Well, I like this forum! I rarely post, consider myself a great cook but am far from fancy or traditional with my cooking. I've gotten great results from postings when needed and have not been insulted once. Hey, not bad! I enjoyed reading this topic especially since I have a great deal of trouble using packaged foods due to sodium content. I DO use packaged foods though! I've never made my own yoghurt--never even tried to. Same with butter, cream cheese, aged cheese (I have made paneer by heating milk and adding lime juice), pasta and that is all I can think of that I need packaged food for. I've made lots of things by just trying it out. Ketchup wasn't that hard, no-sodium tomato paste, vinegar, garlic and onion powder (actually, I like the dehydrated granules), black pepper, cumin, dash of lemon juice, dash of water. I just read the bottle to get an idea of what went in the stuff. And, yes, I buy the packaged no-salt ketchup quite often. So quick and easy! There is no way I'm going to pay for packaged dressing; I make my own even though I almost always just use straight balsamic. My guy makes a great vegan Caesar dressing using nutritional yeast, almond meal, lemon juice, vinegar, no-salt stone ground mustard and an unbelievable amount of fresh garlic. Think of all the oil we are avoiding this way! I do love olive oil though~ Canned soups are a no-go mainly because of the salt. I can't actually taste the can but sometimes I can taste the plastic when I buy things in plastic bottles. We made our own "power bars" for the first time a few weeks ago. We had made granola bars and similar things before but never with the intent to get protein, carbs and low calories all in one bar. They are great for hiking! Yesterday, my guy made bagels from scratch for the first time, just for me as they had no salt and almost zero sodium. Did you know that a regular sesame bagel has over 600mg sodium?! The ones he made were topped with black sesame seeds and tasted very good. They were missing that salty taste but, oh well. I think one of the biggest factors with packaged foods is that they are very inexpensive, especially mixes and things like rice a roni or hamburger helper. They can also make things go very quickly in the kitchen for those who have limited amounts of time to feed entire families. There are lots of things we make that cost more than buying pre-made but there are also lots of savings involved in making things ourselves. We may not be rich but we make the effort to allow a good food budget so we can eat as much natural and organic things as possible. We try to stay away from preservatives but that is hard to do with packaged foods. I'm pretty darned impressed by some of the things people make on the board. Pickled veggies and other home-canned items are the most intriguing to me. It was a good read. Thanks, Jennifer

Teri here are a couple of dry rub recipes and a general guide of how I do it. Memphis Rub 1/4 cup paprika 1 tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons accent (MSG; optional) 1 teaspoon celery salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder Combine all the ingredients in a jar, twist the lid on airtight, and shake to mix. Store away from heat or light for up to six months. Makes about 1/2 cup. Enough for 4 to 6 racks of ribs. I've used this on from Sharon also. Here is my favourite rub from Steve Raichlens How to Grill (Sharon) 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup Paprika 3 TBSP coarse pepper 3 TBSP coarse salt 1 TBSP Hickory smoked salt 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp onion powder 2 tsp celery seed 1 tsp cayenne Mix well and store in an air tight jar. Okay here goes as I don't have a "recipe" to post. I like to put the dry rub on the night before then wrap in foil or put in a zip bag. I've used a wet marinade too but I don't have an exact recipe so I'll leave that out tonight. I do take it out an hour or so before I put it on the BBQ or smoker. I'm guessing you are using a charcoal grill rather than a smoker here. If you are using wood chuncks or chips in a foil pack be sure and soak them in water for a good 30 minutes or so. Place your meat on the bbq fat side up and maintain a temp around 275. I add wood chuncks about three times during the smoking process....I'd do the same if you are using a foil pack with wood chips in it. I do this for 3 - 3.5 hours. The meat will only take on the smoke flavor during the first few hours of smoking Then I wrap the brisket in heavy foil and continue to cook it for another 3 - 4 hours maintaning a 275 - 300 degree temp. You can finish it in the oven at this point if you want to. The foil keeps the juices in and helps make the meat nice and tender. Remove from the bbq or oven and let it rest in the foil package for at least 30 minutes. Remove the fat cap and slice it across the grain or chop it up and serve with your favorite bbq sauce. We like it both ways...sliced with sauce or chopped on buns with sauce. It does take some time... around seven hours plus but it is so worth it IMHO! Your in for a real treat for sure. Pecan wood is one of my favorites but it is just as good with hickory or mesquite....try all three when time allows and pick your favorite. Let us know how it goes and if you have any more questions just ask or email me through GW. Happy Smokin'!! David

O.T. to Melaska, We're an equal opportunity cheese consumer here--I even seek out and buy Limburger, which is still made in Wisconsin but DH draws the line here. There are a number of very affordable gorganzolas and blues made in Wisc. and Minnesota. Also lots and lots of cheddars in Wisconsin. Wisconsin marketers produce a cheese-beer road trip map that is my guide. I love it. Have hit about a third of the dairies. I can get aged cheddars at Burnett Co Farmer Coop for no more than $7/pound, which has spoiled me. They've worked up some specialties also which we're really enjoying. They do a mail order business. Moozarilla is their yogurt cheese that is very white and gets a lot of comments. Alpha Morning Sun and the Wood River series are nicely done. I'm not sure their parmesan would be up to your standard, but maybe. They've won awards for provolone for a long time and for string cheese. "The Splendid Table" on NPR turned me on to Roth Kase's gruyere from Monroe, WI. Best quality gruyere made in USA. Prairie Breeze, made in Iowa, is also showing up in specialty stores here. A real hit at wine tastings. We send boxes of cheese and wild rice to family in Fairbanks in Priority Mail boxes. No California cheese need apply, despite all their marketing. Here is a link that might be useful: Burnett Dairy Cooperative in Alpha, Wisconsin near Grantsburg

We love country style ribs and cooked the following way, they are a special treat. Put the ribs in a large sauce pan and barely cover with water. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer until fork tender. Remove ribs from water leaving water in pan. To the water add quartered potatoes and cook until done; add ribs back to pan and cook ribs and potatoes a few more minutes. The flavor the rib cooking water imparts to the potatoes is great. When we serve the potatoes, we put a bit of the cooking water on them and mash up somewhat. These are really good with fresh green beans, slices of onions and tomatoes, and hot cornbread.