MegW's Profile

Oh my! I don't make many desserts very often, but this one if going on the "to-make" list stat!

Don't worry! You're almost there!! I've been there and after renovating for 4 months non stop you Just. Want. To. Be. Done. (We did a full kitchen reno plus a partial bathroom reno, painted every wall and ceiling in our house and laid 2000 sq ft of hardwood floors and tile) I soooooo understand being tired of shopping, I would be happy to not have to shop for a faucet for the next 20 years.

But with all that being said, becoming complacent with the status quo is like death by a 1,000 cuts. You'll see all the little things that never got finished, and it'll drive you nuts. So fight the burnout and think of how happy you'll be once you have the entire project done and you can just sit in that room, smile and enjoy the fruits of your labor :D :D :D

@amendelblatt My thoughts exactly! I live out in the country, and have a LP tank for my house, (though we use it to heat the house in addition to the stove, so unfortunately we have to fill it more often than you) As long as you have a basement, running a line would be easy for a plumber to do if you're not up for the DIY of doing it yourself.

Just make sure that you purchase a stove that comes with orifices for LP, or the option to flip the orifices to LP, since its at a different pressure than natural gas.

You don't mention where this event is being held. Is this going to be at a restaurant/bar or is it something you're hosting at your home or office? A mini martini or smallers sized cocktail might be a good way to greet people if you're hosting the event where people will be pouring their own drinks, or the rest of the evening will be beer and wine. You might want to look at wedding sites where people have signature cocktails as part of their menu (typically done to be the one or two liquor drinks offered instead of a full bar). Some of those options might be more grown up.

I was doing a major renovations on our newly purchased house last summer (wasn't livable when we bought it) and thought about high end appliances, but instead went for custom cabinetry. I bought kenmore elite appliances (range, fridge and dishwasher) and they have turned out very serviceable. I love my 31 cubic ft french door refrigerator, which was a big step up from the little fridge in our old house.

The ice maker is very slim, so you don't lose a lot of space to that, the lighting inside is great, and the pull out freezer drawers prevent things from getting lost. We bought our fridge and range at the sears outlet and were able to score great discounts on them. The fridge was scratched/minor dent on the side, but it didn't matter, since our cabinets wrapped around the fridge. If I was doing it all over again, I'd buy the same items.

Cloth napkins can be really easy to make too! Depending on the size of napkin you want, you can typically get 4 napkins out of one yard of fabric.

adding on to #5, Use technology to your advantage. I hold on to dinner lists from previous weeks of meals, I make all my dinner lists in evernote. When I'm completely baffled on what to make I can flip through previous weeks for inspiration (or know to avoid something, because we've had it 3 times in the last month and if I try to make it again this week, my husband is going to order pizza)

I cook a lot in my cast iron skillet, it's a must for bacon, pancakes, and grilled sandwiches. Tamale pie is one of my all time favorites from Lucinda Scala Quinn, which she actually did on an episode of Mad Hungry that was all about cooking with cast iron. http://www.marthastewart.com/866561/tamale-pie

Cutting the land line, has anyone done this with multiple phone numbers? My husband runs a small family business with 3 phone lines and I am constantly appalled with what their telephone bill is.

Also creates a great environment for rising bread!