Lou, yes, you get a gold star. Linda C -- Thank you so much for the suggestion of broccoli cheese soup. I just dropped some off for Amy. We had a little of it, and it's great -- too fattening for the regular rotation, but a treat. Here is the recipe I used, based on SweetFoodie.com's recipe which is in turn based on EatingWell's. I didn't put any cayenne in because I am not sure that Amy wants even that tiny bit of spice, but I put it in my own bowl. Also I didn't get around to making the croutons, which would make it even better, I'm sure. Mmmm! Broccoli-Cheddar-Corn Chowder SOUP: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 large carrot, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 large potato, peeled and diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth 8 ounces broccoli crowns cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated (or buy a bag of pre-cut crowns)(I used one regular bunch of broccoli) 1 cup shredded reduced-fat (I used regular) Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (I used Tofutti, as I had some) 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 can of corn, drained (I used frozen) CROUTONS: About 3 cups of your favorite bread, cubed. (I had pumpernickel on hand) 1/4 cup olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt Soup Recipe: 1. Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat (I think medium would be better next time). Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. 2. Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more. 3. Using an immersion blender or blender, puree the soup. 4. Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through, about 2 minutes. 5. Mix in the canned corn 6. Season with salt 7. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese and a handful of croutons (see recipe below) Crouton Recipe (make while the soup is cooking): 1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees 2. Put the bread cubes in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, mustard and salt until evenly covered. 3. Spread the cubes evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 10 - 20 minutes, or until the croutons are golden and crunchy. Toss them once or twice with a metal spatula along the way.

10 years ago, DH and I did a DIY remodel. At that time we set up our old frige and a microwave on a table in our family room. At the time, we were both working full time and fairly young. I think we pretty much skipped breakfast and would grab a cup of coffee at the office. Lunches were always eaten out before starting the remodel. It was no big stretch for us to eat out for dinner too. Did I mention we were really young? At that time we'd order large dinners storing leftovers in the frige to reheat for dinner the next night. The few dishes we had were done in a utility sink in the garage, where our W/D were located. Our current remodel is also DIY, but this time we have 3 kids, so eating out is not really feasible either money wise or sanity wise, 3 more people with opinions who have collectively never agree on anything. We're not doing a total gut job, but we are doing some structural changes to one wall. Instead of demo-ing all at once, we're taking it apart bit by bit. Our plan is to keep the essentials running at all times. I hope this makes sense, becuase it's kind of hard to describe. This time around we already have our materials, stored in our garage and at a local storage unit. We bought our cabinets and granite from craigslist. We took out our pantry and brought in 2 of our base cabinets to our breakfast nook to store the food. We brought in one slab of granite to span the 2 cabinets. On top of that we've got a microwave and a single induction cooktop I bought at Overstock. We've taking our oven completely out of commission, in fact I just sold it last night on craigslist. So far, we've had successful meals cooked on this induction and/or our grill. I've been trying to make the entree the single hot meal, and have fresh veggies as the sides. This is the perfect time of year for that. DH did frozen pizza on the grill using a pizza stone, yum. Although he did burn the first one trying to get used to the whole set up. Breakfasts are not too different. Cereal, toater stuff. I've got an electric griddle and waffle maker if we want to do pancakes or waffles. We're trying to be really creative as you can tell : 0 ) Good luck!

I had an angel of a carpenter who cut the old sink and a small section of countertop out together, and built a 2x4 base for it. He made temporary plumbing connections and left it in place for me to use most evenings, when work was done for the day. When it was in the way of the work, it was disconnected and moved around. I don't suppose every crew would be willing to bother with this (in fact, the carpenter and the GC had a friendly but spirited discussion about the time that was taken to do it) but perhaps it's worth asking. It beats washing dishes in a tub or bathroom sink, by a mile. We set up our temporary kitchen in a wide hallway next to the kitchen, a few steps from the bathroom and thus the water source. On one side of the hallway, in a recessed niche we put the refrigerator and a table. The table held the coffeemaker, microwave, and a toaster oven stacked on top of the microwave. The crockpot lived on top of the fridge, when not in use. Under the table we put the garbage, recycling, and a tub for dirty dishes. On the other side of the hallway is a large linen cupboard. I banished the sheets and towels to a bedroom closet, and used the shelves for dishes and dry food storage. It worked quite well, and some fine meals came out of that hallway kitchen. If I did it again (heaven forbid!) I'd add a portable induction burner.

Here's our friend Maria's everyday chicken mole or, as she explained to me long ago, amused by the new culinary fuss over "moles," chicken in gravy. Maria was the oldest of 10 and spent her childhood here in the U.S. babysitting and on a stool preparing meals while the adults were out in the fields. She's a fantastic cook, but this is simple home cooking, no chocolate, no "special" ingredients. I'm offering it because I never see it on recipe forums and it is delicious, definitely winter comfort food. Amounts are approximate, of course, and can be massaged as desired. Chicken broth Water and 2-3 pounds chicken parts, chicken, plus whatever you usually add, such as: 1/2 onion 2 cloves garlic 1 leafy stalk celery. 1 bay leaf 2 teaspoons thyme Salt and pepper to taste Gravy 3 tablespoons chicken fat (skimmed from chicken broth) 1/2 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic 3 tablespoons flour Cumin seed, broken up, to taste, about 1 tablespoon or more Good quality chili powder to taste, start with a tablespoon if unsure 3 cups chicken broth Simmer first group of ingredients about 20 minutes, skimming foam as they approach a low boil, then turning heat down to simmer about 20 minutes for the typical supermarket chicken. Remove and cool chicken enough to pull apart into bite-size pieces. For gravy, lightly saute onion, garlic and spices in chicken fat skimmed from the broth. Sift flour into the pan, whisking quickly, and stir over low-medium heat until flour is cooked; will be bubbly but not browned. Then stir in defatted chicken broth and simmer until thickened. Salt as desired. At this point you can add more chili powder to taste if needed and simmer a bit more. We like it a nice medium chile-red, not pale and not dark. Then add the chicken and serve over whatever you like.