So Now What?

I recently made two different recipes that each called for a common ingredient, but in an unusual amount. With some things, like flour or butter, I'm used to varying quantities, because we see these items as "bulk" and we just use what we need and are prepared to store the rest.

Most recipes that use canned goods are written to accommodate a full can of a product. For example: a pumpkin pie calls for a can of pumpkin (it does specify what size can) and a can of evaporated milk. The recipes are written/developed that way, or the canned stuff is just made that way. Baking magic.

For Thanksgiving I made a recipe that called for 1 Cup of canned pumpkin. Um, a can has 2 cups in it. I now have a cup of canned pumpkin left over, and I either need to make that recipe again (though I didn't like it) or find one that calls for 1/2 can of pumpkin. Good luck with that.

I wouldn't be ranting, except I just made a meatball recipe that called for 1/4 Cup of evaporated milk. Um, that comes in a 12 oz can, so now I have 8 oz of evaporated milk, and ... now what?

Do I go in search of recipes that need odd amounts of evaporated milk? I suppose I could make half a pumpkin pie with my 1/2 can of pumpkin, and 6 of the 8 oz of evaporated milk, but ... sigh.

The makers of tomato paste got smart and now you can get it in a tube. This solves the problem of buying a 6 oz can and needing 1 tablespoon. I just wish everything else was that easy.

Come on, people, get with the program!

PS: If this is the rantiest I get lately, I apologize to all my readers who still even know about this blog. Retirement has settled my nerves, apparently. :)

In the Interest of Fairness

Wow, it's been a full year since I've posted a rant, here. I guess I might be mellowing.

I know the world isn't fair, but something happened today that made me question some people's expectations and subsequent sense of entitlement and ME, ME, ME approach to life.

I was in the local grocery store picking up lunch from the deli. They have a lunch special: one entree and two sides for $5. This is a pretty good deal, considering that the same sized container filled with salad and sides from the salad bar would cost more than $5, and with this one you can get an actual entree like meat loaf or a chicken breast. I usually get chicken salad and two green salad sides. Not bad for $5.

Today there was a guy in front of me who ordered meat loaf and two sides, and when he got his to-go box, he looked at it and asked for a larger portion of meat since he was a big guy (specifically, "I weigh 300 pounds.") Um, really? Since when do you get to super-size for free based on your bulk? He was told to get permission from the manager, which he did. The deli guy placed a second (full) piece of meat loaf into his $5 box, and off the guy went.

Let's think about this for a moment. If you go to a fast-food place, can you get a triple burger for the same price as a single or double because you are a large person?

Can you go to a grocery and get two loaves of bread for the price of one because you make double-decker sandwiches?

Can just anyone now get more than the "normal" portion based on the fact that they are bigger than average?


Last I looked, a fixed price was a fixed price, and servings were defined based on "portion size". If I don't like the size of a normal serving, I am free to order more, but I sure expect to pay for it.


Some people just amaze me.