I figured I'd put my 2 cents in anyway & see if anyone wanted me, even though I joined the site last year. lol I'd put up my 'wanted' list & what I have to trade, but I don't know how to do that. I live near Tulsa, Oklahoma.. Some maps say that's zone 7, some say it's zone 6, so I don't know exactly what zone I'm in. Like kawaii_fruit, I am mostly interested in vegetables & edible flowers, as well as collecting some more exotic/different/unusual kinds of plants. I also have an interest in bonsai (but want to know more about it, first!). Like Kawaii_Fruit, I also don't have a lot of room to work with. I have a 4x8 square foot garden & lots of containers around there. I use compost, potting mixes & that kind of thing for everything, except nasturtiums. I planted those in the ground, since they like bad soil & little water. :D lol Right now I have adzuki beans, green beans, korean summer squash, a few varieties of tomatoes, thai purple eggplants, a variety of herbs, 2 kinds of Asian watermelons, several varieties of peppers, multi-colored bell peppers (as well as the usual ones), korean shiso (i have an abundance of that & would be interested in giving some away, if it wouldn't hurt the plants), I also have some bunching onions, 2 kinds of chives, garlic, shallots, onion bulbs, Kyoto red carrots, Japanese kabocha pumpkins, Korean summer radishes & ponytail radishes & several types of leaf lettuce, arugala & rainbow swiss chard. As for herbs, I have 4 types of basil, 2 types of mint, 2 types of dill, parsley, chamomile, catnip & that's all I can think of at the moment.. lol I am interested in organic gardening, composting & growing different kinds of ginger, lemongrass, etc.. (I cook a lot of Asian foods).. I would also like to learn about growing water plants, like lotus (for the roots).. :)

I agree with all the other advice about breaking in your new range first. Definitely burn off all the oils in the oven. Also be sure to clean off any dust and dirt that may reappear after the first few cycles. Besides the oven, give the broiler a few runs (without any food underneath) too. Of course you can start having fun cooking over the burners right away. Once you're past the break in period, might want to start with some simple stuff to see how it all works in terms of temperature, flame size, and heat distribution. For me, baking a few trays of cookies was a good way to learn how the oven really worked.

What's she waiting for anyway? In my family and with most other families that I know the place, time, and menu for a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner is planned weeks ahead. That is so that everyone is notified/invited and all cooks know what the game plan is and what they are to provide. Also, so the hosts can set their tables for the number coming or get in extra chairs, ice, china, etc. This meal requires a little more than just throwing some extra burgers or hot dogs on the grill like you would for a casual outdoor cookout in the summer. Even if you don't do "formal" dinners, you still need to be able to plan this meal so you are not rushed and harried. Is she subtly playing a control card with this?

"somebody else complained on this forum how SKs don't want to eat what she cooks. But every dish she described sounded like i wouldn't eat themn either. A lot of sauces, gravies, unusual ingredients all mixed together. Kids don't like this stuff." Oh, I remember this. That was me you are referring to, finedreams. I was talking about a 5 hr stew that I made. Ok, maybe case in point there as far as too many ingredients for SS to like. BUT the other recipe I described was one I specifically found FOR SS on a picky eaters' website---it was some sort of chicken simmered in a crockpot with a cream cheese sauce served over rice. The third meal I described was baked chicken tenders on skewers served with a sweet peanut butter dipping sauce on the side--taken from Family Fun magazine. I made these two dishes with my SS in mind. I almost never make sauces or gravies, unless we are having pasta. We do A LOT of grilling (chicken, fish, steak, burgers) and baked potatoes or rice, etc. and none of those things have sauces---yet it is still a struggle to get SS to eat much of anything. It's ironic because most of our meals are rather *plain* for SS. Every time we serve any kind of meat, he HAS to have ranch or ketchup to dip it in. Oh well---at least it gets him to eat and try new things! I made tilapia filets over the weekend (baked them in foil with pineapple and butter) and the only way SS would eat it was smothered in ranch. In my mind I was thinking YUCK. But at least he ate it--this is an improvement! :) I think kids like what they are exposed to from an early age. SS is actually a HUGE fan of sauces and gravies because he gets a lot of that at BM's house. He loves noodles in alfredo sauce, and lasagna. We got to breakfast every weekend and he orders the same thing religiously--biscuits and gravy! To me, those are exactly what you said kids don't like--jumbled together, mushy, saucy, etc. It just frustrates me when people sterotype and say "oh kids don't like exotic foods" or "kids don't like mushy foods" or whatever. OF COURSE parents should take into consideration what their kids like, but how are kids going to develop a taste for anything remotely *different* if not exposed? I had a friend growing up whose parents were food buffs--they looooved to cook, and always made excellent meals. Salmon on the grill, couscous, grilled asparagus, etc. But they would NEVER serve the kids that! When I'd be over at her house, the kids would get chicken nuggets or corn dogs, etc. while the adults ate the other stuff. My friend to this day is an extremely picky eater. Children like what they are taught to like for the most part. You should see the organic menu at my DD's school. Chicken parmesan. Whole wheat spaghetti. Turkey pot pie with whole wheat crust. Tacos. Mini quiches. They have a wide variety of hot meals and I've never heard parents OR kids complain.