cal_quail, I do hope you and yours feel better soon. It's so miserable to be sick and end up having to take care of someone else! I wanted to ask about something you've not mentioned. Permits. If they were not drawn, how are you going to handle that? All this work is rendered illegal in my state. If you ever sell, unpermitted work can nix a sale. When we had a house fire, the first thing they wanted to see were permits for everything. Given we'd just purchased 2 years before, and the house was built in 1976, all I could produce were the mouse-eaten, original blue prints. There was much back and forth about how much they'd cover until they determined the cause of the fire (which turned out to be crazy wrong, anyway). What do you think they'll do about that!? Edited to add: Winterizing. Well, I missed the opportunity to unhook all my hoses and timers. They froze and I think it blew a seal. Too cold to tell, and too cold to turn the water off in the garage. Gotta wait for this weekend when it warms to assess the damage. Still trying to start the generator. I jumped it, but it just won't turn over. Gotta get a friend to at least listen for me. As of this minute, my computer is making a horrendous noise. I'm thinking it's the fan, since the pressure of my wrists causes it to dull. This Dell Inspiron (my 3rd) 1555 has been a SERIOUS lemon. 3rd hard drive, 2nd battery, 4th memory module, and now this. AND, I'm sick to the teeth of Internet explorer. I dislike slapping tons of software on my computer that all do the same thing. I've lost yet another browser session, where I was actually working. Downloading Firefox, although I've never liked it very much. I'm having a not-so-great morning here. Grrrrrr. This post was edited by CEFreeman on Fri, Nov 21, 14 at 9:55

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Cutlets (Real Simple) 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice kosher salt and black pepper 4 4-ounce chicken cutlets 1/4 cup walnuts 2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed well 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 tablespoon plus 3 teaspoons olive oil 1 large sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and thinly sliced 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, halved if large 2 sprigs fresh thyme 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar In a medium bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Heat oven to 450 F. Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool and coarsely chop. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Fold in the walnuts, parsley, 2 teaspoons of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Divide the potato, mushrooms, and thyme between 2 rimmed baking sheets; toss with 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Roast, rotating the sheets once, until tender, 13 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with the vinegar and toss gently. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in a large cast-iron or other nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add cutlets and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve with the quinoa and vegetables.

English Breakfast In A Bun * Time 15 minutes * Serves 6 Ingredients * 1 cup of water at room temperature * 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil * 2 1/2 tbsp dried milk powder * 2 1/2 tbsp sugar * 1 1/2 tsp salt * 3 cups white bread flour * 1 1/2 tsp active dried yeast * For the filling: * 4-5 slices of bacon * 6 mushrooms, sliced * 3 medium sized tomatoes, sliced How to make it * To make the dough, place all of the ingredients in the bread pan in the order listed unless your bread machine directions say otherwise. * Place the pan in the bread machine making sure that the pan is in the locked position. * Close lid and select dough setting and press start. * If your bread machine has a quick dough setting choose that one. * To make the filling, fry the bacon for a few minutes on each side in a frying pan. * Add the mushrooms and then the tomatoes and fry until cooked. * Put the mixture to one side to cool. * When the bread cycle is complete, remove the pan and tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. * Knock back the dough and then divide into 6 or 9 equal sized pieces. * I made 6 equal sized portions and they were quite big! * Flatten each piece, then divide the crumbled bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes between the centers of each. * Brush round the edges of the dough with a little water, then bring them up around the filling. * Pinch together to seal. * Place join-side down on a lightly greased cookie sheet. * Cover loosely with a clean dish towel and leave in a warm place to prove for about 20 minutes. * Bake in a preheated oven at 220 degrees for 15 minutes if making 6 buns. * If making 9 buns bake for about 10-15 minutes. Sue

I got this from here years and years ago. It's absolutely to die for! Sharon's Homemade Sweet & Sour Bacon Dressing ********************************** Fry 1lb. bacon in heavy pot till crisp. Drain & break into tiny pieces-not crumbled! Pour out half the grease-leave rest in pot. ADD: **** 5 eggs (beaten with a spoon) 5 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/4 tsp. salt MIX WELL. ADD: *** 1 cup flour 5 tsps dry mustard MIX WELL-use slotted spoon or whisk ADD: **** 2 1/2 cups CIDER vinegar 5 cups water-Mix till well blended. * Heat on medium-stirring often, but not constantly, as this lowers the cooking temperature. In about 15-20 minutes, mixture will begin to thicken. Make sure you scrape sides of pot & the bottom-often-don't let burn! * Once it is as thick as a medium gravy-remove from heat, and add bacon and 2 TBS margarine or butter. DRESSING WILL THICKEN AS IT COOLS. Sharon says: You may think this makes an awful lot-but it keeps in the fridge for 4 weeks--share with a neighbor! Excellent on Spinach Salads, Baked Potatoes, or just lettuce. Really good if you microwave a serving for 30 seconds or till just warm. ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY.