Hi, I just wanted to make a quick note and let everybody know I did send my pal a package In October and my Secret Pal did send me a wonderful package. I have had a great deal of trouble finding time to get online and communicate to all the Gardenweb Community. I want to thank my Secret Pal for all the little gifts you sent the kids for Halloween. They needed those pencil sharpeners and erasers. They keep losing all the ones I buy them. They are managing to keep up with the little balls you sent though. The hubby liked the pen you sent him. I hung the Flower Pot Seeds hanging dor up in the Sunroom. Did you embroider the kitchen décor yourself? That is so thoughtful. I tried embroidery when I was little but I do not have time to do stuff like that now. I hung it next to my spice rack since the saying referred to "seasoning with love." I have decided I need a shelf or something for my pretty garden cups. ThatÂs on my " honey do list". I always love reading the magazines you send. I have got a habit of thumbing through the Birds and Blooms a tonight while watching TV just to unwind-even the ones I have already read before. The Garden quotation book will work for that too. I was touched that you signed the inside cover for me. The dessert on the cover of the cooking magazine looks so good it will probably be the first recipe I try from that magazine. But, IÂm sure IÂll try more. I love finding a new recipe. The kitty kat toothbrush holder was converted to a pencil holder for my little girl. We play with our fingernails together so the emory board is coming in handy. I was excited to see the lighted magnifying glass for maps. I canÂt tell you how many times we pulled over under a street light this summer to figure out on the map where we were. Now we can do it and not lose time and hopefully not get lost. lol This weekend I will be plating some of the bulbs youÂve sent me. Usually, I donÂt so so well with bulbs. Even when the moles and squirrels didnÂt mess with them, they did not bloom. But one of the local gardeners told me it was because I needed to plant the bulbs in November. And showed me how she did hers. So, I am going to plant them her way. I am going to put the Chrysanthemums up front. And the allium and daffodils in the back yard I am sure I left something out but I am typing this from work. I just canÂt thank you from home anymore. Atleast not at the moment. There is too much going on. But, I do appreciate everything you have sent me. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for thinking of me! Leann

I wouldn't say I'm an over achiever, but I do like lots of detail so I'll go with Colleen and do both. Plus since I haven't participated before, the more info might make it easier on my partner. Please tell us a little about yourself and your eating and cooking style. Who lives with you, favorite colors, hobbies etc. I live with my DW in an old [circa 1825] house with our dog and 8 cats. We've been together 31 years. In one of my several incarnations I was a chef so our cooking depends mostly on how mobile I am. Sometimes I do quite a bit of the cooking and at times most is left to Christy. Luckily she's learned much during our 31 years together. I'm half Italian so I do cook lots of Italian, but love non hot Mexican, regional American, French, Chinese, etc. My favorite color is purple and the non color black. I'm also an artist and draw, sometimes paint watercolors or sculpt. I crochet in a very basic manner and know only basic knitting stitches. Love to garden but can't do too much anymore. Luckily I'm surrounded by the best of the Garden State for food needs and also lucky that I concentrated on perennials when I did garden more. Your favorite cookbook. Types of cookbooks you always look at. Do you like to write in your cookbooks when you find you need to alter a recipe to make it work or do you believe books should not be written in? My favorite all time cookbook is James Beard's American Cookery. Good recipes but I love the way he wrote. I have a extensive cookbook collection and love all types of cookbooks. Favorites are the old time pamphlet cookbooks, to the many incarnations of the Betty Crocker Cookbook. I too read cookbooks for pleasure. I do write in them and love used cookbooks that others have written in. Do you like jam? Love it. Do you like jelly? Very much so. Apple is a favorite. Do you like marmalade? Not so much. Do you like pickles? Not spicy but do love dills. Do you like spicy food? Well spiced, but not hot. I don't eat black pepper if I can help it, but can eat a bit of cayenne much easier. What are your favorite fruits? Any you do not like? Love fruit and can't think of any I don't like... ah.. except cantaloupe. Do you have a strong sweet tooth or you more of a savory person? I do have a sweet tooth. 1. Where do you live? I live in a tiny town in rural New Jersey, surrounded by farms of the horse, tree and food varieties. 2. Do you grill/eat outdoors often? Do you pack up a picnic basket or typically eat in the yard or kitchen? We grill fairly often in the summer but then eat indoors. 3. What colors do you use on your porch/patio/outdoor eating area? Not really any particular color. 4. Do you use your regular dishes or do you have special dishes/serving ware for outdoors? Or are you a paper plate/paper napkin kind of girl/guy? Depends. I don't like using paper products too much but when I'm not getting around Christy likes to use paper plates so she doesn't have as much to wash up since we don't use a dishwasher. I do use cloth napkins though. 5. Are your summertime gatherings more casual or formal? Casual. 6. Do you like to try the latest kitchen gadgets? I love gadgets and have lots. I like to collect old/antique gadgets too. 7. What are your favorite summer drinks? Desserts? Snacks? I drink seltzer as my continual drink. Raspberry. Unsweetened only. I have a 2 gallon crock that I make iced tea for the summer in or lemonade. Neither of us really drink alcohol any more although we keep some around. I'll drink Asti or champagne but don't like other wines. Desserts we eat mostly fruit, but I do like to bake and we like most anything with lemon, chocolate or other fruits. We make ice cream fairly often in the summer. Snacks consist of dark pretzels or a hunk of very dark chocolate. I don't care for milk chocolate, plus the dark doesn't seem to affect my glucose levels. Smiles. 8. What are your favorite summertime cooking/eating/entertaining activities? Do you spend time boating, at a cabin, around a campfire....etc.? We haven't been doing much the past couple years but we like to rent a cabin on a lake or down the shore when finances allow. Mostly we just love to lounge around and read, eat Jersey tomatoes and white corn and play with our animals. 9. Do you garden and/or grow your own veggies and fruits? Are you one who likes to can and preserve? I love to garden but don't do much anymore. I do have several friends who have produce stands on their farms so it's easy and close to get great veggies and fruit. I like to can but have done more freezing lately. I plan to get out the big pressure canner this year though. 10. Barefoot or flip flops? Always barefoot whenever possible and sometimes when not advised. Smiles. I've been known to run outside in the snow barefoot for a few minutes. We always kid about how hard it is to get me in shoes. I like to say my feet are claustrophobic. Smiles. Hope this helps.

I like the combination of ham and asparagus both in crepes and in an omelet with Swiss or brie cheese. When I get down toward the bone, I usually cut it into cubes and grind it in my mini chopper. Some ways to use ground ham: 1) Add ground ham and cheddar cheese to turn twice-baked potatoes from a side dish to a microwaveable main course. 2) Add to hollandaise sauce and pour over a whole steamed cauliflower. 3) Stuff halved zucchini or eggplant with ground ham, rice, chopped tomatoes, seasonings, sauteed chopped onions and the zucchini centers. Top with cheese and microwave or bake. 4) Ground ham can be mixed in when making scrambled or devilled eggs. 5) Substitute ground ham for sausage when making stuffed mushrooms 6) Sprinkle on cooked green beans 7) Mix with some cream cheese and finely chopped sweet red peppers and scallions. Stuff mixture into hollowed out cucumbers, chill and slice 8) Stuff large pasta shells with ground ham, spinach and ricotta cheese 9) Ground ham mixed with cream cheese, a bit of drained crushed pineapple and curry powder makes an interesting filling for tea sandwiches. 10) Saute ham, finely chopped onion and garlic in olive oil. Add drained and chopped cooked spinach. Mound on top of slightly scooped out halved tomatoes. Cover top of mixture with Parmesan cheese and bake. Baked eggs - Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put about a tablespoon of cooked sausage or ground up leftover ham in a custard cup. Break an egg over it and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1 teaspoon of milk or cream. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve with toast fingers. Can sprinkle grated cheese on top or add a bit of herbs.

My oldest is Nelson's Home Comforts, seventh edition revised by Mary Hooper, published in London in 1885. Nelson's was a brand, & the first six pages describe their jellies, blanc-mange, chocolate cream, citrus essences, flavored lozenges, soups & tinned meats, among other products. It includes recipes for "little dishes of fish," "little dishes of meat," puddings, jellies, cakes, creams, & two pages touting New Zealand Frozen Mutton, which, evidently, Nelson's imported to the British market. My next oldest cookbook is Marion Harland's Complete Cook Book, published in 1903. Some of the chapter headings are: Care of Household Stores, Kitchen Utensils, Carving, The Impromptu Larder, Who Rules the Home, The Toast Family, Luncheon Cakes, Sweets of All Sorts, Concerning Dinner Giving, An Evening Reception and Chafing-Dish Supper, & Handy Household Hints. It's much fun reading these old books & marveling at how much cooking, ingredients & styles of cooling & serving have changed.