claudette49's Profile

I've done the Master Cleanse a few times but was never as successful as the first time. It's not easy and it's not for everyone. But my teenage son loves the MC lemonade as a regular beverage.

I now always keep Grade B maple syrup stocked (no more ‘pancake syrup’ in my house!). I use it for cooking – check out Real Simple’s Maple-glazed Salmon w/Pineapple. And for iced green tea (decaf) I sweeten with grade B maple syrup and raw (Turbinado) sugar -- a big hit.

BUT, I can’t wait to try it with roast chicken. And marinated for 24-48 hours? OMG. I may roast the bird standing upright and add the marinade inside and outside the skin.

Thanks so much for this recipe. I know it's going to be great!

This will be the new go-to dressing for ME. My teenage son loves only my homemade virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper dressing. He won't even allow for deviations (you can add honey or Dijon mustard or balsamic). Maybe I'll sneak some onto his salad. Who knows... he might like it. He likes Asian food, sushi, etc.

Thank you for this one. Can't wait to try it.

A simple flaming dessert: Southern Comfort Snowball
Ingredients: Vanilla Ice Cream, Shredded Coconut, Southern Comfort (Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey).

Take a double scoop of ice cream for each serving (strawberry if you want pink), make it into a ball, roll in coconut. Place coconut balls in freezer (on smooth or wax paper-lined plate) until ready to serve. To serve: In the kitchen put balls in glass dishes, pour Southern Comfort over each ball and light them. Use a tray or platter to carry the flaming desserts. Turn lights down low for your entrance.

Optional: Soak halved strawberries in SC, chill, then add just before flaming.

Easy, romantic and sexy.

My favorite vinaigrette is a lemon vinaigrette. It is versatile beyond belief and super easy to make. In a jar: half & half lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, then salt & pepper -- adjust all ingredients to your own particular taste. I use this on salads (the only dressing my teenage son likes), fish, lemon potatoes, steamed vegetables, chicken breast pannini sandwiches, etc. You can also vary the lemon vinaigrette by adding dijon mustard or honey.

A quick and easy side dish: Smashed Potatoes. Just cut up & boil yukon gold potatoes (I don't peel them). When tender, drain, add salt & pepper and lightly mash with a fork, leaving it chunky. Great if, like me, you are lactose intolerant and want to skip the milk & butter (and calories) of traditional mashed potatoes. Optional: add chopped parsley for eye appeal, lemon vinaigrette for a flavor boost that goes well with fish, chicken, steak and well, most anything.

I've just started looking at mirror TV's as a solution to the ugly black hole issue. You might take a look at Samsung and Phillips. You have a beautiful, framed mirror when the TV isn't on and it takes away nothing from picture quality when the TV is on.

One warning: They aren't cheap.

There are also separate TV mirror kits for your existing TV if you're a do-it-yourselfer.

Finally, Bose has a home theatre TV system where the speakers are invisible -- hidden within the TV. Add a mirror front to that and you're really good to go.

To 34newbdwy: You can find replacement pieces of the Sasaki Colorstone-Black. Just Google it or go to www.replacements.com (Replacements, Ltd.). I actually saw that many pieces are available in quantity.

I find broiling 3-4 slices of bacon 2 minutes per side with broiler on low* works. For larger batches I use a large baking sheet and can cook bacon for a crew by baking (not broiling) it in a preheated 375 oven for roughly 5 or so minutes per side (check often). I use aluminum foil for easy clean-up, it otherwise adds little to the cooking process.

*Important to note that I have one of those double-oven stoves with a small upper oven and large lower oven (Maytag Gemini). Upper oven only has hi or low setting for broiler mode.

BTW, this dual oven is a great back-saver for us Baby Boomers. I use the lower oven for turkeys, hams, or storage of pots & pans, etc.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I do recognize cats need to scratch. I have a beautiful sisal runner that they can go to work on. I also throw a little catnip on it from time to time. They love it and after 4 years of serious clawing and scratching this durable rug shows no damage whatsoever.