I like this one https://www.target.com/p/stainless-steel-basting-spoon-threshold-153/-/A-16224329

Mmmm This is sounding promising. What veggies would you put with it? The frozen chicken nuggets weren't about the breading; they were about the ease of preparation and neutral go-with-anything flavor.

What do you mean by hard to get into? Really high academic standards and rigorous prerequisites? or Really popular, so there is a waiting list and/or a lottery? or something else? Maryanne

I've never in my life fried chicken or anything else remotely similar. (yeah I know that makes me weird) The chicken nuggets are pre-made, and I just heat them on a baking sheet in the oven. I'm pretty sure frying chicken would take the same large burner as the soup, though. I would definitely be interested in more information or a recipe for the roasted chicken thighs. Thanks, Maryanne

I've noticed the same thing. It's ok to talk about how many points (goals, baskets, runs) your kid scored at the game last weekend, but if you bring up the 95 they got on their math test last week it's bragging. I think clever falls under this same bias.

I'm struggling with menu combinations. How do you decide what dishes to put together to make a meal? Are there any websites or blogs that have good advice. Right now I'm trying to figure out ideas to go with soups. Some soups are complete meals in themselves, like vegetable beef soup. But, what about the ones aren't a complete meal? For example, I make a corn chowder that contains corn, milk, chicken broth, bacon and onion. My family eats it really well, but it's mostly carbs. Also it takes a whole lot of it to fill up ds who is 16, active, and eats a lot. I've been serving it with frozen chicken nuggets and a simple salad. I'd like to find something more homemade than chicken nuggets to go with the corn chowder, but it can't be real time consuming or a take the same pot (large Dutch oven) or the same burner on top the stove (the biggest one) and it should complement the soup or at least not clash with it. Any suggestions. Tonight I'm making Pioneer Woman's White Chili http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/simple-hearty-white-chili/ I suppose it could be considered a complete meal, but it seems a little short on veggies to me. A simple salad is the obvious choice, but what else could I do. What make a interesting salad or other vegetable based dish to go with it? I'd like to try a cheesy cauliflower soup at some point like this one http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/cheesy-cauliflower-soup/. It could be a complete meal, but I think I'd still need more food to fill up ds. I suppose one solution to filling up a teenage boy is just to make a bigger pot of soup, but i'd need a bigger pot. :mellow: I welcome both general advice on menus and specific advice on these soups. Thanks, Maryanne Edited to remove extra spaces

From the linked article: "But New London police interviewed only candidates who scored 20 to 27, on the theory that those who scored too high could get bored with police work and leave soon after undergoing costly training." So how is discriminating against people with high IQs because they could get bored on the job any different from discriminating against women because they could get pregnant or choose to leave the work force to raise a family? Do average IQ people never get bored and change jobs? It really blows me away that this sort of discrimination is legal!

The last time I did a Cajun meal, we had Cajun grilled chicken, cajun rice pilaf, steamed asparagus, hollandaise sauce, and pina colada sweet potatoes. When I'm serving a spicy flavorful meal like Cajun, I look for simple sides with a hint of sweetness like carrots, sweet potatoes, sweet peppers etc. Looking forward to seeing what others do.

What about something like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Stainless-Steel-Burner-Cover-4pk/19857911 I have set of these and use the smaller ones to heat foods in my toaster oven almost daily. The larger ones don't fit my toaster oven but seem like they'd work just as well in a larger oven.

I don't think race would affect my opinion, but other factors would: Guy (any race/ethnicity) with visible gun in holster/case going about ordinary-looking business (buying groceries, pumping gas, waiting patiently in line somewhere, etc): ok Guy (any race/ethnicity) with gun in hand looking around at crowd: scary Guy (any race/ethnicity) in mask: scary

This thread and the one about Thanksgiving have been interesting to follow and have given me a lot to think about. As best as I can tell maybe the equivalent for me would be a group of frat boys, atheists, or any other group of non-Christians getting together and setting up a baptismal pool and taking turns dunking each other to mock the Christian ritual of baptism. The thing is even though I'm Christian and baptism is pretty significant religious ritual to me, the only part of a mock-baptism that would bother me would be if they actually said "In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Even then, though, I wouldn't expect them to stop because it offended me, although depending on the circumstances I might leave. Otherwise, I leave it God's hands to deal with the mockers in whatever way he sees fit.

I think of teal as a little lighter/brighter and greener than the linked sweater, more like this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tealwhich I think would be a more flattering color for you than the sweater. If the picture in your avatar is you, than your coloring looks similar to mine. I can't tell from the picture what color your eyes are; mine are brown, my hair is dark blond, and I look good in warm colors. I can wear teal (but turquoise is better). I would wear coral lipstick and warm brown eye shadow and it would work for me because teal and coral are complementary colors. So if it was me I'd wear the most flattering teal sweater or shirt I could find/afford and wear it with brown or dark denim/navy* bottoms and accessorize with smallish brown accessories: earrings, hair barrette, watch band, shoes etc. and definitely coral lipstick. *If my husband was wearing navy and husbands and wives would likely be kept together I'd choose navy bottoms.

Wow! Ok. I didn't know I was asking such a controversial question. First, a little more information: The nickname is very cute and seems appropriate for the real name, but neither the real name nor the nickname are quite as common or standard as Margaret & Maggie. A speech impairment is not the only SN this girl has, but I don't know if the speech issues are in addition to other SNs or a symptom of a larger SN or if it even matters. Would it be ok if I start using the nickname with her and waited to see what, if any, reaction the Mom has? I want to treat the little girl right, but don't want to disrespect the Mom either. I usually am content to call people what they tell me to call them, but this seems trickier to navigate than some random kid who says "call me Joe, not Joseph" (or vice versa).

At one of the activities my dc and I attend there is a girl who is maybe 5-7 years old who attends as a tag along with an older sibling participating in the activity. I'm just getting started getting to know the family so I don't know any specifics of the girls special needs. Last time we met, the girl spontaneously came up and hugged me, and my heart just melted. I don't think of myself as especially huggable. Anyway I asked her name and she told me her name was <nickname>, but her mother who was nearby told me "no her name is <firstname>. <Nickname> is just how she says <firstname> because she can't say it correctly." Think Maggie vs. Margaret (not her real name). Now I'm in a quandary about what to call her. Do I use the name that she told me or the name her mother told me? If I ask the little girl which she prefers and she can't say her real name then she is going to answer with her nickname even if she prefers her real name to be used by others right? But if I ask the mom, she is she going to tell me which the little girl prefers or which she, the mom, prefers?

This is an interesting question to ponder... More generically the question is at what point does doing business with or recommending a specific product or service constitute endorsement of unrelated goals/beliefs/actions of the individual/company. I have more questions than answers... Does recommending a specific A Beka reading or grammar program constitute endorsement of all of A Beka doctrines/beliefs/goals or even any other A Beka curriculum item? Does a book recommendation constitute an endorsement of everything the author believes or does? or even everything in the book itself? Does an ethical vegan hiring a handyman who shows up to work wearing a leather tool belt and eating a McDonald's hamburger constitute the vegan endorsing the use animal products or McDonald's business practices. Does a pro-life homeowner hiring a pro-choice painter to paint his house constitute endorsing the painter's pro-choice beliefs? Does listening to, laughing at, or purchasing Bill Cosby's comedy routines constitute endorsement of all that he believes or does? Does issuing a government approved same sex marriage license constitute personal endorsement of same sex marriage? Does a government issued automobile license tag with a confederate battle flag issued to members of Sons of Confederate Veterans because they met the generic standard for a special interest tags constitute government endorsement of all that SCV stands for? Why or why not?