New England Mamas

Cabbage and Lettuce and Collards, Oh My!

(A quick recap:  this is my second season belonging to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture---basically I pay a farm upfront for a share of their season's harvest).  Every week from now until October, I'll drive to my farm's pick-up spot and get my share of whatever is in season.  When I remember, I'll take a photo of the week's bounty, tell you what I got and what I did with it.  Hope you enjoy this ongoing project).

Week Four

We've had a great start to this season, although from what I hear, this year started particularly robust.  I remember last year started a little slower---we had plenty of vegetables at pickup but it wasn't the overflowing bounty that hit us at Week One this year.  The rain, temperatures, soil and even pest control all came together in a way that was very good for us share members. 

This concept of 'feast or famine' is something I never thought much about when I did all my shopping at the supermarket.  There is always enough lettuce on the refrigerated shelves, even in January (except for when an E. coli scare removes spinach or tomatoes from the store). 

This hit me today when I stopped at our local Farmer's Market to buy a pint of strawberries (yes, I actually wanted some more strawberries after last week's pick).  Surprisingly, there was not a strawberry anywhere.  Puzzled, I asked the farmer where her strawberries were.  She told me that they lost the entire crop this year.  "Hail" was her one-word explanation.  My oldest stood quietly next to me and then said, "Like Little House on the Prairie", reminding me of  when hail destroyed their beautiful wheat crops.   One storm did them in, and one storm ruined one farmer's strawberry season.  It's a stark example of how hard farming can be and how much we take for granted when we stand before those racks of berries on the store shelves.

Getting back to the issue at hand, we had another huge pickup.  (we are having some major computer issues here at the Casa di Odd, so if you see a photo below, hooray!  If there is no photo, there will be one uploaded as soon as possible).

Pictured are (clockwise from top left):  Garlic Scapes, 3 Heads of Lettuce, 2 European Cabbages, Beets, Collard Greens, Zucchini, Snap Peas, Bok Choy, Chinese Cabbage

So far this week, there has been Homemade Coleslaw, Napa Cabbage Salad, Salmon Bulgogi and Garlic Stir-Fried Snap Peas.  There has also been a Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake that the kids love, even with the teeny bits of green that peak out from the inside of the cake.  "It's magic fairy dust", I told them, lying through my teeth.

Here are any recipes that didn't have a link:

Creamy Coleslaw (Everyday Food, Issue 44)

1/2 cup light mayo

2 TBS cider vinegar

2 tsp sugar

coarse salt & ground pepper

1/2 head green cabbage, cut lengthwise into thirds and thinly sliced crosswise

2 medium carrots, sliced with a vegetable peeler, then cut into shorter strips

2 medium scallions, minced (I left these out)

Combine mayo, vinegar and sugar, then season with salt & pepper.  Add cabbage, carrots and scallions (if using).  Let stand 15 minutes before serving, or cover and refrigerate up to one day.

Garlic Stir-Fried Snap Peas (From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook)

3 cups sugar snap peas

1 TBS oil (any mild one)

2 large garlic cloves, minced (I used some of the scapes I had)

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

cooked rice (optional)

Heat oil in skillet.  Stir in garlic, then add peas.  Cook and stir for 2-4 minutes on medium heat.  Remove and sprinkle on lemon juice, salt & pepper.  Serve over rice if desired.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake (From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook)

3/4 cup oil (I used Canola)

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk (I used 1/2 soy milk with 1 TBS white vinegar)

3 TBS cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp each cinnamon and cloves (ground)

2 1/2 cups flour

small bag of chocolate chips

Heat over to 350.  Grease a 9x13" pan.  Mix all ingredients, dump in pan, and bake for 30-35 minutes. 

I need to dig up some good Collard Greens recipes asap.  Have any you'd like to share? 

My Ultimate: Food, Glorious Food

("My Ultimate" will run most Tuesdays and will feature any topic that hops into my head.  The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the other New England Mamas. . . although they should).

I've been making lists lately.  This one is all about food that is made right here in New England.  Anything I've marked with an asterisk (*), I can buy in my local supermarket.  Have any to add?

Echo Farms Pudding* (NH):  Never would I have thought that Tapioca Pudding could make me speechless, but this one does it.

Apsara's Nim Chow (RI):  Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls that I've enjoyed for more than 15 years.   Love going on a Saturday night and seeing the dressed-up adults rubbing elbows with the punk kids.

Wicked Whoopies (ME):  Just had these for my sister's birthday party and, oh my, the Raspberry  & Creme pies are the best.

Red Rose Pizza (MA):  I've already written of this pizza's superpowers.   But, the best part?  I get to have it later this week!  Woo Hoo!

Del's Frozen Lemonade (RI):   Icy lemon with hunks of chewy, frozen rind in it.  Ooo la la!

Ben & Jerry's Lemon Meringue ice cream (VT):  Tried this at the Scoop Shop in Stowe, but (sob) have not been able to find it down here.

Bliss Dairy Raspberry Chunky Fudge (MA):  My latest and greatest crush. 

Stonyfield Farm's Whole Milk Vanilla Yogurt* (NH):  The tippity top of this is heaven in creme form.

Wasiks Nor'easter Pepper Jelly (MA):  Give me a wedge of cheese, some crackers and their Pepper Jelly and leave me alone.

Coffee Exchange (RI):  Before Dunkin Donut's Coolatta, before Starbucks' Frapuccino, I fell in love with the Granitas at this little coffee shop.  Still order my beans from them now.

And, last but not least, we get most of my vegetables through this CSA, we pick fruit in season here and even hope to get our meat locally.  I should just start driving in to meet the fishermen off the docks since the best piece of fish I've ever had was from my husband who caught a haddock on a guys-only fishing trip.

Lettuce Entertain You and Other CSA Talk

(A quick recap:  this is my second season belonging to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture---basically I pay a farm upfront for a share of their season's harvest).  Every week from now until October, I'll drive to my farm's pick-up spot and get my share of whatever is in season.  When I remember, I'll take a photo of the week's bounty, tell you what I got and what I did with it.  Hope you enjoy this ongoing project).

Week Three

It feels like the first (and second) time. . .but a couple new things:



Pictured are (clockwise from top left):  Green Kale, Pac Choi, Chinese Cabbage, Hakurei Turnips, Garlic Scapes, Lettuce  (do you see Swiss Chard?  it was on this week's list, but I don't see it and don't recall eating it)

It's been a busy week, with little man fracturing his elbow on Tuesday, us picking $40 worth of strawberries on Thursday, and then going to Boston with my husband for the night on Saturday.   I'm happy to say that most of this week's harvest was eaten, although I still need to use up one of the cabbages, the garlic scapes and a head of lettuce tomorrow.  Oh, and we still have some strawberries to eat:

First, though, I'll explain what a garlic scape is since I had never seen one before last year.  When garlic grows, it is a bulb under the ground with the scape appearing above the soil.  Most people cut off the edible scape since the bulb underneath will grow larger when the scape isn't there to consume the plant's resources.  Scapes taste like garlic, but milder, and I like to saute mine with some greens. 

What else did I do with the veggies this week?   Here is a run down:

Cabbage (one head):  made this delicious cold salad with some boiled shrimp.  The recipe doesn't call for rice noodles, but I added them since I happened to have a package in the pantry.

Kale:  I blanched and froze most of it, but I also took two leaves and used them in a smoothie, just for kicks.  To my amazement, the drink was pretty darned good!  I made a lot and froze some for popsicles which my son (the boy who will eat nothing leafy), gobbled up (he had two today, even with the funky color).

Here is what I threw into the blender (I have a regular Waring blender, so I let it run to a while to make sure the leaves were completely pureed):

    two leaves of chopped raw kale, stems removed
    couple of frozen bananas
    handful of strawberries
    about 1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt
    few splashes of half and half
    about a tsp (possibly more) of vanilla extract

(all measurements are estimates; I recommend you play with it to get the taste you like)

Pak Choi:  got this recipe off of our CSA newsletter:

1 large bunch of Pak Choi (or Pac Choi)

2 tsp light sesame or canola oil

2 tsp dark sesame oil

2 tsp tamari

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 TBS toasted sesame seeds

Chop up leaves of Pac Choi and saute them in hot oil for 2-3 minutes.  When greens are cooked, add rest of ingredients and serve. 

Turnips: Boiled them with a bunch of potatoes and garlic cloves for 25 minutes.  Mashed them with some butter, olive oil and reserved cooking liquid.  Added salt and pepper to taste.  My new favorite way to make mashed potatoes, and the kids have no idea they are eating turnips.

Lettuce:  Salads, salads and more salads.   One night, I even made myself a fried egg and some chopped up bacon and threw it on some lettuce.  Kind of odd but pretty yummy nonetheless.

My father-in-law arrives on Tuesday for a week, so I'll do my best to update this series this weekend but may be a little late (as I was today; blame it on the cocktails I had in Boston last night). 

Still More Green Leafy Things

(A quick recap:  this is my second season belonging to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture---basically I pay a farm upfront for a share of their season's harvest).  Every week from now until October, I'll drive to my farm's pick-up spot and get my share of whatever is in season.  When I remember, I'll take a photo of the week's bounty, tell you what I got and what I did with it.  Hope you enjoy this ongoing project).

Week Two

Look familiar?

Pictured are (clockwise from top left):  Spring Greens, Pac Choi,  Radishes, Turnips, Lettuce, Red Russian Kale and Oregano.

Well, a culinary genius I'm not.  When faced with seven heads of lettuce, I did the obvious:  I gave one away and then ate plain green salad every day of the week. 

Of course, I had great plans---there is the Quesadilla Salad that features sliced avocados on the greens, with a Jalapeno cheese quesadilla on the side.  There is the Tuscan Tuna Salad and the Spicy Shrimp salad (all from this cookbook).   And, I will still get around to making them one of these days.

I did make a delicious pot of garlic mashed potatoes (plus 6 TBS butter). Although potatoes were not part of my CSA pickup this week, more turnips were, so I just boiled and mashed those along with the taters (thank you Melissa!).  Without a doubt, the best mashed potatoes I've ever had. 

And, there were the experiments.  I blanched and pureed a bunch of greens so that I could freeze most of them for use in soups and other recipes (Sneaky Chef anyone?).  But, then I also dumped them into a recipe that called for leafy greens, and it just wasn't the same.  Too much green pureed stuff.  Live and learn, I suppose. 

John, our farmer, also passed on the following recipes that were recommended by a new apprentice at the farm.  They both sound yummy (in a healthy kind of way) and will find a way to our table soon:

Kale salad

1 bunch kale, chopped (or other cooking greens such as collards)
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion sliced into thin half rings
1/2 to 1 avocado, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt, to taste
1-2 teaspoons of honey, to taste
cayenne pepper, optional
1-2 tablespoons olive oil, optional

Place kale into a large salad bowl with lemon juice and salt. Use hands to massage salt and lemon juice into kale until it softens and wilts. Add other ingredients and toss until well combined.

Chard (or other cooking green) with raisins and pinenuts

1 bunch chard, finely chopped (or other cooking green)
juice of one lemon
1-2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup golden (or black) raisins
1/3 cup pine nuts

Toss all ingredients into a salad bowl and marinate one hour

Enjoy your greens this week and you can have an extra scoop of ice cream, 'kay?

Green Leafy Things

(Here's the scoop:  this is my second season belonging to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture---basically I pay a farm upfront for a share of their season's harvest).  Every week from now until October, I'll drive to my farm's pick-up spot and get my share of whatever is in season.  When I remember, I'll take a photo of the week's bounty, tell you what I got and what I did with it.  Hope you enjoy this ongoing project).

Week One:  The Beginning

The interesting thing about a CSA is that it really opens your eyes to the seasonality of food.  Like green leafy things?  Well you are in luck right now.  Love peas?  Then, when they appear, eat them fast because they won't last long.  Items come and go throughout the season, reminding me of a day when people learned to live without fresh tomatoes most of the year (wait, we DO live without fresh tomatoes most of the year).

So, this is Week One.  And what do you see?  Green Leafy Things!   

Pictured are (clockwise from top left):  Green Kale, Arugula, Turnip, Radishes, Pak Choi, Mixed Greens, Collard Greens.

I was thrilled for the arugula.  Scared of the collard greens.  And, really have no idea what to do with the turnips and radishes.  Oy, they never go away, if memory serves me correctly.

The Recipes

Tuesday night, I got home from pickup after 4pm.  By the time I finished photographing and storing the vegetables, it was time to make dinner.  I needed something quick, so I made a Martha Stewart recipe called Green Orzo which used up the arugula.  It has a light taste (blanching takes away the sharpness of the arugula which is good for kids), is pretty and, oh yeah, fast.  I also threw some shrimp on the grill. 

Verdict?  Oldest tried the orzo, didn't love it; Middle ate it up; Youngest just looked at it*.

Wednesday, I used up my kale to make my favorite.  soup.  ever.  One of the best things is that it is a "30-Minute Meal", meaning I can finish it in about 45 minutes.   I also made some pasta & oil for the kids since I already know that soup is not their thing.  Verdict?  Oldest tried it and didn't love it; Middle LOVED it; Youngest just looked at it. 

For Thursday, I had seen a recipe in Bon Appetit that looked good and would use up TWO of my vegetables.  It is called Sesame Soba Noodles with Cucumber, Bok Choy (Pak Choi is in the same family) and Mixed Greens.  Unfortunately, I didn't read the fine print (or the recipe) since it called for baby bok choy and salad greens, not random mixed greens you are supposed to cook before serving.  However, I plunged forward and made the dish anyway and it was pretty good.  It has a peanut butter base which I figured the kids would kind of like.  I also grilled some chicken breast to throw on top.  Verdict?  Oldest and middle ate a bit, youngest poked at it with his fork and ate the chicken.

Last night (Friday) was pizza night (my night off from cooking), and tonight we're at a birthday party (more pizza!).  I still have a load of greens, turnips, radishes and collards to use up by Tuesday's next pickup.  Any suggestions?
----------------------------------------------------

*  Going forward, expect to see this type of reaction to almost everything.  My middle  (age 5) will eat almost anything you put in front of her; my youngest (age 3 1/2), almost nothing.  My oldest (age 7) will try things when pressed but is still pretty picky.

Eat Your Greens (and Reds, Yellows, Purples and Whites)

I'm ready for them. 

The bok choy, kale bundles, radishes (yes, even the radishes), the tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and the leeks.  This year, I will not be intimidated.  I will even figure out what to do with the daikon, the funny twisted eggplant, the tomatillos and the fennel.

I have a great cookbook, a vacuum sealer and a second freezer.  And a mission.

The mission is to share my CSA experience with you all this season.  Every Saturday (well, most Saturdays), I will post a photo of the week's pick-up along with comments about what I did with the food since I picked it up on the previous Tuesday.   Thankfully, you will not have to relive the Great Pickled Daikon Debacle of 2007. 

And, hopefully there will not be too many posts that include the words, "everything is still sitting in the refrigerator".

The post where I complain about life

You would think that I would have nothing to complain about. The weather is finally spectacular, the bulbs are up and smiling prettily at all who walk by, the shrubs that were seemingly dead all winter have come alive with flowers, and even the trees are showing signs of life once again.

Yeah, you would think so. But no... I'm going to complain about the pollen. Because the prettier it is outside, the more miserable my entire family is. We have allergies. Allergies to pollen. Especially tree pollen. We all look like we've been smoking blunts all day. Our eyes are swollen and red. They itch like crazy. Our faces are slightly swollen, too. We sound like we all have sore throats. Oh, that's because we DO have sore throats. Worst of all, we're all exhausted. For some sick reason, the allergies drain every ounce of strength out of our bodies.

My kids, usually serious night owls, are taking naps and going to bed by 10. No matter how much sleep they get, they're wiped. I'm even worse. I can't seem to wake up out of my stupor. I mean it, my sofa and I have become one. The only time I can ever remember being this exhausted was during my twin pregnancy. At least then I had two parasites sucking the life force out of me. Now, I just have mean old trees attacking my very reason for being.

Plus, if the exhaustion and the itchy eyes aren't enough, my children, they are horrible. They're rarely pleasant on a good day. They're teenagers. They're supposed to be horrid. But my God, my daughter is getting on my very last nerve. Because I have the unmitigated gall to ask her to help in the kitchen. I KNOW! What kind of a bitch am I? What is WRONG with me?

Last night I asked her to make the chicken soup for our Passover seder. Making chicken soup isn't hard. In fact, it's so easy it's ridiculous. This is how it went:

M: First you get the chicken and put it in the sink.
G: You mean I have to touch it?
M: Um, yes. Yes you do.
G: Gross! I'm not touching that.
(Stomps off to get something and comes back with cleaning lady's disposable gloves. Brings chicken to the sink)
M: Now take the wrapper off and rinse the chicken.
G: I have to TOUCH IT? With my hands? No way.
M: Oh, shut up and do it.
G: grumble grumble under her breath grumble
M: Put the chicken in the pot and fill it with water until it covers the chicken and then an inch over.
G: How much water?
M: I just told you.
G: I wasn't listening.
(repeats instructions)
M: Now go into the fridge and get out the carrots you peeled this morning and the celery. Oh, and one of the big onions.
G: grumble grumble  I can't find the celery.
M: It's in the fridge,  I just used some this morning.
G: It's ROTTEN.
M: No it isn't. It just has one brown stalk. Throw it away and the rest is fine.
G: I'm not touching that. It's ROTTEN, it's gross.
M: It is NOT rotten, take it out of the fridge.
G: No, I'm not touching it.
M: I'm really  losing my temper. Just take it out of the fridge.
(Still wearing gloves, she picks it up with her pincer grab and makes all sorts of gross noises like she's dying, but eventually gets good stalks to cut up.)
M: Now put the onion, celery and carrots in the pot.
G: I have to CUT UP THE ONION?
M: (Weary voice) YES, you have to cut the onion or it won't fit in the pot.
G: But I'll cry.
M: You're gonna cry if I have to get up and do it for you.
(She cuts onion and puts it in the pot)
G: Now what?
M: Get the parsley and the dill out of the fridge.
G: I don't know what dill looks like.
M: For God's sake, it's in the same bag as the parsley.
G: It's a plant. I hate plants.
M: Put 1/2 of each bunch in the soup pot and SHUT UP.
M: Now add some salt and pepper.
G: How much salt and pepper.
M: Like a teaspoon of salt and a bit less of pepper.
G: OK, now what?
M: turn on the burner to high, let it boil, and then turn it down to low to cook.
G: You mean I have to stay here and watch it?
M: YES YOU DO.
G: I'm marrying someone that knows how to cook because I'm not doing it. I hate cooking. 

By the time we were through that exercise I was exhausted and ticked off. Honestly, why make something so difficult? But that's my girl.

Have a happy and sweet Passover to those that celebrate!

My Ultimate: A Fool's Dinner

("My Ultimate" will run most Tuesdays and will feature any topic that hops into my head.  The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the other New England Mamas. . . although they should).

What does the Fairly Odd Family have for April Fools' Dinner?

That's right:  mini-meatloaves in cupcake wrappers with mashed potato frosting.

Hope you had a day full of pranks, tricks and foolishness.

28 adults, 5 kids, one dinner

Passover is coming up in a few weeks. In Jewish families across the world, the word Passover is greeted with a combination of dread and excitement.

Dread, because the pre-Passover preparations are daunting at best, and a complete horror for most of us. It means completely cleaning every single room in your house, getting rid of every possible crumb of leavening (all those loose cheerios have got to be found and removed), scrubbing down the floors, windowsills, tabletops, etc, and then tackling the kitchen. The dreaded kitchen. The one where you have to completely remove all food that isn't Kosher for Passover. Where you have to change all your dishes from your regular dishes to your Passover dishes. Ditto for silverware, pots and pans, utensils, cutting boards, and anything else you use to cook with. Everything you use all the rest of the year cannot be used during Passover.

Packing up and entire kitchen is how some people do it. Me, I'm lazier than most. I just tape my cabinets shut, clean off a large metal wire shelf in our kitchen, and cover all the counters with extra thick tin foil. I replace all the sponges, dishwasher detergent, cleanser, etc. I clean the oven and the cooktop. I clean out our entire fridge, scrub down every inch of the thing, and then only put Kosher for Pesach food in it. I bring up from the basement our Passover pots and pans, utensils, etc. The dishes are already up here in the dining room in a cabinet that only contains KLP items.

Even though I'm lazy, it takes a full two or three days to turn over my kitchen. My teeny tiny one counter galley kitchen. I pity the people who have giant fancy kitchens. It must take weeks.

Once the kitchen is turned over for Passover, it's time to cook. And cook. And cook.  Our family usually shares holidays with another family. We do so for a variety of reasons. She has a much bigger house and can accommodate more people. She has more dishes and silverware, etc.  She has a husband that doesn't mind doing dishes. Mountains of dishes.

On the other hand, she's a terrible cook. I mean TERRIBLE. I know it, she knows it, everyone knows it. She doesn't have any desire to cook, plus, well, she's a bit tight on the wallet. She has no clue of how to estimate how much food to buy, and if she could, she would buy way too little and everyone would go home complaining about the two raisins they ate for dinner. Ahem. Plus, that tightness determines what she will purchase, as well as how much, and she's the type to always buy the crappiest no-name brand stuff. Which is fine for her family, but not when she's having guests.

Oh, did I mention that right now, we've got 28 adults and 5 children coming and we still aren't quite sure just how many will actually be invited by Passover? And how most of those people are her family, not mine. And how she wanted to buy ONE turkey and ONE turkey breast for all those people? OMG, I almost choked. I was like "Ah, that isn't going to be anywhere near enough food" and she was all confused. She thought it would be just fine until I pointed out that most of the guests were not only adults, but hearty eaters. Lordy!

So I'm cooking. Again. Which is OK, I like to cook. I like to cook a lot. But I do not like to cook for an army. This is a LOT of people. Most of whom I don't know. But it being Passover, I'm going to be pleasant and smile while I cook for a full week.

This is the menu:

5 logs home made gefilte fish
Chicken soup with Matzoh Balls
2  ~15 lb turkeys
1 brisket tzimmes
1 vegetarian tzimmes
I large potato kugel
1 carrot kugel
2 other TBD kugels
Farfel stuffing for turkey
4 bunches asparagus, grilled
2 heads broccoli, steamed
glazed carrots with ginger
honey roasted potatoes

Dessert

chocolate orange macaroons
hazelnut chocolate cake
fresh fruit platter
"store bought" cakes
candy

Now, that seems like a meal for a large number of people, where everyone can have a small taste of everything if they want, or people can eat vegetarian, poultry, beef, and a combination of everything.

I've got the entire cooking plan down, and it will take 5 days to get everything prepared that can be refrigerated or frozen early. On the day, we'll cook the two turkeys, the honey-roasted potatoes, the veggies, and heat everything else up.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Now Why Should She Clean Up?

This morning my industrious daughter decided to make pancakes. She had a friend over, so she thought it would be a nice idea to have a family breakfast. I was upstairs reading a book when she started this endeavor. She was cooking for 3 teenagers and 1 adult.

First she came up to ask me how to half the recipe on the box. Math isn't anyone's strong suit in this family. Next she came up to ask me which pan to use. I reminded her that we have a griddle that she could use. I told her where it was, but on the way downstairs she forgot and had to yell up to ask me again.

For a bit after that it was quiet and I could smell the sweet odor of pancake batter hitting the griddle. Engrossed in my novel, I didn't pay much attention to what was going on until I heard an incredibly shrill voice at tip top volume yell, "Don't TOUCH those pancakes. I did all the cooking myself and you didn't help at all and now you want to eat them before I had a chance to even finish. GO SIT DOWN AND WAIT LIKE A HUMAN BEING."  She was yelling at her brother. "That's my girl"  I thought. Good for her for sticking up for herself and her pancakes.

When they were ready, she was astounded to see how many she made. Mountains of pancakes. Mounds of them on three plates. Big giant mounds. It was like she was feeding an army or something. 

Everyone had a big plate and there were tons left over. She put them away and walked away from the dishes, which sat all afternoon. After her friend left,  I sent her to do the dishes and she started yelling at me. "Why should I do the dishes? I cooked all those pancakes for you guys while you sat around and did nothing."

I reminded her that she cooked the pancakes on her own terms. Nobody asked her for pancakes. But she did cook them, and since it was her friend, she needed to clean up her own mess.

She did, but she's so not happy about it.

The rest of us? We're in a pancake stupor over here.