Lemon Steamed Pudding With Berry Compote Pudding Softened butter for ramekins ¾ cup granulated sugar plus additional for ramekins 1 cup buttermilk ¼ cup lemon juice 3 eggs, separated ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt Zest of 2 lemons, finely chopped Berry Compote* 2 cups blueberries 2 cups raspberries 1/4 cup sugar *I used a berry sauce, instead of the compote. Pudding Grease the insides of eight 4-ounce ramekins with butter and coat with granulated sugar. Combine in a mixing bowl the buttermilk, lemon juice, and the egg yolks. Mix the flour, remaining sugar, salt, and lemon zest in another bowl. Whip the egg whites in a third bowl until soft peaks form. Whisk the dry ingredients with the buttermilk mixture, and fold in the egg whites gently, a third at a time. Ladle the batter into the prepared ramekins, filling them almost to the top. Place the puddings in a roasting pan, and pour warm water around them until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with foil, and bake for 18 minutes or until puddings begin to rise slightly. Remove the foil, rotate the pan front-to-back, and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until pudding is golden and springs back when touched. Compote While the pudding is baking, place the blueberries in a saucepan with the sugar and cook over medium heat until berries just start to burst. Remove from heat and fold in raspberries. Serve puddings at room temperature, or reheat in a warm-water bath before inverting onto plates and surrounding with compote. Courtesy: Craft _________________________________ Meringue Daisies with Lemon Curd For the meringue base I drew circles (about 2 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper. I turned the paper over and anchored it onto a cookie sheet with a tiny dot of meringue on each corner. Using a medium star pastry tip -#21 is good- quickly piped the discs onto parchment, then piped the daisy petals on the base. Pipe the petals close together onto the base itself, to build a "wall" for the lemon filling. Bake for 2 hours. Make sure the meringues do not take on color - they should remain white. Lemon Curd 4 large egg yolks ½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 3 fluid ounces lemon juice 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened Pinch of salt 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest In a heavy noncorrodible saucepan, beat the yolks and sugar until blended. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, but still liquid enough to pour. Dont allow the mixture to boil or it will curdle. When the curd has thickened, pour at once into a strainer. Cool, and store in airtight container. Meringue 4 large egg whites, room temperature ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar 1 cup superfine sugar ½ cup confectioners sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 200°F. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until mixture gets frothy. Gradually start adding the sugar. Beat for a couple of minutes after each addition. Once it forms soft peaks, add the confectioners sugar and vanilla and beat another 2-3 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Immediately put meringue in a large pastry bag, and pipe the discs. Bake 2 hours in a preheated 200°F oven. Turn off the oven and leave meringues to dry out 1 hour longer. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for about 6 months. Courtesy: Sol Sol

I have one canvas bag that is never used for groceries. I use it for packing picnic things or other non food items to carry somewhere. Seems to me the poly bags are more sanitary by their design. And keeping them clean is not difficult. You don't put meats and sloppy things in there without a liner. Simple concept. But effective. But it wouldn't surprise me to see grungy bags. People are such pigs in virtually every other way, why would it be different with the bags? Was at the store the other day with a friend and she wanted to pick up some makeup. Talk about overpackaging! And we're not talking about a bag in a box! These hard-shell cases inside plastic wrap inside a blister pack on a card. For the little dab of war paint in there it requires a tackle box for a container?! However I disagree with criticizing cereal in a bag in a box. I'm disgusted with anything that isn't in a plastic liner, for instance pasta. That requires immediate wrapping in plastic and insertion into the freezer. This part of the country doesn't have the trouble with bugs and rodents like other parts experience. My cousin in Texas talks all the time about the need for Tupperware. And for the outer box, it isn't totally mandatory but the storing, transporting and the like is far better by using a lightweight box. Less damaged product too. So much of the packaging can be reused and/or recycled. I laugh at people who cry about all these bottles "going to the landfill"! LOL Simple laziness. Recycle it. But I realize that people are slobs. There's lots of ways people can help themselves, the planet and all the feelgood folks but I don't think people really want to make the effort. But people are gullible pigs.

Definitely good for a week. But since mine never lasts much longer than that, I just Googled it. This is from David Lebovitz's site, and he checked with the FDA, so that's two pretty good authorities: A reader recently wrote to ask, "How long does ice cream last in the freezer?" Oddly, I never gave it much thought since it doesn't seem to linger too long around here. So I looked around and found the answer at the FDA website: 2-4 months. The most common problem when ice creams and other frozen desserts spend too long in the freezer is the texture changes and if not covered properly (ideally with plastic wrap on the surface, then covered with a lid), they can get icy and pick up other flavors from the freezer. If they do get icy, most sorbets and sherbets can be melted down and re-churned, as can Philadelphia-style ice creams made without eggs. But I find custard-based ice creams don't re-freeze as successfully, so don't let those sit around too long. Putting plastic wrap on the surface to protect against the air inside the plastic container is smart. That's what I do with pesto, so why not ice cream?

Hi mellbee, Congratulations on a very wise decision. Having an alternative something, e.g. celery, carrot stick, toothpick, drinking straw or whatever to put into your mouth when craving comes has been helpful for many. Have a good look at your routines, and when you regularly smoked. Change those parts of your routine. Try to find something positive to do that will keep you busy, especially something that you can do in little chunks of time at a time. Teach yourself to walk away from yourself, turn around, and, looking you in the eye, ask some tough questions about what's going on when you have a craving. Many have found a great deal of help while sharing with others on the forums at www.quitnet.org. Quite a few say that they couldn't have quit without the empathy, advice, support and encouragement that they found there at any time of the day or night. I am glad that you have a buddy to carry on the journey along with you. Might be a good idea to look for some others who want to quit, as well, and would join you. It's a help if some of the quitters agree that someone else having a craving can call them at any hour of the day or night - sort of like the A A folks do. Have you ever heard the rather dry-witted comedian of a number of years ago, Bob Newhart, who impersonated the leaders in the head office in London when Walter Raleigh, calling home from the New World, tried to explain how cigarettes would work? And the sceptical laughter that it induced? See whether you can find someone who has it, for it might be helpful. There is no way on earth that I'd want to be a slave to another person. Much less would I want to be a slave to a little white paper tube filled with dead leaves. Come talk here whenever you feel like it - the folks here want you to succeed in this worthwhile (could be life-aving) task. Good wishes as you proceed with your Quit. ole joyful