youreacigarette's Profile

the pittsburgh post-gazette had an article earlier this fall: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10266/1089448-34.stm

the basement of our new house has two back rooms with shelves lining the walls, and we're pretty sure the couple who built the house used it for storing root vegetables, apples, etc., and canned their own produce. we hope to follow suit.

i'm another one of those lucky pa natives who never knew a world without yuengling. it's got its ups and downs depending on freshness and how clean the taps at the bar are, but a good pint for $2 is downright terrific.

i was thrilled when i got my last six months of pills from a local low-cost clinic - to save money, they order their pills in bulk so they're just the blister packs, no plastic cases. now i'm thinking about switching to mirena, though, since it's covered (thanks, pennsylvania, for once) while i'm unemployed.

it's a winning combination - i have been making this recipe with tweaks (e.g. sub toasted pecans for the almonds, omit the almond extract, add a bit of cinnamon to the flour mixture, you can get away with 1 cup light brown sugar instead of 1/2 white 1/2 dark, etc) and they've brought me renown within the family baking circle. they have a tendency to spread out a lot before they're done, but it helps to put a silicone mat down underneath them.

a friend made romesco for us recently and served it with chicken and rice - it was delicious and rich, and different flavors showed up when it was on different bites. i don't think there was any vinegar, but i could imagine that working well.

is there a difference in impact between compressed and chemicalled-up briquettes and hardwood lump charcoal? we've found that using the lump charcoal (which just looks like burned-up bits of wood) requires less mass than briquettes to create the same or greater heat, lasts longer, and leaves no weird tastes or smells.

having a structured environment to practice self-discipline is a good idea - i'm skipping the almost-daily dunkin' donuts run, and donating the $4 or 5 i'd be spending. i'm also trying to remind myself to be more patient and avoid getting angry for no reason, partially by giving up talking to people who think it's still funny to be judgmental about religion. har.

we've stuffed the mail slot with fabric and blocked the draft at the bottom of the front door, but i still need to seal off the windows (they're double-paned, but it's an old house and the seals aren't great). most of the time we shut the door to the back bedroom, since we don't use it much. our bills are still higher than i'd like, which motivates me to think about what else we could do. however, after losing power for the last two days and watching our breath while the thermostat in the living room dropped to 40 degrees, our regular setting of 64 feels luxurious.

i will get on board as someone who thought she hated guy fieri, only to find that it's easy to love someone who enjoys food (and accessible, "normal people" food, at that) so much. he brings attention to small business owners who are living the dream, serving food they love to people they know. plus, his actual cooking show usually looks pretty fresh and delicious.

love the charley harper woodpecker!