Another idea I used is to make a hypertufa mix to reduce weight (I used white portland, sand & vermiculite) and piece a pvc pipe in the center of the mold to further reduce weight. I was making a tall Japanese lantern so I sank rebar through the center of all the pieces down into the ground to prevent tipping or falling. You can find some really cool mold materials for the bowl parts at Dollar stores and stack them for bases, etc. Instead of mortar to attach pieces, you can also use outdoor construction adhesive (the kind used with a caulking gun).

We sometimes (almost every week) make two six quart crock pots filled with stew. We use the usual, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery and throw in garlic, bacon, frozen spinach, etc to add some depth to the flavor. Don't forget the spices and worstershire sauce. But the biggest enhancement is adding about 1/4 of wine approximately one hour before we unplug the crock pot. Not only do we eat stew for dinner that night (family of nine) but my husband and I eat stew for luch for the next five or six days. We pack the stew into Rubbermaid disposable round containers and stack all ten of them (or so) in the fridge. Lunch is easy, delicious and filling all week long. Plus, I feel that the nutrition can't be beat, that meat is swimming in all those lovely vegetables, and since the meat is trimmed the fat is somewhat under control.

Sol, that lemon cream looks amazing, and lemons are on sale for $1.49 for a 2 pound bag. Mohter is coming for dinner on Easter, though, and she's allergic to lemons, so that might have to be a treat for the office. Yeah, that's it. I'll take it to the office, really, I will..... New recipes? I'm making a raspberry chocolate cheesecake for dessert because mother does love raspberries and dark chocolate and cheesecake. Makayla wants pumpkin pie. We're having prime rib and I'm still deciding on the potato, but we're also having macaroni and cheese, based on the Princess' request. It's her favorite food and she likes the "real" mac and cheese, made with all the pieces of cheese left in my cheese drawer. It has to have some Dubliner, though, and it has to be K-Frame's recipe. Other than that, I'm still undecided. Annie

I have some I copied of my mother's that look pretty bad. Some day I will have her's. I have my grandmother's, many written on whatever scrap paper she had to hand, including wedding invitations! Some are in her writting, lots with "swell" written on them, and many clippings. Eventually I will have them all typed into the computer with notes on what it was written on. She was very good about writting on the recipe who gave it to her. When I finally finish it, I will copy it to cd and give copies to all my cousins. Mare_wbpa, My late MIL was Polish, our parish church was Polish and was closed a couple of years ago. Is there any way you can get your hands on a copy of the 1st cookbook that I can buy? And can I purchase one of the new ones thru you? I would love to get either or both! So many of my MIL's recipes are gone. I have a lot of them in our first church cookbook, but many more disappeared. I thought I got them when she passed away, but the box I thought they were in has something totally different in it! We put out a second one, but none of us thought to put the old recipes in it, so it isn't as good as the first, only because we lost all those in the first one. As the grandkids do not have any of grandma's recipes, I took my copy of the first one, now almost 30 years old, took the coil binding off, and spent hours scanning it, then took it to Staples on cd to have printed and bound for my neices and nephew, and my kids. Glenda, that might be an idea for Park and Park, Jr. if they would like to have your recipes. Tami