Thank you Westsider. Rice ice cream may sound a little strange to some, but rice ice cream is not new, The Japanese has it, the Chinese has it and the Italian has it. Here is a recipe for Italian rice cream, I used wild rice instead of Arborio rice. The taste was just as you said, "Luscious, smooth, creamy, rich, wild rice ice cream. ---------- I imagine that tastes creamy and vanilla-ish and wild rice nutty. Vanilla and pecans or walnuts or wild rice" GELATO DI RISO (RICE ICE CREAM) Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Ice Cream Italian Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/2 c Arborio rice -- uncooked 3 c Milk 3 tb Granulated sugar 1 sm Piece vanilla bean 1 pn Salt -----CUSTARD CREAM----- 3 Extra-large egg yolks 6 tb Granulated sugar 1/2 c Milk -----PLUS----- 2 c Heavy cream 3 ts Confectioners' sugar 2 lb Rock salt The rice is quite crunchy and gives an interesting texture to the gelato. This ice cream is very popular in Italy now. Put the rice in a saucepan. Add the milk, vanilla bean, sugar, and salt and brig to a boil over medium heat, stirring costantly. Then simmer for about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice cool completely (about 2 hours). Pour the contents of the pan through a colander and drain off the excess liquid. Let the rice sit in the colander for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the custard cream with the ingredients listed above, following standard directions. Transfer the rice to a large bowl and remove the vanilla bean. Then add the cooled custard cream to the rice and combine well. Add the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar and mix again. Prepare the gelato, following ice-cream maker's directions. Source: Guiliano Bugialli's Classic Techniques of Italian Cooking -----------------------------------------------------------

Get out your towels..its cryin' time! My trip to the Salvation Army yesterday netted me nothing. Next stop was Goodwill...and I found the Perfect dress...unfortunately it wasn't the perfect size. I was so disappointed when I tried it on! It was a deep cherry-red, short sleeves, with a fullish skirt that fell in soft pleats. The top had the look of a vest, yet dressy looking, it was attached, buttoned down the front and made of some kind of material that looked almost like crochet, but wasn't. It would have been PERFECT! I noted the label "peri petite" and googled it hoping to find that same dress. It was a size 10; I could wear that dress in a size 12. "Peri petite" lead me to a list of scores of places that sell petites, but nowhere did I find that dress. Sizes are screwy anyhow. I have always joked that I can wear a petite, if it is BIG enough. At Penneys etc I can sometimes find a petite14, but not often. I'm short-waisted, narrow shoulders, with the obligatory gut and hips. I looked through my closets and I do have two pairs of nice pants that fit, one sage and the other blue. I have a light rose colored dressy blouse that I can wear with the sage. I'm going out again on Monday to keep looking. Sue, thanks for posting the link; my brain was deflummoxed. Jane, I live in Augusta County, about an hour and a half from Richmond;.I really don't want to tackle that trip and the "big city" right now. Also, my DD doesn't have another day off til this coming Wednesday, and I don't drive distances any more. Thanks for the link to Woman Within. I saw some things there that I liked and they have a petite plus category. I'll go back when I have time and check it out better. Anne, thanks for the offer, that was really sweet. Lu, we don't have a Jonathan Richards here. Lisa, I'll go back to Ross in hopes they have gotten in some new things. You have all been kind and sympathetic, and I appreciate all the suggestions. Keep your fingers crossed. I haven't given up! I will be at the wedding even if I have to go looking like a bag woman!! Sue

Wow, thanks to the spammer this morning that brought this tread back to the front page! After I made the initial postings, several weeks ago, I had to ask my husband again about the basement digging story. Cause it sure sounded a bit like "yes, I walked to school 6 miles every day-uphill both ways!" What DH says is that his dad and aunt used a horse and a slip to dig that basement (whatever a slip looks like?). His dad would have been in his teens and aunt in her late teens or early 20's I believe. The soapstone along the sink wall is now in. I cut the counter for this location too. DH gave me lots of suggestions, guidance, and man power. This part of the stone is not as consistent in character as the other pieces. The stone transitions into a harder stone at the sink and to the left. It will do. I had a lot of fearful thinking about tackling this project and I had grown men refuse my request for help. Though my brave dear BIL offered to help, we just couldn't coordinate a time. I had a local stone fabricator come in and cut the hole for my over-mount single bowl stainless steel sink. Here is the counter in place: Dorado Soapstone in Colorado cut the lengths for me and made the center cut at the sink. I glued it with 5 minute epoxy with my DH help. It took way longer than 5 minutes to dry, try hours. I was concerned that I'd messed the ratios up when I mixed the epoxy: Plumber hooked up DW, sink, & faucet. The plumbing was done while I was at work. When I got home and walked in, I exclaimed. . . "Whoa, that's a big one!" Later when DH came in and I repeated my shocked observation. He said he thought the same thing but wasn't going to say anything. Ain't he sweet? He then reassured me that he would claim he picked it out if anyone made a comment. I told him he could take the credit. It is so nice to get back to near normal in the kitchen. I have my friend/carpenter coming to put up new casing around the doors this week or next. Originally I was going to reuse the old fir trim with a plan to fill the nicks and dings, refreshing the surface for painting. Four sets of door casings are needed. One set was too worn out so we salvaged a set from an old house that sits on "Ruben's" farm. The house was a cute simple stucco bungalow that Ruben Oakleaf lived in. It's now decrepit and falling into the basement. Ruben was a bachelor farmer. I will have to remember to take a picture of the place. My late FIL bought the farm years ago to add to the family farm. Ruben had died. FIL kept the house, in case any of the kids wanted to live in the house. Well years passed, no one moved in, and the house decayed. I had always thought about salvaging the wood trim from that house. Now, 22 years later, DH & I took out 2 sets of door casings to use in the kitchen. I don't know why we even bothered. The raccoons moved in some time ago and made a big mess of everything and I'm sure there are other critters making Ruben's house their own. So, while contemplating my approach in refurbishing the trim pieces, I could only ignore the facts for so long. . . about 20 minutes. Other GW'rs are probably quicker studies. Anyway, while considering these casings I became disgusted, went up to the house, and proclaimed to DH "I'm getting Al to put up new woodwork!". The thought of raccoons having lived with this trim and doing whatever they do, was just too much for my sense of hygiene, style, and my new kitchen...what had I been thinking! DH lovingly agreed to this new plan. So there you have it, an update. I would like to share another kitchen picture with you. It is a picture of the brooder house that my GMIL & then MIL used for baby chicks. MIL turned it into a play house for her girls in the later 50's or early 60's. Then of course there were remodeling efforts when the first grandkids came along in the 80's: Inside is the kitchen: and here are the cupboards behind that hog panel (thank God for spell check, I can't spell "panal"): I will continue this thread when I get the fab new door trimmings up. Thanks so much for your interest and kind comments. How'd she get in here?!

Martha: Thank you so much for your kind words. I like the words "verbal bouquet", I am going to use that sometime this week... and yes they do have value. I appreciate your comments, thank you. Bayarea: Yes the red cabinets! Well, he did take them back and redid the finish. (He claims he didn't know his installer had taken them from the shop that day to install... whatever.) I told him to do away with the distressing and just give me finished red cabinets. He did accomplish that. We didn't end on the best of terms. I am thrilled with the quality of the construction, and for the most part happy with the finishing. However, his ability to run his own business and communicate with other humans leaves a lot to be desired. He won't get my reccommendation to anyone. Regarding the hearth, I would be remiss if I didn't say thanks to Colleen... (colleen, I can't remember your full screen name) for sending me a photo she had for inspiration. I was also highly influenced by this photo I found here on GW. I absolutely love it and worked my own rendidtion. If someone knows who to thank, please let me know!