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Jay Whitenoreply@blogger.com2008-06-11T16:28:42.705-05:00Learn to Love Fridge Velcro</h3><content type="html"><div id="write"><h7 class="write">Written on 6/11/2008 by Garrett Whelan who writes about cooking for men or anyone trying to kick the fast food habit at <a href="http://fatbastardeats.com/">FatBastardEats.com</a>.</h7></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/u-suke/138067687/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_dH0q9hvpVHg/SFBByBIprKI/AAAAAAAAB1A/FV1z1ZmnVaQ/s400/pasta.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210737096421649570" title="Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino（ペペロンチーノ）" border="0" /></a>I can hear them. At night they wait outside, calling to me, "We can smell it." "Give it to us, we'll get it eventually."<br /><br />No, it's not the vampires from <span style="font-style: italic;">I Am Legend</span>; it's the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeganism">freegans</a>. Damn freegans. They're waiting for me to throw out that last hamburger patty from Sunday's BBQ, or the rest of last night's asparagus. Or maybe they want those sauteed mushrooms that have about a day left until they become a penicillin farm.<br /><br />What kills me is they're right, they will get it all eventually. Eventually <span style="font-weight: bold;">I'll throw out all this food even though it's perfectly good</span>. But what can I do?<br /><br />The answer is "fridge velcro." What is fridge velcro? It's a term coined by my hero <a href="http://www.altonbrown.com/">Alton Brown</a> for foods you can throw damn near anything into and it will come out edible. Fridge velcro lets you combine a bunch of disparate ingredients that are too small to qualify as leftovers by themselves and make a full meal.<br /><br />The 4 best forms of fridge velcro are:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"> Pasta: </span>This one doesn't seem like fridge velcro but that's because in America we have a habit of overdressing our pasta. Sure, not everything goes with spaghetti, but try this instead. Mince one to two cloves of garlic and put them into the bottom of a large bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil. Then add your freshly drained pasta and toss to coat. You can put almost anything into that (although make sure any vegetables are cooked) and you've got a meal. I've even put chopped asparagus in there and it turned out great. If you have nothing, toss in some ground pepper or crushed red pepper and you're in business!<br /></li><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Quiche:</span> A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiche">quiche</a> is basically an egg pie (a custard if you're a <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2002/05/17.html">gastronome</a>). Just buy a frozen pie crust, layer your leftovers at the bottom and then pour the egg mixture on top and bake. Boom, done. Here's a <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_31944,00.html">great quiche recipe</a>, ignore the part about baking your own crust (if you want to) and adding bacon to the filling (if you want to).</li><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"> Gratin:</span> Most of us only know Potatoes Au Gratin from the freeze dried crap-in-a-box that our moms rehydrated for us when we were kids. But a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalloped_potatoes">gratin</a> is a great way to reuse leftovers. It's essentially a potato casserole, all you do is slice everything really thin, layer potato, then leftover, then potato, add a little dairy and bake. Poof, remnants of dinners' past are gone. Here's a descent <a href="http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-make-potatoes-au-gratin-147414/&media=video/">video recipe for a gratin</a> that explains the whole layering and slicing process. Just make whatever substitutions you want to include your leftovers.</li><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Blondies:</span> Perhaps my favorite of all. I've written about making <a href="http://fatbastardeats.com/recipes/start-with-blondies/">blondies</a> before. They're a cup of sugar, a cup of flour, a stick of butter and a bunch of other...stuff! Got a few peanuts rolling around in the bottom of the can? Throw them in. Raisins hiding the back of the cupboard? Why not? M&Ms from the 1994 Olympics? Uh....I might just let those go. But anything nutty or sweet from this century is perfect in blondies. Easiest baking I ever did.</li></ul>The thing about freegans is if you don't feed them, eventually they stop hanging around your house just like cats or wayward women. Now that you know how to make the most out of these simple fridge velcro meals you can get rid of them in no time.<br /><br />-Garrett<br style="clear: both;"/> <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=72391a860fcf8943017ad43016465a53" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=72391a860fcf8943017ad43016465a53" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/DumbLittleMan?a=AbrDih"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/DumbLittleMan?i=AbrDih" border="0"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/DumbLittleMan?a=fGfm9i"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/DumbLittleMan?i=fGfm9i" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/DumbLittleMan?a=3efkAi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/DumbLittleMan?i=3efkAi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/DumbLittleMan?a=HjAfqi"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/DumbLittleMan?i=HjAfqi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/DumbLittleMan?a=aJ2Uri"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/DumbLittleMan?i=aJ2Uri" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/DumbLittleMan?a=agGdkI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/DumbLittleMan?i=agGdkI" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DumbLittleMan/~4/309914786" height="1" width="1"/></content><author><name>Jay White</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email></author></entry><entry><updated>2008-06-11T12:07:26.672-05:00</updated><title type="text">No Takebacks! Five Playground Rules to Live By</h3><content type="html"><div id="write"><h7 class="write">Written on 6/11/2008 by Sara who offers up a daily dose of sanity at <a href="http://www.onsimplicity.net/">On Simplicity</a>.</h7></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/snavarro/456166793/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_dH0q9hvpVHg/SE_YwxH0itI/AAAAAAAAB04/qpVysmKgI0c/s400/park.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210621626222414546" border="0" /></a>Remember how simple everything was back in grade school? You said exactly what you meant, you had a clear sense of right and wrong, and <span style="font-style: italic;">everything</span> was possible. Well, those classic playground rules of your grade school years still apply to life. And best of all, they can make your life easier and possibly more fun.<br /><br />Playground rules work because they're clear-cut. If you're anything like I was, you didn't put up much of a fight when you got called out with one of these rules. You were busted and you knew it! The result was that you spent less time fighting verbal battles and debating rules, and more time playing. (Ah, the sweet, severely bruised intoxication of a Red Rover victory...) Take a second look at some of the classic playground rules and you might be surprised by how they still apply to your life.<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">No takebacks</span>. Once you give something, you can't ask for it back. Whether it's a physical gift, a gift of money, or a gift of time, asking for a takeback is pointless. It shows bad faith and makes you untrustworthy. Even more importantly, you can't take back your words. Once they're out there, you have to deal with the consequences, however unpleasant they may be. When you decide to give something, give it freely with no strings attached. If you don't, be prepared for raspberries and wedgies.</li><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">No cutting. </span>There are very few shortcuts in life. If you find one, be sure that you're not just cutting in front of someone else by taking it. Cheating your way to the front of the line may save you a few seconds now, but the consequences can last for years (or at least through recess). Cutting generates ill will, because it's a clear signal that you put your own needs in front of others. Don't be surprised when you get picked last for the next round of dodgeball... or raises. </li><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Take turns. </span>If you expect to have friends to play with, you're going to have to learn to take turns. Taking turns is about respecting your playmates and looking for the best solution for everyone involved. So in your work life and love life, it pays to take turns. This can mean sharing the spotlight. It can mean letting your partner choose the movie (even if that means seeing Bad Boys for the 80th time). It can also mean stopping to really listen to the other person's side of the conversation. There are very few times in life when taking turns doesn't benefit you.</li><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">No do-overs. </span>In four-square, there are no "do overs." The same is true of life. If you screw up, you rarely get a second chance. Accept this and move on. Instead of arguing or pleading for a second try, figure out what went wrong and try to fix it. No one respects the kid who constantly requests a do-over, so accept your mistakes and focus on improvement.</li><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">When it's time to go home, find a partner to cross the street with. </span>There's safety in numbers and two heads are better than one. When it's time to head in a new direction, find someone to help you. Whether that person is a family member, a spouse, a partner, a friend, or a dog, they can be your support system to get you through life's hazards. Can you do things on your own? Absolutely. Should you lean on this person? Not necessarily. But whether you need them or not, having a friend to hold your hand as you cross the street can make the trip a pleasure.</li></ul>Playground rules are about finding the easiest, most efficient way to work together. Whenever you're in a tight jam, remember the simple beauty of kid logic. Leave the complicated justifications and rationalizations out of it. Embrace your inner kid and see where it takes you. 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