Mike_NJ's Profile

Brussels sprouts.

My mother makes them by boiling them to mush.

My fiancee makes them by roasting them with garlic and olive oil.

Guess which one I hated and which one I now love?

I use one to sort small screws (if doing housework) or small Lego (if my younger brother is over and playing)...

Does that count? :)

Since my fiancee and I got a house, I do 90%+ of the chores.

But I don't mind - because her job is more stressful and she puts in (much) longer hours than I do, it's all I can do to help her out and let her come home to a hot meal or a clean sink or fresh clothes etc.

I like "quick and easy" yard work- mowing, for example - but the detailed/minutiae-filled stuff, like digging up dead plants, etc, not so much for me.

Vaccuuming, sweeping, cleaning the bathrooms (mostly), dishes, cooking, laundry, dusting, taking out the trash/recycling, so far I've actually enjoyed them all.

The only thing I'm not a fan of with regards to cleaning the bathrooms is scrubbing the shower. We have a floor-to-ceiling stone tile standing shower (no tub) and it's just a bear. Plus, it's brown, and with me being slightly colorblind I can't always tell if it's dirty or not, so I just do it anyway and then get annoyed with myself.

Also, the sellers of our house didn't include any of their tips'n'tricks of what they did to clean the custom hardwood floors or the custom stone tile bathroom, so I'm just "winging it" and hope I don't do anything wrong.

Having had an instance or four where questionably aged food was presented for a meal, I'll have to agree with those folks who say "Just don't do it."

I'm leaning towards a "for kale" as opposed to not.

My first introduction to kale was in a vegan casserole. It was okay, but kind of one-note.

I hadn't eaten any for years up until last summer when I made a single meal with kale as the "featured vegetable", pan-wilted with crumbled bacon, white pepper, balsamic vinegar, and a smidge of olive oil. It was a hit with my fiancee (and I liked it too).

I like the "bite." And the flavor.

Elephant garlic (huge, huge garlic) is relatively cheap and is a much, much mellower garlic flavor.

At the last minute - Tuesday morning - my fiancee and I found out we'd be hosting her parents and older sister for Thanksgiving.

We spatchcocked the 18 pound bird (after a rushed defrost process the morning of) - rubbed with margarine, salt, fresh cracked black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and injected with rosemary, thyme, margarine, and minced garlic - cooked it at 450 for 40 minutes and 500 for 60. The moistest bird I've ever had.

Rounded out the meal with corn, green bean casserole, candied yams, mashed potatoes, warm cranberry sauce, biscuits, and one more thing that I keep forgetting, and it was a fantastic success for our first holiday meal in our home!

My fiancee hates Shepherd's Pie, thanks to her mother's terrible process of making it.

I offered to make it for her, when we got our house, but she has yet to take me up on the offer.

I will add this to my list of "for when the fiancee agrees, but in the meantime just for me" recipe list :)

It'll be colder in southern New Jersey, post Hurricane Sandy.

I have three ideas, which depending on time and freezer space may or may not pan out.

-Chili (pork and beef, green/red/yellow peppers, spices)
-Sauerkraut and sausage(s) (I tend to use kielbasa, italian sausage, and bratwurst)
-The cider "donuts" that were posted here recently

Otherwise I know I'll be hitting the nearby Amish Market for some fresh meats and veggies.

We use Dry Erase stickers (I don't remember the manufacturer at the moment) on the fridge door with a "what's in the freezer/veg drawer" kind of thing, and we either do a "tomorrow's menu" idea or wing it.

We've only really used one recipe, but then we've only been cooking for each other for 7 months.