Congrats on your new gardening adventure!! I wish I had easy access to horse manure for composting. Too bad you're not my neighbor AR Dramaqueen, I'd GIVE you all the perennial herbs you could want. Every year I beg friends and family and yes even strangers to come and take divisions from my yard. Herbs are very, very easy to grow in the ground but in my experience hard to keep happy in pots. If you can make a herb bed somewhere in the yard your herb gardening venture will be so much easier. Particularly when starting seeds, moisture levels are critical. You may want to check locally to see if there are any other herb gardeners close to you. Most gardeners are thrilled to take you on a tour and provide you with starter divisions. I still remember my dad taking me to a "yard sale" when I was about 10 years old. An elderly lady was selling her daylily plants in preparation for moving to a retirement village. We took an instant shine to each other and she spent a lot of time showing me how to pollinate flowers to make new hybrids, how to divide and set plants, etc. You could see that she had a lifetime passion for gardening and was happy to "set the seed" in another person. By the end of our visit to her yard I had a station wagon full of lovely plants and a head full of information. I don't know that she even let my dad pay her for the plants, I can't remember. I do remember that 6 or 7 years later my high school science project was on hybridizing daylilies and that I credited Pansy Corriher for the information and starter plants.

Update: Apparently there's a known problem with the island trim on my range. They're ordering the part & will install in 9 days...me, I'm hoping this will help with the noise issue too. Repair guy says probably not, but hey, I know fan noise is often more about the way the air moves than the fan itself, so I can hope. Though neither the service guy nor I am clear on why I have island trim without an island. Stove was installed against a wall in the store, so I never questioned. I don't care one way or another that I know of--anything here I'm missing? We're waiting on the "simmer burners going out" issue until we solve the fan one, because it might all be caused by the airflow being wrong. At least the repairman agrees--first words out of his mouth when fan went on were "that's really weird". And he's smart enough that the next thing he did was call the manufacturer! Thank you all for your help--hearing that it was a real issue from you guys really helped us calmly wait the week for diagnosis!

Good start Bobby. I hadn't read the first thread (because I thought you were asking about using it for pastry - not decorating). Sweet peas are my favorite decorating flower because they are pretty easy to make and come out nicely. You can do a vine with stems coming out where you want. sweet pea directions at Wilton And you have the tips you need for them - the 104 and the 2 (the directions say 3 but the 2 will work fine for making the stems too). Did you figure out how to close the bag? Once it is loaded with frosting, twist the top closed - then you can hold the bag cradled in your hand with the twisted top held where your thumb meets your palm. As you work and the bag empties you can twist a bit more to keep the frosting close to the tip. It helps to not fill the bag too much. The Wilton site has pictures of filling and holding the bag: filling and holding the bag It helps tho have somewhat less stiff frosting for covering the cake so it spreads easily and stiffer for decorating so it will hold an edge. You can add a little milk or whatever liquid you are using to thin (just a little at a time like a tsp) or more confectioners sugar to thicken.

These are a bit of work but are wonderful and freeze beautifully. Spanikopita 16 Oz Phyllo Dough Thawed in the fridge For 24 Hours 10 Oz Frozen Spinach Thawed and of all liquid Drained 3/4 Lb Feta Cheese 1/2 Lb Cottage Cheese - About 1 Cup Pressed And Drained 1/4 lb Cream Cheese Softened 3 Eggs 1/4 Cup Fresh Dill Chopped Fine Salt Pepper Nutmeg 3/4 Cup Butter Melted In large bowl combine all ingredients except phylo and butter. Working with one sheet of phylo at a time, brush with melted butter and cut in 5 strips lengthwise. Place 1 spoonful of mixture at the bottom of each strip about 1 inch from the bottom, fold the bottom piece up over the filling and then fold up into triangles. Fold like you fold a flag, to the left, up , to the right ,up etc. These can be made ahead and frozen for up to three months. Lay them flat on a cookie sheet and then transfer to freezer bags or container. Freeze uncooked and cook from frozen When ready to cook:~Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden.Serve warm~ Don't let the name fool you this makes a very attractive appetizer , is drop dead easy and is always a huge hit. Stacked Pizza 7 sheets phyllo pastry 1/2 Cup butter melted 7 Tbl freshly grated parmesan 1 1/2 Cup grated mozzarella 1 sweet onion sliced thinly And Separated Into Rings 5-6 roma tomatoes sliced 1 Tsp oregano salt and pepper to taste ( I don't use any I find the parm salty enough and I forget about the pepper!!!) fresh herbs sprigs thyme oregano or rosemary Preheat oven to 375. Follow package instructions to thaw phyllo. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on baking sheet, brush with butter and sprinkle with 1 TBSP of the parmesan cheese. Repeat until all layers are used. Press down firmly so layers stick together. Sprinkle top sheet with mozzarella. Place onions on top then place tomatoes on top. Season with oregano. Bake for 20-25 minutes until edges are golden, and the bottom is cooked. Decorate with fresh herbs and cut into squares (squares can be cut in half to make two bite triangles) Notes: I slice the onions and then cut the circles in half to arrange on top. I also try and line the tomatoes up in a diagonal pattern, I don't place them randomly, and then when I cut it I cut the squares so each piece has 1 roma slice. I also don't measure anything anymore I just sprinkle the cheese. I use rosemary but I cut the leaves off the stems. I've often cooked it with the rosemary on it. I also line my baking sheet with parchment paper. These are very good and I like them becasue don't require deep frying which not something I want to be doing when I have company. Spring Rolls - Rachel Ray Via Woodie 1 Tbl vegetable oil or olive oil 1/2 red bell pepper chopped fine 2 stalks celery from the heart chopped fine 6 water chestnuts chopped fine 1/2 small onion chopped fine 1/4 Cup fresh bean sprouts a handful, chopped 2 6-ounce) cans lump crab meat drained flaked - or -12 Oz Cooked chicken 2 Tbl dark soy such as Tamari 1/2 Tsp dried thyme leaves eyeball it 4 (13 by 17-inch) sheets defrosted phyllo dough 3 Tbl melted butter Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add oil to a preheated skillet over medium to medium high heat. Saute pepper, celery, water chestnuts, onion 2 to 3 minutes. Veggies should still have a little crunch. Transfer to a bowl.Add bean spouts, crab, soy and thyme. Combine well with a spoon. Paint half of a sheet of phyllo dough with melted butter and fold sheet in half. Pile a few spoonfuls of filling 2 inches from the bottom of sheet and leaving 2 inches at either side of sheet. Fold bottom flap up and side edges in, then roll up and over until you reach the top of the sheet. Your pastry will look like a spring roll. Touch the edges and sides of your roll with melted butter and place roll seam side down on a pastry sheet Repeat with the remaining sheets of phyllo dough. Bake in the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden all over. Very tasty and company worthy. Chicken Strudel (Lori) 8 oz mushrooms sliced 3 chicken breast halves boned,skinned and thinly sliced 3/4 c water 1/2 t salt pinch of pepper 1/2 bay leaf 2 T minced onions 1/4 c vermouth or dry white wine 4 T butter 1/3 c flour 1/4 c milk 2 egg yolks 1/2 c whipping cream 1/2 c grated Swiss cheese 1 T pimiento 1/4 c chopped parsley 1/2 lb phyllo dough leaves 1/2 c butter,melted 1/2 c dry bread crumbs In a saucepan, place mushrooms, chicken, water, salt, pepper, bay leaf and onions. Bring to a boil, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms and meat with a slotted spoon and place in bowl. Boil down the cooking liquid to 1/2 cup. Remove from heat, add wine, and set aside. In a separate saucepan, melt butter, add flour, and stir constantly over medium heat for 2 minutes. Slowly add cooking liquid and milk;stir with a wire whisk until thick and smooth. Remove from heat. Slowly stir in egg yolks, whipping cream and cheese. Add chopped pimiento and parsley. Then add chicken and mushrooms, stir well and correct seasoning. On a dry kitchen towel, lay 1 phyllo sheet, brush lightly with melted butter, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs, top with another phyllo sheet, brush again with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Repeat until 1/2 pound phyllo leaves are used.~ Pour chicken mixture in a band lengthwise down center of prepared phyllo sheets. Roll sheets up as you would a jelly roll. Carefully transfer roll to a greased baking sheet, seam side down, and brush top with remaining melted butter. With a sharp knife (a bread knife works well here) divide roll into 6 or 8 portions*, cutting halfway to two- thirds through the roll. Bake at 375 F. for 35 minutes until golden. *I usually get about 10 generous slices out of each roll. If I'm having several people over for brunch, I make 2 or 3. I'd probably double the recipe and make 2 for your party. Also, I make this up the night before I'm serving it. I cover it well(on the baking sheet) with plastic wrap, and then put a slightly damp towel over that. Then just bake as recipe instructs. It's wonderful! Lori This is similar to Katie's but I do find they puff up better if you chi8ll the slices before putting in the oven. Palmiers With Honey Mustard And Prosciutto (Craftyrn) 1 sheet puff pastry -- 18 x 11" 3 Tbl honey mustard 4 Ounces prosciutto -- thinly sliced 1 Cup Parmesan cheese -- freshly grated 1 egg 2 Tsp water Place the puff pastry on a work surface and spread the mustard over the top. Arrange the prosciutto evenly over the mustard to cover all the pastry, andthen sprinkle with the Parmesan. Lightly press the cheese into the prosciutto with a rolling pin. starting at one long edge, roll up the puff pastry like a jelly roll just to the middle of the dough; then roll up the other side in the same fashion,making two rolls that meet in the center. Using a serrated knife, cut the rolls crosswise into 1/2" slices. Place the slices on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and press lightly with your hands to flatten Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl. Brush the top of each palmier with the egg wash. Bake until puffed and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Servings: 20 on