flattie, That sounds a little sarcastic, LOL. There is a wide range of emotions about Mr. Obama's election. But no matter where we are personally on that subject, we should all be praying for his success in digging us out of the huge hole we are in. Hoping we can all sit under our fig trees without fear.

I just received the best box from Sue. She sent 2 stuffed bunnies and 2 chocolate bunnies for my 2 boys. They love them. Oh and some egg chalk. For me I got 2 dish towels with veggies on them, a ceramic Easter bunny, Lemon Verbena soap, picture frame, 2 paper embosser and a paper punch, blackberry preserves, 2 white spider lily and cream iris and a bunch of seeds. Now for the best part and 2 wooden giraffe statues. These are beautiful and will be a great addition to my collection. Also my eggs are not the normal ones. They are see through and the shell produces a crystal effect when the light shines through them. Once again thank you Sue. I hope I didn't forget anything. Well this concludes this swap. Thanks to everyone!! Heidi

If you want to make something homemade for your Eggs Benedict, here's a recipe for English Muffin bread that's really good (and easy, no kneading!). Becky * Exported from MasterCook * English Muffin Bread Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Tested and Approved Yeast Breads Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 package FLEISCHMANN'S RapidRise Yeast 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup milk (120 to 130øF) 1/4 cup water (120 to 130øF) Cornmeal In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda; stir in milk and water. Stir in remaining flour to make soft dough. Grease 8 1/2- x 4 1/2- inch loaf pan; sprinkle with cornmeal. Place dough in prepared pan; sprinkle with cornmeal. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 400øF 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack. Slice and toast to serve. Store bread in airtight container or plastic storage bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, slice, wrap airtight and freeze for up to one month; toast frozen slices, without thawing, as needed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : For Cinnamon-Pecan English Muffin Bread: Add 1/3 cup toasted chopped pecans and 3/4 teaspoon SPICE ISLANDS Ground Cinnamon along with flour; proceed as directed with recipe. Slice and toast. Drizzle with honey, if desired. Here is a link that might be useful: Fleischmann's Yeast Website

Biscuits with sausage gravy, grits. Marlen's Pull Apart Bacon Bread 1 pkg (10 oz) bacon 3/4 c green pepper, chopped 3/4 onion, chopped 3 tubes (7-1/2 oz each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits 1/2 cup margarine, melted 1/2 c (2oz) shredded cheddar cheese Cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving drippings. Crumble and set aside. In bacon drippings (or vegetable oil) cook green pepper and onion until tender. Cut biscuits in fourths and place in large bowl. Add sauteed vegetables, crisp bacon, margarine and cheese. Toss until thoroughly mixed. Place in a 10" tube pan coated with Pam. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Immediately invert onto serving plate. Serve warm. MAPLE APRICOT GRANOLA Gourmet, February 2003 Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 hr serving size Makes about 10 cups. 1/4 cup flaxseeds (1 1/4 oz) (I omit this) 6 cups old-fashioned oats (18 oz) 2 cups sliced almonds (8 oz) 1 cup hulled (green) pumpkin seeds (not roasted; 5 oz) 1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds (not roasted; 2 1/2 oz) 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup pure maple syrup 1/3 cup crystallized ginger (2 1/2 oz; optional), finely chopped 2 cups dried apricots (11 oz), finely chopped Accompaniments: plain yogurt or milk; honey or maple syrup Special equipment: an electric coffee/spice grinder preparation Preheat oven to 350F. Finely grind flaxseeds in coffee/spice grinder, then stir together with oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, salt, oil, and syrup in a large bowl. Spread mixture evenly in 2 large shallow baking pans (1 inch deep) and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, stirring and switching position of pans halfway through baking, until golden brown, about 30 minutes total. Cool granola completely in pans on racks, then stir in ginger (if using) and apricots.  Granola can be made 1 week ahead and kept in an airtight container at cool room temperature, or frozen 1 month. PECAN PRALINE BACON Gourmet : March 1996 user rating 100% would make it again user rating: 4 forks Quick & Easy appears in this menu Bed & Breakfast Brunch yield: Serves 6 Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Ingredients 1 pound thick-cut bacon (about 12 slices) 3 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder 1/4 cup pecans, chopped fine Preparation Preheat oven to 425°F. On rack of a large broiling pan arrange bacon slices in one layer and cook in middle of oven 10 minutes, or until it just begins to turn golden. In a small bowl stir together sugar and chili powder. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle bacon with sugar mixture and pecans. Return pan to oven and cook until bacon is crisp and browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon, praline-sides up, to paper towels to drain. My cousin just gave me this Ina Garten recipe - he made them the other day after seeing on tv - said they were easy and delish. INA GARTEN'S EASY STICKY BUNS (from Good Morning America) Makes 12 We used to make really delicious sticky buns at Barefoot Contessa, but they took two days to make because the yeast dough needed to rise overnight in the refrigerator. I was dying to find a way to make them easier, so I decided to try baking them with Pepperidge Farm puff pastry dough, instead. OMG are they good ... and they're really easy to make! Light, flaky dough filled with brown sugar, toasted pecans, and sweet raisins -- my friends go crazy when I make these. 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed 1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces 1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted for the filling 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 cup raisins Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture. Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with half of the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2 inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon), and cool completely.