I got to thinking about this last night - are you supposed to take a chip and hold it in the fountain of cheese when using this as I have seen the chocolate fountain used? This could be a problem if you have a paper container of chips and want to put the flowing cheese on them, then add toppings. Would you use a dipper to put the cheese from the fountain onto a container of chips. With 50 kids dipping a single chip into the fountain one by one, it could take all night and the young people would have to dip in shifts! Might need to think about this again! (I always picture these things in my head first - like...which way do people move in a buffet line to where they are going to sit at tables or shouldn't the rice go before the beef tips to serve as a bed for the tips and gravy.)

I doubt we can have our cake & eat it also with regards to our food supply. Due to many reasons but including genetically modified food, pestisides, herbicides, fertilizers, & what we all agree are deplorable living conditions for chickens, hogs, & beef combined with antiobiotics & hormones food yields are higher today than 50 years ago. That results in lower food prices here in the US & across the world (yes, I know we also have the government subsidies but that's another topic). Also, many of our agricultural practices contribute to runoff that polutes rivers & streams making fish unhealthy for consumption. It's possible now to purchase food from growers that practice sustainable agriculture, free-graze their animals, do not use pesticides nor herbicides. Their animals are hormone free. Of course, their products are costlier because their yield is less. Are we all willing to pay more for our food to have the quality? DH & I purchase organic dairy & produce whenever available. In fact we go out of our way to seek it out (largely due to Annie's preaching - lol). We're now also buying 100% grass-fed beef, we don't buy poultry nor pork that's been injected with some type of "flavor enhancers". We're purchasing now organic produce & putting it up for winter consumption. Some products we've not switched to organic. For instance, I still buy KA regular flours. The organics are so expensive I've not yet pulled the trigger & made the switch. With the increased costs of what I hope are "healthier" foods we've had to substantially reduce the quantities & varieties of what we consume both in order to stay within our budget allowances & also because some products are just not available organically. We also maintain a food storage program. It's going to take some time to get that converted to more organics. We're doing that via new purchases & rotation of older items. Sometimes, it's not even about the food product itself being healthier grown via "organics". It's just about knowing we're buying from somebody who's doing something to reduce the amount of chemicals going into the soil annually. Or, fewer pesticide sprays. dcarch is right about feeding the world's population. There's no more large land areas to be converted to food production without seriously jeopardizing the ecosystem (cutting down rain forests) more than we've already destroyed. So, the only way to feed the ever increasing population is to increase yield per acre. Are we all willing to make the sacrifices necessary to, so to speak, put our money where our mouth is? Everybody complaining about current mass-agri business already buying all organics, free-range, etc.? Or, driving all over town trying to save $1.00/lb. for chops? Are you still feeding your family the cheapest butter available? Good quality, hormone/antibiotic free, etc., butter is between $5.99 - $8.00/lb. here. Obviously, we don't eat much butter anymore. That translates into much less baking. If you don't like mass-agri business there are lots of alternative choices available. You'll just have to seek them out...and be willing to pay the provider of those products a fair price for their labors & costs. It took us over 2 years to source many of the products we're eating today versus shopping at our local chain store. We're blessed. We can afford to buy organics still putting enough food on the table we're not going to bed with our stomachs growling. Most of the world cannot. Should they go hungry? I think it's a very valid question. We also can't ignore food preparation methods in looking at today's food health issues. Sure, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, & gravy is good but it's not healthy. Pasta can be good, especially if it's whole wheat, but it's not healthy to eat pasta 10+ times/month...especially with today's serving sizes. IIRC, a serving is 1/2 cup cooked pasta. So, how many of us only eat 1/2 cup? What happens when the sauce is cooked with chicken, pork, & beef? Food & health is a large issue both in the US & around the world. There's no one single answer. And, there's no one single reason for the problems. /tricia

My Uncle Ben had a great love for rice. I once again hope to taste his E-Z-Jambalaya recipe if Mom ever makes it again.

Here's the location, but right now it's covered in Zinnias!... it's a little nook by the stairs to my deck. I've always planted annuals there b/c I've wanted to do a pond for years and just never have. I have the basin, pump, and outlet ready, but am just hoping to get the mosaicing done by the end of summer/fall. I'll probably wait til next season to actually set it up as a fountain otherwise I'd end up having to take it right out again for the winter... besides the zinnias will bloom til frost and I just can't dig them out... they are so beautiful! If you look at my garden pictures... the picture of the white clematis is what's behind the zinnias which is now done blooming. In anticipation of this fountain I planted 2 new ornamental grasses, but they're so small right now you can barely see them behind the zinnias. Here is a link that might be useful: My garden