aneelee's Profile

contrary to popular belief it is VERY possible to keep an over-stocked pantry. the trick (for me at any rate) is restraint and not having more on hand than can get eaten within a couple of weeks time. we have containers for all the regulars with a few to spare for rotating in new ingredients. if i don't have a free container than i we eat through one before adding more new. there will be a stash of stuff without containers on occasion though. i keep a basket in there to help wrangle the little bits.

huh. would have never thought to freeze it.can you freeze in its original packaging, you think? say if tofu is on sale and you want to pick up a few extra blocks...

we love our two-burner style and use it often enough that it just lives on our stovetop. we have a vegetarian household and use it to cook veggies, tofu, make tortillas, pancakes and to toast bread. not sure if it is true, but it seems to use less energy than our oven would for these simple tasks and it makes the kitchen a lot less hot.

puree the whole can (with adobe sauce) and you can add in bits of spice to anything. beans, mayo, salad dressings, stews, guac, salsa, etc. you can freeze in an ice tray and store in the bag if you don't think you can use it all up fast enough, too.

other - people that take frustration out on grocery store employees. i don't care how much your life sucks at that particular moment. i guarantee you that the cashier is not to blame.

we've had our latex mattress for three years now after going through much of the same considerations mentioned above and have been extraordinarily happy with it. there is nothing quite as wonderful as collapsing on the wonderful pouf underneath at the end of the day. waaaaay more comfortable and its longevity already has us impressed. our previous spring mattress had shown serious signs of wear and much less comfort by year three. looking forward to sleeping on this one for another 20+ years. savvy rest was out choice. :)

We keep one caffeinated tea (PG Tips), a mate, Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime and Peppermint, a nice herbal tisane called "Men's Tea" from our local tea shop and a ginger tea for soothing tummies.

Cooking large batches and reheating seems like a good start, but I know how unexciting that can be. One pot meals where you make a conscious effort to use as few things as possible (one knife, one cutting board) might make the clean-up speedy, especially if combined with an empty dishwasher that you can stash stuff in as you go. I always forget to empty the dishwasher BEFORE I start to cook and regret it when I'm done.

stainless steel for the kiddo that eats her lunch room temperature or with the help of a thermos (also stainless steel). glass for grown up lunches and old stackable fridge pyrex for large batches of leftovers in the fridge.

i started baking a a little over two years ago and have yet to make the dive to purchase a stand mixer. i have a handheld mixer that helps give my arm a bit of rest when making things like cake and quick-bread batters, but for bread... my hands seem to work best.

And... I would suggest getting a little further along in your baking experiments to make sure you'll enjoy it.

And... if you get in a real pinch while your learning, you could always ask a friend to borrow one to try it out.