I brown the slices in my huge stock pot with the clad bottom.....then add some onion and water....and celery,carrots, tomato, rutabega herbs, spices, wine etc... When the meat begins to fall off the bone....after about 1n hour, I remove it from the pot, cool it a bit remove the meat and put back into the soup pot and simmer a half an hour or more. Then I add the "soft veggies" like green beans, peas, corn and okra and cook another 20 minutes or so.....check for seasonings and serve. Linda C

Thanks guy/gals! That pepper relish and the cantaloup sounds yummy! Here's what I have, now mind these are OLD recipes so they aren't written in cookbook format: Yellow cantaloupes or musk- Sugar melonsWater Select the large yellow variety of cantaloupe or the old-fashioned muskmelons when they are beginning to turn a little yellow in ripening. Peel the thin outer rind, and cut a very thin slice next the seeds; cut the sections in pieces one inch thick, and put them into a preserving pan with six pounds of sugar to ten pounds of fruit. Add one-half gallon of water, cover and boil until the melon becomes clear and transparent. Remove the cover and boil until the syrup is thick. Seal in jars. ====================================== Spiced Fruits: To eight pounds of fruit allow four pounds of sugar, one pint of good vinegar, one table-spoonful of ground cinnamon, one tablespoonful of ground allspice, one tablespoonful of ground ginger, one teaspoonful of ground mace, one teaspoonful of ground cloves, one tablespoonful of grated nutmeg and six crushed bay leaves; mix the spices, put them in four muslin bags and tie them loosely. Boil the sugar and the vinegar for five minutes, add the spices and the fruit and cook until the fruit is tender. Soft fruit must not remain long on the fire. Remove from the fire and cool. Next morning lift the fruit with a skimmer and put it into glass or stone jars. Boil the syrup, pour it over the fruit and let cool; do this for nine mornings. This recipe will answer for pears, peaches, apples, currants, apricots, watermelon rind, citron melon and cantaloupes. Rather than doing it for nine mornings, I would process it hot in the waterbath for whatever time your cookbook says to do the particular fruits, LOL! ====================================== Here's one that sounds more modern! CANTALOUPE OR MUSKMELON PRESERVES The melons should be ripe but firm. The rind is removed and the firm pulp is cut into pieces of desired size and shape. The prepared material is weighed and ~ pound of sugar is allowed for each pound of melon. The melon and sugar are packed in alternate layers and allowed to stand for 24 hours. At the end of this period the juice from one small lemon per pound of melon is added and the materials are set over a slow fire. Slow boiling is maintained until the syrup sheets or flakes from the stirring spoon. The hot preserve is filled into clean jars and is processed in the water bath for 2 or 3 minutes. Steph

I wound do a big stir fry and serve it over rice. You will be 6? Do you have or can you borrow a big wok. If so, just cut 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts into skinny strips ( it's easier if they are partly frozen) and marinate them in 2 tsps cornstarch, 1/2 cup water and 1 tsp soy sauce. Then cut up veggies... One onion 5 stalks celery, 1 bell pepper ( red or green) 2 very small zucchini, 1 cup broccoli florets, 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, 1/4 cup snow peas washed and cut in half 1/2 cup pineapple tidbits. Cut all up before hand and place in zip lock baggies...including the meat in the soy sauce mix. Feel free to leave anything out you don't care for or sub....like carrot buttons or halved cherry tomatoes for anything else. Cook the chicken first in about 1 1/2 T. oil, and when it loses the pink, remove it from the pan,,,,,wipe the pan add some more oil and cook the hard veggies ( onion, celery, peppers, broccoli, carrots etc) and when they have cooked a little, add the rest of the veggies, with pineapple and or tomatoes last. Cook until as done as you like add the cooked chicken.....mix 1/4 cup juice ( pineapple is good!) and 1 tsp soy sauce with 1 1/2 tsps corn starch,,,,stir until smooth and add to the pan and cook until thickened. Serve over rice. If you don't have a wok.....a big fry pan will do.... Linda C

My intentions are to just take a hammer and bust the current pot. I have done bonsai for two years...I'm not sure if I will be finding roots that need pruned...or needing work. I was told this cactus has NEVER been repotted. It's been in this pot from day one they owned it. Over 20+ years as they discussed what house they lived in when they got it. It is currently in a 12" pot...thinking going to 14" or should maybe it be larger...just something that will fit on the stand it's currently on? Previous us owners said to make cuttings to mix sand and potting soil half and half and stick the cutting into that mix. So...I am assuming that would be the same mix to repot into? Or no? I am not looking for cuttings and finding more area to house a cactus. My currant area has my tropical bonsai and I have allowed for those to grow and develop so I have no space for more cactus. I did send a 14" piece off to Florida to a bonsai aquanitence/friend who has a cactus garden of a piece that got damaged and fell over from its upright place in the pot. It had that lignified look to the lower end as well.