Hi Cynthia, Yes I did add about a cup of extra flour. It made the cake much more solid when done. I also baked it longer but I 'm not sure of the total time. I just checked with a tooth pick for a couple more times before I took it out. I don't usually mess around and change recipes I have never made before but I thought there was too much moisture in the cake when I finally added all ingredents so added extra flour till I liked the feel of the batter. It was very 'thick feeling' when stired. I may try it the correct way and see what that looks and feels like when done. I may prefer it that way although my version was very good. Another reason I changed the flour was because I added more cut up fruits than called for and I didn't measure the apples just used all I had prepared. I don't bake as much as I did when there were more around to eat it! My H and I don't need the extra goodies. Connie

Newer version of Annie's Salsa - BWB only Annie's Salsa 8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained 2 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper 3 to 5 chopped jalapenos (for milder leave out seeds and ribs) 6 cloves minced garlic 2 tsp cumin (optional) 2 tsp pepper 1/8 cup canning salt 1/4 c fresh cilantro (optional) 1/3 c sugar (optional) 1 cup cider vinegar (see note on subbing lemon or lime juice option) 16 oz canned tomato sauce (to adjust density) 8-16 oz canned tomato paste (to adjust density) Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, process pints for 15 minutes in BWB. Makes 6 pints. _________ A lot of changes have been made to this recipe over the years. Some people like lemon or lime juice in place of some or all of the vinegar, that's fine. (Note from Sheila - I like half lemon half lime.) Some people leave out the cilantro, that's fine too. Do not increase! Some people add more hot peppers or fewer onions, fine as long as you keep the same total measurements. (Note this is what NCHFP does in their new Choice Salsa recipe.) Some people leave out the sugar, that's fine. You can scoop out the goo in the middle of the tomatoes with your thumbs when I'm peeling and chopping for a less seedy version, so it's 8 cups of chopped tomatoes without the seeds and goo. Most who make it regularly as well as Annie recommend using a variety of different slicing tomatoes, not paste types, for best flavor and consistency. (Note: use the tomato sauce and paste to adjust the consistency of the final product to a "sloshy" consistency.) According to Annie "My salsa is not as thick as Heinz catsup but it's thicker than taco sauce. If you don't like it quite as thick or sweet, cut down the amount of paste. I would add some, then taste. Reducing that ingredient shouldn't affect the safety of the recipe. I use equal amounts of sauce and paste. You can pull it off the heat at any point and adjust for flavor. Before I cook it I check for salt, sugar, check the consistency. Add more pepper or cumin if I want. When I first started making this salsa, tomato sauce and paste came in 8 and 16 ounce cans. Like everything else, they've now been downsized, so now I have to use partial cans." Does anybody have good versions of the other recipes that have weird symbols in them for measurements?

You know, I sort of like banquette seating in magazines, but I can't see myself having banquette seating in my own home. Well maybe I could, if I had a separate seating area with real chairs. I'll think about it. You all have so many good ideas - I'll definately think about it! I like the idea of french doors too, but I spent YEARS in apartments where the kitchen had NO windows, much less one above the sink. To me, part of having a house (this is my first), is having a window above the sink. Every morning, I stand there, fill up my whistling kettle with water for coffee, and gaze out at the yard. It pleases me. I hardly ever sit at the table in the kitchen, but I stand at the sink many times a day. My husband also wants a window above the sink. :) That stupid sunken room! It's really a sun room, but it's a dark dingy place that gets little sun, and I can't ever imagine spending much time in that room. With all the doorways, it's really a wide hallway. Any ideas about what can be done with it? Those weird windows in the dining room really ARE there right now - looking into the dark, sunken sunroom. It's very strange. you guys RULE!

Well in fact, we do have an "orangerie", which is generally another name for a conservatory, as I learned from the British firm that built ours. However, it is open on one side to our indoor pool. The indoor pool air is kept dry through the use of an enormous piece of eqp called a Dectron. It is the reason no one ever feels any humidity when they come into our house, despite the indoor pool. But, it makes it very hard to grow plants in orangerie/conservatory/greenhouse. We have a disco ball in there and hula hoops instead, LOL. It's a great place for the kids to play loud music that we can't hear!