Here's the recipe I use for vinaigrette; it comes out so thick that it does not need to be shaken, and it does not separate when stored in the fridge: Herb Vinaigrette Salad Dressing This dressing must be made using fresh herbs only. Never substitute dried herbs here - omit any herbs if you do not have fresh. Ingredients 3 tbsp Dijon mustard 6 cloves garlic 1-2 shallots, depending on size (optional) 1/3 cup chopped fresh sweet basil 3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (stems removed) 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar, aged eight years, the best you can find 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar, medium quality 2 tbsp white Balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1-2 tbsp white wine vinegar 2 tsp salt 2-3 tsp freshly ground black pepper 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, or to taste Directions Peel and coarsely chop garlic, and shallots, if desired, and put into blender with the mustard and herbs. Pulse a few times to chop the garlic and herbs, and add vinegars, salt, and pepper. Blend until all ingredients are very finely chopped or pureed. Add the olive oil a bit at a time and blend until smooth. If possible, pour the olive oil through a small hole in the top of the blender while blending. Adjust vinegars, salt, pepper, and oil to taste, remembering that the flavor will change after the garlic and herbs have had time to marinate in the vinegar and oil. If desired, add 2-3 tsp of water to make the dressing a bit thinner and easier to pour. Store in a jar in the refrigerator. Keeps for at least two weeks, although the herb flavors will diminish over time. Yield: approx. 1-2/3 cups The aged Balsamic vinegar is thick, and this helps keep the dressing together, as does the mustard. If you do not have the thick, sweet Balsamic vinegar, you can substitute molasses for a similar effect; otherwise, you will need to add a bit of sweetener, such as honey or half a tsp of sugar. I posted this recipe because this is a good time of year for fresh herbs. I store it in a jar with a fairly large lid to make it easier to get out. Lars

I just have junk to deal with -- good thoughts and wishes to those with health problems! Magazines are not my issue. My town's yearly bulk pick up is next week and I've been cleaning out my garage, basement and attic. The basement is basically done except for about 50 cans of paint that have to be dried out and discarded. That's a project that will be on-going for awhile. Don't keep paint cans is my advice. Pour some into a small jar to keep and get rid of the can. If you need more than a touch-up, go buy a quart. I have a huge walk-up attic that has been a dumping ground for everything we have not wanted to deal with for years. I have been filling contractor bags with junk my kids brought home from college (youngest graduated 4 years ago!). I'm trying to recycle what I can, but I have reached the conclusion that I can't let that hold me up. And I have to go through everything - I found some gold earrings my daughter said she's been looking for and there are papers with SS#'s and other sensitive info. Whenever I've upgraded a lamp or a chair the old one has gone to the attic for the kid's apartments. Guess what - they don't want my old stuff! I have a charity picking up anything worthwhile. It's gotten to the point that I have run out of room to sort things around the piles that have to go out. I've hired a few young men to help me get it all to the curb this weekend. I can't wait to see how much space is left. Another purge will have to happen before it's really cleared out, I'm sure. You would not believe the electronic equipment that needs to be disposed of - who has 7 turntables? ME! The garage is a whole other problem. There are cabinets that are filled with half-empty cans of solvents and stuff like that. I have to box it up to wait for the toxic chemical dump day. The cabinets are going on the curb. I think that cabinets in the garage are a bad idea - the more storage you have, the more junk you keep. My DH used to work in a hardware store so we have discontinued displays of entry sets, doorknobs, and towel bars, plus coffee cans filled with every size screw and nail. That's all going to a Habitat-type organization near me. It takes a lot of effort to keep stuff out of landfills, but I'm trying.

Wow! That's beautiful, Squirrlley! Love the colors...and the pattern! I've been collecting mosaic table top pictures, too. Hope to get to making a small table soon. Kelly: Those 27 years will FLY by!!! Especially during the summers! :) I retired after 23 years teaching... but decided to go back. Am working on a 2nd retirement. Hmmmm... but now that I'm REALLY having fun with the mosaics.. might want to stop earlier. OH... forgot about the $$$ involved. Oh well!!! :) Meanwhile... went to my favorite little TS yesterday... bought a couple of plates to crack... but on the way out saw an OLD skateboard. It was a $1.00. So... I grabbed it up, paid, and put it with the TBM stuff. My daughter's almost step-son is an avid skate boarder so I'm planning to mosaic it for him for Christmas. More added to the list! Katie

Re: sous vide. I love sous vide. I rigged up my own sous vide contraption using a temperature controller and a crock pot. Marcolo, the point isn't so much that the dishes will be more tender than conventional. Instead, sous vide has two and a half strong points. The first is cooking things like lamb shanks or short ribs, as you point out, but keeping them from getting overcooked while at the same time getting them tender. (You can have a tender short rib done medium rare, still showing pink. Yum.) The second strong point is cooking, say, a rare steak. You can cook it entirely rare, with no chance of overcooking it, and no worries about timing. Then just brown the outside, and you have a delicious steak that is 90% rare, and still has the wonderful browned outside part. A rack of lamb cooked for 8-10 hours at a medium-rare temperature is divine. The "half" part is just the ease of not having to worry about timing. You can start cooking your scallops anywhere from 3 pm to 6 pm, and the timing matters essentially zero. Cook the rest of your dinner, then pull out the scallops when everything else is finished. I made the recipe below last New Year's, and it was pretty manageable due to the insensitivity to timing. My guests thought is was the best meal they ever had, and still say so 7 mos. later. Here is a link that might be useful: sous vide lobster