kitchen stuff (especially the heavier items) on that cart, some of which I use right from the cart, like the KitchenAid stand mixer, which I wanted to get off my little desk in front of the kitchen window for a while now, my big ol' French mandolin that I'll use more often since it's now handy, the blender, the ice cream maker, the waffle iron, the bundt pan, a huge sterling silver oval tray that was my grandmother's which I break out for the holidays (it weighs a ton, as it's solid and not plated; plus I keep it in a plastic bag to minimize tarnishing so it now lives on the bottom shelf under a couple of other things I use more often), and a couple of big trays that won't fit in my vertical tray cabinet due to all the cutting boards, baking sheets, half sheet pans, etc. that I have stuffed in there.  When I want to use the stand mixer, I just roll out the cart to the convenient place in my kitchen which is near an outlet and the island and use it right there.  It's at a much better height than it used to be and neither of us has to end up moving that 26 lb. mixer anymore!  Same goes for the mandolin, too, plus I have a place for its box of blades now.

That's about as close to a walk-in pantry than I'm ever going to have, Debbie, but to me, it feels like one and I really love what I did with that closet.  Years ago, I planned to put in a tankless water heater in that closet when ours died, but the installer talked me out of it as he said he'd already pulled out a couple from clients who hated them due to low water pressure.  I can't tolerate low water pressure so I ended up sizing up to the biggest water heater that wasn't commercial and he installed it as close to the wall as he could, as the previous one had spare room behind it that was dead space.

Bug wrote:I saw something at Sur La Table I bet you don't have: a hasselback potato cutter.

Laughed, as no, I don't have one of those potato cutters, though it sure was neat.  I'm stealing a line from Norm by saying I don't make Hasselback potatoes 'cause I hate Elizabeth Hasselback (I really do!) but besides that, Brian doesn't like potatoes so I only make them occasionally and in ways I think he'd like.  I tried those once and he was so-so about them but that truly is a neat little gadget.  But I have so much stuff that I have few places to store more stuff that is convenient for me to get to, especially things that are good for one thing like that puppy.  But it sure wasn't pricey!

Mine aren't plastic they are enamel coated metal, maybe aluminum.

Imelda....from MY experience, I no longer 'save' the 'good stuff' for a special occasion. I use it every chance I get. If you think your measuring cups are pretty, keep them on the counter top every day and use them every chance you get. Too many times we 'save' the good glasses, dishes, etc. until we 'downsize' and find they never got used more than a handful of times. If you love it, use it. That's MY motto.

I cannot think of anything I wish I had bought, except a heavy cast iron, enameled Dutch oven pot. But now they are just too heavy for me. I did use Grandma Keller's huge cast aluminum pot for just about everything under the sun ~ gifted it to DD#1 and she'd disown me if I ever tried to get it back from her. She loves it as much as I did. But it would never work on the glass top range I have now *she has a gas stove. But I know Grandma would love the fact that her great-granddaughter still uses her wonderful pot today.

OMG, I'm laughing so hard! I just got a text from our Jacob (14 yr old) asking if I had put vodka in the orange juice I left in the refrigerator. He remembered how I warned him to NOT drink Grandma's Orange Juice when he was here last summer because Grandma mixes her vodka & triple sec in it and then just has to pour a drink instead of mixing a new one every time.....

I assured him the OJ in his refrigerator was fine if he wanted it and said, "Thanks for asking....."

LOL

I had to get blood work done this morning and ended up having an early lunch of a small salad with a couple hard cooked eggs.  So I was ready for an early supper ~ especially since my mouth was watering at the thought of the meatloaf I pulled out of the freezer yesterday to thaw.  

And since it was 'classic meatloaf' I decided it only right that I make the oft requested side, mashed potatoes.  I didn't care if there might be some 'booing and hissing' from the peanut gallery about the mashed potatoes....I wanted the 'real deal' ~ and, YES, I MELTED BUTTER ON TOP OF MY POTATOES even though I used butter to make them (as well as stewed onions, sour cream and a splash of buttermilk). OMG ~ SO good! And who doesn't love the look of colorful peas & carrots on a plate?

Actually, any vegetable at all will do, as long as I can smush some mashed potatoes into the vegetable and eat it all together.....peas & carrots, corn, lima beans.....makes no difference. Well, beets aren't really good because they make a sloppy mess of the potatoes, but most any other vegetable is just fine with me.