j.j.'s Profile

tongs
whisks
spatulas
pie plates
small mixing bowls
baking sheets
can't get enough.

ok, maybe I'm going to share a little too much here,

I grew up in south Louisiana and we eat plenty of 'varmint,' if you will. Squirrel stew complete with - I don't know how to put this any more delicately - skulls and brains was a pretty common dish. However now you must be careful because squirrels are carriers of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy which leads to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.

Everyone needs some help sometimes. Hiring someone to "do your dirty work" can feel very awkward, especially if you need to direct or give feedback to that person. But presumably they want the job and will be responsive to your concerns. You just have to try your best to be nice and respectful to your employee. If they can't adjust find a better fit.

I do have a recommendation - European Maids (212) 227-0730. Forgive their dorky name, and no, they will not show up in a teeny french maid costume. They were recommended to me by a friend who has a very clean place. I had a very good experience with them when my children were small - and I too am particular about the products I use in my home. I was mostly home when they were there, but let them lock up many times while I was out.

And you supply the products for them. So spell out in the beginning what you would like for them to do and how often and you should be ok.

In a plastic folder in a drawer in the dining room. No big system, but we do cull the herd from time to time to keep it up to date

I have a thermador radiant heat ceramic top in my kitchen and am suprisingly ok with it. It is the stove the people before us picked out and I had reservations, because I had always used gas before. I thought we'd swap it out right away, but it is very responsive and easy to clean. Not like the old style coil electrics of our youth. You just have to get used to which number is the right temperature for which application (e.g. 7 to sear, 9 to boil, 3 to simmer, 5 for pancakes)

One thing I've heard about electrics is that they are more energy efficient, and I believe induction are the best. My biggest issue at this point is this - when you need to take something off the heat, you have to take it OFF the heat, and there is only so much counter space in New York... alas. But induction would take care of that problem, but I'd have to change out most of my pans.

I second Patagonia. Check out their website. Good quality and not all crazy-tacky looking.

I've used it to clean pencil markings -- pretty extensive toddler masterpieces -- off painted plaster walls, and it worked fine. The marks washed off and the paint stayed on. Perhaps it is our paint? I've used it on Benjamin Moore's washable flat finish as well as Farrow and Ball's flat and gloss finishes.