missdewey's Profile

If you lean Democratic, try Obama's chili (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/04/obamas-chili-recipe_n_89826.html) and beg a home brewer pal to make you some White House Beer (http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/09/01/ale-chief-white-house-beer-recipe).

If you prefer Romney, IDK, Subway?

I have two cats and a dog. They go where they like and I don't bother trying to stop them. (We've taught them that if I'm actively cooking, they can't get on the counters, though the dog is constantly underfoot looking for scraps. It's easy to reinforce this; anytime the cat jumps up, immediately stop and put her on the ground outside the kitchen. They really do stop trying after a while if you are consistent. And dogs can usually be distracted for a few minutes with a treat or a favorite toy.) The counters & stove get wiped down with antibacterial cleaner before we cook anything, and we never leave food out or uncovered. It's probably good practice, anyway, even if you don't have pets. You never know what that stray fly might be carrying or if the ceiling fan is kicking up dust again.

My boyfriend's family has a habit of leaving cooked food out for super long periods of time - even for two days, and still eating it. Leftover pizza never sees the inside of the fridge at his mom's house and it still gets microwaved days later. Pies at Thanksgiving sit uncovered on plates overnight, the turkey and ham are out from 9:00 am or whenever they've finished (usually early, or she has them cooked by a restaurant in advance) until well past midnight, huge bowls of queso sit on the counter all day long, etc. Being a vegetarian helps some, since I'm avoiding most of the dangerous foods, but I still won't touch that pizza and my boyfriend has learned that any leftovers go straight into the fridge when we're at home. (Oddly enough, none of them ever seem to get food poisoning, though I wonder if they'd recognize the symptoms anyway.)

Oh, and his mom gave me a recipe for jelly that he loved as a kid so I could make it. When I was looking up information about water bath canning (it was my first project), she said to just close the jars and they'll seal on their own. That scared the hell out of me, let me tell you!

I'm not sure what to suggest for food, but please make sure to be super, super careful about handling any food a cancer patient will be eating. I'm certain you already realize this but you'd be surprised how many people brought my mom food when she went through chemo, left it sitting out at room temperature when it should've been in the fridge, and then expected her to still eat it. Chemo kills any ability to fight back against a bug, so make sure everything is kept as bacteria-free as possible (i.e., scrub your kitchen down first, keep the kids/pets away, and don't let anything get warm if it shouldn't be).

Best of luck to your friend!

Adding my vote for Corelle. I threw out three entire sets of chipped, scratched, and broken stoneware before I gave in and bought a couple of sets of plain white Corelle. It's been a lifesaver. Never breaks, never chips, never scratches, it's super lightweight and stacks well in small cabinets. I picked up a Rubbermaid pantry shelf from Walmart and now with service for eight, I can fit all of my bowls, plates, salad plates, and serving bowls into the space that was previously taken up by bowls alone. Many of their patterns are cute, but I would probably stick with white and accent with other pieces (pretty serving bowls, colorful linen napkins, cute coffee mugs, etc). White never goes out of fashion.

I'm with the pro-fake meat crowd. It makes going out easier when I can order a veggie burger instead of always being stuck with a salad (most of which have meat on them anyway, and you have to request that it be removed & hope the kitchen doesn't screw it up), and family members who eat meat are more likely to try vegetarian dishes I make if they look like familiar dishes; for example, enchiladas with soy "chicken" are more likely to be devoured at my MIL's house than a dish of roasted veggies.

Also, consider that people who choose not to eat meat might have a difficult time following certain diets without meat substitutes. Boca and Morningstar Farms make it a whole lot easier to lose weight or cut cholesterol than having only eggs, cheese and nuts as protein sources, especially for those amongst us who still don't like tofu.

Alton Brown has a recipe that comes out perfectly every time. If your family/friends aren't into cooking, they will be amazed at your skill after trying these.

My immersion blender, rice cooker, and Kitchenaid stand mixer get more use than anything else I own. The blender just lives on the counter plugged in (with the blade and cup in the cabinet with the glasses to keep it clean) since we use it every other day or so.

As far as cookware goes, though, it's hard to beat a double boiler with a steamer insert: it's small enough to use as a sauce pot, big enough for pasta for two, wonderful for tempering chocolate and perfect for steaming veggies. I have a 3-quart Tramontina that I bought for $32 at Walmart and it's the most useful pan I own besides a skillet.

I'd go with peanut butter and chocolate, chocolate and raspberry, and plain raspberry sorbet to give everyone options (peanut-free, chocolate free, and vegan are all covered by those three flavors). Dress it up a bit by serving it in fancy bowls or by sprinkling it with some pretty toppings: fresh raspberries for the chocolate-raspberry and the sorbet, hot fudge or tiny chocolate & peanut butter chips for the peanut butter-chocolate, and maybe homemade whipped cream on the side?

My mom used to bake this way. I'm not sure why I've never tried it.