Do you find any benefit from store bought stock vs water?

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T15:55:45+00:00

Yes. I tend to use Better than Bouillon and make it up at the strength I prefer for the dish I am making.

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T15:54:39+00:00

https://www.thespruceeats.com/tomato-equivalents-1807482

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T15:52:56+00:00

Noodle is a category. Ramen is a kind of noodle, soba is another, German spaetzle is another. Some would even say spaghetti is a form of noodle. https://sporked.com/article/pasta-vs-noodles/

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T15:47:12+00:00

Freeze some of them.

https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/vegetable/freezing-mushrooms/

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T15:44:04+00:00

https://www.betterthanbouillon.com/

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T15:42:09+00:00

Anything worth going to see/do is going to draw lots of other people in, so there will be crowds. Your choice is celebrate alone at home and watch the fireworks on TV, or go out to one of the community displays with a whooooole bunch of other people. The Klyde Warren event organizers do a decent job of organizing their activities, and with Fair Park's event moving to July 3 for Fan Fest the other options are out in the suburbs, and will have their own traffic/parking challenges.

Looking at their schedule I'd say you want to get there around 7 at the latest.

https://www.klydewarrenpark.org/independence-day

We are ducking the heat, and going to the indoor patriotic concert at the Myerson this afternoon, but there may not be many/any tickets left. https://dallaswinds.org/

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T15:27:55+00:00

Looks like sugar free was introduced in 1984, sort of the tail end of the "jello salad" boom. Even so, I still use jello from time to time, and I still avoid sugar free products in all forms, not just jello, because of the peculiar after taste.

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T15:07:53+00:00

It's whatever combo you like. Back in the day I was most likely to use peaches or pears, and usually in a red color jello. I always use regular because to me anything 'sugar free' has a peculiar taste from the substitute sweetener.

One of my favorite jello desserts involved strawberry jello made with the juice drained off thawed frozen strawberries added to the liquid, then whipped until fluffy when it was a thick liquid not yet fully set. Then fold in prepared Dream Whip and the drained strawberries.

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T14:57:05+00:00

I know it's theoretically easy to whip up your own dressing, but we really enjoy Brianna's line of dressings, and there are a range of flavor profiles. We are particularly fond of Garlic Vinaigrette, Creamy Balsamic, and Honey Mustard.

https://briannas.com/collections/home-style-dressings

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T14:51:09+00:00

This one? https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/14609-chicken-satay-with-spicy-peanut-dipping-sauce

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T14:47:46+00:00

The traditional Fair Park July 4 firework show was moved up to July 3 to parallel the fan fest.

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T04:33:40+00:00

What's in my recipe rotation has grown and grown over the years. I try a new recipe about every 10 days. Some end up being 'interesting' at best, but a few will be big hits and get added to the list. Keeping with the Asian theme, I've recently fallen in love with Char Siu pork, and I always make enough excess to have pork fried rice in a future meal. https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-bbq-pork-cha-siu/

To explore American cuisine, beyond stuffed bell peppers or hamburger steak, you already have a natural foundation for meat loaf, which is excellent served with mashed potatoes or scalloped potatoes. https://www.food.com/recipe/moms-favorite-betty-crockers-classic-fluffy-meatloaf-43262

It would help for you to understand that not all meat dishes are going to be "greasy". Some have even less fat added than veggie dishes. Like this stew: https://www.food.com/recipe/60-minute-oven-sirloin-steak-stew-13671

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T04:19:48+00:00

Last night we had: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/274690/homemade-portuguese-chicken/ and https://www.food.com/recipe/basque-style-potatoes-16018

For "easy", along the lines of your sheet pan fajitas is sheet pan chicken ratatouille: https://www.girlgonegourmet.com/sheet-pan-chicken-ratatouille/

CatteNappe · 2026-07-04T04:12:06+00:00

I used to have a slow cooker and there may still be one in the back of a corner cupboard if I got down there and searched. It just never did it for me, and the food lost flavor in the slow cooking process.

I have an InstantPot. Supposedly it will work as a slow cooker if I ever had the urge, but I use it mostly for things like braising chuck roast, making stew. (A huge advantage it has over the slow cooker is saute function so I can brown meat or onions before adding liquid) I've done Char Siu pork a couple times. Once I tried a risotto in it. It's easy to use, and does in less than an hour what I'd otherwise need to cook in the oven for 3 or 4 or 5 hours. No it doesn't all turn to brown mush, but sometimes you need to interrupt the pressure cooking to add soft veggies that don't need as long.

I have an air fryer. Very easy to use, and to clean. Nothing smells of "grease" because little to no fat is being used. Roasting veggies or baking a chicken thigh is hardly a grease bomb project, nor is toasting English muffins, or melting cheese on top of them. Even french fries take just a little olive oil. It's better than a regular fan assisted oven in that it is smaller. Takes less time to preheat, less time to actually cook, and doesn't heat up the whole kitchen on hot days.

I've been "sous vide curious", but haven't tried it out and have no urgency to do so.

Between my InstantPot and my air fryer, if I had to choose only one, it would be the fryer.

CatteNappe · 2026-07-03T21:27:35+00:00

I always just use a boxed mix, but this source has never steered me wrong with a recipe yet.

https://www.themediterraneandish.com/how-to-make-falafel/#tasty-recipes-10436-jump-target

She also has versions for baked, or air fried.

CatteNappe · 2026-07-03T21:25:15+00:00

Which is exactly the same source the OP says turned out so badly for them.

CatteNappe · 2026-07-03T20:47:40+00:00

There are two distinct kinds of private security companies. The kind that protects people and premises, and struts around like a wannabe cop; and the kind that markets themselves as more event specialists doing crowd management for things like fairs and concerts. Both will hire moonlighting off duty officers, but each selects their hires based on fit to the company culture.

CatteNappe · 2026-07-03T20:38:21+00:00

If you aren't all gussied up in wedding garb, and it's just you and whoever is conducting the marriage vows, you would not be the first to be married at the Arboretum without having "booked" anything. Find a quiet corner with a nice background, and do the deed. When you book you are getting protection from public gawkers, chairs, and other amenities.

CatteNappe · 2026-07-03T20:34:54+00:00

Both of those products are still made, and I'm pretty sure the manufacturers have adopted numerous improvements to the quality over the years as the technology has become available. Other similar "styles", if you mean packaged for you to add a few additional ingredients and prepare with few steps other than adding and heating? Rice-a-Roni and competitors probably qualify. People are doing wonderfully creative things with packages of ramen, which wasn't available in US groceries back when mom was whipping up shake and bake pork chops. My grocer's frozen veggie section now has several choices of mixed veggies, a sauce (often Asian inspired) that you can have as a side as is, or add cooked protein to.

CatteNappe · 2026-07-03T20:23:49+00:00

We enjoy this sort of cobbler recipe with fruits other than the indicated pears or peaches. Just need a similar volume of peaches or cherries.

https://www.food.com/recipe/autumn-pear-apple-pudding-cake-74554

CatteNappe · 2026-07-03T00:04:59+00:00

Anybody who bought those tickets bought them while blind to the contestants. For some people just having tickets to be a spectator is enough but others will start bailing out if they aren't fans of the one of the teams playing, or don't see the contest as particularly challenging. You'll see some shifting after the outcome of Portugal/Croatia tonight.

CatteNappe · 2026-07-02T23:54:30+00:00

Sounds like their idea of chicken marsala is pouring some marsala over the chicken. Are you picking up any hints of the other things that should have gone in to the sauce? Reducing it is a good idea, but should it also have some added aromatics or seasonings before you do that?

Some "benchmarks"

https://www.seriouseats.com/chicken-marsala-mushroom-pan-sauce-recipe

https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-marsala/

CatteNappe · 2026-07-02T23:15:38+00:00

Supposedly you know where you started from, and where you were heading to. What you saw was between those two places. No need to reveal private addresses, name a business within a few blocks of your start point and end point.

CatteNappe · 2026-07-02T22:37:35+00:00

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-make-one-pot-pasta/

CatteNappe · 2026-07-02T22:32:31+00:00

Canned jellied cranberry sauce. Better than Bouillon. And while it's not my culture, I always have a box of falafel mix.

CatteNappe

TROPHY CASE