The spots did start as black & faded to the brown, so maybe it is a sunburn! PHEW! That's a relief! This is my 3rd rescue orchid, by far the most healthy of the 3. The first 2 I attempted to save were damaged by being left out in the snow a few years back & Lowes sold them for dirt cheap, so I tried, but they were both too far gone to save. Frozen leaves & roots, when I repotted those 2, I had to take off probably 90% of the roots that were mushy & black, which is why I think they died on me. When I repotted this one, I only had to remove 3 dead roots & about 95% of the roots were green or white, nice & firm, so this one seems to be really healthy. I really want this one to work out! So far, it seems to be happy in its new brighter north window without any sunlight directly touching its leaves. I'm going to leave it there, continue with my normal care routine, & hope for the best. Guess maybe I'll quit misting the leaves & just mist the roots through the slots in the pot. Thanks for your help, Bob! And thanks for noticing my Betty Boop hat rack, LOL. I have a whole Betty Boop collection, that particular doll is an antique from back in the 1940s, handed down to me!

If I can say this without bragging... the best brisket I have ever eaten. I made a paste from 1 large onion, 8 garlic cloves, lemon juice and some other spices and put this mixture all over the brisket which I then wrapped in plastic and refridgerated for 2 days. Friday evening I removed from fridge, brought to room temp and placed in 200° smoker. I allowed it to cook for 1.5 hrs and then began mopping with a sauce I made from lemon juice, water, butter and other seasonings every 45 minutes and flipping over. 12 hours later and 30 minutes prior to completion I mopped with a finishing sauce I created as well. I had 12 people at my house who all said they had never eaten a brisket that tender or tasty. Needless to say I was a wee bit proud;-) It was a long night out there on the patio with an alarm clock and only occasional 10 minute dozes here and there but it was well worth it the next morning when I sampled the first piece. By the way I used mesquite chunks the entire smoke and contrary to popular belief it was not bitter in the least. In fact I have never had bitter smoke flavor on my meat and I attribute this to full open inlet and exhaust every time I smoke.

Don't need to raise the temperature and probably won't take any longer than my two 6-pound briskets cooked at the same time in one pot. I might cut it in half to facilitate browning and cook according to recipe. A touch more liquid would be in order as mentioned. Brisket will dry out if the connective tissue is over-cooked too long or too high a temperature. If fork-tender, it is done. I cook mine at 300

Who knew that brisket, of all things, could make people fight? At our house, a big brisket meal makes us pretty mellow. We even have a song that goes, "Oh, it's good to be a dog on yontif,* 'cause on yontif, a dog gets brisket." * Yiddish for holiday I'm not a food scientist or a chef or a cookbook writer or anything else special, food-wise. But I am a genuine Jewish mother. And I figure it's about time that one waded into this. I've made a lot of briskets. Very many briskets. And I've eaten many many many briskets, cooked all different ways, including smoked brisket, which was indeed very good. But that doesn't mean it's always the flavor you are going for, even if it were possible to say that it's somehow objectively superior to braising or roasting. To me, that argument is as silly as trying to prove that fried chicken is definitively, universally, always better than oven-roasted. Anyway, even if I do think one way is better, sometimes I don't want it to taste "better," I want it to taste like "home." I've always made mine in the oven, sometimes starting it on the cooktop. Here are two recipes we like a lot, one simple and old-fashioned and using onion soup and jam, one more fancy. We never get any complaints, and, the song notwithstanding, there isn't always any left for the dog. Brisket 5-10 lb. Brisket 2 8-oz. Jars apricot preserves 2 packets dried onion soup 2 T ginger salt, pepper, and garlic powder Mix jam, soup mix, and ginger in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup water. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the brisket and pour garlic powder on it. Rub sauce mixture all over roasting pan and brisket. Cover tightly and bake 350 for 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours. Remove from pan and slice. Spoon some of the gravy over it. Cover again and bake another 30 minutes before serving. *** BEEF BRISKET WITH MERLOT AND PRUNES 1 4-to 4 1/2-pound flat-cut (also called first-cut) beef brisket, trimmed of most fat 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted) 1 cup Merlot or other dry red wine 2 pounds onions, sliced 4 medium carrots, peeled, thinly sliced 16 garlic cloves, peeled 1 1/2 cups pitted large prunes (about 8 ounces) 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon prune juice 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325 F. Pat brisket dry; sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy extra-large skillet over high heat. Add brisket and cook until deep brown, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer brisket, fat side up, to large roasting pan. Add tomatoes with juice and wine to skillet. Remove from heat, scrape up any browned bits, and pour mixture over brisket. Distribute onions, carrots, and garlic around brisket. Add prunes and thyme; drizzle with 1/2 cup prune juice and 3 tablespoons vinegar. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place pan over 2 burners and bring to boil. Cover pan with heavy-duty foil; place in oven. Braise brisket until tender, about 3 hours 15 minutes. Uncover and cool 1 hour at room temperature. Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with foil and chill. Bring just to simmer over 2 burners before continuing. Remove brisket from roasting pan, scraping off juices. Place on work surface; cut across grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Spoon off fat from top of pan juices. Place 1 cup vegetables (no prunes) and 1 cup braising liquid from pan into processor and puree. Return puree to pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon prune juice and 1 teaspoon vinegar to pan. Heat sauce; season with salt and pepper. Overlap brisket slices in 13x9x2- inch glass baking dish. Pour sauce over brisket, separating slices to allow some sauce to flow between. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm brisket, covered, in 350 F oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle brisket with parsley; serve.