I have a recipe for a cheese dip that while it won't keep forever, it will keep for a little while. But with a tea light candle as Linda suggests, and occasional stirring, it should keep even longer. 8 oz cream cheese 8 oz shredded cheddar or jack 8 oz salsa Throw it all in a saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, till thoroughly melted and combined.

The box or instructions should have a date?? Maybe even the bottom of the unit?? Much cooler looking than your words described. Sooooo jealous. I never "got" the fondue thing much but my dh loves it. He is 6.5yrs older than me so I think he enjoyed more in his youth than I did. He got me a really nice one and we used it once. It has a bunch of little cups around it for toppings and cubed stuff. Hmmm now I am hungry again. As for Goodwill, you are better off shopping in nicer neighborhoods to get good stuff. Here in Sacto area there are plenty of dives. The one Golddust went to is in nice area but stuff is so so. I remember when I lived in Atlanta when dh was in school I went to yard sales and thrift stores in the really ritzy neighborhoods. Got amazing deals. I think my best score ever was the 1941 Oneida King Arthur silverplate silverware I picked up at a junky antique store back in 1985. Service for 8 in original box. Everything was half off so I paid about $20. The entire set is worth over $1500 and pieces are hard to find so a serving piece can run over $40 IF replacements unlimited has one. The pieces are hard to find because they stopped making it because of WW2. When I divorced my practice husband that set was only thing I made sure judge gave me out of all our belongings. He never cared about it anyway, it was my special find and I treasure it. Gold, now you got me itching to go thrifting. And yes Fly, where is the quilt?

oohh. Love those. I like the orange. It is the new 'black' in NYC right now, haha. My kitchen is void of color except for seasonal changes...just got some orange towels. Never had a fondue pot but made my own version out of an italian expresso coffee can for BagnaCauda...a big hit at my holiday party. Keeping it warm is important as the dip is much thinner and slips right off the veggies for just the right amount of flavor...Having three warm dipping choices would be so cool. I'm jealous of your score. I've only made the traditional one with olive oil but this one with cream looks good... (The sterno things are safe. It is basically a denatured alcohol that is gelled. Burns very clean. Much cleaner than a candle.) Here is a link that might be useful: BagnaCauda

Here is the recipe I use and we love it. I make it two or three times a winter. Cheese Fondue 2 Tbl cornstarch or potato flour 1/4 Cup kirsch (cherry brandy) 1 Clove garlic 1 1/2 Cup dry, white wine 12 ounces shredded Emmentaler cheese 12 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese 1/4 Tsp white pepper 1/4 Tsp nutmeg Combine the cornstarch and kirsch. Set aside. Slice the garlic in half lengthwise and rub the cut side over the inside of a medium, heavy saucepan. Discard the garlic. Pour the wine into the saucepan and bring it to a boil over a medium-high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to low. Add the cheese to the wine by handfuls and stir slowly until the cheese is just melted. (Stirring in a figure-8 or zigzag motion prevents the cheese from clumping.) Stir in the cornstarch mixture, pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer for two or three minutes until it begins to thicken, but do not let it boil. Transfer to a warmed ceramic fondue pot and serve immediately. Keep warm over a very low flame. This original/traditional cheese fondue recipe is still best served with the original dipper; serve with 2 to 3 loaves of crusty French bread, cut into 1 cubes. Serves 6. Note: Although it only calls for bread as a dipper we also enjoy, parboiled or steamed broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus and mini potatoes....but the bread is my favourite!