amidalailama's Profile

Raw cauliflower salad is delicious, though it's not at all like couscous as they claim.

I don't know many people that have the sort of freezer room this calls for.

I do, however, pre-portion my homemade ice cream into 4 ounce canning jars. They stack well, and they're so cute!

How far ahead? A week? The day before?

Oh! I have the 16 gallon tub, which ends up being 10 inches high, but we've successfully used it for both strawberries and tomatoes at this point. I'm sure it'd be great for herbs and onions as well.

Tea. I know this sounds nuts, but it's true! I went to a tea tasting at L'Espalier here in Boston, and they have a tea sommalier named Cynthia Gold---she recommended some of the strong smoky teas especially for people who like that somewhat bitter and smoky taste of whiskey but can't/don't drink. And I have to tell you, as someone who drinks, these teas were great!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapsang_souchong

Pyrex! The best deals I've seen come from World Kitchen, but they're not the best at packaging (though they will replace upon confirmation of damage, usually by a picture of the open box).

When making egg or chicken salad, I usually use half yogurt, half mayo.

I tried this chicken miso pasta recipe and was pleasantly surprised with the sauce!

Better for summers, but put cucumbers, avocado, and yogurt in a blender and blend away to make a lovely cold soup.

My favorite brunch item that encourages people hanging out and chatting is waffles. Little kids love making waffles, you can have all sorts of toppings, that sort of thing. Even, better, you can make the batter up to two days beforehand. But obviously, some homes and/or numbers of people coming for brunch make this tricky.

I'd complement things with fruit - and if you do happen to have in-town guests, this is where I would ask them to be unofficial hosts and cut up or wash lots of fruit. It's not a huge culinary responsibility, just one of time (2 hours or so) -- provided your brunch isn't too early and no one drinks too much, it's something that could really be quite helpful.

Also---mimosas. Yum.

To me, the best way to help a child understand what it's like to give a gift is to have them help choose gifts for their siblings, for the other parent, for a family secret santa if there is one, for their teacher, for the giving tree, etc.

And as far as things to do especially for the nieces/nephews set, I am all about experience presents. These can be dinner and a movie, a day fishing, lunch and skating downtown, a "fancy" orchestra concert, something like that. No, it's not as tangible, but it means you get to spend some time with your giftees. As a kid of about 8, getting to choose exactly what movie I saw, eat as much junk food I wanted at the movie theater...? Priceless.

The Cocomotion is an amazing contraption: it's a heated stir plate that warms your milk + cocoa mix to 194ºF (perfect drinking temperature once you pour into a mug). It's genius. It is one of the only unitaskers I have in my kitchen, and it's totally worth it.