Astur's Profile

I call them soft drinks. Really can't help that i cringe at any other name aside from saying the actual soft drink name.

I use carafes. They are about liter size and I place them on costers down the table so that guests can reach usually. I try to fill them and put them in the fridge beforehand so they can indeed be taken from fridge to table. I sometimes intersperse with mineral water bottles.

I adore the baking spray. I don't use the other kinds often though. I am bothered by them but the fillable ones do clog and it's obnoxious. I do need to work on that though.

I have 6 cookies sheets for a reason.... I could use more even since I bake large batches of cookies at one time. Running under cold water really isn't a good idea. It may not warp them the first time but I can happen some time down the line.

I didn't register for a china pattern when I married but that is because I am an only child and stand to inherit about a dozen (no joke) sets of fancy china. Since the type of pattern that I would have registered for is about identical to something my mother has already - and her mother before it seems ridiculous. BUT, I went in another direction and began collecting silverware for myself. I have a couple sets and it makes me feel special using it with the white dinnerware that I have. Switches up the table some for company and much easier to store.

I only add the cream when i am serving, to each individual portion. That way it doesn't separate if I am reheating and then you get a slight cool down of the hot soup making it easier to eat.

I am very sad for the neighbors because their property value went down. Many people wouldn't want to move near a home like this so their home will not only sell for less but be harder to sell. There are ways to have kept the inside as it was but make the outside more fitting with the neighborhood. If you don't like the way a neighborhood looks when you are thinking of moving in then it really isn't a good fit for you and you should think about another location. I would say the same thing if a cute little cottage went up amid a number of contemporary styled homes.

First we divide the food evenily.

Then we try to steal the other's food when we think we can get a fork in.

It all works out in the end, sometimes with a few extra fork holes in your hand though.

I will try this - I have used tofu sour cream in one lasagna recipe that I like to make to try to cut back a bit and that is a really good move - you can't tell in the least. I will try using tofu mixed in with the cheese mixture some time but I think that I will run the tofu through the grater on my food processor first so that it will be extra easy to mix in with the cheese. I tend to use ricotta instead of shredded cheese like the picture so that will work well.

when we had our kitchen redone i specifically had an outlet added to the end of my peninsula so that i could have a table lamp there. I leave it on all day and have been thrilled with having it there. I use that and the under counter lights to cook with and only have the overhead light on once or twice a year now. Much happier.