onesnowyowl's Profile

I can my own. When I run out of my own, I buy Muir Glen.

I am left-handed and my father is Dutch, so I grew up eating this way. It was only when I got older and started eating around others with more frequency that I realized how I ate was different than most people. I still eat this way and have been trying to convince my husband to do it, because he is lazy and will use his thumb to assist food on to this fork, which is just gross.

We had two basic round fixtures probably from the 1980s, one over the sink and one over the stove. The fixture over the stove died, so we replaced it with a brighter, more current fixture. The kitchen is so much brighter since we made the switch that I am sorely tempted to replace the one above the sink too, despite the current plan to eventually 1) install a recirculating fan where the stove fixture is, and 2) move the stove fixture to above the sink, replacing the existing fixture. I would also really love some undercabinet lighting, but I don't want fluorescents, so I am interested to see if anyone has other suggestions.

My Lodge did chip after a couple of years of use, but I contacted the company and they sent out a new one right away at no cost to me. So for those of you with Lodges, be aware that they stand behind their warranty 100%--if you take proper care of the cookware.

My veggie husband's suggestion: Drown them in hot sauce...or repurpose them as hockey pucks.

I retool how I cook in summertime. I love to bake, so I get up early if there's something I have to use the oven for. Unfortunately, my bedroom is right above the kitchen, so baking at night isn't a great option. I generally make a lot of salads of all kinds. Usually one ingredient in the salad has to be cooked, but it's easy to cook it in the morning and let it cool. I hard-boil eggs more often in the summer, too.

We also just eat a lot of fresh tomatoes on bread with a bit of cheese of some kind, olive oil, salt, and pepper. No need to cook there, and they're delicious.

This is one of my favorite beers. Totally yummy, easy to drink, and always enjoyable, regardless of the season.

I agree with tinyviolin; if you already have one of Bittman's cookbooks (in my case, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian), these matrices are just a natural extension of those books. I really like them, as they give me new ideas to work with. I think they're also an improvement over many of the lists Bittman used to write for the Times; I like how they are organized.

I use a paste made of Dawn and baking soda to scrub out the tough spots. I usually take off all of the pieces of the stove that I can--the knobs, the grates, the burner covers, the plates below the grates--and let them soak for a bit in boiling water. The grates, burner covers, and knobs all go in the dishwasher, while the heavily soiled plates go on a slightly damp dishtowel. I rub them down with the Dawn/baking soda paste, adding some salt if necessary, and scrub them with a Tuffy. After scrubbing, they get another soak in boiling water. Meanwhile, I scrub down the rest of the stove with hot water and Dawn, using my paste as necessary. Works like a charm and doesn't take too long.

I got my Pro series as a wedding gift in August, and I've been using it at least once a week since then. This last weekend I used it to churn out multiple batches of cookies while baking with friends; my friends were so surprised at how fast I was able to churn out cookies with the KA. I use it for baking bread once or twice a week. I blame it for starting me on my quest to perfect homemade ciabatta bread. I've also been designated the dinner roll maker for family events, because everyone knows I have one and knows I love to make bread. We also used it to make applesauce and tomato sauce for canning in September with the food mill attachment.

To be honest, I start to feel guilty if I've gone a few days without making something with my mixer. It's so red, shiny, pretty, and powerful. How can I resist?