offbalance's Profile

My favorite cereal is Crispix, and that's never been too sweet in a million years. (When I feel like sweet, I tend to end up with honey nut cheerios.)

My husband and I are HUGE film buffs, so I definitely love this idea. However, I have to share a small story - when I was little, I used to find silent films really unsettling (even scary, to a degree). I found out later that may it may have had to do with the rate of frames per second, which I wasn't really accustomed to. I enjoy most silents now, but sometimes I still feel that way. Hopefully it won't be the same for your daughter!

I also found the voices of the little rascals to be like nails on a chalkboard, even at a tender age.

Make sure not to overlook some of the wonderful animation from the era! Not just Disney, but also some of the great old Looney Tunes shorts and maybe a few of the non-offensive Tom & Jerry shorts (some of them are jaw-droppingly offensive, I will admit). Hand-drawn animation is a dying art, and we need to build in a new generation to appreciate all of the hard work and craft that goes into it.

So many of the great old MGM musicals would be perfect. I'm a huge Astaire/Rodgers fan, and a fan of some o the non-Ginger stuff Astaire did (Band Wagon, Easter Parade, etc.). Anything with Judy Garland (especially Meet Me in St. Louis, the Harvey Girls, Easter Parade, the old Andy Hardy movies). Gene Kelly also made a few terrific ones, most notably Singin in the Rain.

I find that a serrated knife works best for something like this.

If the thread will allow a tiny bit of bragging, I not only have been selected to inherit my mother-in-law's beautiful waterford china, but my own grandmother left to me a beautiful set of 1930s crystal drinkware (different sized wine glasses and such) that has a beautiful pattern etched into it. I can't wait until I have an apartment that would allow me to keep such lovely things on hand, and in use!

My parents have used the Kirkland for years and I always thought it was good. My favorite grocery store extra virgin is by Pacific Organics. The price point is reasonable and the flavor is really rich.

Believe it or not, I use a version of this for scrambling eggs. The wisdom is that the pan is already hot, so no need to keep heating it. Once the eggs start to solidify I start fluffing them, and if they appear solid I turn off the burner. Keeps eggs from getting overdone, too!

Another vote here for Classico. Yes, it's easy to make your own. Yes, I make and freeze big batches of the stuff and keep it for such a night, but I don't mind the jarred stuff. It's not hard to doctor with some herbs and wine or meat, and it keeps the dish count minimal, something you don't take for granted when you're exhausted and don't want to order out.

Plus, every so often I am intrigued by a new variety of sauce, so I try it to help inform what new things to add to my own. Those reverse-engineers have almost always yielded great results.

Frozen chicken patties are a godsend in these occasions.

I prefer not to donate to the Red Cross as well, but I found this other, fantastic organization called Shelter Box: http://shelterboxusa.org/.

Within hours of a disaster, Shelter Box arrives with crates filled with essential supplies (blankets, tools, cooking equipment, water purification supplies, a specially designed tent, something for the kids, to name a few) and gives them to people who have been displaced by disasters. It's a unique and amazing idea, imho.

Lovely idea - how do you fit a baking sheet into an already-packed, tiny freezer? Any suggestions?

Also, I'm guessing your CSA does a weekend pickup. Mine is Wednesday night, and I have work the next day. Still, this is a nice idea if you have oodles of time on your hands.