What little things drive you completely up the wall....?

[Piratelvr1121]

I knew a guy like that who was about to turn down chicken cooked in red wine vinaigrette but once he realized it was salad dressing, not actual red wine (he'd misheard us) he was fine with it.   But that I can understand as the taste could be a trigger and make them want to actually drink.   

A guy I knew said he once cooked a pizza with beer in the dough and a guy in his group was a recovering alcoholic. He told the guy "Well the heat burns off the alcohol" the guy said it didn't matter, it was the flavor that could tempt him. 

I don't think GMIL is a recovering alchoholic. Actually I think she's never had anything alcoholic, and my IL's rarely drink, but they don't completely abstain.

[magicdomino]

Yesterday I had to go look for a cheesecloth so DH could make mulled cider on Christmas.  Checked my usual store's bakery aisle since well, those things are usually used for baking, right? Not a sign of them there.  I checked in the aisle with the saran wrap/reynold's wrap, etc cause well it's a wrap, sort of and there are also canning supplies and while I've never canned, well...there might be a use there?  I asked someone where I could find them and she suggested the bakery aisle or a display near the butcher/meat section so I checked there.  No dice.   But they did have it at Bed, Bath & Beyond, where I'm sure I paid more than I would have at the grocery store. 

One of my better Ebay investments was a bolt of cheesecloth (50 yards, I think).  It is a nice grade of cheesecloth purchased for making ghosts and other Halloween decorations, but it is also excellent for kitchen use.  The bolt was expensive, but it works out much cheaper than the little packages that seem to wander around the grocery store, and is of better quality.  Whenever I run out in the kitchen, I pull out the bolt and cut off a few pieces.

[BabylonSister]

Just an FYI: Not all alcohol gets burned during cooking. Here's a chart that shows how much remains based on the type and time of cooking:


http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blalcohol12.htm

[Outdoor Girl]

Yesterday I had to go look for a cheesecloth so DH could make mulled cider on Christmas.  Checked my usual store's bakery aisle since well, those things are usually used for baking, right? Not a sign of them there.  I checked in the aisle with the saran wrap/reynold's wrap, etc cause well it's a wrap, sort of and there are also canning supplies and while I've never canned, well...there might be a use there?  I asked someone where I could find them and she suggested the bakery aisle or a display near the butcher/meat section so I checked there.  No dice.   But they did have it at Bed, Bath & Beyond, where I'm sure I paid more than I would have at the grocery store. 

One of my better Ebay investments was a bolt of cheesecloth (50 yards, I think).  It is a nice grade of cheesecloth purchased for making ghosts and other Halloween decorations, but it is also excellent for kitchen use.  The bolt was expensive, but it works out much cheaper than the little packages that seem to wander around the grocery store, and is of better quality.  Whenever I run out in the kitchen, I pull out the bolt and cut off a few pieces.

I bought this neat little cage thing, like a tea bell but bigger, at Lee Valley.  It is meant to be used for mulling spices or for spices in soups and stews and chili, so you don't have to go fishing for the dang bay leaf.  It wasn't overly expensive and if you do a lot of spice bags with cheesecloth, it is probably eventually more economic.

[AllyKat]

People who keep asking all kinds of questions during a movie.  I you just shut up and listen, you'll be able to follow.

I hate this! I'm watching a tv series with my roommate right now (first time for her, third or so for me). Today we watched an episode that is...kind of confusing. It's got a non-linear timeline and jumps around a lot. But everything gets explained at the end. My roommate kept asking me what was going on, how that had happened, who this person was, etc. And she kept asking for spoilers, when that would ruin the point of the episode. So annoying! I just wanted to watch the episode and enjoy myself.

[Kendo_Bunny]

When someone who is a position to change things makes an enormous generalization. "I don't think I'd be healthy if I could eat ice cream whenever I wanted, so I'm going to raise the tax on ice cream! I wasn't very responsible in college, so college students shouldn't get certain privileges!"

Geez, Mr. Lawmaker, why don't you go meet every single one of your constituents and find out how many of them are irresponsible ice cream-gobblers?

[AustenFan]

Just an FYI: Not all alcohol gets burned during cooking. Here's a chart that shows how much remains based on the type and time of cooking:


http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blalcohol12.htm

Thank you! It drives me up the wall when people claim the alcohol is burned off in the cooking process!

[Redsoil]

This thrice-bedamned assignment I'm doing at present.  Absolutely HATE this particular one - head's about to explode, and the questions are just mind-boggling - so much required in every single section (11 different sections, each requiring ever more info than the last), nitpicky pain in the derriere this horrible thing is!!!  HATE HATE HATE!!!

[Emmy]

I am expecting a child and went to a new OB.  When I finished my first appointment, I asked them about scheduling a second one and they handed me a card with the number of a person who coordinates appointments and told me to call.  So now I am in a game of phone tag, I had called her twice and she returned my call twice thus far and we still haven't gotten in touch.  It would be so much less annoying if I was just able to make an appointment in person before leaving the office (and I'm sure much less of their time would be wasted trying to return calls).

[Elfmama]

When someone who is a position to change things makes an enormous generalization. "I don't think I'd be healthy if I could eat ice cream whenever I wanted, so I'm going to raise the tax on ice cream! I wasn't very responsible in college, so college students shouldn't get certain privileges!"

Geez, Mr. Lawmaker, why don't you go meet every single one of your constituents and find out how many of them are irresponsible ice cream-gobblers?

Like that idiot who wanted ALL of New York City's restaurants to stop using salt in their cooking.  His father was on a salt-free diet, so EVERYBODY should stop using salt!  He said, "Well, if people really want salt, they can sprinkle some on at the table."   

It was clear that he had NEVER done any cooking or baking, or he would know that adding salt during preparation and adding salt after the food is cooked gives you completely different flavors, even in something as simple as fried eggs.  Are you going to sprinkle salt on your chocolate chip cookies or your lemon-meringue pie, buddy?  How are you going to control the yeast-rise during bread baking without salt? 

[Diane AKA Traska]

When someone who is a position to change things makes an enormous generalization. "I don't think I'd be healthy if I could eat ice cream whenever I wanted, so I'm going to raise the tax on ice cream! I wasn't very responsible in college, so college students shouldn't get certain privileges!"

Geez, Mr. Lawmaker, why don't you go meet every single one of your constituents and find out how many of them are irresponsible ice cream-gobblers?

Like that idiot who wanted ALL of New York City's restaurants to stop using salt in their cooking.  His father was on a salt-free diet, so EVERYBODY should stop using salt!  He said, "Well, if people really want salt, they can sprinkle some on at the table."   

It was clear that he had NEVER done any cooking or baking, or he would know that adding salt during preparation and adding salt after the food is cooked gives you completely different flavors, even in something as simple as fried eggs.  Are you going to sprinkle salt on your chocolate chip cookies or your lemon-meringue pie, buddy?  How are you going to control the yeast-rise during bread baking without salt?

I detest the taste of salt, and even I put salt in my omelets!  (Of course, ti's kosher sea salt, even though I don't keep kosher, but it's still salt durnit!)

[kherbert05]

When people worry about getting "drunk" off cooked foods that contain some form of alcohol in them.  About 4 years ago I made tipsy sweet potatoes (basically the sweet potato&marshmallow dish with whiskey) and DH's grandmother fussed that I was going to get them drunk and wouldn't eat it.   His mom, dad, uncle and aunt ate it too, his mom and aunt joking that they were getting drunk.  You can't get drunk off it folks, the alcohol burns off and leaves the flavor.

They must have liked it though as they don't mind having it again this year but for the last 4 years there was always the "Oh you want to make us drunk?" joke.

That does sound tasty!

Though to be fair, I do know some alcoholics in recovery who will not touch food that has even been cooked with alcohol-even if the alcohol is completely cooked off.

POD - I have family members in recovery that have the same policy. They don't want to chance falling off the wagon and the taste is a trigger for them. They would just decline - not tease the cook though.

[RingTailedLemur]

Blank looks.

[Piratelvr1121]

Furbies!! My middle son got one from "Santa" and they're both cute and annoying.  Did you know how easy it is to wake them up?  He couldn't take it upstairs till he was asleep, as DH had gone to bed early since he had to work today.  He took it up but pushing it a little and then accidentally tipping it over woke it up and he had to bring it down until it fell asleep again.

[girlysprite]

My baby has a slight nosecold, which causes him to snore. He sleeps in our bedroom and his snoring is loud enough to cause trouble for me and DH to fall asleep. Sometimes DH manages to adjust the position of baby's face so that the snoring stops. Five minutes later I'm fretting over wherher baby is still breathing at all. When the snoring starts again it's actually a relief...but makes sleeping harder again :p
I'm quite certain that I'm not the only new parent who has fretted this.