SunnyBlue's Profile

Display Name: SunnyBlue
Member Since: 3/2/09

Latest Comments...

According to actual US government codes I would think this flag would actually be appreciated! In the questions section of the US flag codes web page it states that respectful art with the flag is not only allowed but encouraged.

@emilylanestyle. Could you please provide a link to the website you are referring to?

Please and Thank you. SunnyBlue


Carly's Converted Warehouse Small Cool Contest
5/18/13 7:39 PM

It will be a surprise: I'm cleaning the pantry!


What's Cooking This Weekend? Weekend of May 18-19, 2013
5/18/13 12:26 AM

Now, now fizzfizz. The most proper way to hang the flag is by the canvas hoist---that's the strongest part of the flag and specifically designed to take the stress. So the hoist side is used to hang the flag on a flagpole, or the flag may be hung with the hoist side placed to the top, so there is no strain on the upper edge or fly end of the flag.

Because Carly's flag is so big, there is not enough room for it to hang by the hoist, so it's ok to hang it by the top edge, but it needs more support so it does not sag in the middle. I suggest using ring clips and a small rod to suspend the flag, then the weight of the flag will be evenly distributed across the flag, and the fabric will not be jeopardized.

No doubt that's what williamsweyr meant.


Carly's Converted Warehouse Small Cool Contest
5/18/13 12:04 AM

Mmmm. Grits with a poached egg on top. I'm in love.


Grits, Demystified: A Brief Look at a Southern Staple
5/16/13 5:12 PM

I must be the only home buyer in the world who does NOT want to see a "staged" house. I prefer the house to be empty---staging just throws off my vision.

But I hate house photos with a yawning toilet! It makes me cringe. There's a lid on top for a good reason.


Five Things I Learned About Real Estate From Reality TV
5/15/13 7:48 PM

Didn't get to finish. If you have a blender, you need to take it apart and clean it after every use. Honestly.


9 Spots in Your Kitchen That Could Use a Good Scrub
5/7/13 7:31 PM

Seriously dudettes---if you have a blender,


9 Spots in Your Kitchen That Could Use a Good Scrub
5/7/13 7:29 PM

oooh, the stove. I used to have a Sears Kenmore electric that had a self-cleaning coating inside the ovens. No joke---all I had to do was vacuum out some ash now and again. It was wonderful!


9 Spots in Your Kitchen That Could Use a Good Scrub
5/6/13 12:01 PM

You could cut white potatoes in a spiral for super-quick potato soup---considered the default, emergency soup in my house.


Recipes That Use a Spiral Vegetable Slicer? Good Questions
5/6/13 11:50 AM

I'm not a fanatical housekeeper (that funny noise you hear is my mother laughing), but periodically, I take everything out of the drawers and cabinets that can be put in the dishwasher and run them through a cycle. The flatware drawer seems to catch a lot of crumbs, and so does the cooking utensils canister and drawer. I saved the flatware basket out of an old dishwasher, which I can set inside the new dishwasher (or the dish drainer) so I have lots of room for the flatware. My mother taught me to wash down one cabinet or drawer face each evening, when finishing up the dishes. Just one. Depending on the size of your kitchen, every couple of weeks or month, all the cabinets will have been cleaned.

I make my own bread, which I store in a large Tupperware canister, so each week I disinfect the two pieces, to kill mold spores---which love bread without preservatives.


9 Spots in Your Kitchen That Could Use a Good Scrub
5/6/13 11:09 AM

Dang. Buttermilk cornbread. I forgot because I use the ancient and venerable Quaker corn meal recipe to make my cornbread. It's the first "measured" recipe I ever memorized (like---50 years ago!).


Breakfast Recipe: Blueberry Bran Muffins Recipes from The Kitchn
5/3/13 10:39 AM

@Amy @ The American-Made Guide to Life-----Permit me please to explain: When a recipe calls for buttermilk, it's because the buttermilk brings flavor and thickness to the batter, and binds the ingredients in a particular way. Using ordinary milk and a souring agent is fine for emergencies, but should not be considered a standard practice. It's like substituting canola oil for butter---it's just not the same.

As for leftover buttermilk, please consider these buttermilk recipe suggestions: Buttermilk Biscuits, Buttermilk Fudge, Buttermilk Pancakes, Buttermilk yeast bread, Buttermilk Pound Cake, Buttermilk Brownies, Buttermilk banana bread, (buttermilk) Pecan Pralines, Buttermilk Chocolate Sheet Cake with Buttermilk Chocolate Frosting, homemade buttermilk "Ranch" dressing (so good you will want to eat it with a spoon before it gets to the salad), and last but not least, buttermilk can actually be drunk as a beverage. It is delicious, filling, low-fat, and nutritious.

Buttermilk will keep for a long time (past the use-by date). It can also be frozen although it separates a bit when thawed, but you can still bake with it.


Breakfast Recipe: Blueberry Bran Muffins Recipes from The Kitchn
5/2/13 3:42 PM

My most favorite meal in the whole world! Chicken-Fried Steak. Cholula! is a twist that I will have to try.

Permit me to enlarge on Chris's instructions. Once the steaks are coated with the egg/milk/flour---it is very important to let the meat rest so the coating has time to get gooey and sticky, forming gluten. This is what seals off the meat and keeps it moist, and makes the delicious crusty coating. I like to use Ritz or Town House cracker crumbs to make my coating, but I essentially follow the same steps as Chris. And I cut the steaks into pieces about the size of a woman's palm, which look to be smaller than Chris's steaks.

I loosely lay a sheet of foil over the frying pan for cooking the first side of the steaks, but take it off for cooking the second side, but I like my meat a little more done than Chris. This raises the temperature slightly, but lets the steam vent at the same time.

My family likes the milk gravy to be well browned, so I let the roux cook for several minutes before adding the milk. Mashed potatoes, salad, cantaloupe, iced tea, and chocolate cake round out the meal. You CAN serve hot bread, but skipping the bread lets you save some calories :)

Chicken Fried Steak is a great company meal, one your guests will fondly remember, and invite themselves back to your house so you can cook it again!


Southern Recipe: Cholula Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy Recipes from The Kitchn
5/2/13 11:10 AM

Years ago, Husband and I rented a house with very little storage space, so we bought FIVE sets of wire storage units. I used one for a "pantry" in the kitchen and loved it---ALL the food was stored on it, and it was wonderful being able to see everything. It really made me want to cook more! We used two of them in a tiny, tiny bedroom, and called it a closet. We placed them perpendicular to the wall, used one shelf on the top and two on the bottom, and hung our clothes on the top rack. Today I have one in the guest room; our guests always comment about how nice the space is for them to use (even if it's not very chic). It's the best money we ever spent.


Wire Shelving Units in the Kitchen: Simple, Cheap, and (Yes!) Stylish Organization Kitchen Inspiration
5/1/13 8:53 AM

I would punch in the kisser---anyone---who, to my face, would criticize me for using a garlic press. I did however, migrate to a plexiglass 2-pc. garlic twister/crusher because I didn't have very good success with conventional garlic presses holding up to my needs. The twister/crusher works great and there's nothing to break. (ok maybe not punch, but I'd yell at them, loudly!)


My Uncool Kitchen Tool: Cheap Aluminum Garlic Press
4/30/13 8:26 PM

This is the chocolate chip recipe referred to in the article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/091crex.html?ref=dining&_r=0


Best Cookies Ever? Give the Dough a Break
4/30/13 4:54 PM

Quesadillas are a staple in my house, and I always have flour tortillas on hand. I rub about 1/2 teaspoon of butter (with my fingers) on one side of each tortilla, instead of putting oil in the pan. You can do them up ahead of time (stacking buttered sides together) and it is more efficient I think, and you get crispy golden goodness from the butter. If you make a little ring of cheese just inside the edge of the tortilla, it sorta glues the tortillas together and helps hold in the fillings.


How to Make Crispy, Cheesy Quesadillas on the Stove Top Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn
4/30/13 12:55 PM

I'd melt strawberry, or better---raspberry---jelly and use it to drizzle the words on. Might need to practice on wax paper or something. Alternately, you could let the jelly come to room temperature and use with a cake-decorator tip and press. Once again, a little practice will go a long way. Or use JellyBelly jelly beans to spell out the words. You're a good girlfriend Amelia.


Ideas for Decorating a Cheesecake? Good Questions
4/30/13 10:03 AM

Economic shock? No free delivery for anything. For several years I lived 45 miles from the nearest small town (pop.20,000), and 100 miles from the nearest large city (pop.180,000). What I learned in a hurry is that retailers and repair servicemen DO NOT drive out to your house for free. They charge mileage (which obviously makes sense), both ways, and very often it may be more than what you were buying to begin with.


Countrified Economics: I'm Still Going To Have To Work, You Guys!
4/29/13 4:39 PM

I wish the Kitchn and/or Apartment Therapy would publish an interview or article on cutting down glass bottles for secondary usage. I would love to salvage some of my wine bottles into tumblers, candle holders, patio lights, et cetera.


Got a Question for Reader Request Week? Tell Us What You Want on The Kitchn!
4/29/13 1:14 PM