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At work (I'm a gardener) we use Tecnu when we come in contact with poison ivy. It has worked well for me when I know I've been in the poison ivy. I've also just done the soap and water technique with reasonable success when I've been at my boyfriend's mom's house and not had any tecnu.

People who are not allergic should always be careful, these things change. One of my coworkers discovered the hard way that he had become allergic!


Get Smart: Recognizing Poisonous Plants
5/19/12 6:46 AM

I was thinking that this would be kind of awesome above outdoor seating for a restaurant or cafe. I wonder if sunlight shining through it casts colored shadows like stained glass?


Parking Canopy Made of Recycled Plastic Bottles Colossal
5/19/12 6:35 AM

Kicking out the cat that likes to meow in your ear at 4:30am. Also helpful.


6 Simple Changes To Make at Home To Help You Sleep
5/4/12 7:28 PM

The Euphorbia marginata is quite nice. I've tried to warm to that Brunnera cultivar, but just can't persuade myself that I want variegated foliage on it. The regular old brunnera is a fine, scrappy little guy which will pop up with its lovely blue flowers and then recede into the background for the rest of the year.

An additional suggestion, variegated Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum falcatum 'variegatum' is quite lovely - the white stripes somehow highlight the curve of the stem. After a year or so of growing, it will start to spread and give you a nice patch of the stuff.


Variegation Is The Spice Of Life: Streaked, Spotted & Mottled Plants
4/26/12 7:50 PM

technique: after making purchases, we get the soft serve frozen yogurt, sit on the couches around there eat it, relax a little and only then do we try to pack things into the car.


IKEA Meltdowns: Do They Happen To You?
4/17/12 5:34 PM

Matzoh ball soup, brisket, charoset, Moroccan carrot salad (made by me), roasted sweet potatoes/onions with old bay and smoked paprika (made by my boyfriend), macaroons, fresh strawberries, all in the company of family.

I've got another Seder to go to in a few days and I'll be bringing (Kosher for Passover only if you're Sephardic) lemony chickpea salad, and (KforP for everyone) flourless chocolate cake. I think there will be lamb and more matzoh ball soup as well. There's always the possibility of a good quinoa salad...


What Are Your Passover & Easter Plans?
4/7/12 5:26 PM

Roasting two chickens (with sweet potatoes underfoot), brown rice, a cooked carrot salad with lemon and cumin, and pumpkin spice cake from a box (so sue me, I like the stuff). Should be some good lunches coming out of all this.


What's Cooking This Weekend?
Weekend of March 17-18, 2012

3/18/12 7:41 PM

and if you feel like exploring the fun world of banana ripening:
http://www.ediblegeography.com/spaces-of-banana-control/
A great article on a banana ripening facility in the Bronx, NY.


Smart Tip: To Quickly Ripen an Avocado, Use a Banana
3/16/12 5:34 PM

yesterday was left over leg of lamb with garlic sauce, quinoa, green lentils and some steamed spinach. Today was a prepared salad from the grocery store: romaine, feta, chicken, tomato, red pepper, cucumber, olives. I really like my local grocery store salads.


What Are You Eating for Lunch Today?
3/15/12 5:22 PM

Grilled cheese party is still the winner for me. We did this with a couple of "sandwich makers", a couple of frying pans and lots and lots of cheese/bread/other options. Deliciousness ensued.


Weekend Gathering Idea: Host a Hot Chocolate Party!
3/9/12 4:27 PM

And my nightstand is an old wooden school desk from a local school that was closing. This was many years ago when I was a kid and my dad and I sanded it and poly'd it. For a while it was a TV stand with the VCR in the underneath part.


How Does One Function with a Dysfunctional Nightstand?
2/24/12 6:26 PM

My cat likes to knock things off of my side table. I have been slowly adjusting to this.


How Does One Function with a Dysfunctional Nightstand?
2/23/12 7:57 PM

lighting: being able to turn the lights off without getting out of bed. ceiling fans are really lovely especially in the summer. having a bed that is ready to get into - no excess pillows or other fripperies. being able to get out of both sides of the bed - then you don't wake someone up climbing over them in the morning. having a door that shuts.

and personally, I find the cat curled up on the bed asleep to be pretty darn awesome.


Ten Tips for The Sexiest Bedroom... Like Ever (And also for finding love)
2/13/12 3:05 PM

My grandparents were big fans of what people are calling mid century modern. The Noguchi coffee table was in their living room along with the Herman Miller lounge chair and a few others. I found it pretty funny when MCM came back into style - it was something I'd always enjoyed in my grandparents' home.


Round, Oval, Organic Coffee Tables: Not Your Grandma's Rectangle
2/10/12 12:04 PM

I made the braised coconut spinach with chick peas two nights ago and the leftovers are already gone. My boyfriend, who prefers meat in his meals, thought that it was satisfying and that we should make it again.

I make myself a chickpea salad that is simply chopped shallots or onions, a couple cans of chickpeas, sushi vinegar, salt and pepper. It is better if you add lemon juice and some chopped crunchy veggies (carrots, celery, cucumbers, ... green onions are pretty good too), but when the fridge is bare ...

Other chickpea standby is to sprinkle a can of washed chickpeas with old bay and paprika, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then roast until they get smaller and crunchy. good as a snack and good as a meal on rice.


10 Weeknight Dinners with Chickpeas
Recipe Roundup

1/25/12 2:08 PM

If you live in NYC, check HPD online before you sign a lease.
It is the last link on the page.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/pr/violation.shtml
Familiarize yourself with the complaints and violations in your building before you move in. Note how many times your landlord has been taken to court. Note how long it takes before violations are resolved. Note that if people are calling 311 to try to resolve issues it means that the porter/super/landlord isn't doing his/her job.

(says she who lives in a building with 67 class C violations - yes, those are the ones that are supposed to be resolved in 24 hours)

I've been telling this to all my NYC friends for a while now and I hope it will help everyone who is looking for a new place.


What's on Your "Next Apartment" Checklist?
1/25/12 1:48 PM

My ecology-minded resolutions for the year are not as pretty as some. I will be switching the kitty litter from clay to either recycled newspaper or wheat chaff (depends on what the cat likes) and I'll be switching me from tampons to a cup.

Every year I choose a "lazy" environmental resolution - I try something that is so easy I'll definitely stick with it. In the past when I've tried more stringent resolutions, I haven't stuck with them, so I look at the possible resolutions and choose the ones that have the greatest result for the least effort.


10 Resolutions from Eco-Minded Readers
1/12/12 2:04 PM

When I'm feeling uninspired/tired/lazy, I find that having a few packs of frozen veggies in the freezer lets me easily add them to whatever I'm cooking. Spinach or peas are the easiest for me for this. Trader Joe's seems to have good frozen veggies for this sort of thing.


What Are Your Best Strategies & Tips for Eating More Vegetables?
1/11/12 9:34 AM

Just finished the cooking of the meat and the gnocchi are in the oven. Saturday night. Oh yeah.


Winter Recipe: Pork Ragu with Semolina Gnocchi
12/10/11 9:28 PM

I'd suggest a look through the AM Leonard catalog. They've also got hori horis (aka soil knives). In addition a good pair of Felco's and a nice folding saw will be useful to any gardener.

In addition to purely functional gifts, a subscription to Gardens Illustrated, full of great ideas, plants and not overwhelmed with products, would be nice.

Then there's always gift certificates for seeds and plants. Something to dream away the winter with for those of us in cold climes without greenhouses.


Gift Guide for the Dedicated Gardener
12/8/11 9:48 PM