marzapane's Profile

In Venice, there is a vendor of wooden utensils on the market side of the Rialto, just after the arcade after you come down from the bridge. All kinds of handmade spoons, spatulas, and scoops.

My favorite kitchen material to buy in Tuscany is olive wood boards for cutting and for cheese.

Markets (the neighborhood kind, not the tourist kind) are the best place to stock up on cheap items such as oil and vinegar dispensers and a plethora of other things. There are also stores called Mesticcherie that specialize in kitchen items.

The following passage is so true. I'm not vegan but I love making vegan recipes once a week or so as it has introduced me to so many new ingredients and creative ways of using familiar ingredients. It keeps cooking fun.

" To the engaged cook, however, these guests and challenges are not moments of exasperation — they are inspiration and a challenge to create something delicious in constrained circumstances. Anyone can make buttery foie gras on white toast taste good; it is the constraints that show what you're really made of, as a cook."

Mix in a blender or food processor with good olive oil. It's lovely drizzled on top of pizza, pasta, or anything else you want to add a kick to.

My friend the talented artist Jodi Hoover sends out an eminently frameable valentine every year. You can buy past ones from her etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/jodihoover

Why do we celebrate famous chefs for making creations that look like one thing and are actually made of something else, calling it whimsical, and then when they do it on a vegan blog, call it deceptive? Speaking of eggs, I quote Tom Sietsma of the Washington Post on Michel Richard's Citronelle: "my favorite dessert is a plate of cracked-open eggs -- no, wait: The shells are designer chocolate, the yolks are tart lemon curd, and the whites are soft French meringue. Richard, with the support of chef David Deshaies, is a master wit. "

Consistency, people!

MMMMMM, dumplings. Thanks to everyone who posted the veggie recipes.

Mark Bittman's spaetzle from How To Cook Everything Vegetarian are the easiest dumplings in the world to make, and the broth recipe is delicious. Perfect comfort food for a cold day. You can find it here on pg 146.

A yoga/dance studio!

You have a beautiful apartment and I love the way you have decorated it. AT should to a house tour once you've finished your painting so we can see the rest of it. I like the idea of the grey-toned lavender (or better, a lavender-toned grey) that a previous poster mentioned. It would really make everything pop.

The room full of dolls is absolutely horrifying! It belongs on an episode of hoarders. Either that or a horror movie entitled The Room Full of Dolls.

Re: slow drains. Have you tried using a plunger? Block off the safety drain at the top, fill with enough water to cover about 1/2 the plunger, then go to town. It may take multiple attempts but this technique has always worked for me. They even sell mini plungers just for this purpose so you don't have to use the icky toilet one.

We moved into our apartment in the winter so we didn't realize how dense the leaves on the trees outside our window are in summer. On the plus size, we feel like we're living in a treehouse. On the negative side, we have almost no light in summer.