Brooklynnina's Profile

I agree with others who say that throwing together a homemade pizza is already fairly easy, esp. if you make dough in advance. That said, I once prepped dough, sauce, toppings earlier in a day and then we decided to go out for dinner. I went ahead and assembled the entire pizza anyway on my metal pizza sheet, covered it in plastic wrap and popped it in the freezer still on the tray. Once it was frozen solid, took it off the tray and wrapped it thoroughly in plastic and foil, then back in the freezer. A week later we baked it up--just as if it was a store-bought frozen pizza--and it was great. No problems that I can remember, and it was just "regular" crust. One of those things I keep meaning to do again, actually...

I've admired the look for years, and we just put in the Ikea one--I'm already swooning over it. Even though it's still only a 24" sink, same as we had before, it feels SO much bigger. Haven't really gotten to use it much yet, though, as the kitchen's still in process so not yet very workable. My only concern is that I'd gotten used to having an undermount sink where I could wipe straight off the counter into the sink, and the Ikea one doesn't install that way (although I notice the ones in your last 3 photos do)....so we'll see. Still love the look though! : )

I have a Braun one with all the various attachments mentioned, and the one I love the best is actually the whisk. I like how I can whip a small batch of egg whites for pancakes, waffles, or a souffle in a small bowl rather than a big bowl required for the hand mixer. (I know, I know--small bowl, big bowl, what does it matter? But it's the little things for some of us. : )

I also like the chopper attachment, since I don't have a regular food process and generally only do smaller batches of things like that anyway. Although I recently broke it trying to make breadcrumbs out of some overly tough crusts...it still kind of works, but a little wobbly. They don't make my Braun model anymore, so maybe I'll look into replacing it with that Cuisinart one...

I actually almost never use the main blender stick! I find whenever I try to puree soups or sauces with it I just end up splattering a lot (maybe because, again, they're usually smaller batches so the blender doesn't get buried enough). Because of my splattering experience I've never tried it for smoothies...but maybe I'll see if I have a container that would work...

Hmm, I'm intrigued. Saw the ecstatic TJ coconut oil post from a couple weeks back but wasn't sure if I'd really use it for much--I've never been a huge fan of coconut flavor/scent, although it's starting to grow on me. I just made a batch of Smitten Kitchen's chewy granola bars for the first time, and they were great--particularly because of the coconut flakes. So the idea of coconut oil in granola is kind of appealing. But still not sure I'd go through a whole jar in a reasonable amount of time...anyone know the shelf life? Or fridge life--does it get refrigerated? How long could I expect a TJ-size jar to last once opened?

Laurajane, I don't think you're crazy--I always feel like my roasted veggies don't brown/caramelize as well when I do them in a ceramic or glass baking dish as when I do them in a metal pan. I think there *is* something about the metal...(although I have no idea what it is...)

Last night for the first time in awhile I made the Jamie Oliver chicken with milk that I learned about here! Does it count? It's less roasted than it is braised...although I do it on a bed of rice that soaks up most of the milk (and makes this amazing savory rice pudding side dish), so the chicken itself comes out a little roastier... It's delicious and so easy and hands-off. Looking forward to eating the leftovers tonight!

I do also LOVE a more straightforward roast chicken. I make a paste of herbs (usually rosemary and parsley), lemon zest, salt and pepper, and olive oil and butter, rub it all over the chicken, esp. under the skin. Mmmm...

Meat pies! Local seafood of course--if you're in Sydney, visit the big fish market at lunchtime where you can get stuff cooked to order. Oh, and go to Bill's in Sydney--there are a few locations, the food is wonderful (esp. the ricotta pancakes at brunch). Ooh, and at cafes order banana bread--they usually fry it up in a pan with butter. Yum. At cafes I also had a lot of fantastic breakfasts of simply poached eggs on toast with arugula ("rocket"). Some of the best arugula I've ever had, go figure.

We were in Australia for our honeymoon a few years ago, and honestly the food was just GREAT across the board, even in the simplest little cafes and sandwich shops and in tiny little country towns. Just good fresh ingredients prepared simply but well. And very good coffee everywhere too.

Correction to 2nd paragraph: "excuse me if I'm MISunderstanding"... : )

The apple is different from cheese or salumi, becauase it's fresh produce--most countries have stricter rules about that because of agricultural protections (i.e., not bringing in pests that could ruin a crop). In my experience, it tends to be particularly strict with island countries. The most thorough check--and fruit confiscation--I've had was into New Zealand. (Super cute fruit-and-veg-sniffing beagle!)

Interesting. I'll definitely have to try this, as I always feel like I can never get vinaigrettes just right. I like them definitely on the more-vinegary-less-oily side, but they often end up too tart, and then I don't know how to fix it because I don't like the taste of more oil either. Food for thought...