There is no magic potting mix. What you use depends on Climate and other factors. I'm not going to say use such and such because there are all sorts of factors to be taken into account. The blurb on the outside of my 40 litre bag of Diatomite says mix 10/15% of Diatomite with your other potting ingredients. If you are in doubt just put some chips on top of the potting material and see what happens. It seems to be beneficial but i've got no idea why. Every orchid i own has some in the mix or chipped and sprinkled on mounts. Not that i have many mounts. Only for orchids that grow best that way. I'll say it again. Mounting means Maintenance. Again. Select potting material(s) that is right for all the variables, the plant, the pot size, your growing conditions. Treated pine bark is no good statements might be right for tropical climates and some watering habits. But look at the picture. All those orchids are potted in bark based mixes. Here is a link that might be useful: Orchids in a shadehouse

I do it all the time for chalupas. You can just put them in a 350 oven, spread out on a cookie sheet. A little overlap is ok. I would cut them up first. Or you can brush with oil first then bake. Or smear it on with your fingers if you don't have a brush. For chips, using oil might be best. Baking dry gets them good and crispy but they are a little bit harder than when brushed with oil. I just used olive oil in the past until I started baking them dry.

I'm so glad you found a cookie you like! I also think crisco in a cookie makes the best chewy cookies but it does bug me that it does!

@megs1030 We have many full-sized Danby slabs on display at slab warehouses in Dallas, Texas, at the moment, so not sure what's going on there in the Northeast. It shouldn't be much trouble at all to get slabs transferred to you, as they are currently available on the market. I don't personally care for the Danby veining as much as Carrara or Calacatta, but Danby is reportedly one of the most durable marbles on the market today for use as countertop material, and if you haven't heard of Stoneguard, you might look into it, because a great sealer can go a long way. People who use marble for countertops sometimes make use of decorative trays to hold various items to keep them off the marble to help preserve the surface. It's also common to have resurfacing done for a couple of hundred dollars when desired, though that's not a requirement. Usually, any KD, distributor or fabricator wants a "hands off" approach to marble because they don't want to be blamed for perceived problems after installation, whereas so much of the marble experience depends on the individual, how the marble is used and cared for, and how much the user enjoys the look of real marble. I've run across several articles written by people who have experienced marble countertops in their homes for years, and despite some wear to the surface, they are still totally in love with the look. You could put in marble twice compared to the cost of some quartzites, and I personally think marble is prettier than most quartzites. I actually had one fabricator tell me recently that he's known of people who have marble countertops that are quite worn who still absolutely love them. You would want to look for a marble with a higher dolomite mineral content, as it is the calcite marbles that are more problematic. Some slab yards will even specify "dolomite marble." It is you who has to live with the counters, so I'd go with what you love personally rather than what the advisers want to sell to you. I even ran across a story recently of a lady who accidentally got yellow oil stains on a marble backsplash above her stove, and she was able to completely renew the surface with a poultice that drew out the staining, afterward protecting it once again with 3 layers of sealant, so there are all kinds of ways to learn to care for marble. If you're set against laminate, then it's correct you wouldn't want to spend the money on a temporary fix since laminate installation can take a huge chunk out of your real countertop budget. Don't give up on marble just yet! I'd encourage you to find a few of the positive stories online of people who have lived with marble and would put it in again if they had the choice.