Elijo, One of my favourite cakes is a . It is a bit time consuming but well worth it. I even made this cake for my own 50th birthday last year. Home Cookin 4.9 Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table ================== This cake is from the 1984 Food and Wine Magazine. I have been making this cake for my DH's birthday since then. I have scanned the from the magazine that depict the assembling of this cake. It will make the written directions easier to follow. Genoise ************************************************************ Makes one 10 x 3 inch round layer 1 3/4 cps sifted all-purpose flour 8 eggs, at room temperature 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1/4 cup clarified butter, tepid Filling 1 cup heavy cream chilled 2 tablespoons confctioners sugar 1 tablespoon framboise, raspberry brandy 1 pint coarsely chopped strawberries sliced strawberries and fresh mint sprigs for garnish ************************************************************ Raspberry Syrup Recipe ************************************************************ 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoons framboise (raspberry brandy) In a small heavy saucepan, combine the sugar with 1/4 cup of water. Bring to boil over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the framboise. ************************************************************ . Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly butter a 10 inch springform pan. Cover the bottom with a round of parchment or waxed paper. Lightly butter the paper. dust the entire pan with flour; tap out any excess. Sift the flour two more times on a piece of waxed paper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and lemon zest. Set over - not in - a large saucepan filled one-quarter of the way with hot water. Warm over low heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is smooth and syrupy, with a deep yellow color and feels warm to the touch, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a large mixer bowl, beat the warmed eggs and sugar at high speed until tripled in volume and holds a ribbon for a full 10 seconds after the beaters are lifed. (This will take 10 to 15 minutes if you are using a kitchenaide type mixer or 15 to 20 minutes with a hand beater.) Sprinkle half the flour on top of the beaten egg mixture. Using a balloon whisk, fold in the flour lightly but thoroughly, using scooping and swirling motions and lifting the whisk out of the mixture with each folding stroke. Pour the tepid butter on top and quickly fold it in, using the same motion. Spoon the remaining flour on top and fold in quickly and delicately, with a minimum number of strokes; too much folding will deflate the batter. Pour into the springform pan and tap once on the counter to help spread the batter evenly. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes to 45 minutes, until the cake is golden brown on top and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and tranfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan. Invert to remove the bottom; peel off the waxed paper. Invert again to let the cake cook right-side up on a wire rack for 2 or 3 hours. If making ahead, wrap airtight in plastic and store in a cool dry place for up to three days or freeze. Hollow out the cake: Using a potlid or tart pan bottom as a guide, centre a 7 inch circle on top of the genoise and with the tip of a sharp knife, cut down 1 inch deep into the cake and cut around the circle. Insert the knife in the side of the cake 1 inch down from the top and swivel it back and forth, keeping the knife horizontal. The idea is to remove the 7 inch circle of cake from the top, leaving the sides of the cake intact. Carefully remove the top of the cake and with the cake cut side up, trim off enough of the cake to leave an even layer of 1/2 inch thick. Cut this round into 8 wedges and reserve. Place the genoise shell on a large serving platter. Carefully hollow out the inside with a knife, leaving a 1/2 inch layer on the sides and a 1 inch layer on the bottom. Cut the insides pieces roughly into 1/2 inch cubes and place them in a medium bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the rasperry syrup on top and toss to moisten. Brush the insides of the genoise shell with the remaining Raspberry Syrup, dabbing generously on the sides and lightly on the bottom. Do not moisten the wedges. In a large bowl, beat the cream with 1 tablespoon of the confectioners sugar and the framboise until soft peaks form. Fold in the chopped strawberries and the moistened cubes of cake. Spoon this filling into the genoise shell, spreading it into an even layer. Arrange the wedges of cake decoratively on top, in a spiral pattern with the points meeting in the middle. For decoration, slice whole strawberries almost through to stem and fan out. Place one on the edge under each wedge and a couple in the middle. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and a some sprigs of mint.

Baked Vegetables with Basil Butter 6 cups mixed sliced vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, capsicum, beans, zucchini, broccoli etc) 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves or 2 tablespoons dried basil 2 tablespoons parsley pinch nutmeg Put vegetables through a processor until fluffy. Cut 6 pieces foil about 30cm square. Place vegetables evenly on each piece and top each with 1 1/2 tablespoons basil butter. Carefully bring up edges of foil and fold into packets securely, but leaving a little air space inside. Bake at 180C for 20 minutes until tender. Basil Beer Bread 3 cups self raising flour 3 tablespoons sugar 1/2 cup chopped basil leaves 1 1/2 cups warm beer Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine flour and sugar, stir in the basil, then the beer. Mix thoroughly, then pour into a well-greased loaf tin. Bake until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Turn out and cool on a wire rack. Slice thinly to serve. It is delicious toasted. Chicken with Basil Sauce 4 kg chicken fillets 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 125g bacon, chopped 90g butter 2 garlic cloves 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard Preheat oven to 190°C. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley. Saute bacon and drain on absorbent paper. Add the bacon to the breadcrumb mix. This is the crumb topping for the chicken. In a pan, melt the butter, then add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Mix and heat through. Coat the chicken fillets with the butter mixture by dipping them in the saucepan. Arrange in a shallow, ovenproof dish. Press the bread crumb mixture on top of the chicken pieces. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Basil Sauce: 1/2 cup oil 1/4 cup white vinegar 1 garlic clove, crushed 1/2 cup cream 1 egg yolk 1 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped Combine all ingredients except the egg yolk. Stir until heated and then add the egg yolk, stirring until thickened. Do not boil. Pour the hot sauce over the chicken pieces just before serving. Tomato Basil Lasagna 300g no-cook lasagne noodles 2 tablespoons olive oil 500g shredded mozzarella cheese 400g tin chopped tomatoes, drained well 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs olive oil Preheat oven to 200°C. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Meanwhile, combine the mozzarella, drained tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil and 2/3 cups of the grated Parmesan. Cook several noodles at a time, cooking for 2 minutes. Drain well. Coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with olive oil. Line the bottom of the pan with noodles and cover with a layer of the mozzarella mixture. Repeat layers until all noodles and filling are used, ending with a layer of pasta. Sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and a light drizzle of olive oil. Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes, until bubbly and top is golden. Allow to sit 10 minutes before serving. Tomato Basil Relish 2 cups loosely packed fresh basil 1/3 cup orange juice 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 1 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 or 5 ripe tomatoes Chop the basil finely. Core and dice the tomatoes. Mix together basil, juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and tomatoes in bowl. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve with grilled chicken, or grilled vegetables. Basil Dressing 1/2 cup plain yoghurt 3 tablespoons cottage cheese 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh basil 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon herb vinegar salt and black pepper, to taste Place all ingredients except salt and pepper into a blender and puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Basil and Tomato Sauce for Pasta 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 500g tinned chopped tomatoes 240ml water 2 tablespoons sweet sherry 2 tablespoons chopped basil 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 teaspoon sugar salt and pepper Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic and saute until soft, stirring from time to time. Add the tomatoes, water, sugar, salt, pepper and sherry, bring to the boil then simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until thickened. Add the herbs, mix well and serve immediately. Basil Cream Sauce for Pasta 2 cups fresh basil leaves 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup olive oil 60g pine nuts 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste 600ml light cream In a food processor, combine basil and garlic. Begin processing, and pour in olive oil in a thin stream. Process for about 40 seconds, or until mixture begins to emulsify. Add pine nuts and Parmesan, then blend for 1 minute. Heat cream in a saucepan over low heat until simmering. Pour half the hot cream into the processor with basil pesto, and pulse for 20 seconds to incorporate. Pour mixture back into cream, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until thickened. Serve over pasta.

Tuba Which one is the sand? Agree with palmsandsnow - forget about vermiculite. Those suggestions/recipes for mix are same as mine I am going to post :) Lava rock is too big (I am assuming it is the large pieces in a plastic pot next to the glass bowl) 2mm gravel is on the small size According tohardiness zone map - click here Istanbul is z9a Further info I found: Istanbul has a humid subtropical climate that is mild with no dry season, constantly moist (year-round rainfall). Summers are hot and muggy with thunderstorms. Winters are mild with precipitation from mid-latitude cyclones. Seasonality is moderate. If you have lots of rainfall, excellent drainage is very important. I would start with pumice and grit in approx. equal amount and add about 10% of total amount of soil you have. You have few different materials available for grit part, I would use one of them that is close in size to pumice. There is no need to mix all of them together, but if you like, you can mix couple of different ones to make a grit part. You could use perlite instead of pumice if you want to try it, and mix that same way as suggested above. You could make few different mixes and pot some plants in them and see how they are doing. If I remember correctly, you have few plants of the same type and that would be best way to experiment. I think you had one of the 'holiday cacti' - these are epiphytic plants, and the mix should be little different: from ingredients you listed, I would use approx. 60% your potting soil and add 40% pumice. Or perlite. These are only suggestions, and I would urge you to make few different mixes to try out. You should try potting some plants in a mix without any soil, just grit and pumice or perlite, approx. equal amounts. In wet & humid climate these may be quite good. (Btw, I am guessing but 'kuvars' is Turkish for quartz?)

I am interested to know if anyone here has tried any of these products. I know Tina from the enchanted home blog loves a few of These products like the glow watermelon mask and the pineapple glow. they are available at Sephora and on their own web site https://www.glowrecipe.com I always love a skin that has a bit of a glow but have never been able to achieve it so thought I would ask here if anyone has had experience with any of these products.