lavagirl's Profile

I have a neighbor downstairs who makes the entire building reek of fish on a regular basis. Somehow she cooks it in a way that causes a deeply fishy, distinctly unpleasant smell to permeate the hallways and seep into our apartment (I'm guessing that she pan fries it on high heat, but I'm not sure). I actually really like fish, but this smell is awful. She is Chinese, and I wonder whether this is a traditional method of cooking.

Is there anything I can say? I know her and her husband well enough to stop and say hi when I see them outside, and I've been over to their apartment once. But I feel it's impossible to ask someone to stop cooking something the way that they obviously like to cook it.

Help??

I love making edible gifts! This year I plan to make ginger cookies, orange and thyme shortbread cookies, and some spiced nuts. All three are awesome recipes. In the past I've made Robert Linxe's truffles (plain and spiked), French-style nougat, and candied citrus peel—if I had unlimited time and $, which I don't, I'd make all of these things again.

I made raspberry vinegar this summer, which was delicious (although it was more like jam than syrup for me), and I think it would make a nice gift. I like the idea of making apple butter, but it seems difficult to make a large enough quantity to give as gifts. And sometime I'd like to give out marrons glacés, although I'm still experimenting with the method (my first attempts have been decent but not perfect).

We wanted to hire Myk, but he declined the project—three radiator covers. Too small of a job for him. I'm glad he's successful, but that leaves those of us who need a good carpenter but not a wall of bookcases in quite a pinch. Does anyone know of another good carpenter, one who would take a job of radiator-cover size?

Really, really fast: Dice some ripe pear, drizzle a bit of honey over it, and sprinkle a few chopped walnuts on top. For a fancier version, slice the pears thinly and fan them out on a plate. Delicious combination.

Really fast: Whip some cream with a bit of sugar and a small amount of crème de cassis. It will make the whip cream a lovely light mauve color, and give it a fragrant, fruity flavor—all in all a distinctive, memorable version of whip cream. (Don’t add too much, or it will taste cloyingly sweet and look luridly pink. Add teaspoon by teaspoon.) Serve with fresh berries. Or make a quick trifle with a layer of the cream, a layer of ladyfingers drizzled with some sweet, tart, good-quality balsamic to soften them up, fresh berries, and more of the cream.

"We lean toward stainless steel because it's what is used in many professional kitchens."

That's the worst reason to get something I've heard in a long time. Why not also get rubber floors, and wear big white hats?