Apartment Therapy Unplggd Ohdeedoh Re-Nest The Kitchn

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Display Name: isadora
Member Since: 9/25/07
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You pretty much covered my top 5 processed foods I secretly love: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts, Kraft M&C, Pizza Rolls, and Count Chocula (my husband I eat it for dinner on Halloween every year--as much as we want for that one night!).

Two other things I used to like but no longer call out to me are Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (I could eat them raw) and King's Hawaiian Rolls.


Do You Have a Secret Food?
1/31/11 12:28 PM

I did this for my wedding cake. My mom made the cake and we made the leaves together.

We used grape leaves as I recall. And we had the same problem knittedbliss did--the chocolate stuck to the leaves.

Here's how we overcame: We first gave all the leaves a quick bath and patted them dry. We layed them out and gave a very quick spray of Pam on them. We made the leaves from white chocolate and painted the chocolate on the leaves that were spritzed with Pam.

They were perfect. And they didn't have an oily residue or anything. They looked gorgeous.


Look! How To Make Easy, Edible Candy Leaves
11/17/10 12:57 PM

We use the Kitchen Aid ice cream maker, and we love it.

We went with the Ben & Jerry's ice cream cookbook--a slim little volume for under $10 and the vanilla recipe is GREAT. We use super-premium ingredients (organic milk, whipping cream, etc.) and premium vanilla--real expensive vanilla (not the corn syrup-laden kind).

While the texture is not identical, the taste is incredible.

My husband loves to make ice cream. And the B&J's vanilla recipe is simple and easy--not cooking so no custard-y feel.


Can You Recommend a Fail-Safe Ice Cream Recipe?
Good Questions
8/17/10 2:45 PM

I'm having a different problem. I don't have a problem with sticking--I rarely have that issue.

However, I have one small All-Clad pan and the rest of my pans are Calphalon. WHY is it that allegedly very similar products clean up so differently? My Calphalon turns oil to gummy glue. My all-clad cleans up almost as well as a nonstick. Could there be a coating? I don't get it!


Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | How Do I Keep Food From Sticking To My All-Clad Skillet? Good Questions
9/11/09 2:30 PM

I used to have a couple of these back in the early 90s! Everybody thought I was a loon back then.

Anyway, I got mine in the Seventh Generation catalog waaaaay back in the day. I find their website impossible to navigate so I don't know if they still have them.


Apartment Therapy Re-Nest | Good Question: Where To Find This Bag?
6/17/09 10:59 AM

I buy the Bob's Red Mill Scottish oatmeal--not quite so chewy--and they cut in smaller portions so they cook up much faster (15-20 minutes). You cook the oats in water and oversee them for about five minutes, jump in the shower and by the time you're our and toweled off it's time to eat the oats.

I put a smidge of real maple syrup on the oatmeal along with a teaspoon of brown sugar. Much better than the instant store-bought stuff.

When I'm in a pinch I eat the new high-fiber maple and brown sugar oatmeal from Quaker while at work at my desk.


Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | Good Question: A Foolproof Recipe for Oatmeal?
3/9/09 1:48 PM

I have a Calphalon One pan for eggs that I never use. I just cook the eggs in a bit of butter in a stainless steel pan.

I also have a Calphalon nonstick Wok that I use occassionally.


Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | Survey: Do You Use Non-Stick Cookware?
12/18/08 5:44 PM

My husband and I did a gingerbread house this year, though we cheated and picked up a kit.

http://www.dale-murray.com/oakpark/uploaded_images/IMG_2245-701445.JPG

I was quite proud of our work all the same.


Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | Holiday Baking: Have You Ever Made a Gingerbread House?
12/8/08 4:13 PM

I'm a fan of drawer storage! I put stickers on the top and sharpie the name of the spice on it.

http://www.dale-murray.com/oakpark/uploaded_images/IMG_0962-712719.JPG

I have since added little plastic drawer dividers so the spices don't slip around so much. They now stay put and in (mostly) alphabetical order.


Apartment Therapy Chicago | Small Storage: Spice Racks and Organizational Systems
10/29/08 8:26 AM

The C&B one is gorgeous but I'd use it as a buffet before I'd use it as a TV stand (depending on the height, of course). And I need a buffet desperately!

My husband made ours with cut/sanded/finished pieces of oak and threaded rod. You can add to it forever, store it or move it easily when needed--it's kind of awesome. It's completely adjustable to whatever our space allows (we're apartment dwellers) and we've used it for years and modified it as each space needed. Sometimes we create a huge shelving unit and other times (like now) we use it as end tables, coffee table, and TV unit:

http://www.dale-murray.com/oakpark/uploaded_images/living-796456.jpg

This was taken just after we moved into our current apartment.

My husband added the TV unit component to specifically fit our TV. If we decided to buy end tables or a coffee table we can rearrange the pieces and create a shelving unit.


Apartment Therapy Chicago | High and Low: Media Stands
10/29/08 8:12 AM

This show is beyond delightful. It is the happiest (TV) hour of my week.


Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | TV Food Drama: Pushing Daisies
10/20/08 10:24 AM

I heard about this on Fresh Air! What a fascinating story. I was even more fascinated by the fact that our current bananas were considered downright disgusting compared to the Gros Michel 'naners of yesteryear. I sure would have liked to have had one of those.

None of the other varietals of bananas are sturdy enough to travel the distances required to be in our local supermarket. Scary/fascinating story with no clear solution!

Link to the Fresh Air interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19097412

Really worth listening to!


Apartment Therapy The Kitchen | Are Bananas Going Extinct?
3/28/08 12:35 PM

From what I undersatnd you can't put all kinds of cat litter in the toilet!

Also, I live in a fairly urban setting; I don't need my apartment stinking up like cat feces (I already use Feline Pine litter so the cat pee smell is eliminated).

That said, if I had a private space (such as a backyard) I'd just compost it. Since I don't, I prefer to put it in a separate container and dump it in the garbage in back of my building a couple of times a week.


Apartment Therapy The Kitchen | Whole Foods Set to Stop Offering Plastic Bags
1/23/08 1:24 PM

Crap! Those are good quality bags; I use them like crazy! I use them as garbage bags in my bathroom. And I use them for cat litter.

I usually take market bags to the store but I usually score a bag or two a week for my uses around the house. Lame!


Apartment Therapy The Kitchen | Whole Foods Set to Stop Offering Plastic Bags
1/22/08 9:08 AM

I shop at Whole Foods in River Forest, IL at least once a week. Just for the record I don't usually see a bevy of "beautiful people" and the store is not especially "pretty"! Ha!

Our is a smaller WF (missing the trattoria bars and demonstation kitchens) but it features most of the core services other posters have mentioned (including tasty brick-oven pizza). It seems to carry a fair amount of regional produce when they can (lots of Michigan apples and cherries, which I love because I moved to Oak Park from Michigan).

I shop there because it's close to my house, and it carries a very large selection of food that is both delicious and (mostly) ethically produced. I supplement with Trader Joe's, Target, and the local Farmers' Market (in the summer).

There are no really great "indie" markets in my neighborhood for those of you who find that important. The local indie market is small and dirty and feels like an ambitiously-stocked party store.

I find the employees incredibly friendly and helpful, particularly at the meat and cheese counters. They are educated about the product and can always answer my questions.

I wish they carried grass-fed beef as I'd like try switching to it. I don't eat much beef however, so it's unlikely my tastebuds alone would be worth the investment for the store.

I know it's expensive--many of my friends can't believe I don't just go to the Jewel a few blocks away--but I feel like I'm paying for some level of ethical consideration and, just as important, I'm paying for some level of customer service. Employees go out of their way for us at Whole Foods in ways that would never occur to the Jewel employees. That's worth a few cents to me.


Apartment Therapy The Kitchen | Whole Foods Market: Grocery Store
1/15/08 1:30 PM

I have one All-Clad pan I got for a steal and a whole set of Calphalon stainless (we researched the materials used and couldn't fine a compelling difference in materials or quality for the huge jump in price) and, frankly, I can't tell the difference between the two.

Had I know All-Clad was made in the USA, I might have spent the extra money (if we'd had it at the time, which is unlikely).

I've had the Calphalon for five years. Still in great shape. Added a non-stick Calphalon One pan last year. Also has worked very well, though it is the least-used of my pans. I like to use it for breakfast on the weekends.

One name brand I have a major jones for is Le Crueset. I want a soup pot and a casserole pan!


Apartment Therapy The Kitchen | Good Question: Why Are All-Clad Pots and Pans So Expensive?
1/4/08 5:31 AM

OMG! That's my EXACT dining table. I DESPERATELY need that sideboard.


Apartment Therapy - Scavenger: Vintage Dining Set for $120
11/8/07 5:52 AM