What Iโm into this week:
Are we facing theย Death of the Mircowave? ย (We donโt own one, do you?)
Who is to blame for the obesity epidemic? Fed Up, released in theaters today, goes for the jugular.
I am majorly coveting this happyย patio umbrella.
Do you guys know about Mouth? They hunt down the best indie foods (think small-batch gins, artisanal coffees, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate) then group things together in gift boxes. Their selection looks divine.
Five ways to deal with dinner guests who wonโt put down their phones. (Can someone please write the companion piece: How to deal with 12-year-olds who wonโt put down their phones at a birthday party?)
My friend Tara โ whose food photography you have no doubt drooled over many millions of times โ is launching a magazine called Wild Apple, dedicated to gluten-free living. Please supportย her kickstarter campaign.
Local peeps: This newย marketย looks promising! Anyone have intel on it for me?
10 Cakes for Motherโs Day (Iโm all over the olive oil.)
A whole new way to think about chicken.
A little too much rang true to meย here.
Is it June 6 yet?ย (Please do yourself a favor and read the book before you see the movie.)
Get ready for the World Cup! (And yes, I shazamed, then bought the song playing in the background.)
What to make for Motherโs Day Brunch: A Slideshow.
Lastly, my friendย Marcieย might be the most talented person I know. She turns vintage curtains into princess crowns for my daughters; she runs the school garden program at her kidsโ elementary school; as a trained biologist, she can tell her plovers from her willers, her zooplankton from her daphnia; and legend has it that on a camping trip once, she caught and gutted a fish with her bare hands. ย But all that? Childโs play compared to the projects and adventures sheโs assembled for her new bookย This Book Was a Tree: Ideas, Adventures, and Inspiration for Rediscovering the Natrual World.ย Ever wonder how to make a pinhole camera out of household objects or a sundial out of a tree stump? Make felt out of a thrift shop sweater? This is your manual. Check it out!
Happy Motherโs Day Everyone!
Well, we havenโt used a microwave since 2004โwhen we moved across the country and just never plugged it in againโbut we didnโt sell it until 2009 or so. But the toaster oven has been around since way before that and is still growing strong!
@Eileen: Technically I do own a microwave, but itโs roughly 20 years old โ purchased for Andyโs postage-stamp-sized Boerum Hill studio in 1995 โ and it sits in a dusty corner of our basement. Every few weeks I will reheat my coffee in it. I used to use it for defrosting meat but got tired of my chicken/pork/steak cooking in odd spots, thawing in others. Iโm sure this has nothing to do with the fact that itโs 20 yrs old.
We do not currently have a microwave and the only thing I miss is reheating my coffee. Weโre about to move into an apartment and Iโm actually looking forward to the coffee-reheating box ๐
also โ I love the world cup commercial. Good times.
We have a microwave, but I use it to warm milk (for recipes and for bedtime), to reheat food that Iโve made and stashed for a busier day, and to melt chocolate or butter (for stove top popcorn). The fact that we are more conscious of what weโre putting into our bodies, and moreso, our childโs bodies, means that we cook more, yes, but we still want to reheat that food in a convenient way.
I received a giant tome of microwave cookery as the prize for winning my schoolโs home economics contest in grade 10, c. 1990. Back then, it was all the rage to cook whole meals in the microwave! Happy that those days are gone, though I will still whip out a chocolate mug-cake every now and again.
We have a microwave and use it ALL the time. Breakfast oatmeal gets cooked there daily. Leftovers get heated up on a daily basis too.
I think we eat better BECAUSE of the microwave. It makes it feasible to make a big batch of something delicious and good for us, have it stashed in the fridge ready for a quick meal when we need it. Some days I just donโt have the time or energy to make an entire dinner from scratch. (Some days itโs too hot to turn on the stove!) True, some things donโt reheat well. Most things do though!
We got rid of our microwave. But my mom came over and saw we didnโt have one. She couldnโt stand the thought, so she bought us one. I use it maybe once a month to soften butter or pop popcorn.
Wow, we use our microwave all the time. It is a tiny little one, maybe 10-12 years old. I use it for coffee and leftovers. We also have two microwaves in my department at work for heating lunches.
Vanessa- When my mom saw how small our microwave is, she wanted to get us a new one! I had to point out how small the rest of the kitchen is, too.
We donโt have a microwave. It left the kitchen after a re-modelling that just didnโt leave any room for it. I canโt say I miss it either. Seems that most that I was doing with it was soften butter for baking, heating some left-overs and making popcorn. The biggest thing to accomodate is the popcorn. The array of microwave-popcorn is staggering when compared to the availability of regular popcorn, the kind people used to prepare on the stove.
Put a basket at the front door to collect electronics with a little sign that says โEnjoy the friends who are here with youโ.
We have one: cheap-o teensy one from Sears. I declined the opportunity to incorporate a super-duper one into the cabinetry over the loud protestations of our contractor during the kitchen remodel. I use it maybe once a week to heat up leftovers.
However, I now insist that everyone call it the โscience ovenโ after seeing American Hustle.
We do have a microwave, I use it for melting butter. Itโs an awfully large melting butter appliance.
I have to say though, if there was a fad I wish would pass, it is the gluten-free diet. Of course, there are people who are gluten-intolerent and for them gluten-free products are a god-send. For the rest of us, I think it is great idea to incorporate the taste of other whole grains with whole wheat, but there is no health/weight benefit to being completely gluten-free. Itโs a fad. Just like every other diet, other than the exercise-more diet.
I donโt have a microwave. I gave it to my youngest when she moved into her first apartment eight years ago. I donโt miss it.
I donโt use any appliance daily and most donโt get used weekly. The only appliance on my counter is the stand mixer and Iโm trying to find another spot for it. The only thing I really like about it is that the paddle is easier to clean than beaters. Spoons and a spatulas are easier to clean than either of those. I bake frequently, but do most of it โby hand.โ
More and more Iโm an unplugged cook. With the possible exception of reheating food on the stove top or in the oven, I donโt find that it takes me much more time. Though itโs not by choice, I donโt even have a dishwasher. That is the one appliance I would use daily!
Britainโs chicken recipes are appealing.
Danged auto correct!
i love my microwave. i use it to reheat leftovers (also use the stoptop, but nuking is much quicker!); also use it to โcookโ a veggie burger when in a hurry, warming tortillas and melting cheese on a burrito. never put coffee in there. it would oxidize it, no? blech.
soโฆ.I bought the bookโฆThe Fault in our Starsโฆโฆoh my word. how did you get thru this? I was sobbing on the couch for 20 min. My husband made me stop reading. Iโm almost done, but boy is it good and heart wrenching and beautiful!
A happy belated motherโs day.
No microwave here. We have never had one. We were married in 1996 and I can not tell you how many people tried to get us one as a gift.
We never wanted/had microwave until this year. One of my kids was diagnosed with celiac disease and I was convinced I would need the microwave to make the gluten free English muffins paleo people love.
I have made those muffins twice in about 6 months. I hate the microwave. It is useless. Even for reheating things. How do you even know how long to put your food in there for? And often it bursts and then you have to wash the whole box. Also it is another digital clock to deal with.
Your post reminded me to make the muffins in my stupid microwave though. Thanks!
http://bigfootchildhavediabetes.com/2012/08/31/paleo-crumpet/
oh manโฆi loved that book!! and EVERY time i watch a trailer for the movie i SOBโฆevery time. I think i might have to watch that one at homeโฆi would be a WRECK at the theater!!
I love your lists! I agree with both you and carrie k โ canโt wait for June 6th. Loved that book so much and just watching the trailer puts tears in my eyes. So good!
Also, what a cool website โ MOUTH! Such great gift ideas!
Microwave ovens are awesome for making fat-free poppadums (2 minutes on HIGH). I like to think that they are so much healthier than crisps โฆ AND totally gluten-free to boot.
I use my microwave several times a day. What do you do with leftovers? We have leftover night for dinner once and sometimes twice a week, and lunch at home is nearly always reheated leftovers. I canโt imagine all of this on a stove, or in a toaster oven!
We use the microwave mostly for homemade microwave popcorn. And, of course to warm coffee.
Yes, I have and use my microwave daily. For reheating that single cup of coffee or making a single cup of tea. Reheating leftovers for quick meals. Easy Mac is the processed food staple I keep around for the emergency meal for my daughter as well.
I read and LOVE the book and cannot wait to see the movie! John Green is a great author.
Cutting the chicken into parts โ DUH. We can actually get the parts pretty cheap around here โ someone always has leg quarts or split breasts on special. I buy both and them freeze them together for half chicken goodness. We โroastโ the pcs nearly every Sunday with lots of veggies. This is my husband current โgo-toโ leftover meal for workdays.
Competitive Youth Soccer โ ah yes. My husband played competitively for close to 20 years. His own mother didnโt work and was able to schlep him and teammates and their gear to and from practicies and games and to travel. My father-in-law worked hard, sometimes two jobs to allow for this. I know sacrifices were made to their other 2 children at the time to allow for this. Our won daughter played at the prodding of my husband and father-in-law in a rec league for 5 years. She never loved it. SHe has since tryied gymnastics and is interested in taking a dance class now. But for fun. Sheโs just not competitive by nature. She and I are both perfectly content to go for a bike ride, read a book, or swing at the park. However, if she had fallen in love with the sport, or any sport, I know we move mountains to fulfill her passion for it. (This goes for any sport really).
I havenโt read The Fault in our Stars yet. I knew John Green was from Indianapolis, but didnโt realize the story was set here. The places mentioned are real places in Indy.
A local news station went on a tour of some of.the places mentioned in the story. The Speedway at 86th and Ditch is where I get my gas.