# Knitting Tea Party - 7th to 9th October



## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Good Morning/Good Afternoon/Good Evening (delete as applicable)

It's 11pm BST on Friday evening in London, 10am Saturday morning in New Zealand, time for elevenses on the East coast of Australia and in Los Angeles it's _Teatime!_ This weekend the petrolhead action comes from Suzuka which is staging the F1 Grand Prix of Japan. Third practice starts in a few hours, followed by qualifying at a silly hour for us in London! I seem to have a houseful of teenage boys who arrived earlier this evening for the weekend, lots more of my _Racing in Japan_ egg cosy were required, they all know they get to keep them as a souvenir! If you hven't seen it yet, the design is at:

http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-32649-1.html#531266

unfortunately, there was a typo on row 24 of the original post which I only noticed after the time allowed for adjustments had expired.

I hope everybody has a thoroughly good time at this week's Tea Party with lots of light and friendly chat about what we've all been up to. If you've only ever looked in before, do say "Hello" and join in the conversation.

With a horde of gannets arriving on an Autumn evening, I decided to have a good hearty casserole ready for them. I made three times the quantity in advance and put it in a couple of slow cookers on 'LOW', it's very well-behaved and just improves with the extra time. They devoured it and are currently engrossed in building a _Scalextric_ circuit that looks a bit like Suzuka for their own little competition, whilst I'm putting together a suitable snack to go with the last practice session.

Enjoy!
Dave

*Sausage, tomato and bean casserole*
_Serves: 4_

*Ingredients:*
1 tbsp olive oil
8 good pork sausages
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 red peppers, de-seeded and roughly chopped
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g can mixed beans, drained and rinsed

*Method:*
Preheat the oven to 400degF/200degC/Regulo 6.

Place the sausages in an oven-proof dish and bake in the oven for 10 mins to brown the sausages.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and sauté very gently for about 5 minutes, add the pepper and cook for 2-3mins, then add the tomatoes, beans and chilli flakes, simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened. Season to taste.

Pour the tomato mixture over the sausages, reduce the oven to 350degF/180degC/Regulo 4 then cook for 30mins.


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## azmom101 (Mar 23, 2011)

Dave - You can steam some rice and maybe you can feed all the gannets 'till Monday


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

azmom101 said:


> Dave - You can steam some rice and maybe you can feed all the gannets 'till Monday


It'll take more than a bit of steamed rice for this lot. They're at a public school and it's axiomatic in England that the better the school, the worse the food; this school is so good, the kitchens are subject to UN biological weapons inspections!

Dave


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

dave - using slow cookers - did you do the oven cooking first and then transfer to the slow cookers or did you do all the cooling in the slow cookers.

sam


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## maidinkent (Jul 17, 2011)

wayhay! 1st page!
Hi Dave, many thanks for the recipe - love sausage casserole, but have never tried it with so much red pepper. Do you think it would work with quorn sausages? (I'm not a veggie - just trying to cut down on the animal fat at the moment.)
I've been out today with my son and his wife, trying to choose a woodburner, there are so many different makes, the ones made in the uk seem to be far more expensive than the imports, do you have a preference?
regards


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## jknappva (Apr 12, 2011)

Hellooooo, everyone!! I'm so glad it's time for the weekly Tea Party...definitely deserving of caps!
With that bottomless crowd, Dave, you'll be cooking most of the weekend or calling out for food!!! 
I know you and your PetrolHeads will have a grand weekend!
JuneK


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

years ago when i was living in seattle they was a columnist who wrote for the seattle post intelligencer. he had a very good sense of humor which showed in his writing. i remember him saying that you should use tumeric instead of saffron since the saffrin would cost you your first born and then some. 

it seems we are about to enter the season of mud slinging - promises (that we know they can't or won't keep) - scandals if we are lucky - exhaustion from listening to all the reterick. so in the spirit of the season i offer this recipe/receipt:

POLITICAL CHICKEN
10 chicken thighs
¼ tsp turmeric	
¼ tsp groung ginger
1 tsp curry
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
2 medium onions
2 cloves garlic
i/4 cup olive oil
½ Tabasco
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 c chicken broth
S&p to taste
½ lb sliced mushrooms


Brown chicken  with combined tuneric, ginger, curry, and soy sauce.
Place on plate and let stand half hour or so.
Sauté onions  remove  in same skillet  add Tabasco, cinnamon, bay leaf, chicken broth and onion mixture. Add thighs.
Simmer until tender.
Remove everything from the skillet  add mushrooms until reduced to half
Make rice
Glob of rice on plate - lay a chicken thigh on top  cover with sautéed stuff  add mushrooms  eat and enjoy.

sam


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

maidinkent said:


> wayhay! 1st page!
> Hi Dave, many thanks for the recipe - love sausage casserole, but have never tried it with so much red pepper. Do you think it would work with quorn sausages? (I'm not a veggie - just trying to cut down on the animal fat at the moment.)
> I've been out today with my son and his wife, trying to choose a woodburner, there are so many different makes, the ones made in the uk seem to be far more expensive than the imports, do you have a preference?
> regards


You must have been loitering on the web!

It works fine with _Quorn_, but fortunately I don't have to contend with any of the fashionable _fluffy bunny brigade_, so no problem using my local butcher's good pork sausages. You can adjust the chilli flakes to taste, I know my audience and they like it hot and spicy with masses of mashed potatoes and cauliflower.

Drain the boiled cauliflower, arrange in a serving tray, grate _Red Leicester_ cheese over the top and a good grinding of black pepper then flash under a hot grill until the cheese bubbles. So simple and tastes great, you can use any cheese you like, but I find _Red Leicester_ behaves better than most when you cook it. They got through three trays of it, so it obviously hit the spot!

Dave


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## jknappva (Apr 12, 2011)

It works fine with _Quorn_, but fortunately I don't have to contend with any of the fashionable _fluffy bunny brigade_, so no problem using my local butcher's good pork sausages. You can adjust the chilli flakes to taste, I know my audience and they like it hot and spicy with masses of mashed potatoes and cauliflower.

'Fluffy Bunny Brigade'.....too funny, Dave. Thank goodness, my cholesterol doesn't give me fits and I NEVER belonged to THAT Brigade so good old pork sausage definitely works for me!
JuneK


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

thewren said:


> dave - using slow cookers - did you do the oven cooking first and then transfer to the slow cookers or did you do all the cooling in the slow cookers.
> 
> sam


It all depends on time, Sam. If I have time, I fry the sausages, prepare the other ingredients and cook the whole thing in the slow cooker for 5 to 6 hours. But to-day I was running late, gave it half an hour in the oven, which is all this quick casserole actually requires to be cooked, then transferred it to the slow cooker for a couple of hours to let the flavours develop further and keep warm until the boys arrived. Their boarding school is over fifty miles away, some came up on bikes, some by train and bus, so I wanted something that wouldn't spoil.

Dave


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## redriet60 (Jun 24, 2011)

Wow I can't believe it, I think I got in on the first page, probably because I stayed home from work today Thanks guys for hosting another "Tea party" an the recipes/receipts. Have to try those sometime, they sound good.


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## pammie1234 (Apr 27, 2011)

Hi, everyone! Great sounding recipes so far. I'm in a baseball mood especially since the post season has begun. My team plays tomorrow night. 2 good games on tonight. This weekend Dallas is hosting the infamous Texas/OU game. It is usually a good one! Lots of fans from Austin and Oklahoma City. Lots of police on duty in hopes of preventing people from getting out of hand. The Texas State Fair is also going on. It is very fun, and the food is outrageous. One year they had fried butter! Lots of unusual things. Subbed in 3rd grade today. It went really well, but I am tired! Not used to standing on my feet all day. Haven't gotten a lot of knitting in this week, so hope to do some tonight!


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## Dreamweaver (Feb 1, 2011)

Still on the first page and, already, 3 great recipes. The sausage casserole is a must do. I love red peppers and sausage and beans (maybe white beans). Great to do ahead when I want to spend all day in studio and don't want DH trasking kitchen... The cauliflower topped off under broiler would certainly get rid of any mushy tendency. I also like it sliced thinner and grilled or oiled and grilled in oven till brown tips.

Sam, that Political Chicken must be named for all the melting pot spices!!! The whole United Nations seems to be represented. Just can't resist tasting that combination.

Not being political, this is a real love/hate time for us. Hate the whole *lengthy* campaign bit and the lack of any real substance in most retoric and love that SIL gets soooooo much voice-over work. He feels a little like a lady of the night - since he doesn't have to, nor does he, agree with a word out of his mouth - he takes no moral high ground - just cashs the checks!!!

Hope you all have a fabulous week-end. I'm going to be overdosing on Hockey and racing and knitting furiously.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

jknappva said:


> Hellooooo, everyone!! I'm so glad it's time for the weekly Tea Party...definitely deserving of caps!
> With that bottomless crowd, Dave, you'll be cooking most of the weekend or calling out for food!!!
> I know you and your PetrolHeads will have a grand weekend!
> JuneK


I have masses of food in and they're good lads who are easy to organise. They actually enjoy helping in the kitchen and unless it's something tricky, I frequently sit on a stool in the corner and direct whilst they do the cooking as a team effort. They'll all need to know how to cook and this way learning is fun.

Dave


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## Dreamweaver (Feb 1, 2011)

Did want to mention that I posted a tasty little recipe earlier out in forum, but wanted to tell you all at Tea Party to check out Mexican Street Corn. I mispelled the Spanist esota - but - it is still a good recipe...

A little stop at the Dr. Thurs. turned into a full expam and the discovery of a little anomaly on EKG so I have to go for first ever stress test Monday - while DH is getting a CT Scan. We feel like Medical Central and have decided to just stuff it all, eat every bad thing we crave all week-end while being TV addicts with sporting events. The logic is, we will feel horridly guilty and ready to embrace all the healthy stuff they tell us we *must* do.... That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

OCTOBERFEST SOUP
6-8 spicy Italian sausages, each cut into 3 pieces
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper or green (opional for taste), seeded & chopped
1 tsp cajun spice or more for taste 
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 medium cabbage, chopped
2 carrots penny sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Toss all this into a pot or slow cooker, cover with water and chicken stock. Cook until cabbage is tender and all vegies and sausage is done. Make this in the morning and reheat for the evening meal. Serve with dinner rolls and choise of beverage. My friends enjoy a good beer with this. (Ten minutes or so before serving, you can also throw in some potatoe perogies to act as the dumplings).

October seems to be the month for sausages, cabbages, sourkraut, and other German type foods!!


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Love the _Political Chicken_ Sam, I'll run it by the troops and see if they fancy having a go!

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Dreamweaver said:


> Still on the first page and, already, 3 great recipes. The sausage casserole is a must do. I love red peppers and sausage and beans (maybe white beans). Great to do ahead when I want to spend all day in studio and don't want DH trasking kitchen... The cauliflower topped off under broiler would certainly get rid of any mushy tendency. I also like it sliced thinner and grilled or oiled and grilled in oven till brown tips.
> 
> Sam, that Political Chicken must be named for all the melting pot spices!!! The whole United Nations seems to be represented. Just can't resist tasting that combination.
> 
> ...


We've just had the various party conferences with all the politicians doing their posturing to rally their supporters. They never tire of the task of competing for column inches in the newspapers and trying to tell us how wonderful they are; there's no illusion like self-delusion!

Dave


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## redriet60 (Jun 24, 2011)

5mmdpns said:


> OCTOBERFEST SOUP
> 6-8 spicy Italian sausages, each cut into 3 pieces
> 1 large onion, finely chopped
> 1 red pepper or green (opional for taste), seeded & chopped
> ...


This soup sounds so good, I'll have to run out and get lots of sausage to try these recipes, I'm sure there is more to come. I guess I will make my soup with mild sausage, less spicy for little ones.


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## Marilyn K. (Jul 8, 2011)

Another Must Try! Thank you Dave!!!


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Sausages are definitely the way to go in the Autumn, we have a week celebrating them coming up, then I'll go into overdrive!

While we're on the subject of Autumn delights, if you haven't seen it yet, egg cosy xviii is a _Jack-O-Lantern_ and has a matching napkin ring, you can find it at:

http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-33624-1.html

If you'd just like an easy napkin ring for your table, you might like the design at:

http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-33892-1.html

It could serve many uses, depending on your choice of colours and charm.

Dave


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Wow! I may be on the second or third page tonight. Hard to tell where the page break is.
I made my sweet pepper relish and have the receipt for you:

12 Green Peppers, seeded
12 Red Peppers, seeded
7-8 Medium Onions

Grind the vegetables in either a food processor or a regular grinder. Put in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 5 minutes, then drain well. You don't have to have the red/green mix - use whatever peppers you have.

3-8oz. Cups Sugar
3-8oz. Cups Vinegar (I prefer Apple Cider, but white is OK, too.)
2 Tablespoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Mustard Seed
2 Tablespoons Celery Seed

Combine all ingredients in a large pan or Dutch oven and heat to boiling, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil for about three minutes, then add well-drained peppers and onions. Return to a boil for a couple minutes. Spoon into hot jars and seal. Makes about 7 U.S. pints.

Hope you like it!


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## martin keith (Feb 25, 2011)

Cool weather and sausage, I remember way way way back and the cooler weather was "hog killing" time. Well we did that when I was a very young man, butchering and smoking the pork was part of the way of life growing up in the rural south.
The apples are ready in North Georgia, so it is time to go to Helen for the Oktoberfest.
Thanks to all who have put up those recipe for soups hard for me to tell which one to try first.


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

All those tummy-warming dishes sound so good. Just did my grocery shopping for next week so will have to save them for next weekend.

I celebrated my 83rd birthday on Wednesday, the 5th, while vacationing with DH, DD, and her DH. They surprised me two nights in a row by ordering a dessert complete with candles for me. The night of my actual birthday we were in a Mexican restaurant so the waiters and waitresses serenaded me, accompanied by loud clapping. It was fun!! 

I think I have the best daughter in the world - I'm so grateful for her - just wish I had another one just like her. She did all the driving on our trip and we put over 1000 miles on the rental car. Her DH handled all the luggage for us, which was a good thing because 2 or 3 of our B&Bs had no elevators.

Sorry I didn't bring home any good pictures, Dave. I was using a new camera that I was not familiar with, but DD promised to send me some of hers that I could post for the tea party. Just don't know when she'll have time to do it.

Hope everyone is enjoying good health and I look forward to more good recipes.


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## dandylion (May 31, 2011)

Wow, all of the recipes looks so good! I'll be making the Octoberfest soup tomorrow, I almost mad something similar today, but roasted veggies instead. I'm glad I waited, because now I'll use this recipe instead of just throwing things in the pot. 
I have so many projects to get done and so little time. I intend to take pictures when some of them are done. So many of my family have birthdays this month, and knitting for triplets has taken longer than I thought. 

I'm on the run now, but I just saw some pictures of the triplets on my nieces blog, so I will post them as promised. 
Later all, Y'all, Sue


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## ChocolatePom (Feb 25, 2011)

Good evening all. 

And Happy belated Birthday to Doris T. 

I had to take time to watch the Baseball games to see who would be playing who. Being a Tigers fan and with a cousin who is both Tigers and Diamondbacks fan, it was important that I see both games through. My Tigers go forward and I had to text cousin that I was sorry that his Diamondbacks did not get to do that. 

On to the wonderful receipts/recipes provided so far... wow! It makes me want to go into a kitchen and cook. Ok, so not at this moment...maybe tomorrow. Right now am enjoying a cordial glass of Peach Schnapps. VERY tasty!

Dave, I really like that jack o lantern egg cosy. It is just so cute. If I didn't have so many projects on my plate now, I would be making a bunch of them for my friends.

But, I have so much to do. And since I bought a new bottle of horse liniment after my fall this past Monday, I will now be able to get something done this weekend. I mean, since I can now move a bit.


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## jknappva (Apr 12, 2011)

I have masses of food in and they're good lads who are easy to organise. They actually enjoy helping in the kitchen and unless it's something tricky, I frequently sit on a stool in the corner and direct whilst they do the cooking as a team effort. They'll all need to know how to cook and this way learning is fun.

Dave[/quote]

Now that's the way to cook. Plus everyone has a grand time. Both of my sons are better cooks than their wives! They learned early. There was no men's work/women's work in our household and if they wanted to eat when MY kitchen was closed, they had to cook it themselves AND clean up!
JuneK


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## jknappva (Apr 12, 2011)

The logic is, we will feel horridly guilty and ready to embrace all the healthy stuff they tell us we *must* do.... That's my story and I'm sticking to it!![/quote]

I don't blame you at all....GO FOR IT!!
JuneK


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## darowil (Apr 17, 2011)

Its nearly 3.30pm here in Adelaide and I have just returned from a twofold trip into town (a 1/2 walk into the centre of Adelaide). I needed to buy some yarn before the 50% off ended (and all I got today was the two balls I went for) and so decided to go in to see the teams for tomorrows grandfinals presented. Sitting here now in my Centrals t-shirt, socks (handknitted of course) and scarf. Tomorrow is the big game. 
Recipes all sound like the type I would eat.
Wish eating badly would make me so guilty I might then eat better as I have been told I must eat better for my hearts sake (I did know that and had managed to lose a bit, but since being told zilch!- I know what to do, but can't actually do it. I could sure do with some guilt to help me.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

darowil said:


> Its nearly 3.30pm here in Adelaide and I have just returned from a twofold trip into town (a 1/2 walk into the centre of Adelaide). I needed to buy some yarn before the 50% off ended (and all I got today was the two balls I went for) and so decided to go in to see the teams for tomorrows grandfinals presented. Sitting here now in my Centrals t-shirt, socks (handknitted of course) and scarf. Tomorrow is the big game.
> Recipes all sound like the type I would eat.
> Wish eating badly would make me so guilty I might then eat better as I have been told I must eat better for my hearts sake (I did know that and had managed to lose a bit, but since being told zilch!- I know what to do, but can't actually do it. I could sure do with some guilt to help me.


My, you were very restrained only buying what you had on your list!

On guilt, I rather like tv cook Nigella Lawson's line, "I don't have any guilty pleasures, 'guilt' isn't something I ever associate with pleasure"!

Dave


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## darowil (Apr 17, 2011)

Well I was only restrained because I had been in earlier in the week- and got more than I went for. But need to get my supplies in for summer- well maybe not.


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## ENGLISHROSE (Mar 25, 2011)

HI EVERY ONE, HAD A LOUSY WEEK TRYING TO GET MY PAIN UNDER CONTROL, THE WEATHER CHANGES HAS ALOT TO DO WITH IT. TALKING ABOUT SASUAGES, I LOVE BRITISH SAUSAGES EAT THEM ALL THE TIME WHEN I'M HOME, I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THEM. LOVE SAUSAGE PIE, AND TOAD IN THE HOLE. HHMMMM FEELING HUNGREY ALREADY. HAVE PUT XMAS STUFF ON HOLD AND BUSY DOING PREMMIE CLOTHES FOR GT GRANDAUGHTER. HOPE EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

Happy Thanksgiving to the Canadians in this group. Monday will be our Thanksgiving Day but may every day of the year be a Thanksgiving Day. Maybe we can all say what we are thankful for. I for one am thankful for my family, my partner, a place to live, being debt free, for living in the country where it is peaceful and quiet, for the clean air I breath and the clear water I drink, food on my table and my friends. For the clothing I have to wear and the ability to help others that need help. Kathleen


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## conniesews (Jul 16, 2011)

Dreamweaver, my thoughts are with you and DH. I also have health issue. I have had a belly ache for a couple of weeks and it turns out I have a hernia. Can't spell Hyatil. Need surgery. Sooner rather than later because I am a busy women. LOL But it has all come together with friends watching the shop, a friend is moving in when I go to the hospital to take care of grandson and dog, and me when I come home. How wonderful! She said I took care of her after surgery, so it is her pleasure. Friends are great. No spicy food for me, Dave. I guess I'm a fluffy bunny. Enjoy your races and young males. I had many a party when my boys were young. Such fun but hard work. I am still knitting to beat the band and loving it. Trying new yarns and patterns every day. A little manic, I think. Have a great weekend. Conniesews


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## Mountain Mama (May 1, 2011)

pammie1234 said:


> Hi, everyone! Great sounding recipes so far. I'm in a baseball mood especially since the post season has begun. My team plays tomorrow night. 2 good games on tonight. This weekend Dallas is hosting the infamous Texas/OU game. It is usually a good one! Lots of fans from Austin and Oklahoma City. Lots of police on duty in hopes of preventing people from getting out of hand. The Texas State Fair is also going on. It is very fun, and the food is outrageous. One year they had fried butter! Lots of unusual things. Subbed in 3rd grade today. It went really well, but I am tired! Not used to standing on my feet all day. Haven't gotten a lot of knitting in this week, so hope to do some tonight!


What memories! My beloved and I lived in or near Dallas for almost 20 years, and the cardinal rule was never go near downtown on Texas/OU week-end if you valued your life. My BH even got arrested once while in college. It seems all the bars suspend the rule about serving to minors because the police simply don't have time to check it out/enforce it, because they are trying to curb more serious mayhem in the streets.
So far, the students have been more civilized than the ones in Boulder, CO, who have been known to set cars on fire! Where's the good clean fun in that?!
I'll spend my day watching the game and knitting, thank you very much.
Hope you survive as well,
Rae


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Good morning,actually it's almost 10:00 here in MD. Not much going on this weekend. I think I'm going to do the seasonal change-over and put the majority of my summer stuff into hibernation and dig out my winter stuff. It has been chilly this past week, but they are predicting temps in the 80s for today.
We are enjoying a long weekend, thanks to the Columbus Day weekend. 
I completed (YEA!) a Dalek face cloth for my daughter. It certainly is not perfect - making knitted baubles is a lot harder than the crochet baubles - but it is recognizable. It will be one of the stuffers for her stocking come Christmas. I hope to make it part of a Dr. Who trio as I have patterns for both the adipose babies and for a "bow ties are cool" cloth.
Question for any Whovians: What did you think of this season, especially the last episode?


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Happy birthday, Doris T. Sounds like you were well-feted by your daughter and her husband. You are very lucky.


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

The sausage receipts sound great. Sam, your political chicken will get a workout this weekend. It would be nice if the 'capitol hill turkeys' could be substituted! The blather hasn't gotten TOO bad yet, but I dread the months ahead!


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## mamiepooh (Sep 19, 2011)

KBW-1953 said:


> Happy Thanksgiving to the Canadians in this group. Monday will be our Thanksgiving Day but may every day of the year be a Thanksgiving Day. Maybe we can all say what we are thankful for. I for one am thankful for my family, my partner, a place to live, being debt free, for living in the country where it is peaceful and quiet, for the clean air I breath and the clear water I drink, food on my table and my friends. For the clothing I have to wear and the ability to help others that need help. Kathleen


Greetings from a sunny and warm Montreal (they forecast 24C today). It's the same for me plus I'm thankful for being in good health and having a good job. Whishing to all a great day !


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## 1artist (May 24, 2011)

Dreamweaver, went to do a search of your Mexican Street Corn recipe, and got nowhere, how do you search for it. read somewhere that there was a recipe post where all good things went, couldn't find that either. d



Dreamweaver said:


> Did want to mention that I posted a tasty little recipe earlier out in forum, but wanted to tell you all at Tea Party to check out Mexican Street Corn. I mispelled the Spanist esota - but - it is still a good recipe...
> 
> A little stop at the Dr. Thurs. turned into a full expam and the discovery of a little anomaly on EKG so I have to go for first ever stress test Monday - while DH is getting a CT Scan. We feel like Medical Central and have decided to just stuff it all, eat every bad thing we crave all week-end while being TV addicts with sporting events. The logic is, we will feel horridly guilty and ready to embrace all the healthy stuff they tell us we *must* do.... That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!


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## Marilyn K. (Jul 8, 2011)

Okay Sam,
So why is it called Political Chicken?
marilyn


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## msusanc (Apr 5, 2011)

Dreamweaver said:


> We feel like Medical Central and have decided to just stuff it all, eat every bad thing we crave all week-end while being TV addicts with sporting events. The logic is, we will feel horridly guilty and ready to embrace all the healthy stuff they tell us we *must* do.... That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!


I agree. We have had lovely weather this week and yesterday DH and I went out for a convertible drive to see the pretty leaves -- probably the last topless drive for the year. We stopped at a an old-fashioned drive-in for lunch (complete with carhops!) and I said "We're just to old to NOT have a chocolate malt with our greasy hamburgers and fried onion rings". And so we 
did.


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## kneonknitter (Feb 10, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> Good Morning/Good Afternoon/Good Evening (delete as applicable)
> 
> It's 11pm BST on Friday evening in London, 10am Saturday morning in New Zealand, time for elevenses on the East coast of Australia and in Los Angeles it's _Teatime!_ This weekend the petrolhead action comes from Suzuka which is staging the F1 Grand Prix of Japan. Third practice starts in a few hours, followed by qualifying at a silly hour for us in London! I seem to have a houseful of teenage boys who arrived earlier this evening for the weekend, lots more of my _Racing in Japan_ egg cosy were required, they all know they get to keep them as a souvenir! If you hven't seen it yet, the design is at:
> 
> ...


Good morning Dave & all. It promises to be a gorgeous day here in Connecticut. Great for sitting out on the back deck & knitting my little heart out. I am working on knitting new sleeves for DH's sweater. This time I measured his arms & will be very careful about measuring the length of the sleeves very carefully. Hope you are all having a great day!! Enjoy the tea party.


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## msusanc (Apr 5, 2011)

PS to Dreamweaver: hope your medical issues resolve quickly and successfully.


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

1artist said:


> Dreamweaver, went to do a search of your Mexican Street Corn recipe, and got nowhere, how do you search for it. read somewhere that there was a recipe post where all good things went, couldn't find that either. d


You just type Mexican Street Corn recipe into your search engine. There are several recipes for this that come up. This was the first one with 5 stars:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cooking-for-real/mexican-street-corn-recipe/index.html
Here is another with a bit of a different twist:
http://www.food.com/recipe/mexican-street-corn-223191


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

siouxann said:


> Good morning,actually it's almost 10:00 here in MD. Not much going on this weekend. I think I'm going to do the seasonal change-over and put the majority of my summer stuff into hibernation and dig out my winter stuff. It has been chilly this past week, but they are predicting temps in the 80s for today.
> We are enjoying a long weekend, thanks to the Columbus Day weekend.
> I completed (YEA!) a Dalek face cloth for my daughter. It certainly is not perfect - making knitted baubles is a lot harder than the crochet baubles - but it is recognizable. It will be one of the stuffers for her stocking come Christmas. I hope to make it part of a Dr. Who trio as I have patterns for both the adipose babies and for a "bow ties are cool" cloth.
> Question for any Whovians: What did you think of this season, especially the last episode?


I've been hiding behind the sofa from the would-be masters of the universe since I was a little boy, I have a copy of the Dalek cloth pattern, I rather fancy having a go at one with colour-work, but haven't quite got round to working it out yet.

I really enjoyed the last season, lots of clever switchback twists and turns and they left a few loose ends for the future, both past and present. We're all fans of The Doctor here and Matt Smith gets our votes as the best ever, he's wonderfully manic and quite alien!

Enjoy your long weekend, I hope the weather is kind to you.

Dave


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## Lisa crafts 62 (Jan 23, 2011)

Hi everyone it's 11:04 am here in Grand Rapids MI. Mom had her toe removed on Wednesday along with 3 sentinal nodes in the groin area. We are wating on the biopsy results to see if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. She does not have too much pain from the toe because of the neruopathy, but the groin area is another matter vicoden helps with this pain. She will go back to the doctor's a week from Monday. I am working on an afghan in Pale antique rose & dark antique rose on the knitting board. It is a beautiful fall day again today.


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

Happy Columbus Day Weekend to the Americans in the group from a Canadian Neighbour who is also Thankful for a friendly border and neighbour. Kathleen



siouxann said:


> Good morning,actually it's almost 10:00 here in MD. Not much going on this weekend. I think I'm going to do the seasonal change-over and put the majority of my summer stuff into hibernation and dig out my winter stuff. It has been chilly this past week, but they are predicting temps in the 80s for today.
> We are enjoying a long weekend, thanks to the Columbus Day weekend.
> I completed (YEA!) a Dalek face cloth for my daughter. It certainly is not perfect - making knitted baubles is a lot harder than the crochet baubles - but it is recognizable. It will be one of the stuffers for her stocking come Christmas. I hope to make it part of a Dr. Who trio as I have patterns for both the adipose babies and for a "bow ties are cool" cloth.
> Question for any Whovians: What did you think of this season, especially the last episode?


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

KBW-1953 said:


> Happy Columbus Day Weekend to the Americans in the group from a Canadian Neighbour who is also Thankful for a friendly border and neighbour. Kathleen
> 
> And a very Happy Thanksgiving to you! I'm thankful, too, for a friendly northern neighbor. Never have been much further than the Toronto area, but I really hope to correct that in the near future!!


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

I am about 3 hours drive north of Toronto but I have not been to Maryland either. I have been to a lot of the USA, mostly the Northern States and the Western State, although have been through Texas, New Mexico and up through Colorado and onwards north. I enjoy wherever I go, whether it be the USA or Canada and have been to Mexico also. One day will see the rest of the USA and then on to other continents LOL. Take care.



siouxann said:


> KBW-1953 said:
> 
> 
> > Happy Columbus Day Weekend to the Americans in the group from a Canadian Neighbour who is also Thankful for a friendly border and neighbour. Kathleen
> ...


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## Southern Gal (Apr 6, 2011)

morning all, its 10:30 here in AR. had a up and down nite, with dear maddi, the snorkie pup. hate not to take her out when she wakes ya, but then gotta have play time to wind back down, so hence the late morn. not really got anything going on here today, said i was going to have a sluggo day, might clean the hard wood floors and pitch in some laundry, but nothin to busy. will prob. put on a good movie and knit. I have gotten some great recipes off here, gonna try daves sausage tomato, bean concoction, and i love the sound of the mexican street corn, so gonna try it. i like recipes with not a lot of ingredients, cause unlike most of you, i hate to cook, i can cook just not gonna do a lot of from scratch stuff, i am a quick crock pot cook. though stuff sounds good, not gonna fool with gathering a lot of ingredients, i am like the lady on cooking channel, semi-homemade  but these two recipes strike me as something bj and i will love. he is now watching sat. morn cartoons. thats his thing. everyoone have a great day. thanks dave for the tea party and recipe. sorry for all who have folks in the hospital and those still recovering from surgeries. get better and take care of your selves.


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## anneevamod (Apr 16, 2011)

Dave...you sound like a wonderful father and those boys are lucky to have you. Thank you for the wonderful recipes. Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadiens and Doris T ..Happy Birthday. Dreamweaver....take care of yourself and I will be keeping you in my prayers. Lisa...I hope your Mum starts to feel better soon. DOn't forget to take care of yourself as well. Hope everyone has a phenomenol weekend. Oh....and about food/guilt. I have a motto...."I AM NOT going to be one of the women, treading water in the ocean and watching the Titanic go down and thinking..I should have had that Lemon Meringue......" Food is to celebrate. Eat and enjoy...life goes to darned quickly!!!!!!!!


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## pammie1234 (Apr 27, 2011)

Speaking of the Titanic, I found a neat website called Titanic China. If you sign up they send you info about the ship. They even had the menu for the last supper. Very interesting and informative.


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

jknappva said:


> I have masses of food in and they're good lads who are easy to organise. They actually enjoy helping in the kitchen and unless it's something tricky, I frequently sit on a stool in the corner and direct whilst they do the cooking as a team effort. They'll all need to know how to cook and this way learning is fun.
> 
> Dave


Now that's the way to cook. Plus everyone has a grand time. Both of my sons are better cooks than their wives! They learned early. There was no men's work/women's work in our household and if they wanted to eat when MY kitchen was closed, they had to cook it themselves AND clean up!
JuneK[/quote]

How right you all are. I can't remember not being in the kitchen learning something about cooking. From the time I was 2 or so. Going blackberry picking with my grandparents, and coming home to learn how to make a pie. I was always fascinated by cooking and learned very early. Everyone in my family knew how to cook and cook from scratch. I made sure all my children learned to cook at an early age. They all still cook and love it, and my grandchildren do too.


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## Sugar and Spice's Mom (Aug 2, 2011)

Dreamweaver, good luck with your stress test. Please keep us posted.


Dreamweaver said:


> Did want to mention that I posted a tasty little recipe earlier out in forum, but wanted to tell you all at Tea Party to check out Mexican Street Corn. I mispelled the Spanist esota - but - it is still a good recipe...
> 
> A little stop at the Dr. Thurs. turned into a full expam and the discovery of a little anomaly on EKG so I have to go for first ever stress test Monday - while DH is getting a CT Scan. We feel like Medical Central and have decided to just stuff it all, eat every bad thing we crave all week-end while being TV addicts with sporting events. The logic is, we will feel horridly guilty and ready to embrace all the healthy stuff they tell us we *must* do.... That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

Would you mind sharing the web site for that site? I would be very interested in it. My mother had a cousin that was a steward on the Titanic and went down with the ship. I am currently trying to match the names in my family tree with the names on the ship, but so far, do not have a connection. I need to work on the family tree more and see what other names come up in it. Mom had a photo of him but for several years before she passed away, she was not able to communicate which photo it was. Anyway, I know the names of passengers and crew were listed online and will keep checking that also. Thank you in advance. Kathleen


pammie1234 said:


> Speaking of the Titanic, I found a neat website called Titanic China. If you sign up they send you info about the ship. They even had the menu for the last supper. Very interesting and informative.


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## The Quiet Knitter (Jun 25, 2011)

Oh, Sam. John Owen was our favorite columnist in the food section. I have a whole collection of his recipes I cut out of the paper, and we make them all the time. His sense of humor and his casualness in his cooking techniques were wonderful. When he retired we were so disappointed.


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## Dori Sage (Feb 7, 2011)

Good a.m. from a very cool (59F) sunny SoCal. Its been fairly cool here all week - just lovely. Took a nice long walk yesterday, without sweating. Fabulous. 
I'm going to try the Sausage, tomato, bean casserole. Hopefully it freezes well, b/c I live alone and do like a variety of foods. Same thing with the Political Chick. Also sounds good, as does the Octoberfest Soup. 

Finished my first Mobieus scarf, done w/ 3 different yarns. Love the colors, I'll post after I steam out the center (once if find my camera and remember how to download).


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## brenda m (Jun 2, 2011)

hi everyone from Tennessee. It was 82 here yesterday and supposed to be the same today. Had a good time at a family reunion last weekend-2 daughters and granddaughter and I went; saw uncle and cousins I haven't seen in a year or more. We did some stash buying on the way home and now will meet the daughters at a local Mexican restaurant. The grandkids have already had their soccor games for the day


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## jeanbess (Aug 20, 2011)

hi everyone and Happy thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians, is there anywhere else they celebrate thanksgiving in October


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## Sandy (Jan 17, 2011)

Good morning everyone! It is Saturday morning about 11:20. Not raining here yet but it is supposed to. I am busy knitting a baby cuddle sack for one of our teachers whose wife is due next month. He is a huge NY Yankee fan so I'm making it in Yankee colors( since they are having a boy). I will also make booties, mittens and hat to match. I am still working on things for the holiday bazaar that I will be doing next month as well. I really need to stop making other things while I'm doing that. But do I? NO I keep coming up with new things all the time. I have so many projects going on I should be put away! Ha Ha! I know there are more out there just like me!

Thank you all for the wonderful recipes I can't wait to try them.
I will have to get my recipes out and send one. Talk to you all later I need to get to my knitting.
Sandy


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## anneevamod (Apr 16, 2011)

Changed my avatar!!!!! Funny how only 5 yrs ago I didn't even know what that meant! It is supposed to rain here today (isn't it always?) but it looks like we are going to have sun. Need to work in the garden, pull weeds etc...but want to finish a sweater. I have my priorities you know.


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## jeanbess (Aug 20, 2011)

5mmdpns said:


> OCTOBERFEST SOUP
> 6-8 spicy Italian sausages, each cut into 3 pieces
> 1 large onion, finely chopped
> 1 red pepper or green (opional for taste), seeded & chopped
> ...


sounds good


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## Strawberry4u (Apr 18, 2011)

Happy Belated Birthday Doris T. Thank you to everyone that posted a recipe ( Yummmy) will try them all. I hope everyone in ill health is feeling better.

I'm off ( in more ways then one...LOL) to do some cleaning and finish the Tank lid for the bathroom set I'm crocheting. I don't know if it's me or what but crocheting takes so much longer then knitting.

Take care my wonderful Tea Party friends. Chat later.


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

Marilyn K. said:


> Okay Sam,
> So why is it called Political Chicken?
> marilyn


i think because politicans promise a chicken in every pot.

sam


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## pammie1234 (Apr 27, 2011)

KBW-1953 said:


> Would you mind sharing the web site for that site? I would be very interested in it. My mother had a cousin that was a steward on the Titanic and went down with the ship. I am currently trying to match the names in my family tree with the names on the ship, but so far, do not have a connection. I need to work on the family tree more and see what other names come up in it. Mom had a photo of him but for several years before she passed away, she was not able to communicate which photo it was. Anyway, I know the names of passengers and crew were listed online and will keep checking that also. Thank you in advance. Kathleen
> 
> 
> pammie1234 said:
> ...


The website is: http://www.TitanicChina.com
I signed up for the "throw a Titanic dinner party" and they have sent some info to me. I'm sure there is other info on the site itself, so enjoy looking around! I love anything about the Titanic. Good luck finding some relations. Please keep us informed!


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

Thank you pammie. I will let you know what I find. )



pammie1234 said:


> KBW-1953 said:
> 
> 
> > Would you mind sharing the web site for that site? I would be very interested in it. My mother had a cousin that was a steward on the Titanic and went down with the ship. I am currently trying to match the names in my family tree with the names on the ship, but so far, do not have a connection. I need to work on the family tree more and see what other names come up in it. Mom had a photo of him but for several years before she passed away, she was not able to communicate which photo it was. Anyway, I know the names of passengers and crew were listed online and will keep checking that also. Thank you in advance. Kathleen
> ...


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

The Quiet Knitter said:


> Oh, Sam. John Owen was our favorite columnist in the food section. I have a whole collection of his recipes I cut out of the paper, and we make them all the time. His sense of humor and his casualness in his cooking techniques were wonderful. When he retired we were so disappointed.


quiet knitter - thank you - i could not remember his name - his column was always one of part of the paper i read first. i lived his "plop this in", etc - he was casual in his cooking. i hope he doesn't mind his recipe went world wide.

sam


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

Look what I found in the barn yesterday. Their older brothers live in the house with me, Tommy, Sammy and Jojo. These are two little boys also.


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

thewren said:


> Marilyn K. said:
> 
> 
> > Okay Sam,
> ...


I think too that they all count their chickens before they are hatched! haha, have a good one!!


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

jeanbess said:


> 5mmdpns said:
> 
> 
> > OCTOBERFEST SOUP
> ...


Hi Jean, sometimes I toss in a little of this and a little of that too. I also like it with a bay leaf for flavoring and sometimes some dill. You go ahead and experiment with the stuff in your house that you can embellish this hearty soup with in your bowl!!


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

KBW-1953 said:


> Look what I found in the barn yesterday. Their older brothers live in the house with me, Tommy, Sammy and Jojo. These are two little boys also.


How gorgeous.


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## SHCooper (May 8, 2011)

It's been a beautiful day here. No rain!!!

After Tropical Storm Lee, we came home to a river running through the yard --- We have a normally dry stream bed that gets filled when there is a big rain, an especially wet few weeks, or the snows melt. The water was far more than the little creek depression could contain and it took out the foot bridge that spanned the creek bed. DH finished replacing the bridge this week. We were crossing the stream by way of planks on an extension ladder.

For the first time since the storm the grass has been dry enough to mow this week. Now it looks we should have a baler come through and bundle the grass. 

We expect to see all 3 sons here this evening. #2 son has a new girlfriend and is having a bonfire to introduce her to friends and his brothers. He came home Friday and will remain for a week before he is back on the road to survey more bat populations. #3 son came home last night from college and #1 son is expected to arrive here from medical school tonight along with his puppy. Chaos, I love it!


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

KBW-1953 said:


> Look what I found in the barn yesterday. Their older brothers live in the house with me, Tommy, Sammy and Jojo. These are two little boys also.


Oh, how cute! I'd take them off your hands if we lived closer. That is, if you'd part with them! LOL


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## pammie1234 (Apr 27, 2011)

thewren said:


> Marilyn K. said:
> 
> 
> > Okay Sam,
> ...


Cute response, Sam!


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## Mountain Mama (May 1, 2011)

How adorable! If I could only have room for more than three-- When I had a ranch in Texas, I could have as many as could find mice in the barns. Now I live in a townhouse, and it is a squeeze for my three. Too bad.


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

I love the little darlings. However, I had decided on two of their older brothers and had them fixed. They are both a year old. Then 7 months later, along came Jojo, the little brother. A friend said she wanted a kitten. Her name was Jo-Ann so I named him Jojo temporarily. I even litter box trained him and then she decided she did not want a cat. So now I have three cats in the house. We live in a small mobile home that doubles as an office for our business. I would be beheaded if I brought two more in so yes, I would part with them if they went to good homes. I just have to not get too attached to them. I will play with them in the barn, to make them friendly, but I cannot bring them in the house. Kathleen



DorisT said:


> KBW-1953 said:
> 
> 
> > Look what I found in the barn yesterday. Their older brothers live in the house with me, Tommy, Sammy and Jojo. These are two little boys also.
> ...


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

KBW-1953 said:


> Look what I found in the barn yesterday. Their older brothers live in the house with me, Tommy, Sammy and Jojo. These are two little boys also.


Great big AAWWWWW here! Handsome little souls.


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## grandmatimestwo (Mar 30, 2011)

Dreamweaver said:


> Did want to mention that I posted a tasty little recipe earlier out in forum, but wanted to tell you all at Tea Party to check out Mexican Street Corn. I mispelled the Spanist esota - but - it is still a good recipe...
> 
> A little stop at the Dr. Thurs. turned into a full expam and the discovery of a little anomaly on EKG so I have to go for first ever stress test Monday - while DH is getting a CT Scan. We feel like Medical Central and have decided to just stuff it all, eat every bad thing we crave all week-end while being TV addicts with sporting events. The logic is, we will feel horridly guilty and ready to embrace all the healthy stuff they tell us we *must* do.... That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!


Sounds good to me! We all need weekends like that now and then.


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## grandmatimestwo (Mar 30, 2011)

Happy Columbus Day weekend, everyone! I am so happy to have Monday off from school. We all need a break from each other...children and adults alike! I'm having a quiet weekend, with a sore knee. I am catching up on my knitting, and working on my mom's shawl for Christmas. It is a lovely light lilac color, and I hope she'll like it. I hope everyone has a great weekend, whatever you have planned!


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## DollieD (Mar 7, 2011)

Jynx, Be cautious! I hope all turns out beautifully well for you!


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## Sugar and Spice's Mom (Aug 2, 2011)

When you finish the shawl, please share; would love to see it. I've never had knee problems until about 2-3 weeks ago. Woke up with severe pain and it stayed with me until two days ago. Have no idea what it was. Hope yours heals fast. Take care and have a nice quiet weekend with the needles clicking away.


grandmatimestwo said:


> Happy Columbus Day weekend, everyone! I am so happy to have Monday off from school. We all need a break from each other...children and adults alike! I'm having a quiet weekend, with a sore knee. I am catching up on my knitting, and working on my mom's shawl for Christmas. It is a lovely light lilac color, and I hope she'll like it. I hope everyone has a great weekend, whatever you have planned!


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## Bluebirdlet (May 21, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> azmom101 said:
> 
> 
> > Dave - You can steam some rice and maybe you can feed all the gannets 'till Monday
> ...


Very funny, Dave! Your recipe sounds great for us & for week-end warriors. Thanks.


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## Bluebirdlet (May 21, 2011)

thewren said:


> years ago when i was living in seattle they was a columnist who wrote for the seattle post intelligencer. he had a very good sense of humor which showed in his writing. i remember him saying that you should use tumeric instead of saffron since the saffrin would cost you your first born and then some.
> 
> it seems we are about to enter the season of mud slinging - promises (that we know they can't or won't keep) - scandals if we are lucky - exhaustion from listening to all the reterick. so in the spirit of the season i offer this recipe/receipt:
> 
> ...


Thanks for the Political Chicken, Sam. Looks pretty good! Better than mud.


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## Gweniepooh (Jan 29, 2011)

Hello all! Spent the morning and part of afternoon selling my knitting at a farmer's market. A first for me. I was told it was a slow day but I did sell some of my scarfs which made me feel good. I've never been very confident about my knitting so it gave me a boost. I'm even going to post a few photos under pictures if I can figure out how to do so.


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

maidinkent said:


> wayhay! 1st page!
> Hi Dave, many thanks for the recipe - love sausage casserole, but have never tried it with so much red pepper. Do you think it would work with quorn sausages? (I'm not a veggie - just trying to cut down on the animal fat at the moment.)
> I've been out today with my son and his wife, trying to choose a woodburner, there are so many different makes, the ones made in the uk seem to be far more expensive than the imports, do you have a preference?
> regards


I haven't tried Quorn yet, though I've used some other meat substitutes. I know you're in the UK so we may not have all the same products available, but Quorn is sold here and I'm wondering how it compares to, well, to real sausage? My family likes Gimme Lean for the sausage component of the gravy for biscuits and gravy, but it's bulk style, not individual sausages.


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

thewren said:


> years ago when i was living in seattle they was a columnist who wrote for the seattle post intelligencer. he had a very good sense of humor which showed in his writing. i remember him saying that you should use tumeric instead of saffron since the saffrin would cost you your first born and then some.
> 
> it seems we are about to enter the season of mud slinging - promises (that we know they can't or won't keep) - scandals if we are lucky - exhaustion from listening to all the reterick. so in the spirit of the season i offer this recipe/receipt:
> 
> ...


So, Sam, what makes it political? Sounds delicious, politics or not! And I'm with Dreamweaver, I hate the political season. They're all geared up to smear each other instead of tell us what they'll actually do. Didn't their mamas teach them it's not nice to call names? And why would we want to vote for someone with such terrible manners? :shock:

Okay, I'm done ranting - thanks again for the recipe!


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## rosaposa13 (May 11, 2011)

SHCooper, that is a great bridge, my DH asked if you are charging a toll. If you did you could make enough money over the next few years to pay for it .... hahaha,


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## pammie1234 (Apr 27, 2011)

Saturday evening here in Texas. Beautiful day today! Lots of good football, baseball, and hockey on TV tonight. Going to be hard keeping up with all of them. I'll probably focus on baseball. Tonight is the first game of the series that will send the winner to the World Series. The "sure" winner was eliminated last night. Love my Rangers! DD is still dog sitting so I'll have all 3 of ours to watch with me! The cat could care less! Hope everyone has a wonderful night.


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

Dreamweaver said:


> Did want to mention that I posted a tasty little recipe earlier out in forum, but wanted to tell you all at Tea Party to check out Mexican Street Corn. I mispelled the Spanist esota - but - it is still a good recipe...
> 
> A little stop at the Dr. Thurs. turned into a full expam and the discovery of a little anomaly on EKG so I have to go for first ever stress test Monday - while DH is getting a CT Scan. We feel like Medical Central and have decided to just stuff it all, eat every bad thing we crave all week-end while being TV addicts with sporting events. The logic is, we will feel horridly guilty and ready to embrace all the healthy stuff they tell us we *must* do.... That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!


I'll be thinking of you at Medical Central on Monday :lol: and sending good vibes.


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

And it is the opening games of the NHL!!! CFL is coming down to the wire too!!! Time to get the knitting organized! I ordered some yarn from Mary Maxim so will have some new self-striping yarns to play with!!! haha


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

siouxann said:


> Wow! I may be on the second or third page tonight. Hard to tell where the page break is.
> I made my sweet pepper relish and have the receipt for you:
> 
> 12 Green Peppers, seeded
> ...


This sounds great - I love canning relishes, chutneys, jams, etc. and my husband loves eating them (well, so do I). Thanks!


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## Bluebirdlet (May 21, 2011)

DorisT, Happy, Happy birthday, all month long!

Jynx, I love your solution to enjoying your week-end!


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

KBW-1953 said:


> Look what I found in the barn yesterday. Their older brothers live in the house with me, Tommy, Sammy and Jojo. These are two little boys also.


Oh, these guys are just tooooo cute!


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

So many delicious-sounding recipes this week! Here's one I probably hadn't made in over 10 years but dusted off a couple of weeks ago when we had friends over for brunch (I had a pie crust in the freezer and thought I'd better use it). It dates back to the 70s and I guess the name is because (1) back then real men didn't eat quiche and (2) maybe it's not technically a quiche since there's no bacon in it.

Switzerland Cheese and Onion Pie
1 9" unbaked piecrust (deep-dish if commercially made frozen)
1 large onion, chopped
2 T. melted butter
2 c. cheese, shredded (I used cheddar this time,
but Swiss, pepper jack, most anything is fine)
1 T. flour
3 eggs
1 c. half and half (or part milk)
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sauté onion in melted butter till tender. In a bowl, toss the cheese with the flour, then mix in onions, eggs, half and half, and salt. Pour into pie crust. Bake 10 minutes, reduce heat to 325 degrees, and bake 30 to 35 minutes longer, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool 10 minutes or so before cutting and serving.


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

I forgot to mention that I added a couple of fairly finely chopped chiles when I sautéed the onions - those are the green spots in the pie.


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

Oh my goodness, it looks so delicious. Can I come to your place? I am not fond of cooking and my meals never look that good.



bellestarr12 said:


> So many delicious-sounding recipes this week! Here's one I probably hadn't made in over 10 years but dusted off a couple of weeks ago when we had friends over for brunch (I had a pie crust in the freezer and thought I'd better use it). It dates back to the 70s and I guess the name is because (1) back then real men didn't eat quiche and (2) maybe it's not technically a quiche since there's no bacon in it.
> 
> Switzerland Cheese and Onion Pie
> 1 9" unbaked piecrust (deep-dish if commercially made frozen)
> ...


----------



## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

bellestarr12 said:


> I forgot to mention that I added a couple of fairly finely chopped chiles when I sautéed the onions - those are the green spots in the pie.


What a beautiful brunch setup! I wondered if the dark pieces were blueberries. Where is it you live? Maybe I'll invite myself over next time. LOL


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

Thank you both! Tucson's a bit far from Ontario or Virginia, but if you're ever in the neighborhood, you're welcome!

I've really gotten into taking pictures of food, though not so much as some people I've read about who photograph everything they eat (I do TRY to have a life beyond that). There's more at my blog,
http://www.morning-glory-garden.blogspot.com, 
much of it about food, with pictures, if you'd like to take a look. I'm an intermittent blogger at best, though, not every day, not even every week, or close to it


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

settleg said:


> Hello all! Spent the morning and part of afternoon selling my knitting at a farmer's market. A first for me. I was told it was a slow day but I did sell some of my scarfs which made me feel good. I've never been very confident about my knitting so it gave me a boost. I'm even going to post a few photos under pictures if I can figure out how to do so.


Congrats on your sales. I hope you charged enough. Please post some pictures.

While on vacation in Maine recently, I saw some scarves for sale in a gift shop. The price tag said $34.00!! I was amazed. One of them was almost exactly like one I had made for myself with ribbon-type yarn I bought for $1.00. I showed it to my daughter who said, "People who can't knit would probably be willing to pay that price."

What do you all think?


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## 5mmdpns (Jun 1, 2011)

DorisT said:


> settleg said:
> 
> 
> > Hello all! Spent the morning and part of afternoon selling my knitting at a farmer's market. A first for me. I was told it was a slow day but I did sell some of my scarfs which made me feel good. I've never been very confident about my knitting so it gave me a boost. I'm even going to post a few photos under pictures if I can figure out how to do so.
> ...


I agree with your daughter -- people who are not knitters do inflate the prices that non-knitters will pay!! haha, more $$ to buy more yarn stashing supplies!!


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

bellestarr12 said:


> Thank you both! Tucson's a bit far from Ontario or Virginia, but if you're ever in the neighborhood, you're welcome!
> 
> I've really gotten into taking pictures of food, though not so much as some people I've read about who photograph everything they eat (I do TRY to have a life beyond that). There's more at my blog,
> http://www.morning-glory-garden.blogspot.com,
> much of it about food, with pictures, if you'd like to take a look. I'm an intermittent blogger at best, though, not every day, not even every week, or close to it


Just visited your blog. Why haven't you told us about it before? I want to try ALL your recipes, but especially the grilled cheese sandwich, tomato soup, and scones. I'll return and read your older posts later. You made my mouth water and I just finished dinner. 

Re: the goat farm, I agree with you. We visited a large goat farm in the Loire Valley of France on a tour a few years ago. The goats loved to be petted and were so funny. That's where I learned to like goat cheese. Yummy!


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

5mmdpns said:


> DorisT said:
> 
> 
> > settleg said:
> ...


Maybe I'll leave retirement and start making things to sell. That would pay for our vacations and I could knit while traveling.


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## pachoulie (Feb 17, 2011)

Raining finally in Texas yeah! Went to Dough pizza ,yum


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

I have to ask the same question as DorisT. Why have you not shared your blog with us before? Now did you say you ran a resort for far away strangers that like to knit and eat? I do envy your location. I have been in Northern Arizona to the Grand Canyon and then across the Navajo Nation to the 4 corners where I stretched across into 4 states. It was one of the best vacations I have ever had. I then went into Colorado to see Mesa Verdi and then into Utah and back up North through some of the most amazing Tera Cotta lands. On that vacation I also went to St. George in Utah where I saw an awesome outdoor theatre and saw the King and I. Yes, the best vacation I have ever had. I will have to make my way back down there again one day. Thank you for bringing back the memories to me.



bellestarr12 said:


> Thank you both! Tucson's a bit far from Ontario or Virginia, but if you're ever in the neighborhood, you're welcome!
> 
> I've really gotten into taking pictures of food, though not so much as some people I've read about who photograph everything they eat (I do TRY to have a life beyond that). There's more at my blog,
> http://www.morning-glory-garden.blogspot.com,
> much of it about food, with pictures, if you'd like to take a look. I'm an intermittent blogger at best, though, not every day, not even every week, or close to it


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Congratulations Settleg. Hand made items seem to be in demand right now so go girl go.

And ya'll have finally done it to me. I've been busy all day and haven't had much time to look in or comment. I've never seen such beautiful pictures of the most delicious food. And I thought I talked about food a lot. I hope everybody had a great weekend, I'm off to raid my refrigerator ~


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

pachoulie

i'm feeling dumb here - could you describe what we are seeing in your pictures?

sam


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## pammie1234 (Apr 27, 2011)

The recipes always make me hungry, but the pictures, really make me hungry! I'm like Pavlov's dogs!


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Hi Sam. Did you get any more yarn? I forgot to tell you I'm making a purse now that has Lopi in it.l Am looking forward to seeing what you do with it.........


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

maryanne - think i have spent all i can or should right now on new yarn - the lopi i love got it yesterday - think it is going to be a scarf for me.

sam


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## maggieme (Jul 25, 2011)

I have enjoyed reading the Tea-Party! My DH and I have just come back from taking Thanksgiving Dinner(Canada) to MIL's in Comox B.C. tonight. She has turned out to be the MIL everyone hopes for, she is a Darling. She thanked us over and over and we know she really appreciated it! It Does your heart good to know someone like this!
We've had a bit of wind and rain today 12 C* here. typical for this time of year! Off to bed now..Goodnight All!


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

It really is nice yarn Sam and I know you'll enjoy having a scarf made from it this winter. Have fun making it.l


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## gracieanne (Mar 29, 2011)

maggieme said:


> I have enjoyed reading the Tea-Party! My DH and I have just come back from taking Thanksgiving Dinner(Canada) to MIL's in Comox B.C. tonight. She has turned out to be the MIL everyone hopes for, she is a Darling. She thanked us over and over and we know she really appreciated it! It Does your heart good to know someone like this!
> We've had a bit of wind and rain today 12 C* here. typical for this time of year! Off to bed now..Goodnight All!


Maggieme,
I spent a lot of time in Merville, B.C. about 35 years ago. It seems so long ago, like another lifetime. It was the most unspoiled, beautiful place I have ever seen. Is it still so lovely?


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

I'm loving all the pictures and receipts, best not let _The Gannets_ see them though, don't want to give them too many ideas!

Just gone 6:00a.m. here in London and they're waking themselves up with coffee and croissants watching the race build-up while I finish getting a _Racing Brekkers_ ready. I prepped most of it last night so it's just a matter of getting everything in the ovens - my elves are in charge of working the toasters and egg boilers, I like organisation!

We're all hoping for a really exciting race, Suzuka is a great circuit.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

bellestarr12 said:


> maidinkent said:
> 
> 
> > wayhay! 1st page!
> ...


_Quorn_ sausages are OK, I prefer the one's my local butcher makes, but they're a good substitute with a nice herby flavour. Worth trying if you're a vegetarian.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

grandmatimestwo said:


> Happy Columbus Day weekend, everyone! I am so happy to have Monday off from school. We all need a break from each other...children and adults alike! I'm having a quiet weekend, with a sore knee. I am catching up on my knitting, and working on my mom's shawl for Christmas. It is a lovely light lilac color, and I hope she'll like it. I hope everyone has a great weekend, whatever you have planned!


Hope the knee gets better fast. When I did mine in playing rugger, I learned to make picture sweaters, it took my mind off it.

Dave


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## maggieme (Jul 25, 2011)

Gracieanne; Yes it's still the same...sometimes I think we may be caught in a time warp! LOL
The biggest problem here in Campbell River is unemployment since the Mills have closed. Housing is still unbelievably cheap because so many people have moved away to find work. We were fortunate that DH was able to take early retirement.


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## maidinkent (Jul 17, 2011)

Hi Dave, just to say I too was up at 6am to watch the g.p. Vettel just pushed Jenson off - penalty called for?


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## redriet60 (Jun 24, 2011)

ENGLISHROSE said:


> HI EVERY ONE, HAD A LOUSY WEEK TRYING TO GET MY PAIN UNDER CONTROL, THE WEATHER CHANGES HAS ALOT TO DO WITH IT. TALKING ABOUT SASUAGES, I LOVE BRITISH SAUSAGES EAT THEM ALL THE TIME WHEN I'M HOME, I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THEM. LOVE SAUSAGE PIE, AND TOAD IN THE HOLE. HHMMMM FEELING HUNGREY ALREADY. HAVE PUT XMAS STUFF ON HOLD AND BUSY DOING PREMMIE CLOTHES FOR GT GRANDAUGHTER. HOPE EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.


Hi Englishrose, I was wondering, what is 
"Toad in the hole"?


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## pachoulie (Feb 17, 2011)

pachoulie said:


> Raining finally in Texas yeah! Went to Dough pizza ,yum


Burrata mozarella ball with truffle and ricotta cheese and tomatoes with balsamic vinegar
Margartia Pizza,STG,italialian special ,with oak roasted mushrooms,and peppercinis
Nutella on toast,pannini style with whipped cream

And its big thunderstorms here in Texas at 330am!


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## pachoulie (Feb 17, 2011)

thewren said:


> pachoulie
> 
> i'm feeling dumb here - could you describe what we are seeing in your pictures?
> 
> sam


I posted the food description but couldn't add to food pics


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

maidinkent said:


> Hi Dave, just to say I too was up at 6am to watch the g.p. Vettel just pushed Jenson off - penalty called for?


It was a bit forceful, but it is a race and he didn't shove him into a wall. Great race though and we're all pretty happy with the result.

I've got a couple of hours peace and quiet because they've all marched off to the local pool to work up an appetite for a proper Sunday lunch of roast beef and yorkshire pud!

By the ways folks, this Thursday is _National Yorkshire Pudding Day_ in the USA, we celebrate it in February in the UK. Maybe one of our Northern friends will post a masterclass; being a Southerner, I wouldn't presume!

Dave


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Good Sunday morning, All!
It's almost 5a.m. here. The cat decided that it was more important that he be fed than I get more sleep. Supposed to be another lovely day with lots of sunshine and temps near 80F. The church is having a 'Blessing of the Animals' service this afternoon. My daughter is taking her dog. I was going to ask her to take my cat, too, but after being waked up this early, I'm reconsidering.


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## pachoulie (Feb 17, 2011)

siouxann said:



> Good Sunday morning, All!
> It's almost 5a.m. here. The cat decided that it was more important that he be fed than I get more sleep. Supposed to be another lovely day with lots of sunshine and temps near 80F. The church is having a 'Blessing of the Animals' service this afternoon. My daughter is taking her dog. I was going to ask her to take my cat, too, but after being waked up this early, I'm reconsidering.


Ya what is this blessing of the animals thing,having it here in Texas too. Don't think I could bring my 4 cats,they would freak out and bolt.


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

I think it is in honor of St. Francis.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

An acorn was suggested for an egg cosy for Autumn, so I had quick play and came up with a really simple design that's very quick to make. Anybody who's interested can find it at:

http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-34890-1.html

Hope you like it!
Dave


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## SHCooper (May 8, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> An acorn was suggested for an egg cosy for Autumn, so I had quick play and came up with a really simple design that's very quick to make. Anybody who's interested can find it at:
> 
> http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-34890-1.html
> 
> ...


My maternal grandfather loved soft boiled eggs and I loved having breakfast with him and my grandma. If they were still alive, I would certainly make cosies for them . . . plus enough for company.

This acorn cosy would make a nice wreath decoration stuffed with poly and attached to some colorful leaves. A few of them in a small basket would also be a nice seasonal touch. I may have to give it a go. hmmmmmmmmmmm.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

SHCooper said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > An acorn was suggested for an egg cosy for Autumn, so I had quick play and came up with a really simple design that's very quick to make. Anybody who's interested can find it at:
> ...


Glad you like it, I like the idea of an Autumn wreath, or maybe you could use them in a table decoration with some knitted leaves.

Dave


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

WOW! Just caught up reading everything....these recipes look and sound wonderful!

Dave---you sound like a wonderful Dad and host...you can tell when your boys want to be home and hang out with you! The sausage dish sounds like the perfect fall dish.

Sam---Is your yarn as nice as you thought it would be? please post pictures when your done. I'm trying your political chicken dish tonight (minus the curry powder due to Husband not being able to tolerate it).

Doris---happy belated birthday! Sounds like you had a delightful day

I can't remember who posted the other recipes but they sound good too---I love quiche!

We're having beautiful weather here and we'll go on a hike later today. Enjoying my coffee and pumpkin bread pudding for breakfast!

Happy Thanksgiving and Columbus Day!
Kerry
Oh, the kittens are adorable---wish i could take em!


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## grandmatimestwo (Mar 30, 2011)

Thanks to all of you who have sent good wishes for my sore knee. My youngest grandson has also been giving it kisses to make the boo-boo better! Too cute! Unfortunately the only permanent relief for my knee will be surgery for my acl, which has been damaged for many years, and sometimes rears it's ugly head! I am just a baby when it comes to the general anesthesia, and have been putting it off, as my 27 year old son says, for as long as he can remember. I injured it playing tennis, back in the dark ages when I was in college. This has been a particularly bad episode, and even my PT says I should just get the surgery done!


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

bellestarr12 said:


> siouxann said:
> 
> 
> > Wow! I may be on the second or third page tonight. Hard to tell where the page break is.
> ...


Thank You! I'm going to add this to try next year (we didn't get too many peppers this year)! Kerry


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

jeanbess said:


> 5mmdpns said:
> 
> 
> > OCTOBERFEST SOUP
> ...


Ditto---can't wait to try it!


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

bellestarr12 said:


> Thank you both! Tucson's a bit far from Ontario or Virginia, but if you're ever in the neighborhood, you're welcome!
> 
> I've really gotten into taking pictures of food, though not so much as some people I've read about who photograph everything they eat (I do TRY to have a life beyond that). There's more at my blog,
> http://www.morning-glory-garden.blogspot.com,
> much of it about food, with pictures, if you'd like to take a look. I'm an intermittent blogger at best, though, not every day, not even every week, or close to it


Those dishes look yummy---I'll be a regular visitor!


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Thanks Kerryn, I don't know about 'wonderful', I just give them space to enjoy themselves and make sure there's mountains of food! It's about time to tear them away from the _Scalextric_ for lunch, mustn't let them fade away to nothing!

Dave


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## gracieanne (Mar 29, 2011)

maggieme said:


> Gracieanne; Yes it's still the same...sometimes I think we may be caught in a time warp! LOL
> The biggest problem here in Campbell River is unemployment since the Mills have closed. Housing is still unbelievably cheap because so many people have moved away to find work. We were fortunate that DH was able to take early retirement.


Good for you to be able to live in such an idyllic place! :-D


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## Gweniepooh (Jan 29, 2011)

5mmdpns said:


> DorisT said:
> 
> 
> > settleg said:
> ...


I had seen similar necklaces in a shop for 10 and it wasn't even knitted. I price the scarfs for $15. It seemed a fair price for the area the farmers market is in. I know in my town it could have been priced higher but at the market my booth fee is very nominal and I just wanted to "test the waters" there. Will be going back next weekend. Folks showed quite a bit of interest.
I posted pictures under the Pictures section of KP.


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## darowil (Apr 17, 2011)

It's 1.15 Monday morning here in Adleaide and I am not happy. My footy team lost the grandfinal. They missed a goal off the last kick of the game which would have given them the win. Mind you they hadn't been in front all day so the opppostion could have rightly felt hard done by if we had pulled off an amazing victory. So only 9 grandfinal wins in 12 years.


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

siouxann said:


> Good Sunday morning, All!
> It's almost 5a.m. here. The cat decided that it was more important that he be fed than I get more sleep. Supposed to be another lovely day with lots of sunshine and temps near 80F. The church is having a 'Blessing of the Animals' service this afternoon. My daughter is taking her dog. I was going to ask her to take my cat, too, but after being waked up this early, I'm reconsidering.


Did you ever hear of the book, "The Dog Who Rescues Cats"? It's a very touching story and true. It mentions a Blessing of the Animals service. I don't know how they manage to keep all the animals quiet for a church service. It's very moving. Have never heard of it in this area.


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

Doris T and KBW-1953, you made my morning! Glad you enjoy the blog - maybe your comments will make me do more of it ;-)

People who like to knit and eat are my very favorite people! And I have had fantasies of running a B&B but DH says no. And the closer we get to retirement, the less I want to be tied down to anything that seems like a "job." Looking forward to indulging in all the creative things I never seem to have quite enough time for! Like this morning, I have to get out and plant the many plants we bought yesterday at the Desert Survivors fall plant sale! so guess I should get off the computer, huh?


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

wow, this looks delicious!


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

kerryn said:


> bellestarr12 said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you both! Tucson's a bit far from Ontario or Virginia, but if you're ever in the neighborhood, you're welcome!
> ...


Thank you!


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

[By the ways folks, this Thursday is _National Yorkshire Pudding Day_ in the USA, we celebrate it in February in the UK. Maybe one of our Northern friends will post a masterclass; being a Southerner, I wouldn't presume!

Dave[/quote]

Dave, I've made Yorkshire Pudding once or twice and it's very easy. The mixture is either the same or close to the same as the one for popovers. Have you ever made those? They're great. When they're baked, the inside is empty and that's where you put the butter and let it melt. Yummy! I even have a special cast iron popover pan, but haven't used it in ages. My storage room has lots of special pans that I haven't used in a long time. Time to drag them out for use this winter when it's fun to keep the oven going with goodies.

Speaking of goodies, I noticed our Military Commissary has stocked their candied fruits already so will need to decide on a fruitcake or pudding recipe and get my list of ingredients together.

After eating in restaurants for almost two weeks while on vacation, DH and I have decided we like home cooking best and I don't consider myself a great cook by any means. It's just that we get used to our own tastes and they don't seem to be duplicated in restaurants.


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

bellestarr12 said:


> Doris T and KBW-1953, you made my morning! Glad you enjoy the blog - maybe your comments will make me do more of it ;-)
> 
> People who like to knit and eat are my very favorite people! And I have had fantasies of running a B&B but DH says no. And the closer we get to retirement, the less I want to be tied down to anything that seems like a "job." Looking forward to indulging in all the creative things I never seem to have quite enough time for! Like this morning, I have to get out and plant the many plants we bought yesterday at the Desert Survivors fall plant sale! so guess I should get off the computer, huh?


Belle (didn't pay attention to your "real" name while on your blog), have you ever thought of writing a cookbook? 
You have a flair for cooking and seem to be able to take a recipe and tweak it. I like cookbooks that have little stories behind the recipes as your blog does rather than just recipe after recipe. Maybe you could throw in a knitting pattern or two. There are companies online that will print cookbooks for you and they're not that expensive. Think about it! You may even be able to work it into your own cooking show on TV!!


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

I have to tell you a story about what happened to me when I went through security at Logan International Airport in Boston on Thursday. As I went through one TSA agent after another, I was asked if I had anything in my pockets, and I said "no." The TSA agent was trying to be comical, and aked me if I was sure. I said, "yes." Another one asked me if I was wearing a belt, and I said "no." Then I stood in that screening device that shows everything you own, with my arms raised, for 10 seconds. The next TSA agent (a woman), told me to step out - I did. I had to stand on a mat that had pictures of two feet.

She asked me what I had in the right pocket of my slacks. I reached in, thinking maybe I had left something metallic in it by mistake. Nothing there! She didn't believe me so I offered to let her check - she declined. She said she'd have to pat me down. She ran her hands down my left leg, then asked me what that lump was at the top of my thigh as if I had hidden "something" there. I told her it was "fat." I heard a male TSA agent standing nearby snicker. It was beginning to get ridiculous. Then she asked me, "What is that band around your thigh?" I said "I'm wearing a panty girdle." She finally gave up, but she seemed to be really disappointed that she hadn't caught me carrying something dangerous on the plane. My DH was behind me and he heard her reporting to her supervisor about me. When I went over to claim my belongings from the conveyor belt, I noticed that she was relieved by another TSA agent. Maybe it was the end of her shift and she was tired, I don't know, but I have never been searched like that before and DH and I travel a lot. I don't think a gray-haired, 83-year-old woman fits the image of a terrorist, do you?

Hope I haven't bored you!!

PS: Forgot to add - my knitting needles made it through in my carry-on with no problem, thank heavens!


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## cmaliza (May 21, 2011)

Good Sunday morning to all.....there are still 43 minutes left to the morning! I finally made it through the postings. Great stuff! Happy Birthday to Brenda and DorisT! Lots of wishes for a sppedy recovery to Lisa's mom and Conniesews.

Re Thanksgiving, one of my favorite activities with my students around Thanksgiving time was to have them list 2-3 things that "bugged" them, such as homework, a younger sibling, teachers, nagging parents, curfews, etc. They then had to turn that around and write why they are thankful for the thing/person that bugged them. I am thankful for the homework that bugs me because it means I have an opportunity for an education. It makes one stop to really think about things. The kids came up with some good thoughts. I am thankful for family & friends that have bugged me to go to the doctor because it means I will be able to enjoy retirement more!

The southern shore of Lake Erie is calm, a little chilly but expected to get up to ~78 Degrees F today....almost the last of the season. Rain & chillier temps come Thursday. The farm stands are full of produce. the corn is still coming in..had some last night that was delicious. We'll need to try the Mexican Street Corn recipe. mmmm!

The eagles have been fairly active this time...have seen them several times, one even caught a fish. The sea gulls kept bugging him to try to get him to drop it. I'd never seen gulls bother the eagles before. Brave of them!

Yesterday we went to a local craft fair...I bought some lovely bags to hold my knitting projects. So much better than grocery store bags! Then we went to a craft store. I was just going to pick up a pair of needles....1 hour later we managed to "escape". What fun we had....it was a successful day all 'round. Today I "move into" my new bags and should get some knitting done. My biggest project is a throw I am making for my DIL (1st anniversary is today and her hubby is out of town for work - bummer!). I didn't get the project done in time for their anniversary...it is taking much longer than I anticipated. Fine yarn, small needles and LOTS of cables! It is fun to do, just seems to take forever to make any progress. Maybe by Christmas?

Everyone have a lovely day and weekend...teachers, enjoy the day off. I connect with the anticipation of a 4-day week!
carol (IL)


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

DorisT said:


> siouxann said:
> 
> 
> > Good Sunday morning, All!
> ...


One of the Vicar of Dibley episodes involves this service.


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

DorisT said:


> I have to tell you a story about what happened to me when I went through security at Logan International Airport in Boston on Thursday. As I went through one TSA agent after another, I was asked if I had anything in my pockets, and I said "no." The TSA agent was trying to be comical, and aked me if I was sure. I said, "yes." Another one asked me if I was wearing a belt, and I said "no." Then I stood in that screening device that shows everything you own, with my arms raised, for 10 seconds. The next TSA agent (a woman), told me to step out - I did. I had to stand on a mat that had pictures of two feet.
> 
> She asked me what I had in the right pocket of my slacks. I reached in, thinking maybe I had left something metallic in it by mistake. Nothing there! She didn't believe me so I offered to let her check - she declined. She said she'd have to pat me down. She ran her hands down my left leg, then asked me what that lump was at the top of my thigh as if I had hidden "something" there. I told her it was "fat." I heard a male TSA agent standing nearby snicker. It was beginning to get ridiculous. Then she asked me, "What is that band around your thigh?" I said "I'm wearing a panty girdle." She finally gave up, but she seemed to be really disappointed that she hadn't caught me carrying something dangerous on the plane. My DH was behind me and he heard her reporting to her supervisor about me. When I went over to claim my belongings from the conveyor belt, I noticed that she was relieved by another TSA agent. Maybe it was the end of her shift and she was tired, I don't know, but I have never been searched like that before and DH and I travel a lot. I don't think a gray-haired, 83-year-old woman fits the image of a terrorist, do you?
> 
> ...


What I would take issue with is wearing a panty girdle. I gave those up ages ago. I'm just a few years younger than you.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

DorisT said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > By the ways folks, this Thursday is _National Yorkshire Pudding Day_ in the USA, we celebrate it in February in the UK. Maybe one of our Northern friends will post a masterclass; being a Southerner, I wouldn't presume!
> ...


_Popovers_ started appearing in America during the second half of the nineteenth century and are indeed very similar to individual _Yorkshire Puddings_ which have been around since the seventeenth century.

I make mine in a way that would make any Yorkshireman shake his head and roll his eyes in dismay, the 'correct' method of preparing them is the subject of much heated debate. I didn't get any complaints at lunch to-day, but there's no way I'd call my 'Southern' method authentic!

They are traditionally served as a separate course with a rich thick gravy made from the beef juices poured over them. It's said this is to fill diners up so they'd eat less of the main course, but although this may be true in some cases, it was also the custom in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to serve parsley sauce with roast beef rather than gravy as we do to-day.

Large Yorkshire Puddings, about seven inches in diameter and flat in the centre like flan cases, are great filled with all kinds of things like meat or chicken and vegetables in gravy and served as a supper dish; vegetable chilli is very popular with a certain young man!

Dave


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

mjs, maybe you're thinner than I am! :lol: Mine are more like the Spanx that the celebrities wear. Now I'm giving away secrets!!


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## maggieme (Jul 25, 2011)

hahahahaha. Did your corset have metal stays in it???
I'll bet that Gal was too young to even know what a corset was. Wasn't there an expression years ago about 'never trusting anyone over 30'.......
Loved your story.  Thanks.


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## SHCooper (May 8, 2011)

Another fine and sunny day. It was made even better by having all three sons home at the same time. We celebrated by having brunch together before they started gathering their belongings and heading off again. The youngest son had a birthday on Tues. so we had birthday cake for desert. When I asked him what kind of cake he would like for his birthday he said "anything with cream cheese icing." He got a chocolate cake.

An "omelet" for three sons (20-25 yrs. old) and two parents:

6 slices of bacon cooked crisp and set aside
3 potatoes, diced
1 sweet pepper, diced
1 'hot' pepper (your choice of how hot) diced especially fine
1 onion, diced
14 eggs whisked together with a little water
5 thin slices Swiss cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, after cooking the bacon, drain the grease from the pan and use a little canola oil to cook the diced potatoes to the 'nearly done' stage. Add peppers and cook till no longer crunchy. Add onions and cook till softened. Season with salt and pepper. Pour eggs over the whole thing, crumble bacon and evenly distribute it over the eggs. Cover and cook on low till edges are set but center is still loose. Lay Swiss cheese slices over the top and cover again. Turn off heat and let it rest 10 minutes and the eggs will continue to cook from the built-up heat. Slice into wedges and serve.


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

kerryn - 

the yarn is wonderful - i can hardly wait to start knitting with it. i need to buy #13 needles - one size i don't have. i'll post them when i am finished.

hope you enjoy the chicken - let me know if you husband enjoyed it

sam


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

dave -

what is Scalextric ?

sam


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

DorisT said:


> siouxann said:
> 
> 
> > Good Sunday morning, All!
> ...


I have not heard of that book, but I will certainly look for it. The regular service was this morning, but we are having the special animal service this afternoon in the garden behind the church. All types of animals are welcome, and if they can't come "in animal", their people can bring a picture.


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

DorisT said:


> mjs, maybe you're thinner than I am! :lol: Mine are more like the Spanx that the celebrities wear. Now I'm giving away secrets!!


Well, I don't really know what they are like nowadays since I don't think I've had any for a couple of decades. Unfortunately, I am probably not thinner than you, but what the heck.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

thewren said:


> dave -
> 
> what is Scalextric ?
> 
> sam


The UK kind of slot-car racing, great fun for boys of all ages, if they let me near it!

Dave


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## anneevamod (Apr 16, 2011)

Doris...love your story! On one of our trips, I too had a very strange experience. The TSA agent was so proud of himself when he discovered that I had a bottle of lotion with 4 oz's as opposed to 3oz's. He held it up for everyone to see and said in a very loud voice. "I will have to confiscate this!" I sort of looked at him and sort of insinuated "have fun". I get through security and wait for my husband. While we are both seated waiting for our airplane, my husband discovers that while the TSA agent was so keen on 'catching me' with 1 oz too much of lotion, he did NOT notice that my husband forgot to remove his HUGE KNIFE (could have skinned a deer) from his computer bag. We both just looked at each other and laughed. Ridiculous! I reported it to the flight attendant AFTER we got in the air. She then reported it to her supervisor. Oh my


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Belle Star you are a real artist in the kitchen. What treats for the eyes and the palette. You are so creative.


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

maggieme said:


> hahahahaha. Did your corset have metal stays in it???
> I'll bet that Gal was too young to even know what a corset was. Wasn't there an expression years ago about 'never trusting anyone over 30'.......
> Loved your story. Thanks.


No, Maggie, I don't wear corsets. My panty girdles are light as a feather - just enough to prevent a wiggle when I walk.


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

SHCooper said:


> Another fine and sunny day. It was made even better by having all three sons home at the same time. We celebrated by having brunch together before they started gathering their belongings and heading off again. The youngest son had a birthday on Tues. so we had birthday cake for desert. When I asked him what kind of cake he would like for his birthday he said "anything with cream cheese icing." He got a chocolate cake.
> 
> An "omelet" for three sons (20-25 yrs. old) and two parents:
> 
> ...


Sounds yummy!


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

anneevamod said:


> Doris...love your story! On one of our trips, I too had a very strange experience. The TSA agent was so proud of himself when he discovered that I had a bottle of lotion with 4 oz's as opposed to 3oz's. He held it up for everyone to see and said in a very loud voice. "I will have to confiscate this!" I sort of looked at him and sort of insinuated "have fun". I get through security and wait for my husband. While we are both seated waiting for our airplane, my husband discovers that while the TSA agent was so keen on 'catching me' with 1 oz too much of lotion, he did NOT notice that my husband forgot to remove his HUGE KNIFE (could have skinned a deer) from his computer bag. We both just looked at each other and laughed. Ridiculous! I reported it to the flight attendant AFTER we got in the air. She then reported it to her supervisor. Oh my


WOW! He would have had a field day with that one! In comparing notes with our DD and her DH, it seems TSA doesn't check your carry on liquids like they used to in the past. On this last trip, I had placed a couple of small bottles in a plastic bag, but left it in the luggage and didn't place it in the bin like they want you to do. No one said a word. I was more worried about the knitting needles than the liquids, I guess. TSA doesn't seem to be consistent.

BTW, I love your new avatar. Hope your daughter is out of danger with the Lyme disease.


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## anneevamod (Apr 16, 2011)

DorisT said:


> anneevamod said:
> 
> 
> > Doris...love your story! On one of our trips, I too had a very strange experience. The TSA agent was so proud of himself when he discovered that I had a bottle of lotion with 4 oz's as opposed to 3oz's. He held it up for everyone to see and said in a very loud voice. "I will have to confiscate this!" I sort of looked at him and sort of insinuated "have fun". I get through security and wait for my husband. While we are both seated waiting for our airplane, my husband discovers that while the TSA agent was so keen on 'catching me' with 1 oz too much of lotion, he did NOT notice that my husband forgot to remove his HUGE KNIFE (could have skinned a deer) from his computer bag. We both just looked at each other and laughed. Ridiculous! I reported it to the flight attendant AFTER we got in the air. She then reported it to her supervisor. Oh my
> ...


!

Thank you for asking! My daughter finished 6 wks of IV antibiotics and is feeling better than ever. I pray it has done the trick. Our Grandson tested negative also. One day at a time. 
Have a Blessed day. Anne


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

Oh come on Doris, I am positive you are a spy for the Al-Qaeda. LOL Just kidding. I have an 87 year old Aunt. My Dad and his siblings were all born in England and came to Canada when he was 2 and she was 3. She had become a Canadian Citizen many many years ago and had a passport. Then the passport lapsed. The only travelling she did was to the USA to go to the Casinos in North Dakota. Since until recently, we did not need a passport to cross the border, she did not worry about it. Then 9-11 happened and the USA and Canada decided they needed passports from the neighbouring countries and so she applied to get her new passport. The Canadian Government decided her old Citizenship Papers were not good enough. They wanted her to reapply to become a Canadian Citizen again. This went on for quite a period of time, and finally after about a year from reapplying, she received another letter, saying that it would take about another 6 months. Now I was told about it by my cousin. Her MP did not seem willing to help her and so my cousin went to the Newspapers and my partner, who had been in local politics, went to our own MP who is a cabinet minister, and told them that something had to be done and needed to be done right away. Within 2 days she was receiving lots of phone calls from all the Government people that were involved and within a week she had the Citizenship Papers and about a week later she had her new passport. They were all apologetic and now she merrily goes across the border to the Casinos once again. :lol:



DorisT said:


> I have to tell you a story about what happened to me when I went through security at Logan International Airport in Boston on Thursday. As I went through one TSA agent after another, I was asked if I had anything in my pockets, and I said "no." The TSA agent was trying to be comical, and aked me if I was sure. I said, "yes." Another one asked me if I was wearing a belt, and I said "no." Then I stood in that screening device that shows everything you own, with my arms raised, for 10 seconds. The next TSA agent (a woman), told me to step out - I did. I had to stand on a mat that had pictures of two feet.
> 
> She asked me what I had in the right pocket of my slacks. I reached in, thinking maybe I had left something metallic in it by mistake. Nothing there! She didn't believe me so I offered to let her check - she declined. She said she'd have to pat me down. She ran her hands down my left leg, then asked me what that lump was at the top of my thigh as if I had hidden "something" there. I told her it was "fat." I heard a male TSA agent standing nearby snicker. It was beginning to get ridiculous. Then she asked me, "What is that band around your thigh?" I said "I'm wearing a panty girdle." She finally gave up, but she seemed to be really disappointed that she hadn't caught me carrying something dangerous on the plane. My DH was behind me and he heard her reporting to her supervisor about me. When I went over to claim my belongings from the conveyor belt, I noticed that she was relieved by another TSA agent. Maybe it was the end of her shift and she was tired, I don't know, but I have never been searched like that before and DH and I travel a lot. I don't think a gray-haired, 83-year-old woman fits the image of a terrorist, do you?
> 
> ...


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

Belle, I agree with the lady that said you should do your own cookbook. Your photos really look so desirable. 
As for the bed & breakfast, I think there must be a lot more work to it than one would think. My brother-in-law did that for awhile. He really investigated it before getting into it and they had a gorgeous place in Stratford Ontario where there is the Stratford Festival every summer with many many Shakespearean Theatres. They would work from Apr. to Dec. then go to Florida from the end of Dec. to Apr. Of course they took their laptop with them and made bookings while away. He told me there is a burn-out period at about 7 years when most people give it up. He is out of that now and is spending most of his time travelling the world with his wife. His daughter is in Australia and they take many cruises each year. They have a nice life. And mostly he sells older hardcover books on E-bay now. He goes to Used Bookstores and garage sales and buys up books he figures he can make money on and then catalogues them and sells them. It seems to be working well for him. 
Take care. Kathleen



bellestarr12 said:


> Doris T and KBW-1953, you made my morning! Glad you enjoy the blog - maybe your comments will make me do more of it ;-)
> 
> People who like to knit and eat are my very favorite people! And I have had fantasies of running a B&B but DH says no. And the closer we get to retirement, the less I want to be tied down to anything that seems like a "job." Looking forward to indulging in all the creative things I never seem to have quite enough time for! Like this morning, I have to get out and plant the many plants we bought yesterday at the Desert Survivors fall plant sale! so guess I should get off the computer, huh?


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

Kathleen, your aunt and my DH would enjoy each other's company at the casinos. I'm not a gambler at all. My DH tries to encourage me, so he hands me a couple of dollars and says "go play." If I lose it (and it only takes 5 minutes), I quit. If I win a dollar or two, I guit, also.

It's funny that two of our children like to gamble, and the oldest dislikes it as much as I do.

I'm glad your aunt's problem was solved. Bureaucrats can be a pain, and sometimes it just takes a little publicity to shame them.


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## Bluebirdlet (May 21, 2011)

Sandy said:


> Good morning everyone! It is Saturday morning about 11:20. Not raining here yet but it is supposed to. I am busy knitting a baby cuddle sack for one of our teachers whose wife is due next month. He is a huge NY Yankee fan so I'm making it in Yankee colors( since they are having a boy). I will also make booties, mittens and hat to match. I am still working on things for the holiday bazaar that I will be doing next month as well. I really need to stop making other things while I'm doing that. But do I? NO I keep coming up with new things all the time. I have so many projects going on I should be put away! Ha Ha! I know there are more out there just like me!
> 
> Yes, Sandy! You spoke of being put away because of all of your projects. Sometimes I feel that I have put myself away due to all of my projects. No time to live in the real world!


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

anneevamod said:


> DorisT said:
> 
> 
> > anneevamod said:
> ...


We surely are fortunate in having antibiotics.


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## Bluebirdlet (May 21, 2011)

KBW-1953 said:


> Look what I found in the barn yesterday. Their older brothers live in the house with me, Tommy, Sammy and Jojo. These are two little boys also.


Oh, Katherine, aren't the kittens adorable! Have you named them? ARe the other 3 really their brothers & tiny, too?


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

Doris, you and I are quite a bit alike. I do not like gambling either. I feel I work too darn hard to give it away to something like that. We went to Las Vegas in 1975 with the intentions of losing about $300. I went to the one arm bandit and I won some coins but it was all gone in about 5 minutes. I stopped gambling at that point and looked around me. Everyone looked glum. I did not see anyone looking happy except the fancy dressed ladies hanging around the men in the special rooms playing for high stakes. I decided then that gambling was not for me. I enjoyed the cheap or free drinks, and low cost meals and sitting watching the people around me. I enjoyed seeing all the fancy lights outside and the amazing decor of the casinos. I even enjoyed some of the shows. But I have not gambled again since that day. 



DorisT said:


> Kathleen, your aunt and my DH would enjoy each other's company at the casinos. I'm not a gambler at all. My DH tries to encourage me, so he hands me a couple of dollars and says "go play." If I lose it (and it only takes 5 minutes), I quit. If I win a dollar or two, I guit, also.
> 
> It's funny that two of our children like to gamble, and the oldest dislikes it as much as I do.
> 
> I'm glad your aunt's problem was solved. Bureaucrats can be a pain, and sometimes it just takes a little publicity to shame them.


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

KBW-1953 said:


> Doris, you and I are quite a bit alike. I do not like gambling either. I feel I work too darn hard to give it away to something like that. We went to Las Vegas in 1975 with the intentions of losing about $300. I went to the one arm bandit and I won some coins but it was all gone in about 5 minutes. I stopped gambling at that point and looked around me. Everyone looked glum. I did not see anyone looking happy except the fancy dressed ladies hanging around the men in the special rooms playing for high stakes. I decided then that gambling was not for me. I enjoyed the cheap or free drinks, and low cost meals and sitting watching the people around me. I enjoyed seeing all the fancy lights outside and the amazing decor of the casinos. I even enjoyed some of the shows. But I have not gambled again since that day.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Kathleen, maybe you're the sister I never had! 

DH and I attended an Elderhostel program in Las Vegas years ago. One of our speakers talked to us about the addiction to gambling. He told us that some of the gamblers are so addicted that they wear Depends so they don't have to leave their slot machine to go to the bathroom. Now that's going too far!!

Dave may ban me from the Tea Party soon with my talk of girdles and bathrooms.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

DorisT said:


> KBW-1953 said:
> 
> 
> > Doris, you and I are quite a bit alike. I do not like gambling either. I feel I work too darn hard to give it away to something like that. We went to Las Vegas in 1975 with the intentions of losing about $300. I went to the one arm bandit and I won some coins but it was all gone in about 5 minutes. I stopped gambling at that point and looked around me. Everyone looked glum. I did not see anyone looking happy except the fancy dressed ladies hanging around the men in the special rooms playing for high stakes. I decided then that gambling was not for me. I enjoyed the cheap or free drinks, and low cost meals and sitting watching the people around me. I enjoyed seeing all the fancy lights outside and the amazing decor of the casinos. I even enjoyed some of the shows. But I have not gambled again since that day.
> ...


I'm highly amused by it all, it'll cost you dear for me not to show the posts to the lads!

I love Las Vegas, it's very handy for The Grand Canyon and Lake Mead and there are some excellent museums which are usualy deserted because everybody is too busy pouring their money into slot machines. Since I have no problem whatsover in meandering across a football pitch-sized gaming floor with my hands in my pockets, there are no straight paths through the maze of clinking-clanking-clunking machines with their brightly flashing lights; it's not only convenient, but also remarkably economical to stay in a gambling subsidised hotel.

It really amuses me that when one arrives at the airport there's a great big gaming area before the baggage claim area full of people, so desperate to lose their money, that the luggage carousels laden with uncollected bags just go round and round and round!

I actually do love the city, the weird and wonderful architecture of hyper-reality is great fun and highly imaginative. I go with Umberto Eco's definition:

"The real fake, the fake that is more real than reality itself"

I think that just about sums the city up!

Dave


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## Bluebirdlet (May 21, 2011)

maggieme said:


> Gracieanne; Yes it's still the same...sometimes I think we may be caught in a time warp! LOL
> The biggest problem here in Campbell River is unemployment since the Mills have closed. Housing is still unbelievably cheap because so many people have moved away to find work. We were fortunate that DH was able to take early retirement.


Maggieme, I want to see pictures!


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

Dave, did you go to the Elvis Museum? I wouldn't have chosen it, but the Elderhostel program included it. It was interesting, though. And that roller coaster that's atop one of the hotels? That's too scary for me. My favorite is the Dancing Waters. Can you believe Elderhostel took us to a topless show? They did. What a way for those girls to earn a living! And we had a backstage tour to show us all the fancy costumes and heavy headresses.

I liked Penn and Teller's act and DH likes the magicians. One of our grandsons attended U. of NV in LV so we met the family there to get him settled. There is so much to see and do, but the people watching is really something!

When our daughter was 20 and her little brother was 14, he reported her to the guard at one casino when she tried to go on the floor to gamble. She never forgave him, I don't think. What great memories!


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

You mean there are shows in Vegas that are not topless shows? Actually, it is all so spectacular that it is more of an artform than a body show. And it was so long ago since I was there. Casinos have come down and new ones have gone up and it just gets more and more "fake" as it goes. It is sure worth seeing it, even if you do not gamble. And like Dave said, it is very reasonable to stay there and to eat and drink there. They get your money through the tables. And NO SALES TAX. Quite a playground.


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

Of course, I love Disneyland even more and Knott's Berry Farm. When my kids were little, we had said we would take them if we sold our second house. Well, near to holiday time, we sold the house so I made reservations to a hotel near Knott's Berry Farm. My children did not know we were going there. It was all a surprise. My daughter was about 8 years old and she overheard me on the phone when I asked that the hotel was near Knott's Berry Farm. She asked me what Knott's Berry Farm was. I said, oh it is a farm that sell berries. She wanted to know if we could go there for one day and get berries. "Oh of course we will go there" My kids were so surprised when they found out what it was and had the time of their lives. It was great. 
And I love seeing places like, Yellowstone Park, and Carlsbad Caves, and the Grand Canyon and all the beautiful parks in Utah. There are so many beautiful places to go and I want to see it all......


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## Della (Jun 17, 2011)

grandmatimestwo said:


> Thanks to all of you who have sent good wishes for my sore knee. My youngest grandson has also been giving it kisses to make the boo-boo better! Too cute! Unfortunately the only permanent relief for my knee will be surgery for my acl, which has been damaged for many years, and sometimes rears it's ugly head! This has been a particularly bad episode, and even my PT says I should just get the surgery done!


I had to give in and have my shoulder rebuilt last spring. Dr. could only do a partial job because of the deteriation of usable bone. PLEASE don't put surgery off too long, there comes a time when surgery does no good because there is not enough to work with....Della


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

DorisT said:


> Dave, did you go to the Elvis Museum? I wouldn't have chosen it, but the Elderhostel program included it. It was interesting, though. And that roller coaster that's atop one of the hotels? That's too scary for me. My favorite is the Dancing Waters. Can you believe Elderhostel took us to a topless show? They did. What a way for those girls to earn a living! And we had a backstage tour to show us all the fancy costumes and heavy headresses.
> 
> I liked Penn and Teller's act and DH likes the magicians. One of our grandsons attended U. of NV in LV so we met the family there to get him settled. There is so much to see and do, but the people watching is really something!
> 
> When our daughter was 20 and her little brother was 14, he reported her to the guard at one casino when she tried to go on the floor to gamble. She never forgave him, I don't think. What great memories!


I took my Mother on one trip to Las Vegas when I combined a small job for one of my architect clients with a holiday and she went on the _High Roller_ at the top of the Stratosphere, she was in her late 70s.

It was quite funny because I went off to get the photograph to prove to her friends she'd done it and when I returned she was with a group of young students. They were debating whether to go on the ride, my Mother patted one strapping lad on the arm and said, "Don't worry dear, they strap you in very well and even looked aftere my walking stick for me". He decided that if a little old English lady could do it, chickening out was not an option!

You'll probably think me very dull, but I make a bee-line for the art galleries, there are some very good collections in the city because the casinos get a tax-break on them. I also like the state museum and the casino history collection, as well as the Mormon Fort, I really am very predictable.

Dave


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## Aran (Apr 11, 2011)

Hello from a small town in Ohio. I have been doing very little knitting lately because I'm done with retreats for the year. Next Sunday, though, we have a business meeting after Quaker Meeting, so I'll get going on my next rainbow hat. I'll post a picture if my friend Shane ever sends me a picture of the rainbow hat I made him. I wanted to thank everyone again for the kind posts they made to my "I am like Chaz Bono" topic.


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## pammie1234 (Apr 27, 2011)

In the '70's I went to Lake Tahoe and Reno and every show we saw was topless. In the '90's I took my mother to Vegas and none of the shows we saw were topless. Guess we chose very different shows. I am very glad that I got to see Seigfried and Roy. It was spectacular! We saw Michael Crawford and an Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, Starlight Express. Had a great time! My nephew and his wife go to Vegas a lot, but she plays nickel slots and he doesn't play at all. Neither of them drink either. They go to shows, etc. and love the architecture. I don't really understand why they like Vegas so much!


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## grandmatimestwo (Mar 30, 2011)

Della said:


> grandmatimestwo said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks to all of you who have sent good wishes for my sore knee. My youngest grandson has also been giving it kisses to make the boo-boo better! Too cute! Unfortunately the only permanent relief for my knee will be surgery for my acl, which has been damaged for many years, and sometimes rears it's ugly head! This has been a particularly bad episode, and even my PT says I should just get the surgery done!
> ...


I'm sorry to hear about your shoulder problems. I am getting myself mentally prepared for the surgery. My aunt waited too long, and had to have a knee replacement. She had an incredible amount of pain and a very lengthy recovery.


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Thanks for the new cosy, Dave. Very autumnal. I've got it in my "Dave" folder. It WILL get made, just not today.


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

pammie1234 said:


> In the '70's I went to Lake Tahoe and Reno and every show we saw was topless. In the '90's I took my mother to Vegas and none of the shows we saw were topless. Guess we chose very different shows. I am very glad that I got to see Seigfried and Roy. It was spectacular! We saw Michael Crawford and an Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, Starlight Express. Had a great time! My nephew and his wife go to Vegas a lot, but she plays nickel slots and he doesn't play at all. Neither of them drink either. They go to shows, etc. and love the architecture. I don't really understand why they like Vegas so much!


At the time we were in Vegas, the topless show we saw was, I think, the only one. It may have closed by now. Although, I heard Vegas was getting away from the family theme and going back to appealing to adults. It's fun for awhile even if you don't like to gamble or drink, but it's like NYC, you can only take so much of the noise and crowds.

We saw Starlight Express in London - I didn't realize it was an Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. We bought tickets thru one of those 2-for-1 deals and they sat us in the first row. The actors were practically rollerskating in our laps.


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

Dave, your Mom must have been quite the daredevil. I wouldn't go on that thing no matter how young or old I was.

Going to art museums isn't dull, especially for a student of art. My favorite mseum in DC is the National Gallery of Art.


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

My daughter and i went on that Roller Coaster in LV. It was really fun, although we were both shaken and sore for a while afterwards. For anyone who likes thrill rides, in Kissimmee, FL there is a small amusement park that has a ride where they hoist you up 300 feet on a cable, then you drop into a glide over a small pond. It is really cool!

Doris, I also like the National Gallery. We are so lucky to live nearby such a grand museum! And there is no entrance fee, either. I've taken several art courses at the local community college and always look forward to the field trips to the museums.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

DorisT said:


> Dave, your Mom must have been quite the daredevil. I wouldn't go on that thing no matter how young or old I was.
> 
> Going to art museums isn't dull, especially for a student of art. My favorite mseum in DC is the National Gallery of Art.


Mother liked helicopters too and loved the trip down to the floor of the Grand Canyon. One of her friends asked her whether she was at all worried about crashing, "Not really" she replied, "I'm sure the pilot will do everything he can to avoid that happening"!

Dave


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

siouxann said:


> My daughter and i went on that Roller Coaster in LV. It was really fun, although we were both shaken and sore for a while afterwards. For anyone who likes thrill rides, in Kissimmee, FL there is a small amusement park that has a ride where they hoist you up 300 feet on a cable, then you drop into a glide over a small pond. It is really cool!
> 
> Doris, I also like the National Gallery. We are so lucky to live nearby such a grand museum! And there is no entrance fee, either. I've taken several art courses at the local community college and always look forward to the field trips to the museums.


Sioux Ann, that is one ride I could easily pass up. I'm afraid I'm not a thrill seeker. I've flown in small planes as well as large ones and that's as far as my nerve will take me. I've even ridden the rapids on a river in Alaska, but only because everyone in my group was going and I was the only chicken. One lady was so scared she laughed the whole way from nervousness. When they let us out, you could hear a pin drop - I think everyone was so relieved that it was over.

Yes, we're lucky to have all the free museums in DC. I took some art courses at the Corcoran when I first moved to Washington, but, as I told Dave, when they moved on to drawing nudes, I quit. It wasn't my cuppa tea! I don't think I have any artistic talent, but I appreciate others' art work, especially the Impressionists and artists like the Wyeths. Do you do much painting?


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## Bluebirdlet (May 21, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> DorisT said:
> 
> 
> > FireballDave said:
> ...


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

I guess your Mother rode in the Grand Canyon helicopter before she knew that "sometimes" those helicopters crash. A couple of years ago, John and I rode in a seaplane over the glaciers in Alaska. I wanted to know what it felt like to land in water. I was surprised to find that it was smoother than a landing on a runway.


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## jknappva (Apr 12, 2011)

You'll probably think me very dull, but I make a bee-line for the art galleries, there are some very good collections in the city because the casinos get a tax-break on them. I also like the state museum and the casino history collection, as well as the Mormon Fort, I really am very predictable.

Dave[/quote]

I've never been to Las Vegas but my daughter goes frequently with friends. Even though she does gamble a little, she mostly hits the art galleries, too, Dave. In fact, every time she goes she buys a print and has it shipped home. I really think that's the main reason she goes!
JuneK


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

DorisT said:


> bellestarr12 said:
> 
> 
> > Doris T and KBW-1953, you made my morning! Glad you enjoy the blog - maybe your comments will make me do more of it ;-)
> ...


I have actually thought about it - ah, my own TV show! That would be so cool! Right now the day job gets in the way :-(

Many years ago I did do most of the coordinating and compiling of one of those cookbooks for a church group, and included the quiche recipe in it. I have no idea where I originally got it, but at least I still have that old cookbook!


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

maryanne said:


> Belle Star you are a real artist in the kitchen. What treats for the eyes and the palette. You are so creative.


Thank you so much!


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

KBW-1953 said:


> Belle, I agree with the lady that said you should do your own cookbook. Your photos really look so desirable.
> As for the bed & breakfast, I think there must be a lot more work to it than one would think. My brother-in-law did that for awhile. He really investigated it before getting into it and they had a gorgeous place in Stratford Ontario where there is the Stratford Festival every summer with many many Shakespearean Theatres. They would work from Apr. to Dec. then go to Florida from the end of Dec. to Apr. Of course they took their laptop with them and made bookings while away. He told me there is a burn-out period at about 7 years when most people give it up. He is out of that now and is spending most of his time travelling the world with his wife. His daughter is in Australia and they take many cruises each year. They have a nice life. And mostly he sells older hardcover books on E-bay now. He goes to Used Bookstores and garage sales and buys up books he figures he can make money on and then catalogues them and sells them. It seems to be working well for him.
> Take care. Kathleen
> 
> I think that's probably right about the burn-out. A friend of mine bought an old Victorian house to start one several years ago but then I moved away and we lost touch. Wonder if she's still at it. I wouldn't be surprised to learn she's not.


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Belle, you are so welcome. I just wish I could taste it all.!


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

bellestarr12 said:


> DorisT said:
> 
> 
> > bellestarr12 said:
> ...


Those are my favorite cookbooks; the recipes are tried and true. I was telling DH this afternoon about your tomato soup recipe. I really want to try it. We like Campbell's, but I'm sure it has too much sodium for us. And I tried to tell him about your grilled cheese sandwich, but couldn't remember all the ingredients.

We have tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches at least once every two weeks or so. Your recipes for same would be a lot different.


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## anneevamod (Apr 16, 2011)

Aran said:


> Hello from a small town in Ohio. I have been doing very little knitting lately because I'm done with retreats for the year. Next Sunday, though, we have a business meeting after Quaker Meeting, so I'll get going on my next rainbow hat. I'll post a picture if my friend Shane ever sends me a picture of the rainbow hat I made him. I wanted to thank everyone again for the kind posts they made to my "I am like Chaz Bono" topic.


Did I miss this post? I/We don't care who you are like. You are always welcomed on this forum! We love everyone and if you knit and cook it is even better. 
Dave....The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco was one of my favorites!


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

DorisT said:


> bellestarr12 said:
> 
> 
> > DorisT said:
> ...


Grilled cheese and tomato soup have always been comfort foods for me and DH. The sandwich is at http://www.morning-glory-garden.blogspot.com, though you'll have to scroll down through a few more recent posts. Hope you enjoy them - I like making soup from scratch at least partly because you can control things like sodium.


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## Sugar and Spice's Mom (Aug 2, 2011)

Annee, I seem to have missed the post also.


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

bellestarr12 -

i would like to be able to follow your blog hopefully with a notice in my mail box - i have no interest in having a facebook account which according to your site is the only way to sign up for you blog. is there another way?

sam


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

thewren said:


> bellestarr12 -
> 
> i would like to be able to follow your blog hopefully with a notice in my mail box - i have no interest in having a facebook account which according to your site is the only way to sign up for you blog. is there another way?
> 
> sam


I was not able to get the blog, so I googled. I found that you have to leave out the www., though I gather others did not have trouble.


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

thewren said:


> bellestarr12 -
> 
> i would like to be able to follow your blog hopefully with a notice in my mail box - i have no interest in having a facebook account which according to your site is the only way to sign up for you blog. is there another way?
> 
> sam


I have a facebook account, which I signed up for only because one of our knitters was going to report on his adventures that way. But I have no interest whatsoever in having anything else to do with facebook.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Peace and tranquility has returned, the lads all got away on time with big grins and taking their latest egg cosies to use at school, apparently they're much sought after. 

A good day to de-frost the freezer and clean the copboards before re-stocking, there's plenty of empty shelf space!

Dave


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Hi Dave,
Do the lads come to your place every weekend, or just when there is a moto event? It is really great that they want to spend time with you, and of course your 'toys'! I don't wonder that the cosies are much sought after - they are really cool! Does your son graduate this year? I don't know what the British term is, but does he go off to university next year? Also, if you would, please explain the term "A-levels" to me. I hear it and read it frequently but don't understand it.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

siouxann said:


> Hi Dave,
> Do the lads come to your place every weekend, or just when there is a moto event? It is really great that they want to spend time with you, and of course your 'toys'! I don't wonder that the cosies are much sought after - they are really cool! Does your son graduate this year? I don't know what the British term is, but does he go off to university next year? Also, if you would, please explain the term "A-levels" to me. I hear it and read it frequently but don't understand it.


Most weekends it's just him and his best friend that I have for company, but we have at least one big party per term when he invites half a dozen or so up. Some race weekends, when he isn't racing himself, I invite a couple of my friends for brunch, European _MotoGP_ rounds start with the first race at 10:00a.m. UK time and finish about 2:00p.m.

We don't have graduation from school, they take their exams, go home and get their certificates through the post during the Summer holidays, it's all very low-key because pretty much everything has been sorted out based on predicted outcomes. There are two main exams; GCSEs, the 'O' levels (ordinary) are taken at 16, after which they can either leave school to get a job or go on to the 'sixth form'; 'A' levels (advanced) are taken at 18, usually in three or four subjects related to the area they want to work in or study at uni.

Most students enter uni at 18, although many take a 'gap-year' to either travel or gain some practical experience in their chosen field, or simply to give themselves more time to decide on a field of study. My lad wants to go into motorcycle design and has already got offers for uni after a year spent working in a workshop, so he'll take a fair amount of knowledge with him.

I did things differently, I took my 'O' levels when I was 14 and 15 and my 'A' levels at 16, because I knew precisely what I wanted to do and had a place waiting for me at art school; I merely had to jump through a few academic hoops for the sake of the paper-work. It was much easier to do that sort of thing when I was a teenager because it was all exam-based; provided one could 'cram' the curruculum and knock out a few half-decent essays, it was all over in a few hours with none of the dreary course-work. Great if you're driven, thrive under pressure and have a good memory; had I been stuck with the current system of years of continuous drudgery, I'd have been bored senseless and failed every single subject!

Dave


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Thanks for the explanation. I almost wish they didn't have formal graduations here. Every year it seems that a 'celebration' turns deadly when there are accidents, often alcohol related. Most schools try to have a Safe & Sane party for the kids after graduation. There is no alcohol, and they usually just dance and party all night. It does save lives. 
It's great that both you and your son were/are so focused on your careers. Genetic, you think? Sometimes taking a year off between school and university is a good thing. Many of our young people are not prepared at all to enter university life, not only academically but also socially, emotionally and mentally.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

siouxann said:


> Thanks for the explanation. I almost wish they didn't have formal graduations here. Every year it seems that a 'celebration' turns deadly when there are accidents, often alcohol related. Most schools try to have a Safe & Sane party for the kids after graduation. There is no alcohol, and they usually just dance and party all night. It does save lives.
> It's great that both you and your son were/are so focused on your careers. Genetic, you think? Sometimes taking a year off between school and university is a good thing. Many of our young people are not prepared at all to enter university life, not only academically but also socially, emotionally and mentally.


There are a few 'End of Exams' parties, but the concept of graduation only really occurs after a uni degree. I don't think we'll ever solve the problem of preparing youngsters for life after school, far too many parents think that's the job of the universities!

I wouldn't describe myself as ever having been focussed on a career, I just liked playing with cameras and taking pictures of buildings. I'ved never done a day's work in my life; if it's not fun, I'm not doing it!

Dave


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Love your attitude on life! ROCK ON!!!


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

mjs said:


> thewren said:
> 
> 
> > bellestarr12 -
> ...


I had trouble too but found it through google.


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

thewren said:


> bellestarr12 -
> 
> i would like to be able to follow your blog hopefully with a notice in my mail box - i have no interest in having a facebook account which according to your site is the only way to sign up for you blog. is there another way?
> 
> sam


Sam----the web site is http://morning-glory-garden.blogspot.com .....at least that's how it appears for me. i'm on an apple, you may need to add www.
I hope that helps,
Kerry


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

thewren said:


> bellestarr12 -
> 
> i would like to be able to follow your blog hopefully with a notice in my mail box - i have no interest in having a facebook account which according to your site is the only way to sign up for you blog. is there another way?
> 
> sam


Sam, I don't really know, and that FB connection requirement is annoying to me too, but if you'll send me a private message with your email, I'll be happy to add you to the list of those I notify of new posts.


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## pachoulie (Feb 17, 2011)

kerryn said:


> thewren said:
> 
> 
> > bellestarr12 -
> ...


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## pachoulie (Feb 17, 2011)

My kids both went to college,one majored in marketing working up on the west coast,seems to enjoy her job a lot ,married now. My son lives on west coast,went to Caltech,there, smarty pants school! he worked for major computor companys,just quit his job and opening up his own computer company in SF area,and I thought he was just wasting his time playing computer games in high school. He loves it!
His wife is on the designer team at Google headquarters. They met at Caltech ,in Pasadena. We've done our jobs as parents,yeah,there on there own!


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

pachoulie said:


> kerryn said:
> 
> 
> > thewren said:
> ...


A blog by Bellestarr ---a great site!


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## pachoulie (Feb 17, 2011)

So Dave,are you a race car driver? Def. A great cook!


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

pachoulie said:


> So Dave,are you a race car driver? Def. A great cook!


I'm not much of anything really, I've been known to take the odd snap or two.

Dave


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## pachoulie (Feb 17, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> pachoulie said:
> 
> 
> > So Dave,are you a race car driver? Def. A great cook!
> ...


ha whatever that means
S


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

pachoulie said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > pachoulie said:
> ...


It means I don't drive racing cars, nor do I work as a cook.

Dave


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## RookieRetiree (Jan 27, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> pachoulie said:
> 
> 
> > FireballDave said:
> ...


But, do take snap shots?


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## jknappva (Apr 12, 2011)

I wouldn't describe myself as ever having been focussed on a career, I just liked playing with cameras and taking pictures of buildings. I'ved never done a day's work in my life; if it's not fun, I'm not doing it!

Dave[/quote]

I sort of 'fell' into library reference work. And I definitely agree with you about not doing it if it's not fun. When my work stopped being fun, I retired. Worked part-time while I was able just to have something to do. But no fun, no work....life is just too darn short!
JuneK


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## cmaliza (May 21, 2011)

Bellestar,
I've tried sevefral times to get to your blog spot but can't. Is there any other way to get to it? I LOVE grilled cheese and tomato soup. Everyone is making me hungry talking about them...I wanna join the fun!
Carol (IL)


bellestarr12 said:


> DorisT said:
> 
> 
> > bellestarr12 said:
> ...


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

jknappva said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > I wouldn't describe myself as ever having been focussed on a career, I just liked playing with cameras and taking pictures of buildings. I'ved never done a day's work in my life; if it's not fun, I'm not doing it!
> ...


Fortunately I'm the guy who grew up to do what he always wanted to do as a little boy. It turned out to be far more engrossing and entertaining than I'd ever dreamed it could be. The only problem was my health, it had always been precarious, but I had a good run and enjoyed myself immensely, I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Now I live at a much slower pace and I find I'm enjoying that too, but in a different way. I still take the odd snap, I still doodle on the backs of envelopes; but now I'm perfectly happy to hand it over to somebody else to play with, I'm done with 'yesterday' as a deadline!

Dave


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## dandylion (May 31, 2011)

I'm done with 'yesterday' as a deadline!

Good one, Dave. May I quote you on my friend's page?


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

pachoulie said:


> My kids both went to college,one majored in marketing working up on the west coast,seems to enjoy her job a lot ,married now. My son lives on west coast,went to Caltech,there, smarty pants school! he worked for major computor companys,just quit his job and opening up his own computer company in SF area,and I thought he was just wasting his time playing computer games in high school. He loves it!
> His wife is on the designer team at Google headquarters. They met at Caltech ,in Pasadena. We've done our jobs as parents,yeah,there on there own!


I think that's great, as long as they're happy with how they fill their days, parenting has been a success.

I've told _The Lad_ he can do whatever he wants, as long as he does it well and _enjoys_ doing it well. He's bright and creative and also has a flair for engineering and maths, I'm perfectly happy for him to play with motorbikes if that's what he wants; I'll support him, but idleness is not an option!

Dave


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

kerryn -

i had no problem getting to bellestarr's blog - but i wanted to be able to follow - some blogs i get an automatic notice by email and i wanted to see if there was a way i could do it with yours. but thanks for your help - appreciate it.

sam


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

dandylion said:


> I'm done with 'yesterday' as a deadline!
> 
> Good one, Dave. May I quote you on my friend's page?


Definitely! I learned the hard way, others don't need to!

Dave


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

Carol, the link didn't work for me either so I googled for "morning glory garden blog" and it came up. Good luck!


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

dave -

a great philosophy for life - i just wish i would have know it fifty years earlier. 

it took me until i was fifty to realize one should never take life too seriously and that you were supposed to have fun at work.

in retirement my time is much my own so taking it easy is just fine with me. the grandchildren can liven things up but that is a good busy.

sam


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

Dave, you are so lucky to have found your niche. There are so many hundreds/thousands of people who go to work every day and are miserable. I never enjoyed working; I much preferred to be a stay-at-home Mom, raising my family, cooking, sewing - even cleaning was better than working in an office.


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

DorisT said:


> Carol, the link didn't work for me either so I googled for "morning glory garden blog" and it came up. Good luck!


You have to leave out the www.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

thewren said:


> dave -
> 
> a great philosophy for life - i just wish i would have know it fifty years earlier.
> 
> ...


As Oscar Wilde observed:

Youth is wasted on the young!


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

DorisT said:


> Dave, you are so lucky to have found your niche. There are so many hundreds/thousands of people who go to work every day and are miserable. I never enjoyed working; I much preferred to be a stay-at-home Mom, raising my family, cooking, sewing - even cleaning was better than working in an office.


You're so right, I was given a little box camera for my seventh birthday by a friend of the family. It fell into my hands and it fitted perfectly, all of a sudden I had a voice that matched my eyes, I fell in love with light and film. I like to look at things.

People should always do what they enjoy, home-makers are important and contribute so much, life's pretty tough without a stable background.

Dave


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## dandylion (May 31, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> dandylion said:
> 
> 
> > I'm done with 'yesterday' as a deadline!
> ...


Another good one. I'll use that one when the nephews look like they think I'm handing out too much advice. I know that look when it comes on their faces


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## cmaliza (May 21, 2011)

thanks....I just typed in starting with 'Morning..." I finally got there! thanks for the help!
Carol (IL)


mjs said:


> DorisT said:
> 
> 
> > Carol, the link didn't work for me either so I googled for "morning glory garden blog" and it came up. Good luck!
> ...


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## cmaliza (May 21, 2011)

Okay....it's Monday night...the long weekend is over, guests and family have gone home, leaving us to enjoy the southern fall shores of Lake Erie quietly. 2 more weeks and then it's home to a predicted very tough winter in Chicago. brrrrr. Fall colors are starting to really show. Most beautiful is the grape ivy which has turned bright red....and has climbed up trees, which are still green, or turning a burnished gold...VERY striking. I've loved collecting the recipes this weekend.

I am trying my hand at my first dish cloth now...I am struggling with the YO instruction. Somehow it doesn't seem right. I've frogged 4 times. Must be some senior moments. 

Enjoy the week..be safe & healthy..be thankful!
Carol (IL)


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

DorisT said:


> Dave, you are so lucky to have found your niche. There are so many hundreds/thousands of people who go to work every day and are miserable. I never enjoyed working; I much preferred to be a stay-at-home Mom, raising my family, cooking, sewing - even cleaning was better than working in an office.


I whole-heartedly agree DorisT! Sometime after I turned 50 I realized that I had lived my life the way others thought I should. Since then, I've learned to become my own person, and I'm much happier. I am still one of the 'hundreds of thousands of people' you referred to, but hopefully in a year and a half to two years, my life will truly be MY life!


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## dandylion (May 31, 2011)

Hello all of you great philosophers.
I'm hoping I can get some pictures on here. Wish me luck 

These are the triplets my great niece had in Sept. They are now all 3 lbs and over and they all went on full oxygen Oct. 8. We are all thrilled!


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

Dandylion, what a beautiful couple and 3 adorable babies. I'm so happy for you and the good health of the preemies. Did you make the hats?

I'll continue to keep them in my prayers!!


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

dandylion -

what beautiful babies - over three pounds - it won't be long before they are home. the parents look so young - guess that is why they get the triplets. lol

keep the pictures coming.

sam


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## dandylion (May 31, 2011)

Thank you guys! 
Yes, they do seem to be doing well, and no I didn't make the hats. I think they were given to the hospital. 

I have just finished the three cuddle sacks and hats, and will try to get some pictures here when they are all blocked. 
I learned that I must block everything on KP


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

They are so tiny. The entire family is just gorgeous. Your niece and husband both are glowing.  They look so very happy.


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## pachoulie (Feb 17, 2011)

Adorable!


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## Bluebirdlet (May 21, 2011)

bellestarr12 said:


> KBW-1953 said:
> 
> 
> > As for the bed & breakfast, I think there must be a lot more work to it than one would think. My brother-in-law did that for awhile. They would work from Apr. to Dec. then go to Florida from the end of Dec. to Apr. Of course they took their laptop with them and made bookings while away. He told me there is a burn-out period at about 7 years when most people give it up. He is out of that now and is spending most of his time travelling the world with his wife.
> ...


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## Sandy (Jan 17, 2011)

Dandylion, 
I'm glad the triplets are doing so well. What a lovely, precious family! Can't wait to see them in their cuddle sacks. When will they get to go home? I know what it is like to have to wait. Keep us posted on their progress.


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## maggieme (Jul 25, 2011)

Blessing to all of you and thank you for sharing the pictures!


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## Bluebirdlet (May 21, 2011)

dandylion said:


> Hello all of you great philosophers.
> I'm hoping I can get some pictures on here. Wish me luck
> 
> These are the triplets my great niece had in Sept. They are now all 3 lbs and over and they all went on full oxygen Oct. 8. We are all thrilled!


Dandylion, your little triplets are so tiny & sweet! No wonder you are knitting up a storm!


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## Bluebirdlet (May 21, 2011)

Okay, tomorrow is obligation day. Have to go downtown for jury duty. 7:30 AM. Drove down there twice this afternoon, so I would be confident of the street route & the highway route, too. Found a place to park for the day that won't cost too much. I will have to go to bed like normal people tonight. 

Will take a new knitting project that will be easy & fairly mindless to do while waiting at the courthouse. The entrelac scarf needs markers & a pattern. I can just see the markers disappearing under the benches! Recently knit my daughter a bluebird wash cloth & matching hand towel in dusty blue for her blue bathroom. Then I did a starfish-shaped spiral cloth in yellow with a hand towel that has starfish along the border edge for my friend that just painted her bathroom yellow. Now my sister's birthday is coming up, so will do an aqua set with angel fish on them for her. I always include a coordinating fragrant soap with each set, as the Indigo Wild outlet is close by.


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Dandylion, the babies are just precious! I like the names their parents chose for them, too. They will keep you busy knitting.

Bluebirdlet, when I had jury duty, I was not allowed to have knitting needles in the courthouse. Good luck with yours! And, thank you for accepting the call for jurors. People around here go to great lengths to avoid serving on a jury.


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## grandmatimestwo (Mar 30, 2011)

Wow, what a beautiful family!


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

dandylion said:


> Thank you guys!
> Yes, they do seem to be doing well, and no I didn't make the hats. I think they were given to the hospital.
> 
> I have just finished the three cuddle sacks and hats, and will try to get some pictures here when they are all blocked.
> I learned that I must block everything on KP


What a beautiful family--you are so blessed! Please post pictures of them in their cuddle cuddle sacks


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

cmaliza said:


> Okay....it's Monday night...the long weekend is over, guests and family have gone home, leaving us to enjoy the southern fall shores of Lake Erie quietly. 2 more weeks and then it's home to a predicted very tough winter in Chicago. brrrrr. Fall colors are starting to really show. Most beautiful is the grape ivy which has turned bright red....and has climbed up trees, which are still green, or turning a burnished gold...VERY striking. I've loved collecting the recipes this weekend.
> 
> I am trying my hand at my first dish cloth now...I am struggling with the YO instruction. Somehow it doesn't seem right. I've frogged 4 times. Must be some senior moments.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the description---sounds wonderful! We have yet to get much colour here....soon though.
What kind of yarn do you use for dish cloths?


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

Bluebirdlet said:


> Okay, tomorrow is obligation day. Have to go downtown for jury duty. 7:30 AM. Drove down there twice this afternoon, so I would be confident of the street route & the highway route, too. Found a place to park for the day that won't cost too much. I will have to go to bed like normal people tonight.
> 
> Will take a new knitting project that will be easy & fairly mindless to do while waiting at the courthouse. The entrelac scarf needs markers & a pattern. I can just see the markers disappearing under the benches! Recently knit my daughter a bluebird wash cloth & matching hand towel in dusty blue for her blue bathroom. Then I did a starfish-shaped spiral cloth in yellow with a hand towel that has starfish along the border edge for my friend that just painted her bathroom yellow. Now my sister's birthday is coming up, so will do an aqua set with angel fish on them for her. I always include a coordinating fragrant soap with each set, as the Indigo Wild outlet is close by.


I would love to see some pictures of those!
Good luck at jury duty!


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## RookieRetiree (Jan 27, 2011)

dandylion said:


> Thank you guys!
> Yes, they do seem to be doing well, and no I didn't make the hats. I think they were given to the hospital.
> 
> I have just finished the three cuddle sacks and hats, and will try to get some pictures here when they are all blocked.
> I learned that I must block everything on KP


Beautiful babies....praying for continued good health and strength. Can't wait to see the pictures in their cuddly cocoons.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Great pics of a lovely fmily, Dandylion. Thanks so much for posting them, they'll keep you busy making clothes and accessories! 

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

cmaliza said:


> Okay....it's Monday night...the long weekend is over, guests and family have gone home, leaving us to enjoy the southern fall shores of Lake Erie quietly. 2 more weeks and then it's home to a predicted very tough winter in Chicago. brrrrr. Fall colors are starting to really show. Most beautiful is the grape ivy which has turned bright red....and has climbed up trees, which are still green, or turning a burnished gold...VERY striking. I've loved collecting the recipes this weekend.
> 
> I am trying my hand at my first dish cloth now...I am struggling with the YO instruction. Somehow it doesn't seem right. I've frogged 4 times. Must be some senior moments.
> 
> ...


The Autumn colours sond lovely, any chance of a photo?

Good luck with the dish cloth, I never got into doing them, always far too busy playing with my egg cosies and cricket sweaters.

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Bluebirdlet said:


> Okay, tomorrow is obligation day. Have to go downtown for jury duty. 7:30 AM. Drove down there twice this afternoon, so I would be confident of the street route & the highway route, too. Found a place to park for the day that won't cost too much. I will have to go to bed like normal people tonight.
> 
> Will take a new knitting project that will be easy & fairly mindless to do while waiting at the courthouse. The entrelac scarf needs markers & a pattern. I can just see the markers disappearing under the benches! Recently knit my daughter a bluebird wash cloth & matching hand towel in dusty blue for her blue bathroom. Then I did a starfish-shaped spiral cloth in yellow with a hand towel that has starfish along the border edge for my friend that just painted her bathroom yellow. Now my sister's birthday is coming up, so will do an aqua set with angel fish on them for her. I always include a coordinating fragrant soap with each set, as the Indigo Wild outlet is close by.


Taking your knitting to court reminds me of Margaret Rutherford, playing Miss Marple, sitting knitting on the jury in the film _Murder Most Foul_. She argued it helped her concentrate, I can understand that because I like to knit whilst I listen to a play on Radio4.

It'll certainly pass the time, plastic needles might be an idea to get it through the metal detectors!

Dave


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> Bluebirdlet said:
> 
> 
> > Okay, tomorrow is obligation day. Have to go downtown for jury duty. 7:30 AM. Drove down there twice this afternoon, so I would be confident of the street route & the highway route, too. Found a place to park for the day that won't cost too much. I will have to go to bed like normal people tonight.
> ...


Margaret Rutherford does not fit my idea of Miss Marple, but oh how I enjoyed her, watching her throw that cape around her. At least that is the picture that lurks in my mind.


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## Marilyn K. (Jul 8, 2011)

I was going to say that in addition to Luck that I pray you Blessings, but it looks that you are already mightily Blessed! The whole family is precious!!!
marilyn


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

mjs said:


> Margaret Rutherford does not fit my idea of Miss Marple, but oh how I enjoyed her, watching her throw that cape around her. At least that is the picture that lurks in my mind.


She didn't fit Agatha Christie's idea either, she much preferred Joan Hickson who played the part exactly as written. In _At Bertram's Hotel_ she had her knitting with her and used it to attract the attention of the chief inspector, played by George Baker who sadly died this weekend.

However Margaret Rutherford's wonderful and wildly eccentric portrayal is the one I always remember, I've always been a fan of hers.

Dave


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## MaryCorinne (Sep 5, 2011)

Dave, I copy most of your recipes, give them to my husband and he has made some more than a few times. Thank You. What fun!


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

MaryCorinne said:


> Dave, I copy most of your recipes, give them to my husband and he has made some more than a few times. Thank You. What fun!


I'm glad they get used. Thanks for telling me, I try to keep them straightforward for people to use wherever they are located in the world.

Great you've got somebody to cook for you!

Dave


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

i was just looking on the WEBS page at their artful portrait yarn - how does one pick just one - there are eight or nine that i want enough yarn of to knit sweaters. beautiful yarn. and on sale too. lol don't think i will be buying any but it sure is beautiful yarn. WEBS has a number of wonderful yarns on sale right now.

sam


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> mjs said:
> 
> 
> > Margaret Rutherford does not fit my idea of Miss Marple, but oh how I enjoyed her, watching her throw that cape around her. At least that is the picture that lurks in my mind.
> ...


I must admit to not caring much for Hickson and like McEwan better. But Rutherford is just so much fun.


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

thewren said:


> i was just looking on the WEBS page at their artful portrait yarn - how does one pick just one - there are eight or nine that i want enough yarn of to knit sweaters. beautiful yarn. and on sale too. lol don't think i will be buying any but it sure is beautiful yarn. WEBS has a number of wonderful yarns on sale right now.
> 
> sam


They used to send samples, and those were even harder to resist. The thing to remember is that there will be a lot of equally irresistible yarns in future mailings. I keep telling myself that since I've got to whittle down the stash I have partly because of their mailings in the past.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

mjs said:


> thewren said:
> 
> 
> > i was just looking on the WEBS page at their artful portrait yarn - how does one pick just one - there are eight or nine that i want enough yarn of to knit sweaters. beautiful yarn. and on sale too. lol don't think i will be buying any but it sure is beautiful yarn. WEBS has a number of wonderful yarns on sale right now.
> ...


Sounds seriously dangerous to me!

Dave


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

mjs said:


> thewren said:
> 
> 
> > i was just looking on the WEBS page at their artful portrait yarn - how does one pick just one - there are eight or nine that i want enough yarn of to knit sweaters. beautiful yarn. and on sale too. lol don't think i will be buying any but it sure is beautiful yarn. WEBS has a number of wonderful yarns on sale right now.
> ...


Please don't give me the address!

Dave


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Yes Sam, Webs has wonderful yarns and irresistable sales. They always have closeout sales, but the largest sale seems to come midsummer. Their own line of yarns is excellent quality also.

When you can get a discount of 20% on an order minimum of $60 of non-sale items, it's like a sale everyday. I order from Webs more than any other store.


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

maryanne said:


> Yes Sam, Webs has wonderful yarns and irresistable sales. They always have closeout sales, but the largest sale seems to come midsummer. Their own line of yarns is excellent quality also.
> 
> When you can get a discount of 20% on an order minimum of $60 of non-sale items, it's like a sale everyday. I order from Webs more than any other store.


maryanne - i love the yarn i just got from them. trying to finish up a few wip so i can start on it. two scarves.

sam


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Just watched a repeat of Frayn's superb film _Copenhagen_, Daniel Craig as Werner Heisenberg was brilliant. It's a really impressive portayal of events, I had to put my knitting down to think about it!

Dave


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

I'm so glad you like it Sam. I've used Lopi Lite for years and just love it. When I saw it was on sale and some of my favorite colors were being discontinued, I confess, I placed an order too.

I know you will enjoy knitting it and can't wait to see the pictures.


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> Just watched a repeat of Frayn's superb film _Copenhagen_, Daniel Craig as Werner Heisenberg was brilliant. It's a really impressive portayal of events, I had to put my knitting down to think about it!
> 
> Dave


Saw it about a year ago - great, thought-provoking film, excellent performances!


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## cmaliza (May 21, 2011)

Kerryn, I use cotton yarn....it's different, not really "stretchy" at all. Maybe that's what throws me off on the yos. 
Dave, I forgot my camera today...I'll try tomorrow. Then I need to figure out how to post them! 

Carol (IL)


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Well, I finally took myself in hand and put my yarn stash into storage bags. I have three of the Large spacebags filled with new or very slightly used skeins, and another almost full. My daughter has threatened me with eviction if I buy any more! (These bags don't include the yarns in totes I have stored in a corner of a room in her house.) (I won't mention the fact that I have at lease one more order from Deramores on its way here. Just hope i get to the mail before she does!) I also looked at my WIPs, and have vowed to not start a new project until I have at least half of them completed. 

Next I shall have to start on my fabric stashes. Waiting for the next long weekend for that, though. Should be Vetrans' Day in november.

Hope everyone is having a good week so far!


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

cmaliza said:


> Kerryn, I use cotton yarn....it's different, not really "stretchy" at all. Maybe that's what throws me off on the yos.
> Dave, I forgot my camera today...I'll try tomorrow. Then I need to figure out how to post them!
> 
> Carol (IL)


I have issues with cotton too, I'm struggling with two designs with lovely mercerised cotton; it looks wonderful, but it isn't the most friendly of yarns to work.

Posting pics on the site is an 'entertaining' activity, with a little more thought it could have been rendered completely impossible!

Dave


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

Sam, Maryanne, and others, you would be in seventh heaven if you ever went to the WEBS store. On trips by car to New England and back home, I've talked DH into stopping there about 3 times. I love browsing through their "back" room with all the bargains. Last time, I found their sale bin and bought some of the softest yarn for only $2.00 a skein. So far, I've only made one off-white cowl with it. But there's more waiting. 

It's such a friendly store, with a lady sitting on a sofa near the front door, working on samples for display. And if you need help figuring yardage as I did because my patterns were so old and the yarns mentioned were discontinued, the clerks are very helpful, dragging out their calculators to figure it out.

I recommend them to anyone.


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

I recommend them all the time and I have always wished I could visit the store. They carry the best of the best and (I know I've said it many times before) their own Berkshire yarn is excellent. I have worked with far more expensive yarn that was not half as good. In all the time I have done business with them, I have never had even one problem.


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

maryanne said:


> I recommend them all the time and I have always wished I could visit the store. They carry the best of the best and (I know I've said it many times before) their own Berkshire yarn is excellent. I have worked with far more expensive yarn that was not half as good. In all the time I have done business with them, I have never had even one problem.


That's great, Maryanne. An even better recommendation than mine. I know it's lots of fun to go through their store. When I go into their warehouse "back" room, I run into the clerks who make up the mail orders and you can tell they're dedicated to their task. Some of them wear headphones and don't wish to be interrupted.


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## dandylion (May 31, 2011)

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins with Streusel Topping
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons Clabber Girl Baking Powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Streusel Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:
Prepare 24 muffin cups by spraying generously with cooking spray; set aside.
In a large bowl stir together 1 cup of the flour, the brown sugar, Clabber Girl Baking Powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add pumpkin, molasses, eggs, margarine, milk, and ginger. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds or till combined. Beat on medium to high speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl often. Add remaining flour; beat about 2 minutes or till mixed.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. For Streusel topping, Combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter with pastry blender and stir in nuts. Sprinkle evenly over batter in muffin cups. Bake in a 350° F. oven for 25 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pans until muffins come out easily, about 20 minutes.
Makes 24 muffins

Hi, Everyone, I haven't read anything since pg 16 or so, and will now go back and catch up, but this recipe made me wonder if any of you would like it. 
The reason it specifies Clabber Girl products, is bacause I get the Clabber Girl newsletter, which includes recipes using thier products, of course. It is an Indiana co. so I try to support it like I do Red Gold canned tomato products from Indiana. Hoosier pride and all that 
I hope it is a new, or at least an appealing recipe to some of you.


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

Dandylion, Red Gold tomatoes REIGHN!


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## dandylion (May 31, 2011)

maryanne said:


> Dandylion, Red Gold tomatoes REIGHN!


Thanks, Maryanne, we love our tomatoes in IN. I love how they smell right out of the fields and have been know to, shhhh, dust one off and enjoy it. That was from my Dad's garden of course, way back when. Not in the last 50 years, though.


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## dandylion (May 31, 2011)

Thank all of you dear friends for your compliments, good wishes and prayers. It made me a little teary to think that so many people care about our little ones. 
I will be sure to tell Abbey and Ryan that they are being blessed and prayed for all over the world. Life is soo good.

Thank you all so much.


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

doris - this goes at the top of my bucket list. what a blast it would be for a bunch of us to go at the same time.

sam


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

dandylion - i bet you are anxious to hold the little ones. have been sending them lots of positive energy so they grow fast and get to go home. we will need lots of pictures to keep up with the family.

sam


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Dandylion, the muffins sound great! I shall make them to have with my tea at next Saturday's tea party.
How are the babies?


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## bellestarr12 (Mar 26, 2011)

dandylion said:


> Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins with Streusel Topping
> Ingredients:
> 2 cups all-purpose flour
> 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
> ...


sounds wonderful! thanks for posting!


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

The muffins are making my mouth water, dandylion. Thanks for sharing!


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

dandylion - what a wonderful recipe - definitely need to make these for breakfast coffee.

sam


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

Dandylion-----Those muffins sound wonderful, I can't wait to try them! I love pumpkin & spice!


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## Sandy (Jan 17, 2011)

Dandylion the muffins sound like they are going to be my new favorite! I absolutely love pumpkin and molasses. Can't wait to make them.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Thanks for the receipt Dandylon, it looks interesting. I've never encountered canned pumpkin, they aren't overly popular in the UK. A few pumpkins appear in the shops this time of year, but not many people really use them very much, so there's no market for them canned. If one used fresh, how would it need to be prepared?

Dave


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## dandylion (May 31, 2011)

Gosh, I wish I could take credit for the recipe, but it was created by the "down home cooks at the Clabber Girl Co. kitchens, 
Here is the website if anyone is interested : http://www.ne16.com/t/21407732/689084062/980/0/

It's kind of fun to browse through.
http://www.ne16.com/t/21407732/689084062/980/0/


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## darowil (Apr 17, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> Thanks for the receipt Dandylon, it looks interesting. I've never encountered canned pumpkin, they aren't overly popular in the UK. A few pumpkins appear in the shops this time of year, but not many people really use them very much, so there's no market for them canned. If one used fresh, how would it need to be prepared?
> 
> Dave


From a previuos time I think I need to answer that one. I did the Celtic Pumpkin Bread by boiling peeled pumpkin with seeds removed (or microwave it) until tender- a bit less time than potatoes- and then mash. For the bread I used about 800gms which made about 2 metric cups.
Pumpkin is used here as a vegetable. It can be eaten boiled, mashed by itself, mashed with potato or roasted. I like it best mashed with potato or roasted. It also makes lovely soup (will find a recipe and post it later or next weekend seeing as it is already Thursday lunchtime). Pumpkin scones are also delicious and a recipe for these was posted a few weeks ago by someone else. 
The worst thing with pumpkin is that its skin is so thick it is hard to cut. When I am using the type that looks like it could be turned into a jack a lantern (or whatever they are called) I get my husband to cut them for me. But we can also get Butternut pumpkin which are much easier to cut. If you can get the others cut it is also easier as the worst part is the first cut.


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

darowil - an easier way is just to cut the pumpkin in half -place on a jelly roll pan cut side down - bake at 350 degrees until the flesh is soft - scoup out pumpkin - pick out seeds and put in a food processor - process until smooth. 

sam


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## Della (Jun 17, 2011)

I take an ice-pick, or something with a long slender point, and puncture in several places to let the steam out. Put it on a baking sheet or in a shallow baking pan and bake it 325 to 350 f oven until I can easily pierce it with a butcher knife. Allow it to cool out of the oven for awhile. It is now soft enough to get the skin open and just scrape the flesh out. Arthritis in my wrists makes it very hard for me to cut in a raw state...Della


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## RookieRetiree (Jan 27, 2011)

Must be pumpkin time!!! My neighbor brought over pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips today. I'm going to get her recipe and will share it with all of you. They were delicious!!


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## darowil (Apr 17, 2011)

But those ways would mean being organised well before hand to get the pumpkin cooked! But if I could be organised I wouldn't need to wait for David at least when I wanted it mashed. But often I want cubes or slices, or cooked in stock for soup.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

darowil said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for the receipt Dandylon, it looks interesting. I've never encountered canned pumpkin, they aren't overly popular in the UK. A few pumpkins appear in the shops this time of year, but not many people really use them very much, so there's no market for them canned. If one used fresh, how would it need to be prepared?
> ...


Thanks for your advice. Some years I buy a pumpkin about this time, use some of it for soups and make a pie, by which time I'm bored with it. I'll pick one up in the market and be a bit more adventurous this year, although I tend to prefer butternut squash.

Dave


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## darowil (Apr 17, 2011)

I think butternut squash is a butternut pumpkin and I just substiute it for pumpkin almost all the time. Don't remeber not getting them when I was over there.


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## Sandy (Jan 17, 2011)

I will post my favorite October dinner recipe on next weekend's tea party. I have to dig out the recipe. I usually fix it around my birthday ( which is coming soon).


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Della said:


> I take an ice-pick, or something with a long slender point, and puncture in several places to let the steam out. Put it on a baking sheet or in a shallow baking pan and bake it 325 to 350 f oven until I can easily pierce it with a butcher knife. Allow it to cool out of the oven for awhile. It is now soft enough to get the skin open and just scrape the flesh out. Arthritis in my wrists makes it very hard for me to cut in a raw state...Della


Love the idea of attacking it with an ice-pick, wasn't that the weapon used to assassinate Trotsky?

Dave


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## maggieme (Jul 25, 2011)

We salt and roast the pumpkin seeds and they are Yummy! They can even be purchased in the Stores.


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

I think you can substitute a butternut squash, possibly also an acorn squash, for the pumpkin. The canned pumpkin I use is Libby's brand, and it is very stiff coming out of the can. I used fresh pumpkin only once, and had to drain it really well after cooking because it was rather liquid-y.


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

darowil said:


> FireballDave said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for the receipt Dandylon, it looks interesting. I've never encountered canned pumpkin, they aren't overly popular in the UK. A few pumpkins appear in the shops this time of year, but not many people really use them very much, so there's no market for them canned. If one used fresh, how would it need to be prepared?
> ...


If you can fit it in a microwave, I think you can first cook the whole pumpkin a bit, and then it's easier to cut. I suppose you could do it in an oven in the same way.


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

I heard on the Food Network that canned pumpkin is about the only canned veggie chef's will work with due to fresh pumpkin being so time intensive and difficult to prepare and the can version being so close to fresh. Fresh pumpkin can be very stringy and watery--- I only used fresh once...oh boy. Though we often roast the seeds (the kiddos' love em) from the carved out jack-o-lanterns. we've tried plain salted, but also a variety of other spices too. cinnamon and sugar or cumin, garlic & chili powder are our favorites.


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## darowil (Apr 17, 2011)

Have never tried roasting pumpkin seeds. Do they need oil on them or can they be done dry? What temperature oven etc?
Don't remember seeing canned pumpkin over here.


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

This is what I do. I take the pumpkin seeds and try to get as much of the pumpkin off them as I can. I put them in a large bowl of very salty water and let soak overnight. Then I lay them on a cookie sheet and put in a very low temp. oven for a few hours until they are crispy. That is it. They taste so good. Kathleen



darowil said:


> Have never tried roasting pumpkin seeds. Do they need oil on them or can they be done dry? What temperature oven etc?
> Don't remember seeing canned pumpkin over here.


----------



## darowil (Apr 17, 2011)

Thanks Kathleen that sounds easy enough, must try it next time we have pumpkin.


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

Not a problem. And I do not use oil or what have you. If you want to put a light coat of spray oil on the sheet, it probably would not hurt.



darowil said:


> Thanks Kathleen that sounds easy enough, must try it next time we have pumpkin.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

The size of some of the pumpkins I've seen around this year, it would be easier to fit the microwave inside them!

I think I'll have a hunt for the canned variety in the shops, I'd really like to have a go at some the receipts, but I'm not sure I'd get through a whole one! 

Do they freeze, cut into chunks?

Dave


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## darowil (Apr 17, 2011)

Never thought of whether you could freeze then as chunks. But I am almost sure I have frozen them mashed. Or as soup. Over here you can often buy them cut and so you only need to get a part of a pumpkin.


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

kerryn said:


> I heard on the Food Network that canned pumpkin is about the only canned veggie chef's will work with due to fresh pumpkin being so time intensive and difficult to prepare and the can version being so close to fresh. Fresh pumpkin can be very stringy and watery--- I only used fresh once...oh boy. Though we often roast the seeds (the kiddos' love em) from the carved out jack-o-lanterns. we've tried plain salted, but also a variety of other spices too. cinnamon and sugar or cumin, garlic & chili powder are our favorites.


When I used fresh pumpkin I put it through the food mill.


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## mjs (Mar 3, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> The size of some of the pumpkins I've seen around this year, it would be easier to fit the microwave inside them!
> 
> I think I'll have a hunt for the canned variety in the shops, I'd really like to have a go at some the receipts, but I'm not sure I'd get through a whole one!
> 
> ...


I think it's quite possible that sweet potatoes would make a suitable substitute for pumpkin. Certainly they are used in pies here.


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## pammie1234 (Apr 27, 2011)

Getting caught up with the posts. Went to my DS's to work on cleaning out our DM's house. It has really been interesting. We have found some wonderful old pictures and letters. Didn't take the time to read everything, but we will do that later. Now I have to get started getting my house ready for Thanksgiving. I really hope to get my house painted, but have to really get moving! My Rangers are one win away from the World Series! Hope they win today!


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

I am not sure that this applies to your mother's place but
I have learnt a few things from cleaning out someone else's home. Don't keep anything you do not want ANYONE else to see. You think you know someone until you see what is in their homes. LOL Guess we all have some secrets 



pammie1234 said:


> Getting caught up with the posts. Went to my DS's to work on cleaning out our DM's house. It has really been interesting. We have found some wonderful old pictures and letters. Didn't take the time to read everything, but we will do that later. Now I have to get started getting my house ready for Thanksgiving. I really hope to get my house painted, but have to really get moving! My Rangers are one win away from the World Series! Hope they win today!


----------



## pammie1234 (Apr 27, 2011)

I know! We have already discussed what we are not going to put our children through when they have to clean up our homes! We are both going to do as much as possible before that happens!


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

pammie1234 said:


> My Rangers are one win away from the World Series! Hope they win today!


pammie - it was a good game last night wasn't it. remember verlander pitches tonight - hopefully the series will go back to texas - and may the tigers reign. lol

they are both good teams but have to admit to being a tiger fan. detroit is about two+ hours away.

the rain last night did not help matters either. it's been dry in texas so maybe we will do better there.

sam


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## Southern Gal (Apr 6, 2011)

the recipes sound good, not much on pumpkin though, i will eat some pumkin bread if its loaded with pecans. a friend of mine bakes tons in sm. coffee cans to give away as gifts. bj and i both love the acorn squash, we sorta burned our selves out on the butternut ones. we love those steamed and buttered. i like a baked sweet potato every so often, but just can't go the mushy goo my gran and mom fixed with marshmellows, but i do think i will bake up some of the ABC bread i do, apples, bananas and carrots, love that with hot coffee, or tea. great tea party this time.


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

KBW-1953 said:


> This is what I do. I take the pumpkin seeds and try to get as much of the pumpkin off them as I can. I put them in a large bowl of very salty water and let soak overnight. Then I lay them on a cookie sheet and put in a very low temp. oven for a few hours until they are crispy. That is it. They taste so good. Kathleen
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Good idea about soaking them---I'm going to try them that way next time. I spray mine with cooking spray (Pam) to help the spices stick.


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

mjs said:


> kerryn said:
> 
> 
> > I heard on the Food Network that canned pumpkin is about the only canned veggie chef's will work with due to fresh pumpkin being so time intensive and difficult to prepare and the can version being so close to fresh. Fresh pumpkin can be very stringy and watery--- I only used fresh once...oh boy. Though we often roast the seeds (the kiddos' love em) from the carved out jack-o-lanterns. we've tried plain salted, but also a variety of other spices too. cinnamon and sugar or cumin, garlic & chili powder are our favorites.
> ...


Just seems like too much work when you can get the same result in the can. maybe if I grew my own pumpkins it would be worth it, unfortunately I don't have enough room or sun for em.


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

Southern Gal said:


> the recipes sound good, not much on pumpkin though, i will eat some pumkin bread if its loaded with pecans. a friend of mine bakes tons in sm. coffee cans to give away as gifts. bj and i both love the acorn squash, we sorta burned our selves out on the butternut ones. we love those steamed and buttered. i like a baked sweet potato every so often, but just can't go the mushy goo my gran and mom fixed with marshmellows, but i do think i will bake up some of the ABC bread i do, apples, bananas and carrots, love that with hot coffee, or tea. great tea party this time.


that ABC bread sounds good too.......can you post the recipe?


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

did i miss a recipe for abc bread?

sam


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## Sq_Dancer (Aug 16, 2011)

I found with soaking the seeds overnight, I did not need anything to make the salt stick. It is the easiest way I know to make pumpkin seeds. 



kerryn said:


> KBW-1953 said:
> 
> 
> > This is what I do. I take the pumpkin seeds and try to get as much of the pumpkin off them as I can. I put them in a large bowl of very salty water and let soak overnight. Then I lay them on a cookie sheet and put in a very low temp. oven for a few hours until they are crispy. That is it. They taste so good. Kathleen
> ...


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

You've all got me determined to play with a pumpkin now, I'd rather given up on them. It's obviously time to have another go!

dave


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## redriet60 (Jun 24, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> You've all got me determined to play with a pumpkin now, I'd rather given up on them. It's obviously time to have another go!
> 
> dave


I never soak or even wash my pumpkin seeds. After the kids are done cleaning out their pumpkins we collect all the seeds in a strainer. I clean off as much of the pumpkin as I can, then spray a cookie sheet, spread the seeds on it, sprinkle with salt or what ever spices you like and bake and turn and bake at 350 F* till golden brown. Eat them like sunflower seeds.


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## pammie1234 (Apr 27, 2011)

Sam, Verlander did it for the Tigers today! It was another good game. Of course, I hope the Rangers win in 6! I don't know if my heart could handle a game 7! LOL Are you watching the Brewers/Cardinals? They are in a good game tonight. I think STL is ahead and if MIL wins tonight it will be tied. I'm just glad the Phillies got knocked out! I wanted Cliff Lee to stay in Texas and he went to Philly because he thought it was his best chance to win the World Series. Interesting how things don't always go the way we think. Can't wait to see your new scarf.


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

pammie - what a game - verlander outdid himself as did all the tigers - i'm ready for a cliff hanger in game seven. wonder how many stitches i'll drop. lol

sam



pammie1234 said:


> Sam, Verlander did it for the Tigers today! It was another good game. Of course, I hope the Rangers win in 6! I don't know if my heart could handle a game 7! LOL Are you watching the Brewers/Cardinals? They are in a good game tonight. I think STL is ahead and if MIL wins tonight it will be tied. I'm just glad the Phillies got knocked out! I wanted Cliff Lee to stay in Texas and he went to Philly because he thought it was his best chance to win the World Series. Interesting how things don't always go the way we think. Can't wait to see your new scarf.


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## pattys76 (Apr 7, 2011)

Hi Folks, I didn't want to clutter this wonderful thread, so I just posted a question in the General chat section. The title is "Question about Socialized Medicine". My daughter needs info for a speech she will be giving soon for school. If anyone has any information about how the system works with, her example is a badly broken wrist requiring surgery, we would both be very grateful.

Thanks, 
Patty


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

pattys76 said:


> Hi Folks, I didn't want to clutter this wonderful thread, so I just posted a question in the General chat section. The title is "Question about Socialized Medicine". My daughter needs info for a speech she will be giving soon for school. If anyone has any information about how the system works with, her example is a badly broken wrist requiring surgery, we would both be very grateful.
> 
> Thanks,
> Patty


By 'Socialised Medicine', do you mean soething like the NHS in the UK?

Dave


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## Southern Gal (Apr 6, 2011)

i make this both as a bundt cake or as muffins, i put the muffins in christmas bags and have a basket of them at my back door, so no one leaves without a treat. they are so moist. 

ABC BREAD
1 cup oil 
2 cups sugar
3 eggs 
1 cup mashed bananas
1 cup grated carrots 
1 cup apple sauce
3 cups flour 
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
1 tsp. cinnamon 
1/2 tsp. clove
1/2 tsp. allspice 
1 cup chopped pecans

BAKE @ 350 for 45 minutes in bundt pan. cook 20 minutes for muffin pan.

Truly great friends are hard to find...difficult to leave... and impossible to forget.


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

southern gal - what do you think would happen if you substituted another cup of applesauce in lieu of the cup of oil - or even cut oil in half and use a half cup of applesauce? they sound yummy.

sam


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## Sandy (Jan 17, 2011)

Here's how I roast my pumpkin seeds.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Tastes best if you boil seeds first in salted water.

2 cups pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt

Rinse pumpkin seeds until pulp and strings are washed off. Boil seeds in salt water for 10 minutes. Dry seeds on paper towel.
In medium bowl, combine Worcestershire sauce, melted butterand salt. Add seeds. Stir seeds until seeds are coated with mixture. Spread on baking sheet. Bake 1 to 2 hours at 225*F (115*C). Stir occasionally and watch for burning. Seeds should be crisp. Makes 2 cups.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

I'm sending the boys out to choose a pumpkin tomorrow!

Dave


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## redriet60 (Jun 24, 2011)

This is the longest tea party, a whole week, I enjoyed every minute of it.


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## Sugar and Spice's Mom (Aug 2, 2011)

Yes, it has been, hasn't it? I've enjoyed it too, but didn't get much knitting done this week Got to hurry and get some in today because the next tea party is about to begin.....love it!!!


redriet60 said:


> This is the longest tea party, a whole week, I enjoyed every minute of it.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

redriet60 said:


> This is the longest tea party, a whole week, I enjoyed every minute of it.


It's seriously cool and so many receipts for me to play with. I've learned loads and am a very happy boy!

_The Lad_ has just arrived for the Korean _F1_ Grand Prix and the Australialian _MotoGP_, this is a serious petrolhead weekend with boy-fun through the night!

Dave


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## iamsam (Apr 14, 2011)

dave - let the boys clean the seeds for you - it will keep them busy.

sam


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## maryanne (Feb 20, 2011)

FireballDave said:


> I'm sending the boys out to choose a pumpkin tomorrow!
> 
> Dave


Oh what fun. Fall is my favorite season. When I was a child Halloween was like a neighoborhood party. One neighbor worked for months making homemade figurines, toys and what nots. Another dressed up, invited everybody in for cake and punch, had games and bobbing for apples, and you left with a big bag of goodies.

My daughter's neighborhood does a block party. It's two long blocks and all the neighbors are good friends. They block off the street and put tents up . They make gourmet meals and also hot dogs, with everything else you can think of .

One year the fire department parked a big fire engine on the street just for the kids to tour and,of course,
blast the horn. The kids are costumed to the hilt, and everyone has a great time . Such a good time that it made the news , and now they have visitors from all over Chicago. It's too bad that Halloween in most places is at best, a waste of time.

I'm sure you will like the pumpkin seeds. The job of making them always fell to my kids. All they did was to clean and dry them, spray a little oil on and salt them, bake them at 350 til crisp and eat them all up. We also lit the jack o lantern, which they had helped carve and prepare, as soon as it started to get dark and let it burn as late as possible. It smelled so good the whole time.


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

thewren said:


> dave - let the boys clean the seeds for you - it will keep them busy.
> 
> sam


I'm all for keeping _The Lad_ plus side-kick busy. At the moment we're all engrossd in the movie _Dogma_, jolly good fun!

Dave


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## DorisT (Mar 26, 2011)

Maryanne, your description of Halloween parties and such makes me wonder how far we've come from those good old days. My Mom would invite the kids in, too, and we'd play games and bob for apples.

Then we had kooks who put razor blades and needles into the candy. Nowadays, the kids don't even know why they're standing at your door when you open it. They don't even say "trick or treat," they just look at you. It's too bad there aren't more groups like your daughter's.


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## kerryn (Sep 10, 2011)

Southern Gal said:


> i make this both as a bundt cake or as muffins, i put the muffins in christmas bags and have a basket of them at my back door, so no one leaves without a treat. they are so moist.
> 
> ABC BREAD
> 1 cup oil
> ...


YUMMM!


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## FireballDave (Mar 18, 2011)

Well chaps, it's time for a new thread. Bring your thoughts and more ideas involving pumpkins, I wonder what they'll pick up, will it require a fork-lift truck?

The new thread is at:

http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-36059-1.html

Hope to see you there!

Dave


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## Southern Gal (Apr 6, 2011)

thewren said:


> southern gal - what do you think would happen if you substituted another cup of applesauce in lieu of the cup of oil - or even cut oil in half and use a half cup of applesauce? they sound yummy.
> 
> sam


sam i don't think it would hurt at all, they are always saying to substitute apple sauce for oil, so try it and tell me how it is. i bet is fine. its such a moist cake and not overly sweet.


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## OliviaV21 (Nov 5, 2019)




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