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Our apartment is the first on the left, with the only fireplace in the building..
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So cute! It looks like an old motel was refurbished into apartments. Is your place the entire length of that first floor, or are you guys squeezed cheek-to-cheek in only half of it?

Now maybe it's time to post a pic or two in the "Our Kitchens" thread. Just sayin'...;)
 
Ross....what a cute place! Complete with the white picket fence - I LOVE it, and thank you for sharing!

When you have an hour or so to kill, you might like this thread that kgirl started a few years ago. It's one of my favorites. :)

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f26/this-is-where-im-from-90539.html

You are right Cheryl. It is a great read. Also Kayelle and her husband Sous Chef have a fantastic travel one. Sous Chef started it even before he met and married Kayelle. So Kayelle is not in the first part. She comes later. That is a do nothing Saturday read when you have a day full of time to kill.

When someone takes the time to keep a blog, I make it a point to read it. Then I can make an honest comment on it. I would never make a negative one though. Only point out the parts I enjoyed the most. I have read some blogs that are so painful that I quit in the middle and never went back. I can forgive poor spelling and even English construction. It is not an easy language, even if it is your mother tongue. But when you write a sentence that starts with "I ain't got no..." I am out of there in a hurry.

So read Kgirl and Kayelle's blogs. You will love them both and be filled with envy.
 
So cute! It looks like an old motel was refurbished into apartments. Is your place the entire length of that first floor, or are you guys squeezed cheek-to-cheek in only half of it?

Now maybe it's time to post a pic or two in the "Our Kitchens" thread. Just sayin'...;)


Thank you CG... It does have a bit of a motel look, doesn't it? It was built as an apartment building in 1956.. It has been in one family since being built.. Great landlord...

I wish our apartment went the entire length...lol.. The second window (past the shuttered door) is to our kitchen area and wall of the next apartment.. Our apartment is only 700 sq ft...There are only 8 units, one of which the owner rents out as a vacation pad.. He is very strict as to who he allows to stay there as the perm tenants are mostly older folk...

Ross
 
Talking about shopping lists ...
For a while now, I've learned that it's "a good thing"
to keep a running list of items that I buy at certain retailers.
For example, I have on my computer a list of things that
I would normally purchase at, oh, let's say Costco.
I have pricing per unit (ie ounce, etc.) this way I can
compare prices or sale prices to other stores.
Before I go to Costco, I print out my list,
check it over for what I need to replenish and then
I stick to that list, that is if DH doesn't come with :LOL:
This past Sunday I was at Costco with my list
and a gentleman saw this and made comment,
"That's a great idea!"
 
This isn't food or cooking related, but once upon a time there were a few posts about the Pacific temperate rain forest (AKA "jungle"). I just found out that the U.S. has another one - and we've visited it! :huh:

We spent a week near Asheville, NC in 2012 and did a lot of looking around the area. Little did we know we were wandering through a rainforest! Apparently, there is one along the Blue Ridge Mountains path, down in southwest North Carolina. I didn't know it was a "jungle" out there, but I do remember it as being pretty and smelling nice.

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There is also another rain forest in Washington State. It is on the far western side of the state and runs west right out to the rocky coast of the Pacific Ocean. It is eerie and if you are inclined to write a murder mystery, just go there and spend one day. Moss hanging from trees, strange sounds coming from who knows where, thick forestry that is almost impossible to penetrate. It also has mountains, plenty of rain, continuous rain, rain every single day, low clouds that come down from the mountains that bring the rain. It is called the Olympic National Rain Forest.

I went once with some friends of mine to see it. The forest ranger stopped us and wanted to know how long we were going to be visiting and exactly where we were going. He warned us not to stop and talk to any of the folks who live there. He gave us a few other warnings and addition information with some brochures. We spent the grand sum of one hour, turned the car around and headed out. We did get to see plenty of wild life running about. I have never had the urge to ever return. Oh, the army brings their soldiers from Fort Lewis there for jungle training.
 
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There is also another rain forest in Washington State...
Psst, I know. It's mentioned in my first sentence: "the Pacific temperate rain forest" ;)

It probably was you that mentioned it a couple of years ago. I knew there was a desert in Maine (talk about something appearing to be out of place), but until I saw a mention in a recent issue of "Southern Living" I wasn't aware of the second rainforest in North Carolina.
 
Psst, I know. It's mentioned in my first sentence: "the Pacific temperate rain forest" ;)

It probably was you that mentioned it a couple of years ago. I knew there was a desert in Maine (talk about something appearing to be out of place), but until I saw a mention in a recent issue of "Southern Living" I wasn't aware of the second rainforest in North Carolina.

I wasn't sure what you were referring to. I only know it by the Olympic Peninsula (sp?) National Rain Forest. I would open my drapes in the morning and see Mt. Rainier and go to my back door to get my broom and there were the Olympic Mountains. Both covered in snow year round.
 
I forget if I mentioned this before, so please forgive me in advance ...

When using "solid shortening" aka Crisco or Lard

(and yes I do use Lard from time to time, it's readily
available here in the middle of the desert ;))

to fry, either shallow or deep. Once it cools,
it's so much easier to deal with.
I reuse frying oil maybe 3-4 times, depending.
When it's cool enough to handle, I strain out any
stray bits through cheesecloth and stash the oil, now
solid again, in the `fridge for the next round of
frying.
 
Speaking of shopping lists...

It drives me nuts when the store scatters things around - like different placing juices or soups in multiple aisles depending on "healthy" or "kids" or "diabetic" or "international" or ???

So my shopping list is set up by what aisle the item is in. This makes shopping much faster.
 
I went to Costco the other day and bought acoupla gigantic trays of meat.
When I got home I was just too pooped to divvy them up into Food Saver bags and stash them in the deep freeze, so I just chucked them into the `fridge.

Next day I went to look for something for breakfast and realized that the date on each of the meat wrappings were UP! Use it or freeze it dudette!

So I thought to myself, HMMM
maybe I should mark each portion as so ...

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"0 days left"
To propmt me that once I defrost each one, I need to cook it that day!
 
Spike moved into a brand spanking new apartment this week. His son outfitted it completely with all of the furniture he could possibly need. Including a couch and electric recliner for Spike and a matching dog couch for Teddy.

But he also bought him one of those little freezers that is wide enough for frozen pizzas and other big pieces. Spike likes to keep his freezer full. And often he forgets just how much he has in there. On those occasions, he brings it to my house to hold for him until he can make room for his excess. Now with the extra freezer space, I can fill mine and not have to leave room for him.
 
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I don't fry alot of foods, but when I do
(Geez, doesn't that sound like some TV commercial? :LOL:)
it makes a dang mess!
When oil starts to pop and fly and gets into the floor tile grout, man, that's
almost impossible to clean up (I opted not to seal the grout:ermm:)

So, I had this idea...
I lay down an old sheet in the laundry room to buzz-cut DH's hair for him in the
house when it's too hot or cold outside to save on a mess.

003.jpg

DING DING DING DING DING!!
Why not throw that sheet down in the kitchen when I fry things?
When I'm done, into the washer it goes.
 
K girl. I don’t have a problem with popping and flying if I make sure the food is dry before it goes into the fat. It’s the little droplets of water the are instantly turned into steam when they hit the super hot oil.
 
I hear yuh Kgirl! It really does. Andy, I don't 'quite' agree, a lot of foods have natural water in them... as in bacon. Plus if you use a mix of butter and oil, as I often do, there is also water in butter (ok, but not ghee)

At any rate it is sort of a good idea Kgirl just be very sure as you are moving about it will twist the sheet and create folds - don't let it catch your foot and trip you when you turn around with a hot pan in your hands!

I used to have a small rag carpet in front of the stove and a matching one in front of the sink. Caught grease and water splashing. An older friend was helping me one day and suddenly kicked the two of them out to the passage with a big grumble about kitchen hazards! LOL... lesson learned - I never replaced them!
 
I hear yuh Kgirl! It really does. Andy, I don't 'quite' agree, a lot of foods have natural water in them... as in bacon. Plus if you use a mix of butter and oil, as I often do, there is also water in butter (ok, but not ghee)

At any rate it is sort of a good idea Kgirl just be very sure as you are moving about it will twist the sheet and create folds - don't let it catch your foot and trip you when you turn around with a hot pan in your hands!

I used to have a small rag carpet in front of the stove and a matching one in front of the sink. Caught grease and water splashing. An older friend was helping me one day and suddenly kicked the two of them out to the passage with a big grumble about kitchen hazards! LOL... lesson learned - I never replaced them!


HEH!
Now there's an idea Dragn! :idea:
I could make a custom sized rug, one piece as not to trip over, like a rag rug!
Toss it in the washer if it gets messed up!!!
 
I don't fry alot of foods, but when I do
(Geez, doesn't that sound like some TV commercial? :LOL:)
it makes a dang mess!
When oil starts to pop and fly and gets into the floor tile grout, man, that's
almost impossible to clean up (I opted not to seal the grout:ermm:)

So, I had this idea...
I lay down an old sheet in the laundry room to buzz-cut DH's hair for him in the
house when it's too hot or cold outside to save on a mess.

View attachment 29204

DING DING DING DING DING!!
Why not throw that sheet down in the kitchen when I fry things?
When I'm done, into the washer it goes.
I don’t deep fry at all anymore. I never fried foods often, and I never know what to do with oil! Strain it and pour it back into the bottle? How long will it keep? And how many times can I use it? And the splatter, mess and that awful cooking oil smell. Oven “frying” is good enough for me.
 
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