Ah, WestG, you brought back a memory: DD decided to go vegetarian when a youngish teen. I told her that was fine with me; I added, be sure you write any unique foods on the grocery list because I don't see any point in cooking special meals for a non-invalid: you can eat what I fix or feel free to fix your own, as long as you ingest the proper vitamins, minerals, and protein to continue having good health. Sent her to the library for books on nutrition rather than doing the explanations. She came back with a tall stack and a thoughtful expression, but did study them. The upshot was that she stayed 'veggie' for about two weeks and then the matter faded away. I was veggie for over a decade, and while it's easier to obtain uncommon foods now than it was at that time, sensible vegetarianism does require a good basic knowledge of nutrition to prevent ill-health. BTW, sneak pureed vegs into meatloaf, meatballs, and dinner rolls to get them past 'picky' eaters. Insist on the 5-times rule (even for adults) for trying new foods: must chew and swallow 5 bites of any new food, and repeat at 5 different meals before allowed to 'dislike' a food. (It's vital to keep a record.) Your part of the rule is to be sure that *every* meal has a least one untried food or one food prepared in a different way ~ and to present new foods in an assortment of recipes. Quite often vegs are disliked 'plain' so be sure to use a variety of herbs and spices for seasoning, and get the best organic vegs you can find. Freshness really does matter.

Welcome to the forum, snailprincess! I'll list the plants, & you can compare to yours to match up/figure which is which. Kalanchoe tomentosa Crassula ovata 'Gollum' Echeveria (2 of them-grey-looking), hard to say, maybe post again after they've been growing under lights for a while Echeveria 'Black Prince' Sempervivum Crassula ovata Echeveria 'Topsy Turvy' Sedum rubrotinctum Crassula ovata 'Tricolor' Sedum japonica 'Gold Dots' The tall, etiolated guy on the right ~don't know~wait, grow on, post again Sprig of something out front of pot-?-maybe a Sedum Nice collection!

Deee- I like the idea of combining both the harbor ride and Ft. Sumter. I’ll have to see if the one I was looking at stops by the fort. Golf is not in my blood but DH plays charity tournaments (after which he inevitably says he’s so terrible he’ll never play again but does). I did take a peek at the Ryder Cup bar and it looks amazing. I agree the lunch menu is reasonable and the more I hear about Kiawah Island the more I think it’ll be added to our itinerary. Savannah is only on my list because I thought it was a must-see city. I’ll be in Statesboro for a wedding and figured I would stop by on my way to Charleston or HHI. Between your comment and Tina’s I think I might skip it. Bumble - A couple of “low key” days are exactly what we’re looking for on this trip. As for the plantations, I can only imagine my husband will be patient enough for one. I’ve seen Magnolia Manor recommended, as well as Middleton. I guess I’ll have to investigate just how long the tours are because I don’t want to spend an entire day there. I certainly won’t visit Drayton Hall - I heard it’s not decorated. Isn’t that part of the fun? April101 - Wow, the French Quarter Inn looks luxurious. I bet your DD had a great birthday there. I would love to stay there but unfortunately it’s out of my price range. And, yes, I agree that TripAdvisor has been a great resource. I don’t know how I ever traveled without it. And thanks for the Venue Inn tip. For some reason it’s just fun to eat or drink at a rooftop restaurant. Pammyfay - Thanks for such a great list! I’ve heard of the Hominy Grill and had planned to stop by there. I expect to enjoy my food and not worry about calories but I still don’t think I could order from a place called the Larder. oh, oops, I just realized a larder is a cellar! I was thinking of lard. I’ve saved this list as my grumbling tummy reference. Tina, I’m so glad you popped in. When I searched GW for Charleston advice you seemed to be the resident expert. Thanks for the tip about Shem Creek. We’ll be eating our share of fresh seafood so it’s nice to go to a reputable area. Last time I was in FL, one of the seafood restaurants I went to was admittedly serving frozen or flown in seafood. Ft. Moultrie and Patriots Point? Now I have too many choices - I think I’ll let DH decide on this one but I suspect my ex-squid will pick Patriots Point. It looks like Harbor Island is near Beaufort, which was a recommended stop for us. I’ll have to check it out and see if that’s more up our alley vs HHI because neither of us are that into golf and I wonder if hotel prices are higher due to that amenity. Hhireno - Oh, true Outlets?! So tempting. I like to shop but I’ve already blown my budget on this trip. That may not stop me, though. I like to purchase a sweatshirt when I’m in a beachy location. I don it whenever it starts to snow here in KS. Hmm, so you highly recommend HHI? Where to go on the GA/SC coast has turned out more complicated than I thought. It all sounds great. Thanks for the feedback on your lovely island. Legomom - Sounds like you’ve put in the 2nd vote for staying on one of the islands and driving into Charleston. I must admit it’s nice to wake up to the ocean vs. city life. It wouldn’t bother me a bit to have my morning coffee ocean side and drive into Charleston later. And some of my favorite places have been dives so the Wreck sounds like fun to me. Thanks so much to everyone. Now I need to find a good book, Jennifer

* Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Tue, Jan 19, 10 at 10:22 Another spinach lover here. We most often cook it the way Althetrainer mentioned, sauteed with garlic. I often buy the spinach pies at our Middle Eastern bakery but have never made them at home. Since I rarely buy tomatoes out of season, we eat a lot of spinach salads during the winter. I’ve posted this one before. It’s on the lighter side and a good complement to heavy dishes like lasagne. LEMON SPINACH SALAD 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms 1 lb. young spinach leaves, washed and stemmed 6 Tbs. olive oil 2 Tbs. lemon juice 1/4 tsp. salt 1 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese 1 clove garlic, slivered Finely grated rind of 1/2 lemon 1 hard cooked egg Freshly ground black pepper Wash mushrooms and combine with spinach. Chill. Mix oil, lemon juice, salt, cheese and garlic. Chop up egg and sprinkle over salad. Add lemon rind to salad and grind pepper on top. Pour dressing over salad right before serving and toss. Note: Best if dressing is made about an hour ahead of time and garlic pieces removed before pouring on salad. Crumbled bacon pieces can be added if desired. ------------ Vegetable timbales have always been one of our family favorites for meatless meals. It’s common to find recipes for them in early 20th century cookbooks. Photobucket SPINACH TIMBALES 2 (10 oz.) packages frozen chopped spinach 4 eggs 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice Cheese or hollandaise sauce, if desired Cook spinach according to package directions; drain thoroughly. In small mixer bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Stir in cooked spinach and remaining ingredients except sauce. Divide mixture between 5 greased 6 oz. custard cups. Place cups on a rack in a 10" pot or deep skillet. Fill skillet with hot (not boiling) water to 1/2". Put a loose piece of foil over the cups, shaped so that the steam drips back into the pot instead of on the custard cups. Cover with lid and cook over medium heat for 18 to 22 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Loosen edges with knife; unmold. If desired, serve with sauce. Makes 5 (1/2 cup) servings. o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Tue, Jan 19, 10 at 11:33 Elery and I even made AND ate spinach this weekend, we did individual spinach and swiss cheese quiches for the "appetizer tasting". They were fast and easy and we did them without crust in mini muffin pans. Annie o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by bob_cville (My Page) on Tue, Jan 19, 10 at 14:46 beanthere_dunthat, The mint chutney that I usually use is a dark green runny paste. If you have a Coconut-mint chutney that you like then I'd substitute that for both the mango chutney and the mint chutney. A more authentic version of this recipe I came across started with making your own cheese. Yeah I'll get right on that. I found a mexican farmer's cheese at one local grocery store that was more like the "paneer" that is typically used, but to me the Feta cheese is pretty similar in in texture and "bite" in the dish, and although the Feta is much more strongly flavored than then usual "paneer", there are enough other strong flavors in the dish that you really don't notice it, and it is much easier to find feta than "paneer" or mexican farmers cheese. o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by denise8101214 (My Page) on Sat, Jan 23, 10 at 15:49 I got this from a friend who got it from epicurious. I have made it MANY times and everyone loves it. It is nice to make for a big family breakfast as a savory casserole in addition to the french toast type ones. Spinach and Cheese Strata, epicurious * 1 (10-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed (fresh works great too) * 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large) * 3 tablespoons unsalted butter * 1 teaspoon salt * 1/2 teaspoon black pepper * 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg * 8 cups cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread (1/2 lb) * 6 oz coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups) * 2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup) * 2 3/4 cups milk * 9 large eggs * 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then finely chop. Cook onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat. Spread one third of bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other shallow ceramic baking dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice (ending with cheeses). Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 8 hours (for bread to absorb custard). Preheat oven to 350°F. Let strata stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Strata can be chilled up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking. Here is a link that might be useful: Spinach and Cheese Strata o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Sun, Jan 24, 10 at 19:45 There's some pretty tasty recipes here! I don't do spinach, so I couldn't help much. Maybe I'll give it a try again....in the next 7 years. Then again.... I just drew a name for the next Cookalong... Caliloo (Alexa) hope you can pick something fast, so I can get it started, I have to leave town for a few days tomorrow. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Sun, Jan 24, 10 at 22:00 Caliloo?? o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Jan 25, 10 at 7:22 TTT o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by caliloo (My Page) on Mon, Jan 25, 10 at 7:46 Here I am! I actually already got to pick something (corn last time) so if I can have a second shot I will choose...... BROCCOLI! However, if you want to give someone else a turn to pick, I will certainly withdraw my suggestion :-) Alexa o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Jan 25, 10 at 9:07 Alexa, I drew your name fair and square so you are on! **********Broccoli*************** Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #20-----BROCCOLI o RE: Cookalong #19-------SPINACH clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Mon, Jan 25, 10 at 10:02 Well, I almost didn't do spinach last night, because I've been eating spinach almost every day, and want to branch out into other veggies. But I decided to just try something different than what I usually do, which is spinach salad, or throwing a handful or two of spinach into whatever soup I'm heating up. So, I made spinach pesto. I used a basic basil pesto recipe as a template, but changed the ingredients quite a bit, keeping with the general idea of pesto. It turned out quite good, and even DH liked it. He says he doesn't like garlic with spinach (go figure) so I wasn't sure if he'd like this, but he loved it. I used 2 cloves of garlic, but I think one fat one would have been better - it was a bit strong. I'll write out the recipe as I made it, though. My recipe is adapted from Deborah Madison's recipe for Pesto, from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Spinach and Goat Cheese Pesto 1 or 2 plump garlic cloves salt 3 tablespoons (or small handfuls) of walnuts 3 big handfuls (or cups, loosely packed) of fresh spinach 1 4 oz. package goat cheese 2 tablespoons pecorino Romano (optional, to taste) 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 squeeze, aprox. 1 teaspoon lemon juice pinch cayenne pinch freshly ground nutmeg In a food processor, process the garlic, salt and walnuts until fairly finely chopped, then add the spinach and olive oil. When smooth, add the goat cheese, lemon juice, cayenne and nutmeg, and process to combine. Sally