Hillary @ Food Crossing's Profile

There's nothing wrong with visiting a farm, or at least having the opportunity to. Most of your local pastured egg purveyors won't be offended if you ask questions about how they raise their eggs - they're doing it that way BECAUSE they think it's important and they're more than willing to show pics of their chickens, etc. Plus, buying local eggs means you get to have a relationship with the producer, and you get way WAY fresher eggs.

Panzanella, people, panzanella!!

Orangette's Marmalade cake is an olive oil cake that uses 2-3 whole citrus fruits, rind and all. http://orangette.blogspot.com/2010/02/we-ate-this-cake.html

Wow, I didn't give up ANY of my "must-haves" - but I thought long and hard about what things were "must-haves" vs "would be nice" items. My must-have list included in-unit laundry, a gas stove and some type of outdoor space big enough to sit and have a glass of wine and a few plants. I got it all, but it took me 10 months to find it in my price range and not get outbid by investors. As my search got longer, my neighborhood preferences got more lax and I didn't end up in my favorite neighborhood, but thanks to my patience and my awesome realtor, I ended up with a lot of things on my bonus "want" list too - a fireplace, already-installed awesome wood floors and a 2 bed/2 bath with vaulted ceilings in a pet-friendly complex. I'm glad I didn't settle.

Also remember that eggs that have never been refrigerated or washed don't need to be refrigerated - and they taste so much better at room temp!

Where's the button on the cat that turns on the purr setting but turns off the lick hair, knead face and overall suffocation settings??

Wine crates are getting pretty popular these days, and thus pretty expensive. I wasn't able to find any for less than $10, and that was bc I knew the store owner. She said they usually sell for $20. Also, they're gorgeous, but not terribly sturdy or well-crafted anymore. I used some to hang as cookbook shelves and I had to reinforce the corners with steel brackets. Hanger beware before using for anything heavy.

I brought nearly 100 euros worth of cheese back from Paris - generally the hard pasteurized cheeses are ok, but not the soft, raw ones. I had both, vacuum-sealed by the cheesemonger and buried in my suitcase. As I was waiting for my bag at JFK, the sniffer dog came by and alerted the agent to my carry on. He kept asking if I had fruit or vegetables, which I didn't, but the dog wasn't convinced - as the dog was sniffing, I saw my cheese-laden suitcase come down the belt. I totally ignored it and let it pass by without claiming it. The agent was satisfied the dog was only smelling some fruit-flavored macarons in my carry on and moved on, after which I grabbed my suitcase and ran! SO CLOSE.

I'm hosting Orphan Christmas for myself and any friends whose family is far away. I'll make a spread of make-ahead snacks and desserts and drinks, and we'll lounge around in PJs and watch movies.

Yeah..... this does not work if you have a cat.