# well this just sucks..



## thaerin (Dec 12, 2004)

When I work on my tanks I prefer to put my hands in and use a small pair of tweezers and scissors for the different tasks. My coordination and fine morot control of things like a 12" tweezer sucks so I just stick with this. I make sure to wash and then very thoroughly rinse my hands so nothing gets in the tank. Normally, this is fine and and doesn't cause any problems. 

However I have a small problem at the moment. Mom, the usual cook, works 2 jobs and sometimes isn't home/doesn't have time to cook dinner. Dad has been banned from the kitchen for nearly a decade, after destroying a nice Teflon pan while making grilled cheese. (I take it burning Teflon is hard? He managed!) 
So it falls to me to cook dinner 2 or 3 times a week. 
The other night we just went with store bought pot pies cause they were cheap and good. This of course means using a very hot oven. And guess who didn't use an oven mitt when putting dinner in! As I pulled my hand back out it bumped into part of the oven and BAM! 2nd degree burns. Blistered and popped the blisters instaneously.
Needless to say, putting my hand in the aquarium is an unpleasant task. This sucks =(


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## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

Ouch. I can relate. A week ago I was taking some French fries out of the over with an old oven mit. As I was pulling the cookie sheet out I realized (by the horrific pain my fingers where in) that the oven mit was TOO old and the lining as the only thing between my fingers and the cookie sheet. As an automatic reaction, I used my other hand (bare hand) to push the sheet up to the stove top thereby burning that hand.

The burn is just starting to heal now.


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Ouch! Sorry to hear of the oven mishaps.  I only use the oven rarely since being divorced -- I use the microwave mostly or stoptop or crock pot!


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## Aaron (Feb 12, 2004)

I got you guys all beat! At work on saturday, I cut the tip off my thumb on a paper cutter. It was a pretty big chunk, but no stitches... I won't be sticking that hand in any tank for a while. This subtraction has made me quite depressed and the tetnus shot hurts more than my finger!


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## glenhead (Jan 29, 2005)

Yeah, burns bite, especially since there ain't a dilly-danged thing you can do about them except whimper (or cuss) when you brush them on something. I used to be a firefighter and paramedic, and one of the greatest joys in life is when the collar of your bunker coat isn't sealed well and you get cinders on the back of your neck. Try wearing a tie to work after that (this was back when that was still the style).


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## thaerin (Dec 12, 2004)

Poor Art! Darn those automatic reactions to use the other hand huh?
And yeah Aaron, I whole heartedly agree with the bit about the tetnus shot. They've always hurt worse than the acutal injury! I should know, I've had 3 or 4 of the bloody things and I'm only 21!
Glenhead, I've never had that experience before but something similar. I was at a friend's place and we were burning the tree trimmings and such. Now there was a log that wasn't smoking or charred or any over the normal signs it had been in the fire so I picked it up to toss it in. Guess what..it had been in the fire. The inside of the fingers on my right hand and palm were so covered in blisters the fingers were nearly double in size. This of course happened in the middle of baseball season =(Trying playing baseball with a toasted hand, it's intresting!


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Oooh, ouch you guys.... :shock:

I always wait until we're having a holiday dinner with the whole family over and burn an arm on the side of the oven or something. Then I'm trying to silently scream so they don't know anything happened. LOL!
I'm good at slicing my fingers too; and the Mr. keeps the knives so _darn_ sharp I don't even realize I've done it until way after the fact.

I hear ya thaerin - I hate using long tools or gloves working in the tank. There's just nothing like your own you're hands.


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## Capt. (Nov 24, 2004)

Sorry about your burns. I love the oven but always make sure I have the door open wide enough. Sometimes when pulling the food out I nearly burn my arm on the door but have gotten used to opening it wide.


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## thaerin (Dec 12, 2004)

Guess who spent his morning at the hospital!
I'm really beginning to hate Mondays. Last week I burn my hand, this week I wake up with an incredible pain in my side at 5:30 in the morning. 3 hours and emergency room visit later, I get the wonderful news of having had kidney stones and the fact that now I've had one, it's more than likely I can look forward to more for the rest of my life. These things are bloody unpleasant! I'd rather burn my hand again... I'm 21 darn it! This is supposed to happen to old people, not me!
*sighs* I need a drink..


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Sorry to hear about your string of poor luck, Thaerin  

Not to question your eating habits, because they very well could be excellent, but I'm surprised the whole world isn't in the ED more often as our eating habits and the food available to us is just awful. Processed, chemicals, all the fiber and nutrition processed out, fat added and increased, sodium through the roof.


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## thaerin (Dec 12, 2004)

lol I'm a college student PG, my eating habits couldn't be worse


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Chilly-Cheese fries with bacon bits and ranch dressing

vs,

Ramen Noodles

...which is likely to kill you first LOL


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

oohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh nooooooooooooooooooooooo! At least add some stir fried vegies to the ramen..sheesh.


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## thaerin (Dec 12, 2004)

but veggies cost money PG. You can get nearly a case of Ramen for the price of one pack of veggies. My dad got through college on chicken noodle soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Heh...maybe we ought to find out what aquarium plants might be edible?


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## thaerin (Dec 12, 2004)

u might have an idea there PG...some ramen noodles, maybe some Pelia tossed with it...and shrimp for protein! They breed fast anywayz =) Nice cherry reds to give it some color?


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Nooooooooo shrimp are friends, not food!


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## thaerin (Dec 12, 2004)

hehe sorry PG, that one was just to good to pass up =)

ya know...know that I think about it...when I broke my thumb in January..that was a Monday too! There's just something about Mondays...


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Mondays are the worst day of the week!


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## david lim (Mar 30, 2004)

Gomer said:


> Chilly-Cheese fries with bacon bits and ranch dressing


Whoa?!???? that's gross but seems intriguingly delicious. Can you use intriguing like that?

Y'all should learn chinese food. Quick and easy and I'm not talking about microwaveable or ramen :0).


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## thaerin (Dec 12, 2004)

david lim said:


> Whoa?!???? that's gross but seems intriguingly delicious. Can you use intriguing like that?
> 
> Y'all should learn chinese food. Quick and easy and I'm not talking about microwaveable or ramen :0).


ooohh David, your missing out on manna from heaven! So many subtle flavors in Chilly-Cheese fries with bacon bits and ranch dressing, all tingling your taste buds at once  Goes good with a beer too, perfect for watching football or something.
mmm...Chinese food...haven't had that in a while. Now your making me hungry! Got any recipes for us? Personal favorites are Sesame Chicken, Sweet and sour chicken or beef lo mein.

OH! HAPPINESS! *starts dancing around* I just realized Frank Greco is coming to speak at the local aquarium society! Maybe he'll bring intresting shrimp for me to get =) Granted, it's not till Sept but it gives me something to look forward to


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## glenhead (Jan 29, 2005)

Speaking of subtle flavor combos...

Try using chocolate cookies (wait for it) as dippers. What for? See below.
EL Fudge Double Fudge cookies are about the best, but Oreos without the frosting work in a pinch.

Use them instead of tortilla chips for chile con queso.

No kidding - the flavor combo hits every single taste bud in your mouth. I took a batch to a family reunion many moon ago - my cousins thought I was insane, until they tried it. Now it's in the family cookbook!

Not that this has anything to do with oven burns, but there ya go.


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## david lim (Mar 30, 2004)

thaerin said:


> ooohh David, your missing out on manna from heaven! So many subtle flavors in Chilly-Cheese fries with bacon bits and ranch dressing, all tingling your taste buds at once  Goes good with a beer too, perfect for watching football or something.
> mmm...Chinese food...haven't had that in a while. Now your making me hungry! Got any recipes for us? Personal favorites are Sesame Chicken, Sweet and sour chicken or beef lo mein.
> 
> OH! HAPPINESS! *starts dancing around* I just realized Frank Greco is coming to speak at the local aquarium society! Maybe he'll bring intresting shrimp for me to get =) Granted, it's not till Sept but it gives me something to look forward to


The ones you named are a little more difficult except for the noodle dish. I'm not good at giving amounts for ingredients but here are some easy recipes that can be manipulated and are quick to cook:

Easy chinese stir fry vegetables:
1) Clean and cut up your favorite veggies into bite size pieces. Cheap veggies might include long green beans or broccoli. Cut up enough to last you a couple of days. 
2) Dice up about 2-3 peeled cloves of garlic. 
3) Heat up vegetable oil in a pan (enough to coat the bottom of the pan with a little extra) to medium-medium high heat. 
4) Add the garlic first and make sure not to burn it. Just once you hear the garlic sizzle leave it on a little longer (~30s - 1 min). If you begin to see it brown take the pan off the heat to prevent burning. 
5) Then add your veggies, which will help to quickly cool the plan. Make sure to reapply heat to the pan. Add salt and WHITE pepper in SMALL increments at the beginning. The salt is important for "drying out" the veggies.
6) Sautee the veggies for about 3-5 minutes (cook time depends on the size of the veggies cut ie. larger means longer) until it looks cooked but not overcooked. Overcooked veggies tend not to hold their veggie form and are overly wilting. After the veggies are cooked remove the pan from the heat. 
7) Taste the veggies to make sure they are salty enough and they are ready to eat.

Easy chinese pork chops:
1) Marinate defrosted pork chops in light soy sauce and a little salt/pepper for at least 15 minutes (longer the better). Use enough soy sauce to just coat the chops. 
2) Heat up a pan to medium-high with vegetable oil.
3) Once the pan is sufficiently hot drop on your pork chops. Leave one side on the pan for a good 4-5 minutes or until the side has become sufficiently brown. Next flip the pork chop over and allow to cook for another 3-5 mintues. Cook time varies with the thickness of the chop. 
4) Remove the chops and take a taste test. Add salt/pepper if needed.

I tend to add salt in small increments and always while tasting my food. It stinks when you spend time cooking the food and it turns out too salty.

These two recipes are quick and easy. I can have a good meal ready within 30 minutes that will last me a few days. Both dished should be enjoyed with white rice.

With the lo mein dish from before it is a variation of the pork chops except one uses bite size meat (or thin stripped meat), maybe dried chillies, garlic, corn starch, and obviously cooked noodles.

Anyway I hope these recipes might steer people away from queso cookies and bacon bit ranch chili cheese fries, but who knows .


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

*Sits at the table over at David's house for dinner, hoping he won't notice I wasn't invited* Sounds very good, David! (no meat in my Lomein though, I'm a vegie).


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## david lim (Mar 30, 2004)

Piscesgirl said:


> *Sits at the table over at David's house for dinner, hoping he won't notice I wasn't invited* Sounds very good, David! (no meat in my Lomein though, I'm a vegie).


haha! veggie is easy too. Use portabello mushrooms, celery, white cabbage sliced thin and you'll be set.

If you don't mind a dirty student's apartment you're more than welcome PG. The secret is to make a little place for yourself to eat at the table .


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

> haha! veggie is easy too. Use portabello mushrooms, celery, white cabbage sliced thin and you'll be set.


That sounds sooooo good! *drools*



> The secret is to make a little place for yourself to eat at the table


I'm small, I don't take up much room -- can squeeze right in!


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