Magycmyste's Profile

I'm pretty late on this, but in case anyone else has astroande's question and sees this: the ASPCA website has a list of plants (which would include herbs, if any) that are dangerous for pets to eat (probably a teeny bit won't hurt them, but it's good to be careful).

I did some research when I adopted my kitten about three years ago, and came across this.

Honestly, I think I treat pepper the same way I treat most spices in my cabinet - the thing is, I tend to toss in lots of herbs and spices into anything I'm making, when I'm not not following a specific recipe. Several of the spices in my cabinet tend to go well together, so I just toss in a pinch or a sprinkle, if I think it'l add to the flavor - I think of pepper in the samme way - it's just that there's very little I make where I don't think a touch of pepper (and salt) adds to it.

Actually, having a parent who is supposed to be controlling her salt intake, and often having my salt needs taken care of by items like cheese, I think I decide to throw in pepper more often than throwing in some salt!

Yeah, I prefer the dark wood, too - I'm a bit more of a traditionalist. :) I'm working on taking my medium maple/oak finish cabinets to a dark, rich, mahogany with brushed nickel handles (I think the old hinges - sort of an antique brass, I think - should blend in and not be too visible against the darker wood, so I'm leaving them for now. I might change them out for nickel as well later, though).

Still, it's nice to see a transformation like this for so little, and I'm interested in the countertop paint, now. I've been thinking about my countertops as well, but don't have much of a budget for them at the moment, so I'm taking the kitchen transformation step by step.

::shrugs:: I live in one of the worst allergen cities in the country, I think (at least the state) - I didn't have allergies until I'd been living here a couple of years.

A friend of mine recommended the local honey thing, and I figured I'd try it. It took some time before I did, especially since I'm not a huge honey (or sweets in general) eater. I ended up hiding a little bit of it at a time in variouher cooking, mostly savory (like spaghetti sauce, baking bread, etc.) I didn't take it every day, but I made an effort.

Did my allergies go away immediately? No. But they went down eventually. Was it because of the honey? Maybe not - allergy season does have to come to an end sometime. But the next year, they didn't come back either. (The year after, they did a bit, but they weren't as bad as those of a lot of people around me.)

Does that mean the honey works? Who knows? But I don't think it's harming me, and if it's the power of suggestion making my allergies go away, suggest away!

My parents have already given me a medicine bottle with asofetida inside it (which reminds me, I'm running out).

As long as you wash the bottle thoroughly, and relabel it clearly, I can't think of any harmful effects.

The only one I can remember is pork chops. My roommates used to get it because it was cheap, and use it in just about everything. It was also extremely dry, and in my opinion, flavorless.

Last year (or the year before), my fiance's mother made pork chops for dinner (with applesauce she'd gotten while traveling). I LOVED it.

Overall, though, I don't think I've had revelations regarding food being prepared right so much as having my tastes change over time. For instance, I can now actually enjoy red, yellow, and orange peppers (I still only tolerate green, and only cooked, so I can squash it into the food). I'm also starting to learn to tolerate seafood. I keep trying it, wondering if this will be the time I actually like it. A nearby Thai restaurant actually came close on that account.

I grew up on the Malt-o-meal brand of cream of wheat, and I still eat it on a regular basis - it's such comfort food for me!

But savory - all the way. I'm not much of a sweets person. I either make or get thokku from my parents and usually mix it in with butter and cheese. (Thokku is a savory, spicy spread usually made from cooked down vegetables/herbs/fruits. Although the only fruit we've ever used was mango, preferably not fully ripe). Yeah, we're not sweets people here.

I've started reading food blogs recently, and I keep seeing Trader Joe's pop up. Unfortunately, it looks like all the stores are on the East and West side of the US, and none in the middle. Anyone know where a Texan might be able to get some of these products to try?

Also, it looks like that first honey dispenser is available from Amazon for a bit less: http://www.amazon.com/No-Drip-Syrup-Honey-Dispenser/dp/B0010EG70W/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1231280137&sr=8-3