Apartment Therapy Unplggd Ohdeedoh Re-Nest The Kitchn

mbalavage's Profile

Display Name: mbalavage
Member Since: 5/18/09
Are all of these comments spam? For non-spam comments, please email us at help@apartmenttherapy.com

Latest Comments...

My current go-to mix-ins: while the steel-cuts oats are cooking, I add chopped dried apricots and a flax/walnut/almond crumb combo, and a scant spoonful of sunflower seed butter, a large spoonful of strawberry jam, and a dollop of Greek yogurt on top just KILLS it. It's like an oatmeal sundae!

Also delicious: frozen cherries and a square of super dark chocolate.


Make Deluxe Oatmeal: 10 Awesome Mix-Ins
4/3/12 5:18 PM

Urg, have definitely felt that frustration of being unable to get a callback. I generally took it as a sign that if they can't manage their business enough to call me back or get me a written quote in a reasonable amount of time (2 weeks!), they wouldn't be able to complete the project to my satisfaction. I also went off recommendations from my real estate agent (she gave us a super-helpful vendor list, and everyone I've worked with on it has been fantastic). I also found it useful to ask the contractors I ended up working with for recommendations for projects that weren't their specialty.


The World's Ugliest Condo: Finding That Special Someone, Your Contractor Renovation Diary
3/23/12 3:50 PM

Gas stove, good water pressure, and NO ONE living above me. I can (and have) deal(t) with everything else.


I Would Never Rent an Apartment That…
Reader Survey

8/8/11 6:18 PM

@fulinlin: Eating fat doesn't make you fat.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fats/


The 10 Foods That Most Affect Weight Gain & Loss
The Atlantic

6/27/11 5:14 PM

Highly recommended appliance alert: immersion blenders make this almost too easy to make. I love avocados pureed with a scant tbsp of dutch process cocoa. It makes chocolate pudding for breakfast totally okay!


Avocado Breakfast Pudding from Lizzie of Tomboy Style
Breakfast with a Blogger

5/24/11 4:53 PM

O electric kettle, I do love you so. You give and you give, multiple times a day, quickly and generously, and save for a bimonthly shot of vinegar, you ask nothing in return.


Electric Kettles: Should You Buy One?
5/12/11 6:47 PM

@empress, I've bought frozen lava cakes before and reheated them no problem. I bet you could make the whole box, eat one, and freeze 5 (flash freeze them on a baking sheet and then toss 'em in a ziplock), and reheat them in the oven at a slightly lower temp when the next craving hits. At this point, what do you have to lose?


Do You Make Dessert Ahead of Time? 5 Recipes to Make and Freeze Now
4/25/11 4:46 PM

The banana boats my mum and I used to make growing up: roasted bananas, melted chocolate chips, and broiled marshmallows, to be eaten straight off the foil-wrapped cookie sheet the very second it was just cool enough to not burn our mouths. For pure deliciousness and nostalgia, nothing compares ... not even the time-stopping chocolate chevre donuts I had the other night.


What's the Best Dessert You Ever Ate?
4/25/11 3:27 PM

I made these chocolate stuffed brioche rolls for a brunch and was so tickled with how perfectly round (not to mention utterly delicious) they turned out!

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/guest-post/-guest-post-from--085769


Wait, You Made That?! Name Your Proudest Culinary DIY
3/28/11 5:24 PM

I also have one ice tea spoon that mysteriously appeared! I much prefer it for ice cream.


5 Ways to Put a Long-Handled Iced Tea Spoon to Good Use
3/25/11 4:17 PM

I love the view from my bedroom. The first thing I see in the morning is my neighbor's giant tree. It instantly orients me; bare but hopeful in the winter; flush with twittering birds in the spring; green and lush in the summer; gorgeous with autumn colors in the fall.


What Do You Love About Your Bedroom?
3/24/11 6:03 PM

@ellenx: I, too, JUST discovered how sweet steeped cinnamon is! I made a cuppa with ~1/2 tbsp each of vietnamese cinnamon, ginger, and whole cloves, and it was so deliciously sweet that for a moment I thought I had absentmindedly added honey.


Product Review: Aveda Comforting Tea
3/22/11 4:31 PM

I'd never had turnips before they appeared in my CSA box, but I discovered that I LOVE them in shalgam masala. I tweak this recipe depending on how I'm feeling and add in red lentils and collard greens if they've also come courtesy of the CSA:

http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/archives/2005/09/02/masala-turnips/


Pickled Turnips 3 Ways
Recipe Review

3/18/11 7:36 PM

There are definite differences between coconut oil and coconut butter. The butter has some of the meat in it and does not have the same melty effect as coconut oil - sort of like peanut oil versus peanut butter.

I've been experimenting with coconut oil for years now. I like to keep a bit in a butter warmer on the stove so that I always have some in its liquid form (any non-plastic container will work). I am not a fan of coconut flavor, but for some reason, love the very slight flavor that coconut oil gives off when roasting and sauteing vegetables.

Baking recipes require a bit of experimentation; I'd recommend trying vegan recipes that use coconut oil and seeing how the baked goods turn out rather than substituting coconut oil 1:1 for oil or butter in your standard recipes.

It seems expensive at the outset, but it lasts a LONG time, and I've never had any go rancid. Vitacost.com is a great place to buy it for a bit cheaper than the health food store - I like the Nutiva Certified Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.


A Healthier, More Flavorful Fat? Consider Coconut Oil
3/15/11 4:30 PM

Microplane, all the way. I prefer the fine grater - it's easier to clean, and the shorter, wider length works for me. The longer zester tends to get whatever I'm grating all over the counter, even if I concentrate the zesting in one area of the zester.

(The word zest has lost all meaning after typing it so many times.)


Zest Of Life: 5 Classic Citrus Zesters
3/8/11 7:41 PM

I manage food restriction in two ways: first, by imagining how my body will digest and feel after eating whatever it is I'm about to eat - that makes it way easier to order a salad over a hamburger; and second, by sticking to a routine.

I can't do cleanses that last multiple days. It's partially a willpower issue, but I also notice that I give myself too much permission to go crazy with the bad stuff in anticipation of the cleanse, which just makes it harder to complete.

That said, I eat quite healthfully 80% of the time (ignore those gummy bears in my desk drawer at work), and I find that eating raw one day a week makes a huge difference in how I manage my cravings the rest of the week. I always have more energy and just *feel* better on raw day, and crave and eat fresh, healthy foods the rest of the week 80% of the time as a result.

I can't do raw all the time - too much prep! Too little bacon! - but one day a week is enough to keep me feeling light, bright, and happy, even when I splurge on decadent foods on other days.

I also like to spend the first day of each month following the first day of this juice detox:
http://life.gaiam.com/article/1-2-3-detox-radiance
It's basically all juice and hot lemon water for a day. It's delicious and satisfying and helps reset my sugar cravings after that time of the month.


Can Food Lovers Really Survive a Cleanse?
3/8/11 2:55 PM

For those who want the sweetness of commercial PB, why not just add a drizzle of honey to natural PB when using it?


Peanut Butter: Is Texture More Important Than Taste?
Cook's Illustrated

3/3/11 7:24 PM

Pot cheese has a consistency between cottage cheese and .... cottage cheese?


What Can I Do With Pot Cheese?
Good Questions

3/3/11 7:17 PM

...and if your recipe doesn't call for oil, just rub a teensy bit of oil in the cup or on the spoon before pouring in or scooping out the honey.


Baking Tip: Measure Oil First, Honey Second
3/3/11 7:03 PM

I attempted this with whole wheat pastry flour and coconut oil instead of canola oil, which resulted in rock hard cookies--oops! Fortunately, I saved half the dough and just plopped about a 1/4 cup of dough into my mini cast iron skillet with a few tablespoons of almond milk and a handful of frozen raspberries. I threw it in the oven at 350, jumped in the shower to wash off the yoga sweat and 15 minutes later had a the most comforting porridge-y breakfast - perfect for this rainy December day! (Let's just pretend that I'm not technically eating cookie dough for breakfast.)


Cookie Recipe: Life-Changing Vegan Thumbprints
12/18/10 4:17 PM