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   -=> Ruth Haffly wrote to Dave Drum <=-   
      
    RH> extremely high out there so I guess they're trying to establish a   
    RH> secure financial foundation first.   
      
    DD> If we waited for that very little would ever get done.  Bv)=   
      
    RH> I know, but from what Rachel said, it is much higher than you would   
    RH> expect for the location. The state has more like LA or NYC or DC   
    RH> prices for housing and such like.   
      
    DD> Prices have gone completely bonkers over the past few years. My little   
    DD> house on the prairie has quadrupled in value in the few short years   
    DD> I've been here. Fortunately I have a property tax/assessment freeze as   
    DD> well as a homestead exemption ot my taxes would have gone right up   
    DD> with the "value" One of the (few) benefits of being and old guy.   
      
    RH> At one point this place was valued at almost triple what we paid for it   
    RH> but the market has shifted (again) and we're no longer valued so high.   
    RH> We still get a lot of junk mail/calls "we want to buy your house" so   
    RH> one time Steve told the caller that he'd sell--for half a million   
    RH> dollars. Guy was somewhat taken aback, said he couldn't offer that   
    RH> much, good bye.   
      
   I don't get calls like that any longer. What I see now is "SPAM and   
   BLOCKED!" on my screen. I used to have fun with some of those callers.   
   Lead them right along and agree to all of their"suggestions' for add-on   
   items to the point I could almost hear them salivating. And when it came   
   time to give payment information the call would mysteriously get dropped.   
      
   And since they were using a robo-caller there was no way they could call    
   back. When I still had the land-line the teelemarketers were "spoofing"   
   numbers. Once I looked at the caller ID and it said my phone number was   
   calling my actual phone number.  Bv)= Needless to say ........   
      
    DD> And rents? HAH! They're worse than .........   
      
    RH> When we bought this house, the payment schedule worked out that we'd   
    RH> pay a bit less than our (at the time) rent. We've added a good bit to   
    RH> the principle each month so now, after almost 11 years, we've over half   
    RH> paid it off.   
      
   I put 20% down and made the monthly strokes plus U$50. Then in 2016    
   after the ballots were counted I figured the stock market was in for a   
   very rough ride. So I cashed out my stock portfolio and paid off the   
   mortgage. I wasn't totally correct in my guess about the market but I've   
   never regretted making that move.   
      
    DD> I cleaned the 'fridge yesterday. Amazing how much space can be freed   
    DD> up. And how many bowls and containers can be put back into service.   
      
    RH> I know the feeling. (G)   
      
    DD> I told Dennis that the clear-out was gong to be a regular thing. And   
    DD> if he stashed something  to eat it (or share it with the mutts) within   
    DD> two weeks or - into the bin with it. We'll see how that plays out.   
      
    RH> Containers labeled for contents and dated, I presume? I'm better about   
    RH> that for the freezer than the fridge.   
      
    DD> The ice box stuff is an see-thru containers and I've not dated and of   
    DD> it. The stuff that gets sucky-bagged and frozen gets dated and   
    DD> (usually) has a name or description on the package.   
      
    RH> Unless it's something obvious, like the pizza Steve brought home from a   
    RH> meeting last night. We repackaged it into 2 slices/bag vaccuum bags and   
    RH> froze. It'll reheat quick on the convection cycle of the toaster oven   
    RH> and a slice each, with a side of something else, will make an easy   
    RH> lunch.   
      
   I nuke frozen (leftover) pizza. Lots quicker.   
      
        8<----- SNIP ----->8   
       
    DD>   You can use any Parmesan cheese you like. The stuff from   
    DD>   the pre-grated cans works here. You can also use   
    DD>   mixtures of Parmesan with other cheeses. I use a store   
    DD>   brand Parmesan, Romano and Asiago blend to good effect.   
      
    RH> I don't buy the red and green cans ny more; after using fresh grated,   
    RH> the cheese in them tastes more like sawdust.   
      
    DD> I do both. Depends on the use. I do keep a wedge of Parmesan has the   
    DD> little crank grater handy. Like many I had grown up with the shaker   
    DD> cans and didn't know any better until I made this recipe - what an   
    DD> eye-opener.  Bv)=   
      
    RH> Steve's mom bought the real thing from time to time at the little   
    RH> Italian store in Rochester that we shop at from time to time. She also   
    RH> used the green and red cans; I was raised on the green can. Once our   
    RH> finances eased a bit (and getting into the echo), I started buying the   
    RH> real thing and haven't looked back.   
      
   I'm more like Steve's mom then. I do both - depending. Hy-Vee sells a    
   shaker-can of grated Parm w/black pepper and garlic added. Very nice in   
   some (many) applications.   
      
    DD>       Title: Dave's Fish Parmesan   
    DD>  Categories: Seafood, Cheese, Sauces, Mushrooms   
    DD>       Yield: 8 Servings   
      
      
    RH> Sometimes it just takes something simple to open your eyes. Steve   
    RH> doesn't like black olives so some years (decades) ago I bought some   
    RH> kalamata olives. Big!!! hit, and they appear regularly in my cooking.   
      
   I alsways like the ripe olives better than the green guys. Although I'll   
   do the greenies as long as I can ditch the pimientos.   
       
   Here's one I do that uses green olives:   
      
   MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06   
       
         Title: Green Olive Pesto   
    Categories: Five, Condiments, Sauces   
         Yield: 2 1/2 cups   
       
     1 1/2 c  Large or jumbo green olives;   
              - such as ascolane, pitted   
       1/2    Red onion; fine chopped   
       1/4 c  Pine nuts   
         1 cl Garlic; thin sliced   
       1/2 c  Extra virgin olive oil;   
              - give or take 1 ounce   
       
     In a food processor, combine olives, onion, pine nuts   
     and garlic and blend 1 minute. With the motor running,   
     slowly pour in olive oil until a thick, smooth paste is   
     formed. texturally resembling rough bechamel.   
        
     Allow to stand 1/2 hour before using.   
        
     Yield: 2 1/2 cups   
        
     Recipe By: Molto Mario Show #MB5692   
        
     From: http://www.recipesource.com   
        
     Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen   
       
   MMMMM   
      
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