Lu humphs and says, "Could an animal have thought of it?"

Humans have a special talent for the cruelty. Though, I don't know, insects do so many horrific things as a matter of course that I'm not sure they get a bye.

Beverly, I know I've said it before, and I will say it many times again, you rock.

And speaking of pots...I've been making pooch stew in a crock pot and finding it to be a bitca to clean. No matter how conscientious I am, I still find residual schmoots. I don't want to scratch it with scrubbing but ye gads, I can't stand the uncleanness.

Has anyone tried the 'boiling water' method suggested by ehow? Or anything that works better?

Potsandpans.com has a great looking selection. And is leaving me with a question. Is there a practical reason I couldn't use a 3qt saucier to make rice? That's the primary usage I have for the 3qt pan, other than smaller than stockpot sauces and chilis.

Only tangentially related, I really do like my .625qt warming pots. They're just the right size for most butter-melting requirements, and exactly the right size for heating milk for hot chocolate or cereal. I love them so much I have two.

God, I love kitchenware.

My kitchenware gets used more in my absence than presence. I'm glad my housesitters can make do in my wee kitchen.

I'm so sore. Perhaps I ought to ease into swimming after not for a week. But no, 2700 yds and OW. That's my long haul. Should have left it to later in the week.

Anything with a good top should be fine for rice, I'd imagine. In other kitchen news, I got a super cute whisk like this for Christmas. Cute!

Mom stirs debate by tweeting for prayers for dying son. Really? People who spend a lot of time on the internet think this is a big deal? They quote a blogger who calls the woman an over-tweeter, but without giving her handle, there's no way to make up one's own mind.

Ooh, I love a good nonstick whisk--the rainbow is even cooler.

That story is bonkers. Sars talked about it some on Tomato Nation, with a link to a really moving post about the issues around it.

Actually, I think the whisk is this one. Even cuter!

I think a lack of a fence around the pool with a 2 year old in the house is more a cause of the child's death than Twitter. Seriously. Google "2 year old drowns in pool." Drowning is a leading cause of death in young kids. What distracts a parent doesn't matter.

I don't think it's bananas that the woman asked for prayers--any prolific blogger who questions such a request is oblivious.

People want to blame parents a lot for these tragedies. It's too easy to do.

Thanks Bonny, but you're giving me whiplash from the doubletake at "pooch stew". Um. Bartleby's right there, and on all fours and frisky, right?

Try one of those schmancy silicone scraper spatulas. It's all H will let me use on our nonstick pots any more. I had to give up the well-seasoned wooden spoons I'd had for years because they damage his girly, fragile no-stick finishes.

Whatever happened to chest-beating nonstick? Silverstone, man. That wore like iron. Of course that was when you could pick up a 1/8" gauge aluminum pan at the grocery store.

I need a new, deeper non-stick skillet. Like ita, I like to handle the thing before I buy. I've been eyeballing models for months now.