Chrysalis

OK. Tonight's the night! We're going to try balsamic chicken. But it's too late in the day to do it in the crockpot so I'll cook it in a slow oven. I'll keep you posted. :)

Good job, Mason! Talk about a Nicodemon Smack Down! Wooo Hooo! :yahoo: You must be so pleased with yourself for FINALLY catching on to Nicdemon's tricks and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Yes, it's hard to understand why these feelings can come from out of nowhere especially after such a long quit. But they do happen to everybody. Thank you for sharing your victory with us.

Oh my, yes! When I say "stuffing" I mean I make the whole thing from scratch. I do buy the seasoned bread cubes but then I add diced sauteed celery and onions and cooked Italian sausage and sage and thyme and salt and pepper. I moisten with cream of chicken soup or with chicken broth and then bake it for an hour until the top gets browned and crunchy. Then I serve it with chicken gravy seasoned with soy sauce and curry powder. THAT's the stuffing we like better than we like potatoes. :) Stove top stuffing right out of the box? Probably not so much.

My husband has been chewing nicotine gum since he quit smoking 20 years ago. He's just absolutely miserable without some source of nicotine. At least nicotine has never been shown to cause cancer-- lots of other chemicals in cigarettes cause cancer but not the nicotine itself.

For Pete's sake, Beacon, you live in Miami so what do you expect? South Florida only has 2 seasons-- bake and broil! (LOL!! :D )

Congratulations, Jimmy! You really are a non-smoker now. Good for you!

Well, you limeys, I finally found the definition of "Pimms cup" http://www.chow.com/recipes/10279-pimms-cup However, after listing the ingredients the article goes on to say, "Detractors have likened the earthy mixture to liquid dirt mellowed by iodine..." H-m-m-m, right up there with toad-in-the-hole and spotted dick, eh? You folks sure know how to eat! :)

"...crispy sausages, falling apart burgers and half cooked chicken drumsticks..." Sounds like the barbecues SHOULD have remained all Amerian, too! :D

Tracey! "...bbq's and boating??!!" You are sounding so American! You sound like you're fitting in here seamlessly. Good for you!

That balsamic chicken sounds wonderful, Petra. I have heard a lot about balsamic vinegar but I never tried it. I think I will try this recipe-- it sounds great.

Oh, boy! It's payday! (Well, grocery shopping day was payday, which is more to the point. :) ) Anyway, I splurged and bought fresh sole fillets on sale and some deviled crab. So tonight we had sole stuffed with crab meat, green beans sauteed in butter and garlic, and tater tots (prosaic, but my husband's favorite). Wow! Was that good!

I'm sure that there are social smokers in the world. If I ever meet one, I will ask him/her how their experience of smoking differs from mine. I really don't think that I have ever met one-- I have met people in bars who are too cheap to buy their own cigarettes and so claim to be a "social smoker" so they can bum a cigarette-- but someone who can be around smokers and not smoke except for once in a while (my definition of a "social smoker") no, I haven't met one. Regardless, as MQ says, every single person here is NOT a "social smoker". We are addicts. And just like social drinkers versus alcoholics, one cigarette can send us back into the addiction. We can't do it. By the way, I don't care if Joel Spitzer ever smoked or not. What he says makes a ton of sense. As the adage goes, "Accept the truth from whoever speaks it."

In my house, stuffing beats potatoes any day! No question! If you are undecided, perhaps you need a new stuffing recipe? :)

You folks are all so nice! Thank you so much for your good wishes. I have been very fortunate to have such great traveling companions as we all march along toward freedom and the lido deck. :) I already told my husband that I want champagne and lobster for my one-year anniversary. I want to do that celebration up right! Hugs to all of you-- I think you're just great! (((HUGS!!! :wub: )))

Wow! That's a gorgeous and moving video, beacon! Thanks for posting that! And, yes, a "chrysalis" is the structure within which a caterpillar morphs into a butterfly.

I don't understand what you are objecting to, Bakon. After all, people find themselves "strangely drawn" to you, too, right? :)

As an actor, he was the first TV character (and still one of the only) to epitomize and glorify logic and the intellect. That was an inspiring role model for my generation and I appreciate that. And as man, he always seemed to be pleasant, widely-read, creative and gentlemanly and I appreciate that, too. Good for you, Mr. Nimoy! Rest in Peace.

I had carpal tunnel a few years ago from using a computer mouse all day. My wrist hurt more and more throughout the day to the point where I had could not use the mouse at all. If it kept getting worse, the doctor said that I might need surgery and/or I could end up with permanent nerve damage. I think that the tingling or "asleep" sensation you describe is the beginning of nerve damage. Please consult a doctor about this, preferably an orthopedic doctor. Carpal tunnel is nothing to fool with. In my case, my employer had an ergonomic specialist on staff. She adjusted my desk chair, gave me a track ball mouse, and told me to wear a wrist brace (like this) and my problem went away within a week.

OK. Thanks.

Well, for those of us who like onions in our meatloaf, what do you recommend?

Colleen, what is the "onion mixture" you are referring to?

That's so cool, Scott! I love to see people trying new things and then noodling around to perfect them. I find that really engaging. I'm very happy that your almond butter cups are already very good and I look forward to your report that you got the chocolate consistency the way you want it. And you will; I'm sure of it!

Both of my parents smoked. My father died of a sudden heart attack at age 58. My mother quit smoking at age 60 to please her new boyfriend (and eventual spouse :wub: ) and is still going strong at 93. (Hear that, Tracey? You may have many decades to go. Good news for you and REZ, eh?)

Scott, your entrees all look scrumptious! But tell us... how did the almond butter cups turn out? I'm waiting with bated breath to find out. (I think you are wonderfully creative! :) )

"Broth" is water that something was cooked in. So, for example, after you boil beef (usually with onions, celery and spices) the cooking water is called "beef broth". The water from cooking chicken is "chicken broth". I think it may also be called "consumme" but I might be wrong about that. Broth, however, is NOT the same as "bullion". Bullion is an artificially flavored yeast extract that many people use instead of broth because it's cheaper and easier than broth (clearly, I'm a bit of a culinary snob :) ).