This Is Not News

I just finished bringing my Quicken records of my credit union accounts up to date for 2005. Unfortunately, there are still several accounts left tp update, but that ain’t happenin’ before midnight. The exercise has definitely reminded me I need to stay on top of my record keeping a little better this year. So let’s call that my first major resolution.

Another resolution is to try not to become too cranky this week. I’m going to try and go without caffeine now that I’ve gone through the 24 bottles of Snapple I bought last week. I really hope someone else drank some. But I have a nagging feeling I went through them myself. Which is why I think it might be good to detox a bit. So, apologies in advance if I try to bite off anyone’s electronic head.

Gonna sign off for now and wish everyone observing the standard Western calendar a Happy New Year.

Last night I finally put into practice a suggestion from Alton Brown’s Gear for Your Kitchen. I had been getting frustrated at the tangle of cooking tools contained in various drawers in the kitchen. So last night I emptied all the drawers onto the counter, sorted the tools into groups (tongs, spatulas, scoops, etc.), and went over them one by one. If Pattie or I couldn’t remember when the last time we had used the tool was, it lost its place in the drawers and went into a paper bag destined for the garage. I realized I have three carving forks. I barely use one, let alone three. Next step may well be putting labels on the drawers. Obsessive-compulsive? Probably. But there are a fair number of people coming and going through the kitchen who may not remember the organization system. And believe me, when I’m cooking, it’s hugely helpful to know where things are.

For Christmas I got a copy of the new America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, so I’m going through my every-few-months ritual of going through my cookbook collection looking for chapters I previously skimmed over and recipes I may have missed. I’ve mastered a couple of good techniques over the last couple of years, but I definitely want to broaden the possible menus around here. (As opposed to broadening my waist line.) Right now I’m going back through Shirley Corriher’s Cookwise. This could take a while.