Nine for Random Chatter, doomed to die

[Rifka]

I made this recipe today and it was really tasty: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cheesy-zuc ... etail.aspx. Even my husband, who doesn't like zucchini at all thought it was okay when dressed up like this. I did use minced onion because I didn't have onion powder, and I added a little garlic powder, oregano, and paprika for color. And I used mozzarella cheese and real bacon bits (again because that's what we had). Super yummy and much healthier than tortilla chips.

[Whistler]

yum! I love zucchini in many forms. I like it sauteed in a little butter with garlic and then put over spaghetti with parmesean.

[Dragon Lady]

Anyone know if you can use yellow zucchini just like regular zucchini? We went to Lake Powell last week and came back to some monster-sized yellow zucchinis and I'm wondering if I can use them to make zucchini boats (also known as stuffed zucchini). Does it make any difference that they're yellow?

[NerdGirl]

You can use the yellow ones just like you do the green ones. The taste slightly different, but I find that they're structurally similar enough to do all of the same things with. The skins are a tiny bit thinner, I think, which I actually like a bit better.

[Marduk]

And actually, Dragon Lady, there are a great variety of squashes that are replacable for zucchini, and in my opinion, more palatable in just about everything. My personal favorite are crookneck squash.

[Dragon Lady]

I don't actually love crookneck, despite my family's passion for it. It just gets too … hard… at the neck. Or something. I dunno. I'm perfectly content with yellow zucchini.

[Marduk]

Like most squashes, it has to be harvested young. Once it starts to get all bumpy, it is too old.

[Katya]

Once it starts to get all bumpy, it is too old.

Is this another "people as food" metaphor?

[Digit]

Popular day for earthquakes. 5.3 in CO, ~5.8 in VA.

[Dragon Lady]

Guys! Gals! They're digging the hole for our house tomorrow! It's finally happening!

Also, this exciting news has spurred a whole new learning area for me in the categories of permaculture and Hugelkultur. But… the former just seems to be a bit too wild of landscaping for my taste. But I'm considering a hybrid of hugelkultur and square foot/raised bed gardening. So much to learn and only 3ish months to plan! (Unless it's just too cold when we move in, then I have all winter to plan, too.)

[Rifka]

I need to start putting sunscreen on before I drive up to Lehi or SLC. I'm actually getting sunburned just from driving that long.

[krebscout]

Also I like to substitute quinoa for ground beef in chili and spaghetti sauce.

Nerdgirl, quick! When you do this, do you cook the quinoa first and then sautee it up with some onions, like raw ground beef? Does it clump together? What about putting it in a soup where it could be a ground beef substitute - cook it first and sautee it, or let it cook in the liquid?

[krebscout]

I need to start putting sunscreen on before I drive up to Lehi or SLC. I'm actually getting sunburned just from driving that long.

Is the sunburn only on your left side? Love those.

[Rifka]

I need to start putting sunscreen on before I drive up to Lehi or SLC. I'm actually getting sunburned just from driving that long.

Is the sunburn only on your left side? Love those.

Mostly. My right arm gets it a little bit too (and my whole face), but I don't think it's as bad as the left side. Who would have thought I'd get sunburned while driving?

[Dragon Lady]

I want this forum to have a notifier that tells me on my desktop (well, my … task bar? Whatever it's called on Mac) when there's a new post. So I don't have to keep refreshing the page every time I get bored.

[Indefinite Integral]

I want this forum to have a notifier that tells me on my desktop (well, my … task bar? Whatever it's called on Mac) when there's a new post. So I don't have to keep refreshing the page every time I get bored.

Well, you can subscribe to the forum (like random chatter, or reader response) by clicking the "subscribe to forum" link in the top-ish right corner. Then it will send you email notifications when new posts pop up. Then you just have to have email notifications set up for your desktop. I use google talk for that.

Just an idea.

[Whistler]

anyone have any tips on getting bread machine paddles unstuck?

[NerdGirl]

Also I like to substitute quinoa for ground beef in chili and spaghetti sauce.

Nerdgirl, quick! When you do this, do you cook the quinoa first and then sautee it up with some onions, like raw ground beef? Does it clump together? What about putting it in a soup where it could be a ground beef substitute - cook it first and sautee it, or let it cook in the liquid?

Cook it first for something like spaghetti sauce. It doesn't clump together too much as long as you stir frequently. If you're putting it in soup, you can put it in raw as long as there's a lot of liquid and it's going to be simmering for at least 30-40 minutes. Basically an soup where you would put rice or pasta in raw, you can put the quinoa in raw. Anything chunkier or anything really fast-cooking, and you'd want to cook it first. Hopefully that was quick enough!

[Rifka]

anyone have any tips on getting bread machine paddles unstuck?

Unstuck from what? The dough? The machine?

[Architect]

anyone have any tips on getting bread machine paddles unstuck?

Unstuck from what? The dough? The machine?

From my head.