Comments KZ has made

  • The easiest dressing

    A couple of years ago, my parents came back from Italy, where they had been traveling through the countryside eating greens dressed in the simplest way possible: Olive oil. Lemon juice. And shaved parmagiano reggiano cheese (or any other good, sharp, dry cheese). Try it - you don't even have to mix it in a separate bowl first. Just drizzle olive oil, squeeze the lemon, add the cheese and toss.On Here's a dressing that passes muster without cutting the mustard posted 1 year, 7 months ago 3 Responses

  • Garden for the planet!

    This is a subject so very near and dear to my heart. I've been growing my own veggies for years and would love to see more people do so. It strikes me that in the suburbs, we are already a nation of farmers: We slavishly farm - grass. Stupid, useless plant that requires water, fertilizer, pesticides and weekly passes with a gas-guzzling mower. If only we could get more people to replace some portion of their lawns with veggies, how good it would be for the planet and, not incidentally, for our own health!On A bright trend for dark times: kitchen gardening posted 1 year, 7 months ago 26 Responses

  • The mom weighs back in...

    Hey! This was my question, and I enjoyed Umbra's answers, but kind of feel like I opened up Pandora's box on the feedback.

    We live in Seattle and - of course! -- keep the house temp dialed down low, so who wouldn't want to linger in a warm shower - it's the warmest place in the house. Also, we unfortunately inherited a monster-size hot water heater installed by the previous owners; one of these days that's gonna have to go, but in the meantime, the hot water never, ever runs out.

    Anyway, I've already talked it over with my daughter, who's a good kid and completely on-board with environmental concerns (already takes the bus everywhere, for example - just hates being cold). And we all like the lowest-tech timer out there - the five-minute egg timer that attaches to the bathroom tiles with a suction cup looks like a winner to me...it might not bring her to a total stop, but it's simple and easy and a good reminder to everyone else in the family, too.
    On Umbra on long, hot showers posted 1 year, 8 months ago 21 Responses