reddylee's Profile

I've had them in 6 different homes. I hate them. Everything (even softish plastic) breaks when it drops on them. They hurt my feet, my legs, my back, my butt. They hurt my head most of all, because I'm working so hard to understand why people like them. Sure, they are durable (aside from the grout, which ALWAYS stains regardless of frequency of cleaning), but durable is not the only factor to prioritize in a flooring choice. The only being in my house that likes these floors is my Saint Bernard, but he doesn't cook...he just lays on the tile for the cool feeling on his furry belly.

We gave up on getting an end unit townhouse instead of being in the middle like we are now. It was worth it. The end units in our price range were about 1800 sq ft and didn't have a garage. Our home is 3800 sq ft, has a 1 car garage (we don't use it for cars, just storage, so it wasn't a big deal to only have a 1 car), and because we're in a larger style townhouse (technically more of a garden villa or cluster home), our backyard is twice the width of a normal townhouse yard. So, the end unit must have really wasn't important compared to all the things we gained by buying a middle unit instead.

Crab legs and halfshell clams with hotsauce (that's what we call it in our family...it's just spicy cocktail sauce, nothing fancy), good company, and a case of cheap beer. Homemade mint ice cream for dessert around a campfire, if we're lucky on the weather.

I have GF and non-GF family members (more than 1 GF, actually) and so I'm always feeling a little stuck on this topic. My go to is a ground nut crust (I usually use the food processor to grind up some toasted pecans, toasted walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pine nuts (that's a splurge, but soooo good!), hazelnuts, etc...we've never used a nut that wasn't tasty--they all seem to work). Usually, I just throw in about a tablespoon of sugar with about 1 1/2 cups nuts. All depends on the size of the pie pan/tin you might be using. I start by grinding a cup and a half, and then I grind more if necessary. It's not an exact science, but it doesn't need to be.

Then spreading in a no-bake kind of filling, sort of like Nigella Lawson uses in her no fuss fruit tart. If I recall correctly, it's a jar of lemon curd combined with a softened brick of cream cheese. Soooo easy, and it's the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and sour. I've done it with lime curd--just as good. I've also done half a can of pumpkin puree with the cream cheese and a dash of some pumpkin friendly spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice) for a fall option. We top the tart/pie/whatever you want to call it with fruit or other toppings. For the pumpkin on, we did homemade toffee bits, a drizzle of dark chocolate, and a little sprinkling of dried cranberries. I usually make a spiced coffee to go with it and it's a great end to the meal. When my dairy free friend stops by, we just sub out the cream cheese with vegan cream cheese and the curd I usually replace with just a regular fruit preserve when we are doing egg free. It's a great basic plan that can be adapted to a lot of different allergy/intolerance needs. (For nut free, we just grind up a batch of GF, DF storebought cookies in the food processor and smash them into a pie dish until they hold together.)

We use this "recipe" for just about every dessert we do for entertaining, and we've never made the exact same thing twice. It's fun to try out new combinations of nuts, fillings, and toppings. And we've even used melted chocolate to decorate the top for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Good luck! I know it can be tough to accommodate those with food allergies or intolerances, but as I'm sure you can guess, for those who suffer, it is a very welcome treat.

We've used this in our family for probably 25 years to keep celery crisp and fresh in the fridge for up to 3 weeks:
http://www.amazon.com/Tupperware-Vintage-Celery-Keeper/dp/B002WYYBY8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1314246280&sr=8-3

It's an old tupperware model, but there are plenty of companies who make celery keepers currently. A little water in there to cover the celery, and you're good to go. Does it take up a bunch of space? Yes. We usually keep it in our extra storage fridge in the garage, but it's easy to stack on and shove in the back of a drawer or shelf in a regular fridge and still get around it okay, so it's not the end of the world. You can put other things in there, like herbs or carrots, but we've always just stuck to using it for celery. Works like a champ, dependably.

If you cut an end of wilted celery, you can stand it in a glass of ice water, and it should perk up again in a half hour to an hour.

I LOVE leftover pulled pork for banh mi, as others have mentioned. Plus it is a great excuse to stretch the homemade mayo muscle that I need to work on.

As others have said, it is one of the BEST freezer items. But if you don't have the space in the freezer, that just won't do.

I like pulled pork with potato pancakes and stewed apples (kinda like porkchops) and it's also pretty yummy as an additional to grilled cheese sandwiches with Meunster and a little pepper relish.

How about a tart with puff pastry squares, caramelized onions, pulled pork, and maybe something creamy like goat cheese?

I have the say that the original cucumber recipe by Tyler Florence that the crudo is modeled after is really the best. I tried it with a similar approach with zucchini, and it just didn't have the same great result. Might be worth going a little crazy and using both zucchini AND cucumber together.

I love the Nigella version that others have mentioned. I'm also a big fan of her no-fuss fruit tart, which has a similar approach and I make it with key lime curd instead of lemon curd when we have a craving for key lime cheesecake. (Honestly, in this application, regular lime curd may work just as a well.) It's a great way to use up a bit of extra fruit too--when all you have left is too small for a true serving, it works great as a tart topping! Plus, you can fool yourself into thinking that it is better for you, because there's fruit to counteract any of the bad calories. :)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/no-fuss-fruit-tart-recipe/index.html

I had started doing my own chicken roasting, until I got turned onto Costco's rotisserie chickens. Theirs are consistently moist and juicy, much more so than the 5 local grocery store varieties we have. They are also the cheapest in our area at just above $4 regularly. Most times, in this area, it is hard to get a whole chicken the same size for under $5-$6, so by the time I waste the electricity to heat my oven, I'm well over what I pay at Costco for them to do the work. I can't say it is as good as a home roasted bird, but it is dependable, cheap, and someone does the work for me, so in the summer time, I take the help gladly.

I concentrate really really hard while staring at the avocado pit. If I do it right, it just pops out on its own. If I'm doing extra well, it walks its little rolly self into the trash can.