Twistie's Profile

I'm constantly melting chocolate in the microwave... but now I'll sanitize my sponges in there, too!

I think I'll stick to stovetop popcorn, but mostly because the process reminds me so much of good times spent with my mother. We used to make a big bowl of popcorn and sit down and watch movies together on saturday afternoons. Sometimes the process is more satisfying when done the old fashioned way.

Then again, I make my own lace. Your mileage may - and probably will! - vary.

Oh, and bodicegoddess? Peeps jousting is AWESOME! I would do it more often except that I'm then stuck with a bunch of nuclear Peeps, and I don't like Peeps. Ah well.

Use your nose often. If two things smell good together, chances are they'll taste good together, too.

When cooking for someone the first time, I always ask 'what don't you eat?'. I don't really care what's on the list or why. I just want to know that when I feed you, it won't be filled with things you're allergic to, are forbidden by your faith or personal philosophy, or simply don't appeal to you. If you tell me you're allergic to shellfish, I'll believe you. If you tell me observing your religion means abstaining from pork, there will be no pork lurking on the table. If you don't eat meat, no animals will be harmed in the making of the meal. If you are upset by orange foods, they won't be there to disturb you. Feeding people isn't about what I want them to eat, but about expressing my love for them. Taking their likes, dislikes, and needs into consideration is part of expressing that love. Choosing to ignore food preferences in creating a meal for someone is an act of aggression I will not commit.

Pastry is not for the weak. It is, however, a way of life. One which I follow gladly.

Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is one of my faves. Whether I'm looking for some imaginative sides for steak or I really want to eat a full-on vegetarian meal, I can almost always find something that inspires me to use something I've got on hand in a new way.

I'd also like to add my vote to Ina Garten's Back to Basics. The recipes are laid back and delicious.

The cookbook I most look forward to owning on your list is Plenty. I've seen it at my local bookstore, and it is a thing of beauty chockfull of delicious sounding recipes I would never have thought up on my own. I can't wait to have my own copy!

Have you read any of Ellyn Satter's work? Your approach to feeding kids sounds a lot like hers. Her philosophy is that you have the Division of Responsibility: you as the parent are responsible for putting a variety of healthful/tasty foods on the table at regular intervals, and then it's up to the child which of the foods on offer to eat at each meal in what order.

I've actually been using a lot of these ideas to help my ultra-picky-eater husband learn to be more adventurous. He's come a long way over the last couple years, which means I get better, more interesting meals and we both have less stress in our lives.