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Paula Deen???? I don't get it!!! Her incessant cackling, sticking her tongue into chocolate fountains, and please, stop with the y'alling.
The worst thing?... her recipes. Soooo bad.
She's Food Network's performing monkey and... they love her. Apparentley, so does the audience. Yeesh.
You can fool some of the people some of the time...but Paula Deen fools all of the people all of the time.

Paul Deen, please, just go away....and take Guy Fieri with you.

Keeping chickens....dirty, unbelievably smelly and, what do you do with all that chicken waste?
And then there's the slaughtering....blood, guts, feathers...yeesh!

Hey Avryan,
You just did a "Major" kitchen remodel and you want to ruin it by getting cheap stuff just to fill the shelves????
Doesn't make sense man!
On a recent visit to Ikea I marveled at how the quality of their already poor quality stuff plunged.
As for Home Goods type of stores, be really discriminating about what you purchase. Make sure to inspect pots, pans, baking sheets for solid weight and, no cracks in their Le Creuset or wannabe knockoffs.
As for the restaurant supply houses in the Bowery, go into anyone! It's lots of fun and there's a lot to choose from as well as in Chinatown.
I agree that estate sales are a great source for the basics and maybe you will find an older model Kitchenaid stand mixer (which I prefer to the newer cheaply made Kitchenaids). BTW, Electrolux (not just for vacuums) makes a great work horse stand mixer and, amazing kitchen appliances.
As far as Cuisinart pots and pans are concerned, IMHO, they're now very cheaply made too.
Invest in good quality pots and pans. Al Clad will last you a long time.
Good luck outfitting your kitchen makeover. It will be lots of fun.

I make a paste of Valrhona cocoa powder, approximately 2 Tablespoons combined with 1/4 cup of whole milk. I add more sugar to taste, about 2 Tablespoons to start with, in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir continuously.
I add another cup or so of milk and about 2 ounces of Valrhona 70% chocolate chunked small, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted. I then add more milk, about 1/2 cup, if mixture is too thick and more sugar to taste, usually another 2 Tablespoons.
I then bring it just to the boil then pour into a mug.
Sip it slowly as you would a fine cognac and, with no distractions.
It's only you and your thoughts.
Hot cocoa well made is one of lifes utterly sensuous experiences.

There is the clear and the dark Shaoxing wine...use the dark.

Spicy eggplant is a great dish. I cook it often.
When I make it, I first brown about 1/3 cup of ground pork with garlic, soy sauce,1 T.hoisin, 1 T oyster sauce and a bit of salt. Pour off the excess oil and add it into the the steamed eggplant mixture. Serve over steamed rice.
It's excellent.

Don't give up on floating island!
Do it again and again until you get it right.
It is definitely an ethereal dessert and worthy of all the best college try you've got.
Believe me, if those in your family licked there plate when it was presented imperfectly, you won't want to miss their reactions when you get it right!

I just read your comment about Capogiro in Philadelphia. So strange because I just returned from there.
As chilly as the day was, the place was still packed with people!
I live about 15 minutes north of Princeton and Capogiro is where I go for "the" most insanely delicious gelato this side of Italy!
It is absolutely worth the hour it takes to get there.

Today I tried the Thai Coconut Milk (absolutely not too sweet) which I almost fell over in a, "so this is what it feels like to be in love" heap. My other swoonworthy choice was the Clemantine. The two flavors together were harmonious perfection.
If anyone makes it over to Capogiro this summer, please try
"Cilantro Lime." Some seven months after my initial encounter with that amazing flavor, it still remains my favorite.