From a few days ago; I liked it!
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I reconnected with a cousin after 35 years, andhad her come out from IL to AZ for the gem show several years in a row. She would show up with some bigass hunk of meat (told me the steerâs name the first time, which I put the kibosh on immediately) and it gradually became clear that she was slowly taking over the kitchen, telling us she hated âbig gross platesâ of pasta, which is one of my favorite things on earth, and so forth. The straw that broke the camelâs back, the last time she was here, I was cooking some squash, I think, I left the kitchen for a couple of minutes, and heard her very clearly adding butter to it- bitch waited until I was out of the kitchen to do it, when she could have added it to HER serving. Then later on said something vague about âbeing bossy in the kitchenâ. She doesnât know it yet, but sheâs not coming back here any time soon. You just donât take advantage of my hospitality by pretending that youâre a better, more knowledgeable cook than me, especially when youâre not. Period.
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I love sharing my kitchen! My new dog sitter is now excited to buy a house and start a garden. She had only used a microwave, instapot, and an air fryer in her wordsâŚ
She took right to picking food from the garden and following recipes from my library of books (yard sales rock).
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When I hear âhouseguestâ I think long-term guests. In a perfect world, no one would ever stay in my house long enough to feel the need to use the kitchen. I was going to insert a smiley, but I am decidedly not joking around.
Now a night of drinking and revelry with friends that leads to 3 AM breakfast sandwiches being prepared sloppily in my kitchen, sure thing. Or even without the revelry, having people over where everyone is in and out of the kitchen having a good time, I am fine with.
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Also, she ate ALL the kumquats off my little potted tree. There was no fruit left. That was the beginning of the end
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Your houseguest cousin sounds like one of my SILâs who is persona non grata in my kitchen and house, but she doesnât realize it. Luckily she lives across country. I know itâs bad, and sad to say, but the truth, and she brought it on herselfâŚ@ewsflash.
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Amendment to my post above which sounds harsh; certain SIL welcome in my home with constant supervision. 
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I love it when guests cook. The best parties ever are backyard paella parties where everyone takes part in prepping and cooking â with wine and spirits flowing madly.
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The idea of a backyard paella party sounds like such fun. If you might care to share, what sort of setup do you use to cook your paella outside? (Dreaming of better days ahead!)
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I used this amazing video as a guide.
Add images here
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Thanks for the info. Your setup with the Big Green Egg looks amazing. I imagine you are a fan of your Egg. 
Weâre in propane grill mode at our houseâa sturdy Weber, whose parts I can replace when neededâmostly because itâs easier/quicker for us than working with charcoal. Our setup would not be adaptable to (outdoor) paella like yours is, alas.
And to stay on topic of this thread: Guests at our place are fed by us and donât use the kitchen to cook. Our remodeled kitchen is modern but small because our house dates from the 1920s. At one time (before we lived here) our kitchen had both a coal stove for heating and a gas stove for cooking!
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Hi! Iâve been using an Egg since about 2014 and like it very much. Not everyone is as Eggcited about it as I am though.
I hope you find a configuration that works for you. Backyard gatherings are so enjoyable.
OhâŚthe weather forecast is calling for a high of 72F here in the Twin Cities. Of course snow is predicted by the weekend though. Haha
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OH LORDY- you need to monkeywrench something of hers after you tell her how she erred
Did you kill him? I gotta know
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Mmmmmm, nutmegâŚ
Yeah- I need to have that talk with her. We have had some good times, but now iâm soured on the idea, but slowly starting to warm. Not very much, though.
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My wife hates when someone else takes control of her âkingdomâ. She doesnât allow anyone to enter the kitchen to cook, even me. And I respect her decision.
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Our apartment is too small for houseguests.
The last time I was a houseguest it was at my brotherâs place and the SIL is a very good cook so no kitchen for me.
SIL does use bizarre ingredients such as lamb and eggplant.
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Thatâs what my husband would call bizarre! Also runny eggs, raw fish andâŚokay, the list is too long.
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I love it when someone else cooks in my kitchen. Itâs so much fun when you have cooking competitions or cook together. I love parties like that.
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