Marion in Savannah's Profile

It must be really nice to have more money than brains...

We love our butter bells. We generally leave our butter out on the counter, and in the summer down here it's just too hot do do that without it getting overly soft and melty. We have the stoneware butter bells that hold 1/4 pound each and have never had a problem with the butter going bad in one. Use cold water, and make sure that there's enough water in the butter bell that the butter is submerged.

I bought my first house 8 years ago, at age 59, after having lived in apartments all my life. I love my garden, but it's still a learning process. Do I have to kill that bug, or is he a "good guy?" Should I prune that, or clip that runner, or snip off that side shoot?

Of course, there was the rosemary that was TOOO successful. I finally had to have my yard man take it out since it was over 5 feet tall and taking over the front walkway. He needed an axe...

I've had my best successes with mesclun when it's still cool enough, and herbs. I'm okay (sort of) with tomatoes and cucumbers, but still keep trying to grow zucchini. Don't laugh at me! Farther north you can't stop them, but down here I deal with The Dreaded Squash Vine Borer, the beast that can kill a perfectly healthy zucchini plant overnight. It doesn't get cold enough here to freeze the larvae, so the little #**&$@#ers just lie in wait...

If you have black swallowtail butterflies plant lots of extra dill and/or parsley because they love it. Oregano can be as invasive as mint (it's related). Let some of your dill go to seed, not only for using the seeds in cooking but to encourage "volunteers" the following year. I do the same thing with parsley, which is a biannual. If you have the room consider an asparagus patch. That's a gift that keeps on giving.

Best of luck with your new garden. You'll love it! There will be frustrations and disappointments, but there is really nothing quite as special as going out your back door and bringing in something delicious. OH — do plant a few flowers among the veggies. Just for beauty. (One of the things I found most amazing when I first started gardening was how beautiful vegetable flowers are. Eggplant flowers still bowl me over...)

I've never met anyone who didn't love this. One time try adding a drop or two of peppermint extract to the whipped cream...

@harissa --

In order to get fresh pineapple to gel you'll have to use agar agar, which you may be able to find in an Oriental market, or search on-line for it. The enzyme in pineapple that prevents gelatin from setting doesn't affect agar agar.

@heather77:

Having been born and raised in NYC I can't imagine any renter doing anything like changing countertops without checking first with the landlord! Paint the bathroom or kitchen? Yeah, as long as it wasn't a dark color the next tenant would have trouble covering. (It once took me 3 coats of Kilz to get rid of a truly hideous pink in the bathroom...)

Besides — it's only sensible to want to be on very good terms with your landlord in case something needs attention!

I've got a number of Le Creuset pots (there's an outlet near us, thank heaven) that I've had for over 30 years and I've never had any problem with them. The dutch ovens I use for stews and braises, not roasting. They've never, ever gone in the dishwasher and never will. I've recently had to get some lighter sauce pans due to arthritis in my hands, and miss the even heating you get with the cast iron.

I've got the 1, 2 and 4 cup sizes and LOVE them. No more bending and twisting to see if I've got 1/2 cup of liquid, which is a blessing at my age!

I also agree with anotherjen. Most of the pasta dishes I cook have a hearty or meaty sauce, so if anything the whole wheat pasta is an improvement.

On a similar note, I've almost completely replaced white rice with brown rice, which we both like a great deal. Just about the only time I reach for the white rice now is when I'm making lemon chicken.

What's the point if they're not food safe? Particularly at those prices...