emberz's Profile

I don't get the decorative pillow thing. Do you have decorative pots and pans in your kitchen? (Maybe you do!). Anyway...two pillows under the head, one body pillow.

Yeah, agreed that these jars aren't meant for this. Every time you open your freezer, the temperature goes down, then goes back up when you close it. My guess that even though the temp changes aren't huge, these particular jars may be too thin to take the changes...

I think I'm thirding or fourthing this request, but yes, dairy-free but not vegan (I like me my eggs!). And menus would be great, too, not just what foods go together, but timelines on what can be made earlier, later and latest.

I'm with Yosh on the overreacting. I grew up with electric and that's what I learned to cook on. Over the years I've had both and if you're a halfway decent cook, you learn to cook on what you've got. And each have pluses and minuses (my current rental is gas and you need a lighter half the time to get the burner lit, which freaks me out every time). We just bought a house, though, with a nice new electric stove and I'm looking forward to not thinking I'm going to blow myself up every time I light the burner. :-)

I've gotten pretty adept at subbing alternate "milks" for milk and cream, but not for desserts calling for ricotta or marscapone. How I miss tiramisu! How about a non-dairy one of those? Or a non-dairy version of that no-bake Boston cream pie thing I saw here recently...

My number one rule for dinner parties (after throwing many a frenzied dinner party) is to make as much ahead of time as possible. What I found was that when people hang out in the kitchen (as they will) while I'm cooking, they sort of just get in the way and make me divide my attention.

I'll most often choose something I can make the day before and reheat. Alternately, if I want to make fish or something fast and at-the-moment, ALL my sides are made the day before, and they'll be able to be served cold, at room temp or simply reheated.

I don't know...seems like if it's the dead of winter, preheating your pants is actually a really good idea. :-P

First cocktails: Jack and Coke, screwdrivers, vodka-cranberry, amaretto sours (made with those powdered sour mixes that I don't think are on the market anymore), blended margaritas. Kamikaze (ok, a shooter, but my go-to drink in college that wasn't cheap beer).

I still like me my amaretto sour, although I use real lemon juice now; and a high-end margarita with fresh lime juice. On the rocks.

Older and wiser. And, most of the time, less drunk. :-)

I do this a lot. I don't let the bread dry out (on purpose, anyway), and I use whatever's left of the bread--crust or crumb. Like Charlotte, I freeze the crumbs, untoasted and unseasoned, so they're good for whatever the recipe calls for. I put them in a Ziploc bag and press the air out, to avoid freezer burn.

And I think it helps to have a really good, full-size food processor and let it run for a while.

The question really is What's the Best Way to Lose Weight for YOU? And, as others have noted, everyone is different. Twenty+ pounds is significant enough that before you start making changes, I BEG you to get a check up to see if there are any issues you might not know about that might be adversely affected by diet; then see a reputable registered dietician. A good RD will not put you on a diet, but help you change your lifestyle--incorporating both food and exercise plan-- in a way that suited for you.