22 Comments

Wonderful timing, Mari! I'm actually making salmon tonight for my family and a visiting gluten-free friend, and now I have a new recipe for quinoa salad!

Fun fact: folks living in the Andes use the soapy, post-rinse quinoa water to wash their hair 🫧

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I’m so happy to hear this! And your factoid about using quinoa water as a rinse is fascinating! I bet the protein in the water is very good for hair!

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Why is cottage cheese back? Maybe because it’s

A) delicious

B) high protein

C) moderately low carb

D) hearty without being overly caloric

E) delicious!

If you’re more carb tolerant, it’s good on crackers and excellent on toast. (Also, I hear, as a dip for potato chips or even Doritos!) It can even be basis, with a grated cheddar or similar, of a very quick weeknight cheesy pasta.

It’s a wonder food! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

PS — excellent party planning tips. Our family is involved in a long-running project of have more people over for dinner, so this is a very nice thing to have on hand!

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Ok, I am sorry for yucking your yum! I think my attitude to cottage cheese is shaped by my mom’s having to subsist on it (mixed with canned pineapple) for years because of diet advice. The sight and smell always grossed me out! But I concede that it has its uses, for example in lasagna and maybe even in some of the other ways you describe.

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It’s okay — I was just teasing! No one has to like cottage cheese on my account. (MORE FOR ME.)

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A win-win!

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Pro-tip: add a healthy spoonful of good quality evoo & cracked pepper then stir well -- no longer very diet-friendly, but amazingly tasty 😋

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My wife loves cottage cheese

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Good for her! She can have my portion!

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A woman of breeding and distinction, I see.

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My general rule is that actual cooking should leave 2-3 days of leftovers. I can usually manage it, but it makes it hard to make meat (and particularly fish) heavy dishes.

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I am the same way (and it’s easier for me, because I almost always cook vegetarian). My husband works from home, and the dinners I make always supply lunches for both of us for a day or two.

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The Hidden Career Cost of Being Overweight

New moves to outlaw weight discrimination are pushing companies to examine one of the most insidious forms of on-the-job bias

Free link:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-hidden-career-cost-of-being-overweight-68f4b8e7?st=e6g5hejwgubrek8&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

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Thank you for the link! Unless we’re talking about firefighters or a job that requires workers to be fit, weight should have no relevance whatsoever. The line that really got me was when a man’s manager told him, “You just don’t present well because of your size”--well whose fault is that?! Perhaps the ones making the judgments should try being less judgmental!

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It was odd to see this article right after I read your essay.

I used to LIE about my height wherever it was requested. I'd add an inch. What I love about old British TV shows is people look normal, not like straws.

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Heightism is also a ridiculous prejudice! Again, unless you’re talking about a very few jobs like fighter pilots (who have to be 5’9” or shorter), jockeys, or, idk, people whose job is to reach things from high shelves? height should not matter.

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>>>If I had my druthers, all of my dinners would be “teenage boy dinner” or “college football player dinner” or “Michael Phelps dinner.”<<<

YESSSSSSSS, SAAAAAAAAAAME

I have had very good luck in finding female friends who, like me, eat an amount that frightens the occasional waiter (our partners are all used to it, thankfully) -- I have no idea how to form deep relationships with people who don't like to eat. ;-p

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Or people who forget to eat! Can you imagine?! But they are out there. Amazing.

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I am very partial to a good mac'n'cheese - some of my friends call it "kids food" but I disagree, it's warm and homely for all ages! Also Rösti (for non-Swiss readers: fried grated potatoes, that you can add cheese, bacon, egg and many other things to), or Barley soup as they make it in Graubünden.

My ideal diet is lots of carbs and lots of hiking. You can't do a 6-hour ascent off a Girl Dinner!

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Exactly! There is a reason that the archetypal Swiss foods are fondue, raclette, and Rösti (I LOVE Rösti with cheese and a fried egg). We need the calories to fortify ourselves! Speaking of which, I am about to go on a hike with a 500m ascent (so not particularly challenging), and I plan to enjoy cheese and beer afterwards.

(And I love mac and cheese too!)

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Oh Mari! “teenage boy dinner” or “college football player dinner” or “Michael Phelps dinner” PERFECTION! You are an amazing cook and I look forward to more dinners together.

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Me too! And thank you for approving of my giant appetite!

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