How hot is ''super-hot'' and ''too hot to touch''? It takes about 130F to 160F to get a third-degree burn on skin. At 160F it happens almost immediately. At 130F it takes longer, maybe a minute. Therefore, we (humans) are designed to feel that something is ''too hot to touch'' when it is around 120F. Solid wood (not wood dust or shavings) ignites at 450F to 500F. That's an approximate number, the exact temperature depends on the type of wood, how the test is done, how the temp is measured, etc. So if your range's exterior stays below, let's say, 300F, that would seem safe, especially since your range isn't touching the wall. Too see how hot that is, consider for deep-frying you usually have oil at 350-385F. When you cook with a frying pan, the surface of the pan is typically somewhere between 250F (med-low heat) and 400F (your oil is smoking/scorching). So, an oven that was ''too hot to touch'' wouldn't make me worried about a fire hazard. If touching the oven sears your hand like bacon, then that would be worrisome. But since you've touched it and aren't all bandaged up (I assume), it probably isn't that hot. You can get an infra-red thermometer at Home Depot or similar for about $50, and test all this stuff - your range, your frying pan, etc. Then you can be sure to never burn a pancake again. It's also sort of interesting to see how well your walls and windows are insulated, or not.

See link below on some tips to lose weight, from Chi, originally posted in cooking forum. Also appreciate JohnLiu's honesty & humor. Below link also has pics. of portion-sizes: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3579603/12-29-15-foods-to-lose-weight-daily-journal-toward-health-and-joy?n=21 WebMD on foods that help with weight loss: http://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/9-foods-to-help-you-lose-weight?page=2 Eggs and Sausage A protein-rich breakfast may help you resist snack attacks throughout the day. Nuts Research shows that when people munch on nuts, they automatically eat less at later meals. Apples Whole fruit blunts appetite in a way that fruit juices and sauces don’t. One reason is that raw fruit has more fiber. Yogurt A Harvard study followed more than 120,000 people for a decade or longer. Yogurt, of all the foods that were tracked, was most closely linked to weight loss. Grapefruit Yes, grapefruit really can help you shed pounds, especially if you are at risk for diabetes. Researchers at Scripps Clinic in San Diego found that when obese people ate half a grapefruit before each meal, they dropped an average of 3 ½ pounds over 12 weeks. Drinking grapefruit juice had the same results. **** From Straw: Agree on eggs & I use sprouted & high protein Ezekiel bread. Agree on nuts and apple ... Sunflower seeds rank second to sesame seed in lowering cholesterol ... both are highest in plant sterols. Here's from ABC news: " A team of Japanese researchers split 210 overweight people into three groups. While everyone consumed a daily 7-ounce serving of fermented milk, two of the groups drank milk spiked with varying amounts of a probiotic called Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 which past research has tied to fat loss. After 12 weeks, people slugging the probiotic milk formulas dropped roughly 8 to 9 percent of their visceral fat." http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/probiotics-lose-weight/story?id=19607875 The below link offers clinical assessment of which yogurt is hype, and which probiotics is beneficial: http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/nah_probiotics.pdf For probiotics supplement which contains Acidophilus gasseri, Dr. Oz Show recommends Phillips Colon health. The year that I lost weight fast ... I had a tiny bit of Dannon yogurt for desert after every meal. A few days ago Google News had an article on how beneficial bacteria signal fullness so mice consume less per meal. Having yogurt AFTER meal makes sense, since the beneficial bacteria help to signal fullness. A few lean countries have a yogurt after meal. The timing of eating yogurt: right after meals matter more than the amount, See below WebMD info." A study published in the April 2005 International Journal of Obesity looked at obese adults who cut 500 calories a day while consuming three daily servings of low-fat yogurt. It found that they lost significant amounts of fat, especially around the waist, while maintaining lean muscle tissue. The three-yogurts-a-day group lost 22% more weight, 61% more body fat, and 81% more stomach fat than a comparison group who ate just one serving of yogurt daily. http://www.webmd.com/diet/french-womens-diet-secret-yogurt Below are some cherry tomato from my garden. They freeze well, and are much sweeter than big tomato. They are fantastic in soups for the winter, or I put in Ramen noodles, with kale, or Nappa cabage & shrimp. What are your healthy recipes, tips to eat more produce, any recipes for raw salads? Thanks.

Our Christmas Eve dinner is the family get together on DH's side. We had it at his brother's house. I took a whole ham, studded with cloves and glazed (I get my hams from my butcher who wins prizes for his hams and they are soooo good). I also made the desserts- brownies for the chocolate fiend nephew, a coffee cheesecake, and meringue nests with lemon curd, whipped cream and raspberries. MIL brought her trifle, which I love because I love trifle and DH doesn't- this way I get trifle without having to make a whole one just for myself, and MIL likes to be able to contribute something. Hostess made nibblies to start. I have to say, I wasn't a fan of any as her cooking has increasingly become "healthy". She subs healthier ingredients and leaves out what she considers unhealthy, and the results are usually not great. (For other SIL's birthday on Boxing Day, she made a tiramisu with ricotta instead of mascarpone and no sugar, claiming that there was sweetness in the liqueur. There were no takers for the large amount of leftovers.) BIL's gf brought half peaches stuffed with ricotta and basil and wrapped in pancetta, broiled in the oven- these were great. Main course was turkey roasted by another SIL, with jus (DH commented afterwards that there was no gravy and I said, there was jus in a jar there- he thought it was ham jus), and the ham. Usually we have bread sauce with turkey but I guess SIL didn't feel like making it. We also usually have carrots, brussels sprouts and roasted potatoes but this year the hostess made her strange but OK Czech potato salad (no discernible dressing and includes chunks of carrots, peas and I think pickles), a nice grilled corn, avocado and tomato salad and a green salad. Nephew of the SIL who brought the turkey and his wife brought a large container of cooked jumbo shrimp. The company was convivial and a good time was had by all. Other SIL and I both brought a bunch of plastic takeaway boxes so we could divvy up the leftovers and everyone went home with their favourites.

So, continuing with this meandering mumble, a dear friend visited last night. Yes, the first house guest we have had in over a year! Everyone is fully vaccinated (well, I have had one shot) and very careful so we decided to take this little step toward normalcy. Over dinner - pork ribs (pressure cooked in miso then broiled and sauced with sort-of-teriyaki), dry cooked green beans (parboiled then wok-cooked), green salad (with lightly sugared apple slices and apple cider-dijon mustard vinaigrette) we discussed my plan. My 3 to 5 Year Plan, as grandiose as that sounds - it’s like I’m the Politburo! - is, basically: 1. Buy a vacation place in Port Townsend WA. Start spending lots of time there. Assuming that nearly-living there for a year or two agrees with us, then 2. Move legal residence to P.T. (there are, ahem, tax reasons to do that). Keep current Portland house and spend a few months a year here, since my friends are here and it’s only a 4 hour drive. 3. Work from P.T., which basically means a home office and a fast internet connection. Keep some sort of Portland workspace (could be a co-working sort of place, where you call and reserve a desk when you need it), since the guy I plan to collaborate with on a biz project is here. 4. Start a jazz club in P.T. (as my side venture, not my day job!) The town’s jazz club closed due to a dispute with the landlord. There is an annual Port Townsend Jazz Festival, but a lack of good venues. My friend - who was visiting from P.T. - started the town’s radio station, and said I could get a jazz show on it, if I want to try my hand at D.J.’ing (not sure I do). I think/hope this is doable over the next five years. Or three. I’m excited! I’ll be in my early sixties by then, likely pretty ready for a change of scenery and less of the hustle-honk of city life.