Tag: list

Rules of Cooking by PeggyLu

  1. Play some music really loudly, preferably something you kind of like to dance to.  Cooking is hella boring, so you’ll want something to take your mind off of how dull you feel.
  2. There’s probably no such thing as too much garlic.
  3. Always use broth or stock.  It makes people think you know what the hell you’re doing.
  4. Using wine when you cook also makes people think you know what you’re doing.  Bonus, you get to drink the wine while you cook.  Julia Child taught me that.
  5. In every bag of potatoes, there’s always that one that is pretty messed up.  Don’t waste your time trying to cut off the bad parts of that one.  Just throw it away.
  6. Use every dish.
  7. Try not to cook meat or dairy.  There’s less chance that you’ll give everyone food poisoning that way.
  8. Things you just have to leave on the stove or oven for an extended period of time are the best dishes.  It gives you time to do something else while you wait, like straighten your hair or remember where you left your keys.
  9. When it comes to vegetables, don’t peel them.  Not only are all the nutrients and vitamins on the skin, but it saves you a lot of time.  Also, potato peelers are pretty much just knuckle skin shavers.
  10. Impersonating the Swedish Chef from The Muppets is required.
  11. Doing the running man in the kitchen is acceptable.
  12. No one is going to know or even care if you mash the potatoes by hand.  Use a mixer.  Trust me.
  13. In the case of potlucks, don’t be afraid to buy something and put it in a dish.  No one has to know that you didn’t cook it.
  14. Cut every corner you can.
  15. Have fun

I hope you found this helpful.  Good luck getting through the holidays.

Just sayin’.

So Sleepy – Adjustments to New Life

Every night at the new place, The Rock, I sleep a little better. I’m still freaking tired, though, and I am considering taking a nap under my desk. Just a little one. Just a 20 minute power nap.

Things at The Rock are coming along. Last night I enlisted J4 (he lifts heavy things) to come with me to Tar-jay. I managed to pick up an essential item off of The List. I got a serious shelf unit that’s going to serve as my pantry. The kitchen at The Rock is minuscule, to say the least. There’s just one cupboard. I need more space than that, especially as I am planning to be eating in a lot more. Saving money on food is good, ’cause then I can still go out sometimes. (Out? What’s that?)

Anyway, the shelf was supposed to be on sale for $29.99, but unbeknownst to me, only the black was on sale. Not seeing the black on the shelf, but seeing a chrome one, I figured it made no difference. I was a little bit unnerved when it rang up at $59.99 at the register. So, I brought up the difference, the checker called the manager over, determined that it was the wrong one, found someone who confirmed that they had the right one, did I want it?, yes I did, running to go get the right one out of the back. You can see how this quick little run over to Target quickly devolved into chaos. Well, to my joyous surprise, when the correct shelf was finally brought up to the register, the store manager rang me up, and took an additional 10% off. I saved an additional three dollars! Hooray Target!

The List

The move is complete, and the settling in has begun. Every time I’ve moved (4 times in the last 2.5 years), I’ve purged. That’s what everyone always tells you to do. “Moving is a great opportunity to get rid of stuff!” I don’t know whether I really did it because I thought it was smart or because I was just too damn lazy to move all my stuff, but each time I’ve moved, I’ve gotten rid of a lot of stuff. I lived in the same apartment for almost seven years. I had a lot of stuff accumulated. I moved from there to a roommate situation where there was a full kitchen of stuff, to another situation with even more stuff, and then to another situation with still more stuff. Everyone else already had the stuff, so I got rid of mine. Problem is, now that I live alone, I don’t have any stuff.

That’s not exactly accurate. I have plenty of books. But I can’t bake a casserole in a book!

Between the stuff I don’t have, and the particular storage challenges of The Rock, I’ve started compiling a list. Up to this point, the list has existed on a Napoleon Dynamite magnet note pad on my fridge. This afternoon, I started hunting down items from the list on Amazon, and adding them to a special wish list. I don’t have any intention of going out and buying all this stuff new, except where certain size requirements would make it easier to do so. I’m just using Amazon as an electronic means to track my needs. If anyone wanted to get me something for my apartment, I suppose they could track down the wish list, and have it shipped to me. Better yet, though, if any of my friends out there have some of this stuff lying around, and they’ve been meaning to get rid of it . . .

So here’s The List:

pantry shelf unit

step stool/ladder

towel rack with shelf

kitchen garbage can

silverware insert

small frying pan

can opener

dish washing gloves

ironing board hanger

sauce pan with lid

kitchen floor mat/rug

brownie pan (8 inch square Pyrex)

cookie sheet

teakettle

single shelf spice rack

shower caddy

ice cube trays

adjustable garment rack

glass casserole with lid

soup ladle

So, you know, if you’re reading this, and you have something you’d like to donate, please shoot me an email.

Just sayin’.