Give it to either a local school or a theater company.... it makes great scary farbic for theater sets.

Short story : A friend of mine is from a "LARGE" Italian family, they had a wedding and I was invited to dinner when things concerning the wedding were to be discussed, both family's were represented. 3 minutes into dinner (old Italian family's have lots of courses) it started! People would get LOUD, stand up and be louder, scream at each other, one guy even threw a piece of bread at another guy! They were literally arguing about basically nothing. At first I thought at any moment someone was going to pull a gun and start shooting!! Then my friends uncle (I think) stood up and addressed me in a loud voice while the whole room just went quiet! He said (my name) and then, so what do you think of this!! I was actually stunned but it had been going on for so long that one actually gets caught up in the atmosphere of the occasion, so before I could even think, I said I'm out of wine and would really like some more of the Calamari (man it was awesome). There was silence for a split second then everyone just laughed like everything was a big joke and it just kept going like that. Thats when I realized that this was just one BIG happy family that was just being themselves, I absolutely loved it!! No offense was ever meant, just a great bunch of people having a good time!

This is a fun thread. I always enjoy reading all the different opinions. Count me in the "ho-hum" camp. I make risotto every once in a while. It comes out good, and my husband really enjoys it. I like it but admit to having a problem with the "creamy" side of it. It's a texture thing, I'm sure. I've always disliked rice pudding for the same reason -- creamy sweet sauce with firmer rice. It almost makes me gag. I can tolerate risotto, even though in many ways, it's like a savory version. I do not care for casserole recipes that combine rice, some sort of creamy sauce, and eggs either. Something about that combo of textures that doesn't appeal to me at all. But I dearly love rice. We'll cook a big batch of brown rice and I can make several different meals from it. I even use the leftovers in rice patties. Moosemac, thanks for posting the Gordon Ramsey recipe. After watching "Hell's Kitchen," I knew he used that technique. He always has comments about the contestants' risotto. Maybe I could apply that same technique to some leftover brown rice. Wouldn't be perfect risotto but might be close enough to please my husband.

Scrumbling!! Also known as Freeform knitting and crochet. You can make wearables out of it or throws or tea cozies or dolls... it's artistic, and you can't go wrong because you make it up as you go. Basically, you take an armload of yarn bits that sortof go together and do a few rows of stitches, then add a color and do something else, add a color and try some lace or bobbles, add a color, turn it sideways and do some rows of crochet. Add a color, turn it again, and try one of those funky crochet flowers, etc. Add a bead or two. It looks REALLY cool, especially with the different textures of yarn and all the colors. Plus you can try a bit of edging or a leaf or two from Knitting on the Edge, or whatever you've been dying to try and haven't figured out a whole project to do it in yet. If you're like me, you end up with a lot of the same complementary colors, so for once, having a bunch of scraps and half skeins is great. Here is a book on it: Freeform Knitting and Crochet by Jenny Dowde I got the book at my library, and it has really great color pictures in it of all the projects: scarf, a couple of little handbags, attached collar for a coat, a neato vest. In the back there are instructions and suggestions for different elements to make to add to the 'scrumble' - a fan, different little flowers, a leaf or two, attached strips. There's crochet stitches too - tassels, bobbles, and lots of ideas. It's kinda fun to NOT know where you're going with it, and just play with shapes and colors and textures and see where you end up. Test and idea. There's no wrong size, no 'what row am I on?'. And if there isn't a "wrong", you don't have to rip it! Here is a link that might be useful: Scrumbling