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Display Name: Fairfax Avenue
Member Since: 12/14/10
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I have seen pictures of counters that have so many things on them that I wonder where the food prep gets done!

In my very small apartment kitchen I keep only the big appliances (counter-top oven, microwave) on the counters, freeing up all the remaining space for prep. The coffee maker, Magic Mill and Kitchen Aid (I really love and use them both) are convenient on a table in the breakfast room, and the food processor (least used of all my machines) is behind the closed doors of a cabinet. Personal touches are on the fridge door and on the windowsill over the sink. I have usable counter tops and I have personal touches. It's a balance that gives me a good working environment.


Tips for Keeping a Clutter-Free Kitchen
5/11/12 2:41 PM

I'm amused by the green lime wedge.

Rangpur Limes are orange and ooooh are they sour! When overripe they resemble Satsuma tangerines. My childhood home had a Rangpur lime tree in the backyard and my parents made excellent marmalade from the fruit.


Perfectly Simple Cinco de Mayo Recipe: The Rangpur Lime Margarita 10-Minute Happy Hour
5/4/12 3:07 PM

I put two quartz sinks in my kitchen about 10 years ago. Sinks get more wear and tear than counters; now there are some hairline cracks, minor stains and minor chips. On the positive side, they look fresh and are quiet in use.


Not Going Granite: Considering Quartz Surfacing
4/30/12 3:21 PM

I use a timer, too. It turns off my bedside lamp every night just in case I fall asleep without turning it off myself. Hardware stores, Target, etc. carry timers. I never thought to have my lamp turn on in the morning, too. I need to give it a try.


Rev Up Your Monday Morning Motor Green Earth News
4/30/12 2:29 PM

Seeing polished slabs in the daylight can be different than by interior light. The black sections of the stone we used appeared clear in the daylight and there was an impression of great depth, like looking into deep, clear water. It was breathtaking. The stone looks beautiful installed, but not so dramatic.


Choosing Your Countertop: A Visit to The Stone Distributor Renovation Field Trip
4/26/12 5:18 PM

I wanted a no-gluten salad and made this recipe without the couscous. It was easy to prepare and the flavors really sparkled - we all went back for seconds!


Recipe: Couscous Salad with Butternut Squash and Cranberries
2/27/12 11:38 AM

I've used Sunshine Glass at 1556 North Highland Avenue Los Angeles,
for milk glass in my 1926 duplex. Good luck!


LA Source for Milk Glass?
Good Questions

2/23/12 3:50 PM

One thing I've gained from seeing so many AT featured DIY projects - they have given me the encouragement to try some of my own! Thank you very much!


5 Things to Take Away From Any DIY Project Post (Even If You Don't Love It)
2/7/12 2:08 PM

Years ago I sent my then 15 year old daughter across country to visit her newlywed brother and sister-in-law for Passover. The newlyweds were having 80 – 100 Seder guests (they have a Chabad House) and meal preparation must have been going very slowly. When my daughter called to check in with me, she complained, “All they have are paring knives!” Thankfully, no one took offense when I sent along few good chefs’ knives the next time my daughter came to help out!


How To Cope With Your Parents' Dull Knives
12/12/11 2:17 PM

To make parve (non-meat/non-dairy) matzo balls, use melted margarine or use a mixture of vegetable oils, about 1/2 mild olive oil - so the mixture will solidify when chilled.

I often make a triple batch of mix, shape and cook many matzo balls and then freeze on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. When frozen solid I pack them loosely into containers and tuck them back in the freezer. I just toss a handful of frozen matzo balls into the soup half an hour or so before I serve it.

Extra hint: the more space the matzo balls have to boil in the larger - and softer - they come out. To make a big batch, I use 2 large pots and my deep 14" skillet.


Comforting Recipe: Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup
12/9/11 11:55 AM

Having made many from-scratch batches of Monkey Bread, I can tell you that the amount time invested in making it is TOTALLY worthwhile! My favorite recipe (originally from a Sunset Magazine publication) uses canned pumpkin in the dough for a flavorful and colorful loaf.


Recipe: Monkey Bread with Bourbon Crème Anglaise
12/2/11 1:30 PM

As a renter, I'd be thrilled to have the neatly painted white cabinets - there's a good amount of them and they look sturdy. Also, it's nice to know a coat of white paint keeps them looking fresh. (My rented house has only enough kitchen storage for some of my pots and utensils - no dishes - and the cabinets seem to be made of cardboard.)


Before & After: From Wrecked to Airy White Kitchen
Two Thirty-Five Designs

12/1/11 4:08 PM

I certainly learned to cook in my childhood home. Both my parents cooked well, and we sat down as a family nightly (this was the 1950s - '70s). Salads and scrambled eggs were my first talents. It's interesting now to see how my cooking varies from what I learned at home. I certainly use more fresh fruits and vegetables and less canned and frozen. And as a child I was never served fresh artichokes or broccoli! And I have never made a Jello mold. Bread, cookies and desserts came from the store, but I bake weekly. My father's cooking was original and inventive -- and quite good. My mother, however, didn't particularly like cooking but did it excellently. Out of respect for that, once he retired, my father took over the dinner cooking and clean up for a number of years.

Now I have married children and I have had the pleasure of my daughters-in-law thanking me that their husbands cook.


What it Means to Learn to Cook: A Peek into the Istanbul Culinary Institute
9/23/11 1:37 PM

My 6'6" husband is very happy we have tall dressers - no bending or stooping for him! We're very happy with our Mission style furniture - it's classic and there's no wasted space - very helpful in a compact room.


Small Space Solution: Roundup of Highboy Dressers
9/15/11 3:59 PM

Not only has some furniture been outmoded or repurposed, so have some architectural details! My home was built (around 1925) with an arched nook for the telephone. Unfortunately it is one inch to short for my grandfather clock, so it houses the filing cabinet.


Once Ubiquitous Furnishings We've (Mostly) Left Behind
6/30/11 12:22 PM

As pretty as it is to display things on open shelves, I prefer to keep my less frequently used items covered in their cabinets so I won't need to wash them more than necessary.

Additionally, and more significantly, in the past 50 years there have been more than 15 earthquakes measuring over 5.5 in Southern California. I am very thankful for secure doors on kitchen cabinets - for without them I would never own (and use daily) the heirlooms inherited from my parents. I recall the heartache of my mother-in-law when she lost almost every bit of casual and fine china and crystal twice, first in the Sylmar quake (1971) and then the Northridge quake (1994).

A small, changing open display is lovely (easy to clean and little to lose) and secure, closed cabinets will keep things clean and safe!


Tips for Displaying your Stuff on Open Shelving
The Wall Street Journal

3/7/11 5:26 PM

Nutone Blenders! They no longer make them...my father was an appliance repairman and he made sure my mother's kitchen had one. (He made sure she had the first dishwasher and the first self-cleaning oven on the block, too!) It had the BEST meat grinder attachment. However, all the attachments had to be stored somewhere so it really took plenty of space, and if something broke you had to wait for a service call.


Slide Out, Pop Up! 9 Surprising Kitchen Features
2/23/11 2:57 PM

Isn't that a skylight? Delicious sunshine! I have track lights installed inside the "well" of my skylights so all the light in the kitchen is from the same source.


How To Install Track Lighting & Improve Your Kitchen
2/1/11 1:26 PM

I've cleaned blackened silver numerous times in an aluminum foil pan with baking soda and boiling water (no rubbing!). However, this serves only to clean off the tarnish. Actual silver polish has ingredients that shine the silver and prevent the immediate return of the tarnish. Both methods have their uses.


Household Cleaning Urban Myths: Do They Actually Work?
1/31/11 3:17 PM

Open shelving? Think twice in earthquake country! In fact, I've installed baby latches on my wall cabinets to avoid the potential destruction of my dishes and glassware. Too many memories of previous serious quakes causing EVERYTHING from upper cabinets to crash land.


Small Kitchen Updates that Make a BIG Difference
1/19/11 6:10 PM