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birder53

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Everything posted by birder53

  1. My parents have a disposal unit. We never had one in the house I grew up in in Brooklyn. It works well for my folks as their trash can is very small and they have to go outside to dispose of their garbage. They use it all the time and other than the noise it makes, they haven't had any problems with it. We had problems with the kitchen plumbing in our prior home and annual visits from Roto Rooter to clear out accumulated gunk. This was without a disposal unit and even after trying to carefully wipe off plates before rinsing them off and using the same drain screen. Thank goodness the current home is younger with better plumbing! Based on the responses so far, I think we'll get rid of it since we don't use it anyway. A monthly gallon of white vinegar left to sit in the pipes overnight seems to keep things happy.
  2. We want to replace our kitchen sink. The current sink has double bowls, with the left bowl being smaller and shallower than the large bowl. There is a garbage disposal attached to the smaller bowl which we disconnected. Why? We have a septic tank here and the previous owners of the home told us they never used the disposal unit to avoid overloading the septic system. They composted and so do we. In terms of making changes that effect future resale values, do you think a disposal unit is necessary or not? We would like to remove the unit and replace the current sink with a deeper single bowl sink. What experience has anyone had using disposal units in conjunction with septic systems? A lot of folks mentioned disposal units in the kitchen sink topic. Does everyone use theirs and do you care if your kitchen has one or not?
  3. We used to buy wines and keep our 36 bottle wine rack full. We still buy wine but there are only six bottles in the house right now and most of them are Charles Shaw from Trader Joe's. The drink of choice is now a well made cocktail and there is a pantry full of booze in our house. So, yes, cocktails have changed the way we drink. We spend so much on liquor that we tend to skimp on wine.
  4. At least a cup of freshly chopped flat parsley goes into our favorite pasta dish - veggies, pasta, garlic, oil, lots of freshly ground red pepper flakes. We used to add the parsley to the oil just before tossing it with the pasta, but found it added a new dimension by going in raw at the end of the dish. It's fresh and crunchy. We rarely end up with slimy parsley, unless it wasn't in top shape to begin with. Can't wait to be able to get an herb garden going once the winter is done. We tried moving a pot of parsley into the house for the winter but the cats weren't kind to it. Many years ago I shopped at a small produce market where the owner would ask what you wanted and pick out everything for you. I never got a bad piece of produce from him, so it was fine with me. I asked for parsley and pointed to the curly parsley. He asked if I was going to eat it or use it as garnish. He told me flat parsley was for eating. That's all I've ever used.
  5. Was that last night's sunset? It was a 360 degree pink sky up here followed by about an hour of amazing color changes in the west.
  6. Thanks for the photos of the landscape. High desert is beautiful. The light in NM is amazing and the views we get due to our elevation are unbelieveable. I recently me a woman who had retired to Silver City. She loved the place but hated trying to get to anywhere else from there. She moved to Santa Fe because you still get the high desert but she is close to airports - which is important to her. You really are away from it all down there. Keep the photos coming!
  7. Actually, I wondered if the crane was in Santa Fe or Dubai. Even 400 year old cities have construction.
  8. This was wonderful! Thank you for sharing so much with us. That New Years Eve dinner looks so good. Very exotic! Happy 2008.
  9. I'm loving this blog! What a great way to learn more about my new home. We've never been to Cloud Cliff Bakery, Tara's or Chocolate Smith. They are all on the list for must try places. Cafe Pasqual's is a favorite. The atmosphere and food are always great. In spite of some so-so reviews of Coyote Cafe under its previous ownership, we had an absolutely wonderful meal there back in May. Glad to hear good things about the new owners. We too have roasted green chiles - a whole bushel! We started off using them quite often, but we've gotten lazy lately. Finally gave away some to a neighbor in an effort to get a little extra room back in the freezer. Totally understand why you prefer to get your "christmas" out rather than get it all together at home. My favorite meals to go out for are breakfast and lunch. I love it that there are so many places that provide wonderful breakfast burritos most of the day. Especially like the potatoes that come with them at The Pantry. Keep up the great work!
  10. Since you went to Plaza South, did you have a red velvet cupcake? They are really good. I wondered why they were refrigerated until I tasted the wonderful cream cheese icing. Good stuff!
  11. The margarita menu at Maria's listed lemon juice as the only juice. We didn't try them because of that. Even a lemon lime combo we made at home didn't hit the spot the way lime juice does. However, Maria's does have really good chile rellenos.
  12. How did you manage to get a picture of the teepee at Nathalie's without the throngs that were surrounding it? The Canyon Road walk was fun. We arrived around 5:30 when there was still a bit of sunlight. We timed it well. There were large crowds heading to Canyon road from church as we headed back to our car. The flying farolitos were wild. I had never seen such a thing before. The full moon rising added a beautiful glow to the whole event. The people and dogs wearing blinking strings of light were really cute. It was a very eclectic and happy crowd. Back to your original question - Christmas, always Christmas! I don't know how anyone can choose between the two.
  13. This should be great! As a relatively new resident of Santa Fe (July 2007) it will be fun to see someone elses take on this wonderful city. We're also planning to head to Canyon Road this evening. Bundle up and happy blogging!
  14. My sister-in-law used to soak produce in solution designed to kill germs, etc on the outsides of fruit. I can't remember if it was something by Shackley that she used to sell or a mild bleach solution. I also remember something about Andy Warhol soaking fruit in some solution before eating it. We give fruits and veggies a good rinse before using, even if it will be cooked before eating. Not sure if it makes anything taste better, but when you think of all the hands that touch produce along with the bugs and dirt that are part of the growing and harvesting, it makes me feel better.
  15. Definitely long sleeves with tight cuffs for sauteing. Goggles or even a plexiglass face mask wouldn't hurt sometimes either! For cooking without the threat of flying hot oil, an apron over whatever sleeve length is appropriate for the temperature in the kitchen works just fine.
  16. My parents are guilty of keeping expired food in the fridge and pantry. They should be granted some leniency here since they are both over 85 and have trouble bending to get to the lower reaches of the fridge. I also wonder about their eyesight and sense of smell. We've discarded what used to be fruit and vegetables that had turned into smelly, black, jelly like masses. You have to check to expiration dates on everything in the cupboard. Mom complains that we are "too fussy" and would probably retrieve it all from the trash if it weren't too physically difficult for her. Since they've managed to live this long eating like that it can't be that serious. We are guilty of buying things "just in case" for the pantry and never using them. The freezer is another place where we loose things to freezer burn. Since moving this past summer, we purged the pantry and fridge. We had to give away or use the perishables. The pantry had a lot of expired stuff that we tossed. When you pay by the pound to move your things, it just doesn't make sense to pay to move things you never use. Thanks to our local Trader Joes, we are slowly filling up the pantry again.
  17. The more I think about it, I really like the rule limiting the size of each party. It's so easy for a group to really take over a place, especially true for small spaces. No entourages!
  18. Aren't these rules just a way to keep out the customers they don't want? The red bull/cosmo crowd probably wouldn't enjoy themselves unless they decided to get serious about their cocktails instead of just wanting to have fun. The customer is always right, if you are the right kind of customer! If these establishments can survive with their rules, then they've found their niche. Some of the rules are a bit much, but it's not my place! There is a restaurant in Santa Fe getting good reviews for food but noticed because no perfume is allowed in the dining room. Some people are offended by this rule, others by the perfume.
  19. These rules create an atmosphere that appeals to some, but not all. That's a good thing in my book. The best thing about these bars is the dedication to creating wonderful cocktails. There are plenty of places for people to go for a beer and a big screen tv. A little something for everyone.
  20. It is an accomplishment to maintain the level of service and quality of food for that many years. How many restaurants fail to deliver in those categories? True, it is the same menu every day, but each time we ate there we still came away thinking how good it all was. What's wrong with that?
  21. I haven't been there for several years, but my family has dined there for over 20 years and marveled that the service and quality of food remained constant. The lasagna course is one of my favorites along with the plate piled high with crostini for dessert. The warm lemon fritter for dessert is also really, really good. It's a great place to go with a large group because all you need to order are beverages. There is a fish, chicken and then veal or beef course in addition to a nice antipasto and wonderful dessert. You can enjoy your company and relax as the meal is expertly served. It was always good, fresh food, well prepared and professionally served.
  22. My grandmother always made creamed onions. I don't know who ate them besides her, maybe my grandfather liked them. None of the kids would eat them! The first time I tried them was at a steakhouse. They looked much tastier than anything grandma put on the table. They were actually very good. There was nutmeg in them too! Even though I finally tried and liked them I've never thought of actually cooking them. Off hand I don't remember ever seeing a recipe for them in my seven years of subscribing to Fine Cooking.
  23. We found Thanksgiving Eve a nice time to head to a restaurant. You could walk in just about anywhere without reservations. If we were hosting a meal and had a lot of prep work, pizza was easy. This Thanksgiving will be easy. It's just the two of us and we're roasting a chicken instead of a turkey. Tonight will be an easy pasta meal with a couple of cocktails and we'll tackle the stuffing and roast in our own good time tomorrow. I can't remember what we ate on the Eve when I was growing up. Pizza was a rare thing at home, so it might have been something simple like eggs and toast. Whatever it was, it wasn't memorable.
  24. My husband feels the same way about Bobcat Bite's burger. He likes the burger at Cafe Pasqual's. As far as comparing The Pantry to Tecolote, it all depends on what you order. I like the breakfast burrito at The Pantry but never had one at Tecolote. I like the coffee better at The Pantry. We had breakfast once at Harry's and it was just okay. Again, it might be a matter of knowing what they do best and what you like best. We live pretty close to Harry's and Bobcat, so we'll be there again, but Santa Fe has many wonderful places to try and we haven't had a bad meal yet.
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