swilcox44303's Profile

FYI - for those of us going through Kitchn RSS feed withdrawal - the RSS feed (Atom) link is still, oddly, set to the apartment therapy main feed. If you click on the blue icon right above it named "our reading list," you can be subscribed to all of the Kitchn's favorite blogs, including the the Kitchn itself. Unsubscribe from all of the other blogs (unless you see some that look interesting), and volia! the Kitchn RSS feed is back in your reader!

Given that they have the code for the Kitchn RSS feed all set up, though, it doesn't seem as though it would be too hard to fix the link so that we don't have to go through all of that rigamarole. But hopefully it will be fixed soon...

This reminded me that I had once looked for an additional oven rack for my apartment rental one-rack oven. I just checked the sears.com website, and they have a variety of replacement racks for sale, although they're fairly expensive. But there was also a three level rack to put in your oven that was under $30 - so that might be an option for those w/o enough oven space...

I cook for myself all the time, so I do all of the above - batches of one dish meals to last the week, sometimes just muesli and yogurt and fruit, sometimes a fried egg on something, occasionally a comfort meal like a cheddar cheese sandwich. When in grad school, I got into a rut of trying to make large dishes that would last, to be efficient and spend less time cooking, but in the last few years I've been experimenting more with putting together small simple meals to be eaten in just one sitting. Mark Bittman's 101 series in the New York Times a few years ago was really helpful with impromptu quick dishes from what's in the fridge, often grain based salads. It's been freeing to feel like I can cook without the burden of also trying to make several days worth of leftovers... the 101 salads, grilling, picnics, etc. are still available if you google New York Times, Bittman, and 101.

I didn't grow up on a farm, but I did grow up in rural Maine in a house with cats and dogs, spent lots of time outdoors, gardening, hiking, etc. I developed allergies to dust and mold as an adult, and like the other posters have mentioned, it's not fun. I agree to an extent with both sides of the debate - people who don't have allergies shouldn't be encouraged to worry pointlessly about dust (just clean to the degree that meets your general standard of cleanliness). But I also appreciate posts about reducing dust in bedrooms - this is a repost that I've actually searched for on my own since it was originally posted because I remembered finding the information helpful. For example, "keep furniture and surfaces to a minimum" - that actually is practical. For example, I currently have a bookcase in my bedroom and rereading this post reminded me that I had planned to move the bookcase to the living room, so as to have less surface area where dust can accumulate in the bedroom. There is a logic to this - dust mites live in the bed, people are allergic to the dust produced by the dust mites (not to all dust), so try to keep surfaces/furniture likely to accumulate dust in other rooms (where they may be dusty but less dust mite dusty). This suggestion allows those of us with allergies to clean LESS (that is, it's not actually suggesting that everyone should try to make their entire living space unrealistically sterile/hyperclean). And the world isn't really divided up into those who have allergies and those who don't. Some without may develop them later in life, meet a partner who has them, have a child who has them, etc. So this info may be helpful at some point even to those who think it's irrelevant to them today... On the 130 degree water point, the idea is that it has to be that hot to kill them. I just sort my laundry and wash bedding on the hottest setting and everything else with cold water.

Ribollita!

I made the rhubarb compote last night, and had it with greek yogurt. Yum! I have to say I was nervous about the orange-ginger-rhubarb combination, but it's delicious.

On ramps:

http://kitchen.apartmenttherapy.com/food/fruits-and-vegetables/in-season-ramps-008143

I'm going to try to recreate a pear-sage sauce for gorgonzola ravioli that I had in a restaurant. My plan so far is to saute the pear slices and sage in olive oil. I haven't been able to find any similar recipes on the internet - anyone know of one or have suggestions about how to proceed?

TJ's low fat french feta is also very good...

From the contest page: criteria - aesthetics - beautiful, stylish spaces that inspire great cooking and great eating... organized, beautiful, working with the rest of the décor, hiding the ugly stuff and showing off the nicely designed bits.

Which is not to say that the submission and the discussion aren't appreciated, but graphing cool in relation to size is exactly the opposite of what the contest is all about. Kitchens aren't cooler simply because they're larger AND they're not cooler simply because they're smaller.