Logistical issues

[mousme]

I'm making myself lasagna, and I just realized that my noodles are longer than my lasagna dish. *sigh* I think I'll cheat by cooking the noodles and then cutting about half an inch off the ends, rather than abandon the whole proceedings.

The whole house smells of cooking garlic and onions. Good thing I just had breakfast.

I need another cooking icon. This one is better suited to outdoors-type campfire cooking, rather than indoor cooking.

I have bananas ripening on the counter. I shall make banana bread this weekend. I love making banana bread. It's ridiculously easy, and so very delicious once baked.

Today I shall head out early to go grocery shopping. I have a few staples to buy, and I want to get as much stuff for Sunday as possible, except for the Cornish hens, because I'd like to get those fresh. If I have time (like, say, three hours or so) on Saturday, I shall try my hand at wild rice with raisins and almonds. However, it's a very time-consuming recipe, if memory serves.

Comments

[kino-kid.livejournal.com]

Cutting the noodles after cooking are exactly the right thing to do.

Is it a square dish? If so, only boil 9 instead of 12 noodles.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

It is indeed a square dish. Thanks for the tip! :)

[kino-kid.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I was supposed to say, cut a third off the noodles and use those in the dish instead of discarding them.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Oh, okay. My dish is *almost* large enough for the noodles, though, so I may have to use 12 after all. I shall see. :)

[owldaughter.livejournal.com]

Cutting them after cooking... brilliant. I usually snap the dry noodles to the correct length, but this can sometimes result in a splintered noodle.

Mmm, lasagna. Now look what you've done.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

I usually snap the dry noodles to the correct length, but this can sometimes result in a splintered noodle.

I considered snapping them while dry, and then envisioned the cats frolicking merrily in a giant pile of noodle fragments, and wondered if there might not be a better way to do it. ;)

[curtana.livejournal.com]

I find if I cut them with kitchen scissors rather than snapping them by hand, they almost never splinter. And if they do crack, I just lay down the broken fragments in any small spaces left over - it tastes the same when it's cooked, after all :)

[owldaughter.livejournal.com]

I use the fragments that way too. Cutting the dry noodles with scissors? I'll have to try that. I usually lay them over the edge of the pan and snap it.

[curtana.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've tried that too when the scissors weren't immediately at hand. But they do tend to snap more easily that way :) With the scissors, as long as I'm reasonably careful, they mostly come through the process in recognizable-noodly form ;)

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Good idea. :)

Note to self: acquire kitchen scissors.

[alcinoe.livejournal.com]

cutting them is the right thing to do, though I would try to use the ends in the lasagne. You can't use them on the top layer as that will look funny, but you can't tell in the middle.

Banana bread, mmmmmm. I love the stuff, though I have trouble getting the very center most bit cooked. I keep thinking it is the glass pan or something. I cook it forever. It must just be the density of the batter or something.

I am with you on the getting as much shopping done ahead of time as possible. I do that for Thanksgiving and Xmas. I get as much of the non perishables as I can just as soon as the holiday sales start up, so that I only have a few things to pick up "last minute".

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Yep. kino_kid just told me how to do that. I am in the process of doing that now (using the cut noodles in the lasagna).

I use a teflon baking pan for the banana bread, and so far haven't had any trouble. The inside is always a little less baked than the outside, though.

[alcinoe.livejournal.com]

I should have read the responses FIRST. Doh.

It is good to know that my banana bread isn't just being mean to me, but acts that way with everyone. ;)

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Banana bread is meant to be moist on the inside, I'm quite sure. I have yet to meet a good banana bread that was perfectly evenly baked. :)

[alcinoe.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I can't find the post where you said something about coming to Massachusetts! I say that the summer is the best time for me because I don't have school to have to work around.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Keen. I shall see what I can do. The problem is that I won't have any paid vacation this year, but I may be able to wangle an extra-long weekend at some point, which would be nice. :)

[alcinoe.livejournal.com]

Oh that sucks on the no paid vacation front. I think you have earned some vacation time, dammit.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Well, I just started this job, and since I started *right* before the New Year, it means no paid vacation until 2008.

Equitably speaking, I've earned it, but according to this job, I haven't legally earned it.

[chasingthenuns.livejournal.com]

i made lasagna for the in-laws yesterday and my lasagna kicked my mother in law's lasagna's ass. it was the first time i ever made it too.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

LOL

Go you! My lasagna just came out of the oven, and while it overflowed and now I have to clean the oven, I think it turned out quite well. :)