Foods

[MysticalDescent]

For me, it's always been breakfast, followed by lunch, followed by tea. That makes it look like a three course breakfast. You all know what I mean. Dinner never, ever, ever refers to tea, but can refer to lunch sometimes. It's not something I've heard lately though.

[Nyperold]

Someone once made a map of the United States, showing what term the majority of people in each county (or parish, in the case of Louisiana) used to refer to carbonated soft drinks in general (soda, pop, coke, other), and by what percentage range.

I wonder if anyone's done something similar for what dinner means.

[jvcc]

I say "pop" in general, but will occasionally say "soda" if I think it will sound better in the sentence or I'm talking to someone who's not from the Midwest.

[Skimba]

Midwest words that have made it to Colorado that I had to interpret when I first moved here:
pop = soda
buggy = shopping cart
sack = bag
Would I like my pop in a sack? Oh...ummm...No,...thank you?
Also, natives (as they call themselves) do not pronounce their w's very well. The name Dawn sounds exactly like the name Don to my ears.
However, being from Philly, I (apparently) over pronounce them. To Coloradoians, when I say Dawn, it sounds to them like Dawwwn.
Oh wait, this is about foods. Umm....that comic in the other thread made me crave a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which is what I am having for breakfast today. Peanut butter on the bottom, of course.

P.S. When I first typed jelly, I mis-typed it as jekky. Peanut butter and jekky.

[jvcc]

Midwest words that have made it to Colorado that I had to interpret when I first moved here:
pop = soda
buggy = shopping cart
sack = bag

I say neither "buggy" nor "sack". I did recently refer to a shopping cart as a "trolley", unthinkingly, and was soundly mocked for it by my fellow Americans.

Also, natives (as they call themselves) do not pronounce their w's very well. The name Dawn sounds exactly like the name Don to my ears.

I have a problem pronouncing them differently, but I know other Midwesterners who can say "Dawn" correctly.

[James]

Soda poop.

[EvilJekyll]

P.S. When I first typed jelly, I mis-typed it as jekky. Peanut butter and jekky.

That made me think of draculahunter and his honey. I miss him.

[Nyperold]

You mean a shopping trolley isn't just how King Friday gets his groceries?

[fanelian]

Fat free oreos are not good

Good sugar free cookies: Voortman brand, most of them are delicious. I've only see them at Walmart, though. If you want a close approximation to original oreos without sugar, Murray's version is fairly good. The internet tells me there are actual Oreo brand cookies that are sugar free, but I haven't found them in the actual store.

Also good, Russell Stover sugar free chocolates. I specially like the coconut ones.

Oh, and Blue bunny sugar free ice creams are excellent, too.

All of the above have splenda on them, so if you are against it, sorry, but I haven't found anything else that does not have sugar or splenda and is still tasty.

[loofah]

Fat free oreos are not good

Good sugar free cookies: Voortman brand, most of them are delicious. I've only see them at Walmart, though. If you want a close approximation to original oreos without sugar, Murray's version is fairly good. The internet tells me there are actual Oreo brand cookies that are sugar free, but I haven't found them in the actual store.

Also good, Russell Stover sugar free chocolates. I specially like the coconut ones.

Oh, and Blue bunny sugar free ice creams are excellent, too.

All of the above have splenda on them, so if you are against it, sorry, but I haven't found anything else that does not have sugar or splenda and is still tasty.

I really like Joseph's pecan shortbread cookies. They're a lot like Pecan Sandies, but made with maltitol.
http://www.josephslitecookies.com/index ... entCatID=1

[badplantmommy]

I wonder if anybody makes instant hot chocolate with Splenda or even stevia? I'd like a low calorie hot choccy this winter, but I'd rather not ingest any of the other non-sugar sweeteners. I've even thought of trying to make my own, with the kind of cocoa powder I use for baking.

[Skimba]

Yesterday I made vegetarian gravy for stuffing/dressing I made a day or two ago. Now I want to eat it on everything.
I followed a recipe I got online the first time I made it and it was OK. The second time better. This time I think it's pretty awesome (as does catass) and I'm sticking to my new recipe from now on.
If anyone ever would like a recipe for vegetarian (not vegan-it uses a butter substance) gravy, just let me know.
I should specify that this is a vegetarian brown gravy. I already knew how to make a kicking vegetarian white gravy. Essentially, all white gravy is vegetarian, it's just that most people and places add sausage or bacon.

[EvilJekyll]

Please share! I would like to try this.

[chrismachine]

I have a vegetarian SIL so that would be helpful

[Skimba]

I had pool league last night. Will add recipe tonight.

[jvcc]

I should specify that this is a vegetarian brown gravy. I already knew how to make a kicking vegetarian white gravy. Essentially, all white gravy is vegetarian, it's just that most people and places add sausage or bacon.

Morning Star makes a good vegetarian sausage. I've never tried their bacon.

[Skimba]

Their facon is pretty darn good also.

[ntw3001]

I have a kitchen to use myself now! Well it's between four of us, but I seem to be the only one who makes anything more complicated than 'pan of beef mince with a fork in it'. The problem is that the only working part of the oven is the hob (well, two of the hobs), so there's a limit to what I can do. But I have learned that pan-friend pork liver is cost-effective. Reading up I learn that it's got all sorts of useful nutrients too! And also most of the cholestrol a person can ever ever eat, so I can't cook it too much. But, uh, yeah, it's a good meat for someone on a haven't-started-work-yet budget. Gonna marinade it in soy sauce and fry up wit rice ta see whut happens yo

[chrismachine]

If you're looking for cost-effective, get a crock-pot and get the roomies to pitch in a few bucks for huge meals that will feed you several times over. Chili and pulled pork are personal favourites.

[loofah]

Cheap and nutritious? Beans & rice, bean & veggie soup, daals, lentils and spinach with caramelized onions, refried beans.... Consider me the bubba gump of pulses.

Also, toaster ovens are a great alternative to regular ovens. I haven't used my regular oven in at least 5 years.

[Skimba]

Vegetarian Gravy - Skimba style

1 tablespoon butter or margarine (I use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter - Light)
1/4 cup minced onion (whatever kind you like, just not sweet onion)
3 cloves minced garlic or 3 teaspoons jarred minced or chopped garlic
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons low-salt/light soy sauce
4 cups vegetable stock (I recommend bouillon cubes - 3 cubes to 4 cups water; cooked as directed)
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Pepper to taste

Saute the onion and garlic in the butter until onions become translucent (about 3 min.). Add to vegetable stock and set aside. In a medium sauce pot add flour and cook until the flour becomes light brown and toasted (usually when it starts to barely smoke); stirring very frequently. Whisk in stock onion/garlic mixture and soy sauce, pepper, (if using dried parsley, add at this time also), whisking frequently until mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.
If using fresh parsley, add after the first boil.
Cook for about 2 more minutes.
If gravy is too thick, add more water/stock a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.
If gravy is too thin, cook longer. It will thicken upon standing.

Any questions, let me know!

Added bonus easy/quick recipe:
1 cup Elbow Macaroni
1 large can (28oz.) peeled and diced tomatoes
1 small can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (7oz.) chopped or diced green chilies
2/3 cup frozen corn
1 teaspoon cumin
1 package vegetarian burger crumbles (optional - it is good with or without the fake meat)
Salt - about 1/2 teaspoon and Pepper - about 1 teaspoon - always to what you want to add/to taste.

Make 1 cup elbow macaroni as directed, drain and set aside.
In large cooking pot add crumbles and cook until thawed. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chilies and cumin.
Cook until a boil starts. Add the salt, pepper, corn and macaroni and cook until heated through.
Enjoy!
Shredded cheese is also very good on top of a bowl of this.

[giantsfan97]

Their falcon is pretty darn good also.

wtf is wrong with you

[Dusk]

WARNING: The following post contains health issues and adult themes.

I've had some health issues for a while now. Nothing life threatening, but I've had a fair amount of discomfort and pain in my abdominal area.
Initially I thought it was a hernia, because all of the symptoms were there. The doctor found nothing and a couple of hundred bucks worth of tests came up blank, althought I still get to have a camera up my butt at some stage. Woo!
So the doctor suggests (in a rather throwaway manner) that I give up gluten for a while and see how that goes for me.

Firstly, I just want to say to all my non-gluten friends that I now understand the [swear]bullhonky[/swear] you go through every day. That stuff is in freakin' everything.
What an incredibly limiting experience.. and the prices you are forced to pay for gluten free biscuits, cereals, pasta etc etc are outrageous.
Anyway.. it made me realise how much bread I eat and how much carbs I ingest and how much harder I have to work to stop myself expanding.
After two weeks:
- My mood had lifted considerably. Whether this is a direct result or a by-product of all the other benefits, I don't know, but I'm not complaining.
- My pants keep falling down. I don't weigh myself, but I've definitely lost weight in that short period of time.
- All discomfort is gone.
- I'm not as hungry.
- I'm not crashing at my desk in the afternoon.
- Then there's the poop. I took a beautiful dump the other day. The sort of dump I haven't had since I was a kid. Magical.

So, even though I don't seem to be coeliac (I have another appointment this afternoon to organise more tests), this exercise has definitely been beneficial.
I am probably the most skeptical and resistant-to-change person you'll meet when it comes to altering my lifestyle, but this seems to have really worked for me. YMMV.

[jvcc]

When I was just a child myself yet still doing childcare with my brother at our old church, we used to give the kids snacks. It was common knowledge amongst the parents that we did so. One day a parent came to pick up her child and became panicked when she found out that we had given her son animal crackers or some equivalent snack because he was allergic to gluten. She examined the package and saw that it was gluten-free. I was of course relieved and contrite at the time, but that seems like the sort of allergy you'd alert childcare staff to. It's not like he was allergic to seafood and we made the kids an impromptu lobster dinner. Gluten is, as you, in everything.

[Zombie Protestor]

Gluten is, as you, in everything.

Dusk is in everything. That's either an innuendo to his promiscuity or you know some terrible cannibalistic secret.

"Oh, relax kids. I’ve got a gut feeling Uter’s around here somewhere. After all, isn’t there a little Uter in all of us? In fact, you might even say we just ate Uter, and he’s in our stomachs right now! Wait, scratch that one."