brie.'s Profile

no knead bread would work well (also a recipe that requires a super hot oven) Anything you want to caramelise while roasting? or a small roast that you are looking to be rare in the middle with a nice crust.

also i read once that a super hot oven is how restaurants re-heat things that have been pre-cooked for service. ever since i've used this trick for re-heating leftovers or food that i've cooked early and want to serve for dinner - you could bring cooked food with you to the cottage and then use the oven to warm it through?

i'm also doing beef tenderloin for Christmas - using Martha's recipe - it looks easy and I learned my lesson last year that simple is best with all the busy-ness of Christmas Day.

http://www.marthastewart.com/344408/beef-tenderloin

drip machine - which over here in the UK is met with enormous curiosity. but in my opinion, is the only way to go unless you've got the space for a proper machine. french press is too much cleaning and stovetop well, too much attention necessary prior to coffee actually working to wake me up :)

i use mark bittman's method - a pat of butter, a dash of cream, and two eggs...my sis and i used to have this for saturday breakfast when we lived together for a summer in london - one of my favourite memories and most special times!

i'm currently on a bit a weight loss bit myself - mainly due to an injury that kept me sidelined for months and a new husband (who has lost weight since we've been married) to cook for :) oh and a penchant for cheese.

regardless, i'm having incredible success with weightwatchers - in four weeks i'm down 6lbs and 10" overall. it's not all that hard, not really a fad and not terribly restrictive, you make the choices.

exercise is important yes, but it's been determined over and over that it really does matter what we eat, more than our activity levels.

that being said, i had pretty good success with weightloss whenever I've trained for a marathon...

i can't comment on downsizing but here in the UK and in Europe, we make do with much smaller fridge/freezers - some of that comes down to what you put in the fridge and what you do, we don't generally keep entire cases of beer or coke in the fridge only replacing what we've just taken out. and there's no keeping any vegetables in the fridge that could instead sit on the counter or in a dark cupboard.

i have what i would call a small north american fridge freezer (maybe 2/3 the size of your average bottom freezer fridge) and it is more than enough for the two of us. and i expect will be big enough when we expand...

it can require careful juggling of space and thoughtful reorganization, but it's more than enough. big tip, freeze in ziploc bags, not in containers - so much more space!

also i only shop once a week, so i'm not one of those 'european everyday at the market types'

weber Q100 - hands down the best. we have one, my sister has one, our friends have one, everyone loves it. heats evenly, isn't too big and the price is pretty reasonable.

i have a just about to go-off bowl of strawberries in my fridge, thanks for the recipe!

so excited to read this series! i have a tiny kitchen and the idea of doing HUGE batches slays me - but strawberries are in season and i'd love to take advantage! yippee! and that fourth burner pot? i've been thinking about it for a while, you might have pushed me over the edge!

i'm going to be hated for this comment but just a thought:

not sure why it's any creepier than regular taxidermy? or faux taxidermy? it's an odd moral boundary that many people have to distinguish between 'adult' animal skins and 'baby' animal skins - it didn't end well for the animal either way really.

personally, i'm not really into this style for my own home, but i can see how it might fit in a cabin theme or actual cabin...