I’m a big guy and running just punishes my feet. When I found my Brooks Adrenalines, I found my (not going to make a stupid sole mate joke) shoe. I strayed once, and it caused so much pain I had to stop running (loping actually) for months. I wish it wasn’t so hard to find the right shoe, but I couldn’t agree more.…

Being careful not to add salt too far in advance. They get too mushy if you add salt more than three or four minutes before cooking. Plus, they just taste better when the salt is added before cooking. If the salt is added later and doesn’t dissolve much (if it’s not a finely ground salt), it becomes inconsistent—some…

A dinner party is the best justification I personally have come up with for wanting to use sous vide. Being able to have cooked, not overcooked, food warm for a long time that can be slapped on a hot grill or skillet quickly and served seems fantastic. You get more guest time and great food with a show-off name you…

An option my wife and I have used over the years is tissue (gift tissue not toilet or facial) and spray starch. Cut the tissue to fit window panes. Spray starch it into place. It doesn’t make shade, but it will obscure windows while still allowing light in if you need to go that route.

Despite the many decades since I was a teenage boy, “transform plain, boring nuts into pizza nuts” made me laugh. Not ashamed. Also, I wonder how the Doritos mix would taste so I could transform my nuts into Doritos Nuts. I would label them “D’s...”

Sign me up too!

Haha, fair point. I usually don’t eat them either, but the wife and kids aren’t as uppity as me. Sorry, uppity as I. ;)

Don’t let the lack of lemon curd stop you. You can make a quick one yourself in another few minutes (http://www.pbs.org/parents/kitche…). For that matter, just make a lemon glaze and pour it on.

The goal here isn’t to make a dessert as good as what could be prepared in a real oven with thoughtful time and attention. The goal is quick, easy, imperfect, and satisfactory. I’ve done microwave cakes for my kids many times because it was fast, and I was tired from working all day then cooking dinner then cleaning…

If you don’t like the chocolate chips in the brownies because of the texture rather than the flavor they impart, melt your batter over very light heat before you bake the brownies. Better Homes and Gardens (the red and white plaid cookbook) has a recipe for a cookie called the Fudge Ecstasy. It’s the best chocolate…

A year or so ago, when my son got picky about which of the squeezie pouches he liked, I had tons of pouches he wouldn’t touch because he hates me and likes to waste my money, so I started eating them. First, they’re freaking awesome tasting. I mean, fruits and veg all mixed together? What’s not to love? So now I get…

I recently had to eat at an A&W and of course everything there is battered and fried. I opted to have the grilled chicken sandwich without the bread and green beans instead of fries. I say this without hyperbole, that was the worst food in the history of the universe. Next time, I’ll go across the street to the gas…

Also, don’t buy a house just before a global financial meltdown. Man, I wish someone would have told me that before I bought my last house. Live and learn, right?

That’s such an excellent point to make about the the REAL cost of a house when you consider everything. I completely agree with your comments (meaning my situation is similar rather than correct versus incorrect on this topic). For me, a house is better than renting, it’s mine to change as I want (and mine to have to…

I get the Kikkoman Panko typically because it has the least number of ingredients and I like simplicity. It comes in a kind of ziplock foil bag, which I use to store the panko after toasting. Just make sure they’ve completely cooled before putting them in a sealed container or they’ll sweat and turn back to a nasty…

For us, the combination of winter air and electric heat makes our (my family and me) skin very dry, and it causes our noses to dry up horribly and crack/bleed. I know, seems ridiculous, but humidifiers are a must for us. We are even big time water drinkers.

I like to do something similar with much less butter (mostly to keep the calories down, not for butter-phobia), and a spray of olive oil and some herbs then toast it in the oven and store for use as needed. I usually start with Panko.

Haha, I love that. I’m with you. If they can do all those wonderful things, I am all for it. If I catch them, we’ll deal with it. Maybe they’ll just get better at hiding their activities. My daughter is nowhere near that skill level at this point, though, so my job is pretty easy. She turns 9 this month so we’re close…

This looks like a wonderful device, certainly easier than the router changes to do some/much of those same things. The issue I’ve run into is that devices are all so portable. I’m sure you know where I’m going with that. So in the end I have to change settings on individual devices one way or the other. I don’t mind…

I love parchment paper. I prefer the brand name, high temp rolls like timgray mentioned. I keep precut sheets around too for smaller, quicker jobs, but their not big enough for my favorite use, pizza. I just flip the cut piece of paper over and fold each corner in by an inch or so, and it holds fine.