Dappled Things

If you have noticed my absence in the past week, I am sorry for having left without leaving much of a hint as to where I was going or when I would return. If you had been keeping up with my photo journal, you would have seen that we were gradually moving all of our belongings into a storage ‘POD’ delivered to our driveway about two weeks ago. Once we got everything out of the house, we had to move in with some of our favoritest people for a week while our wood floors were being refinished. The floors turned out beautifully and we are now in the process of moving our belongings back in.
While I was away, The Headmistress over at The Common Room recently tagged me for a meme she started all by herself!

I recently picked up a 1974 edition of a ‘Woman’s Day Super Special,’ a collection of ’365 money saving menus.’ In the back of the magazine qua cookbook there was a questionnaire which the original owner filled out, but never tore out and mailed in. I thought it would be fun to reproduce some of those questions here, add a couple of my own, and get to know each other (and our kitchens) better.

1. How many meals does most of your family eat at home each week? How many are in your family?
17 meals/4 people (My husband eats carryout lunch at work five days a week, but I wasn’t sure how to factor that in.)
2. How many cookbooks do you own?
I just boxed them up when we moved all of our stuff into the ‘POD’ last week, so I know that I have one large box of cookbooks. They are not all moving back in, though.
3. How often do you refer to a cookbook each week?
When I start regularly preparing meals mightier than macaroni and cheese and fish sticks, I will let you know.
4. Do you collect recipes from other sources? If so, what are some of your favorite sources (relatives, friends, magazines, advertisements, packages, the Internet, etc.)
I occasionally collect recipes from the sides of containers of Breakstone’s cottage cheese, boxes of Bisquick and cans of Campbell’s soup.
5. How do you store those recipes?
Store them? I usually have my husband go back out to the grocery store, grab another container, box or can of the product and then have him collect the rest of the ingredients while he is there reading the label and muttering to himself. He is not afraid to ask strange women passing by if they can see any cans of Campbell’s French onion soup. He is a good man.
6. When you cook, do you follow the recipe pretty closely, or do you use recipes primarily to give you ideas?
I learned early in life that one should always follow the directions. I think I learned it shortly after l learned to raise my hand before asking a question. I raise my hand a lot while I am cooking.
7. Is there a particular ethnic style or flavor that predominates in your cooking? If so, what is it?
Does anyone know Betty Crocker’s heritage?
8. What’s your favorite kitchen task related to meal planning and preparation? (eating the finished product does not count)
Are you kidding? All tasks related to meal planning and preparation are the equivalent of self-flagellation.
9. What’s your least favorite part?
Cleaning a two-week-old, chili-encrusted, non-immersible crock pot.
10. Do you plan menus before you shop?
I have a general idea, but no grand plans.
11. What are your three favorite kitchen tools or appliances?
The dishwasher, the microwave and the telephone.
12. If you could buy one new thing for your kitchen, money was no object, and space not an issue, what would you most like to have?
A cook.
13. Since money and space probably are objects, what are you most likely to buy next?
Since we just had our wood flooring extended out into the kitchen, I am most interested in finding a suitable, round braided rug to protect the main traffic area.
14. Do you have a separate freezer for storage?
Yes. It is on our back porch.
15. Grocery shop alone or with others?
I hate shopping for anything. I usually use Peapod to deliver my groceries. For five dollars, it is worth it for someone else to gather and deliver my groceries.
16. How many meatless main dish meals do you fix in a week?
A main dish that either isn’t meat or doesn’t involve meat? What is that?
17. If you have a decorating theme in your kitchen, what is it? Favorite kitchen colors?
I just had my kitchen redone. We have maple cabinets and cupboards with a dark green “moss” stain on them, wood floors, and a beige stone-look countertop. The walls are “lambswool” and the appliances are all white. I like to hang old, framed prints of children playing out of doors throughout my house, so you will find some out in the kitchen, too. Our house in general has a lot of browns, greens and beiges with a “nature” theme.
18. What’s the first thing you ever learned to cook, and how old were you?
I made tomato soup with hot dogs cut up in it for my three younger siblings when I was about ten and my mother was in bed with the flu and my father was out of town on business. Otherwise, I was not allowed in the kitchen except to do the dishes.
19. How did you learn to cook?
I had to call my mother to find out how to make hard-boiled eggs when I was twenty-two and married. Does this tell you anything? My husband told me the best way to learn how to cook was to just start by using a cookbook. He is a good cook and a patient man. Maybe one of my siblings let on about the hot dog and tomato soup.
20. Tag two other people to play.
(Okay, so I am tagging three other people.)
Luna Moth
Palm Tree Pundit
Thicket Dweller