sparrowrose's Profile

All the worm comments are a bit hilarious...I was baffled about what everyone was talking about and had to go back to look at the photo to get it. I suppose if I were to criticize the photo, it would have more to do with what I consider to be the onions' undercooked state than any worm-like resemblance. Caramelized, as far as onions go, means brown, dark brown, and shapeless...certainly nothing that you would mistake for a pile of worms.

I heat a large cast iron skillet, add some butter and/or olive oil, fill it to the top with onions, preferably red ones, and then settle down with something else to do in the kitchen. Yes, it takes at least an hour—which is why I never do less than four or five onions at a time. I keep a lid on the skillet, opening it only to take a look or stir. After the onions have begun to cook down and brown some, I start to listen for a certain tic-tic-tic sound. Whenever I hear it, I turn the heat down a notch (sorry, gas burners only for this) and stir. If needed, sometimes I'll add a little more butter or olive oil. Eventually, the flame will barely be on. Towards the end, I sometimes turn off the heat and walk away, letting the cast iron do the rest. The onions freeze well. I use half-cup canning jars, which will hold one to two onions, depending on original size and how well-cooked they are. If I'm using only a small amount for a dish, I'll scrape out what I need with a spoon and stick the rest back in the freezer.

Egg whites also work very well. I learned this from a kind Sri Lankan lady, who gave me two bowls of egg whites, one to soak each hand, after I burned them on chili peppers. The pain, which was quite intense, began to lessen immediately, and other than a little tingling, was completely gone within a fairly short time. When my daughter was five, she got jalapeños on her face. Since soaking her face was not exactly practical, I used a brush and painted her face with the egg whites. Again, the relief began immediately. I was very glad that day that I had had my own experience and knew what to do!

I travelled from Turin to Paris with 3 friends (and 2 strangers) in a couchette car. We had a lovely time. I had one of the top bunks. In the morning, we all just stayed in bed, eating fresh bread and Nutella for breakfast.

Yes, the bookcases! I love them. Where did you get them?

If you have a door with both glass and screen sections, mount the screen in the top half. Kitty can still lie by the door and look out, but the screen is conveniently (for those people who don't like having ripped screens) out of reach of the little darling.

I've also learned to open my kitchen windows by dropping the top half down...if I open them by pushing the bottom half up, a certain four-footed feline can't jump up on the counter fast enough. She does, however, get a bottom-opened window (just enough to lie down in) in the back hallway for fresh-air snoozing and observational purposes.

The noisy, not-very-effective exhaust fan with a dim lightbulb...off to one side of the ceiling. It drives me completely crazy. Thank goodness I've picked out a new one, much quieter, more efficient at moving air, and NO light!

I love stinging nettle tea. One of my favorite treats in February, when I'm starting to tire of winter, is to drink a cup of nettle tea and eat some warm, stewed rhubarb (that I made the spring before). It gives me the inspiration to make it through those last couple of months.

I tried a very simple nettle dish once, and although I liked the taste, I found their texture to be a bit too fuzzy. Maybe something like the pesto, where they'd be processed, would take care of that problem.

I have a TwelveSouth Surface Pad on my MacBook Pro. It's very stylish looking and is less cold to the touch in the wintertime than bare aluminum.

http://www.twelvesouth.com/products/surfacepad/

I've never heard of it before. I think it's cute!

I started my daughter with damp dishcloths when she was a baby (also very useful for teething), and once she needed less wiping down following a meal, she graduated to cloth napkins. We also follow a more French schedule for laundering, although we do keep some napkins aside for "nice" when we have company.