Maintainers Weekly Chat Mar 25 - Mar 31
 

Those still under snow, including me, should consider that this thread will take us through Easter. It's hard to look for Easter eggs under snow. That's a fact. Not sure what you can do about it though, LOL.

My eating does better in those evenings when I go out. There's simply no opportunity to nibble. I guess the same is true when I'm extremely busy away from home. Perhaps I'll invent The Busy Diet to replace my failure to resist the temptation to nibble extra snacks.

Good Morning all!
 

That's an excellent idea for a diet Bill. I too tend to start nibbling in the evening if I have nothing to do but watch TV and I'm not engaged with the program. I hope the snow is gone before you start your easter egg hunt. :egg:

I am not weighing :eek: myself today. I know, by the way my body looks and how my pants fit, that I have gained quite a bit of "real" weight in the past month. I will buckle down and really start to monitor what goes in my mouth in the evenings now.

I think DH found us a great house. Unfortunately he found it after the open houses had finished and they are probably taking offers Tuesday. I won't have my funds until probably Thursday and it will be sold by then. I know there will be another house eventually but this one had real character, as well as all the stuff we need/want. Oh well. :shrug:

Good day all!

Dagmar :bunny:

Good morning!

This week I am having carpet taken up from my family room and living room, and hardwood floors installed. Then they will sand and re-finish the remaining areas of the main floor. The crew is not even here yet and I am already freaking out. My DH does NOT want hardwoods and refuses to help with this project in any way. sigh. They are supposed to be done with the whole thing by Friday. I will survive and I know I will love the end result.

Bill, I too find that idle time leads to munchy time. Your neck of the woods has certainly seen its share of snow this winter! I guess that's why the Easter eggs are dyed bright colors!

dagmar, good luck with the house hunting - strange things happen with purchase contracts and you just never know.

:wave: to all! I've been on lurk status for a couple of weeks, mostly due to a weird tidal wave of little bitty aggravations that all have to be handled immediately - furnace died, moved appointments, weekend commitments, travel plans, yadayadayada. I'm starting to see the light finally, and hoping to keep up this week. As is typical, the less I post, the more my weight average tends to tilt toward the upward direction.:fr:

Becky, it is always good to hear from you. You and Bill may call it idle time but I call it boredom eating and it happens to me. When I find myself standing in front of the open refrigerator I know I am not hungry, just bored.

Well in two weeks I have a diet challenge in NYC for a few days, but that will be the least of it! I'm an opera composer, and rehearsals for my opera "From The Realm Of The Shadow" begin April 9. I'll be there!!! Lots of dance elements in this work, so on the first day of rehearsal I will be surrounded by beautiful, lithe, 20-something New York dancers and actors. Vanity demands I look slim for them and what the hey I can use that for motivation to stay on focus with losing three more pounds by then! My opera has been out on Naxos Records since 2001 but never performed till now. Performances May 2-3 at Riverside Church at Broadway and 120th. I rescued a girl from a gang-rape when I was 19, and that was my introduction to the "Shadow," those parts of ourselves we don't want to look at. The opera begins in terrible violence and anguish and ends up in a field of love. Took 20 years to compose, then recorded with the National Symphony and Choir of Ukraine. You can find out more at www.fromtherealmoftheshadow.com. We're funding it through an Indie go-go campaign, hundreds of people donating $5-$10-$50+. It’s hard for me to ask, but I hope you’ll take a look at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/1s...-of-the-shadow. Maybe I'll see some of you in NY when we open the show?

Good morning!

Drove home from SLC on Thursday morning--early. It was drizzling rain when I left my Dad's house and it rained off and on for the next hour and a half. When I arrived home I called my Dad who asked if I had any difficulty with the snow. Apparently by the time he woke up there were 3 inches of snow and as I understand it snowed every night for three nights. Glad I didn't witness that.

Ward, I love hardwood floors, but have tile here instead. Sorry you're freaking and that your DH doesn't want to help.

Dagmar, do houses really sell that fast up there? We have homes on the market in my neighborhood that have had for sale signs for over 6 months.

I have officially been given my first gray hair. DS was driving to Los Angeles yesterday with two friends to attend a Jr. Statesmen of America meeting or something at Loyola Marymount when he apparently took the onramp to the 605 freeway too fast, skidded out of control and ended up on the median. He attempted to drive away after it was deemed everyone was okay, but the car didn't cooperate and he had to call for a tow. I was on the tee box of the #5 hole when he called to tell me (normally he'd just text me to let me know he arrived on time, etc.). From there, he called at least four more times to let me know what was going on with the tow truck and whether or not he had a ride back or we had to drive in to pick him up (one of the other boy's moms drove out to collect the three of them--took them to lunch, too). He then texted me a dozen times to let me know where he was and when he'd be home. He was teary and shaky when he got home--went right to his room and curled up for a nap (which is totally NOT him). I felt so bad for him, but we're so thankful that it wasn't anything more serious. A boy he knew in middle school was injured in a skateboard accident here last week and died of his injuries yesterday (very sad, National Honor Society, Eagle Scout, athlete, etc.).

'

Dagmar, about the great house, I may have shared this before but will repeat it.
When I was first married we found the perfect house, to this day I can give you details of that house. I mean to tell you that house was a new brides dream. We made a verbal offer to buy that house and it was accepted but had not signed anything at this point., fortunately for us no papers had been signed as that house burned to the ground. This was a big disappointment but we were not hurt financially and were able to continue our house hunting.

ward, I commend you for going forward on something you want without spousal support. Hardwood floors look better, last longer, are less toxic, easier to clean, less allergenic ... hopefully he'll come around and you'll get to give him that "I told you so" smile. :)

bargoo, thanks - I haven't had a lot of time to do the boredom eating in the last couple of weeks, but I have certainly been snagging more snacks than I should, and taking the extra spoonful of "whatever" in between bites by various time vampires.:dracula: I gave myself a stern talking-to over the weekend and caught back up to the wagon that was rapidly disappearing over the hill. :D

Chris, I forwarded your link home so I can check it out later. That's quite a story! I'm eager to learn more. I love how the web has made it so easy to show support for endeavors like this.

allison, that's really scary! Glad to hear DS is okay. I've had a couple white-knuckle rides on ramps myself - no fun! Hope you were able to keep the ball out of the woods while all that was going on!

Happy Passover to those who celebrate!

We are also in the midst of a late snow storm here -- started yesterday and is still coming down. It was fun watching Carter plow his way through the deep snow in our backyard this morning. It's nearly up to his chest, and he's a big dog! We've got about 8 inches so far, but it should be over soon.

Allison, glad your DS is okay! My sister totaled her car shortly after getting her driver's license when she was 16 (followed the person in front of her turning left without looking and got T-boned by a pickup) and she was terrified of driving for a while. I am lucky that the worst car accidents I've had while driving (knock on wood) were breaking my side mirror on a parked car and a low-speed collision in a parking lot, plus getting very gently rear-ended at a red light in the rain.

Chris, congrats on getting your opera performed!

Dagmar, can you not go see the house unless it's an open house? I don't know how it works in Canada but here you can arrange a private showing of any house on the market.

Ward, good luck with the floors!

Becky, good to hear from you! Hopefully you will not have more aggravations this week. :)

Bargoo, that is a pretty crazy story about the house burning down.

Our weekend was relatively uneventful. We had a meetup of our cooking club Saturday night which went well (and DH finally took advantage of me being his built-in designated driver since they had a lot of interesting wines he wanted to try). Sunday morning we had the first of what will probably be many trips to the hospital to get checked out "just in case." Everything is fine, but basically we spent the entire morning there with me hooked up to fetal monitors, which was uncomfortable and exhausting. I think the issue is that the babies have turned in some strange position where basically their backs are pushing against my belly and all their kicks are aimed at my internal organs where I can't really feel them, so I was worried that they weren't moving as much as usual.

In any case since the weather was crappy today our class at the hospital got cancelled, which means that we can attend the monthly meeting of our local twins club tonight. I will definitely ask in their expecting/new moms support group about whether other people have had this problem and if there's any way to encourage them to move to a better position. (My OB's only suggestion was to try gently rubbing them when they're balled up in a big lump, but it doesn't seem to be working very well.)

Good Monday all!

I've come to the chat threads so many times when things were bad that I wanted to spread some light. Not sure if any of you read my blog, but I had a revelation Friday night out of nowhere. I won't bore you with all the details, but basically I've determined that my rigidity and determining my worth by a number on the scale has been holding me back from truly enjoying my new-found life.

So I have made a committment to chilling out a little - not in terms of letting myself slack on diet and exercise, but realizing that once and a while I can have a piece of cake without needing to then berate myself for hours afterwards. I'm only on day 3 of this revelation, but I'm feeling fantastic. I weighed in this morning at 117 which I have constantly referred to as my "ideal" number, so I'm feeling really, really good - in control of my mind and body.

I'm sending these feel good vibes through cyberspace to any of you that might be struggling!!

Chris- I am so excited for you about your opera!!! Can I ask if it is a traditional type opera or the more modern type opera like Sweeney Todd or the like?

It's pretty cold here, but we are missing the snow storm which definitely makes me happy! I am ready for Easter and for March to get out of here and send in April and warmer temps!

Jen

Hi all,

Yesterday I said I need a "do-over Monday". I don't know how do-over this is, but at least this AM is better than yesterday. I haven't been getting enough sleep and didn't have time to catch up over my busy weekend. I told BF last night we needed to get into bed earlier, but he was at a volunteer fire meeting and then "got cornered by a friend" and I ended up in bed late again. I was very annoyed. Yes I could try to go to sleep wo him, but the dog makes so much noise when he gets home I would be awake again in an instant, and I'm such a light/nervous sleeper I have trouble falling asleep when I know he's coming in. Of course he gets to sleep in about 2 hours later than I do this time of year. So, grumble, complain. It is even harder for me to eat healthily and not overeat when I'm tired. :tired: We are getting another arctic blast here, too. At least it woke me up quickly when I took the dog out this AM! I'm going to make a pot of leek, onion, and white bean soup tonight to comfort me through the cold and my bitty basil seedlings have moved inside.

Jen, chilling out is important!

Jessica, did you get any answers or find anyone with similar experiences at your twins group last night?

Dagmar, who knows what will happen with this house. You will find the right one, and it may be a long process. That's ok. It's a big commitment.

Alison, glad DS is ok.

Chris, how great your opera is being performed after so many years of work! I'm at work but hope to check out your links later from my home computer.

Bill, The Busy Diet would work pretty well for me, too. I need a Busy Diet combined with Sleep Diet.

Have a good day everyone.

Jessica, I'm just loving all your pictures and updates! I don't know anybody who's had twins, and while it sounds exhausting and like pregnancyx10, I am really glad you're keeping us in the loop!

Jen, congrats on your breakthrough! I think there's a component of weight loss, especially on the scale (pun intended!) that you did it, that's "mental" weight - all the extra baggage that went with being really heavy that weighs just as much, if not more than the fat mass. I don't know how to formulate this idea too well, but maybe there's an emotional maintenance that has to be mastered along with the physical one. I only needed to lose a little weight on the scale; it was my mental weight that took forever to lose. And once that comes off ... :D

Megan, I hope there's great night's sleep in your very near future. Your soup plan is making me :drool: DH has about eight flats of seedlings going under the lights - he's planning 24 tomatoes this year! :eek: The ground's not even thawed, and our replacement cherry trees and the new grape vines have arrived. Small panic! The thing I'm looking forward to the most is having our big crabapple tree bloom - and seeing it absolutely covered in busy honeybees.

DH and DS sang together as part of a performance of Robert Ray's "Gospel Mass" on Palm Sunday. DH hasn't sung in 30 years, and it was so obvious on his face that he was rediscovering an old love. He received enough positive feedback that he's decided to join the church choir. I'm really happy for him - as the saying goes, his spiritual well was pretty empty and he needs something that just plain feels good.

After the performance, I met the mom of one of Alex's future Ambassador mates. Ya know how you get gut feelings about things? I'm suddenly concerned that I may be getting sucked into something that looks a lot like "Dance Moms" - which for those who haven't seen it, is one of those horrible exploitative reality shows about little prima donna dance girls with witchy/b*tchy moms. I really hope I'm wrong about this!

Jen, The music of my opera sounds traditional and melodious (a mix of Baroque and Romantic) but is also infused with a lot of ethnic elements. The main nontraditional elements are that it's all sung in vocalise (no words) and the production will be more of a multi-media presentation with video projections of flying angels etc. And the dancers will all be skinnier than me!

I read yesterday, but didn't comment. I wasn't in a great place yesterday, but I'm feeling a little better today.

Jen - I understand about the rigidity impacting your life. I hope the chilling out works. :)

Chris - congratulations on the opera, I hope it goes well. I went to your site yesterday and will chip in a little when I get paid on Friday. I'm all about art. :)

Allison - glad DS is okay! Whew.

Ward - the floors are going to look great. Your progress pics already look good.

Jessica - I'm glad that the babies are well. How did the twin meeting go?

Becky - I can see it now. We're going to turn on the tv to a new reality show and see Becky front and center. "Choir Moms" LOL Seriously, I hope it is better than you expect.

Megan - it is freezing here, too. I'm with you on the sleep - when I'm tired I don't want to eat right, don't want to exercise, don't want to do anything.

Dagmar - you will find the right house when it is the right house. I really believe that.

Bill - right there with you on the Busy Diet.

I'm surrounded by illness and trying not to get sick again. A coworker had the stomach flu and missed some days last week, now DH has some kind of stomach bug and has been sick for a few days. DSS had to come home early from school throwing up yesterday, but seems fine today. My uncle is getting his port put in today for his chemo treatment. It is still a bad time for staying healthy around me. I must be radiating bad karma. :( But, I'm trying to have a better week. Like Jen, I've commented a lot of negative. My next post will be a positive. I promise. LOL

Allison, hope DS feels better today, just glad there were no injuries.
Dagmar, re: my post about the house I found and lost due to fire. I was trying to point out that sometimes we have disappointments but in looking back we can see that it was best for us but hard to see that at the time.
Chris, congratulations on your opera, I wish I could see it.
Shannon,I hope you are feeling better. You must be feeling that you have a dark cloud over your head.

Last night DH and I had DS pull up Google Maps street view to see just where his accident was and it's pretty easy to understand how it happened. There were no signs indicating a sharp turn onto the 605 from whatever street he was on (also no sign indicating the best speed for the ramp). He was on a 2 lane straight-away and there was a narrow one lane on-ramp to the freeway. I imagine he must have been going over 60. He said it was all a blur and that he does remember screaming.

I took the keys to the mechanic yesterday and he'll work with the insurance company to get the repairs done. Three wheels, probably four tires and whatever other pieces will need to be repaired or replaced. He definitely bent something as one of the wheels is crooked.

And I feel slightly handicapped without his being able to drive! Sunday I needed 2 tablespoons of sugar for a recipe. I had only 1! Can you imagine running out of sugar? Well, I did have Splenda and substituted that, but usually I'd have him run to the store for me. Yesterday I went to the store for a few items, but got home and realized we needed milk. Guess I'll have to stop there today to get that, rather than asking him to pick some up while he was out.

And it's spring break and he's stuck at home all week. He had said he had a lot of reading and homework but he also had intended to meet up with his friends. I kind of doubt he'll ask to borrow one of our cars or ask us for a ride, either. I feel bad for him.

Shannon, I hope you stay healthy and those around you get well soon!

Becky, LOL, hopefully it was just that one mom, not everyone.

The twins club meeting last night was good; I'm glad we went. I got two useful bits of information about my concern about babies being positioned where I don't feel much movement. First, someone suggested that if you want to get them to move out of an uncomfortable position (like if they're curled into a big ball), try putting a bag of frozen peas on them. I guess they don't like the cold and they will move away! Second, someone told me that what constitutes a "movement" changes the further along you get, and where earlier on you get a lot of percussive kicks, later you get more sludgy slides because they don't have as much space to move around. That's good to know because I was worried that I wasn't feeling as many big kicks. I guess they are starting to get squeezed for space at this point.

OMG!:faint: I am seriously considering buying the "sports bar" house. It really looks like a big good detached house (except I'd have to switch the kitchen and living room) and I think I can get it for what a small bungalow or decrepit semi is going for. It has a big yard and I just saw a post for a dog :love: that would be ideal for me (not so much for the cats but we can work on that).

We are hoping to go in and see it Thursday morning. I keep trying to talk myself out of it but the more I see of other places the more sense it makes. I will have enough money to do the kitchen relocation (will check with DH's boss the contractor about that) with enough left over to even buy a bit of furniture.

I was given 4 Godiva easter eggs today (the aussie dogs pooled their pocket money and asked their "mom" to get me a treat). I only ate one. :cheer2:

The stars seem to be aligning in my life right now. :yikes: :eek: :shrug: :dance:. I am running the gamut of emotions from fear and panic to joy and acceptance. ARRRRGH!!!

But I'm not binge or stress eating. :D

Dagmar :crazy:

Dagmar, how exciting about the house! And leave it Aussies to come up with a good gift - such smart dogs. My all-time favorite dog story involves a great Aussie, Flirt. We took a late fall walk at a park one day and she left her Frisbee in the pond. We had to leave before she could find it. When we went back the next spring, she ran right into that pond and got her Frisbee!

Allison, so glad your son is okay. What a scary experience for you all.

Jessica, good luck getting those baby girls to move! The peas idea made me chuckle.

Shannon, I felt like I was getting sick last night and I thought of you and your endless cold. I'm glad you're feeling better.

Chris, congrats on your opera and good luck!

Megan, just reading your posts makes me want a nap.

Jen, I'm glad you've decided to ease up in yourself. You deserve to be happier with yourself.

As for me, well...this has been the hardest week of my life. My dad is doing okay but his cognitive functions are seriously impaired, and it's just heartbreaking. I've been at the rehab center every day, sometimes twice a day, so it's taking up a lot of my time. Plus I've been helping my stepmother with the legal and financial stuff, and trying to do my own job (my new employers are very understanding and flexible). I'm sad and stressed and exhausted. I haven't exercised much at all and my eating has been erratic - I don't eat all day and then dive into the carbs for that sugar rush. I'm not beating myself up about it, though, and am just trying to minimize the damage.

It's finally warming up here, though - come on, spring!

The "sports bar" house just sold. But the cottage is still available. I think I better just accept that I'm going to be doing this for awhile and not get so worked up about any particular house. There will always be another. I was hoping for something a bit distinctive but will settle for a nice semi. I'm happy to be able to purchase ANY house - it's been such a long time (45 + years) goal.

Dagmar :tired:

shannon, :hug:. Hang in there. When you are slogging through the valley, keep in mind that your friends are up here on the walls, cheering you on and waving off the circling vultures. :) Please don't wait til you feel like there's something positive to post - we can handle it, and it does help to get it all out here!

allison, all you have to do is put him to work around the house. I'll bet he'll ask to borrow a car! ;)

jessica, I like the idea of the frozen peas. :lol: Hoping you're right that it's only that one mom - the family does have a bit of a reputation for being attention-hogs.

dagmar, it's good to see you getting a ray of sunshine! The right house will be there at the right time - don't settle! :)

steph, I'm sorry it's your turn in the wringer. It sounds like you really have to be "on" all the time - I'm familiar with that. Try to change the not eating all day thing, even if it means resorting to the convenience foods for a bit - that carb spiral is a PIA to resolve. :hug:

bargoo - you've been posting about everybody else - how are you doing these days?

I'm heading to NC to see a friend over the holiday weekend, leaving tomorrow from work and coming home Sunday. I expect she'll drag me to at least one swimming workout. :D Shouldn't be too many food minefields; as an elite Masters athlete, she eats pretty close to my ideal. I am really looking forward to seeing her!

Becky, thanks for asking. Had an interesting weekend, long story short DS#2 sent a driver to pick me up to take me 125 miles to a birthday/going away party. A uniformed driver in a Lincoln Town Car, not too shabby !There was an incredible amount of food , including a roast pig, a truly ugly sight to see, came home with a little extra poundage but most of it has gone away.

Living the high life - :woohoo: for you!

Dagmar :D

Aaaah! We thought we'd lost the cat yesterday. He went out around 9 AM and hadn't returned when I left at 4 PM. That's just not like him. We really were sick with worry. I drove around the neighborhood and we took turns walking around the building. Nothing. DH and I decided to leave him water outside near his carrier because it was hot yesterday, but we decided not to put food out for him. Well, at 4:30 my friend dropped by to see our new building. As DH was showing her around the warehouse he heard a meow. Darn cat had apparently been in there all day, stuck up on the roof of the storage room. DH had to get a ladder to get him down. Here's the worst part: I had gone out to the warehouse twice looking for him. On the floor. I had looked up at trees outside but didn't even think to look up in the warehouse! Darn Culley!

We went to see Boz Scaggs last night. What a great show! Still have Lido going through my head this morning.

Dagmar~continued good thoughts that you are able to find a house BEFORE someone else buys it!

Bargoo~I've never been fond of the roast pig. But the party sounds fun--and a "limo" ride to boot!

Has anyone heard more about Gary?

Morning all,

I got a solid night of sleep last night and feel so much better this morning! Oh sleep, how I love thee. Ok, ok, I'll stop. Does anyone have any tips for thickening a soup broth in a light way? I made my onion, leek, and white bean soup last night. I actually used black-eyed peas instead of white beans because I had some left over. One of the recipes I was drawing from directed me to puree half the beans and add them back into the soup to help thicken the (chicken) broth base. It might have thickened it a little bit but didn't produce a really thick texture. The soup was still really tasty and hit the spot on a cold night.

Alison, glad you found Culley safe and sound. Those darn cats like to wander off.

Bargoo, woohoo, it sounds like you're living it up in style! How nice of DS.

Jessica, have you tried the frozen pea trick yet? It sounds sort of funny, but I'm curious if it actually works.

Steph, I don't have good advice but I'd like to give you a :hug:. You are hanging in there remarkably well.

Shannon, here's a :hug: for you too. How is the world treating you today? I'm sure you're not radiating bad karma. I like the black cloud analogy better.

Have a good Wednesday everyone.

Scanning the posts briefly ... buried in work, my mother arriving today while I'm at the office for a week-long stay ... really annoyed because the envelope containing all my tax info that I thought I'd safely mailed off to my accountant back on Feb. 26th apparently got lost in the mail.

Megan, for some soups and chilis, I've used canned fat-free refried beans as a thickener to good effect. In clear broths, I've been adding quinoa, which has worked remarkably well.

Still reeling over the big news of Chris' opera. That's stupendous. I will watch for notice of it playing in NY.

Wishing everyone else well.

Gone again, with two PowerPoint presentations to work up today between one-on-one meetings to evaluate my direct reports' writing samples for the first quarter of the year.

Morning everyone! Thanks for the good wishes, all. I do have a bright spot today - I'm closing on the refi of my mortgage today - three weeks earlier than expected so I'll be able to skip two payments instead of one. I can sock that in the bank right away and with the difference in the mortgage payment I'll be able to pay off my revolving debt by Nov 2014 if I stick to my budget plan. (I have a frighteningly high amount of revolving debt, sadly.) The extra mortgage payment in savings will give me some buffer I hadn't anticipated and make the basic budget easier. I find that very bright indeed. I've also exercised two days in a row and have that sore legs from good exercise feeling. I'm celebrating with a nonfat macchiatto for breakfast. :)

Megan - I prefer the black could analogy, thanks. :) I think the soup was thinner because black eyed peas aren't as starchy as white beans or great northern beans. I asked a friend about thickening it and she suggested a cornstarch and water slurry blended into the soup. Mix the dry cornstarch with cold water to make the slurry, don't just put it straight into the soup or it will clump. It is funny how ingredients change the soup - I made potato soup this weekend and used the 'wrong' potatoes. Totally changed the texture and consistency. Flavor was still good, but they didn't break up as much.

Allison - glad that you found Culley! Silly cat. I love all your pics of him on FB. He is definitely not a 'feral stray' anymore. LOL

Bargoo - that sounds like so much fun! I love that your son sent you a car and driver. You've been on my mind a lot lately, and Gary, as I've been dealing with various treatment options for my family members here and getting ports installed and scheduling chemo. I'm one layer removed and it is terrifying. I'm glad that you are well. I hope Gary is recovering from his infection, as well.

Steph - Oh honey, I'm so sorry. Do try to eat some during the day, even if it is little snacks here and there. It will help with the crash at the end of the day, and might give you a little distraction during it.

Dagmar - sorry the sports bar house sold. I really do think you will find the right house when its time. Hang in there.

Becky - there is snow on the ground in NC right now. Hope it is gone by the time you get there! Hope you enjoy your visit. Sounds like a perfect one for staying on diet track. LOL

Jessica - I would totally more around if someone put a bag of frozen peas on my bottom! :eek:

ETA:
Saef - I would imagine that you are a duplicate person, can you get copies to your accountant in time to get things done now? That is awful.

Good day everyone!

Hi Megan: try some of these ideas for thickening soup. Water in combination with a starch. When mixed together this is referred to as a slurry. Always start with a cold liquid, approximately equal parts liquid to starch. Make sure the starch is completely dissolved or it may not break down completely once added to the broth. Flour is by far the most common starch used in western cooking and works wonderfully with sauces, gravies, soups and stews. Use 1 tablespoon to thicken 1 cup of broth.

Cornstarch is another popular starch for making a slurry and is widely used in oriental cooking. As with flour, use 1 tablespoon for 1 cup of broth. While cornstarch works very well and is generally easier to work with than flour, it produces a glossy sheen in the sauce or broth and may not be as visually appealing when used in traditional western dishes. Also, cornstarch doesn't do well when dishes incorporating it are to be frozen, in which case you may wish to consider arrowroot.

Arrowroot is an excellent substitute for cornstarch except that it should not be used in sauces containing cream, as it will turn slimy (but your soup doesn't have cream!). Except for that, and its somewhat higher cost, it's a great thickener with a neutral flavor, it works well at lower temperatures, with acidic ingredients - which cornstarch does not - and holds up better over prolonged periods of cooking. Arrowroot also produces a nice, fatty mouth feel which is generally associated with fat-based thickeners.

With bean soup I also like to blend up some of the beans to thicken the stock.

Also you can try kudzu powder (the ground up tuber of this notorious southern vine), lotus root flour, potato starch, sago (from the sago palm), sahlab (made from orchid tubers), rice flour and water chestnut flour.

Lastly are two thickeners for southerners: filé, pronounced (FEE-lay), and okra. Those of you versed in Cajun lore will instantly recognize these ingredients as the essence of gumbo, a concoction, brewed up by Cajun families, usually consisting of some combination of shellfish, chicken, spicy sausage, the trinity (otherwise known as onion, celery and bell pepper) and stock. And gumbo is traditionally thickened with a roux, okra, filé, or sometimes all three.

Okra is a finger shaped veggie indigenous to Eastern Africa. It was originally brought to the West Indies by Ethiopian slaves who treasured it not only because it is delicious but also for its ability to thicken their soups and stews.

Filé comes from the ground leaves of sassafras, a plant indigenous to America and widely used by Native Americans. Filé should never be added to the broth while it is cooking as it has a tendency to get stringy. It may be added at the end, sprinkled on after the gumbo has been removed from the heat. Or, as I like to do, it may be added in the beginning while sautéing the trinity. It will combine completely and then the stock may be added.

Chris, I'm copying and pasting your answer in my recipe file. That is a fantastic description of the different options. Thanks!

Wow Chris, thanks for all the ideas and info! As I've lived in the south going on 9 (gulp! how did that happen?) years now I've become more familiar with okra but as a vegetable, not realizing it's also a thickener. Interesting!

Haven't heard any news re: Gary. Angie usually post on Facebook or at 3FC on Faith Based Forums. Haven't heard anything for about a week.

Back from closing. Looks like I'm going to get the money currently in my escrow account back in 6-8 weeks, so another $1741 dollars I'll be able to put into savings. I'll also likely get back about $400 in up front interest that they collected depending on when the closing attorney funds the payoff of the loan. His intention is to wire fund it on Friday, so it should settle by Monday or Tuesday and I would get almost all of that interest back. That would be FANTASTIC. This has been a good move for me. I'm glad. I need good things right now to remind me how good choices have reward. :)

Don't forget YOU made the choice. Congratulations.

Thanks. :)

Steph, are things going better today ?

Chris - your opera sounds facinating. I started out in college as a music major at Crane Music School. I actually am more of a traditional Broadway type chick,but I would love to see your work!!!

Steph - I can't imagine what you are going through - DH is going through the opposite side of the coin. His dad (age 94) is sharp as can be mentally but his body isbeginning to fail him terribly. He can barely see and still drives (!!) And DH's sister is NOT supportive of taking his license. She is very in denial about how bad he is I think.

I have a pretty nasty cold - this is the first time I have been sick in at least 2 years. I feel like CRAP, but have been RAVENOUS all day. My food choices haven't been bad but the amount I've eaten is terrible.

Hey, did I tell you guys I got my belly button pierced last week? It's starting to heal and I'm hoping that's a good sign that it's not going to reject. Fingers crossed because I love how it looks!

Jen

I have to have lab work tomorrow, made an appointment for 1:15 PM. So what's the problem ? I forget it is a fasting test.No food until afternoon, and there is that darned IHOP staring at me across the parking lot as I leave.

Oh Jen, sorry about the cold. :( loving the belly button piercing, though. LOL

Bargoo - I'd have a hard time avoiding IHOP under those conditions.... Good luck. Maybe pack snacks? And blinders. LOL

Chris sounds like your well versed in cooking. That is a list I will save. Thanks!

Dagmar :dizzy: