January 2008 Archives
A while back I was contacted by a marketing firm asking me to do a link exchange with a culinary chef cooking school. The deal being offered was they would get full front page billing and endorsement here and on the front page of my recipe journal and I would get an obscure little text link somewhere in the deep bowels of their links page for student.
The request offended me. I politely replied with a "No, thank you."
About two weeks later I get another request from this same gal at this marketing firm who lets it be known this is their second attempt to contact me and that I am being offered a premium chance to support a world renown school for up and coming chefs blah blah blah ...
This request not only offended me but it also pissed me off.
This is my response in the full light of day right here on the front page of my journal. I won't even bother to reply by email. I am sure there are other women who feel similar.
I pay for my webspace. I manage all aspects of my own website. The content here is original and it is mine. I am not a corporation and I am not for sale for the price of a tiny little link on a page most people will never see.
Praying on 'housewives' and doing them the 'favor' of linking to them is just a piss poor way of trying to protect your pocket book and get free advertising. You are no better than a vulture circling to see what you can get for free. You disgust me with your cheap pettiness and your high and mighty attitude. Like a give a flying rip about your cooking school client. I know how to cook. I don't need you or them to offer me crumbs.
So take note -
If you want front page billing on bigredcouch.com you better be prepared to offer front page billing in exchange.
My ad rate stands as following for corporate entities: $75 per month, 3 month minimum, payable in advance, months must run consecutively. No, I won't sign up for an advertising program. If you want space here contact me with a business offer otherwise please don't waste my time. I will rent you a tiny space in the sidebar but the main content is not for rent nor is it for sale.
And furthermore, how dare you pray on 'housewives' and 'mommy blogs' and make them feel as if it is you who would be doing them a favor. We have bills to pay, kids to feed, cloth and educate. If you have the time and money to hire a marketing agency to advertise for you then you have the time and money to pay for my services and space on my website as well that of other women with online journals.
You people out there in the advertising buisness stop acting like peeping toms. You make my skin crawl.
I'll end my rant now.
I now return you to our previously schedule discussion of chocolate cake and red wine.
There are times in a woman's life when bacon is not the answer.
This is the answer for the entire week.
If you sweep a house, and tend its fires and fill its stove, and there is love in you all the years you are doing this, then you and that house are married, that house is yours.
-Truman Capote, The Glass Harp
I am.
When you get a 6am phone call from the automated school board saying school is delayed 2 hours and you can't figure out why because everything looks clear you decide to use those 2 hours to cook bacon -for your kids.
When an hour later another phone call from the same aweful automated female voice says school is canceled for the day and you are further exasperated as to why because everything looks clear you decide to make a bigger breakfast so you can leisurely eat bacon because there is no hurry to be anywhere anytime soon.
In the middle of cooking your bacon you look at the window and what do you see? Huge fluffy flakes of snow coming down very fast? You crack another egg into the pan.
After you enjoy your lovely breakfast of said bacon, farm fresh eggs, and incredible bread you realize you need the calories because you're the one at home who has to -
-haul at least 2 loads of firewood and stack it on the porch to keep from having to trudge out into the storm.
-haul 6 buckets of water to the goats, which includes having to hook up hoses and drain them before putting them away so they don't freeze because tomorrow you'll most likely have to rinse and repeat.
-feed said goats.
-fill the chicken waters.
-feed said chickens.
-let dogs in an out of the house as needed.
-then clean up all the tracked in snow.
-think you should take some photos but then realize your brand new Canon Rebel you got for Christmas shouldn't be out until it has actually stopped snowing.
In the oven now is homemade mac and cheese. Also we are cooking a large chicken breast -wrapped in bacon.
The best solution is always more bacon.
Over the last two weekends, Steve and I have processed the chickens we raised for meat. At 12 weeks of age they weighed in at 10 - 13 pounds each. They tended to look like small turkeys as we processed them instead of chickens. HUGE!
I do not take lightly the process of ending one life, even that of a seemingly lowly creature. The Bible teaches God made all things great and small. Meaning he made me and that chicken and the life he gave is one to be respected. Therefore I have tried to use every part of the chicken and not waste it.
I harvest the livers and gizzards. I cooked the hearts for added protein for the dogs. My freezer is filled with bags of whole chickens and cut up chickens. As freezer space is at a premium I cooked down alot of the leg quarters and have put the meat in the freezer for quick meals. Also I have gallons of broth that I can
ned.
When I began raising the chickens I fed them lots of good food. In the last two weeks I cut back on the broiler feed and fed them alot of cracked corn. Not only did the corn help keep them warm on freezing nights by ramping up their body temp it also helped to put on a nice thick layer of fat.
You don't often see too many fat chickens at the grocery store. Sure that have some fat if you buy a whole one which is a small bit attached to the skin at the open cavity between the legs. My chickens had a huge fist size pad of fat at the lower cavity. The gizzard was incased in pure yellow fat. The liver was laced with bits of fat as it was connected to other organs. In my effort to not waste anything that could be used I also harvest the fat.
I put the fat in my crockpot and let it cook down over night until all of the oils were rendered from it.
This richly rendered chicken fat will be used for savory pies and other pastry crusts.
Just for the record this rendered fat is called schmaltz. It can be purchased in jars from most any jewish market or 
butcher shop. Talk about making things crazy good! Schmaltz is the key!
Before you go crazy about how bad fat is for your body take a look at the nutrtional information of rendered chicken fat.
To make a savory pastry dough only two to four tablespoons is needed. For a two crust chicken (meat) pie that serves 8 - 10
you really aren't getting an unhealthy dose. Plus look at the saturated fat content. Chicken fat night almost be considered healthy. I dare anyone to tell me that homemade chicken soup isn't perfect when you're sick. It has to be because of the schmaltz! LOLI am adding the pastry recipe to the recipe box today.
There are rules for cooking kosher foods. There are rules for cooking with a pie crust if meat is involved - no dairy in the crust!
Perhaps one of the many lovely Jewish friends would fill us in on the details and perhaps add some recipe ideas for using up all of my golden yellow schmaltz. Please? And Thank You!
I want to write something here but the words just won't come.
I am sort of in limbo and don't really know why.
I am TIRED. My house is sort of messy.
I want to sew and make soaps and paint my eggs and do all sorts of things but clutter just gets in my way - mental and physical. I need a 3 day weekend completely alone in my house to do things and to fix things and work out whatever is blocking me in my head.
Help!
