lella's Profile

@emmeleau - my pressure cooker has a steam escape switch for, literally, letting off steam, and a button to tell me when I can open. this reduces the steam enough to open in about a minute. I thought all pressure cookers had to have some kind of steam vent like this. Maybe check the documentation/user manual for your cooker.

Beans, stews, risotto (not so much). Love it!

Really lovely!

In San Francisco, Molly Stone's, which is a local chain of 8 or 9 stores. It's a little pricey but the produce is beautiful, it has an excellent butcher, small but select wine department, and within walking distance. I've become a spur-of-the-moment menu planner so shop there every day, sometimes several times.

Make Bread Salad. No croutons in this salad. The stale bread is quickly soaked in water then squeezed dry and added to a salad of your choice of lettuces/greens, fresh summer tomatoes, cucumbers, onions - you name it. Add plenty of fresh, light dressing, preferably homemade. This makes a lovely meal with a glass of wine and some cheese.

Alas, it will be a while before we get summer's tomatoes. But don't let that stop you from trying this delicious salad now. Just buy the best toms you can.

The British lost Singapore to the Japanese in 1942 during WWII, but repossessed it in after the Japanese surrender in 1945.

I love this. It would make a great knitting basket; nice and airy with no sharp angles to snag yarn. I love the mix of rough packing paper with tailored stitching. Reminds me of a Brownie troop project when I was in 1st grade. We made pillows to sit on using the same method, with crumpled newspaper stuffing. Pretty comfortable if you only weigh 45 lbs ;-)

My father kept my 1965 VW bug going long, long after it's shelf life via his infamous make-do fix-it style. When I finally traded it in on a new VW, the dealer was amazed at finding paperclip and rubber band fixes!

To be fair to my dad, he is quite the macgyver; that VW was about 11 years old when I bought it and I had it for 13 more. It was sometimes the only car in the family that would start on freezing, snowy mornings and never, ever left me stranded. A true testament to the power of old-fashioned ingenuity!

@therufs, I'm totally trying the ham sandwiches with mayo + horseradish on one side, mustard + brown sugar on the other. Tonight!

To me, declaring yourself a 'foodie' is sort of like declaring yourself a 'Christian', as though your love of food (or God?) is purer than everyone else's. Smacks of piety.

I love food. I love to cook. I cook with great joy in my own kitchen, which enriches me and my family. All is good. No labels needed.

Lead poisoning is a serious health issue. If the plaster is older than 1972, be aware that demoing it will produce lots of airborne dust, which will contain lead from years of lead-based paint - bad for adults and very, very bad for children and pets.