The daffodils will bloom for you without chill. Go ahead and plant them. FYI all daffodils will not persist (come back year after year) in the deep south. There are those that will, but more that won't. So, depending on the varieties you bought, you may or may not see them after two to four years. Neverthless, you'll enjoy them for now and can do research in the meantime. Crocus tammasinianus will bloom and return for you. That is the kind that is commonly sold here, so with a bit of luck, you should be alright with that. The hyacinths, however, do need chill for 8 to 10 weeks in order to bloom. I understand about the space issue. By next year, I intend to have a little dorm fridge that I can run in the garage for the few weeks it takes to chill bulbs. I have been known to chill bulbs in the church refrigerator too, although this requires permission. :) If you want to learn more about bulb growing in the south, get your hands on Scott Ogden's Book, "Garden Bulbs for the South", which I discovered based on recommendations from others in this forum. Without a doubt, I have saved more than enough on bulbs that don't have a chance of thriving here than the cost of the book. And, my pleasure in bulb growing has multiplied tenfold. (I have Grand Soleil D'Or and Grand Primo Paperwhites in full bloom in my yard right now. It surely does brighten up January!)

Linda - The recipe is from the Philadelphia brand cream cheese cheesecake cookbook (one of my favorite cookbooks!) - crust: nuts, sugar, butter - filling: 4 packages cream cheese, sugar, flour, eggs, sour cream, cold water, instant coffee, cinnamon. Think it would freeze? I won't have a problem making this the day of the party, but I haven't tried this recipe before so didn't want to risk it not turning out good at the last minute. Would like to make early to taste it - but, alas, I don't need a whole cheesecake! ~ Thanks ~ Suzie

Lou we're off on a tangent here but my absolute to go to recipe for chocolate ice cream is from Cafe Pasqual's in Santa Fe. The cookbook is by Katherine Kagel but the recipe below is from epicurious. It's so good I make it anually for a friend as his birthday gift - his request. It's Mexican Chocolate Ice cream and it has pequins in it (YUMMMMM!!) I have a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker so not sure how it would work with the KA Here you go * 9 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate * 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped * 2 cups heavy cream * 1 cup milk * 6 large egg yolks * 1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar * 2 teaspoons cinnamon * 2 tablespoons Kahlú * 1/2 teaspoons crumbled pequín chilies* (wear rubber gloves) * 1/2 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted, cooled, and chopped * *available at some specialty stores Preparation In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt 6 ounces of the bittersweet chocolate, chopped, and the unsweetened chocolate, stirring until the mixture is smooth, and remove the bowl from the heat. In a heavy saucepan combine the cream and the milk and bring the mixture just to a boil. In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks and the brown sugar, add the cream mixture in a stream, whisking, and pour the mixture back into the pan. Cook the custard over moderately low heat, stirring, until it registers 170°F. on a candy thermometer, strain it through a fine sieve set over another bowl, and whisk in the melted chocolate, the cinnamon, and the Kahlúa. Let the mixture cool completely and freeze it in an ice-cream freezer according to the manufacturer's instructions, adding the remaining 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine, the crumbled chilies, and the almonds during the last few minutes of freezing time. Let me know if you need pequins. I can put some in the mail for you, that is if you can mail hazardous material ;-) I love Ghiardelli's bittersweet so always use that and Whole Foods has bulk unsweetened chocolate. It's made by one of the big companies but the name escapes me right now.

Homey - I almost never post on this forum but I'll help you out. Ricotta can make a great cheesecake. You can simply bake ricotta actually, and don't even call it a "cake". The texture will not be smooth like with Philadelphia Cream Cheese. You can use a crust that's kind of a pate sucree - mix together some butter, flour and sugar and add an egg or two. Can incorporate crushed nuts of some sort if you want. Bake it a bit before putting in the filling - many people don't do that but they should. Matter of fact, do that with the graham cracker crust too - if you put a wet filling on an unbaked crust, the crust will never quite cook right. But be careful - it will burn fast so watch it. When you're making a cheesecake, what you're really making is a custard. You thicken a custard with eggs. When the temp gets hot enough to change the proteins of the eggs, they solidify and that's why your custard hardens. Exactly the same thing you do with flan, etc. So when you cook it, don't leave it in the oven until it's completely done. Take it out or stop cooking it when the center is still kind of gooey - the internal temp of the custard will finish the cooking itself. If you cook until done completely, you'll end up with an overcooked cheesecake and it won't be smooth. You don't have to use Philadelphia cream cheese obviously, and the better the cheese, the better the finished product. You can actually make your own and it will be delicious. Get some good yogurt, or make your own yogurt, and strain it well. That's essentially cream cheese - the commercial version adds a lot of starch and stabilizers, but the original is very common in the Middle East, Greece, and France. Whatever you use, if you whip the batter and incorporate a lot of air, you'll end up with a kind of souffle that will rise and sink, so it's better to mix by hand or with minimal help from the food processor or whatever else you're using. As always, don't worry about specific measurements in your cooking. As a rule of thumb, if you use those 8 oz packages of cheese, use one egg per package and a tablespoon of sugar. If you like it sweeter, use a bit more sugar or honey or maple syrup or whatever. Also add a pinch of salt and maybe a few drops of vanilla. From there, you can go anywhere. When they're in season, I add blueberries or raspberries or strawberries, etc. Or peaches, which are wonderful. You can put in a food processor or put in chunks. For the holidays, add pumpkin - baked not canned because it's less watery, and add some cinnamon, cloves, ginger, etc. Or dice up a jalapeno really fine and incorporate that. Or burnt butter or a banana or melted chocolate or peanut butter. You don't need a "recipe" for any of those - just add what you feel will work. It's the ratio of liquid to egg and the cooking time that is going to make the difference in your final product. You don't need to add sour cream, and I wouldn't. Or you can make a savory cheesecake - forego the sugar and add chunks of blue cheese, mushrooms, herbs, or whatever. It's essentially a kind of quiche at that point. What you should NOT do is use condensed milk. That's way too sweet and has a grainy texture that's horrid. If you want something similar, make dulce de leche or confiture du lait - you can do it in a crock pot. Use about 1/2 cup of sugar for every 2 cups of milk and add about a quarter spoon of salt. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down way low and simmer until it's reduced to a fraction of what it was. You decide how thick you want it. Good luck and happy baking!