Thank you for posting so many lovely, inspirational, and informative photos. I am extremely impressed by your kitchen, but actually, I was wondering if you could give me the paint colors you used for your exterior clapboards and trim--they look fantastic! tia, Alex indentured servant to an 1887 victorian, hoping to actually be done in 7 years.

I am so sorry for "dropping the ball". I was extremely busy all day and, honestly, I did not expect any input so soon. You, ladies, are awesome!!! I can't believe you went into so much trouble for me! Thank you very much! Yes, W-S LC yellow (Quince) is very close to Jars' yellow but, as far as I know, they only make cookware in that color, not dinnerware. We have W-S here (that is where I got the emerald plates) and I am sorry if my post was unclear. We just don't have SLT and other stores don't carry some stuff that they do in other states. You are right that LC Soleil will not work (most likely) as it is too bright (or something). I also suspected that it would be heavy but wasn't sure. Fiesta yellow is VERY nice and works great color-wise. I am keeping the 4-piece set for a family member who needs to gain weight. According to some data, red, yellow, and orange make one hungry while green and blue are likely to have an opposite effect (not that I have noticed. o:P) But Fiesta looks a little "too casual" next to Jars, if ykwim. Jars' plates are 'more refined' in a way (don't know how to better explain it). That 17-step process might not have been for nothing, LOL. Also, Fiesta is too heavy for my liking (I have weak wrists). As I have bought 8 settings of Jars on clearance, there is no going back (not that I would want to :-) ), so I need to find the right serve-ware that would work with it. IDK why but I don't want everything to be green. Has anyone seen Baum dishes in person? They look nice on my screen but it could be very deceptive, of course. :-) What about Real Simple from BBB? Any other thoughts? Thanks so much again! This post was edited by eleena on Fri, Aug 29, 14 at 0:56

I made meatballs instead of hamburgers by adapting and expanding this recipe. It's for Hamburgers Walter Trohan and serves four (as hamburgers): 1 Lb. Ground Round 1 can (4 1/2 oz.) Deviled Ham Salt, Pepper Roquefort or Blue Cheese Dry Red Wine Butter Mix ground round and deviled ham. Add a *little* salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Cut cheese into squares and mold meat around cheese. Marinate in red wine, covered, in refrigerator, for about 3 hours. Cook in butter plus a bit of the marinade. Remove to plate. Add remaining marinade to skillet and heat to a boil. Serve meat hot with marinade. (I put mine in a chafing dish for buffets.)

I think the wood handles would patina, unless they have a poly finish. When I was in high school, my dad restored a 41 Chevy pickup for me, and he made a crotch of walnut knob for my gearshift. When he first installed it, it was a bit rough, but by the time I sold the truck 8 years later, the oils from my hand had burnished that thing to a beautiful color and shine.