car0line's Profile

Display Name: car0line
Member Since: 6/29/11

Latest Comments...

I listen to Jim Jefferies &Eddie Ifft Talk Shit. Not remotely food related, and its definitely not for the faint of heart but it is so funny.


The Best Food and Entertaining Podcasts?
Good Questions
1/18/12 10:10 PM

@purplenails That isn't a lot of medicine, that's the bare minimum. Those are only things you take when you need them.


Streamlined & Organized: Medicine Cabinet Necessities
1/13/12 12:38 AM

Wow random. A food blogger i follow, Chef John from FoodWishes.com posted a video on how to spatchcock a chicken this morning!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppa1bxB89vg&feature=feedu


Recipe: Spatchcocked Ricotta Chicken
9/29/11 12:14 PM

@leepert Actually time is an exception to the less vs. fewer rule. Even though it is typically a count noun it is customary to use the word less when discussing amounts of time.


Smart Tip: Peel an Entire Head of Garlic in 10 Seconds
Saveur
9/28/11 10:18 AM

@Trish1980 I don't think any burglar is going to google key hiding places. If they're breaking into houses using a spare key they obviously aren't a criminal mastermind.


Where Do You Keep Your Spare Key?
9/28/11 12:20 AM

My grandmother lives around the block from me, and since her door is always unlocked, because there is always some one home, I keep one there. i always have various sets stashed around my belongings; car, purse, backpack, gym bag, laptop case. seems like overkill but i'm always forgetting my keys and I can always count on having at least one of these things with me. Grandma's is the failsafe.

A friend of mine is really tight with a few of her neighbours and they've all stashed spare keys in the obvious hiding places of another ones house, so that if someone were trying to break in via spare key the key wouldn't fit the lock of the house it is at.


Where Do You Keep Your Spare Key?
9/28/11 12:17 AM

Regarding the horror of the doll room, when my great aunt died and we were packing up her house we deliberately put all of the dolls in one room just so we could document the sheer horror. I hope thats what happened in that room as well


Checking In With: Crap At My Parents' House
9/27/11 11:22 AM

I have seen a low rise couch put up on a platform and it actually didn't look to bad. Check out ikea


Risers for Modern Sofa?
Good Questions
9/27/11 11:13 AM

As someone who works for a commercial property management company in Toronto, I have some advice to offer. I realize that not all companies are run the same and there will always be an asshole who works at the company but we don't all suck.

1) If your property manager is not taking your concerns seriously/ not fixing the problem, go over their head. When something needs to be fixed, 99% of the time we have to call in a professional and bill the actual owner of the building, so I make 2-3 phone calls and send an email. The most I've ever been required to do in my job was to drive out and take pictures of whatever it was, so I got to leave early and expense the mileage. And most times I can just get the tenant to email pictures to put in the email that I send the owners.

2) Don't ignore things they tell you to change because then they do have the right to not fix some things or bill you. I have one tenant right now who rented a long term dumpster and kept it out back covering a few parking spaces, which is in violation of the lease. After fighting with them for a month to get it removed, they now leave their garbage outside their back door because apparently the manager takes the keys to the garbage room home with her at night. And yet she still calls and complains about things the landscapers being rude to her (they also serve as janitors of the property, and have to clean up her garbage.)

3) If for whatever reason your rent will be late or short or anything like that, make yourself the best damn tenant ever. Hell, even bargain. When one of our tenants hit hard times last year, she offered to clean up a recently vacated unit to make amends, even though it was hands down the most disgusting chinese restaurant ever.

4) This may seem like a no brainer, but don't expect your property manager to settle every dispute you have with your neighbours. Your property manager can't fault someone for cooking smells, walking around at 5 a.m. or for always using the closest handicapped space (yeah, I've gotten that). I am happy to deal with legitimate concerns but if I tell you that I can't do anything, I mean it.

Above all, be polite. Make yourself a good tenant, because you never know when you will be in a bind, and if I don't like you I will not make it any easier for you.


3 Tips for a Successful Landlord/Tenant Relationship
9/22/11 6:36 PM

I've recently started cooking using avocado oil. It can be expensive but its very good for you, has a high smoke point, and i find the flavour meshes well with almost everything I've tried it with both sweet & savoury dishes. It's sort of nutty, and does taste a bit like an avocado (hi, my name is captain obvious)


Easy & Healthy Switch: Olive Oil for Butter in Baked Goods
Fine Cooking
9/14/11 10:22 PM

Pink for girls and blue for boys has only been the norm since around 1940. It used to be the opposite because pink was closer to red which was considered a strong masculine colour. Blue was for girls because it's delicate and associated with the Virgin Mary.


A Pretty Color Combo: Pink & Brown
House Beautiful
8/25/11 2:21 PM

On the other hand, whenever I go to my family reunion its always a potluck diaster that no one ever learns from. For the past ten years there have been yearly grocery store runs, frantic phone calls when they realize that 5 dozen eggs will not feed 80 people but the bacon is alreadly cooking. I think its becuase everyone brings the exact same food/dish every year, (my family included), & the storage for small premade things is limited. I normally pitch in with my grandma who makes about 350 sandwiches to keep in a cooler for people to much on all weekend which are always a lifesaver during the kitchen disasters. I think with bigger events like that you need to either assign grocery lists or specific dishes to people which is something they've always avoided doing. And even though it seems tacky, I don't they they would be remiss is leaving out a food money jar to cover some of the costs for the people who show up with nothing (i.e. half the guests).


Potluck Etiquette: What Are Your Rules?
8/15/11 10:59 AM

My group is not as opposed to bringing store/restaurant bought food to a potluck but we have placed conditions on it. It has to be quality, none of that stale supermarket break or frozen appetizers. If they want to go to a quality bakery and buy some fresh rolls or a lovely cake then we're glad to have it. As well as restaurant food. I have two friends that are highly culinary-challenged and after several failed potluck dishes call ahead to restaurants we like to frequent and order a dozen entrees, which is by no means cheap but its makes everyone feel like they contributed an equal amount of effort. we are a BYOB group just becuase we all have varied tastes, and its rare that we get more than two or three people drinking the same thing.


Potluck Etiquette: What Are Your Rules?
8/15/11 10:49 AM

I think it's a fabulous idea. Its not very far from a college aged student moving away form home into their schools residence. Its a safer, more controlled environment that both allows freedom but helps keep you safe & eases the transition. It's much easier to adapt to living away form hoe for the first time if you are in a situation that you feel secure in.

The classes also sound wonderful. Cooking classes for young women who have just left home for the first time? IT'S SEXISM! lol, but seriously. I took cooking classes and cosmetology classes in high school 5 years ago, purely for fun. I wanted to be able to feed myself when my parents were gone and save money on my bi-weekly manicure. Obviously the classes of an all female apartment building would be geared towards females. The all-girls floor in my college dorm didn't have a public mens bathroom. Is it sexism or just common sense? It's a concept at this stage. They're going to start with obvious classes that girls like, and then branch out into newer things after they test the waters.

Bottom line is how awesome would it be to live in an apartment building that caters to women in your age group and situation, that offers classes that actually sound interesting. No kids, no couples fighting constantly, no old people complaining about everything. Sounds awesome.

Except for all the PMSing that is sure to be around.


Female Only Apartments for Japanese Women Going Solo
7/22/11 5:04 PM

the kid is practically a blur


Harry & Miriam's Artistic Creative Spaces
7/5/11 10:32 AM

over roasted chick peas! they're deliciously crunchy and endlessly customizable. I'm addicted. Sometimes I'll make hommeade corn nuts as well, just because those are my gas station temptation


Healthy Homemade Alternative to Potato Chips?
Good Questions
6/29/11 10:46 AM