Marlene

I have no idea whether this link will work! http://www.melitta.com/cgi-bin/sgin0101.ex...52546&T1=66+286

Mine is a Melita cordless kettle. It has a built in water filter as well.

What about crepes, with a variety of different toppings? Last night we had crepes with chocolate sauce, cherry sauce and an orange sauce.

I wasked ask to post this recipe so here goes. Very Very chewy yummy cookies 1 cup butter flavoured crisco 2 cups packed brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 eggs, beaten 5 1/2 cups bisquick or Pioneer baking mix 1 - 12oz pkg mini chocolate chips 1 -10 oz pkg skor toffee chips (optional) 1/2 tablespoons water if needed Heat oven to 375 Mix crisco, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs with an electric mixer. Stir in bisquick, chocolate chips and skor chips if using. If dough appears to be dry add water, a tablespoon at a time. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with non stick baking spray. Drop by rounded teaspoons about 2" apart onto cookie sheet. Bake for approx. 11 minutes or until golden brown. (wawararis, did you try them yet?)

Ceasar salad dressing - by hand like they do in restaurants pie crust bread without a machine making candy either to runny or rock hard even with a candy thermometer oddly enough, I have toasting nuts in an oven down to a science. LOL

Tupperware has them if you have a Tupperware in a mall somewhere nearby.

For my husband, single malt scotches. For me, the martini is seasonless. Also hot buttered rum, grand marnier, and mulled wine, that I've warmed in a crock pot all day. Needless to say, all of the above go exceptionally well in front of a fireplace while the snow is falling.

I love to cook. For me, it is more relaxing that anything I can think of.

It's nice to know I'm not alone. See awbrig!

monkey bread??????? Monkey bread is a cinnamon bread dough. You break the dough into several balls and dip them into a mixture of butter, brown sugar and more cinammon. Then place the balls into a 6 inch bundt pan or bread pan, or you can place 3 balls each in each muffin tin and bake. When inverted on a plate, the top is really nicely glazed. I made this particular bread with spelt flour since my son's friend is wheat sensitive.

Tonight is Shepherd's pie, I made this morning, ready to go in the oven, and for dessert, monkey bread that just came out of the oven.

Well, it's only cantaloupe that I put salt on, not any other kind of fruit. And with mashed potatoes, first I entomb the butter, and THEN I make a slight well and pour the gravy in! Also, pancakes are a must with butter, sugar and syrup. My husband says this is overkill. Probably. I don't eat a lot of sweet stuff so this is where I get my sugar fix!

I have one tha tuse bisquick instead of flour and skor toffee bits (optional), but it does use brown sugar. These are incredibly crisp on the outside but are really gooey chocolatey on the inside.

Uh huh!

I always did and still put salt on my cantaloupe. My husband thinks this is very weird, but that's how I was taught to eat it. The mashed potato volcano too!!!!!

My dad would take slices of bread cut into 3 strips, lay cheddar cheese over each strip and a slice of bacon on top, then grill them in the oven. These were usually Friday night snacks.

"What was your familie's food culture growing up?" Mostly middle class American. My mother when she cooked, was not particularly adventurous. "Was meal time important" We generally ate together, at least my mother, brother and I. Dad was often late or travelling" Sunday dinners though were mandatory attendance. "Was cooking important?" Not until my dad decided to take it up. "What were the penalties for elbows on the table?" Most of our table rules involved things like, no hats at the table, no arguing, no reading (my husband reads during breakfast, and it drives me nuts). Dinner was considered a time for everyone to share parts of thier day with each other. "Who cooked" My mother until I was about 11. Then my dad took it up, and started creating more interesting things like Welsh Rarebit, homemade Chinese food, fondues etc. That's when I started to learn to cook. "Were restaurant meals common?" From the time we were about 8 and older, we went out usually every couple of weeks to a "nicer" restaurant. These excursions were to "teach" us how to act in public dining establishments. I do the same thing with my son now. "Was there a kiddy table" Again, until we were about 10, my parents always fed the kids first, when entertaining. This was usually because they tended to eat around 8 and none of us kids could last that long. "First sip of wine" At 12 years of age, we began to have a half glass of wine with Sunday dinner. At 15, my brother was invited to have a beer with dad on a Sat afternoon. Beer was not considered an acceptable lady's drink, so at 15, I got offered sherry or dubonnet. 18 was the legal drinking age in Ontario then, and I turned 18 just before they upped the age limit to 19. "Was there a pre-meal prayer". Yes, very short. "We Thank our Lord for what we are about to receive, AMEN." "Was there a rotating menu" Not really, although my mother's repetoire, while tasty, was limited, so we seemed to have the same things from week to week. What never varied was the routine before dinner if my father was home. He would come home, say hello to my brother and I, then he and my mom would retire to the living room to have 2 drinks, no more no less, before dinner. During this time, my brother and I were not allowed in the living room unless someone was dying. This was considered to be my parent's time together. "How much do I replicate" Becuase I have joint custody of my son, one week on and one week off, during the weeks I have him, I make dinner every night. My husband's schedule is pretty hectic, so I usually keep his dinner warm for him. My son does homework at the kitchen table, while I'm getting dinner ready and we talk about our days togeher, and he gets to eat dinner in front of the TV 3 nights a week. He gets to choose the nights. Every Sunday that we are together as a family, we eat together. On the weeks I don't have my son, we split eating in with eating out.

I use my crockpot all the time in the winter. Soups, stews, chilis, pot roast, and I have a great recipe for spareribs in the crockpot as well. Using this combined with my "Just for Dinner" breadmaker puts a pretty good meal on the table while saving a lot of time. The just for dinner breadmaker makes bread in 45 minutes. The loaf size is about right for a family of 3 or 4. Of course I could put my large breadmaker on time delay as well, if I needed a larger size loaf. Spareribs 1 onion, sliced 2 lbs pork side ribs 1 bottle bbq sauce (any kind, but I've found the honey garlic ones work best) cut spareribs into serving sizes, place under broiler, turning until browned. Place sliced onions in bottom of slow cooker. Layer ribs on top of onion. Pour bbq sauce over all. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. I always brush each piece of rib individually with sauce before placing it in the slow cooker. This is incredibly easy, and the ribs are fall of the bone tender. Serve with rice and warm bread. Voila!

Actually, I have a bottle of Grey Goose here. From which I've had one martini made from it. I didn't like it. Probably just me, but it tasted musty to me. Hmmmm, perhaps it's time to try it again! Really - I'm a Ketel One guy, but I'm changing to the Goose. I'm going to try it again this weekend. I'll let you know!

Rachel, congratulations. Enjoy your kitchen in good health. I had my cabinet maker here yesterday. Going over last minute details before we start.

Actually, I have a bottle of Grey Goose here. From which I've had one martini made from it. I didn't like it. Probably just me, but it tasted musty to me. Hmmmm, perhaps it's time to try it again!

While I use Vodka instead of gin (gin gives me a headache), I tend to swirl the dry vermouth (usually Martini & Rossi) around the glass like Gordon, then dump it out. Favorite vodka is Sky with Belvedere a very close second.

I'm in the process of designing my dream kitchen with construction slated to start in January. 2 ovens, a must! Cooktop, flush to the granite countertop (after much debate between gas and electric, I'm going to stick to what I know, electric). Ovens will be KitchenAid convection, cooktop, Thermador, Fridge is KitchenAid Supra my dream dishwasher is a Miele. Island, absolutely, with a breakfast bar at the end. Space for the cookbooks I use all the time. Drawers that have two levels, pantrys with pull out shelves, a floor to ceiling (almost) spice rack cupboard). I'm having so much fun with this! Oh and for me, hardwood floors, and cherry cabinets. Can't wait.

You have the West Bend 41077 Just For Dinner? Its fast, but produces a small loaf, right? Hmmm. I'm thinking taht something that produces normal sized loafs might be better. Maybe I should ask her what she would prefer (although I did want it to be a semi-surprise.) Actually, I have both West bends. The just for dinner and the large breadmaker as well. I use the small machine when it is just us, and I don't have to worry about allergies, and the large machine when making gluten free bread or dough. I love them both. I tried a black and decker bread machine but went back to the Westbend.

The recipes that I reduce the water in are recipes that I am substituting spelt for regular flour. I will get more info on the Hockley Valley flour and let you know!