Back in the 1970's there was a wonderful bakery chain that started up called Just Desserts. They made something called a Black Bottom Cupcake that was so good, I'd buy it several times a week. They were what a Hostess cream-filled cupcake would want to be when it grows up! Finally I ran across an old wartime cake recipe that used no eggs, no butter, no chocolate - it used cocoa and salad oil instead. For some reason I read it and was absolutely positive it would make these cupcakes. All I had to do was experiment to do the cream cheese filling, and I had it down perfectly. They are easy to make, double easily, freeze well, and you can make a dozen for what 2 cupcakes used to cost me. I never thought of it as one of my signature dishes until my nephew, who doesn't even LIKE sweets, said it was one of his childhood memories! This, BTW, is the first public posting of this recipe since I duplicated the bakery's efforts 30 yrs ago. I've since seen several similar recipes show up, but surprisingly enough it still doesn't seem to have reached the mainstream. It really does deserve a wider audience, so here it is: Jean's Black Bottom Cupcake recipe 1-1/2 cup flour 1/3 cup cocoa* 1 tsp baking soda 1 cup sugar (see note re: cocoa) 5 Tbls cooking oil (not olive) 1 Tbls white vinegar 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup cold water one 3-oz pkg cream cheese, mixed with: 1/2 cup mini or regular semi-sweet chocolate chips *Note: the cocoa you use will affect the "chocolateness". Hershey or Guittard is fine, but the best is to use a gourmet cocoa such as Williams-Sonoma's Pernigotti cocoa or the Scharffenberger brand. Adjust the sugar accordingly: Hershey's will take a scant 1 cup sugar, the gourmet brands require a bit more than 1 cup, about 2 Tbls additional. Gourmet cocoas tend to lump, so I put it in the mixing bowl first and take 30 seconds with the back of a big spoon to break up the lumps. Or you can sift it, but that takes longer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cupcake liners and spray them lightly with Pam or similar product (otherwise they stick to the batter). Mix flour, cocoa, soda and sugar well in a bowl. Pour in the liquids and beat well for 30 seconds, either by hand or with a mixer. Put about 1/4 cup batter for each muffin. Place a rounded spoonful of cream cheese/chocolate chip mixture in each. Bake for 20 minutes. The batter should just resist a fingertip when done. Do not overbake this recipe, it is better underdone than overdone. Lift them out immediately (I use a fork) and place on cooling rack. They should be very soft but will firm up once cooled. Recipe will double, in which case use an 8-oz pkg of cream cheese and 3/4 cup morsels. Bake in two muffin tins for the same amount of time, or bake in successive batches. Freezes beautifully and will thaw within 1 hour.

Thanks for the great feedback. Sorry for the lengthy post. Basically we went into this purchase not knowing anything about what was new and great in this HVAC space so it's been a learning experience. Any maybe I was asking the wrong questions originally. After what we have learned through this buying experience I think I am more interested in the recommendation for the type of systems we should be considering. Then we can consider the bids. This was our criteria going in: 1. We know we need to replace our existing system due to increased maintenance costs year after year for both furnace and AC, age, and the AC A-coil (?) pan is leaking and can't be fixed (rusted out). 2. We have a difficult time cooling our second level and heating our basement even after manually changing the baffles each Spring and Fall (3 manual zones). I basically guess on where they should be set and leave them there for the season. We definitely have pockets of heated and cooled areas. 3. Decrease our heating and cooling bills considering cost vs. return. 4. Purchase a quality system from a reputable vendor at a fair price. It's the "quality system" I can't do myself because I don't know much about this other than the research I do on the internet, which is hit and miss as you know. 5. My wife doesn't like the booming noise the furnace makes when it starts (which is probably really loud compared to any new model regardless of type). :-) Overall we are more concerned about heating than cooling in this area. We never gave much thought to dehumidification going into this before we talked to reps and read the forums. I think it's probably less important given it's typically only a month or two out of the year where we worry about it. Actually we are probably more concerned with the opposite, humidification, in the winter months. The house is dry. That is why we are considering adding a whole house humidifier. I think from what I've learned here and our #2 above is that we want to go with automatic zoning. Given that Tigerdunes I feel like we should be considering your options 1 and 2 with a 2-stage AC??? Maybe we can focus on those bids/equipment. Does that make sense and reduce the TMI? Thanks again.

Wow. I just came back in to check for responses, and what an embarrassment of riches I found! Thank you all so much for such thoughtful, and helpful, responses. Mahlgold -- I guess misery must enjoy company, but it's nice to see that I am not the only one sweating this question. Our budget is flexible (as my mother used to say, "afford is a funny word"), but the money saved would definitely be put to good use on all the other things our house needs, so if I can save here that would be great. I am not comparing apples to apples on the cabs -- the Cabicos are cherry, which of course Ikea does not carry, but I like the Tidaholm (very contemporary oak doors) almost as much. I will definitely put the current design into the Ikea tool to make sure it will work -- I already know that I will have to do one modification, to create a corner sink cab (instructions on Ikeafans!!). I have some flexibility as we are doing a gut remodel, taking down walls, etc.,but I agree that if I have to jury-rig things too much it won't make sense. You all have collectively helped me make up my mind --although I will also send up an inquiry at Ikeafans for anyone over there who has had their Ikea cabs a long time. Thanks so much -- this is such a great site!!

Though this is an old thread, figured I’d weigh in. First, don’t discount the small cabinet shop. Some better than others and the same can be said about the Big boys like Signature Custom Cabinetry. The statement by Birdman69, “Local independent shops often don't have the quality control and the craftsmanship can be suspect…” is simply not true. As a custom cabinet shop owner and former Signature dealer, I can say that our humble cabinet shop produces a fantastic product—one I’d happily compare side by side with Signature. We use quality Benjamin Moore commercial finishes, formaldehyde-free domestic plywood and yes … we use Blum. Let’s be clear here, Blum is an excellent product and we’ve had no quality issues. In my humble opinion, the reason a large manufacturer would switch to Hettich, Grass or another (perhaps) “off shore” brand is simply about cost. For us, a small shop, it’s a non-issue. But when you’re purchasing quantities of slides like the large manufacturers are, that savings adds up. Ask whether their roll-out shelf slides are the same grade/quality as their drawer slides, or an “off shore” brand (BTW... "off shore" is code for China). As far as, “You generally get what you pay for.” If that were only true. Buyer beware, sometimes you don’t get what you pay for. Simply put: don’t disqualify the small shop. Yes, Signature offers 4 lines, starting with IQ, Select, Custom and Premium. Too lengthy to explain the nuances of each but, while there are differences in materials, what they’ll do within that Line, not do, etc., suffice to say, all lines feature Conestoga made cabinet doors. Someone asked about, “Can anyone speak to Signature's SELECT line vs. CUSTOM --quality, longevity, etc.?” With “Select”, there are i) limits on the wood options, ii) Lenga wood drawer boxes vs. Hard Maple wood on Custom, iii) Limited selection of hardware included with Custom (selections you’d likely not want), iv) Drawer slide brands (honestly unsure?), v) Limited inset options with Select ... and more. There are many good manufactures of custom cabinetry; some better than others, some well-valued … others not. Perform due diligence before committing, don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you’re close enough to where it’s being made, go to the factory or shop and see first hand what you’re investing in. The completed kitchens below were done by a "Local Independent Shop", to include the coffered ceiling beams (kitchen), the custom 12" beaded board on the ceiling and fireplace surround with recessed TV, etc (family room). That's the kind of work the capable smaller shop can do ... that the big cabinet manufacturers can't quite produce as cost-effectively.