Jessa's recent activity
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Comment on Courgette/zucchini recipes in ~food
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Comment on What's on your spice rack? in ~food
Jessa LinkI don't know how many spices we have - a lot - an entire cupboard shelf, with many stacked two-high. Most of these are used regularly, some only occasionally, but I do have a few items that I...I don't know how many spices we have - a lot - an entire cupboard shelf, with many stacked two-high. Most of these are used regularly, some only occasionally, but I do have a few items that I bought on sale with no idea how to use them and they're still mostly unused. So I'd recommend taking a look at recipes for the types of food that you want to be cooking and build off what's in those. That will get you what you need for now. And if you enjoy cooking and keep it up, plan for where you're going to put those additional spices.
Also, keep in mind when you're trying new dishes that you're not sure if you'll like, you don't necessarily have to go buy the new spices right away. A few years ago I had a recipe that called for Aleppo pepper. I had no idea where I would ever find this, so I googled substitutes and found a suggestion to mix cayenne and paprika to get something similar. That dish turned out to be a regular in our household and when I found myself in a specialty spice store last winter, I bought a jar of Aleppo. It's definitely different, but the suggested substitute didn't do a bad job!
Also, if you're in the US, I'm a big fan of Target's store brand spices. They have a decent selection and are often much cheaper than the national brand you'll find in most grocery stores and I don't notice much of a quality difference. If you want to go high quality, I'm a big fan of Penzey's, which ships throughout the country if you don't have a store available in your area.
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Comment on ‘People are simply not buying them’: That’s a wrap for Fantales in Australia in ~food
Jessa Link ParentI don't buy candy often anymore, but when I do I'm disappointed. My mom found a bag of Cadbury mini eggs leftover from Easter and gave them to me this weekend. I asked my spouse later if they had...I don't buy candy often anymore, but when I do I'm disappointed. My mom found a bag of Cadbury mini eggs leftover from Easter and gave them to me this weekend. I asked my spouse later if they had changed or if they always had so little chocolate flavor and we were just kids and didn't care. We agreed that we've heard that years ago, Hershey's or some other sub-par candy maker had purchased the brand here in the U.S.
Same with Oreos, although I think Nabisco has owned them all along. I bought a tray of them earlier this year and they had no flavor. As tasty as cardboard. How are they so popular?! They take up 1/3 of the shelf aisle, floor to top shelf, at my local grocer.
It's probably good news in the end. If these treats don't taste like anything, then I'll be buying less. I'll have to go out of my way for specialty candies, cookies, cakes. Which means I'll be buying treats less often, but buying locally instead.
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Comment on With rising costs of just about everything, what are some frugal things you do to save some cash? in ~life
Jessa LinkI didn't see this listed here, so I want to throw out one thing that made a big difference for my family: meal planning. We waste so much less food now, which means I'm not paying for groceries...I didn't see this listed here, so I want to throw out one thing that made a big difference for my family: meal planning. We waste so much less food now, which means I'm not paying for groceries that end up in the garbage. Once per week, we make a menu for all of our meals and create a corresponding grocery list. I'll also check prices against the weekly ads to make sure we're shopping the best deals and will sometimes change items on the meal plan to take advantage of those deals. We only buy what we need, which means less waste and less snacking. Also, I don't have to think about what to make for dinner, which means we don't make last minute plans to eat out simply because we don't know what to have for dinner that night.
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Comment on Show recommendations for my parents in ~tv
Jessa Link ParentI don't think you made it far enough into season one. There is a whole gay rape episode that would likely be a major turnoff to OP's super conservative parents. In fact, I didn't make it past...I don't think you made it far enough into season one. There is a whole gay rape episode that would likely be a major turnoff to OP's super conservative parents. In fact, I didn't make it past season one because the show was so rapey. Especially later in the season, I felt they used it frequently to move the plot, which was just lazy writing (although I understand this mirrors the books, which just means to me that the original author is also a lazy writer).
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Comment on Show recommendations for my parents in ~tv
Jessa Link ParentI'm delighted that you've made this recommendation. It feels like it's been a few years - aside from the long episode last Christmas - so I often forget about this. But it's an amazing show. I...I'm delighted that you've made this recommendation. It feels like it's been a few years - aside from the long episode last Christmas - so I often forget about this. But it's an amazing show. I wouldn't have thought I'd enjoy it - a show about metal detectorists?! But it's absolutely charming. And there's nothing at all offensive about it, so I can recommend it to anyone. Thank you for reminding me of this gem.
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Comment on What were your gardening adventures this weekend? in ~hobbies
Jessa LinkZone 6b here. I usually have everything planted mid-May. But I'm starting to admit that something got my cukes this year. They caught what looked like powdery mildew - but it was oddly early in...Zone 6b here. I usually have everything planted mid-May. But I'm starting to admit that something got my cukes this year. They caught what looked like powdery mildew - but it was oddly early in the season for this. I neem oil regularly and haven't dealt this this before. I upped treatments, but leaves have continued to yellow. I went away for the long weekend hoping I got ahead of it - I got rid of the powder a few weeks ago and it hasn't come back, but a few more leaves were yellowing by the time I returned late last night. It's a container garden and still early enough that I can rip them up, replace the soil, and get something small in. I was disappointed in not planting jalapeños this year, so I might try to pick up a semi-mature plant from the nursery
Otherwise, I have a variety of tomatoes (early girl, celebrity, cherokee purple, pink brandywine), a variety of bell peppers (california wonder, lady bell, red knight), thai chilis, and two more cukes at the other end of the garden that is going strong. I'm also up to 6 basil plants and have three more rooting. Starting to kick myself for not planting any zucchini this year. I always think it produces way too much. But now that I didn't grow any, I'm realizing how much I normally eat!
Sorry, I don't really do indoor plants so I have no recommendations for you. I just figured I'd hop on with what I've got, share that I always wish I did something different, and wish you the best!
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Jessa Link ParentWow, so Saturn's rings will only have a life of about 200 million years?! To make this make more sense to me, I equate this to geologic timescale. 200 million years ago was the early Jurassic. The...Wow, so Saturn's rings will only have a life of about 200 million years?! To make this make more sense to me, I equate this to geologic timescale. 200 million years ago was the early Jurassic. The lifetime of Saturn's rings will be similar to the time from the Jurassic until now.
The Jurassic may seem like a long time ago, but it's almost "recent history" when you consider the timescale of the earth. It took billions of years to go from an inhospitable rock with no life --> to microbial life forms --> to simple plants/animals/fungi --> etc, etc --> to dinosaurs. 200 million years is so small comparatively.
Anyway, as someone who finds astronomy interesting, but isn't very knowledgeable of it, geologic timescales help make soo much more sense to me.
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Comment on Astronomer here! AMA! in ~space
Jessa Link ParentI'm not an astronomer, so maybe OP will have better advice regarding local clubs. But I've found that librarians are often very helpful if you're looking for local hobby groups. They're often very...I'm not an astronomer, so maybe OP will have better advice regarding local clubs. But I've found that librarians are often very helpful if you're looking for local hobby groups. They're often very connected with the community.
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Comment on Vegetarian cabbage recipes? in ~food
Jessa LinkA few of my favorites: Halloumi red cabbage steaks: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/halloumi-red-cabbage-steaks Halloumi, squash, cabbage salad (which does not look as pictured):...A few of my favorites:
Halloumi red cabbage steaks: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/halloumi-red-cabbage-steaks
Halloumi, squash, cabbage salad (which does not look as pictured): https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/warm-winter-vegetable-salad-with-halloumi
I haven't tried it yet, but I just saw this cabbage mushroom "burger" in the NY Times today: https://web.archive.org/web/20230306024353/https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023164-smashed-cabbage-and-mushroom-veggie-burgers
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Comment on Does anyone else habitually go unshod for health reasons? in ~health
Jessa LinkYes and no. I love the general idea of being barefoot. I grew up in a small town, hours away from the nearest city. Barefoot was the norm around the farming community. Obviously required in stores...Yes and no. I love the general idea of being barefoot. I grew up in a small town, hours away from the nearest city. Barefoot was the norm around the farming community. Obviously required in stores and whatnot, but at homes, we'd take off our shoes and run in and outside all day. Now that I've grown up, moved to a more urban area, it's not feasible to be barefoot when I leave my home. The sidewalks here are nasty.
However, I am a big fan of "barefoot" shoes. I wear vibram fivefingers (the toe shoes) for all of my running, hiking, kayaking, and backpacking. It's not completely barefoot, but far more minimalist that most footwear. They're like gloves to protect my feet. They take getting used to - I've been wearing them for more than a decade and, though it no longer hurts, I do feel every rock beneath my feet. And there is no arch support at all. And if I remember correctly, they lost a lawsuit when they were a big fad because people were switching to them and hurting themselves. So if you're interested, and you currently wear shoes everywhere, you need to start slow and build up strength in your feet and any muscles you use differently than when you wear a normal shoe.
Here's a few ideas I'll use when I get inundated with summer squash. I don't have easy access to recipes I've used for most of these at the moment, but maybe these will spark some inspiration. Also adding a few where you can "hide" the squash if you're getting sick of it.