From the category archives:

Home Economics

Kahlua Chocolate Decadence Brownie– A Perfect 5-Inch Cake to Save You Forevermore From Sending Pricey Mail Order Baked Goods

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Success is sweet.  I feel like I kinda beat the system. My scratch-baked 5-inch Kahlua Chocolate Decadence Brownie fits in a mailable flat rate box. What started me on this project was the Harry and David cake ordered for my sis’s sinus surgery “get well” gift. GULP!

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Valentine to Self: Little Ways to Live a More Romantic Life

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This isn’t how to get more nookie. Romance doesn’t always mean sex. The definition of romance is an idealistic feeling, a desire for adventure, chivalry, and love.  Larry bought me two bunches of daffodils yesterday at Trader Joes. He knows I particularly love them because I get to watch them bloom. That’s romantic.

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Garage Sale Home Economics ~ 10 Lessons You May Not Read Elsewhere

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Garage sale bottom line: $1,937. Hot, sweaty, grimy but VERY satisfied on my part.  Larry hates this type of requirement in life; it never balances Effort-to-Income. Too bad, it’s a necessity in this scenario.

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Host a Block Party and Reap Warm Fuzzies

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First question you’re asking: “Why would I want to host a block party?”  Easy: to meet your neighbors. Longer answer: so neighbors meet each other, start sharing ideas, compare safety info, exchange resources like babysitters and handymen, indulge in a little kvetching (405 Fwy. widening project a hot topic here) and my favorite bennie, see [...]

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Travel Must-Have ~ My Teensy Eyeglass Tool Kit

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There are people who take trips, and people who travel. And then there are Seasoned Travelers. This year alone, we rang in the New Year in Havana, Cuba.  Mid-year trek to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos. Thanksgiving, visit Africa a fourth time, this one to see the Rwandan gorillas. Seasoned travelers carry useful stuff…

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Meet My Knives ~ And Discover A Home Economist’s Dirty Little Secret

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My dirty secret: I @#$%-up knives. I’m not the only guilty party in this household. Yet, we still possess three received as wedding gifts back in the stone age (in the photo, the three at far right). If you want my take on how to stay married for 99 years, read that here. Not included [...]

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Count The Silver ~ A Post-Party Tip

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When I was a bride and hosted my first extended family party, my mother-in-law offered to help clean up – did I want her to “count the silver?” Shocked, annoyed, what an insult!  Did she REALLY think a family member would pocket a spoon?  (If you’re “in the know,” you see where this is going…)

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The Chef, The Designer, The Kitchen and The Party

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Ordinarily, I write here about cooking, trips and/or the antics of our Gourmet Club. But for this post, I was urged by Club Member Laura to write about the KITCHEN of our most recent dinner party, and the DESIGNER, who also happens to be in our Club. Laura is right, it doesn’t always have to [...]

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Our Tour of Wilton and My Autumn Leaves Pie Crust

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This pie crust is brought to you by Nancy Siler and Gretchen Homan, who are helping me perfect my autumn leaves. They’re the go-to home economists for baking pretty things – they work at Wilton. 

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5 Kitchen Remodel Ideas I’d Recommend; 2 I’d Skip

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Julia Child had a kooky kitchen feature: a pegboard with the outline of her pots to precisely hang them in their proper places. Functionality, love it. Three times in my married life, we’ve torn a kitchen to the studs. One was our commercial building (renovated a 50-year-old Hungarian restaurant into offices and professional test kitchen). [...]

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Best Paint Advice I Can Give

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You’re looking at my well-traveled paint palette. When we remodeled this house a decade ago, we had the daunting task of deciding colors for every room. Sounded fun… wasn’t. One step forward and three steps back until I landed on the right approach, thanks to a kind stranger.

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Patti’s Mojo Spice Blend

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Last autumn, we took a cooking class at the South Bay School of Cooking. The instructor’s spinach-stuffed chicken breast recipe featured a secret ingredient: her Mojo – a homemade blend of kosher salt, lemon zest and dried Italian herbs. Which made me think of the jumble of herbs in our spice pantry. Once home, I [...]

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Last Minute Food Substitutions

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This week is Thanksgiving. And what should arrive on my doorstep from uber-culinary publicist Lisa Ekus?  The gigantic Food Substitutions Bible by David Joachim. It conjured memories of past Thanksgivings with friends and family – for which I am very grateful. And memories of “Oh S**T, there are no coffee filters!!”  And “Wasn’t vanilla extract [...]

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