I uae a wood fueled barrel type offset smoker to dry my pods. Toss in some tomato halves that you sprinkled a little basil,oregano and or rosemary on first and toss in a couple cloves of garlic and an onion too while your at it. All the smoked stuff makes for some great salsa.

bcskye, a good influence? Wow, that's something I don't hear a lot. I always figured that I had a purpose in life, I could serve as a bad example. (grin) Cathy, I like to camp. I have a tent. I don't think it's a good idea from about November through April in Michigan, LOL. Nope, we'll find you a real bed somewhere warm. We've even gotten these amazing and wonderful devices here in Michigan. We call them furnaces. Now, if we just get anything less than 10 feet of snow, we're good! Katie, you're one step ahead of me, we need Cutter's in April and by September we're praying for a frost to kill off the flies. Ugh. Did I mention mosquitos? LOL Annie

I've owned and used many different types of BBQ and smoker equipment over the years. Hands down the best I have ever owned is one called Smokin Tex. It is a heavy duty electric smoker made out of all stainless steel....even the racks. This type of smoker is designed to produce real PIT TYPE barbeque.....as you cook "low and slow" at 225 degrees F. You do not need a water pan and only use one or two small pieces of wood (the size of a chicken egg in its smoke box). Because you cook at a low temperature....it is impossilbe for food to char onto the cooking grills. Accordingly, they are very easy to clean in a dishwasher or by hand. It is IMPOSSIBLE to produce bad pit style BBQ in this smoker. Every thing comes out perfect......each and every time......with absolutely no attention needed for either the food or the smoker. I cooked a 10 pound brisket in my smoker the day before yesterday. Here is the proceure.......just before cooking, season the brisket with a heavy coating of Tony Chacherie's More Spice cajun seasoning (it has less salt in it). Place two small pieces of APPLE wood into the smoker box. Cover the smoker box and the smoker bottom with foil for easy cleaning. Place the brisket in the smoker and insert a thermometer. Set the smoker thermostat to 225 degrees F. Remove the Brisket when the meat temperature reaches 190.....about 9 hours. You do not have to turn or watch the meat. It is truly set it and forget it. The brisket is very tender and to die for good. It is absoultely IMPOSSIBLE to mess up. Same can be said about chicken, ribs, vegetables, and seafood. One note of caution....because the food is cooked at such a low temperature for a long period of time, the fat undergoes a "special" chemical reaction where it gets a wonderful sweet flavor to it that is hard to resist eating. (I'm a chemist so I pay attention to food chemical reactions.) Hamburgers do not shrink when cooked in this smoker and one does not have to cook with smoke. Just don't add any wood. Also, this type smoker makes a great FOOD WARMER..... We Cajuns love to party hard and my smoker comes in real handy as a warmer when we "Laissez les bons temps rouler!! (Let the good times roll.) Again, cleanup is a cinch with this type smoker.....because cooking at a low temperatue simply does not allow the food to bake onto the racks!! I 100% guarantee that you will love this type smoker. My son has an electric Masterbuilt smoker that works on the same principle. It does produce excellent BBQ; however, it is nowhere near as durable or well insulated as the Smokin Tex. Being well insulated allows for cooking in this smoker even in the coldest weather....that is an important plus for me when I want to make me a batch of jerky in the winter. I'm into cold smoking too......absoultely love to smoke all types of cheese in it. Lightly smoked mac and cheese is so good!! I can asssure you that this is not SPAM. I usually hang out on the GW fig forum.....but I really LOVE to cook too. I've attached a link below so that you can see the smoker that I use. I purchaseed a nice cart and many other accessories for mine. These low temperature bbq smokers come in various sizes. There is usually another all stainless steel electric smoker for sale on eBay that is much cheaper than the Smokin Tex and looks very similar to this one. I did not see it in my current search. If interested in this type product be sure to check out other sales sites. Tell your husband that he will produce THE BEST BBQ in town with this type smoker........no joke. Here is a link that might be useful: All Stainless Electric Smoker

Thanks a lot for the suggestions. Not sure which direction I'm headed yet, but all of you have given me ideas to consider. Got a smile out of the "coupon" suggestion. First thing that came to mind was a hundred "Get your puppy out of my yard NOW" vouchers. I had a few other thoughts, but sharing them would give away just how bad of a neighbor I am. dcarch - What's HF and where do I get their coupons? 800W sounds perfect for keeping the Christmas lights lit in the case of a power failure during the holidays. For just $86, not much to lose. John - Lost power to the whole house. The cable line survived. (Other side of the house.) Ext cord from neighbor's house kept bare essentials powered up for the most part, probably didn't run my 5K generator much more than five hours total throughout the ordeal. (The generator is another thank-you I need to deal with. It was given to my cousin by a customer a couple days before the storm, cousin had no use for it and gave it to me.) Anyway I'm back and running as of a few hours ago. I smiled when for the first time in six days the bathroom light actually turned on when I flipped the switch!