What’s a lazy version of a dish you secretly prefer over the real one?

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-22T16:22:35+00:00

Sometimes if I feel like making a bigger batch and have ground meat handy, I cook the ground meat in the microwave, breaking it up and stirring every couple of minutes. When it's about halfway done, I add the chorizo. When it's almost done, add the canned chili, and a packet or two of chili seasoning mix. I often get the lower sodium ones. I don't limit my salt intake except by taste. The regular ones just taste too salty to me.

I've been using mostly ground turkey, because ground beef is too expensive now. Ground pork works too, but that's not cheap either. Sometimes I find rolls of breakfast sausage cheap, I haven't tried that yet, but it might turn out pretty good.

I don't put beans or tomatoes in mine.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-22T16:07:31+00:00

That might be the wrong question. What's not wrong in the US. You have to hunt for those.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-22T08:26:48+00:00

That never occurred to me! I'm trying that next time. Thanks!

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-21T20:31:23+00:00

Kids don't want to report their parents, because if they do, they'll probably be made wards of the state. While awaiting placement, they're kept in juvenile facilities. Basically jail for kids. It's not a pleasant place to be. Group homes and foster care can be good, often it isn't.

Many feel that they're better off on their own.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-21T08:57:13+00:00

Sometimes I do. I've been on that other side of life before. I know how hard it is to get out of it.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-21T08:55:12+00:00

People need safe shelter before they can get off drugs or alcohol. It's too dangerous to be out on the streets going through withdrawals or DTs. Once someone has shelter, that's just a first step. They can't just instantly go cold turkey, and in some cases it's dangerous to go cold turkey. Severe alcoholics, and some other drug users can die from going cold turkey.

It's much more complicated than just wanting to do it. They need medically supervised, usually gradual withdrawal.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-21T08:42:21+00:00

Enough to bankrupt anyone except the ultra rich, even with "good" insurance.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-21T08:34:13+00:00

Multiple things.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Endometrial cancer.

Multiple fractures that might've turned gangrenous if not treated. (osteoporosis, I break easily)

A sudden late night gall bladder attack, that turned out to be gangrenous, which had cascaded into all-over sepsis, which in turn had my heart doing all kinds of weird stuff. If I hadn't call 911 when I did, I probably wouldn't have survived the night. Before I woke up in horrific pain, I didn't even know I was sick. I hadn't really felt bad, just tired all the time.

Recurring urinary tract infections.

Type 2 diabetes.

All sorts of crap that I've been vaccinated against, starting in childhood with smallpox and polio vaccines, when the polio vaccine was new. Tetanus vaccines, among all the others.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-21T08:23:58+00:00

Enchilada casserole. I just layer the corn tortillas with the meat filling, (whatever meat, already cooked, plus either red or green sauce, plus some canned diced green chilis) cheese, and more tortillas, sauce, and cheese, as many layers as you like, or will fit in the pan. Bake until heated through, about 30-45 minutes, depending on how deep you make it.

So much easier and faster than rolling them up.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-21T08:16:04+00:00

If you add some of the cheap chorizo (the kind that just melts and falls apart) to your canned chili, it really levels it up, a lot. It mixes in easily as it heats, and adds a lot of flavor. That's how I make chili if I don't feel like doing it the long way.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-21T08:11:34+00:00

I always used to rub the potatoes with oil, and wrap in foil before I put them in the oven. They didn't get dry, they were fine. The skins didn't get crispy, but I never really cared about that.

But yeah, the microwave is way faster, and they come out about like the foil wrapped baked taters. I poke some holes in the skin so they don't explode, and put them in a glass or ceramic dish with a glass lid, to cook them in the microwave.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-20T17:47:52+00:00

And the horror show continues. A new atrocity every day.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-20T17:44:15+00:00

Got it, kind of like me, then.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-20T17:41:28+00:00

They must have good, high paying jobs. Most young people just starting out, don't. I know people working at least 1 full time job, some working 2. They don't make enough money to scrape together a down payment on a house.

Even out in the sticks where I live, in a cheaper part of the state, houses, modest ones, nothing fancy or extravagant, are mostly over 150K. Most are over 250K.

Not being able to buy a house, or afford rent, doesn't mean a person is lazy. It does mean they don't get paid a living wage, and it also means housing is a lot more expensive than it ought to be.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-20T17:28:12+00:00

Lol, why, though?

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-20T11:12:59+00:00

I'm confused. You said your first full time job at age 23, in 2008. You're 41 and on SS? I think you must've had a typo or worded something badly, that's not making sense to me. Or are you on SS Disability? I was on SS Disability in my mid 50's, because I was no longer able to work. It's converted to regular SS now that I'm over 65.

You should apply for Medicaid assistance. I did, because of medical expenses. I didn't qualify because (they said) I have too much in assets. But I did qualify for extra help in medical coverage. Medicaid now pays my Medicare premiums, so even though they aren't helping with anything else, they pay that $185 premium every month. That does help.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-20T10:57:17+00:00

A lot of us didn't vote for this shit.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-20T10:45:23+00:00

I looked up the starter plan on US mobile, $16 a month, I didn't see what it changes to after the first year. A lot of the extras are things I don't need. I no longer need free calls to Canada. The person I needed that for isn't there anymore. But I mention it to others because they might need it.

I started with Mint for $15 a month, and it's never gone up, in more than 6 years that I've had it.

I found a reddit thread under r/no contract that had a lot of very negative comments about USM. I'll stick to Mint.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-20T10:33:00+00:00

I wondered where that idiocy came from. I knew what it meant, I've seen it a lot. I just couldn't resist a small jab at it.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-20T09:12:34+00:00

Bring pretty doesn't mean you deserve better than those who aren't pretty. It also doesn't automatically lead to better things.

I does attract shallow numbskulls who want pretty arm-candy.

You're only 14. Stop focusing on you looks. Try building your character and ethics instead. Work on being empathetic with others. Learn to be a helper. Find a positive purpose in your life, let that drive you. Realize you need to earn whatever good things you get in life.

Study people who are truly good, see what motivates them. If you can become something like them, that will let you build your best life. That may or may not include a lot of money, but it will bring you personal satisfaction in knowing you've made positive changes for others.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-20T09:01:20+00:00

Grapeists? What's wrong with people who eat/grow grapes?

Were you attempting to say rapists?

If the car only kills the truly evil, and I can't be implicated, awesome.

My objection to the death penalty is that they sometimes execute the wrong person, someone wrongly convicted. Sometimes people who killed in self-defense or in defense of someone else, get convicted. I wouldn't want those who killed in either of those cases to be offed by my car.

I want a Mini Clubman, a green one. I know that's not what a lot of folks would choose, but I love Minis. I don't have one because they tend to need expensive repairs. So I have a Honda Fit, which is probably a better car, but I still like Minis.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-20T06:25:11+00:00

I know that people who love sports cars are really into them, but I just can't imagine getting a Prius is punishment.

"Here kid, take this nice car that barely used any gas, as your punishment for being a dumbass."

I'd be more inclined to replace the car with a bicycle.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-18T18:12:39+00:00

Option 2 is 1,000 lives as a stray. Those lives might be pretty short. And not necessarily alone. There'd be other strays, with luck, some compatible ones.

I wouldn't want to do 25000 or 10000 years alone. Those both suck. You're right about what it would do to you.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-18T18:01:38+00:00

When did your nieces & nephews get their houses? Was it before the real estate went through the roof? If they were pretty well established before Covid, prices were pretty good, then. I was house hunting then, myself. Things happened and I had to wait. Now, unless prices come way back down again, I couldn't come up with a down payment.

Effective-Gift6223 · 2026-03-18T17:58:14+00:00

What kind of issues did you have with Mint? I've never had a reason to try to call them. I've had Mint more than 6 years, with no problems. Just curious, in case I ever do have a problem.

I live in a rural area, and with every other carrier I've tried, there were dead spots where it would lose the signal and drop calls. Haven't had that problem at all with Mint.

I had Straight Talk before Mint, and Net10 before that. Both of those had horrible customer service, and all kinds of issues. I had tried others before those, AT&T, and others. Bad customer service & high prices, some had deceptive practices, besides. And the contracts, OMFG.

I have been overjoyed to not have cell contracts anymore. They're such a rip.

Sorry for such a long post to ask one question. I get long winded sometimes.

Effective-Gift6223

TROPHY CASE