Loved your story, heaven! I'm sure your guys got a huge kick out of that. :) Here's a good basic marinade that you can fiddle with in a lot of different ways. STEAK MARINADE 1 T. oil 1 T. worcestershire sauce 1 T. soy sauce 1 T. balsamic vinegar (or you can change it up by using different types) 1 tsp. mustard (yellow, dijon, whatever you prefer) minced garlic (I add 1 clove, but we're not garlic fiends) salt, to taste (we think it's plenty salty enough because of the soy sauce so I don't add extra) freshly-ground black pepper, to taste If you're rushed for time or just feeling lazy, you can substitute a commercial garlic pepper blend for the fresh garlic and pepper. Or, as someone else mentioned, use the Montreal Steak Seasoning. Very good stuff. About cooking in the marinade... Most of them aren't suitable for that and are meant to be discarded once you're ready to pan-fry or broil the meat. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong about this, but unless there are specific instructions in the recipe to baste with the marinade as it cooks or for making a sauce of it, you need to pour it down the drain instead of into the skillet. :) sm

The difficult thing about ranges is that there's no one perfect solution. If you're wanting French/trad style (Lacanche, Cornue or Berta Heritage) you get ample power on top but smaller ovens; some not lighted. Then there's the all gas option where the Wolf, Blue Star and lately Capital Culinarian come in. Those have the larger ovens and power on top. Most refined are the pro-style dual fuel (which as mtn points out you can get on the French-style ranges) and there Wolf seems hard to touch. In this area though, you pay for style and the combi fuel. Price points on those is way beyond something like the Berta, which is a basic range with electric ignition. The big advantage on Wolf dual fuel is the digital oven readout and they are great ovens. Now if you live in a place with a lot of power outages (I do) that can be an issue. Bottom line: you pay quite directly for your features on a range so determining priorities can be really helpful. One question to ask yourself: Are you a top cook or an oven cook? Many people want high powered ranges for wok and browning. Some want giganto ovens that hold a full sheet pan. With me, just as a f.ex., I don't care about maximum power on top as I don't use the wok. I don't saute very much (unless I'm making cassoulet or a stew in the winter). I use my bbq a lot. I'm an oven cook who usually roasts and uses the oven for for many things folks do on top of the stove (rice, veggies). I use an electric steamer. But I want a precise (electric) oven because I bake a lot -- breads, pastry. So for me, the ideal solution would be a dual fuel range. Having had a rotisserie, I'd want one etc. People buy ranges with features they never use all the time. Good intentions, aspirations, whatever. That's fine and why not. But it's a bear to get a range that gives you something you don't need vs what you do -- why the analysis is useful.

I should doubtless read through the comments on this thread carefully before adding anything, but am in a hurry,so excuse my eventual impertinence, please. Just want to say that I've heard that Beales' "Mons. Tillier" is Marie Nabonnand (just never got big enough to actually climb in his climate) . I have both Marie Nab. and Archiduc Joseph. Got the former from Le Rose di Piedimonte, the latter from Paola Lungaroni (ex-Walter Branchi). Marie N. is a vigorous climber,with flowers that look like the one in Marolena's photo (excellent spring flush, with consistent flowers afterward, though not like a flush,but my plants have very tough conditions). Flower colour is pretty consistent. My Archiduc J has very variable bloom colour. Shaped much like those of ozmelodye's photo (esp. the first two flowers),they are sometimes a very nice deep-pink-and-peachy sort of blend, at other times a much less pleasing (to me) ruddy orangey tone. One other thing.Perhaps this is due to a difference in American English versus British English, but to me, as an American, I would say that roses don't have "tap roots" at all! To me, a "tap root" is like the root of a carrot or a dandelion : a big, thick, single thing that goes deep into the soil, and has little hairs coming off it...

Both but there are only a couple of places I will order steak when eating out. Usually I cook it at home.....or, uncook it actually. I want it extra, extra rare. Cold in the middle. I would rather eat cardboard than a well done steak. I also don't want it warm in the middle. I eat steak a lot, but mostly at home. The way I cook it, is rub sr flour on it...not enough to consider it breaded...put it in a hot skillet for about a minute, just a dab of oil...not more than a tablespoon, just so it doesn't stick. Turn it. One more minute or there about....done.