Ice wine! Now that's a good idea, foxy! They're are good bet, because most people (except foxy!) don't usually keep them on hand, so you'd be getting him something that he likely wouldn't have hanging around his fridge or counter left over from last night's supper. The problem is that some of them can get pretty pricey ($80+ a bottle). They're incredibly sweet, almost syropy, and definitely sipping wines. These are not drinks you guzzle :) They're different than other wines, because the grapes are only harvested after they've frozen. I picked one up about a month ago, and it was only around $35 - not a bad wine. I can't remember the name, though. But if you go into any wine store, especially one with a vintage wine section, and ask the clerk for help, they'll be able to recommend something. Shelly

Sounds like it will be a great evening. I'm sure the chef will be thrilled! This is very nice and can be made ahead of time as well. The Tannery’s Crab Crème Brûlée with Pickled Cucumber and Melba Toast adapted from Paul Flynn via The Afternoon Show and Paul Flynn: Irish Food Serves 4 as a starter “Any time you have something creamy, you need something sharp to offset it. This is why we serve pickled cucumber with this dish. You need something to cut through the cream, and the pickled ginger is the starting point of that,” says Paul Flynn. One of the keys to this dish is its lovely creamy consistency, so keep an eye on your oven temperature: “You put it into a low oven because you don’t want the eggs to soufflé, you want them to gently set, like a custard.” 400 ml (1 3/4 cups) cream 1 egg 2 egg yolks 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped (or grate it directly into the custard mixture with a Microplane grater) 2 tablespoons pickled ginger, drained and finely chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper 150 g (1 cup) picked white crab meat, finely chopped 50 g (1/2 cup) freshly grated Parmesan pickled cucumber, to serve (see recipe below) Melba toast, to serve (see recipe below) lemon wedges, to serve Place the cream in a bowl with the eggs, garlic, pickled ginger and some salt and pepper and mix well. Add in the crab meat, ensuring there is no shell, and mix well again. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge to allow the flavours to infuse for at least 30 minutes, but ideally up to overnight. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Ladle or pour the mixture into the ramekins, making sure you get an even amount of crab in every ramekin, as the crab tends to fall to the bottom. Place the ramekins in a roasting tray. Fill the tray with warm water until the water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place this bain marie in the oven and cook for 45 to 60 minutes (check after 40 minutes). When cooked through, the mixture should be set but still have a slightly wobbly consistency. Remove the ramekins from the bain marie and allow to cool ��" the crab crème brûlée should be served at room temperature. When ready to serve, sprinkle a very thin layer of Parmesan on top of each ramekin and brown under the grill. Serve with pickled cucumber, really thin Melba toast (“sort of a retro addition that you don’t see very often”) and a lemon wedge. “So there you have it,” says Paul. “The Tannery crab crème brûlée ��" my classic.” Pickled Cucumber 1 cucumber pinch of salt 50 g (1/4 cup) caster sugar 50 ml (1/4 cup) white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce Slice the cucumber as thinly as you can (a mandolin or food processor’s slicing attachment is perfect for this job). Place the sliced cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle with a little salt. Set aside. Bring the sugar, vinegar and chilli sauce to the boil and reduce for 30 seconds. Take off the heat and allow to cool completely. Once it’s cool, pour the liquid over the cucumbers and stir gently to coat them all. This will keep in the fridge for 2 or 3 days ��" any more and the cucumber loses its colour. Melba Toast Toast slices of white bread and remove the crusts. Slice the bread laterally to make two slices that are half the original thickness of the bread. Rub off excess bread from the untoasted side, then cut diagonally into triangles. Place the untoasted side under the grill until the edges curl. The Tannery Restaurant

BSR: Balance stitch regulator - part of an upgrade when I traded in and up on a bernina. It kept the stitches even while I stumbled through my first FMQ. It was intimaditing at first...but I've started a quilted tote today w/ another design. I took a quick photo of the back. LOL this is just too addicting...I've got to get the laundry done, the dogs want to go out..% *#!! :-) Sandra, I'm not sure of batting,standard cotton I think...it was on sale at the little quilt shop where I've been taking lessons. V.

Saving the juice is a great idea. Now, when you say "better quality sugars", what exactly does that mean? Not just granulated sugar like you would buy in the grocery store? Have you noticed a real diference in the taste of the finished wine when using corn sugar? Oh, and where do you buy your corn sugar at the cheapest price? Do you have a retail source or the internet or what? Can't say I would disagree with your Mrs. about the money issue, but then I haven't used grape juices by the gallon, yet, either (I actually like non-grape fruit wines more). You might have sources there in Pennsylvania which are not avilable to us here in Connecticut. Still, if you can make a 5 gallon batch from a gallon of juice, $17 isn't all that bad. Twenty-five bottles of wine for less than $20 beats the stuffing out of what you can buy in a store. I haven't made Elderberry since I helped my folks make some years and years ago. Then, we could just go pick the berries wild. Now, I don't live where Elder bushes grow. I'm in the intitial stage of planning out a planting on a pretty small plot of land, in which I hope to include blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Elders may find a home here eventually, but they are not on my radar yet.