LittleMissy's Profile

I think if she requested sherbet punch, she's probably hoping for that syrupy-sweet concoction. I think if you try to modernize it and steer it away from what is typically associated, you'd just disappoint her. I'd go for retro and give her what she wants.

I agree with trends like cupcakes or macaroons or any cookbook/website/"movement" that encourages one specific type of food. In cases like that, sure you may know how to make cupcakes, but can you do much else (I know many who can't). But I disagree with the idea that the slow-food movement, or the locavore movement, or any other "movement" that seeks to connect people with their food system and understand the who/what/when/where and why of what they're eating will lead people away from basic cooking skills. I think it's just the opposite. If butternut squash is in season in your area, and you don't know how to cook it, you learn. If you're trying to move away from processed foods, you'll skip over that frozen pizza and learn how to make one at home, instead. And if you really get into it, you may decide to start raising your own chickens and growing your own garden. I think the slow-food movement, especially, is all about encouraging people to do for themselves and learn how to cook, not the other way around. As many people have already said, I think there definitely is a backlash against people who care about where their food came from and how it was made (I have my fair share in my own family), but if you really care about slow-food or eating locally or being self sufficient in general, who cares. Let them turn their noses up at my pie because I made my crust instead of buying it (they always do!). Someone will try it, someone will like it, and, eventually, that same person who turned their nose up at your cooking will decide that it isn't pretentious poison - it's just good cooking. And if they don't, then fine - more for me!

I love potlucks! I think they're a fun, easy way for friends to come together and show off their favorite dishes. We usually do a barbecue potluck in the summer and a holiday potluck around Christmas. We provide a light main dish, a side dish and a dessert, plus dishes, napkins, cups, utensils and non-alcoholic beverages. And serving dishes, if needed. I always tell my guests what I'm making, and if they want to bring something, they're welcome to. Or not. This way, it doesn't matter what people bring and I don't have to "assign" anything. People bring what they want to "showcase" and there's PLENTY of food to go around. It always works for us. My husband's family does potlucks twice a year, too, but they assign things. It's not a bad idea, really, but they never switch it up. Every year I know that I'll be bringing an appetizer for Christmas and a salad for the 4th of July (and not a fruit salad- that's a different assignment all together). Always the same. I just wish that one year I could get assigned to bring a dessert! Or rolls. Something that would allow me to bake! Yes - I can cook. And I'm a good cook. But I'm a MUCH better baker. The fun of a potluck is the flexibility. You may not have a perfectly planned menu, but that's okay. If that's what you want, then a potluck is not the format for you!

As someone already mentioned, mirrors are a safety no-no. They can become a projectile if you're (god forbid) in a crash. That being said, I know a lot of parents who say that they're willing to take the risk for the peace of mind it gives them. It's up to the individual parent, but just be aware of the added risk it could pose. Same goes for the toys that hang from the handle of a carseat. Those are especially bad, though, because *most* carseats don't allow the handlebar to be in the upright position in the car (check your manual to see if your model can be installed with the handle up. Otherwise, assume it shouldn't be). If you're in a crash, it can break as it rebounds against the back seat (and, if installed correctly, it SHOULD rebound to absorb the shock), sending the broken handle into baby. Yikes! I would say if you're going to go on a long road trip (or, really, drive in a car with a baby at all) to make sure the seat is installed correctly. The vast majority (80%!) of seats aren't. Call your local health department or fire department to see if they have any Child Passenger Safety Techs on staff. Knowing that your baby is safe in the car will help you relax and concentrate on the road ahead of you. Do what you need to do to feel confident, take frequent stops, cross your fingers that the baby sleeps the majority of the way, and go for it. If you need a break, you need a break. Take advantage of the opportunity.

I made this last night with our over-abundance of strawberries from my co-op. Instead of rosewater, I added 1/4 tsp almond extract. I highly recommend it! I think this is, like, the best thing I have ever put in my mouth. (as a funny side note, I gave a tiny taste of the whipped cream to my cat and he went nuts - trying to climb onto my plate begging for more! So I asked the cat "is that the best thing you've ever eaten, or what?" and my husband, too completely absorbed by his desert to notice that I was talking to the cat, said "YES!" So there you have it. It's that good.)

I started off with the Cuisinart someone mentioned above - the one that came with both the blender and the (mini) food processor. I used the blender all the time, but the food processor attachment was too small to really do much of anything with. When I got married, I got a full size food processor (cuisinart, as well) and an immersion blender (again - cuisinart) and I haven't used my blender since (almost 2 years now!). You may not be making a lot of wild recipes in your kitchen right now, but as you get more comfortable in your cooking skills, you might. And when you do, a blender is not going to help you make pizza dough. I use my immersion blender daily - it came with a whisk (great for egg whites and whipped cream) and a mini food processor (which I use a lot more than the one that came with my blender. It's just more convenient.), so it does a lot more than just pureeing hot liquids (though it does that very well). I use the food processor probably once a week to make dough or salsa or some other random recipe that calls for it. But seriously, I haven't pulled out my blender in almost two years and I kind of think the motor is crapping out (it's about four years old, and I haven't used it a TON, I don't think). So if I were you, I'd get a cuisinart food processor and immersion blender. I've seen them both at costco for pretty cheap and they're my two favorite kitchen "gadgets," hands down.

These comments are so dead on! And Esmerelda - that's my family, to a T! At least you don't have to share holidays with those people! I don't understand the need for hostility that some people seem to have once they find out you're vegetarian. I've never tried to "convert" anyone to my diet - I couldn't care less if people eat meat - but I'm really starting to be amazed at how many things people can sneak bacon or tiny little specks of chicken just to see if I'll notice. Yeah, I do, actually because I get to spend the next two days in the bathroom because of your "hospitality." Thanks!

I don't expect anyone to accomodate my dietary choices, but I do ask that they're respected. As someone said above, if you haven't eaten meat in many years, you actually stop producing the enzymes necessary to digest it (same goes for milk). I have made many a meal out of side dishes and will "eat around" something, if I can, but sometimes that's just not possible. I don't care if my garden burger was cooked on the same grill as your burger, but I do care if you cook your meat on the rack above it - or on top of the veggies that you were planning on serving me as my entire meal- so the drippings can soak my dinner. I don't mind picking lunch meat out of a sub sandwich at a conference or meeting, but I do mind having to pick pepperoni off of a pizza. The grease can't be "picked off" and it WILL make me sick. I'm polite about it - and I make sure to say that it's nothing personal, I'm sure it's delicious, but I haven't eaten meat in so long that when I do (on accident, a few times) it makes me very ill. Once I explain that it will make me sick, not just that I'm being a picky brat, most people are usually okay. There are a few that have told me that it's all in my head, but those are just the houses I don't go back to!

And as for times when I'm the host, I plan a meal that can be enjoyed by all of my guests. I don't include meat (and honestly, you guys don't want a vegetarian cooking your meat. I don't know how.), but I also don't serve tofu or other meat substitutes. I refused to pay for food I couldn't eat at my own wedding, so we did an "action station" where the caterer made pasta dishes to order - two types of pasta, alfredo or marinara, shrimp, chicken or veggies. Everyone got what they wanted. I'm not going to cook meat at home, but I usually do brunch or a pasta dish where meat won't be expected, anyway, and the lack there of won't be noticed. People who eat meat can eat French toast, fruit salad and skillet potatoes and be perfectly satisfied. I bet they've even made that at home, for themselves, many times. But once someone knows you're vegetarian, they suddenly NEED meat in every meal. My mom's husband is the WORST! I once made pasta with creamy mushroom sauce, salad with gorgonzola and strawberries, roasted asparagus and garlic bread (with whole cloves of garlic baked in) and though he ate a generous serving, he still "had to" stop off at a drive-through on the way home. I made margherita pizza on the grill with home-grown basil and tomatoes and he left my party to run to the store for pepperoni and canadian bacon while I made more crust for *his* pizza. That same night, I made grilled peaches (home grown) with home-made vanilla bean ice cream and he told me how his mom's ice cream is better and then proceeded to call her at the dinner table to get me the recipe that I didn't ask for! The last straw was this past Christmas when I OK'd bringing bacon or sausage, as a side dish, pre-cooked and he showed up with an entirely separate main course of biscuits and sausage gravy to my carefully planned brunch and then proceeded to try to cook sausage in my kitchen with my cookware and utensils! I was furious! So, for the person who was complaining about a vegetarian friend who wouldn't let you cook meat in her kitchen, she's not the only one! I know my cookware can be washed, but that demonstrates a lack of respect. My husband will occasionally cook fish in my cookware, and we're happy to put real burgers and hot dogs on the grill (in fact, we buy them most of the time) or buy a "meat-lovers" pizza, but I draw the line at someone bringing their own meat to cook in my kitchen (not on the grill) when there's plenty of food that they can eat just because they don't WANT to eat a meal without it!

When it comes down to it, I don't think that vegetarianism requires any different consideration. As a host, you do your best to accomodate your guests and ensure a pleasant evening. As a guest, you do your best to not be a bother. Everyone should offer to bring something to a dinner party - vegetarian or not - just because it's polite. The host can decline - I usually do - but it's kind to offer. Your issues are your issues and you do your best to make sure they're no one's problem but your own. And at the end of the night, the host thanks their guests for coming, the guests thank their host for their hospitality, and everyone is welcome to hit up a drive through on the way home, so long as you never let your host know you did it. It just seems like with with the issue of vegetarianism, those norms of polite behavior are somehow excused - on both sides. It's not rocket science, it's basic hospitality and graciousness. Period.

Of my three (!) cats, only one of them goes after the furniture. I've tried everything - tape (he just finds new areas to destroy that aren't covered in tape), water bottle (turns out he likes water), yelling (turns it into a game), putting his paws on the scratching post instead, praising and giving treats when he uses the scratching post, deterrent spray (yeah... that did NOTHING) and we're finally trying Softpaws. I think the Softpaws are working the best, but I have to check him every single day to make sure they're all still there. It's amazing how much damage he can do with one claw! And I can't get them to stay on his dewclaws - any tips on that? If all else fails, our sofa is from IKEA so I might just have to buy new slipcovers every few years!

I don't think I was ever really taught how to cook, per se. My family doesn't cook, and if they do, it comes from a box or a can! and as the lone Vegetarian in the family, I was pretty much on my own. So I always think it's funny when people say "I don't know how to cook." Sure you do! Follow a recipe, google what you don't understand, and learn as you go! But if I ever teach someone else, I think it's better to learn basic skills, terminology and how to follow a recipe than to learn how to make something specific. It's like that whole "teach a man to fish" thing - if you teach her how to make a pot of beans, that's great, but who wants to eat just beans? And what is she going to do with the leftovers? If you teach her how to follow a recipe, she can make that pot of beans and some soup and some enchiladas and so on and so forth. The ultimate goal is to have your friend be able to say "hey, this recipe looks good! I'm going to make that!" - and be able to. I think the recipes that Sabjimata listed are a great start - she'll get a bunch of skills along with some Vegetarian meal staples. As a vegetarian, I eat at least one of those meals every week! I would also include a baking recipe so she can learn basic baking skills too (spoon and level flour, baking soda vs. powder, how to separate an egg, folding, etc). Nothing too crazy - maybe some corn bread to go along with some veggie chili or some cupcakes for desert. And don't forget menu planning and grocery shopping - find recipes for the meals you want to use as "examples," show her how to make a shopping list from that, and then go to the grocery store with her so you can explain the difference between spices and other ingredients without having to actually make a recipe that includes them.

I've been using palmolive eco for the last few years with few issues. I also use an eco friendly rinse aid (can't remember the brand- bought it at whole foods). I just tried using the citra solv brand and we're not impressed - it doesn't dissolve all the way. I've also tried 7th gen. and I thought it was too runny. I'm normally a big fan of method products, but I have an "apartment" size dishwasher and method only sells the tablets. has anyone used the tablets with the smaller washers? Can I just cut them in half?

I have noticed that hard vs. soft water makes the biggest difference, no matter what brand I use. Our old apartment had soft water and I didn't really have a problem. Our new house has the hardest water I've ever experienced and our dishes are always filmy and gross. We've started mostly hand-washing them! I tried Vinegar in the rinse aid compartment and I just don't think it released enough to do much good. I tried pouring it on the bottom of the washer, but it just ran down the drain (duh) so I'm really happy to see the suggestion of putting it in a jelly jar! I've also been using lemishine for the hard water, which helps, but it's not cheap and I'm having a hard time finding it any more. I did have to break down and buy a dishwasher cleaner - the ingredient list said it was mostly citric acid - after trying many DIY methods of cleaning the washer had failed. It's helped a lot!