As Lascatx pointed out, the foil is there to keep the water from seeping into the cake. The hot-water bath (Bain Marie) is necessary in custard-type cakes, such as this one. It helps by protecting the cake from direct heat, and gently bakes it to creamy perfection. Most custard cakes do not freeze well. Meaning, the cake will not have the same creamy texture once it's thawed. It won't be inedible, just not as smooth. However, covered and refrigerated, a cake of this type will keep at least one week. Maybe two, though inconclusive. Being a hardcore chocoholic, I wouldn't know anything about that. Sol

You might be able to find a vegan pre-prepared pie crust, either in a pan or refrigerated. I know some are made with lard but some are made with all vegetable shortening. I know this because I had to find one to bring to a kosher party once. That way you can whip together a tart in about 15 min! Or as some have suggested, a press-in crust which you can make ahead, and then whip up the apples really quick. OR, do what I do and mix frozen peaches with frozen raspberries, or a mix of berries and cherries, etc. and have everyone rave about your "home made" pie! They sell lots of kinds of frozen fruits for pies in the freezer section of most groceries. Also pre-made pie crust. Just check the labels, a lot of them are made with hydrogenated vegetable oils. Not the most healthy, but then it IS pie! You can make strawberry blueberry tarts or something like that with puff pastry too. Buy some flavored cream cheese, spread it on the bottom and then put some sweetened frozen berries on top and bake. Don't sweat the apples, they are not the only fruit for a tart! I make a crisp that is a mix of sweet cherries, dried cherries, fresh cranberries and dried cranberries. The sweet and tart elements combine perfectly. Plus it is vivid red, good for the holidays. If you have your heart set on apples, mix it with frozen strawberries or frozen blackberries or raspberries. Half as much peeling! This post was edited by lpinkmountain on Wed, Dec 17, 14 at 13:36

I grow jades, jungle/forest cacti, Adeniums and one very evil 'true' cactus here in the not so tropical UK, so they are mainly grown indoors. Miracle grow is often spoken about on here and over on the Adenium forum but I personally don't use it. Lots of mixes such as MG are sold as specific c&s soils, however, the consensus on here is that it (and many other brands sold as such) contain far too much peat (organic) and not enough inorganic components. I can suggest searching at the top of the page for gritty mix, it will give lots of useful info for a far healthier mix for your plants. I use equal parts bark, sold as reptile bark or similar, horticultural grit...aquarium grit could do just as well, perlite and a multi purpose compost ...which yes, I realise does contain peat, but with the ratio above of other added things, it works well and my plants don't rot.....yet! The jungle cacti don't actually grow on the above mix though, they are in a more humus rich mixture. Some growers that I know of use MG cut with 50% perlite, but I find with such a high %age of perlite, it can rise up like magic to the top Layers of the mix very easily, also the pots are less stable due to their light weight filling if this particular recipe is used. It's a case of trial and error as you can amend the ratios to suit your own plants and the conditions you are growing in. The above is what works for me and mine. Hint......can you add your country/zone after your name via your profile page so we can advise better if necessary? Thanks! Gill UK

Thanks!!! Here is a sketch of my planned range wall. You see how the hood (54" VentAHood) is spaced out from the wall. That is to allow duct to run from back of vent hood to the exterior wall. That is where the existing vent duct is. Also with the hood spaced out, I think it will better capture greasy airflow from the range. I have just enough ceiling height to mount the hood high enough that I can stand under it with plenty of headroom. So I am trying to think of a treatment for the wall behind the range. I am thinking of a curved, barrel shaped wall as shown. That reminds me of the subways in Paris. So I got the idea of using beveled "Metro" subway tiles. Then I thought it would be nice for my wife to add a personal touch with hand lettered tile work, fashioned after the station signs in the Metro. In our case, the sign would have the name of a fictional Metro station, "Porte de Land". Because we live in Portland (Oregon), get it? The font is "Alphabet Metro", it appears. I'm not sure how I'd have to construct the wall, given that the barrel part would be about 50" above and overhanging the cooking surface. Need to check code etc, but I think I can use a couple layers of Durock (cement board), cut in strips to form the curve, then covered with the ceramic tile. I was going to use Durock on the range wall anyway.