Posted by smivies z5b ontario (My Page) on Mon, Jun 3, 13 at 14:51 Thank you so much for the thorough answers, If that is the case, I probably would not try then =) I Googled and learned that the buckeye and horse chestnut are extremely bitter if tried directly. This post was edited by jujujojo on Mon, Jun 3, 13 at 15:21

Here's where I heard about the hashbrowns in waffle iron (have since seen it several places): Hashbrown Waffles by Waffleizer.com Directions: 1. Wash and peel the potatoes. Shred them and squeeze them dry with a towel. (This ensures that your potatoes brown nicely.) 2. In a mixing bowl, add the potatoes, followed by salt and pepper to taste. 3. Spread about a teaspoon of butter on the waffle iron. (A silicone pastry brush works well; neither you nor the brush will melt while you spread the butter around the extremely hot waffle iron, and any nonstick finish on your waffle iron will be spared.) 4. Pile the shredded potatoes into the waffle iron and close the lid. 5. After a few minutes, you may wish to squeeze down the lid a bit. Check the potatoes after 10 minutes. In my waffle iron on the medium heat setting, the potatoes showed golden-brown highlights after about 15 minutes. But yours will vary, possibly by quite a bit. 6. Carefully remove the potatoes from the waffle iron. Serve them with grated cheese or sour cream. You could also serve waffled hash browns with ketchup, alongside a waffleburger. But that takes serious commitment to the concept. And I would worry about you a little. I used mine as the base for a fried egg, topped with shavings of three-year Gouda. It took me about two minutes to clean my plate. And, no, I did not waffle the egg. Not that one, anyway. Cooking bacon came from Alton Brown's show.

Here are some other ideas to try - Wear a pedometer or step counter: this has made a big difference to me. It motivates me to move more so that I meet my self-imposed daily step goal. When I don't hit my minimum of 10,000 steps then I move more the next day to compensate. If you're the competitve type, get family & friends to also wear one and then out do them. Keep a food diary: seeing it written down helps make you aware of every bite. It makes you really see what you are eating (like those crusts from your kid's sandwiches or the 15 Hershey kisses) and what you're not eating (like enough fruit or water). Eat mindfully: Really taste, smell and appreciate the appearance of your food for deeper satisfaction, and possibly, fewer but more satisfying calories. Join a weight loss group: Many find the combination of spending money and the semi-public accountability to be helpful. I've used Wt Watchers but there are many options. Or start your own with friends & family. Charge dues & let people earn the money back if they are successful. Don't sit when you can stand. Don't stand when you can walk. Don't walk when you can run: In other words, GET MOVING. Everyone agrees that it is hard, hard, hard to find time to exercise if you don't really enjoy it. But it is so important to exercise for strength & flexibility & endurance. Find something you can tolerate and do it. Make. The. Time. Do it for you. It's your health and future. Take charge. Today. And if you slip up, start again with the next meal or next work-out session. Don't wait until the next Monday. Or 2 weeks before your class reunion. Start right now.

I agree with @chispa. I couldn't get all drawers in my kitchen (tract build) so I had to settle for rollouts, but if I had the option I would get drawers in a heartbeat. If you have a spice pullout and you like it, great. Personally I would hate it. Except for the top row, you need to view your spices from the side, so that means squatting down to find what you need - it's almost worse than the lazy susan in a cupboard. I have had all manner of spice storage. The best was probably the spice cupboard I had in a 1930s apartment. I'm not even sure they make those any more. The worst was a standard cupboard - lazy susan or tiered shelves, they both suck. The close second to the spice cupboard is putting them in a drawer - laid down (my preference) or standing up (I bought spice jars so all of my spices are uniform, and all have labels on top & side). You open the drawer, and they're all there, readable. Easy to find what you need. Also consider how you use your spices...for me, I rarely use/measure them AT the stove, except for salt and pepper. I usually add them/measure them during prep, so I prefer to have my spices closer to my prep space. If I had a pullout next to my cooktop it would be for utensils. THAT would be extremely useful, and get the utensil holder off the counter.