Octavia82's Profile

We tried to keep the cat out of the bedroom, but he had other ideas. After many nights of no sleep, we gave in. Now, he usually sleeps at the foot of the bed and then crawls up for an early morning snuggle before I get up, but sometimes he decides not to come in at all. But heaven forbid we shut him out...

I love my cookbooks, but recipes that merit "make-again" status get transferred into my Mealboard app. It's so much more convenient to have the recipe handy if I decide at the last minute to make something, and my iPhone also takes up a lot less space in my tiny kitchen. I'd never give up the actual books, especially the really beautiful and/or informative ones (and I do add to the collection from time to time), but I go for practicality on a day-to-day basis.

Another freezer bag fan here...although I've taken to using regular zip-top sandwich bags and just making sure the air is really well squeezed out. It's much cheaper, and since I tend to eat my soups and chilis for lunch within a couple weeks, they almost never get freezer-burned even in the thinner bags.

If you intend to mix a lot of bread dough in your stand mixer, DO NOT get the tilt-head kind (i.e. the KA Artisan). Because the dough is heavy and not evenly distributed in the bowl, the mixer head will bump up and down when the bread kneads, causing the screw in the head to come loose. While the screw is easy to tighten again, it entails constantly flipping the machine over, and the screw will eventually get stripped. Bread bakers should choose the fixed-head type, where the bowl lifts up.

Even so, I do love my KA...I just might have to trade up to a better model someday.

My parents got me a small oval Le Creuset a couple years ago -- we have a LC outlet not too far from here, which is AWESOME. I can't even tell why it was classified as a "second"! Definitely worth checking out, for those who love LC but don't love the price. The one thing I don't like is that my parents chose black, which is just so dull compared to all the lovely bright colors...but that just means that I need to get a bigger one someday when I have more people to feed than just hubby and me.

I've been guilty of this, too, though I never wasted half the gallon. It is cheaper and more convenient to buy a gallon and have a couple cups go to waste than to buy two half-gallons. But I hate waste, and I also hate funky milk. For awhile, I made my own yogurt, but for some reason, the past few times I've tried it just. will. not. work. So I'm back to buying half gallons.

I also use the Saveur technique of boiling and draining the rice like you would pasta, although I never realized it until I clicked on the link. I find it too gluey when it's cooked like white rice, in a 1:2 ratio with water. It also cooks faster when you boil it in lots of water, which is a big plus!

If you search the Food Network website, Ellie Krieger has a delicious recipe for homemade energy bars. They freeze well and thaw quickly. I also make homemade granola bars so I can control the amount of oil and sugar in them. I add lots of good stuff like sunflower seeds, nuts, dried fruit, and whatever else I feel like, and make them a bit bigger than a supermarket granola bar. Pack them in snack-sized bags (which you can reuse) or in an airtight container, and they keep for a long time. My favorite recipe is at http://thekitchensinkrecipes.com/2008/02/09/how-i-decided-to-create-granola-bars/ , though I cut down on the brown sugar and add 1-2 tbsp of unsweetened applesauce to make them softer.

In a pinch, a simple hard-boiled egg, eaten cold, will stave off hunger pangs for quite awhile.

I can't say that I understand why you'd want to not eat them as part of a healthy breakfast, but then eat them as part of an unhealthy dessert or sauce...but everything that has been mentioned sounds good. Ice cream is my favorite.

Great idea, if the bridesmaid dress is a color that will look good in your house. Unfortunately, the color of the next one I have to wear is so hideous that I can't even do this with it! I'll keep it in mind for the next time, though.