Merm's Profile

@Keeks - what about a stainless steel mug? I have one for coffee and one for tea that I use all the time and they have lasted for years. The coffee one is 12 years old now and still going strong. Plus stainless steel keeps the drinks hot much longer than plastic/ cardboard.

I second Bob's Red Mill!

me too! i much much much prefer cold pancake syrup on my pancakes, waffles, french toast, etc. than warm or room-temp!

Thank you so much for writing this! I live in Portland, OR, where we have many rainy days in the spring and fall, even occasionally during the height of the summer season. I volunteered the past 2 years at a local FM and we had so many fewer people come out to shop on rainy days (and really hot days too, actually) and its devastating to farmers. You'd think people who live in a pretty rainy climate would persevere through the rain, but not so much.

BTW, I am so excited to go to a FM today to get fresh winter veg for the next several days - and it happens to be inside (and it is pouring here today)!

@stellarkar - what about the family "go to" of framed/ collaged photo gifts?

I vote card for gift certificates (though its good to know your giftee well enough to know what kind to buy - I have been the receiver of many gift cards that are for stores I would not usually shop at for anything or stores that are not in my area), movie passes, stationary, warm socks (or other wintery warm items - you can never have enough scarves as far as I'm concerned), and above all homemade anything. But I agree with the above poster - alcohol and ornaments are iffy - not everyone celebrates a specific holiday that uses ornaments and not everyone drinks alcohol or knows people who would enjoy it as a re-gift.

I think these ideas are usually considered "generic" and not as fun/ meaningful as other gifts, but again, if you know your giftee well enough, and can personalize these things to their taste, they can be awesome!

fresh crans are the best in baked goods! they cook in the baking process and become nice and juicy and soft.

My partner and I are also of the make a good amount of food for dinner/lunch plus leftovers ilk, so its not an issue. We just take what we want from the food we make, depending on our preferences of the moment (hungriness, kind of food, etc.). Occasionally, when the food is super delicious, we might whine about who gets to eat the leftovers if there's not enough for 2. In the end its really not much of an issue - we eat what we want when we want.

But since I'm a meat and cheese eater and she's veggie and lactose-intolerant, some of our meals are specially-tailored for us as individuals anyway.

I am planning a tunnel of fudge cake as a late bday cake for my partner.

Also thinking about chicken soup with matzo balls (and split pea soup for my girlfriend who's veggie) b/c chicken's on sale, we have tons of carrots, and fall is supposed to finally hit the PNW hard this weekend.

this sounds amazing!