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Basil Resuscitation In Progress

June 24, 2013

It turns out that ceramic pots - or at least the ones I own - don't crack when you drill into the bottoms to create drainage holes, as I'd feared. That's excellent news, because my plants are seriously not enjoying the Noah's Ark-style weather we've been having on the East Coast lately.

My heroic husband has (hopefully) saved my herbs.

(Those are the old, semi-drowned basil plants; I'm trying to decide whether to leave them be and see whether they'll come back to life or just go ahead and pot some new ones.)

ENTREES

Lemon-Rosemary Spatchcock Chicken

June 21, 2013

That is my very own rosemary that I grew.

(Don't be too impressed. My basil has drowned.)

The return of the summer has brought with it the return of local farmer's markets, and because we live right next to the Stone Barns Agricultural Center that also means the return of spatchcock chickens. I've written about how amazing these things are before, but basically what they are is chickens with the backbone and sternum removed; the flattish result means that the parts on the inside (the breasts) cook slightly less and the parts on the outside (the legs) cook slightly more, which is exactly how a chicken cooks in a perfect world. It also cooks faster, which is awesome.

You can spatchcock a chicken yourself, but honestly: it seems like a pain, and isn't something I'd bother with; I just buy a couple whenever I come across a place that sells them and consider myself lucky. (This recipe, incidentally, also works for a regular roast chicken; just adjust the cooking time as noted below.)

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New Use For An Old Thing: Toothbrush Holder

June 20, 2013

You may not think of toothbrush holders as "collectibles". Or even as "attractive", really.

And that makes sense; they're usually not. The one I had in college, for example, was a teal plastic thing that I think cost 99 cents and that went straight into the trash on graduation day. But there are definitely some very pretty versions out there - little silver holders that look like mint julep cups, simple white porcelain styles, modern wood ones, colorful ceramics like the My Mela holder pictured here - and sometimes they're so pretty that it seems like a shame to use them for their intended purpose.

So. If you happen to have an especially lovely holder laying around...well, first, wash it thoroughly in hot water with anti-bacterial soap before doing anything at all.

And then try these ideas!

DIY Projects

Variegated Yarn Baby Blanket

June 18, 2013

Knitting is one of my favorite things to do in the world...but really, the only things I'm good at making are blankets (my baby hat was kind of a disaster and ended up looking more like a Bizarre Pom-Pom Elf-Cap). That's OK, though, because while blankets are pretty time-intensive they're also super relaxing to make once you get the hang of them.

All I did to make this blanket (which is being shipped off today to Morgan, who's expecting a daughter in just a few weeks) was cast on 100 stitches*, knit and knit and knit (no purling) until I had a 36" x 36" square (the typical size for a baby blanket), and then cast off. So easy.

The reason I chose not to knit-purl or create a pattern like I did for this basketweave blanket: when you choose a variegated yarn** (one that's dyed lots of different colors) like the one pictured here, the color variations basically create a pattern for you; there's no need to add any texture because it's visually interesting as is.