Happytape is taking over! Sarah L. noticed the latest at Little Green Notebook: Happytape used as temporary Harlequin “wallpaper”. A great idea for renters, and it probably takes less patience to do up a wall this way than to actually paint it. Get the how-to here.
There are people who love a good theme room, and then there are people who really love a good theme room. For whatever reason, sometimes obsession sets in, and quite suddenly you’re knee-deep in a replica room. Take Anthony Toth, for example, who spent 20 years and $50,000 turning his garage into a 1970’s styled Pan-Am first class cabin. Gary Reighn turned his living room into the Star Trek Enterprise’s deck while Darren Mortensen’s home theater is a replica of Cyberdyne’s evil headquarters. In Taiwan, there’s a whole resort devoted to Hello Kitty! I, for one, love it. The world would be a pretty boring place if we all had tasteful Pottery Barn-style room, wouldn’t it? Any replica rooms caught your attention lately? — Katie D.
Have you ever thought about auditioning for a reality TV show? Shelterrific contributor Megan Barone decided to go for it, and lived to tell the tale — and share the recipe.
I spent last Sunday at the local Sur La Table with about 500 eager Pacific Northwestern foodies. We were all there to audition for infamous Chef Gordon Ramsay‘s new reality show, MasterChef. The new show is billed as a Top Chef for home cooks, rather than restaurant chefs, so I thought I’d give it a go.
First step: the 12-page application. This almost thwarted my aspirations right off the bat. “How would people describe your negative traits?” Um, that was a fun jaunt into self-discovery!
Second step: I was told to bring a single serving of a dish that “expresses who you are as a cook” and that can be served at room temperature, plus a photo of that dish. Now, this was more inspiring. After a few days of meticulously testing in my kitchen and forcing my friends and family to taste test, I was happy with my creation: a wintry Dungeness crab salad with shaved brussels sprouts, caramelized leeks, fennel, and blood orange, seasoned with a hint of fennel frond and tarragon. I thought it was delicious — the sweetness of the crab meat augmented by the licorice-y fennel, earthy leeks, and bright citrus. I hoped the judges would think so, too.
Is auditioning for MasterChef anything like American Idol? How delicious is Megan’s crab salad recipe? Tune in — we mean, click the link! — to read more. (more…)
When recently queried about the one kitchen tool I couldn’t live without, it was a tough choice between three things: my chef’s knife, my 12-inch cast iron skillet, and my pressure cooker. Pressure cooker, really? Yes, really. As a busy working home cook of meager means, I’ve come to rely heavily on its many strengths. In addition to reducing cooking time by almost 75%, the food retains more minerals and, in my opinion, has a much better flavor. Lentils aredone in eight minutes, no soaking required. Stocks are thick and gelatinized in 30 minutes. My favorite braise, chicken adobo, from start to finish? Twenty minutes. Start with a recipe or cookbook, or do what I do — use the timetables here to adapt recipes. My at-home cooker wasn’t very expensive, but it heats a bit inconsistently. So when it’s time for an upgrade, I’ll be bringing home one of these beautiful Kuhn Rikon pressure cookers with a nice, thick, stainless steel bottom. They’re the new slow cooker — but even better! — Megan B.
We love following folks on Twitter because we hear about so many things we might otherwise have missed. (Yes, Shelterrific is on Twitter!) For example, this Silicone Tagine that Delight.com tweeted about yesterday. We clicked out of curiosity to learn: “A ceramic Tagine can cost well over $100. And while we all LOVE our Le Creuset here at Delight, we can’t always afford to get the peripheral fun stuff. Dutch Oven? A necessity. $100 Tagine? Not so much. Ergo, a $20 Tagine made by the French geniuses at Mastrad is, well, A Smart Buy.” Agreed! And actually, it’s on sale for just $18.80 until January 27. Check it out here.
