The best thing I’ve purchased recently:
My Kuhn Rikon Gripper Jar Opener. I saw it in a Kuhn Rikon catalog, decided it couldn’t hurt to give it a try (though if I’d realized it came in red, I would have gotten that instead of white!), and it is SO handy. Because I’ve apparently gotten old and frail since I turned 40, I’ve been having one hell of a time opening the damn baby food jars. With the Gripper, I turn the wheel to make the gripper thingies grip the jar lid, and with a simple turn, that damn thing is open. No muss, no fuss! And best of all, it adjusts to lid sizes from 1″ – 3.5″, so if I could have figured out in which direction to open the lid on the spaghetti sauce jar last night, I would have been able to open that, too.
Awesome, and highly recommended.
(And recommended to ME: exercises to strengthen my grip. I’m too young to be old and frail!)
I bought mine online, but I’m fairly certain I saw it at Bed, Bath & Beyond the other day, too.
The thing I will never ever ever EVER buy (and you better not, either!):
So, you’re making dinner. And you’ve got a lot of dinner garbage. It’s a pain in the ass to keep running to the garbage can to toss the garbage in, right? But if you leave the garbage laying on the counter, it makes a mess, right?
Rachael Ray thinks you should spend FIFTEEN GODDAMN DOLLARS on a BOWL to leave by your sink, to toss your garbage in, so you can toss the garbage all at once.
Fifteen dollars. For a BOWL. The sole use of which is to toss garbage in. Really – are you fucking KIDDING ME? What a rip off. Hey, here’s a little-known secret Rachael Ray (or the cheeseballs in charge of her “empire”) doesn’t want you to know: open your cupboard. See that bowl right there? That bowl just sitting there doing nothing? That you won’t need in the preparation of dinner?
Guess what?
You can use that bowl to put your kitchen garbage in!
GASP!
And then you can wash it out and use it for something else!
GASP!
What a revolutionary idea!
Buy the goddamn bowl if you think it’s pretty and you want to put your popcorn in it or eat cereal out of it, I don’t care. It’s YOUR money, not mine. But I will tell you this: if you buy a goddamn FIFTEEN DOLLAR BOWL to PUT YOUR KITCHEN GARBAGE IN because RACHAEL RAY SAYS, I will disown you.
DISOWNED.
So watch your step, is all I’m saying. Don’t be suckered in by the bullshit.
Excellent side dish we had last night with dinner:
Take yellow squash, slice it however you like (I do it kind of on a diagonal, about half an inch thick), put it on a (already sprayed with Pam) cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and very lightly with parmesan. Cook it for 27 minutes at 350º. Remove from oven.
Using a 8×8 baking dish, put a layer of the squash on the bottom. Put a VERY thin layer of spaghetti sauce on top of the squash, sprinkle with parmesan if you like (or your husband is a parmesan-addicted freak), put a second layer of squash, thin layer of spaghetti sauce, parmesan, last layer of squash, last thin layer of spaghetti sauce, last sprinkle of parmesan. Sprinkle a little mozzarella on top, put it back in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly (5 – 10 minutes; keep an eye on it). SO GOOD.
I had my six-month dental cleaning yesterday. It turns out that a “shadow” on an x-ray they did back in January, located under an old filling, has gotten bigger, and so the old filling needs to be replaced. This is fine with me, because the old filling is silver and shows through my tooth (it’s on the upper right, near the front of my mouth), and they’re going to replace it with a tooth-colored filling.
I’ll be going for that in about a month.
Anyway, I really like my dentist’s office, because they are very thorough and careful and double-check the medications you’re on, and ask after your health and all that, and the dental hygienist takes copious notes. But anyway, she asked if there was anything new going on with my teeth or my tongue, and I told her that we’re fostering kittens, and every time I pick up one of the kittens I bite my tongue so I won’t squoosh it to death, and she gave me a look and then made a note.
And then we discussed why I had foster kittens, and she went on to basically tell me that cats are “too independent” and have no personality.
She’s a dog person. You know how THEY are.
(Oh, I kid. I know many of you are crazy-add weirdos dog people. Nothing wrong with that! Some of my best friends are! Etc. etc.)
She’s a good dental hygienist, polishes my teeth up nice, always does a good job. You ever feel like punching the dental hygienist when they get the floss out, though? It’s nothing personal against her, but feeling that kind of pain always makes me feel like inflicting pain, you know?
Anyway, my teeth are looking good. The dentist came and looked ’em over, told me I had nice teeth (“‘ank ‘oo”, I said.), and then told me that Monday was a banner day for him. He had eight or nine adults come in who’d never had a single filling. He usually gets one or two in the course of a day, but never that many all at once.
The economy might be going to shit, but we’ve got us some nice teeth. At least those of us who can still afford to go to the dentist!
Today is my first day back at the pet store since surgery. I’ve really missed it! So, a few kitten pics for you, then I’m outta here.
Kaylee the fearsome beast demonstrates that she can unhinge her jaw and swallow your head whole, if she so desires.
(More kitten pics over at Flickr.)
Sugarbutt has found a soft place to snooze. It kinda makes me want a bed of padded envelopes for myself.
I tried to tell Fred that we could TOTALLY easily fit another five cats into the house if we give them all cat carriers to sleep in. We could stack ’em five high! They do it in Japan! He wouldn’t go for it, though. Hmph.
Previously
2007: WHO AM I AND WHAT HAVE I DONE WITH THE REAL ROBYN?
2006: Playing with tigers.
2005: No entry.
2004: No entry.
2003: How to kick a sock’s ass. If it had an ass.
2002: “What’s your name?” he asked.
2001: No entry.
2000: Leave it to me to have sex dreams about the gay guy, huh?
Ah, little Sugs is soooo cute. I really need an orange tabby to go with my brown tabby. I could have a set!
What is it with hygenists and the floss? Go easy people! I had the best hygenist – she realized that my teeth were really close together, so she used softer floss and was very gentle. She moved to a new dentist (boo!) and we thought we would try out the new hygenist. My husband picked me up after my appointment and asked me how the new girl was…my answer? “She’s a butcher. We’re finding out where Kelly went and changing dentists even if I have to drive across town”. My teeth were sore for days!!!
Yes, hygenists are mean!
Opening jars, if you’re opening it for the first time, turn it upside down and give it a good whack on the counter and then it will open easily. I got that tip from Rachael Ray!
Speaking of RR, as she’s using the garbage bowl on 30 Minute Meals, it always drives me nuts that she is putting recyclables in with the other garbage. To me, it would be more work to separate everything after I’m finished.
Okay, so I love the garbage bowl idea but I do use a bowl I already have. I don’t think I spent $15 on our kitchen garbage can!
And to Laura. My teeth are close together too and I use the Glide floss, so much easier. I hate having someone else floss my teeth, it’s the worst part of the cleaning.
I’m surprised you don’t have a compost pile – but then your pigs eat all your composting fodder, I suppose. I do have a separate bowl for my kitchen scraps, but it’s just an old gallon ice cream bucket which gets emptied into our compost pile.
Repeat after me: “Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey.” Turn the lid to the left to open the jar! I know it’s SILLY but it works. Also, if you take the blunt end of a can opener and just gently lift the bottom edge of the lid until that little piff of air comes out, the jar will open right up.
Rachael Ray needs a pie in the face.
I have to go to the dentist. I even have a credit on my account and I’m still putting it off. Bah.
My favorite part is the description of the bowl: “Rachel Ray garbage bowl in a gift box”.
Fred is such a buzzkill.
Fred? The man who likes cheese, but not on his salad? Who likes cheese, but not on his burger? He wants TWO LAYERS of cheese on his squash? Now we know where Fred LIKES his cheese…or haven’t you told him that parmesan is cheese? Heh.
you still feeding that spoiled kitten baby food? =)
You want exercise to improve your grip? I got lots of goats to be milked!
I have forearms of steel — I can make grown men cry with a handshake, lol.
Aww it’s like a kitty apartment building!
You are so bad ass with all that Rachael Ray stuff. Oooooooooo…..I’m skerred 🙂
The squash recipe reminds me of making a dish called “Squash Spaghetti.” There’s a recipe at this URL:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1735,131186-254199,00.html
But you can also find a variety of other recipes. I love it, since I don’t eat red meat, and this a good alternative for enjoying spaghetti.
As for the dental tech, and her comment about cats; she sounds more like someone who doesn’t care for cats OR dogs. Some people just don’t like or have pets, and never seem to have anything good to say about any species.
I have had cats all my life and still have 3. As any cat owner knows, they DO have distinct personalities, quirks, etc and can be lovable — at times, but don’t overdo it. LOL I have had two small dogs for the past couple years and grown to love them and their individual personalities, quirks, etc. They do like more attention, and it’s always a challenge to train them whereas cats train YOU. LOL At various times in my life I’ve had ring-neck doves, parakeets, a rabbit, two miniature horses and husband had quarter horses. Both of us loved animals.
Just saying, the tech could have just not been an animal lover.
And the poster who wrote: “Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey.” That was an essential part of my “education” after DH died — since I found that is true for all manner of things (screws, light fixtures, plumbing etc.) and saves a lot of time and frustration!
Actually, Rachel Ray apparently thinks you should spend $18 on a freaking garbage bowl! Amazon is saving you three bucks.
My kitchen TRASH CAN cost $5, and has a lid!
Rachel Ray is a crazy-ass bitch although I kinda admire the fact that she’s suckering people into paying $18 for a bowl to put trash in. What next? A $40 bowl you can EAT out of???
Did you scroll down that amazon page? About halfway down, there are “tags”. The title says something like, tags customers associate with this product…one of the tags is “talentless hack”. HA! I thought it was funny, so I thought I’d share it.
And it isn’t even a pretty garbage bowl. It’s all swirly ugly colors swirled together to make more swirly ugly colors. Honestly, I’ve never needed a garbage bowl because I’ve never had a kitchen where I’ve had to walk more than a foot or 2 to get to the trash can in the first place.
Lefty Loosey.
Righty Tighty.
I know it was already said, but I thought maybe it just needs to be repeated over and over and over again so you don’t forget. (Er… actually I was just irritated that someone else said it before me…)
Um, I just pull the trash can out from under the sink and throw stuff in it as I go along. My folks have this thing that is a wire-like frame you put a bag like your groceries come home in onto. This sits in the sink and you throw stuff like banana peels and egg shells into it and then toss all of it into the trash. This is mainly for stuff that should not go into the garbage disposal. We are not fancy enough for a bowl for our trash. Oh how I envy those who are…
OMG!!!
Are there REALLY people paying money for a “Garbage Bowl???”
NEVER!!!
Forbid it ALmighty God!!!
For many years I have used my plastic grocrery bags and looped them over the top drawer under my counter; when I slice, dice, chop, debone, wash, wipe, rinse, or use up my paper towels or Brillo Pads–quick–wipe into the bag and I’m reusing my grocery bag and saving a mess!!! Always the coffee grounds go in!!! I can’t believe anyone would waste 15 dollars for a bowl for garbage!!! That could go into the gas tank!!!
Thanks my precious Robyn for standing up to “the Rach!!!” You and Fred are the epitome of frugality. (Not cheapness–just not crazy waste!!!)
Have I ever mentioned; I’m your Biggest Phan???
Sammi
Hi Robyn, Question! What happened to Sugerbutt? I know I missed this somewhere. I went back through but couldn’t find it.
That garbage bowl is nice, but yeah, $15 dollars for it is ridiculous. Or my idea: if you have THAT much garage, just drag the whole damn can right next to you and dump as needed.
Even though Fred likes parmesan cheese, I’m waiting for him to say it’s “too parmesany.” LOL! 😛
Robyn, Count me as another reader who “cooks and cleans” as she goes along. My kitchen counter space isn’t even big enough for a garbage bowl. Besides, there’s that pesky gas we need to buy… 😉
Hahhahaha!!! I love your rant about the RR garbage bowl. I saw it at Bed Bath and Beyond one day while window shopping. Because I have a thing for textures, I had to touch it and my, oh, my was it a flimsy thing!
I really, really hate useless kitchen tools, like the avocado scooper (http://www.kitchenkapers.com/rick-bayless-avocado-scooper.html).
Garbage bowl.
you know, I watch Rachael Ray all the time and just today I noticed how she puts the garbage in a bowl and all the time I’m thinking “wtf?” lol
It is a pretty bowl, but I can think of a few better uses for it. lol
Yeah, I saw that Rachel Ray bowl thingy in the store. Shyuh right. It made me giggle.
I have had that same conversation about the garbage bowl idea with my hubby. Who pays money for this crap?! I just sling stuff into the sink… or if I’m really ambitious I’ll put out a grocery sack to sling stuff into. Guess I’m a redneck at heart!