Why aren't there disposable skillets and sauce pans so that I never need to wash one again? Is it really evil to eat only out of paper plates and bowls? With plastic utensils?

I dusted all the shelves in the living rooms that got feelthy last week. AND the French door blinds. And the bar mirror key thingie by the door. Uhg.

Connie, you can get compostable plates and flatware that would be less evil than paper and plastic.

Disposable skillets and sauce pans is tougher, you need a certain sturdiness to withstand cooking on a burner. You could barbeque everything. Or you could go hardcore with the cast iron and never wash it, just keep building up seasoning. Or microwave everything in compostable bowls.

msbelle, I think the crosses are fine but I am not an expert. Overall, looks good! What do you mean by "half", though?

I have pretty much decided that my costume this year will be black and white stripey blazer over a black and white checkerboard blouse with a black and white houndstooth skirt. I found hose that is one leg checkerboard and one leg stripes, also black and white. And a mini top hat, black and white striped. Black shiny shoes, probably, unless I decide to go with the purple batwing Halloween heels. I am wavering between saying I am dressed as an optical illusion ("I'm actually standing much further away") or some variation of Harley Quinn, MBA

I'm not dressing up, but I am handing out a ton of candy. Maybe I'll sling my goggles on my forehead. Or put on my prom dress. It'd be warm and cozy and is all gothy.

Well, there's this.

Like. But, yeah, I don't think he's got a case.

I don't think I'm costuming this year, but I will be around to hand out candy. I got a few kids last year, so I'll make sure to buy five times as much as I need. You know, just in case.

I think I'm going to bail entirely on handing out candy at home and go see The Addams Family. We'll have trick-or-treaters at the office, though, so I need to get candy.

Or you could go hardcore with the cast iron and never wash it

Who washes cast iron? Is that a thing? I scrub/scrape it dry to get the physical crud off it and clean it with oil, like my grandma did. She said never let water touch your cast iron. But then newfangled cast iron is "sealed" with something, isn't it?

microwave everything in compostable bowls

From my own, non-expert experience, microwaving in compostable bowls means all the liquid sinks out of the food and into the bowl.

I think the only solution to cooking and never having to clean is to cook in the oven and microwave in Pyrex and glass and then wash in the dishwasher. Not a perfect solution; handwashing will be necessary sometimes. I don't know anything you can cook in on the stovetop and then clean in the dishwasher.

I think I'm going to bail entirely on handing out candy at home and go see The Addams Family.

I'm going to bail on it by going to the movies. Frankenstein with Cumberbatch as The Creature is playing downtown on Halloween and it may be my last chance to ever see it again. We haven't had any kids come by in two years anyway.

Life would be much simpler if I had a dishwasher other than me. And the housemate. I've still got to clean the cat box tonight (he has bad lungs, he'll end up in the ER if he scoops out the box).

Life would be much simpler if I had a dishwasher other than me

Oh, dear, yes. I do not like having to handwash all my dishes. The last time, I ended up using way too many disposables.

I put saucepans and skillets in the dishwasher. The care instructions that came with them don't recommend it, but I do it anyway, and it's fine. And now we have a whole line of Farberware that's dishwasher-safe: [link]

Who washes cast iron? Is that a thing?

It's not really a thing, but some people do it. And newer cast iron does have different rules, I think, although I am skeptical. I myself am not as strict as your grandma - I might use water and a stiff brush on it if that seems called for, just no soap. There's water in the stuff I cook in it, after all.