cicero's Profile

I am defiantly making the beet terrain that I saw on here this week! But everything else for a cookout...I don't know. The weekend says "BBQ" but the weather says "heavy and cheesy"!
I think tonight is a simple dinner--lentils and chicken with cooked spinach.

Sometimes my problem is the spontaneity of spontaneous purchases more than what the purchase is specifically. I will buy something that looks great--bamboo carbon or rose flower water or pickled lemons--and then try to work with this item in a high-pressure, totally experimental concoction. More often than not, I feel like my vision and my reality are a bit different and I'm always left thinking about 'next time'.
Seems like trying to fit something new into a regular routine might have been more the issue. Though I've never tried any perishables from IKEA, there is no reason that the cheese isn't worth a different approach. I like the suggestions above--try the gratin :)

We buy our All-Clad a piece or two at a time, every Cyber Monday after Thanksgiving. Usually 50% off and no shipping. And, since they last a lifetime, no need to rush to buy the set all together.

Our most widely used bottles are whiskey, baileys, vodka, and that's about it. We have extras, including tequila and triple sec for summertime, but that's the list of "if the world ends and there are no more liquor stores" staple collection.
We wanted to build up a cabinet this past year, and started by writing a list of everything we thought we might need. We budget a bottle a month, and pay attention to what we use and what we don't. Surprise! We never missed the gin. Surprise! We go through Baileys faster than either one of us would have thought. Surprise! Whiskey is perfect. We have variety ranging from sipping whiskey to well-drink quality.

I love, love that bench and wood-meets-industrial of the entire space. What a great transformation and use of space. Out of curiosity, do you have any long-term floor plans or will you stick with the black and white check?

wow, I just found my vegan cousin's christmas present! How exciting, I'll try the margarine and coconut milk suggestion.
Out of curiosity, what happens if there are sugar granules that don't get washed off the side of the pan during the pre-boiling stage?

Something with strawberries, though i'm still trying to decide between jam and a pie. Also, it's not warm in Seattle, and I have been walking around with a down vest and fleece hoodie. Last night to beat the cold it was pasta with garden spinach, cream sauce, and leftover shredded grilled trout

I feel like a grown up home to me means that I am comfortable in it, and I expect to stay, and I invite others in because I feel so good about it. I live in an old farmhouse rental, with no children, and I sometimes catch myself looking around and realizing that this is the adult version of me that used to be comfortable with a lack of permanence...and it's funny that I should feel that way, because at age 40 I am still a renter...but I do. I'm not afraid to commit, and not afraid of the implications of permanence. 15 years ago that reeked of boring, no trip to Europe, no nights out seeing good bands. Now, somehow, the exact same things to me mean garden, hosting friends and family, a general different type of internal growth.
We have our linens full of blankets for guests, and a bedroom with an extra bed for friends, and we fix what is broken. To me, this is actually less consumerism than rejecting the ideas above. We happen to have lots of blankets, but a lot of them are from thrift stores, and the furniture is a reflection of many years as an avid thrifter. I don't think that the shift from house to home is really about spending money at all. I think it's about embracing an environment where you I can easily live after coming to terms that I am a more mature version of who I have been in the past.

lovely, lovely work. What a fantastic piece.
I restored a buffet a couple years ago and kept the chipped veneer. It's a hard call, when you're in your basement/carport/driveway/etc trying to figure out which of the 10,000 possibilities to chose from. I live in an older farmhouse, so it fits here, but I can see how a different house or setting would ask for a different decision.
Unfortunately you can only make one final selection for one piece of furniture! :)

Currently looking for a black-bean brownie recipe...if I find one then that's what I'm cooking!
I didn't cook, but my husband did, and made whole rainbow trout stuffed with rice, corn, onion, parsley, baked with sea salt for 30 minutes and served with spinach. Tomorrow is prep for the week day--maybe some lentils, hard-boiled eggs, and smoothies to throw in the freezer.