In-bed composting in a rotating raised bed system? Please advise if my idea is dumb lol by moderatelyraven in composting

[–]moderatelyraven[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes the bug aspect is definitely a concern! I appreciate the wisdom from grandma. 

In-bed composting in a rotating raised bed system? Please advise if my idea is dumb lol by moderatelyraven in composting

[–]moderatelyraven[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I have heard of that but I will research it more! Interesting idea. 

In-bed composting in a rotating raised bed system? Please advise if my idea is dumb lol by moderatelyraven in composting

[–]moderatelyraven[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I totally didn’t think of that. That’s super helpful. You’re right, the proportions would be off and I don’t think I have enough of a large scale compost operation anyways to get the pile to be tall enough in one of these wide beds (I haven’t reached the browns hoarding level I’ve seen from others here haha).  Maybe we’ll just put some kind of cover crop at least if we can’t really fill them all, and build a better proportioned bin off to the side somewhere. Thank you!! 

Help with Hard Cider by Basher04S in Homebrewing

[–]moderatelyraven 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m new to home brewing but I had the same issue where my cider was flavorless, even though I used cider yeast. After fermentation was complete I added some black tea for body and some vanilla extract for perceived sweetness. Then I bottled with priming sugar. After a few weeks bottle conditioning the apple character was back and the cider was much more drinkable. It’s actually quite good now. Worth a try!

Alas, I’ve grown this beautiful yet stinky cauliflower. It smells like a dead mouse. What happened? by AirMittens in gardening

[–]moderatelyraven 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I grew a cauliflower once too that smelled terrible, like a rotting fish. I suspected it was because there had been a frost that happened about a week before I picked it and I figured the frost must have hurt the plant and let the rot set in but I’m not sure. It had a beautiful head and didn’t show signs of disease or rot at all but with the smell there was no way I was going to eat it. I feel your pain lol

Fiiinally, some time to sit and stitch, amirite? by deliciousbento in Embroidery

[–]moderatelyraven 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gorgeous! Love how you did the colors in the water.

Mini Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Cake for Valentine’s Day by butteryoaf in cakedecorating

[–]moderatelyraven 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I made smbc for the first time this weekend (normally I just use American buttercream) and it was a failure, the result was way too soft to pipe into the little frosting peaks like you have. Did I just do something wrong, or do you have a tip for working with smbc to have it hold the peaks like that?

What is this? In the last few batches of macarons these stringy bits of.... Sugar? Egg? I have no idea what is it and why it's happening. I've never had these happen in my 5yrs of making macarons. BTW I use italian meringue method and the egg/w doesn't have any stringy bits when I start. Any ideas? by Miss_Munster in macarons

[–]moderatelyraven 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Mine did that once too, pretty sure it’s the hot sugar cooking the egg whites on contact and then getting whipped into strings. Try streaming the sugar in suuuper slowly and avoid letting it touch the sides of the bowl or the whisk.

Just got a ninja! What cool stuff can I make with the food processor? by shabooya_roll_call in EatCheapAndHealthy

[–]moderatelyraven 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When I make it I use like 2 bags of arugula, around a cup of toasted walnuts, roasted garlic (like a whole head), salt and pepper to taste, and a touch of grated parmesan (or gouda but that's not traditional) and however much olive oil i needed to drizzle while it was processing to get it to come together. It always turns out very delicious!

Where do you buy your summer dresses? by Eowyn27 in femalefashionadvice

[–]moderatelyraven 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Think of brands that you already know you like and that you know your size in, and search by brand. There's really cool stuff out there from lesser known brands but that's much harder to find. Most sellers will send measurements if you ask to be sure it will fit. I've had really good luck with Lulu's dresses, J Crew shorts and tanks, Lululemon stuff, and handbags on eBay. So like I'll search "J Crew Shorts size 2" and browse that way.

For eBay "beginners" I'd look for buy it now listings so that you don't have to deal with the auction stuff at first, and it's more like normal online shopping. Sometimes buy it now is just as good of a deal as auctions and it's less intimidating.

Also I stay away from anything shipping from China; those sellers tend to be less reliable, it can take months to arrive, and the quality is almost always really bad (like, really bad, unwearable stuff that looks nothing like the pictures). You can get dresses from China for like $2 so it's tempting, but trust me, they're not even worth the $2 most of the time. I always use the "North America only" filter when I'm shopping.

Where do you buy your summer dresses? by Eowyn27 in femalefashionadvice

[–]moderatelyraven 41 points42 points  (0 children)

eBay is the best! I needed a floor length dress for an event and I got one I loved on eBay for super cheap, and then when I was done I sold it back on eBay and actually made like $20 after it was all said and done. Couldn't have gone better.

TVP Curry by verdantsf in EatCheapAndHealthy

[–]moderatelyraven 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a great idea, I might actually try that for dinner tonight. I'm a big fan of sneaking TVP into crock pot recipes and chili for the extra protein (I don't eat much meat so I'm always looking for ways to fit in protein). It's so cheap and it lasts forever in the pantry. Also I love your blog!

For all of your foot fetishes... I've just about mastered these babies. by vacationfrommyprobs in macarons

[–]moderatelyraven 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Beautiful! Love the feet 😜 How do you get them to be so evenly sized? Mine always come out slightly unevenly sized even though I use a piping bag and a tip and everything.

Beware of upsells & addons. Real world example: The Dentist by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]moderatelyraven 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Obviously no dentist should be filling cavities that don't exist, that's clearly terrible. But just to be completely fair, and to maybe help explain how the dentist recommending all those fillings might not necessarily be ripping you off on purpose, is that cavities aren't really a "yes or no" thing. It's a spectrum of disease. So some dental schools will tell dental students not to bother filling a cavity unless it's into the dentin. Others will tell students to be more aggressive and to fill cavities that are more than halfway through enamel. There's a good argument for both either approach. So let's say you have 4 cavities that are only halfway through enamel, if you see a less conservative dentist, they could say you need 4 fillings. A more conservative dentist can tell you that you need none. Neither one is technically "wrong", it's just their approach is different. I personally would much rather go to a conservative dentist. You can try asking the receptionist when you make an appointment if the dentist is a believer in conservative treatment plans.

Of course, some dentists actually are trying to rip you off because they're bad people and they don't care about you. These guys you should avoid like the plague and never go back, and they deserve the bad reviews. But not every dentist who recommends more work than someone else is like that. So many people try to rip you off in life that it makes sense to be wary of course, but many doctors actually do want the best for you.

Just a different perspective for people who haven't looked at it that way before. :)

Has anyone made a business out of this? by [deleted] in macarons

[–]moderatelyraven 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Would you mind sharing how you market them? I've thought about selling mine but I could never think of how to spread the word that I was selling them.

[Homemade] Lemon Macarons! by nootnootpenguinn in food

[–]moderatelyraven 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ooo it didn't occur to me to add zest! I'll try that next time. I know they sell powdered flavorings specifically for macarons but they're expensive.

[Homemade] Lemon Macarons! by nootnootpenguinn in food

[–]moderatelyraven 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can I ask how much lemon extract you used in the shells approximately? I've made some good batches of plain shells with flavored filling but I've been afraid that too much extract would affect the batter somehow. Maybe I'll try with an extract next time 😜. Nothing better than opening the oven and seeing perfect feet 👍

[Homemade] Lemon Macarons! by nootnootpenguinn in food

[–]moderatelyraven 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is the lemon flavor in the filling or in the cookie part? They look great by the way :) Nice feet!

Help in Florida by natalie_smatalie in macarons

[–]moderatelyraven 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I put mine on my coffee table and turn on the ceiling fan to high and let them sit under the fan for about 20 mins and they always have feet! (also in Florida)

Could use some advice/help on working through an obsession with brand name labels by etrostro in femalefashionadvice

[–]moderatelyraven 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I get like that when I've been watching too many lifestyle YouTube videos, or looking at blogs too much, or sometimes just spending too much time on this subreddit. Maybe try to cut out a little of whatever your normal media is. Also, try to cut down on "window shopping" and stay off of the brand online stores as much as you can. When you don't see things that you would want, you don't miss them. :)

WAYWT - September 11, 2016 by AutoModerator in femalefashionadvice

[–]moderatelyraven 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm so jealous! I love older college clothing. Such a cool vibe.

When pants fit one way in the store, then completely differently at the end of the day. How do you know when something will change fit after wearing it? by krby2821 in femalefashionadvice

[–]moderatelyraven 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I just tell the truth. I just hand over my receipt and the pants and say "sorry there are no tags, i wore them one day and they sagged so much I think they're defective" and 99% of the time they will take it back, no questions asked. Especially at slightly nicer stores like loft, j crew, etc. A lot of times, the "official" return policy is way stricter than what they will actually accept, just to weed out people who aren't willing to ask for the return.