American oil

Subject: Oil by another name Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:35 am

If a no-cook cookie is still a cookie and but looks like an unbaked cookie...what is it really? This leads me to more random thoughts of needing a new name for crude oil to differentiate it from preffered, friendly fuel alternatives.

I think we ought to refer to crude oil something like this:
crude oil, the harvesting and use of which is destroying our beautiful planet
and when we refer to preferred fuel sources as something like this:
Clean energy, the equivalent of peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven on a rainy afternoon.

Thoughts?
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Pam Robertson

http://andthebandplayedonmylawn.blogspot.com

Subject: Re: American oil Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:43 am

Subject: Re: American oil Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:36 am

Pam,
I like your suggested definitions.
I'm wondering if your cookies are baked with any oil? If so, you need more definitions.
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"To Beirut and Back"
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Subject: Re: American oil Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:43 am

Abe,

I think the oil in the cookies is vegetable oil, not the crude oil, but correct definitions are always good. Making up definitions can always be a fun thing to do.

I bet if we gave this task of definitions to a group of grade schoolers, they could come up with some remarkable ones.

Carol

Subject: Re: American oil Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:38 pm

I am a butter user, through and through. Cookies require fat that is solid at room temperature to achieve the right texture, and I prefer butter because of the flavour (compared to margarine or shortening). Peanut butter cookies make use of peanut butter and butter and although both are technically oils, neither one could be considered crude.

To relate it to gasoline, butter is like premium gasoline, margarine would be mid-grade, and shortening regular or maybe even diesel.

At any rate, regular gas in the Vancouver, British Columbia region has now been hit with a carbon tax and is selling at $1.50 per litre, which is about $6.85US per US gallon; still cheap by European standards, but a huge hike over last year's prices, which continue ever upward. Gas in my area is expected to hit the same price this week, a 40% hike above what I was paying a year ago.

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Pam Robertson

http://andthebandplayedonmylawn.blogspot.com

Admin Joined : 11 Jan 2008 Posts : 1624 Location : UK

I'm a butter person too. I never use anything else. This is a tray of muffins made with butter. They don't taste like American muffins, mainly because UK flour is milled from a different type of wheat to that grown in North America. The butter gives the muffins an altogether different taste and they are much lighter in texture -- made by creaming the butter and sugar and adding eggs and flour, not from a batter of flour, oil and sugar.

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Shelagh Watkins
http://shelaghwatkins.co.uk/

Subject: Re: American oil Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:29 pm

Sugar and Butter mixed together tastes really good, but it probably makes one of the unhealthiest meals anyone has thought of (except for mayby American fast food resteraunts). lol!

Subject: Re: American oil Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:15 pm

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Subject: Re: American oil Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:17 pm

Shelagh--YUM!

I always use butter, as well. It's another renewable resource in my mind. As long as there are cows, there will be butter. Years ago I read that margarine was one molecule away from plastic and quit using it altogether. I don't know if that is true, but it gave me the excuse I needed! Laughing

I did not know our flours/wheats were different. Have you ever tried using potato or rice flour? I don't suppose they would be as good.

But you really must stop showing us all these goodies. I am gaining weight just drooling over your baked goods! Wink

lin--funny!
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Zada Connaway
Mother's Journals: parts 1, 2 and 3 ISBN # 1-4241-6969-0

http://www.zadaconnaway.com/

Admin Joined : 11 Jan 2008 Posts : 1624 Location : UK

Subject: Re: American oil Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:16 pm

I find the wheat very interesting. And it seems that 'they' are always coming out with items that are unhealthy, and changing their minds later on. Eggs were suppposed to be killers, and now it is only the yolk that is bad for you. Good grief, I can't keep up with it all, so I just eat normally (no, not fast food!) and let it go at that. I try for moderation, but don't always succeed. Especially with 4th of July coming. And of course, there is always Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, ... and so on!
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Zada Connaway
Mother's Journals: parts 1, 2 and 3 ISBN # 1-4241-6969-0

http://www.zadaconnaway.com/

Subject: Re: American oil Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:27 pm

Shelagh, since this thread is already highjacked as you pointed out, I might just add one more bit of highjack information.
Just today my daughter told me that they always keep a bowls of chocolate, in various forms, sitting in the office. When bits and pieces of the chocolate were missing and being bitten into, and then the tell-tale trail of small mouse droppings were evident, they realized that the mice were also chocolate lovers. For bait to trap the critters, they used chocolate and it worked. Now they put the chocolate away at night. So you can now add mice to the list of chocolate lovers.
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"To Beirut and Back"
http://www.freewebs.com/abemarch

Subject: Re: American oil Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:59 pm

I always suspected that mice were smarter than we gave them credit for.

Lin I love the static electricity idea. Despite living in a maritime climate, last year there was plenty of static going around. I went to pick up the chihuahua one day and managed to zap her right off of her pillow! Poor little chi...
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Pam Robertson

http://andthebandplayedonmylawn.blogspot.com

Subject: Re: American oil Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:45 am

Regarding Hummers...have the lost the war?

http://www.newhavenadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=8473
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Admin Joined : 11 Jan 2008 Posts : 1624 Location : UK

I thought this was an interesting comment: