wow the coneflower rage is still on! I have to tell you I'm loving the blanket flowers & think I need to do a little hunting. I know I got some seeds in trades last year. Margo, sounds like you got some really sweet deals! I'm neck & neck with mamasllamas! I'm not really competitive. I just wanted an excuse to say mamasllamas. tee hee. Love that name! :) Shirley, I was in Milford PA / Lake Wallenpaupack area. Nice because it is always a few degrees cooler there, higher elevation, more dense forest & waterfalls than NYC. There's also a raptor rescue center that always has some amazing events. There was one including a golden eagle, peregrin falcon & snowy owl, with a surprise cameo from a wild bald eagle that happened to be around. Crazy. Also the most amazing sugar baby watermelons & local raspberries. Yum. I love summer fruit. Suzanne, I had a black goldfish that used to play with me. I would stick my hand in the water & she would swim into my open hand until I lightly pulled on her tail & she would swim away & then swim back into my hand for more! It started with an especially hot summer where I kept sticking my hand in the water to check the temp in there. She also loved it when I added "air conditioning" (aka ice cubes). I know it's not supposed to be good for their scales, but she *loved* it & would swim around in the cold meltoff. Holly, Suzanne, send some of that rain my way, because my garden is suffering. Unless Margo wants to pawn her hubby off to me in this trade to water my plants (will he fit in a large flat rate? I'm assuming he's considered a perenial) :0 stay cool, folks. grace

Two other couples came over yesterday to play Canasta. We went out for dinner, & I made dessert. It was really good & tastes better warm. Despite the length of the recipe, it's easy to make, especially as it can be done a day ahead. There are a lot of apples, but the cake is better with a lot, & I rewarmed the leftover for breakfast this morning. Yum, yum. Brown-Sugar Spice Cake with Cream and Caramelized Apples from Gourmet, March 2006 For caramelized apples 8 Gala apples (3 1/2 pounds) 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar For cake 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1 large egg 1/2 cup dark amber or Grade B maple syrup 1/2 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla For cream 1 1/4 cups chilled heavy cream 1/2 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons sugar Special equipment: an 8-inch square nonstick cake pan (2 inches deep) Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour cake pan, knocking out excess flour. Make caramelized apples: Peel and core apples, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Spread softened butter in an even layer over bottom of a 12-inch heavy skillet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Add apple wedges and cook over moderate heat, without stirring, until sugar is melted and apples start to give off Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are just tender and juices become syrupy, about 30 minutes more. Pour syrup from skillet into a small heatproof bowl, then sauté apples, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and very tender, about 30 minutes more. Return syrup to apples and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Make cake while apples cook: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a bowl. Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg until combined. Add maple syrup, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until combined well. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, then mix until just incorporated. Spread batter in cake pan and bake until cake is golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Make cream just before serving: Beat cream with sour cream and sugar using cleaned beaters at high speed until it just holds soft peaks. To serve: Run a thin knife around edge of pan, then invert cake onto a plate and cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with warm apple mixture and cream Cooks' notes: ·Caramelized apples can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat over low heat. ·Cake can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then kept, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature.

I'm another who'll look in the oven as a general indicator of the level of upkeep... until this post, I've never thought or heard of storing things in the oven. When we were selling, I often took a laundry basket of miscellaneous things to work with me in the trunk of the car. Some mornings, it was easier to tote stuff around than to put it away. So I guess I can understand the stash-it-in-the-oven, but it never would've occurred to me.

Just to add that yesterday (February 12) I made this again in two loose-bottom tart pans, one 10" and the other 8". I added some tuna to the topping of the smaller one and they were both cooked in 35 minutes in my fan oven, so you have to watch to see when they're ready in your oven. SharonCb