roseisred's Profile

Thanks! I'd love to find something with a strong enough taste to interact well with the greens. Bananas serve that function by making anything they're blended with taste like banana (which is the problem for us!) Maybe there's some other fruit we could try, and then using nut butter for texture.

I always keep apples in the fridge (they stay fresh far longer), in the same crisper drawer with the potatoes -- I read somewhere that storing apples cold with regular potatoes (not sweet) keeps the potatoes fresh longer, and it seems to work.

Having a kid makes this twice as hard! My bedroom is in surprisingly good shape -- though I still need to go through my dresser again, and deal with the closet -- but my almost 5 year old is WAY too attached to his stuff! I can't even find the surfaces to dust them... I've been sneaking his old stuff in the outbox, but I'm afraid he's going to find it and pull it out... Help!!

I always keep ginger in a bag in the freezer and then just grate it, still frozen, with the microplane when I need some.

Just made this - delicious! I added half a sweet potato because my butternut squash was on the small side. Thanks!!

Gah! My son's underbed loft area looks exactly like the one from the email picture -- filled with stuffed animals he used to love, but now largely ignores. (They used to live inside his play tent, which made them fun for him to roll around on...but we moved the tent on and now they overflow from a toy box.) I'm having a hard time getting rid of them for a few reasons: 1, they remind me of when he was younger and I'm surprisingly sentimental about that, and 2, there's no real way to pass them on, as no one wants used stuffed animals. I feel bad just throwing them out. Any ideas on what to do with them?? If I knew they were going to a better home, it would be easier, I think.

I'm debating tackling my craft room/office and the shelves overflowing with fabric etc that I bought years ago and am not even inspired by anymore, or (gulp) hiring someone to paint the kitchen, bathroom and hallway. I am so tired of the dingy beige walls (which I wanted to repaint after moving in 3 years ago), but also know I just don't have the time and energy to do it well myself -- I've got very tall ceilings, a modest fear of ladders, some cracks that need proper patching, a full-time job and a 4 year old... I've never hired a painter before, so am stuck on that, but this might be the only way to get it done.

My son's favorite breakfast (and dessert) is cooked rhubarb compote (with our without strawberries, depending on whether we have any) over plain greek yogurt. I just cook the rhubarb with a little water and sugar (to taste) for about 15 minutes, and then let it cool. The tartness of the yogurt goes great with the sweet rhubarb sauce!

I've been thinking about this question a lot lately. My son just turned 4, and he's really into decorating (taping his artwork or other crafts up all over his walls). I find myself trying to talk him out of it at times because the visual clutter that he wants everywhere makes me really crazy. But, I've also been trying to tell myself that it's his room, and on a more rational level, I know it's important for him to have space to be able to do what he wants. (I certainly did as a kid! I loved moving furniture around, decorating, painting stuff, you name it.) It's just interesting and a bit surprising to me how much of an internal struggle it is for me, though perhaps it shouldn't be -- the conflict between my own controlling (design, and otherwise) side, and my recognition of him as an independent person, is a pretty basic parenting challenge. (It's also possible that my kid just has an unhealthy obsession with tape...)

And, as with most parenting decisions, I find asking myself "is this a big deal or a little deal?" before I answer, leads to far far better decisionmaking on my part, and fewer arbitrary "no"s!

But I'm curious about how other people respond when it's not a question of "permanent" decorations like purchasing big ticket furniture or painting, but the more transient stuff, that can still "ruin" a well designed room and destroy any sense of cohesion (from an adult's perspective).

I recently had an amazing spring salad of thinly shaved fennel, raw asparagus, and celery, and maybe some spring greens (but I can't remember), drizzled with white truffle oil - delicious!!