hw's Profile

One thing that hasn't really been mentioned is moving costs/broker's fees. You say you're 1-2 years away from potentially moving in with your bf, so you could move twice in two years if you move now. Given that most brokers are back to charging exorbitant fees and that you'll also probably need to pay someone to move your stuff, you'll be spending a huge amount of money just on the moves. Why not wait a year and see where things go with the BF?

Also, I live in a one bedroom in the West Village, and it's only about 150 square feet bigger than your studio! The housing stock in this neighborhood is so odd that even if you do upgrade, you may not be actually getting that much more actual space for your money.

The problem with TJs in Manhattan is that there's only one, and unless you can shop during off-hours you can end up standing in line just to get IN to the store (!!). Going down the block to Whole Foods saves at least half an hour and, in my experience, only costs a dollar or two more if you mostly stick to 365 brand items and take advantage of sales. Plus, the produce at TJs is often remarkably bad.

I just made probably my last heirloom tomato/mozzarella dish of the summer -- bring on the apples and the squash!

steak!

This may sound very basic, but do you have a foolproof way for grilling barbecued chicken? Mine always ends up either too smoky or too charred, and while it might takes OK, always has a kind of grey-ish look about it. Any tips?

Anything with raspberries. Or strawberries. Really any pie, really...

I'm moving into a TINY kitchen this fall and this would be the perfect thing to take with me to make salsa, pesto, tabouli, guacamole... all my faves.

I've had great luck making pulled pork on my stovetop (without a slow cooker) with this recipe:

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000325pulled_pork_sandwich.php

Just about anything... Tempura, proper sushi, Japanese salads... the list goes on.

Turkey reubens with lots of sauerkraut. Mmmmm...