rose's Profile

I read this entry on 101 Cookbooks and tried it out. I strongly suggest one follows the recipe as written in the cookbook. It tastes much better with ginger ale than with club soda. Also, using Key Limes as the recipe states and not regular limes makes a difference. If you use regular limes, increase the amount of juice by at least 1/4 cup. The Kaffir Lime leaves make a difference too. Last but not least, the fresher the cardamon is, the better it tastes.

It is a labor intensive recipe, but it works great for special occasions. Fresh blackberries are expensive and I think frozen berries are a reasonable choice. They are much easier to juice if you thaw them in the microwave instead of at room temperature.

I love my dining room. I love the big wood table and the cottage type chairs that surround it. I've never had company come over and eat on it, to be honest. I've used it for coffee in the morning because it's such a quiet and peaceful spot. When I'm sewing or making a quilt, I use the dining room for that because it's always free of clutter and the table is the perfect size for that. All other times it's just an oasis of calm in my home. I have two big windows in my dining room that overlook my flowerbed in the front yard. I have a small porch between the windows and the flower bed that have two metal chairs and some flower pots with dahlias in them. I guess most of the time the dining does just sit there and look pretty, but I like it like that. It makes a good first impression when I come in the front door.

I LOVE her magazine. The recipes are awesome and the photography is pure eye candy. It is an expensive magazine, but it only comes out 6 times a year. When you compare that to the 12 issues of other magazines that cost $4.99, it's about the same.

Now that the cost of gas and electricity and groceries are going up, bet a lot of people will be looking for smaller homes or be satisfied with not moving up. Property taxes in the USA has gone up 51 percent in the past five years. Rather than 'never catch on', the smaller homes will become more and more desireable. In fact, I predict a return to the city as the suburbs become too expensive to commute from and maintain.

My Dad is an awesome cook. One of my fondest memories are of him making salami soup for us kids. Sounds awful but that stuff was the bomb. When my son was small, I made it for him too. Good stuff.

When I was growing up, we moved into a house with an outdoor shower. I was there for 8 years and since there was only one bathroom for 5 people, whenever the weather permitted, us kids showered outside. It felt a little weird when I could hear my neighbors in their yards, but early in the morning or late at night when all was quiet, it was a pretty decent experience.

I second the denture cleaning tabs tip. They're also good for cleaning the toilet.

Ha. My husband is a minimalist when it comes to MY stuff. When we 'de-clutter', it's mostly my stuff that just has to go, while his is deemed uberimportant and must stay. So, yeah, my spouse is a 'minimalist' and I'm the 'packrat'. Snort.

Meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, roasted tomatoes, salad and sourdough bread. It's not quite spring food, but it hit the spot.

I love Spam. There, I said it!! They've begun selling slices of Spam in individual packages. They're perfect for people like me, who want just a small portion of it once in a while and not a whole can. I know there are Spam festivals out there and if any of them show up locally, I'm so there.