Katy S

If my brother, the scientist, wore ties, I would get this for him. - Katy S from Bookmarklet

"Ashley Price felt terrible. She was tired, dizzy spells came and went, dark splotches popped up on her chest for no reason, and she'd gained 50 pounds in two years. Some days she was starving; other days she could barely eat. Her doc suggested that her problems would go away if Price just ate less and exercised more, even though she was dieting and working out regularly. Price demanded thyroid tests, only to have them come back normal. Women may feel like their symptoms aren't taken seriously and that they're told to stop worrying. Her doctor told her: "I have no idea what it is. Wait for it to go away." It didn't go away. "I could no longer think straight, no matter how hard I tried or what I did," Price says. Worse, she suffered three straight miscarriages. Finally, four years after this nightmare began -- after the third miscarriage -- an ultrasound revealed that her ovaries were riddled with cysts. She had polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal disorder; symptoms include irregular... more... - Katy S from Bookmarklet

To finally get my diagnosis, I really had to push. I now bring a one-page doc to each appointment, with my current meds/dosages, med allergies, recent diagnostics/procedures, symptoms, and questions/concerns. The doctor doesn't always read the whole thing, but they do put them in my chart. My pain mgmt doc often reads it completely when she reviews my chart before my next visit. And my PCP *loves* them. - Ladybug Heather

"Better hoard your Eggos! Grocery stores will be experiencing a shortage of the waffles until mid-2010 due to problems at two bakeries, a Kellogg's spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Flooding at an Atlanta bakery during heavy rains in October forced Kellogg (K, Fortune 500), which makes Eggo products, to shut down production temporarily, said company spokesman Kris Charles. Plus, equipment at Kellogg's largest waffle facility, based in Rossville, Tenn., needs extensive repairs. "We are working around the clock to restore Eggo store inventories to normal levels as quickly as possible," Charles said in an e-mail. Remaining inventory will be rationed to stores across the country "based on historical percentage of business."" - Katy S from Bookmarklet

This sounds like something from the Onion. - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

"Psst! Here’s a quick-and-easy dessert for the Thanksgiving groaning board. And, since it’s served right from the pan it’s baked in, it’s incredibly easy to wrap and take to wherever your moveable feast is being held this year. We posted a blog on a berry-topped cake back in September. Now that Thanksgiving is upon us, it’s time to take that same recipe and substitute fresh cranberries for the raspberries. Take a look at our recipe for Late Summer Berry Torte. Make the following changes, and Bob’s your uncle: Thanksgiving Cranberry Cake." - Katy S from Bookmarklet

In that second one, she suspects you haven't been bathing regularly. She didn't want to say anything . . . but damn. - Baroness Von Cut-A-Bitch

first, hey, what's up there? It looks kinda interesting. Second, hey, you moved and I was focused on something. third, OMG, what is that thing? OMG OMG. Fourth, oh god, I can't look, it's just too horrible. - Cassandra

Hi Plum!! So cute!! I have a pink collar on Indiana too! Looks so great with their fur! - Rachel Lea Fox

"Now that I have seen the movie "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," I'm all the more bewildered by its enthusiastic reception, especially in the white media. The fictional story revolves around a black teenager, Claireece "Precious" Jones, who is raped by her father, gets pregnant by him -- twice -- and endures the depravity of her psychopathic mother. The Huffington Post raved: "This is a film that doesn't shy away from the depths to which human beings can sink. . . ." You'd think the movie was a documentary. The independent film, directed by Lee Daniels and adapted from a 1996 novel by the poet Sapphire, raked in an impressive $6 million during its weekend debut. Little wonder, though, given all the media buzz. The New York Times Magazine featured the movie as a cover story last month and declared: "Precious is a stand-in for anyone -- black, white, male, female -- who has ever been devalued or underestimated." Let's see: I lose my job, so I take in a movie about a... more... - Katy S from Bookmarklet

"You'd think the movie was a documentary." Mr. Milloy didn't hear about the auditions in which the vast majority of the girls had lives so similar to the Precious story that they weren't cast for fear of exploiting the horror of their real life stories. - EricaJoy

I'm Flunky Pizzachunks. What's your name? - Katy S from Bookmarklet

Pinky Gigglechunks. - mjc

"You may remember at least one pineapple cheese pie recipe that circulated in the 1950s had a filling and glaze similar to the one in this tart. Here, cranberries are a perfect foil to the rich cheesecake filling." - Katy S from Bookmarklet

This make me want to scream in anticipation! Nice. - Amani

"This Thanksgiving dessert has equal parts pumpkin puree and apple butter, making it simple to create but better tasting than a typical pumpkin pie. The secret is the apple butter. The apples develop a molasses-like sweetness from cooking down to a buttery slurry. As a single ingredient, it provides so much round, rich flavor to the pie that the only spice required is a touch of cinnamon." - Katy S from Bookmarklet

That sounds potentially *good*. - Kamilah Gill

I know! It has significantly less pumpkin in it than most recipes (which makes it a bit more like the type I grew up with) so I'm thinking about trying it. I like pumpkin flavor, but I don't like my pumpkin pie to be heavy. Plus, I adore apple butter! - Katy S

"A fabulous combination of apples, caramel, crumbly topping and thin, flaky crust, this pie is best made a day ahead, which makes it ideal for a holiday meal. The easiest way to cut the caramels is with strong kitchen scissors, or you can use a knife. Be sure to toss the caramel pieces with the cornstarch immediately after cutting or they’ll stick together. Vanilla ice cream makes a great accompaniment to the pie, which should be served at room temperature." - Katy S from Bookmarklet

"This dish combines snap peas with the seasonal flavors of cranberries and apple cider. The result is a dish that easily fits into holiday meals." - Katy S from Bookmarklet

"This shouldn't taste like pumpkin pie, and it won't, especially if you do not over-process the sweet potatoes; the filling's texture should be coarse." - Katy S from Bookmarklet

"This recipe first appeared in New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme's "Pure Magic" cookbook in 1995. It's a hearty vegetarian favorite, chock-full of three types of greens bathed in broth, that serves 8 (but could easily stretch to 12). Prudhomme, who opened K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in 1979 in the historic French Quarter, says this is not a demanding recipe. It was born by mixing fresh, sometimes bitter, greens. Some ingredients in this classic can be updated. "The oil is not a significant flavor," Prudhomme says. "Use olive oil or any oil." Chicken or beef broth can be substituted for a non-vegetarian version. The one ingredient that should not change, Prudhomme says, is the cilantro. "It has its own flavors," he says. "It delivers a part of the dish" and provides a little kick that lingers on the tongue. Vegetable Magic, a combination of spices and herbs, is available locally in some Safeway and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy stores; it also can be ordered online at www.kpauls.com or Amazon.com." - Katy S from Bookmarklet

#bunneh -- It contains cilantro! - Katy S

"What to some people makes these the best Brussels sprouts ever is the fact that they don't taste strongly of Brussels sprouts. The bacon gives them a deep, rich flavor and marries well with the vegetables’ unexpected crunch; the sprinkling of chives makes its own contribution to what is simply a great combination of flavors. As originally written, the recipe called for dicing all of the bacon, which meant the dish was studded with small dice of pure bacon fat. We've chosen to avoid that by rendering and then discarding the fatty parts of the bacon strips. The sprouts still have a satisfying bacon flavor, and the dish is more healthful. (If eating bacon fat isn't a problem for you, dice the entire amount and leave it all in the pot.) Don’t overcook the sprouts. In the Chinese fashion, they should be cooked until just crisp-tender." - Katy S from Bookmarklet

"Man Crepes are fit to serve to all, of course. It's just a catchy title (the book's full of them) for the thin pancakes that are better than what you might buy at a street stand. The recipe is included in the Breakfast chapter, although Quinn was immediately keen to adapt it as an answer for Thanksgiving turkey leftovers: a little shredded cheese and roast turkey tucked inside warm crepes." - Katy S from Bookmarklet

I think Man Crepes sound awesome, naturally. - Derrick

"Pépin remembers it more as a high-wire act: "We had talked about how to do the turkey a day before we shot that show," he said recently in a phone interview from Connecticut. "Julia had said, 'Let's try to bone it and stuff it.' I had never done a turkey that way before. What you see on camera is the first time, with no recipe, even different than what we had discussed." He became a fan of slicing strategic cuts in big birds to help them cook evenly and faster. (He still makes slits at the joint of the turkey shoulder, and between the thigh and drumstick, in the bird he steams, then roasts for Thanksgiving each year.) Child loved wielding big hammers and such to illustrate the boning methods; Pepin says it looked dramatic but is not so necessary in the modern kitchen. A big, sharp knife and a small paring knife are all you need here. For the Julia-Jacques recipe that includes a corn bread-sage stuffing, gravy and rich broth, he agreed that the amount of fat could be greatly reduced,... more... - Katy S from Bookmarklet

The link to the recipe is at the end of the article. - Katy S