"Here, I thought you might like this."

One word: Vile.

Buddy kinda liked it, though.

Admittedly, the more you eat, the better it tastes. I know this because it's weirdly addicting.

But still...

Oh, So, Glamorous.

Not.

I haven't cooked, worked, in a restaurant kitchen since 1995.

I've been out of the game for a loooong time.

Suffice it to say that I did my time on the line, such as it was, in a low volume roadside cafe, before Food Network became what it is today, and before being a chef appeared to be such a glamorous profession to so many.

I started out as a dishwasher. Trust me when I say that I have no illusions. No illusions at all about the glamorous life, and working conditions, to be found in a restaurant kitchen.

Obviously my experiences were nowhere close to those of Anthony Bourdain. But, I could still somewhat relate to his book, Kitchen Confidential, back when I first read it.  Because of that, I've always been a little fond of his irascible self.



Available at $1.99, for one day only, today, and yes there are not many more hours left in today as I type this post, as Amazon's Kindle Daily Deal. Yes, I am an Amazon Associate. Why not? I'm a Prime member, and I love reading Kindle (Software for PC, for me) books, and shopping Amazon, myself.

If you're not offended by Anthony Bourdain, I recommend this book at a higher, or the regular, price. But, if you're already offended by Mr. Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential is not going to endear him to you.

Why is it...

that recipes calling for evaporated milk, include in the recipe a note about how, indeed, you need evaporated milk and NOT sweetened condensed milk? Recipes calling for sweetened condensed milk often do the same thing.

Why is that?

The can sizes, in my experience, are different. The labeling is different. And, once you open the can, the milks certainly look different from each other.

Is this really such a common problem, that we need a warning in each recipe we come across that calls for one or the other? Has it even ever been a problem, except, perhaps, for when canned milk products were newly introduced to the general public? 

If I Didn't Have Running Water In My Kitchen...

It would change the way I cook. They way we eat. I think it would have to...

I'm thinking about this, because, at present, my kitchen sink (the faucet) is non-functional. 

I've been having  trouble with it for months, but it actually broke on Saturday. A "quick" trip to Lowe's (this "quick" trip involved a couple of  hours of driving time, because I don't live close to shopping), and it appears it's going to take another "quick" trip to Lowe's to once again have a functional kitchen faucet, and thus, running water, in my kitchen.

Why? 

I didn't actually go to Lowe's, my husband did, and the faucet he bought is obviously, to me, a return. The new (to us) Delta faucet is missing the piece that connects the sprayer hose to the other hose(s) under the sink. I think. I'm not clear on the details. But, I have been assured, that, because of the illogical design (and that's my opinion, not that of the person who did the assuring), we can't just bypass the sprayer, for now. We have to actually have the missing piece before we can complete the installation of the faucet and restore running water to my kitchen.

It just so happens we don't have any full-size paper plates.

I have a dishwasher, so I could just run that, and not have to wash dishes in the bathroom, right? No. Wrong. I have a portable dishwasher. I have to actually, physically, hook it up to the faucet. No kitchen faucet? No dishwasher.

I'm frustrated and irritated. The kitchen is a mess, and I'm avoiding it.

I didn't realize it before now, but I take running water for granted in my kitchen. I really, really, do.

I remember that my great grandparents, on my mother's side, never had a bathroom in their farmhouse. I wonder now if they didn't have running water in the kitchen?

It's Never Too Early To Make A Wishlist...

Dear Santa,

I would like a scribe and a photographer.  

I'll leave cookies.

Carrie

P.S.  A tech person would be a nice stocking stuffer.

On Cake Balls...

Cake Balls.

So, you want me to take cake, and frosting, and mush it all up together in a little ball. Then, you want me to coat it, and decorate it. OK, fine. It’s cute. I think it’s a waste of food, but it’s a cute decoration. But, wait, what? You want me to eat it? Oh, no, no, no! Yuck! Do you think I missed the part where perfectly good cake (well, if it didn’t come from a mix) is mushed together with perfectly good frosting (well, if it didn’t come from a can) and rolled around? Ick? Why? Ick! No thank you!

Guilty Pleasure?

Nada. Nothing. Not a single thing. I don't believe in feeling guilt over food (except when I waste it, and even then I've been cutting myself a lot of slack over that lately). I eat what I want, when I want (if I can afford it, and if I can find it or make it).