You say you are planning on buying a house. You do not even have a place to go yet. *Do not* give any kind of formal written notice until you are SURE you will be moving. I had a friend who politely gave four months notice to the landlord when only 30 days was required. Her plans to marry fell through, and when when she politely informed her landlord that "She would be staying after all", she was told "Too bad", her apartment was already rented and she had to find a new place to live. She thought she could recind her written notice to vacate because she gave them four months notice, like as if they were still going to wait until the last 30 days came up and then try to rent it out. If you give your written notice early, you are still committed to it and it may not be in your best interest in the long run. Giving written notice to vacate will NEGATE YOUR OPTION TO AUTOMATICALLY GO ON A MONTH TO MONTH BASIS! If it is written in your lease that it automatically goes on a month to month basis when the current lease expires, you would have forfitted this option by giving written notice to vacate at the end of the lease. A written notice to vacate, is just that - a notice to vacate. It's not a notice to leave your landlord hanging wondering if you are really serious about moving, and have them keep the apartment vacant just in case you change your mind at the last minute. When July rolls around there may be a new tenant ready to move in on the first, OR maybe there are contractors scheduled to come in to do refurbishing work. You can't just decide that you now want to go on a month to month. You could have a talk with your landlord and tell them that you are 'planning on buying a house' and assure them that you will give the required three month witten notice, per lease, when the time comes around, but DO NOT give formal written notice until you are sure you have a place to go. Does your lease go automatically to, month to month, when it ends, or is there a clause saying you must sign a new lease? Letting the lease end, and going on a month to month, would be your best option - if available. This maybe could be negotiated with your landlord AHEAD OF TIME if your lease says you must sign a new, year long lease when the current one ends. Get it in writing though. If somehow your plans to move fall through, and the apartment is not rented or scheduled for renovations, the landlord may let you stay but do not count on it as an option. The landlord does not legally have to change things on a whim for you, nor is he likely to set himself up for legal repercussions by not honoring the lease with the next new tenant or being sued by contractors who have been scheduled to do work on a certain day.

Not too early at all! We started with a floor plan Jan 2008, and made many, many changes to it with the builder's designer (a very patient guy!!). Everytime we made changes, we kind of sat with the changes for a few weeks and 'lived' in the house on paper (if that makes sense). We found that having the time helped us greatly to think everything single detail out. We also made selections for fixtures, flooring, cabinets, and got price quotes from various sources. Only then (in November) did we sign a formal contract. With our current home which we also custom built, we signed a contract too quickly and then once the build started, we incurred numerous costly change orders. We did not realize that we had signed on a very low bid for the home, with inadequate allowances for almost everything. This time, we were well armed with what it would actually cost for all items. That way, we could discuss/negotiate with the builder before we signed on a realistic price for the home. So far, (we broke ground in nov.), there have been no plan changes or other finish changes (that would constitute a change order plus upcharge). So, spend the time....if the builder truly wants your business, he should be more than willing to be patient with you. And only after you are 100 % happy with the floor plan and all the various selections should you send it out for bids. Good luck!

The salt in cheese will pull moisture out of the asparagus.....you may not be storing them long enough for that to be an issue....but I think that even 3 or 4 hours would make for some watery asparagus.....and consequently soggy phyllo. I think sandwiching the cheese would work.,....try it....how bad can it be? Linda C

I was intrigued, since that seems to be the universal description, so I ran it down. The All-Clad site even says "porcelain" but doesn't explain. A customer review on Cooking.com says "heavy, non-metal insert". Here's a description from Metrokitchen.com: With the All-Clad Copper-Core porcelain double boiler insert, you can melt chocolate or gently reheat foods with confidence. This duo features a 2 quart sauce pan made of five layers of metal, including a core, copper layer to generate optimum heat distribution and conductivity. The 1.5 quart insert has a porcelain base to be placed over gently simmering water. You'll gain optimal temperature control of delicate ingredients without the threat of scorching or burning foods. This set comes with two lids to fit each piece individually. The All-Clad Copper-Core porcelain double boiler insert includes the following items:* Exterior pot is a 2 quart All-Clad Copper Core sauce pot* Insert is white porcelain with a capacity of 1.5 quarts* The porcelain comes with a stainless ring that fits around it. This ring has a handle to make the insert easier and safer to remove from the exterior pot* All-Clad stainless lid* Fully-clad All-Clad Copper Core cookware is made in the USA. Lids are currently being made in Asia. AHA! Progress! Then I found a much better picture on good old Houzz: Here's another view from Jlhufford.com It's a porcelain bowl grafted onto an All-Clad pot handle! It's actually a pretty cool design. It gets to be their signature stainless steel, but still a perfectly non-reactive interior. They have a larger one that they say is non-reactive because it's 18/10 stainless, and that's sort of true, but the porcelain is better. :) The picture at Chef's Arsenal that confounded you is probably of that bigger insert. OTOH, the shape isn't the most convenient looking. I haven't found a picture of the interior, but, for whisking, a true bowl shape works better, and, especially, a wider opening so you have room to work sideways, rather than up and down. Pyrex, Duralex, Arc and Anchor Hocking all make appropriate glass bowls. :) They're often sold as cheap open stock at grocery stores that have housewares sections, and they also come in nesting sets. Very useful things to have around. I have the Arc set, an extra from the "Arcoroc" days that was my mothers (most useful size and most used) and an extra set of the four smallest. You could check the market for a good bowl to use as a double boiler. :)