Hi everyone! I had a wonderful time which wasn't unusual. The plant swaps are like early Christmas for plant fiends! What was unusual was that for the first time ever I actually went home with far less than I brought WOOT! I apologize if I was overly enthusiastic (pushy) foisting my stuff on you folks, esp new-gardener123 who was such a sweetheart. I feel like I made out like a bandit! I don't know hardly anyone's name so these are general thankyous. The lady I got several rosemary cuttings from Thank you! I've been trying all year to get mine to root so I'm super impressed with your skills. April: I love my little sedum/ echevaria baby and the cutting, and the visiting of course :) Annette: thanks for letting me have another go at the lovely little blue salvia that I got in the spring. Plus all those fab irises you gave me in the spring are just thriving:) The wonderful lady I was set up next to (possibly Pat?): the well behaved tansy, the Korean chive seeds, among other goodies. I'll be sure to bring you my super ferny tansy (tanacetum crispum) to the spring swap! It does best in poor dry conditions but still looked great during this ultra rainy year. And didn't you also give me the early Iris 'Indian chief'? Tn veggie gardener: I think I remember you, you're Steve right? I'm delighted I could share so many herbs with everyone, happy cooking! Also, the Indian Mint is Plectranthus amboinicus variegata. Also the chocolate akebia, golden variegated ivy, the super fuzzy jew, the super-cute iron hanging baskets, all the wonderful violas. The wonderful miniature jew in the GORGEOUS hypertuffa  seriously, I meant to get the recipe before I left because mine don't look near as good! It' a shame I couldn't stick around this time to eat and chat, but my husband had just arrived home with three new babies from the animal shelter. Jennifer, thank you for the warm wishes! Our new rescue kitties are just delightful, and guess what  they love plants too!! It's gonna be a wild winter :p Happy Gardening, ~Heather aka the Herb Lady PS: Well this was my third swap, but this is my first day as a gardenweb member, and my first post. I spoke with several of you about my procrastination to sign up, but how much I enjoy reading the posts. That's how I discovered that there's a name for this behavior: LURKING! God forbid I be a 'lurker' so here I am, all official-like ;)

Yep, I overdo on the baking. I love it. Here's the list I posted on Cooking forum. I have been baking for the last few days, hope I can get it all done. Have to do the party for employees on the 16th and our Open House on the 18th. My cookbook group will be having our cookie exchange on the 15th and need 6 dozen for that. Have to send cookies to my bachelor brothers and the fancy ones to my mom as well. Then there's the grandchildren, my sister, BIL, and nieces here, and the in laws. 1. Cream Wafers, Pariserwaifer. Everyone one who knows me wants these. Got 12 dozen in the freezer this a.m. (Baked last night.) That's 288 wafers to make 144 cookies and I'm not sure it's enough! They are so boring and tedious to make. At least I don't fill them. Make Norm do that or sometimes give cookies and filling to the recipiant! But it isn't Xmas in my family without them and I'm the only one who still makes em. 2. Swedish Almond cookies. My favorite. They really are the most tedious even if they are slice and bake. Then they have to be filled with currant jam while hot and iced when cooled. And I confess to putting 2 holly leaves and a berry on each one to make them really cute! My mother always put a slice of candied cherry on which is quicker. Only have 5 dozen of them. They will be doled out carefully. Don't put them out at either party and would never make for an exchange! Didn't get any made last year and I missed them. 3. Grandma Catherine's Carrot-Orange Cookies She never made them at Xmas. They were one of her tea party specialties. I started making them at Xmas about 5 years ago. They use baby food carrots or sweet potatoes in the dough and have an orange frosting. 6 dozen in freezer. 4. Coconut Fig Cookies Moist and spicy, nothing like a fig newton! Mixed but not baked. 5. Chocolate Biscotti Trying a new recipe this year. In process. 6. Peanut Butter Rocky Roads A friend needs a non bake cookie recipe so made a pan to check if I still like this recipe. I do! 7. Stareos Chocolate shortbread filled with marscapone. Yum 8. Meringue Stars Meringues with ground baking chocolate. Cuts the sweetness of the meringues and is much more intense chocolate flavor than adding cocoa powder to the meringue. 9. Mexican Wedding Cakes. (Cookie of a 1000 names!)I use pecans and slice and bake. 10. Applesauce Cookies. Another one from Grandma but I may have to try a raw apple bar instead this year. The easy ones! 11. Oatmeal Carmelitas. My employees want lots of these. 12. Peppermint Brownies A family favorite made with a recipe I stole from a woman I baby sat for! She wouldn't give the recipe even to her mother! Early on I didn't believe in NOT sharing recipes. 13. Nanimio Bars Got custard powder for this year! 14. Fudge, 15. Toffee and 16. Peanut Brittle. Then there are the cookies that need to be cut out and or decorated! I'm not going to get out all the cutters and sugar until after the parties! I'll still have a week and that's enough time and I won't have get all that mess put away before the parties. We now do Xmas Eve at my sisters and I fly to MN on Xmas Day to be with the grandkids. So who cares if there are dirty cookie cutters and sugar all over the place? 17. Pepperkaker Swedish Gingerbread 18. Sugar cookies 19. Spritz 20. Stained Glass Cookies First made these 10 years ago for my grandson. They are his favorite. Does anyone have an easy way to break up the candies and keep them from sticking together? And then there are the ones I just want to try or make occasionally. Doubt if there will be any of these this year.

If your friends like sweet and hot, a company down here in NM makes an amazing blackberry habanero sauce -- like a blackberry sauce you'd put on ice cream, but with a serious kick. It's called Besito Caliente, and it is dangerously addictive, on ice cream, in marinades, pretty much wherever. It's $10/bottle, and I don't allow myself to keep it in the house, because I could drink the stuff straight. (Oh, speaking of which - makes a *wicked* margarita. And your friends probably can't get margarita mix, or decent anejo tequila, on that side of the pond.) I also bring Frango Mints everywhere with me, even though they're not actually made in Chicago anymore. People love them, and chocolate-mint is not a common European flavor combination -- at least not as common as choc-hazelnut or choc-orange. Have a wonderful trip!

We're about to host our 2010 Eve's Garden Texas Annual Christmas Cookie Swap. My thought was to create a hostess gift of ideas in a flyer to show attendees how they could CREATIVELY Present their take home COOKIES as gifts. BHG and Martha Stewart offered some great ideas. I would love to share the flyer however I am not sure how to upload the document (or if I can) So visit our FAN PAGE on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/EvesGardenTexas to see the uploaded photos using collanders, sifters and more. Also please LIKE our page and share your Cookie Swap Photos of creative packaging with us. How FUN will that be? Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving! Here is a link that might be useful: Eve's Garden Texas Fan Page