Totally agree. Many years ago, we tried to solve this by having DH talk to his mom. He did but she just ignored him and basically told him she "needed" to do it and since she was the mom her way of doing things was the right way, even in his house. So then I said something the next time, and she added that to the ever-growing reasons to hate me list. Le sigh...

Yes, too many pictures of inane details! I like one picture of the finished product so I know what mark I'm trying to hit. And then maybe a picture or two if there are complicated steps (like shaping dough or what color to which the sugar needs to be caramelized). I also don't need a story of how your cousin's grandmother's sister's truck driver husband found this recipe on the back of a cereal box and you had to try it in memory of him. Or how the autumnal air and leaves the color of rust, mustard, and hipster rainbows called you to write a 1200 word essay on why you needed to bake a pumpkin cheesecake.

Kum brand is made in Germany and has replacement blades: http://www.dickblick.com/products/kum-wedge-sharpener/

We definitely couldn't afford $1500 a month. DH is under a union contract where his company is responsible for paying 63% of our insurance premiums. His company offers two plans, both with fairly low deductibles. If we had to pay the full premium, we wouldn't be able to afford it along with our normal living expenses.

Yes, there would be more taxpayers. But there are more complications. The US is one country, but it is also 50 individual states with the right to do certain things differently at the state level. The effect of that complicating matters was clear when each state was given the option whether or not to expand Medicaid to low-income people by a 2012 Supreme Court ruling, and as of September 2016, 19 states had not expanded this coverage (source: http://kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/the-coverage-gap-uninsured-poor-adults-in-states-that-do-not-expand-medicaid/ ). There is also a lot of disparity in taxes paid, with many in the middle class shouldering far too high of a percent of their yearly income on taxes already. So they cannot bear more burden, but those in the upper echelons feel it unfair to have to cover not only the financial burdens of the poorest but that of the middle class as well. I feel there would have to be a huge cultural shift, with the top-earners feeling responsible for those who cannot afford to do so, including not just the poverty-stricken but the just-squeaking-by middle classers. But, alas, many Americans have an ingrained sense of personal rather than group responsibility. If you can't afford high taxes or healthcare or insurance or whatever, many feel that it is your own fault for not having a better job, for not working hard enough, for not having families who can take care of you, and so on. There is very much a disdain of "welfare state" practices. Once again, the book The Year of Living Danishly opened my eyes to how it's not just a system that the US is lacking; it's also very much the cultural mindsets/paradigms behind those systems that most likely makes them not directly transferable here.

It's a complex system, so of course there isn't one single cause, including any one people group. I recently starting reading The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande. It's not directly focused on healthcare, but the author is a surgeon so he includes many anecdotes related to the medical field. He writes of the incredible lengths taken to keep patients alive, and it's truly miraculous many of the things that can be done that weren't even possible 20 years ago. And all of these technologies come at a steep price. Many people think that socialized medicine is the answer, but for a country as large and populous as the US, what would be the financial impact? In reading The Year of Living Danishly, I grew kind of jealous of their availability of medical care in Denmark. But then I realized they are only covering less than 6 million people and wondered how on Earth that would translate to a country with more than 54 times the amount of people!

I really like that trolley. I've seen similar ones here is the US, but the wheels on the one you linked are much better. I live within walking distance of two supermarkets, yet still drive to get groceries because I usually get a full week's worth at a time and buy sales items in bulk, which ends up being too much to carry. :blush: I'd like to get in the habit of walking, though, even if it means making more frequent trips. Although, would I then be prone to spend more overall?

I like self-checkouts because I find myself being very diligent about being accurate. I pay close attention to make sure prices ring up correctly, that nothing is double-scanned, and so on. Cashiers may not pay as close attention, not necessarily because they are bad workers, but they may be fatigued physically and mentally after being on their feet and doing a repetitive task for long periods. Sometimes they do get caught up in small talk with customers or bangers and don't notice mistakes (if the small talk is with me, then I also miss the mistake). Or, possibly for a very small number, they just don't care because it's not their money. I also like being able to load my bags super full, with NO double-bagging or to be able to use my reusable bags judgement-free. And finally, at Walmart the self-check line is always extremely fast compared to the regular lines, even the express lines.

I used to use the Swiffer wet jet but replaced it with a version from Rubbermaid that has a refillable spray solution holder and a reusable/washable pad. Besides reducing waste, it's so nice not to have to keep spending money on replacement sprays and pads, plus I can customize them to use more eco-friendly materials.

I would be in support of stores charging per bag, like what Aldi does. I have a bunch of reusable canvas bags that I bought from Trader Joe's a long time ago (about 12 years ago I think). They are machine washable and very heavy duty. I can fill them with cans and jars without worrying about them breaking. I've had one that had a seam blow out, but I just sewed it and it's worked fine. I also have two each of the red/black and the blue Trader Joe's insulated bags. I much prefer the shape of the blue one--it fits two gallons of milk and more at one time. I have also used the giant blue IKEA bag for groceries but it's so big that I can't carry it unless I put in mostly light items. Even though I have a nice variety of reusable bags, I get lazy and/or hate the eye-rolling I receive from cashiers when I pull out my bags, so far too often I just get plastic. I do recycle them, but I should use my reusables more.

I read a book years ago that addressed the idea of using smaller plates, as well as similar issues of the psychology behind how we eat--Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink.

I usually follow this recipe which calls for half cheddar/half plain (not pepper) Jack: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/skillet-creamy-macaroni-and-cheese/ I think the Jack melts smoother and gives the dish a creamier taste than using all cheddar. If my family liked spicy foods I'd definitely try pepper Jack.

I just wanted to give a heads up for Plan to Eat's annual Black Friday sale. The year subscription will be 50% off ($19.50) for a few days starting on November 25. Details are here: https://www.plantoeat.com/black_friday_sale_2016 I've been using this service for almost three years, and even though I don't always use it to its fullest, it's well worth the price. It's great for meal planning, grocery list making, and recipe organizing. I know several members here use and love it, so this is your PSA to remember to renew! :)

Just to be clear, I wasn't thinking presidentially but rather about a state referendum I voted against but still overwhelmingly passed. Trying to keep it light :)

"I Fought the Law, and the Law Won" ;)

Onenote

We are putting together our White House cookie kit: http://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/white-house-cookie-kit Maybe we'll smash it in honor of this terrible election year when we're done. As for real food, I'm thinking about combining taco Tuesday with the election-day chili idea by making taco soup in the slow cooker.

Total aside: Have you read The Year of Living Danishly? After reading it I was really curious to know if the author's take on being an expat there was accurate and how it might differ for expats from different countries and those who lived in a more urban area vs. the isolated community where the author lived. The author went into their move with the idea of it being a research/journalistic project so that seemed to influence her experience and thoughts as well.

My kids just asked if they could stay up to try to watch the end. We don't have anything on the calendar tomorrow morning, so why not? I'm hoping I don't regret that choice later!

watching the World Series that we're not discussing it? :laugh: What a game!

Okay, I'm trying to imagine what they were taught in "Bachelor Living" that set it apart from Home Ec. How to most efficiently pile dirty dishes in a sink for maximum height and minimal damage? The optimal number of times to re-wear clothing before washing, including the good ole turn your socks inside out for a clean pair? How to cook courtesy of "A Man, A Can, A Plan" and Pizza Hut? Or is that just my DH's version of bachelor life when I'm away for a weekend? :lol:

One of my older children (who is ADHD, very black/white) does this to a younger (very sensitive and emotional) sibling. What has worked the best is that when I hear older child criticizing I tell him to stop, apologize, and then restate his thought in a way that's not critical. I usually have to model that statement for him, which he then repeats. We've done this enough that often times I can just say stop and he goes ahead and apologizes and restates on his own. I'm hoping he'll eventually get to the point where he's able to stop himself when, or even before, he starts to speak critically.

Very cool! It's not in my area (Florida) yet but maybe someday?

I recently read The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. The author and her husband, who are British, moved to Denmark when the husband got a job with Lego. It was a fascinating book, although a bit :ohmy: at times. The Danish culture is very oxymoronic--they are the happiest country in the world but have very high divorce and domestic violence rates. They have wonderful social outlets and health care opportunities, yet they have a high rate of smoking and alcohol consumption. They have a high rate of church membership but many of those members consider themselves agnostic/atheist. After reading this book, I'd love to try to live elsewhere (especially Europe or Latin America) but would need to go in thinking about it as a temporary measure as the author did because some of those unexpected cultural differences could end up being deal breakers. To answer the OP's question--even though I've never been, I think I could live in Australia. I'm in Florida right now, so I'm used to warm, sunny, laid-back, and lots of weird bugs/snakes/creatures, which it seems like I could also find there.

I think OneNote might work well if you only need the URL and not the entire recipe. You could make a Meal Idea notebook and then have different tabs for however you want to categorize them. I would have a tab for recipes that I wanted to try soon, sort of like the "Queue" feature on Plan to Eat. Then you could create tabs for different courses (appetizer, main course, salad, breakfast, dessert, etc.) or cuisine (Mexican, Italian, etc.) or main ingredient (chicken, vegetarian, etc.). Alternately, you could add them all to one tab and tag them. So a link to a chicken soup recipe could be tagged with all of the following "soup" "dinner" "fall/winter" "chicken" so that it would be pulled up when you filtered for any one of those tags. That would probably be the system I would choose if I had a Windows device. Unfortunately, you cannot make custom tags for Macs at this time. You also might look into Evernote or even just Pinterest. I use (and love!) Plan to Eat, but when I just need to save a link quickly to come back to later I Pin it on my cooking board. I like that it's fast and visual. Once I've tried and liked a recipe, then it can get promoted to Plan to Eat. :)