bonny's Profile

We haven't used cable in years...and when we decided to check on satellite prices I didn't realize how much money we save simply by keeping an eye out for new things on Netflix and watching stuff online (at least $60/mo). Commercials are also a lot more bearable online.

I've seen people use their flower gardens in their front yards to house all sorts of veggies. Mixed with the flowers, it creates a lovely display. Not sure about the bug/vermin issue...uhhh the earth has bugs and vermin regardless of the location of a domestic garden (whether in the front or backyard). I would honestly just worry about animals eating the produce and thus would put the garden in gated area like the backyard.

I have had a starter in the fridge for the past 3 days and am so excited to use it tonight. I followed this starter recipe http://www.canadianliving.com/food/whole_wheat_sourdough_bread.php from a recommendation and am going to use the above for the loaves.

I want to do the overnight rest as most of the recipes I've seen out there instruct but I just can't wait. Maybe I'll put half in the fridge to rest overnight and bake tomorrow and bake the other half tonight...it'll be really great to see the difference in how sour it is.

I love warm, toasted sourdough bread with a good smear of butter.

I. cannot. wait.

I live online but I really hate it. Whenever I need to find a recipe I have to go to Pinterest to look it up and I really (really) want to have a stock of favorite recipes with a nice design and case. Problem is, I have the most awful handwriting (I blame this on being a programmer) and I don't dare deface beautiful design with it.

One of these days I am going to program a custom recipe designer. Like this http://www.jamlabelizer.com/ but for recipes with nice designs.

I am big on this topic - going to a class tomorrow night on buying/storing/using in bulk actually! I go on a large Costco trip every couple of months and buy all the meat and other items I will want/need for my husband and I. Then we buy things like eggs and bread every week or so (if only he liked my homemade bread....).

I use saran wrap to individually wrap meat that's on the butcher trays (yes, a lot of work, but saves on mess and allows me to not waste unused thawed meat (wasting saran wrap vs meat we won't eat? i'll go for the plastic)) and freezer bags. I reuse the freezer bags by washing them out with super hot water + soap when the meat frozen in them is used up.

I also make pot pies and freeze them. I was using aluminum baking trays as well but I don't bake pies or casseroles all that often in my glass dishes so I was spending money on things I wasn't using at home and switched that up - just depends what you cook and how you use your dishes. I like the idea of using the glass dishes I have because I'm creating zero waste that way.

I also buy a ton of onions at once (they're so much cheaper coming in bulk), chop them up, and freeze them. Same with green onions. I also watch for sales on bell peppers cause they freeze wonderfully. It's so nice to have these items on hand to throw in a skillet when making an omelette, prechopped and ready to go. Frozen veggies and spices (basil, cilantro, etc) are the way to go for a 50+ hour working lady.

I've found all of this depends on how and what you cook/eat. Once you recognize your established eating patterns (and don't try changing them - work with them) you can then decide what works best frozen and what works best fresh. Some may not like the freezer thing and that's great - but I prefer taking the time to freeze food over eating processed stuff and having to go to store every few days to pick up fresh items. It's a lifestyle thing - and everyone has a different one.

One of these days I plan to start cooking soups and using the flat-freezing and/or frozen cube methods out there. As of right now, though, I need another freezer before I can add to my regimen.

i've found the same thing! last time i made roast chicken for a friend dinner (i tried the "cut-out-the-backbone-butterfly" chicken) and the guests loved it! horrifying experience cutting out the poor dead animal's backbone...but hey, it's a great technique. also reaching in the chicken's insides makes me want to die but i get over it.

it is so surprising to me how many people my age (26ish) are either scared of raw meat, don't like meat on the bone because they're scared it has some disease, or they're scared of meat because they have no idea how to prepare it and cook it right. take the chance if you dare, i guarantee your grandmother did and lived to see the happy faces of well-fed friends and family :)

**whenever i say, hear, read, or think "roast chicken" i hear frodo baggins in the two towers when sam drops his box of salts.

this pushes the limit of even an april fools' joke!

dairy is not an exact science. what did people do before expiration dates?

i always smell my milk before using it, no matter the expiration date. i'll throw it out a couple days past the date though.

however, on eggs, those dates on the cartons are so not useful. eggs can go a couple of weeks past any dates printed. at least in my family :)

agreed. if this turns out to be a real product, it will definitely go on my list. a fireplace...without the fireplace!

although, i can't help but wonder..where does the smoke go?