Beth G's Profile

Step 5 is to run away with all the cheese while the rest of the class tries to solve the puzzle...

great links, niyse!

I wonder if he could save himself some time with a food processor and a large roasting pan or a couple of deep cookie sheets - roasting the veggies (and possibly even the chicken) in the oven instead of frying them. Still takes time, but it would make less mess on the counters around the stove, and he wouldn't have to watch it as closely.

A great local carribean place has a cilantro and an avocado martini. They aren't just garnishes, they've been pureed (I think) and used as a mixer (they use the avocado in a margarita as well). Very tasty!

I am intrigued by the idea of using a tablet for recipes, because I sometimes feel like we're drowning in paper - magazines, cookbooks (books generally, my partner hates getting rid of books).

On the other hand, I do love flipping through said magazines and cookbooks, so...

PiaFleischmann - our last rental kitchen had a pendant light that was actually a hanging light with a really long cord that plugged into the wall. The cord looped over a hook in the ceiling, and then passed through another high on the wall over the outlet. Wasn't the prettiest thing in the world, but it allowed for over-head lighting without adding new wiring or having to cut into the ceiling. Depending on how many outlets you have (often in short supply in older kitchens/buildings), it may help your situation.

Another thing to consider, if you are planning to stay in your rental long-term, is to wait awhile before asking the landlord about making changes. If they get to know you as a responsible, non-PITA tenant they may be more willing to do upgrades, or let you do them yourself. (this assumes your landlord is not a complete butthead, obviously)

If you already have the stand mixer, Kitchen Aid has a slicing/shredding attachment for around $50. But what would be hard to do in a stand mixer is puree things, but you can do that with a blender (traditional or stick) I think you could get a basic blender and the slicing attachment for your stand mixer for around $100 or less. And if you get a stick blender, you can puree things without having to transfer them to another vessel, which has it's advantages.

It's actually pretty common in France.

I do wish there were more options in the 750ml size - I have been known to take wine on backpacking trips and would prefer not to have to choose between a glass bottle and 3-4x as much wine as I really want to be drinking.

On the plus side: they will look fantastic, they may be cheaper than the equivalent in individual chairs, and can usually accommodate more people per side than individual chairs as well since people can scoot closer.

On the down side: those people will hate you for making them sit on a bench.

Hyperbole aside, the lack of support can be very uncomfortable as many have mentioned, and I don't think that's remedied by having a bench on one side and chair son the other. So how do you decide who at a dinner part gets stuck on the bench? Diners are forced to all sit at the same distance from the table regardless of their height or how they prefer to sit. It's harder to get in or out if anyone else is sitting on the bench as you can't simply slide back your own chair - moving usually means making your seat-mates move as well. I can't imagine liking the look of something so much that I'd be willing to make my guests or my kids that uncomfortable.

There are plenty of sleek, mid-century groovy chairs out there so you really don't need to compromise on style, either.

stasialyons - I've lived in the Boston area since the says when good Mr. Howell still owned The Coffee Connection. Interestingly enough, he's largely responsible for introducing this area to...dark roast coffees.

I personally prefer a more moderate roast, unless I'm drinking espresso. But the fact that some producers (and it's not just the current incarnation of Starbucks that does this) use darker roasts to mask inferior beans does not mean that "dark roast is fast food coffee."

Your "artisans" used to trade in darker roasts as a rule when the large-scale operations were using "cinnamon" roasts. Now that dark roasts are more common, the pendulum swings back. That has far less to do with the validity of either process than the need to "brand" yourself and your product.

Deviled eggs (since she is egg-eating).

There are also some great vegan corn-bread recipes, either for muffins or to go with chili.