Rhoswen's Profile

I freeze big and smaller portions of whatever grain I make, so I have a stock for dinner for two or lunch at work for one. I use the rice in soups at lunch - I just make the soup ahead, without the grain, then microwave everything together when the time comes.

Our "Emergency Dinner" is either pasta or hot dogs. I always keep pasta on hand (regular for him and GF for me) because it's really easy to grab whatever out of the fridge and make it into something more than just pasta. Last night, it was a bit of butter, a bit of sour cream, salt and pepper - and it was super tasty!

*without air conditioning - that makes much more sense. Yeesh.

This is something I am currently struggling to teach myself, as mindful eating has never been a priority. When I was younger, we usually had to have a quick dinner before some kind of school or dance event and then when I started working retail at the age of 16, you were never given more than a 15 minute break for dinner - which makes it difficult to actually eat anything resembling a meal. I'm learning there's an apex of mindful eating and portion control, that sweet spot where you have the right amount of time to eat the right amount of food - I just haven't found it quite yet!

Definitely can't wait to try an artichoke like this. It looks amazing!

I like my Kitchen Aid, other than it seems to have a real issue mixing anything on the bottom. It seems like the Kitchen Aids on TV don't have to be scraped every thirty seconds in order to make sure everything is getting mixed in.

I have the ice cream attachment for mine, because it was free after rebate for buying the mixer. That's really the only way I can afford attachments, because Kitchen Aid charges an exorbitant amount of money for those things!

@seaweediscool (it is, by the way. And tasty) - if your cakes are becoming over mixed, I would use a lower setting on the mixer. Most cake batter should be a little lumpy. For breads - how long have you been making breads? When I first started, I referred to Youtube videos a lot because I had a hard time knowing when to stop kneading with the dough hook. You could also try kneading on a lower setting. I hope this helps!

I have a $15 3-qt dutch oven that I got on clearance at Meijer (which is like Krogers/Hyvee, etc). I couldn't tell you the brand if I wanted to. It's enameled cast iron and it's perfect for when I need to make a small batch of something and don't want to break out the crock pot. It's great!

I think it depends on what she's going to use the kitchen for. If she's into making gourmet dinners, she'll need a good knife, knife sharpener, and probably a good pan or two - and then maybe some really awesome dishes to serve it all on.

If she's into baking, she'll want a stand mixer that does what she needs it too. As awesome as Kitchen Aid mixers are, not everyone needs that kind if power. Her money could be better spend on a solid mid-range model, like a Sunbeam, and then on Silpat mats or nice baking pans that won't warp in a few months.

She could also splurge on good ingredients for whatever she likes doing best!

I'm always bothered by people who post comments on recipes that say, "I changed X and added X and cooked it longer and it came out terrible!" and rate the recipe badly because they can't follow simple directions. If I'm trying a new recipe, especially from a trusted source, I always try to follow it exactly the first time. Sometimes my hand is forced (like using GF flour instead of regular), but I do my best beyond that. After I've made it the one time, if I really like or even if I feel the recipe has potential, I'll make other changes.

I have started using my kitchen scale more and using weights for measurement, so I guess I'm following that "rule" more closely than I used to!

Posted way too soon - it's not just baking pans, it's anything that's taller than half the size of my lower cupboards. Crock pot? Too tall. Rice cooker? Too tall. Some of the drawers definitely have to go!

We usually do the oven-in-foil method, but I'm definitely going to try out all of the other suggestions! For usage, my favorite is Garlic Red Skin Mashed Potatoes or used as the base for cheesy garlic bread (roasted garlic +butter, smear on half a loaf of Italian bread, cover with cheese and bacon bits).