I feel like I've been a bad Idyller. I have been reading, but everytime I want to post, something comes up. I don't know if I will comment on all that I have thought to say in the past few days! I am excited that the ball is rolling on IU5. I am also planning my trip to TN to see a friend, and introduce a friend to TN for the first time. I have a "girls" weekend planned at the end of May in Maine - we'll be 5 moms with no strings, very fun. I also have a Tower Hill plant sale and nursery trip with NE Idyllers to look forward to, and possibly a trip to Garden in the Woods (I will send a "still interested?" email). I feel like my dance card is filling up. I have been busy in my neighbor's garden. I love to give her garden it's spring spruce up. We go to the wholesaler on Friday and this is a treat for me. It's fun to see the big operation and load her truck full of plants. Planting will begin next week. My garden is still in it's planning stages, but we are planning to work on the bones this weekend. Sadly, the 100 y.o. maple in the backyard is dead (they ran over the roots to hook up to the sewage before I moved in)...it's getting removed along with some other large "bones." Nick has lush green grass planned for the back and I have it bordered with beds (in my head :) I feel inspired this year. PM, I loved your synopsis of last year at this time. Maybe you could give us a run down next April, too :) Deanne, you always make a statement! I love your containers....gorgeous. I thought you built cages for your plants a couple of years ago....am I thinking of someone else? The devastation is hard to imagine, but I know you will come up with something fabulous to take it's place :) Wish I could've seen Woody's feast! I do enjoy your cooking escapades. I think the chickpea cakes sound wonderful and will try them! I am especially interested in the onion trick. I still have not made it to the shower today. Everytime I tried to, someone needed a ride or a meal. I am off for hot suds and then I'm sitting on my sofa with my blanket and watching last night's episode of The Riches. I like my t.v. serials, and none of you Idylls will convince me otherwise! Luckily I don't have kids who are glued to the tube and don't really worry about it like I think some people should :) The street sweeper finally came and did a really bad job in front of my house. I ended up sweeping it myself and throwing it in the garbage....I wait all year for the one day when the sweeper comes..... TTYL... Saucy

I can now add 7 pints of busylizzy's 10 day pickles with cinnamon and cloves. I still have several jars of last year's sweet pickle chunks, and although I love them, I have enough to last until next summer, so I tried Liz' recipe. They are very good and very sweet and very spicy, like candied cucumbers, how can that be bad? I finally got 13 pints of "sissy" salsa canned, I like it mild. Elery will be home tonight so we'll probably get in a double batch of the flaming hot stuff for him in the next couple of days. The chicken stock is still in the fridge, it wasn't as reduced as I like it when I got home so it got four more hours in the roaster, then hit the fridge about 11 pm. I'll skim the fat tonight and pressure can it. Since I had some extra time, LOL, I made two sugar free rhubarb pies, does that count? My BIL is diabetic and it's his birthday, and he loves rhubarb pie. I find that the rhubarb really overwhelms the artificial sweetener flavor and is almost unnoticeable, so that's good. I'm a little less certain about the white wheat flour that I made the crust from, but I'm trying to make it as healthy for him as I can. So after the flaming hot salsa is done, what's next? Either plain canned tomatoes or beets. One batch of pickled and the rest just plain I guess. Unless anyone has a good unique recipe for canned beets? Annie

Annie if you used the white asparagus, you could make the salad with colored pasta! I think the key is to have more crunchy than mushy ingredients. Like if you use canned asparagus, then use fresh lightly steamed peas, frozen artichoke hearts instead of marinated, and add carrots or green pepper for more crunch. On the other hand, if you use fresh asparagus and peas, then use marinated mushrooms and artichokes. You could also use lightly steamed fresh green beans instead of asparagus I think.

I also agree that a 5-7 timeframe would need heavier foods as it would be around suppertime and some/many would not have eaten their evening meal before that time. So, possibilities? Gougeres, cheese straws, cheese thumbprints filled with hot pepper jelly, hot cheese and artichoke dip, spinach dip, Teresa's cheeseball or pimento cheese suggestion. A bit heavier would be sweet potato biscuits with a sliver of honey/glazed ham, rye puffs filled with cream cheese and corned beef, like a Rueben, small dinner rolls or croissants with chicken, turkey, chicken salad, ham, thin slices of roast beef. Desserts could be Christmas cookies, of course, or fudge, some "bark", which is fast and easy, truffles or peanut butter balls, bundt cake, mini cupcakes, brownies, pecan pie bars. I think bars would be faster and more efficient than something like rolled out sugar cookies or frosted and decorated types, so you could have a good assortment with less time spent. Refrigerator type cookies are good too, the kind you make ahead of time and then freeze or refrigerator, then slice and bake fresh when they are needed. You could even serve a crockpot of some type of soup or chili, if you are adventurous, with cups and spoons instead of bowls, so people could eat standing up or walking about. Have fun, it sounds like a very nice idea. Annie