Hungry Passport's Profile

Display Name:	Hungry Passport
Personal URL:	http://www.hungrypassport.com
Member Since:	1/12/11

Latest Comments...

If I need to get up early I put the clock radio on the far side of the room, turn it up loud (loudish if you're in an apartment or condo) and tune it to a country music station (whatever music you like least should do). Works like a charm--at the appointed hour, I claw my way out of bed post haste to kill the source of the intrusion. 10 Tips for Making Winter Wake-Ups Easier Flag this comment	12/5/12 3:17 PM
Following the lead of our Japanese friend, we got a Zojirushi rice cooker that stays on most the time (kinda spendy, but it's made for HEAVY use). Toss in the rice--or steel-cut oats or whatever--pour in the water, and the cooker does the rest. It has settings for sushi rice, porridge, brown rice, white rice, combined rice. The best thing is the "keep warm" feature. When the cooking is done, it keeps your cooked grains warm and hydrated on the counter top for when you're ready to eat, even if it's two days later. No having to refrigerate it, then pry it out of a plastic container and microwave it. I love that! A No-Fuss Method for Cooking Almost Any Whole Grain Flag this comment	9/12/12 2:23 PM
I'd like to address Minuet 42's concern regarding all the stuff kept on hand for crafting: I wouldn't sweat this, unless I were hoarding stuff for a project I knew I'd never do. While I'm personally not a crafter, as a chef & food writer I have more cabinet space devoted to spices than most people do to food. This doesn't bother me. Rather it frees me to be creative in experimenting in the kitchen, whether I'm writing an article or making dinner. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go throw out some yarn! Happy crafting, Minuet 42! Carol Fighting the Feeling of "Should" Flag this comment	6/20/12 4:09 PM
When something attracts my attention I ask myself, "Do I need this or do I just want it? The WANTS vs NEEDS question usually keeps me on the right path. Also, I look at the price and ask myself what I could better spend that money on. And then I ask myself what I'd have to get rid of to make space for that item (we have a tiny house). Between these three tactics, I usually manage not to buy things I'm doing just fine without. They're not infallible, but they help! Cheers! Carol Fighting the Feeling of "Should" Flag this comment	6/20/12 12:53 PM
Last week I ran out of mayo and made egg salad substituting super-ripe avocadoes. It's a new fav around here! Gotta try some of your suggestions--these look great. Carol 10 Ways To Eat an Avocado for Breakfast Flag this comment	3/9/12 2:44 PM
Great idea! Some recipes call for the white part only, but if you have two or three jars growing, you'll have enough to keep the supply going and still be able to meet your recipes' requirements. Thanks! Carol Re-Growing Green Onions: Grow Your Scallions Back on Your Windowsill Flag this comment	2/2/12 1:12 PM
I make what we call nuclear soup and pack it into the freezer in pint-sized deli cups, so it's at the ready when one of us comes down with a case of the miseries. It's essentially a huge pot of chicken & vegetable soup. What makes it nuclear--and medicinal--is that I include the largest onion I can find, a full head of garlic and as much cayenne pepper as we can endure. It's amazing how this stuff will open a completely stopped up head. Here's how I make it: http://www.hungrypassport.com/2008/08/nuclear-soup/ We also keep some lotiony tissues on hand for sore noses, and we burrow under what we call the MFB, Most Favored Blanket, plush and cuddly and a total cat magnet. Those little darlings are the best remedy of all! 10 Tips for Surviving Sick Days at Home Flag this comment	10/19/11 2:58 PM
If you're good at making your own pasta, you have a great gift/donation to offer--teach a lesson! I like to give certificates for pasta making lessons for wedding gifts and donate them for charitable causes. It's loads of fun, and it helps demystify something that really isn't so difficult. Just get together for dinner, a dinner your guests help make, and send them home with a little booklet--or disk--of the recipes you made. I'd like to share my recipes for pistachio & chestnut pasta doughs; also the method for pressing fresh herbs and edible flours inside sheets of pasta dough: http://www.hungrypassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/ESB_Pasta_sm.pdf As for pasta hung over the back of a chair to dry: in our household we call that a cat toy! Cheers! Carol How To Make Pasta Like a Pro Flag this comment	9/12/11 3:18 PM