Saving Space In Your Small Apartment

2012/10/24
Posted by Jenny

Many of us who live in the city tend to live in small apartments, which is pretty understandable considering the rent that landlords charge these days. For single men and women who work in the city, apartments that are that small are just fine since they live alone. However, there is still a need to conserve space in the apartment, which is why they still have to plan the kind of furniture or appliances that they can put in it. If they don’t do this and furnish the apartment as if they live in a bigger space, they might have a problem walking from one point of the apartment to another because the place is so full of stuff that do not really belong in a small apartment.

In connection to that, what you really need to do is buy furniture that complements the size of your apartment. For your workstation at home, for example, you would do well to get an l shaped workstation desk because it fits snugly into one corner of your apartment and still provides you with enough table space so you can do all your other work. As for couches, it is advisable that you buy ones that are specifically designed to fit well in a small living room, which your apartment certainly has.

Many people will probably tell you that dividers are great for small apartments. However, everything depends on the divider. If the divider you have in mind are those solid ones that have shelves where you can put your books, CDs and other stuff in, you might want to rethink that. Those types of dividers are just too bulky for a small apartment like yours. If you want dividers that are just right for tiny apartments, room divider screens will have to do.

Why Waterproof Laptop Bags Are The Best

2012/10/18
Posted by Jenny

Most college students have a laptop these days, and understandably so. With the fast pace of information transfer nowadays, students need to be constantly up to date on anything so they could do well in school. It is a common sight in schools to have practically every school desk with open laptops on them for taking notes.

Since laptops are commonplace in college campuses, it is only natural that students will have to lug them around practically the whole day. That is the reason why they need good laptop bags. The problem with regular laptop bags, however, is that they are just big enough for the laptop and its accessories. Most college students today need to bring more with them to school. Aside from books, they also need to bring with them some spare clothes especially when the weather’s warm on top of all the gadgets that most college students now have these days, from cell phones to digital cameras. A regular laptop bag just will not accommodate all that stuff. What will, are laptop bags that are designed as backpacks.

When buying a backpack for your laptop and other stuff, do not just buy the first laptop backpack you see in the store. If possible, buy a waterproof backpack for the most obvious of reasons. With such a backpack, you can brave the rains even when you don’t have an umbrella, and you won’t have to worry about all the electronic stuff you have inside. Waterproof backpacks are not exactly airtight, but they are designed to keep any kind of liquid, from rain to accidentally spilled drinks from seeping into your bag and ruining your laptop and whatever else is inside. Some laptop backpacks even have a rubber bottom to protect your stuff in case you accidentally put it on something wet.

What You Can Do With Room Screens

2012/10/13
Posted by Jenny

Most people would love to have a house that has big continuous spaces. There are also people who would want the opposite and want some furniture to break the monotony, so to speak. If you prefer the latter, then you would do well to have room screens installed.

In most cases, installing these types of dividers is done for decorative or design purposes. After all, these dividers being sold these days are quite pleasant to the eyes. They also come in various materials such as wood, metal, bamboo, cloth and wrought iron. The designs also vary so as to go with the different tastes of home owners. If you prefer something oriental, you can go for the Japanese types. European styles like the French-inspired ones are also available for those who like a more classical look to their home.
Perfect for home improving they may be, room divider screens also serve a very functional purpose. Screen room dividers are good for splitting space within a large room. For large homes, it can divide the monotony of a big room. For those who live in small apartments, it actually creates the illusion of more space, making the place feel like it is bigger than it is.

Room divider screens are also great if you want some sections of your home to have a certain amount of privacy. If you are working out of your home, for instance, and you don’t want to be disturbed, a room screen would be more than good enough to provide you with the privacy you need. That divider can serve as a wall of your home office, and people would know better than to get past that area and bother you. If your kitchen can be seen from the living room and you want to eat in private, a room screen can also come in handy.

Forget About Forgoing Your Honeymoon

2012/10/06
Posted by Jenny

Many newly-married couples are actually deciding to forgo the honeymoon phase, and this is perfectly understandable. With the cost of holding a wedding ceremony and a wedding reception these days, a honeymoon is oftentimes thrown in the backseat. While they, deep in their hearts, may still want to go on a romantic honeymoon after the wedding, couples tend to be more practical about things today, with the bad economy and all. Considering that the cost of a honeymoon, especially one that involves flying across the Atlantic, could even be higher than the wedding itself, forgoing a honeymoon can easily be seen as a wise move.

Then again, there will always be that nagging thought in the back of your mind that you should have gone on a honeymoon. It is, after all, your first official trip as husband and wife. That should be worth a flight to a far off place. Come to think of it, it would also be very special in the sense that another such trip may not be in the books in the immediate future, especially if you both are planning to have kids. For all you know, your honeymoon could be the last time you go on a trip together with just the both of you.

While honeymoons are often perceived as expensive, it need not be in reality. Sure, most couples dream of walking the streets of Paris or taking that requisite gondola ride down the canals of Venice during their honeymoon, but we have to be realistic. If a European honeymoon is not within your financial capacity, then take your honeymoon somewhere nearer. The country, after all, does not want when it comes to romantic getaways. The islands of Hawaii alone would be more than great for your honeymoon with its beautiful beaches and very romantic places.

arepas

2010/06/10
Posted by Jenny

This is by far the easiest and most rewarding recipe ever. And it comes free on the back of the bag!

PS – After venturing down the Hispanic Foods aisle at Shoprite, I was feeling dangerous and bought some cayenne pepper. I then proceeded to make the spiciest Arroz con Pollo in the history of… well, my mouth at least. And this is bad considering up until now, I had lived on bland Jew food, and black pepper out of a grinder was the devil. But I ate it. I will like spicy food, someday!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Masarepa (I used white, they also have yellow. I don’t know the difference.)
1 Cup (ish) Water
1/2 Cup Mozzerella Cheese (or whatever you want. The Masarepa is a pretty plain palette to play with)
1 Tsp (ish) Salt

Mix everything together and fry it in a nifty pan until goldeny brown and the cheese is melty.

Buttermilk Biscuits

2010/05/29
Posted by Jenny

The last biscuits sucked. Do not believe what I said at the end of the video, they were bad. Dry, yellow, bluch, yucky, and pheh. Distraught and lost with not a friend in the world, I turned to my savior, Alton Brown. And he saved me. Oh, dear, did he save me.

Ingredients:
2 Cups Flour
4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Baking Soda
3/4 Teaspoons Salt
2 Tb Buttah
2 Tb Shortenin’
1 Cup Buttahmilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, mix stuff together, roll it out, cut it into rounds, cook for 15 minutes, thank the heavens that Alton Brown was put on this earth.

—

Now I have a jug of buttermilk in the fridge, so I think another Biscuit recipe is in order. Again, this was delicious. The outside was crispy, the inside was a pillowy cloud of delicious… but I have no idea what to do with my jug of buttermilk. So, soon (before June 7th, as that’s when the milk expires…) I’m going to try America’s Test Kitchen’s version. And it’ll be a battle to the death. Or to the pain. Five points to anyone who gets that reference.

If anyone has another recipe for me to try, gimme gimme!

Biscuits

2010/05/20
Posted by Jenny

Ok, so I’m trying a new format, and here’s my master plan – I’m actually going to TELL YOU what I’m doing. Yea, I guess I was just lazy before or surprised when recipes came out well, so didn’t bother to tell you what I was doing out of embarrassment. So here is me making Biscuits!

Recipe:
2 Cups Flour (plus more for the table)
2 tsp Baking Soda (supposed to be Powder. Woops.)
1/2 tsp Salt
4 Tb Shortening
3/4 Cup Milk (plus more for painting)

Hardware: A bowl, a sifter, a spoon, a silpat, a baking sheet, your grubby little paws.

Sole Meurniere

2010/04/30
Posted by Jenny

Tonight I made Sole Meurniere… I hope that’s spelled right. It’s a very fancy sounding dinner that maybe costs ten bucks for two people. PS – I do not like fish. At least cooked. Sushi is great, but I’ve never liked the “fishy” taste of fish. Let’s see how this turns out.

Ingredients:
3 Sole Filets
Zest and Juice of a lemon
Parsley
2 ish Tb Butter
Salt, Pepper
Flour
Asparagus

Retrospective thoughts: I am in need of a better lemon zester or microplane and a fish turner if I’m going to keep trying to make fish. And a potato ricer. But that’s just because Grandpa says you need one to make gnocchi.

Cheese Souffle

2010/04/12
Posted by Jenny

This is, by far, the most difficult thing I think I’ve tried to do. A cheese souffle, for one.

One thing I’ve been thinking about: All of these fancy, schmancy French dishes are probably stupid expensive in restaurants, but let’s look at what it actually took me to make a cheese souffle.

A tablespoon of butter.
A tablespoon of flour.
Some scraps of cheese.
Two eggs.
A splash of milk.
A stick of wood.
A piece of cloth.

Oh… woops, I left the last two in Anatevka. But you get the point – why so expensive, Restaurants? I made this at home for about 3 bucks. Make it yourself, people.

Recipes!

2010/04/04
Posted by Jenny

As requested by Jessica (red haired one, not cooking expert one), here are the recipes for things that turned out well so far. If you really want my recipe for gnocchi, ask and I’ll laugh at you then give it to you.

Steak, Potatoes, Etc:
-Steak – A steak. Olive oil, salt, pepper.
-Potatoes (for one or two if you’re not addicted to mashed potatoes as I am) – 3 Red potatoes, 1 Tb butter, splash of milk, salt if needed.
-Asparagus – 10 Asparagus stalks, salt, pepper, olive oil, 1 clove garlic.

Asparagus Risotto: (for one)
3/4 Cup Arborio or Risotto Rice, 6-10 Stalks Asparagus, Chicken or Veggie Broth (amount alters, just buy a box and go with it), White Wine, Parmasan Cheese.

Matzo Ball Soup:
-Balls – 4 egg yolks, 4 egg whites stiffly beaten, 1 cup matzo meal, 1 Tb veggie oil or schmaltz, salt
-Soup – 1 Cut Up Chicken (about 5 pounds), Radish, Turnip, Carrots, Onion, Dill, Rosemary, 1 can broth, Water to cover the rest, any other veggies you like.

Hopefully that’s all right… Tonight, I make dinner for my parents for the first time. Don’t think I can video tape with all the stuff going down. The Menu is Bruschetta on Garlic Bread, Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, and Asparagus. And if all else fails, Mom’s bring seven layer cake.