Lascatx's recommendation to grow bay laurel is an excellent tip for cooks living in climates where the shrub can overwinter in the ground. It's even worthwhile for cooks in zone 7-and-colder who use bay leaves often enough to make it worth being vigilant against scale for the half of the year that the potted plant is indoors. Nothing beats fresh or freshly dried herbs. As long as they're the real thing; that's another important advantage of growing your own that I just recently learned about. It seems that a lot of what is sold in markets as fresh bay leaves are from a different plant -- similar in looks, but with a much, much stronger and less pleasing taste. Seattle chef Jerry Traunfeld (of Herbfarm) spells it out: :: Bay laurel leaves come from the tree Laurus nobilis, known as Turkish bay or sweet bay. California bay leaves also come from a large tree, the totally unrelated Umbellularia californica. There is some similarity in the scent but California bay is ten times stronger than bay laurel, and if you substitute it in a recipe calling for bay laurel you will ruin the dish with its overpowering flavor. The shocking thing is that when you buy fresh bay leaves in the supermarket, nine times out of ten they are California bay, even though they don't say that on the label. ... When you tear or crush a bay laurel leaf you will smell a mild, sweet, nutmeglike scent, whereas a California bay leaf will smell powerfully of menthol and petroleum overtones :: p.79, The Herbal Kitchen (Wm. Morrow, 2005) The page includes a helpful photo of the leaves of the true bay and the imposter side by side. The bay laurel leaf edge curls a bit; while the California bay's edge is completely smooth; it's also just a bit narrower overall than a typical bay laurel leaf, and darker green. Now I realize why I've been so unhappy with the results of cooking with "fresh bay leaves" from a local greenhouse grower unless I use only a quarter leaf.

Oh, fun! Our house is nearing completion and I spent several months obsessing over light fixtures. The ones I kept coming back to are the ones I decided that I had to have. My favorites- (sorry for the cell phone pics) Regina Andrew pendants over island (backsplash in progress- yay!) (I do like that little Visual Comfort flush mount over where the sink will be a lot, too) Regina Andrew wooden bead chandelier in dining room: Restoration Hardware sconces in master bath:

My tall oven cabinet came with a shelf, so I just put it high enough to fit my griddle and extra long platters and then placed the dividers on top of the shelf. The dividers can be screwed down, but I didn't bother as they don't move much without the screws and it also meant I didn't have to drill holes in my shelf! Even if the cabinet had not come w/the shelf, I was going to ask for one since I already had planned for this storage based on what I had seen here in the thread linked below. I think I got the idea from Gizmonike and Sail-Away. BTW...I was originally going to get the Rev-A-Shelf dividers but put these from Walmart in temporarily. The Walmart ones worked so well that I didn't bother to replace them...besides, I would have needed 6 packs of 2-dividers each and at $14.95 per 2-pack, this was much cheaper! I used 3 dividers from Walmart at $5.95 each, so $18 vs $90...easy decision! I also bought two more of those dividers and put them under my corner prep sink...one in each deep corner One holds cutting boards, the other holds my pizza stones & cast iron frying pan. Here is a link that might be useful: Thread: tray cabinets - top 1/2 wasted space

Thanks amck2 :) There are actually 2 beagles in those pictures. See the blanket lump on the porch swing in the first picture. That's puppy #2, totally buried under covers! The pup you can actually see, Bailey, loves that little shirt I have on him. He actually got it when he had to have surgery on a benign lump on his belly to stop him from scratching the scar open (t is called a Medical Pet Shirt) and he adores it, so I put it on him whenever it is chilly (he's a very thin furred dog who shivers when the temp drops below 70). We call him Bugsy as a nickname b/c he is a little bugger (bad little dog) so we always say he's Buggy in a Snuggy.