good morning everyone. dizz, thos colored chickens are too cute. strange, but... remy, the show sounds wonderful. i by-passed the philadelphia show this year, it's getting too big and too vendorized and not enough for the home gardener anymore. i like the smaller venues. sad about the batteries, but i know that feeling. i love delph's - i don't grow enough of them, need to add more. we are having sleet/snow/hail today. for the last two days, you didn't need a jacket and short sleeves were had by most! i did a little clean up and got some areas ready for plants that i have and now today - just nuts! we do a easter egg hunt at church, but use those plastic guys filled with jelly beans. (every year the same sour sap protests the jelly beans because they can become lodged in a kid's throat - every year no one has a problem and every year sh'e shot down). we must stuff a few thousand eggs. we have a little party and always a clown or a magician. it's so much fun for the kids. never fails too, the weather is always iffy. only once in the last 10 years we had to do it inside. dizz, i looked up a few of them, but not sure what you are looking for. tough contests! off to do some baking. my mom's birthday celebration this weekend. be well maryanne

I just saw this recipe on Tasty Kitchen--a Pioneer Woman's recipe web site. I have no intentions of making these, just thought I'd share. Seems like a lot of work to go through to have a major heart attack! BACON SALTED CARAMEL BROWNIES Â2 slices Bacon ½ cups Heavy Cream Â2 cups Sugar, Divided Â14 Tablespoons Salted Butter, Divided Â6 ounces, weight Chocolate Chips ¼ cups Dutch Process Cocoa Powder Â3 whole Eggs Â2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract Â1 cup Flour Preparation Instructions In a small saucepan, fry two slices of bacon until crisp (I find itÂs easiest to do this when the bacon is cut in half). Remove the bacon and set aside, reserving the bacon grease in the pan. Add cream to the hot pan and let cool. When bacon is cool, crumble or chop finely. In a larger pan, heat 1 cup of the sugar over high heat until the mixture is liquid and a deep amber color (watch it carefully toward the end to make sure it doesnÂt burn). When the sugar is perfectly caramel-colored, all at once add 6 tablespoons of the butter and the cooled bacon cream, and stir until the butter is melted (the mixture will foam up when you add the cream; thatÂs why a larger pan is essential). Add the chopped bacon and let the mixture cool thoroughly. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square pan with two sheets of aluminum foil that cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Grease the foil with butter or a little BakerÂs Joy. In a large microwaveable bowl, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the chocolate together in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds, and stir thoroughly, then microwave for 10 seconds at a time, stirring between each bout of nuking, until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the butter. (You can also melt them together over the stove.) Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth, then add in the eggs, one at a time, and the remaining 1 cup sugar, vanilla and finally the flour. Stir only until combined. Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan. Then drop about a third of the bacon caramel, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter in the pan. It doesnÂt have to cover the whole batter, but should be in splotches. Spread the remaining brownie batter over the top, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining caramel sauce over the top of the brownies and swirl. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, but err on the side of underbaking. Remove from the oven and cool completely. The caramel will be pretty gooey still, so you might want to wait to cut these until just prior to serving, and/or store in the refrigerator. Cut into small pieces and enjoy the gooey, salted caramel bacon goodness.

Ann, try saving it to your Clippings. Look to the right of your last post (just above this). You will see the word Clippings in green letters. Under that it will say Clip This Post. For each recipe or comment you want to save, click on Clip This Post. Another way to do it is to highlight the entire thread, or the parts you want, right click with your mouse and then click on Copy. Start a new document in Word and paste the thread into that document, then save it to your computer. If you want me to do that for you and then email it to you, let me know.

For most people, this time of the year means BBQ, (except for here where we seem to have nothing but cold and rain), so here's something for the Barbeque that is really easy and delish! (from Webers Big Book of Grilling) Saffron Orange Rotisserie Chicken Marinade: 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp coarsley ground white peppercorns, (I just used black) Grated zest from two oranges 2 tsps minced garlic 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary 1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme 1/4 tsp saffron threads 1 whole chicken 4-5 lbs 1 whole orange, washed 1 bay leaf juice from 2 oranges kosher salt In small bowl whisk together oil, peppercorns, zest, garlic,rosemary, thyme and saffron. Remove and discard the neck, giblets, wing tips and any excess fat. Rinse chicken well inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the marinade all over the inside and outside of the the chicken. Place the whole orange,(I pierced mine a few times with a skewer), and bay leaf in the chicken cavity and truss with cotton string or metal skewers. Place the chicken in large resealable bag and pour in the orange juice. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the juice, and place in a bowl and refridgerate for 8-24 hours, turning occasionally. Remove chicken from the bag and discard the juice. Season chicken with salt. Center lengthwise on the spit, running the skewer through the orange, and let the chicken rotate over direct medium heat until juices run clear and internal temp reaches 170F in the breast and 180F in thickest part of thigh, about 1 1/2 hours. Turn off BBQ and remove spit from the grill. Slice the chicken from the spit onto a cutting board and cover loosely with foil and let rest for ten minutes. Remove trussing, orange and bay leaf, cut into serving pieces and serve warm. Note: this can also be cooked over indirect heat, and a little rum can be added to the marinade to give it a little boost. Shelley