What do you boycott and why?

[WelshWitchPMD]

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky

But I digress. I do have to give some props to Best Buy though. Of all the cd retailers I've come across, they have the best selection and Best Buy is the ONLY store I've been in that actually carries all three of Lindsey Buckingham's solo albums. In fact, the only other store I've been in that had any of his work at all was Barnes and Noble, which had one copy of OOTC. Most of the music I buy comes from Amazon, Columbia House, Ebay or straight from the artists' websites. Where I live, if you're not a fan of bubble-gum crap like Britney Spears, you're SOL in terms of buying cds.

I have only had a problem with Best Buy in the last few months. I did in fact buy my computer there last April. You know what? The Barnes and Noble in RI (right across from Best Buy) has OOTC, too.

Lately, I have been ordering at Amazon. I am going to Best Buy tomorrow to hopefully use my gift card to buy the Charmed DVD set. Let's see how I make out.

[amber]

Originally Posted by catinthedark

How in the world does one make toffee with Saltine crackers?

I've had that before, too, only it was toffee and chocolate chips melted onto saltine crackers. Yum.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by catinthedark

How in the world does one make toffee with Saltine crackers?

Line a baking sheet with the crackers, melt two cups of brown sugar and two sticks of butter together, then pour it onto the crackers. Bake it for ten minutes until it starts to bubble, let it chill, then dig in and allow your arteries to clog.

[DrummerDeanna]

My sister doesn't and never has let my nephew eat crap - and as a result the kid hates junk food - especially chocolate

A lot of times the really crappy stuff (jelly) is cheap cheap cheap - and lately I've been looking at some store brands - they're very cheap but made with the worst possible things....

[amber]

Originally Posted by Lux

I think it had the opposite affect on me. I thought I didn't like it when I was little. I think it just scared me because it was supposed to be evil and something you get in trouble for eating. My mother took me to McDonald's once (I was forever to be reminded that she did however) and I nearly had a heart attack, not only because my arteries was not used to the bucket of grease in one cheeseburger, but I'd never been surrounded by such food before and the shock got to me. When I got older I became bitter about the fact that I always had raisins when other kids had chips. Cordial was out even. And then I started generating my own money and I was like a kid in a candy store, only I was in my late teens. I think it works in reverse because the kid will discover that food doesn't always taste like cardboard, beans and water, and then not want to go back. But there is a place in between my household and what I perceive to be an American household.

This is like my life story too. Almost literally - I think we went to mcdonald's once. And it was right by our house, I passed by it every day on my way to do grocery shopping. I was bitter about other kids fruit rolls and chips, too. I was like "nice CARROT mom, thanks! " However, also on the way to do grocery shopping everyday, I stole candybars from the store. Eventually I got caught at one store and got grounded for a month. But, of course, being American, i probably saw junk food everywhere i went, especially since i did the shopping. It's harder to resist, then. When my mom would get a candybar, she would say "you can have a bite when i'm done"

[catinthedark]

Originally Posted by dissention

Line a baking sheet with the crackers, melt two cups of brown sugar and two sticks of butter together, then pour it onto the crackers. Bake it for ten minutes until it starts to bubble, let it chill, then dig in and allow your arteries to clog.

Be still my clogging heart! That sounds like a little piece of heaven.

[sunmaiden]

Originally Posted by heyjupiter678

I grew up on apple butter. I still love it to this day, but I don't buy it because I don't know when to say when.

Most of the best food ever, comes from the Amish country around my area! Applebutter, fudge, homemade everything! And their restuarants are awesome, too. OH, PA, IN? MI Germans have been perfecting the art of artery-clogging (haha) for centuries.

My favorite jam was my Grandma's. She did all that stuff herself. I can taste it now....mmmm

[ontheEdgeof17]

Originally Posted by sunmaiden

Most of the best food ever, comes from the Amish country around my area! Applebutter, fudge, homemade everything! And their restuarants are awesome, too.

I visit Sugar Creek/Berlin every summer. Is that where you are close to? It's a beautiful place and the food IS to die for! I could live at Der Dutchman!

[Sugar]

I don't buy any snack food for my family. One, because it's crap. Two, because we're short on cash these days. Three, because those mega corporations don't need any more of my money. Four, because I can make reasonable facimilies of all that myself.

I buy no pre-packaged frozen type food. I pretty much shop the perimiter of the supermarket and make most things from scratch, even pancakes, which amazes most people I know to no end!

But I can see it in my daughter. She just had a birthday and when I gave her a piece of cake she had a couple of bites and left the rest. But I can hold broccolli over her head..."You're not going to get anymore broccolli if you're not good!" It's probably one of the best things I've done as a parent.

[Sugar]

Originally Posted by Lux

How else do you make pancakes but from scratch?

Most people I know buy a pre-made mix that you just add, I think, water and eggs to. I actually start with flour and add baking powder...like that...that's what I meant by "scratch".

[Sugar]

Originally Posted by Lux

Oh right. I think I'm just incredibly behind the times because I didn't realise people bought mixes although now that I think about it, nobody really cooks anymore so why would this be different? I guess that's because I've only ever eaten pancakes a few times but if I wanted to eat them it seems like a rather easy proceedure and hardly worth buying a mix.

That is essentially my opinion. I always have the ingredients around, so why buy the mix?

Originally Posted by Lux

I am guilty of buying the pre-made Asian sauces and pasta sauces but I still live with my parents, I'm not supposed to give a crap about making that from scratch. I also can't cook so if I don't I'm just left with a dry stir fry and that's not entirely pleasant to swallow.

I make most pasta sauces from scratch, my big shortcut is starting with canned tomatoes. Cream and oil sauces I always make from scratch. Asian sauces I've tried but finding the ingredients can be a bitch. Next time I have a day to blow I gonna pack up the family and take a ride to Edgewater NJ right outside of NYC and go to this big Japanese supermarket (Mitsuwa?) and buy everything I need because Japanese cooking is my next challenge!

It's different once you have your own kitchen and you are solely responsible for its contents. And nearly everything I cook I cook from a cookbook! You follow the recipe and employ a little common sense and you're there! People act like I create these things out of the air, and I just say, "You follow the directions. It ain't that hard!"

Once you do that for a while you get comfortable with it and you can experiment a bit more. It ain't rocket science!

[DrummerDeanna]

My ex-boyfriend made the yummiest pancakes and syrup from scratch....soooo good...I miss that - I've actually never tried to make pancakes from scratch...but someday I will

I do enjoy cooking -was never taught - but I'm learning as I go - and what I like is I'm cooking just for me so I usually have a lot left over - and I freeze the leftovers and keep some out for lunches...it's very fulfilling knowing my money is going to good meals and not to burgers, pizza and junk (which I love - but am trying to cut WAY down on...)

[skcin]

Originally Posted by amber

This is like my life story too. Almost literally - I think we went to mcdonald's once.

Yeah, I went to McD's once....

Like once a WEEK!

You guys are actually really lucky. If you're raised eating crap, you will continue to eat crap (and probably love it) unless you make a conscious effort to stop. At least in my case, anyway. I still eat fast food occasionally, but not nearly as much as I used to. And I really had to teach myself portion control, as my mom had no clue what that is.
And the mix thing? My mom's a good cook, but when I was about 10, she started using frozen meatballs, jarred sauces, instant mashed potatoes, etc. I had no clue what a "scratch cake" was cuz I had never seen anyone make a cake without a mix. She still insists that it's easier & faster, but now that I'm cooking, I agree that from scratch is better tasting and better for you & it usually does not take that much more time. JMO.

[GretaRhiannon]

All fast food - they're just disgusting and dirty

The Gap - just freaky and ugly