Her casa

Be prepared

2007-06-15T13:08:00.000-04:00

It’s hurricane season. Do you know where your flashlight is? Actually, you need a working flashlight all year long. I was reminded of that this past week.

I changed a light bulb (OK, no jokes about how many journalists does it take to change a light bulb) in a finicky lamp in my living room and suddenly the place went dark. Thankfully, it was only a little after 8 p.m. and still light outside. But I had to go to the very dark basement to check the circuit breakers.

Not a problem. I have a flashlight – except I hadn’t checked it in a long time. How about almost three years ago when I lived in Florida and Hurricane Charlie was roaring up the Gulf Coast. Not good. The batteries had definitely given up their juices a while ago. But I also have a flashlight in my car. I was lucky. It still worked. Then, it only took a few minutes to get the lights back on.

Needless to say, I’m heading to the store to buy fresh batteries for my flashlights. You don’t need a storm to see the light.

Power (washing) yoga

2007-06-12T11:05:00.000-04:00

On most days, it’s 105 degrees in the room where I do yoga. For an hour plus, I drip sweat with other glistening practitioners as we seek calmer, stronger bodies. By the end of the session, I’m drenched – and so is my yoga mat. You could hydroplane easier than high plank. Sure, the mat dries, but yuck.

Nancy, one of the yoga instructors, gave us a great tip for cleaning a mat. Take a shower with it. All you need is a disinfectant cleaner, sponge and rubber gloves. It’s so easy. After bathing yourself, unroll the mat and scrub away. Soon the mat is squeaky clean. Drape it over the shower bar or find a place outside to dry it. The bonus is that you’re likely to keep cleaning the bathroom – eliminating another chore. Nancy is one smart yogi.

Oprah's summer picks

2007-05-30T08:37:00.000-04:00

Oprah Winfrey unveiled her "Favorite Things for Summer" this week and I'm tempted to check some of them out.

The zip-top tote bag from Lands End has a four pockets inside so your beach book and other stuff's easy to find, a hook for your keys so they're easy to find, too, and costs only $28.

Flip-flops from Havianas come from Brazil and are made of rubber. The fun colors and patterns scream summer and they look nice and cushy. $20.

And Oprah's pick for vibrant beach towels comes from Target, which is always Summer Central to me. Only $11.99. So I can afford to pick up some summer must-haves on my own list!

When appliances attack

2007-05-17T13:31:00.000-04:00

You want clean dishes. With no fire hazard. If you have a GE dishwasher, that may not be as automatic as you’d think. General Electric has announced a voluntary recall of about 2.5 million dishwashers. The company has received 191 reports of overheated wiring, including 56 reports of property damage. There were 12 reports of fires that caused damage outside the dishwasher. No injuries have been reported. Consumers are instructed to stop using the recalled dishwashers and contact GE for a free repair, a $150 rebate toward the purchase of a new GE dishwasher, or a $300 rebate toward the purchase of a new GE Profile or GE Monogram dishwasher. For details, contact GE at (877) 607-6395 or visit www.geappliances.com.

In the meantime, run yourself a sinkful of hot, soapy water and try to fall into the zen rhythm of washing dishes by hand. Or, better yet, enlist a kid.

Bugging me

2007-04-30T11:07:00.000-04:00

I have ants in my kitchen, and I’m not happy about it. The pesky insects seem to have appeared overnight. I didn’t want to use a lethal bug spray since I have a cat, whose food is in the area. Of course, the ants were thrilled to find the bowl of dry cat food. Not so much the cat – to find ants in her bowl.

This called for drastic measures since I didn’t want to remove the food and confuse the cat, who is used to nibbling at will. So I did what any modern-day woman would do. I Googled ants and pet food and came up with some great suggestions for keeping the trail of ants out of the bowl and other remedies.

I wasn’t sure the cat would go for the solution, but it was worth a try. Essentially, you make a moat with a shallow dish, slightly larger than the pet bowl. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the container plus a few drops of liquid dish soap. Place the feeding bowl in the water.

Amazingly, the cat caught on that she could still graze on her food. And, thankfully, no more ants in the food, although the little buggers did circle the perimeter of the dish a few times before they gave up and disappeared.

Next up, the kitchen counters. Evidently, ants don’t like cinnamon, so I placed small bowls of the spice around the kitchen. Nary an ant – for now. And the kitchen smells like Christmas.

Tending memories

2007-04-24T06:34:00.000-04:00

My grandfather defied Minnesota's abbreviated but hot summer growing season by nurturing a passionflower vine through each long, dark winter. It nestled in a glass vase full on water on the kitchen windowsill, a nest of white roots growing in tangled circles at the bottom.

Late in May, when the lingering danger of frost had finally passed, he'd make a trellis of twine from the garden's edge to the roofline of the house, and plant the passionflower, where it would make the most of the northern summer's long daylight hours.

The vines always bloomed, and my grandfather would often choose a single flower to cut, using a tiny liqueur glass for a vase. A few summers, autumn's harsh chill held off long enough for the vine to produce a few small passionfruits.

Last summer, I bought a passionflower in a hanging pot. I nursed it through the much-shorter Delaware winter, in a glass vase on my kitchen windowsill. This past weekend, a glorious 80-degree April weekend, I replanted the vines in a hanging pot on my front porch, and remembered.

A playful organic experience

2007-04-10T06:29:00.000-04:00

Organic is hot. A recent CBS "The Early Show" report says of organic products are growing 20 percent a year in the U.S, with total annual sales of about $14 billion.

Information about organic foods is often a little, shall we say, dry. Sales figures. Debates on whether organic is worth the extra cost. Assessments of how much pesticide residue there is on organic tomatoes vs. nonorganic tomatoes. Important stuff, but hardly blockbuster material.

But the Organic Trade Association has taken a cinematic approach. For a fun look at organic foods, check out "Grocery Store Wars." And may the Farm be with you.

A purse with a purpose

2007-04-05T11:02:00.000-04:00

I can understand why “April is the cruelest month.” T.S. Eliot may have had deeper meaning for the sentence in his ponderous poem “The Waste Land,” but I think it superficially can be applied to this month’s weather – thunderstorms, T-shirt days and snow showers. Who knows what to wear?

I did discover a must-have spring accessory at Christina’s Unique Accessories & More, off Silverside Road in Talleyville. It’s the Butler Bag ($95, small) designed by West Chester, Pa., resident Jennifer Groover, the mother of 2-year-old twin girls. The compartmentalized leather purse, available in several colors, makes it easy to grab stuff without rooting through all the necessary items we need to carry around. It’s even been featured in Oprah magazine, People and US Weekly. Better days are ahead.

Candle power

2007-03-27T12:12:00.000-04:00

I remember driving to Oahu’s North Shore and being lulled by the scent of pineapple, sort of like Dorothy in the poppy fields. Now you can bring that tropical-fruit aroma to your home minus the cost of a trip to Hawaii with Bath & Body Works’ pineapple-shaped scented candles ($16.50, small; $50, large). But you might want to hurry.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that when the candles arrived in stores two weeks ago, 13,000 of them sold in three days. I found the white ceramic candle in the small size (about 7 ¾ inches tall) at the Bath & Body Works store in Christiana Mall, where the clerk told me they were moving at a brisk pace. (The candles also come in a sugared passion fruit scent.) She bought one for her mother, she said. I got one, too.

I couldn’t wait to go home and light it. The night before, I had cooked salmon in a grill pan and the fishy smell was lingering too long. The candle was the perfect antidote. The pineapple fragrance, which also has hints of mango, lotus and vanilla, is delicate and pleasant and masked the cooking odor. Plus it permeates the house, making it smell nice. The candle also looks really cute in my kitchen.

Assembly, Part 3: A night off

2007-03-22T06:04:00.000-04:00

We did no assembly of Ikea furniture last night. I just wasn't ready to face another open box of boards and hardware. We used the excuse that Bridget needs more time to unload her old dresser so we can move it out of the way. But tonight, we really gotta get back to it. Unless I can find that magic wand...

Assembly, part 2

2007-03-21T08:34:00.000-04:00

OK, last night Bridget and I continued our Ikea saga. We started putting together drawers around 7:15. There are six of them and they were surprisingly easy to assemble. After the first one, we were pretty much able to just keep working without using the little line drawings in the instructions. All was going smoothly, until...the last drawer.

By this time, we were pretty confident, so when the last drawer's screws, dowels and holes didn't line up, we knew it was the parts, not us. Little comfort, though. And instead of a sense of accomplishment and completion, we have the irritation of having to call Ikea to have new parts sent. Sstill, it felt good to have assembled all those drawers in about an hour, and Bridget will be able to move the new dresser into place. And we'll start the next one.

P.S. The first night's equipment, for those of you who noticed, included a bottle of chardonnay, fontina cheese and sesame melba rounds. Second night was same bottle of chardonnay (can only have a single glass -- there's lots of little screws and dowels to keep track of, not to mention the hammering) with spinach-artichoke spread cheese and crackers. Tonight, maybe crostini with rosemary white beans...

The glass is half full

2007-03-20T18:06:00.000-04:00

I take my drinking glasses for granted. I often forget that they’re plastic until I notice the curious looks I get from guests when I serve them. I’m really not insulting them by not using fine crystal. I love my Tervis Tumblers and I want them to, too.

Actually, the tumblers aren’t plastic. They’re made of polycarbonate, the same stuff used in bulletproof shields and airplane windows. I had never heard of the brand until I moved to Florida several years ago. My co-workers at the local newspaper where I worked gave me a set as a welcome gift.

They explained that most people in the Sunshine State use these glasses because they don’t break and they don’t sweat. You can use them in the house, by the pool, on the boat, anywhere, without fear of breaking shards. In fact, they’re guaranteed to last for life.

Of course, when I moved to Delaware, I brought the glasses. They remind me of sun-drenched days and azure skies. My tumblers have a beach theme: local lighthouses, manatees and pink flamingoes. The only problem was that I lost half the glasses in my divorce settlement. Who would have thought these household items could cause contention?

But I’m ready to move on and add to my collection. There are many designs, but I’ve decided on pelicans (set of four 16-ounce glasses, $42) to grow my set. They remind me of the impressive diving birds that frequent the Gulf Coast where I used to live. Their perseverance is an inspiration.

Assembly required

2007-03-20T06:58:00.000-04:00

There are four boxes from Ikea in our garage. They hold assorted bits and pieces that await a transformation from parts to whole -- my daughter's new bedroom furniture. And dang it, my magic wand's in the shop. So in the next few days, I'll share my ineptitude, and, with any luck, my eventual success at building two new dressers.

Bridget and I started working around 7:15 p.m. Two boxes moved from the garage -- one to her bedroom and one to the hallway. Necessary equipment was gathered.There was a little searching for just the right piece, and just the right screw, and the hammer met a finger once or twice, but by 9 p.m., we had the frame finished, with no mistakes -- at least, none we've discovered yet. Next up: installing drawers. Oh, joy.

Pretty organized

2007-03-16T08:39:00.000-04:00

Spring cleaning. Taxes. Cabin fever. Whatever the inspiration, that first tease of warmer weather (often followed by a spirit-dampening cold blast -- ice pellets are hitting the skylight above me as I type this) brings an urge to spruce up, get organized. That pile of "to be filed" papers has waited long enough.

I'm adding a little extra motivation this year by tucking all those boring papers into pretty file folders. I got a start at Staples, where folders are part of coordinating spring lines that include business card holders, file carriers, notebooks and storage boxes. I'll be stopping by the other big office-supply stores this weekend to look for more motivation. The folders above are available at The Organized Parent.

Happy filing! Let us know what makes your spring cleaning/organizing less boring!

Expressing yourself

2007-03-13T16:41:00.000-04:00

I discovered a new Web site and a way to add whimsy to my home without spending a lot of money. You can buy pre-pasted letters to use on painted walls, wallpaper, windows, mirrors and more to create inspirational or fun sayings to give personality to your surroundings.

The Wallwords site offers standard or custom options. For example, you could choose something simple like “RELAX,” amusing like “Life is too short to drink bad wine” or thought-provoking, “Be the change you want to see in the world. Gandhi.” You get the idea.

Prices range from $29.95 for 10 words or less for a standard quote to $1.29 a letter for a custom line. You have a choice of fonts, too, depending on your mood. To apply, all you need is a ruler or tape measure. The only challenge seems to be deciding what you want your home to say.

menu planner

2007-03-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

I have a friend who will make your life easier in the kitchen. Susan Nicholson is a syndicated food columnist and registered dietitian who masterminded a Web site that offers a menu for every day of the week. The recipes are easy and varied.

I met Susan at a food conference several years ago in Florida. You know you’ve met your match when you both enjoy discussing the refrigerator shelf life of anchovy paste. We’ve stayed in touch since then, visiting each other in our respective states. It wasn’t that long ago that we ate roasted bone marrow at the trendy Rathbun’s in Atlanta. We loved the gooey white stuff. Her husband, Nick, thought we were nuts.

On her 7-Day Menu Planner site, Susan gets back to basics. She divides the week into Family Sunday, Budget Monday, Heat and Eat Tuesday, Kids Wednesday, Express Thursday, Meatless Friday and Entertaining Saturday – or rearranges the categories on different days. Some of her recipes have become my family's favorites. This week, you’ll find honey Dijon chicken and quick chili among other choices. Bon appetit!

Tie one on

2007-02-28T08:07:00.000-05:00

Curtain tiebacks that aren't just the same old same old can be either hard to find, come in the wrong colors, or are very expensive. My friend Karen found a way to create custom tiebacks that coordinate the colors in her room without spending a fortune. She says, "I'm going on the record that I was not feeling crafty, but rather I couldn't find anything that would pick up the paint color so I improvised."

She bought a few beads -- the selection of colors allows endless creativity -- and used some embroidery thread she already had, and voila! I think her improvisation adds a beautiful, personal touch to the room.

What creative little solutions are making your casa a more beautiful place?

Time for comfort food

2007-02-27T18:25:00.000-05:00

The latest trend in Delaware is snow cooking. I witnessed this phenomenon at the grocery store last Sunday as weather forecasters once again whipped us into a frenzy over an approaching storm.

As I stood in line at the Thriftway in New Castle, I noticed the shoppers around me weren’t buying the proverbial milk, bread and toilet paper – the necessities for even trace amounts of snow. People were buying great stuff – fat steaks, spaghetti and taco sauces, chips, ice cream, various cheeses, baked goods. Yummy comfort food in all shapes and flavors.

They weren’t alone. I was there for cat food, which I really needed at the risk of being hounded by my hungry kitty, but I ended up with ingredients to make lasagna and white-chocolate-chip cookies with dried cherries. Later that day, I was a happy cook, chopping and stirring, as the fat flakes drifted past the window and coated the ground.

There are all sorts of studies about why we like comfort food. Some say we eat these foods because we’re stressed or our body temperature is low or we crave certain kinds depending on gender. But there seems to be no doubt that we like these soothing dishes when the temps drop. One report by Country Crock Side Dishes Comfort Food Survey found that 51 percent of those queried said that winter is the time of year when they consume the largest amounts of comfort foods.

That may be true, but you should have seen the line at the liquor store.

Julia Child's favorite chef

2007-02-19T15:24:00.000-05:00

When I was a food editor in Baltimore, I had the privilege of interviewing Julia Child at a quaint hotel in Fells Point, a trendy city neighborhood. She was in town for a charity dinner.

Afterward, we walked along the neighborhood streets, still chatting, as shop clerks and restaurant workers rushed out to greet the grand dame of cooking. She was gracious to all and particularly encouraging to any women chefs who crossed her path. She told me that day that Sara Moulton was her favorite chef.

I was familiar with Sara from her Food Network shows, but, from then on, I paid closer attention. She had been blessed by Julia. Recently, Sara was a participant in a forum on egullet.com, a lively discussion spot for foodies. The posts were fascinating, especially the one about cookbooks.

When someone asked Sara what her top picks were, she explained that she mostly had favorite authors, not books. She mentioned some impressive names: Madhur Jaffrey, Deborah Madison, Jacques Pepin, Marcella Hazan and Rick Bayless. She said she grew up with Julia’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”

I’m currently reading “Julie & Julia” by Julie Powell. It’s a clever book about Julie’s vow to cook every recipe in “Art of French Cooking.” Cookbooks have come and gone, but Julia’s recipes will always be respected. I can’t say I’ve made that many recipes from MtAoFC, as Julie Powell calls it, but it’s a classic worth reading and re-reading.

As a cookbook addict, I’d like to know what’s on your shelf. One can never have too many recipe sources.

Think spring

2007-02-12T10:03:00.000-05:00

The recent arctic chill seems particularly brutal after the extended warming trend we had. And spring seems so far away, despite the groundhog’s prediction for an early one. So I’ve decided to create my own cheerful retreat indoors. Fresh flowers, brightly colored pillows, pastel accessories – anything that adds a happy contrast to the grays and browns outside.

I found several mood boosters in Smith & Hawken’s newest catalog, appropriately titled “Garden Party.” For the bathroom, Rose Petal Soaps (pictured, $30) in an apothecary jar are individual hand soaps that have the fragrance and look of real flower petals. For the dining room, Peony Napkins (set of six, $30) and pink Peony Napkin Rings (set of four, $12) are a pretty addition to any table needing a promise of spring. Or dream of warmer days with the shiny, stainless-steel Garden Salt and Pepper set ($19) – a cute watering-can pepper shaker and salt bucket with tiny shovel.

But if you desperately need the real deal, head to Longwood Gardens for its “Welcome to Spring” display. Nearly four acres of indoor gardens bursting with flowering bulbs will temporarily shake the winter blahs.

Tasty little secrets from the newsroom

2007-02-12T08:14:00.000-05:00

When it comes to food, what's your secret shame? A recent entry by Melissa Roberts in Gourmet magazine's food editors' blog, Choptalk, confesses to a fondness for supermarket rotisserie chicken and using flavored bread crumbs. OK, I know she's a food editor at Gourmet, but those both rank pretty low on the "shame scale" around my house. But it did make me curious. What about The News Journal's foodies? Turns out they have no shame, and were quite happy to 'fess up to their less-than-Gourmet indulgences.

Food writer and fabulous cook Patricia Talorico says, "I don't mind admitting that my "Secret Shame" is that I love Herr's potato chips and Lipton Onion Soup Mix dip. I make fancy foods for parties and this dip. The dip always goes first." Oh yeah, I love that, too!

Signature Brandywine editor and She Said blogger extraordinaire Suzanne Loudermilk says her shameful secret is instant mashed potatoes. "I discovered Idahoan instant mashed potatoes when I was a food editor in Columbus, Ohio, doing product reviews. The potatoes were fluffy and delicious. I wouldn't serve them for Thanksgiving dinner, but in a pinch, they're not bad." I'll have to check this one out. One of my daughters can eat her weight in mashed potatoes.

Dining critic and lover of adjectives Eric Ruth confesses to a longtime passionate affair with Kentucky Fried Chicken. He goes on at such length he may get his own spinoff later. Here is a juicy excerpt:
"From my diaper years to the present day I have been an unrepentant admirer and devourer of Kentucky Fried Chicken (original recipe, please), a lust so profound and shameful that I only reluctantly admit not only to having my favorite piece (the wing), but also my favorite piece of my favorite piece (that lusciously and sensuously juicy bulb of breast meat that protrudes from each little wingy-drumstick)." 'Nuff said.

As for me, well, if I'm having a glass of wine in the evening, I like to have something to nibble on. If there's nothing else -- no goat cheese, no olives, no bread to make crostini -- I'll grab a Kraft Old English slice of "cheese" and tear it into cracker-size pieces. Goes great with red, white, doesn't actually matter. Shameful. And yet...

Got a secret shame to share?

Readying for a move

2007-02-09T15:42:00.000-05:00

Not me ... at least not anytime soon. But my mom is.

Finally, after more than a decade, she'll be moving out of her apartment and into a house. My sister and I will be helping her purge and pack.

Why?

Because our mom has so much stuff that she just doesn't need to take with her. And I for one do not want to see my mom becoming one of those old ladies with a bunch of some seriously outdated furniture and decor.

So here's the challenge - convincing mom to trash the sofa, loveseat, her outdated bedroom set and even my old bedroom set from when I was in high school. And not to mention all the many knick knacks and trinkets that aren't needed or very trendy.

Now, I would love to turn my mom over to the proper authorities ... anyone at Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Clean House or any other of those type of shows ... it would make things so much easier. But she has threatened to disown me if I do.

Oh well, wish us luck in trying to get our mom to purge, let go AND THEN pack. If you have any suggestions to help things go smoothly ... please share.

A little less BRRRRR! please

2007-02-05T18:23:00.000-05:00

Baby, it's cold outside. And the folks at This Old House can help
you keep it warm(er) inside. They offer 10 simple ways to make
your house a little morecomfortable. Here's a preview (written
while it's about 12 degrees outside, and a fire is blazing in my
fireplace.)

1. Each degree you lower yourthermostat cuts your fuel bill by 3
percent. Yeah, I know, it's only 3 percent. But it adds up. So
turn it down and zip up that hoodie.

2. Install a programmable thermostat. Save the warmer temps for
when you're actually home, or not in bed sleeping, to enjoy them.

3. If you're not enjoying a fire in the fireplace, close the flue.
Glass doors help keep warm air from rushing up the chimney.

4. Reverse the blades on your ceiling fan, or just leave it turned
off until spring.

5. Move any furniture that's blocking a heat or return vent. You
know, that chair the cat's always curled up on the floor next to
(possibly with his legs
and tail tucked under it). Unless you want to join him down there,
cuz there's plenty of heat trapped under that chair.

For more, check out the site.

Germs, be gone

2007-01-31T18:56:00.000-05:00

I’m not exactly germophobic, but all I have to do is read about all the microscopic creepy crawlies that invade our homes and I’m on a mission. My kitchen sponges came under my scrutiny recently. I usually toss them in the dishwasher and feel like I’ve done good.

Evidently, that’s not enough. A new study by the Journal of Environmental Health reports that the best way to rid sponges of bad bacteria is to microwave them for two minutes. Sounds simple enough.

But there’s more. After the Washington Post reported the findings, it started getting reports of sponges bursting into flames. I’m sure that would get rid of germs, but there’s definitely a safety issue.

The paper followed up the original story with a few added caveats from Gabriel Bitton of the University of Florida, who did the research. He explained to the Post that he had tested only cellulose sponges in a microwave with a maximum of 1,100 watts of power, never using more than 90 percent of the power. He also recommended:

· Sponges should be fully soaked with water.
· Metallic scrubbing pads should never be put in a microwave.
· Soapy sponges can be microwaved, but not those containing detergents and other chemicals.
· Hot sponges should be handled with care after microwaving.

I think it’s worth a try.

Clean slate

2007-01-24T15:06:00.000-05:00

First, the disclaimer. I gain nothing from writing about Martha Stewart Living magazine, except helpful advice and great recipes. I know Martha took a lot of heat for being involved in a stock trading scandal and ending up in prison. But, hey, anyone who wears a crocheted poncho made by a fellow inmate can’t be all bad. To me, she’s a domestic diva in spite of her woes.

She’s on my mind because of the January magazine’s focus on cleaning. I was inspired to tackle my own house over the weekend and decided to try some of her tips.

One of my favorites: How to make your mirrors sparkle. “Never spray the mirror itself with cleaner; instead, spray a clean, lintless cloth, wipe down the mirror. To avoid streaks, dry immediately with another clean, lintless cloth.”

Another: How to remove red wine stains. “Wet the stain with lukewarm water, then add a layer of table salt. Rub and let sit for 5 minutes. Pull fabric taut across a heat-proof bowl and secure with a rubber band. Place in sink and carefully pour boiling water on the stain from a height of three feet. The combined pressure and heat of the water will eliminate the stain.”

I haven’t tried that one, but it could come in handy any day. Ever since the Harvard Medical School study came out in the fall about the healthy benefits of red wine on chubby mice, I’ve upped my pinot noir intake. According to the report, the rotund, little rodents lived longer when imbibing a nice Chianti or Shiraz.

OK, they didn’t really drink the stuff. They took massive doses of a supplement with resveratrol, a natural antibiotic that plants produce and that’s in wine. But there is fine print. A human would have to drink about 100 bottles of red wine a day to get similar results. Still, I can’t wait to stand on a chair and pour bubbling water three feet into the sink to get out a red-wine stain, but that could be the wine talking.