freecycle.org - my new hobby

too much stuff. freecycle.org is a yahoo group by location where you can post stuff you want to give away or you can post want ads for stuff you want. everything is free. no trading, no selling, no bargaining, just plain free. you can find some really cool stuff here, whether you need it or not. it doesn't help that we have a small apartment and that i have internet access on me 24/7 with my iphone.

my first want post was for a coffee maker. i scored a perfectly usable 4-cup coffee maker that suits the two of us nicely. i came home, spent hours researching on how to clean it, to discover that the coffee it made still did not taste good. i thought, hmm, the machine is clean, maybe it's the cheap store-brand of sugar i bought? so i bought a big box of sugar in the raw. still no good taste. after more hours of researching how to brew the perfect cup of coffee, it hit me. water. of course you need great tasting water because really, coffee is 98% water, right? so apparently, bay area tap water isn't that good! i finally brewed a pot with filtered water, and YUM. back in business.

ok, back to freecycle. so i went nuts on freecycle. we got more christmas lights to put in our kitchen since the big lots string of lights we actually bought suck and didn't even last us through the winter. 3-ring binders for bo to organize files. i got a nice pair of boots today that actually fit! some sippy cups for orion (brand new). we got rid of some stuff that we picked up from fellow recyclers but changed our mind when we got home like a coffee table that was too big for us and a really ugly espresso cup set (not even close to being modern as described). we got a big box of picture frames. i got another cool thing that i can't talk about yet because it's a valentine's present for bo (yeah, we're a little behind on the holidays, but we're busy people!!). lastly, i had to save the best for last, i posted a want message for a play kitchen for orion and someone offered one to us! how amazingly nice! they even offered to clean it for us too! the thing is gigantic, still haven't picked it up yet, but i think orion will like it. he can learn to cook just like mommy and daddy and all his little friends can come over and play house. remember those days? aww, sweet childhood memories.

i love freecycle. i should make a bumper sticker.

Welcome #2

i feel like i need to write another welcome post since my last post was before orion was born! well, tawny's kitchen is reborn.

in our new san francisco home, our kitchen is the heart of the home. everything happens here. orion plays, bo works, i cook, we entertain guests here, it's the happening room. so tawny's kitchen not only focuses on food, but also focuses on our family and our daily life. welcome to our kitchen!

i'm usually sleeping at this time, but i wasn't feeling well all night. i've been up since 430am and i have spent my morning browsing recipes online to find new flavors. i seem to make everything with an asian flare, and as much as bo likes it, i need some variety.

currently, my inspirations come from allrecipes or betty crocker. most recently, we went to a neighbor's birthday party and learned she is a food and wine writer! we didn't get to spend much time there since orion was getting sleepy and cranky. i can't wait to pick her brain and get more food recipes.

lately, our kitchen has become more of a playroom than a place to cook. hence, trying to find new recipes. i have been relying on trader joes (nothing against trader joes), but everything's been pre-made and all i do is throw it in the oven. quick, easy and still healthy, but i need to start being creative with food again. i have a nice menu going for today, but since my lack of energy, i may save it for another day.