Mike Nolan

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Viewing 15 posts - 5,941 through 5,955 (of 7,704 total)
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  • in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of January 13, 2019? #14506
    Mike Nolan
    Keymaster

      Tuna on biscuits here, my wife wanted 'something to warm her up'.

      in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of January 6, 2019? #14498
      Mike Nolan
      Keymaster

        I made an eye of round roast for supper, with mashed potatoes and a salad.

        in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of January 6, 2019? #14494
        Mike Nolan
        Keymaster

          It's in the high 20's here, we picked up somewhere around 9 inches of snow since yesterday afternoon, looks like it should end here in the next hour or two, just light flurries now.

          I'm making a batch of custard this morning.

          in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of January 6, 2019? #14489
          Mike Nolan
          Keymaster

            Steak and potatoes here, with sauteed mushrooms.

            Earlier today I baked two turkey tenders, I'll slice them up for turkey sandwiches for lunch for the next several days.

            in reply to: Home and Kitchen Renovation #14481
            Mike Nolan
            Keymaster

              Making sure there's only as much light as you need is why we went with 3 banks of lights that can be controlled separately, the inner bank is over the island and is the one we use the most when working in the kitchen, the two outer banks are together. The under-counter lights are on an infrared sensor, so they come on automatically in the morning and evening. (Lights in most of the rooms, including the master suite, are also on sensors, we had one of the first home automation systems installed in Lincoln NE, back in 1996.)

              in reply to: Home and Kitchen Renovation #14480
              Mike Nolan
              Keymaster

                We have a 48" dual fuel range and went with a full-sized range hood with two lights and warming lamps. We almost never use the warming lamps, though. When you turn the fan all the way up, it has a pretty strong draw.

                I definitely recommend going with the best range hood you can. Make sure it's properly vented to the outside.

                Good range hoods have grease baffles that you can take off and clean. We just throw them in the dishwasher every year or so. There are services that can clean the vent tubing if it get clogged. I checked ours a few years ago using a fiber optic inspection system, it looks fairly clean up there. (Much better than the dryer vent, which I just cleaned out with the big wet/dry vacuum.)

                As to grease in the vent being a fire hazard, just don't do anything stupid. If you're flaming something, turn the vent fan off for a few minutes. My older son tend to over-do it when flaming things, he's been known to set off the smoke detector in the butler's pantry just outside the kitchen a few times, I think I've done it just once in 22 years.

                in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of January 6, 2019? #14476
                Mike Nolan
                Keymaster

                  We've had two cold spells but it was in the 50's again today.

                  We had creamed tuna on biscuits tonight, our older cat loves it, too.

                  in reply to: Home and Kitchen Renovation #14475
                  Mike Nolan
                  Keymaster

                    These days they have fixtures that look like fluorescent lights but are actually LEDs. When we repaired the ceiling in the master closet last fall, we put one in there. It's very energy efficient and seems to be a bit brighter as well.

                    Under cabinet lights are OK but only light a fairly small area. They can also affect how you organize your counter space, both because of shadows and the heat they generate.

                    Our kitchen is quite large (17 x 18) and has 3 rows of fluorescent fixtures behind diffuser panels, when all 3 are on we refer it to as lighting the kitchen up for surgery. We also have under-cabinet lights on all 3 counters and above the desk area, though that one seldom gets used these days. There's also a spotlight above the main sink and two spotlights that are part of the exhaust fan.

                    In a galley kitchen I'd think about possibly putting in track lights along the ceiling, you can adjust where they point as you figure out where you really need light. And they make LED bulbs for those too now.

                    in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of December 30, 2018? #14464
                    Mike Nolan
                    Keymaster

                      I made a batch of custard today.

                      in reply to: Blueberry Pie with No Top Crust? #14448
                      Mike Nolan
                      Keymaster

                        Assuming your filling started with fresh blueberries from your yard, you may need to adjust the amount of thickener you're using, as fresh berries tend to be a lot juicier than ones that have been frozen before used in a pie filling or even ones bought at the store.

                        in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of December 30, 2018? #14441
                        Mike Nolan
                        Keymaster

                          I'm making a batch of honey wheat bread today. (I might make another one tomorrow, I've got a lot of milk to use up, and the bread freezes well.)

                          in reply to: Blueberry Pie with No Top Crust? #14438
                          Mike Nolan
                          Keymaster

                            Happy New Year to you, Cass, and it's great to see you posting.

                            in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of December 30, 2018? #14432
                            Mike Nolan
                            Keymaster

                              The downside of having had duck for Christmas dinner is that there weren't many leftovers. I did get several quarts of duck stock for the freezer to replace some of what we lost when the freezer died a few months back.

                              in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of December 23, 2018? #14431
                              Mike Nolan
                              Keymaster

                                No apology needed, the microwave oven has a proper place in the kitchen, and not just for leftovers.

                                in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of December 23, 2018? #14419
                                Mike Nolan
                                Keymaster

                                  After having both sons here for a week, we've got a lot of leftovers, so we'll be in leftover mode probably until the new year.

                                Viewing 15 posts - 5,941 through 5,955 (of 7,704 total)