rant deleted.

"I wish I had a river I could skate away on."

Joni Mitchell

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Recipe #1: Nora Ephron's Chocolate Cream Pie

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Ooo, wow. Nora Ephron not only makes delicious movies, but she also makes delicious pies. This is the chocolate cream pie Amy Adams' character makes in the first fifteen minutes of Julie and Julia . I found this recipe and three others connected to the film on the Internet, so I think it's okay to share here. I haven't had any of the finished product yet. I put the chocolate custard into the pie crust, swooped a few pretty flourishes on the top, then mashed them down with a cover of plastic wrap. It's in the fridge to cool and congeal and will be ready for consumption in the morning. (I'll have a taste then, but I'm waiting until I have someone to eat it with before eating a whole piece.) But there were several spoons to lick after I'd finished cooking, and let me tell you ... WOW. The finished custard was a little bitter, like semi-sweet chocolate. But it'll be between a sweet graham cracker crust and whipped cream with sugar and vanilla mixed
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Stanley Unwin would call it "Improvvers the Domicilibode."

The friend I visit teach said something Tuesday night that made me say DUH in a big way: "If it's ugly and you can't do anything about it, then work on top of it so it looks like you did the ugly stuff on purpose." Why didn't I think of that years ago?! I've griped to everyone at one point or another about my kitchen. I live in a one-bedroom flat in SoCA, and I've been there for almost thirteen years. The kitchen is spacious and has lots of cabinet and drawer space, but the color combination is not one I would have chosen. The cabinets are ancient (the silverware drawer is falling apart) and varnished a dark-but-bright orangey-brown color. The counter tile, on the other hand, is a bright baby pink. It's like putting a bright pink sweater on a Weasley; you just cringe. The landlord, lovely man that he is, did a ton of plumbing, carpeting, and painting improvements to the flat a year ago, so I don't want to antagonize him by asking for new cabi
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I Can Haz Bukkit?

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So I've started a compost pile. I've read conflicting reports; I could be able to use it in a year or as soon a few weeks. Depends on how long it takes for everything to decompose. I've thrown some shredded bills and credit card offers in a one-gallon container with a lid along with some crushed eggshells, water, soil, a few stray Cheerios, and a banana peel. It's a rubbish way to start (pun intended), but it's all I've got at the moment because I did a thorough fridge cleaning last week. I'll need a larger container eventually -- something that can hold enough compost for my patio but is still small enough for me to lug around -- but that can wait for a few weeks at least. I do need to do some research before then so I know what kind of a bin to get (and what I can afford), but that's what Google is for: Image found here . I also planted Italian parsley seeds in four toilet paper rolls and set them outside. They're getting plenty of sun, and i
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