Lessee, in the last two weeks.... Ordered a ton of bulbs from a couple different places. We have grapes. LOTS! Both green and purple, more purple than green. It looks like one of the vines on the big arbor is green, everything else on the big arbor and on the little arbor is purple. We made purple grape jelly and green grape jelly. Fun fun. Started preparing the bed for the bulbs we ordered. We layed out the beds, dumped 14 (!) bags of dehydrated cow manure, and 2 huge bags of peat moss on them. We rented a tiller, tilled that all in, and put in the two hibiscus bushes we bought for either side of the driveway entrance. HereÂs a shot after the manure and peat was spread: Dont have an after shot yet.... Also, bought timerelease fertilizer capsules and a little pushcart spreader. Note: do *not* try to use the spreader as a wheelbarrow. I tossed the bag of fertlilizer in it to push it to the barn, but the little twirly thing tore up the bag and got twisted. Stupid me! Also bought 24 Fritillaria Uva Vulpis bulbs and put them in sort of in front of and between the new lilac bushes. ThatÂll be cool next spring. And picked up 4 asters (nicely blooming) and 5 iris bulbs at the nursery coz, well, they were thereÂ. Started making a rock garden to the left of the garden shed entrance. Lots of rocks. Planted Sedum spurium "Fulda Glow" Phlox subulata "Snowflake" Phlox subulata "Fort Hill" Nemesia fruticans "Compact Innocence" Hens Ân chicks And lastly, we were woken up at 4AM this morning by a very loud noise. When day dawned, this is what we found: Luckily it missed pretty much everything. Missed the barn by inches (which means homeowners insurance wont cover the removal), came down between the bird condo and the holly tree. It did squish a choke cherry which we were going to take out anyway, and a gooseberry bush next to the barn, but I expect that will recover, they're close to unkillable. We're having a tree inspector out this week to make sure the other pines, closer to the house, wont do that as well....

Made these a number of times Green Chile Squares =================== April 12/02 Perfectentertaining.com We love simple recipes, and this one certainly qualifies. With only three ingredients it whips up in under five minutes and then bakes unattended, making it perfect for parties. It can also be made up to 24 hours ahead of time and served hot, cold, or at room temperature. 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese 2 cans green chiles 4 well beaten eggs . Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the cheese and chiles in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Pour the eggs over the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Cool to room temperature and then cut into squares. Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Refridgerator Dough for Soft Rolls Throw refrigerator dough together in the morning or evening, or whenever you have a few spare moments. The small amount of yeast allows the dough to keep in the fridge for up to 5 days without developing a "sour" taste. We kept one batch for 6 days; the rolls were a little denser, but still tasted good. Note: If you plan to use the dough within 12 hours or so, knead it and then let it rise at room temperature for 1 hour before refrigerating. S.G. 4 cups (17 ounces)King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) sugar* 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup (2 ounces, 1/2 stick) unsalted butter 6 tablespoons (2 1/4 ounces) potato flour OR 1/2 cup (1 ounce) dried potato buds 6 tablespoons (2 ounces) Baker's Special Dry Milk or non-fat dry milk 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) water 1 teaspoon instant yeast *Use up to 4 tablespoons sugar if you like your rolls on the sweet side. Manual /Mixer Method: Combine all of the ingredients and mix till cohesive. Knead the dough, by hand or mixer, till it's smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes, adding up to 4 tablespoons additional water if needed. The dough will become shiny and elastic, but should stay very soft, since it firms up quite a bit in the refrigerator. Place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl, cover it, and refrigerate at least overnight, or for up to 5 days. Bread Machine Method: Place all of the ingredients into the bucket of your bread machine. Program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. Check the dough after about 15 minutes; it should be smooth-looking, but very soft. Add additional water or flour as needed. Cancel the machine after the final kneading cycle, and refrigerate the dough as directed at left. Shaping: Remove the dough from the refrigerator, fold it over gently a few times, and cut off the desired amount for the number of rolls you want. You'll need about 1 1/2 to 2 ounces dough per dinner roll (golf-ball sized pieces); about 4 1/2 ounces per hamburger bun (a ball of dough about 2 1/2 inches in diameter); or 3 ounces per hotdog bun (about 2 1/4 inches in diameter). Return the remaining dough to the refrigerator. To form dinner rolls, shape the pieces into balls, then roll them under your lightly cupped fingers on an unfloured work surface to make smooth balls. To form hamburger buns, shape each piece into a smooth ball, and flatten the balls till they're about 4 inches in diameter, trying to keep the tops of the rolls smooth; the nicer the top looks at this point, the nicer it will turn out to be once it's baked. To form hotdog buns, roll the balls into cylinders 5 1/2 inches in length. Flatten the cylinders slightly; dough rises more in the center, so this will give the buns gently rounded tops. Place the shaped rolls onto a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them, and let them rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until they're very puffy. Note that these rolls need to rise longer than rolls made from unrefrigerated dough; be sure to leave yourself sufficient time for this extra rise. Baking: Bake the dinner rolls in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes. Bake the hamburger or hotdog buns in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 to 22 minutes. The rolls or buns will be golden brown when done. Yield: 36 ounces of dough, enough for 18 to 24 rolls, 8 hamburger buns, or 12 hotdog buns I made hamburger buns with this Friday and just made some Hoagie rolls and am baking them now. I used all the dough up so I slung some more together and it is now in the fridge. I love this dough!!! Soft good and easy to make. What joy to have dough for dinner rolls in the fridge and just take some out for dinner rolls!!! Deb (took from the King Arthur Flour web site)

This was posted at the cooking forums. I wanna try, but can't get a question answered re: draining the chile's. Anyone made these? Green Chile Squares =================== We love simple recipes, and this one certainly qualifies. With only three ingredients it whips up in under five minutes and then bakes unattended, making it perfect for parties. It can also be made up to 24 hours ahead of time and served hot, cold, or at room temperature. 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese 2 cans green chiles 4 well beaten eggs . Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the cheese and chiles in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Pour the eggs over the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Cool to room temperature and then cut into squares. Preparation Time: 5 minutes