AMLitt's Profile

I'll second a vote for vintage furniture. As much as I love Crate and Barrel for design inspiration, their cabinetry isn't so well made and won't last for the long haul. You can get cheaper and better with some salvage hunting and paint.

My mom has had hers since the early 80's, possibly before. She hates cooking and baking except for making Christmas cookies every year, and these are always my favorite.

What's the need to be so harsh about some interesting suggestions? Just yesterday I hosted my fifth annual pre-holiday dinner party, the second in my current apartment which is full of dimmer switches. Adjusting the lighting really does make people feel cozy, relaxed, and a little bit sexy. If I had all of my overhead lights on I don't think it would've ruined anyone's time, but I do think that spending a few minutes thinking about it made a lot of people feel better.

There is absolutely no better way to do Brussels sprouts than the way they're served at the restaurant Alta in New York. They're blanched, sauteed until very crispy on the outside, glazed with vinegar and then topped with creme fraiche and pignoli nuts.

Brilliant! There's a wonderful restaurant in Astoria that serves wine "on tap" out of the barrels the get from Long Island wineries. It's great wine at a great price, and it's super low-emissions because it's local and has virtually no packaging.

The twist ties are a stroke of genius! Regarding the melamine plates, I agree with the others that hot glue might warp or melt the plates. Liquid Nails or Gorilla Glue is probably the answer.

Jenny, I hope you feel liberated!

My girlfriend and I have been together 5 years, and while we don't live together we spend almost every night together in one of our places. I'm a vegetarian and I love to cook, she eats meat and when we got together she could make ribs, Brunswick stew, kale sauteed in soy sauce and duck a l'orange. I've always done most of the cooking and she's done most of the kitchen clean up....but every few months we come back to the same fights where I feel like she takes for granted that I'm going to plan and make everything and I feel like she does a really incomplete job of cleaning up.

I realized part of the problem is that I'm a control freak. If you want someone to help you, you have to accept that they might do it differently. Instead of getting back in the cycle of nagging, I told her that I want her to figure out how to solve the problem. As we speak, she's writing out a calendar of what she thinks is reasonable for both of us to do. It's been great in relieving the feeling like I'm her mother, setting up chores and following her around.

I should also mention that they've been the happiest 5 years of my life, largely because she always hears me and is willing to solve problems. That's the most important part. :)

I would put that wallpaper in my apartment today, if I could! Does anyone know of similar patterns that are available now?

Did anyone else immediately think, "Your father smelled of elderberries and your mother was a hamster!" Monty Python? Anyone?

I think I actually did buy my apartment because if the recessed lighting! I should actually be fair and say that the overall lighting scheme is what really sold me on this place. I probably was willing to pay a little more because I felt like a lot of work had been done for me with the installation of recessed lighting and sconces in the living room and bedroom. It's true, they do look "expensive." The glitter of the faceted halogen bulbs is really sexy.