Jenny B's Profile

Casseroles freeze awfully well, I think. And these days, with a new baby in the house, if I'm going to any trouble to cook (and it's a freezable recipe), I'll definitely freeze some for later! But this is very helpful info, especially if you have a backlog of recipes you've been wanting to try. And I'm sure all of us here have just such a backlog.

Is three months too early to try to cook without help? I've been able to sneak in an ice cream base while she naps, or do a little early prep. I can never really get much cooking done if she's awake and I'm alone. She'll sit in her Bumbo for ten minutes, entertained by me moving around the kitchen, or she'll suffer being worn in a sling for about the same amount of time. But then she gets cranky and I have to clean up what I'm doing.

The outlets aren't the only concern, of course: how many circuits does your dream kitchen have. My husband and I are indefinitely stuck with a mostly renovated kitchen (the baby came). We have a circuit for lights, a circuit for the fridge, a few for small appliances (the dishwasher is on one and the gas range is on another), and we have a circuit for an electric range if we ever want to go back to that. I would still like a dedicated circuit for the range (the manual recommends but does not require one). All told, we have 8 receptacles, five of which are on the counter for small appliances (the dishwasher is hardwired).

Every couple of years, my husband and I have made gifts. Last year, we converted several VHS family videos to DVD, with chapters and everything. I also hunted down all the Christmas tunes on a cassette my family listened to, some of which were rather obscure. It took weeks of work and not a little expense, but I felt like some of the recipients thought we were being cheap by not purchasing gifts.

This is just too effing cute.

I'm kinda with mcqueendom on this.

Maybe $200 for stick with something besides tealights on it.

A second for St. Germain. It is really, really deliciously lovely. Although I haven't found it locally (southwest Ohio) for less than $35.99.

After drinking it all, I kept the bottle. I'm not sure what to do with it, but it's so pretty that I don't want to put it in the recycle bin!

I think this might be my favorite of the giveaways yet.

I made a brown butter ice cream for Thanksgiving, using almost this exact recipe, but cutting the butter down to 1 stick. I also added a simple praline, 1 cup toasted pecan pieces coated in caramel made with 1 cup sugar. It is delicious! Other desserts, for mixing and matching, include vanilla bean ice creme fraiche, pecan pie, and persimmon galette.

Nossi--I'm most familiar with black mustard seeds in Indian cooking. (When I couldn't find any one time, I tried using yellow, and, as my father-in-law would say, there was "no taste coming.") But it would be an interesting experiment to try making spreadable mustard out of black seeds!