margrietta's Profile

Think carefully about location. Not just about proximity to shopping or work, although that is important, but about what you really DO with your spare time, not what the imaginary, aspirational version of yourself does. We used to rent in a cute, small town with a downtown with shops and restaurants in walking distance. Sounds charming, right? Well, we are total homebodies and prefer staying in with a home cooked meal and a book. So, a suburban house in a not-fancy, 50's era development made a lot more sense for us. And, it was far more affordable than living in a cute downtown.

This also applies to DIY projects and home/yard maintenance: think carefully about yourself and your inclinations before buying a fixer.

Test out your commute during rush hour.

RELAX. I don't know if it's possible to relax, because I definitely did not relax until we moved in, but at least try.

At the end of the day, you need to live somewhere. Your house is not an investment, it's a place to live.

I grew up in a center hall Federal farmhouse built in 1790. It was such a treat. Such a beautiful house. I love old houses but they are hell to maintain.

@b77, while I understand your concerns about cruelty and farming and I think they are legitimate, most dietitians are worse than doctors when it comes to their understanding of basic concepts in nutrition. I have had RDs tell me things that were flat out wrong (that the body needs dietary carbohydrates--it most definitely does not). I mean, it is just plain wrong to say things like that and diminishes my respect for them and the American Dietetic Association.

If (a big if) you are insulin resistant and struggle with your weight, whole grain is NOT preferential to meat. Potatoes are NOT better than meat. Whether or not meat is sustainable for the planet is an open question, but whether or not real meat (preferably grass fed) is better for weight loss and blood pressure than a diet full of whole grain is NOT an open question. It's a matter of endocrinology 101.

I am personally quite confident in my choices for myself and my personal health, and I think there is a whole lot of misinformation out there. But whatever, I don't expect to change anyone's opinion in a comment thread.

For anything you're going to wash, I think you need paint designed for use with fabric. Dharma Trading would probably be a good place to start.

Most fruit has too much sugar for me. I have to watch my carbs in order to control my weight and that means fruit is out for the most part, outside of a handful of berries now and then. But I eat plenty of vegetables.

I am all about boneless skinless chicken thighs. Thanks for the recipe.

I'm with the heartbroken crowd. I have to say the veneer drawer fronts are the most galling part.

It's your furniture, obviously you can do what you want with it. But people get sad when beautiful things are destroyed (and yes, I think this counts as destroyed). If a private collector torched his Picasso because he got bored with it, we'd be upset, wouldn't we?

I love the relish tray! We always had celery and spanish olives. So not fancy but really refreshing along with the huge, rich meal. When I was a kid, I once ate nothing but olives. Mmm...

I make this whenever I get a craving for stuffing. Bread, celery, onions, thyme, parsley. I love cooking it until the vegetables get really brown. Or putting boneless, skinless chicken thighs on top and putting it in the slow cooker (you don't need much stock because the juices from the chicken soak through everything). It gets really soft and delicious.

Definitely use the cast iron skillets constantly. I bought mine new (Lodge) and they're perfectly good.

I inherited an ancient, beat-up Le Creuset dutch oven. The enamel is in really rough shape and I'd love to get it fixed, but it works just fine and I use it constantly.

Other than that, I'd say my couldn't-live-without list includes my fine mesh strainer (in a tiny kitchen it's more versatile than my big collander), my knives (Victorinox - very lightweight but surprisingly effective, my food processor, and my set of Pyrex bakeware.

I want to replace my saucepan - it's truly gross, ancient Revere ware that's just been battered to death and has some charred on stuff I can't get off.