If a dog eats a lot of fats he will get fat and may have heart disease. Seriously dogs do get the same problems people get. You can actually put it the green bin to take away to the city compost dump, which is a big dump and all foods are ok in it, they say. That keeps it out of land fills. But, if it is large amounts of used cooking oil it can go to whole foods for recycling into bio diesel. But, I did stop composting chickens and turkeys because it made my dog too obessed with the compost. He was trying to eat my pile when I took it out of the bin for turning. He had to be locked in the house and barked the whole time. I used to have a dog who would eat young compost and then throw up yellow bile. It was a problem, I had to age my compost longer and I was not even composting chickens back then. I also had one who would never touch compost ever. He was a good dog for me. Dogs vary on their levels of compost consuming.

Another garter snake was saved by the canola oil method. Anyway, I opened the garage door this morning and there was a garter snake in a sticky strap. The trap is normally tucked in a 1" deep depression in the corner of the garage. The snake (and trap) were in the middle of the garage when I found it. This snake was a bit bigger than the first one although maybe it was the first one with a monthÂs more growth on it! If it is the original, then itÂs learned not to go to the right corner because it got caught in the trap on the left this time. IÂm sorry the little buggers get caught but IÂm quite willing to do the canola trick to free them. IÂm not inclined to remove the traps. I do not relish the thought of opening a garage cabinet and staring into the face of a snake, even though I am much bigger. Besides, it would be expensive - I would jump back in fright, fall over the weed bucket, hit my head on the concrete, sustain a concussion, and have to make a $50 co-payment at the emergency room! June

Tennessee Banana-Black Walnut Cake with Caramel Frosting courtesy Paula Deen Yield: 12 servings Cake: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs 2 ripe bananas, mashed 1/4 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup chopped black walnuts* Frosting: 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 1 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more as necessary 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners sugar 2 cups finely chopped black walnuts, for garnish (optional)* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans. For the cake: In a medium bowl, stir together flour and baking soda; set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together shortening and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add flour mixture, mix until just combined. Stir in black walnuts. Pour into prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in pans on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare frosting. Melt butter in small saucepan. Add brown sugar and 1/3 cup cream. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Transfer to a large bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in confectioners' sugar a little at a time until smooth. If frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon heavy cream at a time until consistency is right. Sandwich 2 layers of cake with frosting. Frost the outside of the cake. Press chopped black walnuts on the sides of the cake, if desired. *Cook's Note: DO NOT substitute English walnuts for black walnuts. BANANA SPICE CAKE Yield: 12 servings Bananas, pecans and currants give rich flavor to this recipe. Baking 1 hrs. 20 min. 3/4 cup currants or raisins 1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur or orange juice 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted* 2 eggs 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange peel 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 3 medium bananas, peeled, chopped 1/2-inch 3/4 cup chopped pecans Topping Ingredients: Vanilla ice cream, if desired Caramel sauce, if desired Instructions: Heat oven to 325°F. Combine currants and orange liqueur in small bowl; let soak 30 minutes. Drain well. Set aside. Combine sugar, butter, eggs, orange peel and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves. Beat until well mixed. Stir in soaked currants, bananas and pecans by hand. Spoon into greased and floured 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 80 to 90 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove sides of pan. Cool completely. (Cake may dip slightly in center upon cooling.) Top each serving of cake with ice cream and drizzle with caramel sauce, if desired. *Substitute LAND O LAKES® Soft Baking Butter with Canola Oil. Calories: 330 Banana Cake Cockaigne Adapted from Joy of Cooking Grease and flour 2 round cake pans (8 or 9 inch) or one 9X13 inch rectangular pan. I usually line pans with waxed paper before I grease and flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Mash two ripe bananas, or enough to make one cup. Add 1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (fat free is OK) ot buttermilk and 1 teaspoon vanilla Sift together: 2 1/4 cups flour (Cake flour) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt Cream in a large mixing bowl: 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup butter Add 2 eggs, one at a time, Add the flour mixture, alternating with the banana puree, STIR until smooth after each addition. ( DO NOT OVER MIX...THINK MOISTEN) Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake at 350 until the cake springs back when touched, about 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if serving warm or frost with a chocolate frosting, mock whipped cream frosting. or a cream cheese frosting. I make it with the Mock Whipped Cream Frosting and sprinkle the filling and top with a crushed Heath Bar. Mock Whiipped Cream Frosting Ingredients: 2/3 cup milk 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened 1/2 teaspoon vanilla combine milk, 2 tablespoons flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil (4 to 6 minutes). Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cover surface with plastic food wrap; cool completely (1 hour). Beat 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup butter and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in large bowl at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, gradually adding cooled flour mixture and scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy. Frost cooled cake. Banana Cake Mocha Frosting: 6c powdered sugar 1/2c cocoa 1/2c butter, softened 1/2c brewed strong coffee Sift powdered sugar and cocoa` together. Add softened butter and mix on very low speed till incorporated. Add coffee and beat till smooth.

I like sugar or honey in some of my vinaigrette (I checked the spelling on this one!). It depends on what I am putting it over or with as much as it does what I feel like at different times. My favorite vinaigrettes are ones that use various different vinegars too, but I think the oil can be the star too. I like Walnut Oil very much. And, I like to mix oils. I will mix a rich fruity olive oil with a basic vegetable oil to get the flavor but not overpower my greens or whatever foods I am using the vinaigrette. I have always thought that the basic portions for oil and vinegar was 2/3 oil and 1/3 vinegar. But, I will do whatever tastes best to me and sometimes that is the right mix and sometimes I will do a half and half. I also like to mix mustards in my vinaigrettes. I like to add various herbs too. One of the best vinaigrettes I made was for a salad that had greens and fruit with nuts in it. I got wild and added feta cheese, buckwheat honey, and orange zest. It was wowzer for flavor! I have added cilantro, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, lots and lots of sweet basil, (not all together, separate usually), and even added a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon with walnut oil and rice wine vinegar over a salad that had baby greens and tiny cream cheese/goat cheese balls in it. My neighbor takes an envelope of Hidden Valley and does an oil and vinegar dressing with it and tosses in lots of chopped raw vegetables and everyone gobbles it up at our block party pot-lucks. It is really, really good! I guess the trick is to know what you like and to maybe start with the rule of thumb that says, 1/3 volume of vinegar and 2/3 volume of oil.. whether that is in cups, teaspoons, or shot glasses as measuring tools!