kimberlyf0's Profile

I'm screaming too. Work is work and his casually mentioning that he "pays for more" would have me reconsidering that future hubby status. Should a FT teacher do more housework because she makes less than her FT accountant partner? Should a FT social worker do all the cooking and cleaning because he earns less money that his lawyer partner? The value of our work can't be measured by income.

DH works outside the home. After a decade of marriage I stopped working outside the home and became a FT homemaker (not a FT mom ~ all parents, whether they work outside the home or not, are FT parents). His income is our income, and the state of California agrees with that. I may do more cooking, more tidying, and more of the little day-to-day homemaking, and certainly more of the childcare, but he doesn't get a free pass when he gets home just because he earns more money than I do. We clean the house together (all four of us now), and I love his attitude about it: "Housework sucks, and you shouldn't have to do it all by yourself just because society doesn't value the job you do at an at-home parent."

When we had cats, yes, because cats sleep where they want and locking them out of the room only meant that we had to hear scratching and meowing until we let them in. Plus they are small and indoor cats can't get that dirty anyway.

But dogs? No, not in my bed. The 75 pound GSD sleeps crated and the 90 pound GSD sleeps with his boy, although the growing teen is leaving less room for the dog everyday ...

I make salt dough ornaments with my boys each year; they love making them and giving them to family members for the holidays.

We cook a gluten free Thanksgiving; the stuffing is Sunset Magazine's Apple Bacon Cornbread stuffing (made with homemade gluten free cornbread) and it is better than any gluten filled stuffing I've ever had. I use potato starch for the gravy. Most of the other dishes are naturally gluten free (mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted vegetable, green salad, cranberry sauce, etc.). I make Chebe (Brazilian tapioca) cheese rolls. Gluten free apple crisp is a delicious and easy alternative to apple pie and I also make sweet potato pie in a GF gingerbread cookie crust (pumpkin would work fine, I'm just allergic to it). Depending on which family we host they either just go with it and love everything or hold fast to tradition and want certain foods such as wheat rolls and pumpkin pie in a wheat crust. I just ask them to bring those things if it is important to them, as I keep my kitchen gluten free.

Peach smoothies are easy, so is freezing the peaches and then running them through a food processor to make sorbet (or you could puree them and run them through an ice cream maker, either as sorbet or with other ingredients as peach ice cream). Fruit crisps are easy too and really fast with canned fruit. You could also add the peaches to yogurt or layer them for a parfait. I'd use the fruit cocktail in smoothies as I actually detest fruit cocktail, and I'd use the mandarin oranges in salad.

I like them for fruit crisps and puddings/parfaits; they make it easy to serve a crowd and are great for picnics and potlucks.

My anti-burglary "tech" is a pair of German Shepherd dogs. Thieves that "case" houses generally stay away from homes with dogs, and opportunistic thieves are deterred by them as well. My dogs accept strangers when I tell them to, but are very protective otherwise. If a burglar gets anywhere near my female she is going to bite.

Living in a walkable neighborhood where neighbors are home during the day is good too. We notice when things aren't quite right. Porches and yards in the front (that families actually use) and garages in the back also work toward keeping thieves at bay. Oh, and our house has a street lamp right in front of it.

The dogs are also excellent at getting the "I'm not interested" point across to anyone who comes to the door selling something (magazines, religion, etc.). Since sometimes these are thieves looking to case your house or scam you (offering to give an estimate on trimming trees while a partner robs you blind) the dogs do their job well.

My first thought was that I didn't think it could be rescued, but google suggests otherwise. It does involve some caustic chemicals or seeking out someone who can do sandblasting.

http://www.ehow.com/how_6730024_remove-nonstick-coating-cookware.html

It probably wouldn't be worth it if the pan is aluminum, though.

Chia seed works just like flax. With a dairy allergy I suspect you are staying away from soy as well (50% of children with dairy allergies also react to soy). I would use chia or flax in meatloaf and then figure out what you are replacing in a casserole; you might be able to use a cornstarch-thickened milk replacement for cream-sauce based casseroles.

I plead not guilty. Do I have a Kitchen Aid mixer? Yes, it was purchased in 1995 and is used regularly. My "fancy" knives are Henckels Pro S bought in the early 90s, are used regularly, and aren't considered the latest or greatest. I have a slow cooker that is used several times a week. My Le Creuset pots are used happily side-by-side with my grandmother's basic cast iron.

Day in, day out, real meals come from my kitchen. I also bake our bread, cook our stock, make our granola, bake muffins and cakes. I grew up on Hamburger Helper and Kraft boxed macaroni and cheese; I've never served these foods to my family.