Ginbelle's Profile

Try using a magic eraser for the stains! I use it on my enameled cast iron, pyrex, etc, and it takes the stains right out. I love my enamelware collection!

Oh, this is a fun post!

I always loved all of the outbuildings on my grandparents' farm - the little pump house in the garden that used to be cold storage before they had a fridge, the duck house (grandpa preferred duck eggs to chicken eggs), the HUGE barn and tractor shed, and especially the little canning room off the woodshed with shelves lined with blue Ball jars full of preserves. What I wouldn't give for that space now!

I also really loved the tiny bathroom at my other grandma's house, which was just a toilet closet under the stairs. It had a normal door into the kitchen and a secret door with a green glass knob that you could use to get out to the hallway. She was Finnish, so they also had a sauna built into their garage!

Silhouette makes print-your-own temporary tattoos. It's about $10 for two sheets of 8 1/2 x 11" tattoo paper, so you could probably get many more than 15 out of them than to pay someone else to print them. http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/specialtyMedia.aspx

We're spending a week of our honeymoon on PEI in September. Can't wait!

I'm not surprised they ditched the hand mixer - they've got a stand mixer...why would you bother with something less powerful? I've had my immersion blender for about 5 years now and it's fantastic! I don't use it for mixing dough, but the blender attachment works great for more liquid things like pancake batter or quiche batter. Mine also came with a mini processor bowl which works great for chopping fresh herbs, nuts, etc, when I don't want to bother dragging out the food processor.

It's the basic Cuisinart stainless immersion blender, which runs about $50: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006G3JRO/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000EGA6QI&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=03TBRXT4PYYTNA84HYW6

There are several chip-board floors in art galleries and architect's offices in Seattle, which I think are even more striking than the smaller particles. The chip-board stains beautifully, too - I've seen it done in gray, green, and blue, as well as left natural.

The particle board, and MDF, looks like linoleum to me, which is lovely if that's what you want. I prefer the more obvious industrial look to the rougher stuff.

This has been a long-running theme in my life - first I was the picky eater. Wasn't into anything mushy (like hot cereals), couldn't stand mushrooms, and had an aversion to mustard. After I turned 25, I did suck it up. I still don't like most mushrooms, but can handle orange colored ones (chanterelles, lobster mushrooms, etc), prefer chewy hot cereals like granola or emmer or steel-cut oats, but my aversion to mustard turned out to be a full-blown allergy to it and horseradish.

My older sister can stand pickles, raisins, olives, or fresh dill - no exceptions. My little sister took picky eating to another level - for her, it's like an art form. She won't eat strawberries or unpeeled apples or sugarsnap peas (these are just the foods that make the least sense to be picky about). I think all she eats is yogurt, nutella, and chicken.

My fiancé hates shelled peas, likes corn on the cob, but I can't put cut corn in anything (corn bread, corn chowder, salads). It's been difficult, but we get by - mostly I ignore the corn thing, and every so often I'll make meatloaf and broccoli (not my favorite meal, but it's definitely his).

Yes, being a picky eater can seem petulant and immature, but I think it is equally so to call it a deal-breaker. You can honor someone's preferences while encouraging them to try new things, but it is very possible that someone's pickiness is a sign of an underlying health concern - like a mustard/horseradish allergy, or a hypersensitivity to citric acid, or an overdeveloped gag reflex - like in the case of my family.

I'm allergic to mustard and horseradish.

With mustard, I mostly just feel sick to my stomach, my heart rate increases, and I get a headache. I used to live in Southern California and the wild mustard pollen there would make me just a ball of snot in the spring.

Horseradish (and wasabi, unfortunately) causes an anaphylactic reaction -- my throat closes and my heart speeds up.

I wish there were substitutions for these flavors....I'm Scandinavian, and it's hard to make traditional food without them.