I must confess to not liking grits much...or at least I think I don't. I only had them once while in Florida many moons ago and swear they tasted like wallpaper paste. However I do like polenta so maybe it was just a very bad order of grits. It was at an IHOP so maybe thats a clue ! LOL Tyler cooked this recipe on his "Ultimate" show the other day and it looked awesome. Even this Canadian gal thinks she could manage to enjoy this dish! PS: patti LOL on your looking for a hot crap dip!! Thanks for a much needed giggle! Here is a link that might be useful: Tyler's Shrimp and Grits

Emagineer sez: "Did I high jack this thread?" Hmmm, not so that I noticed. It is sort of a morning hello thread, right? But until I get around to grocery shopping again, something I don;t enjoy much when shopping for one, I must pick up some coffee filters. I usually brew in my 4-cup electric Mr. Coffee. I really do not appreciate instant coffee. Today I used for the first time a French press individual contraption that I bought about two years ago at the boat store. It was a fine cuppa j. When I get a gas range, I will probably use the antique Cajun "biguns" which do the French style coffee akin to espresso. I have 3 of those tiny pots, make a cup each. Their style so reminds me of my days along the bayou, during the years I worked in the oil fields of coastal Louisiana. I can smell the coffee and the salty marshes now.

There are tons of great Indian vegetarian recipes! Here are a few: Aloo Gobi (Indian Potatoes and Cauliflower) 2-3 servings 1 lb waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 4 tablespoons cooking oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 teaspoons ginger, grated into pulp 1 - 2 green chilies, finely chopped 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 lb cauliflower florets 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons fresh coriander (also known as cilantro) 1 Boil potatoes for 5 minutes then drain. 2 Heat oil in a skillet or wok; add onion and ginger, then cook until onion is golden brown. 3 Add chilies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ground cumin and turmeric then cook for 2 mins, stirring continuously. 4 Add potatoes and cauliflower, stirring to coat all the pieces in the mixture, add salt and water then cover and cook gently until vegetables are tender but not overcooked. 5 Garnish with fresh coriander (cilantro) and serve as a main dish with warm Indian breads and/or basmati rice. Can also serve as a side dish with a meat curry. Note: For those who like foods less spicy, just omit or decrease the amount of seeds and membranes from the chiles, because they contain 80 per cent of the heat. *Always wear gloves when working with chiles! Melting in the Mouth Spinach & Potato Curry posted by Mini Ravindran 4 servings 2 cups spinach (blanched and pureed) 4 big potatoes (boiled/microwaved, peeled and cubed) 1 cup tomato puree 2 tablespoons onion paste 1 tablespoon garlic paste 1 tablespoon ginger paste 3 chopped green chilies (optional) *Use them if you want lots of heat! salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 2 tablespoons oil (preferably Canola oil) 1 Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. 2 Add fennel seeds. 3 Let them crackle. 4 Add onion, green chillies, garlic, ginger paste and sauttill it turns pinkish brown. 5 Add salt, turmeric and black pepper powder. 6 Sauté for 3-4 seconds and add tomato puree. 7 Wait till gravy is well cooked and raw smell is gone. 8 Add cubed potatoes and stir well for 4 minutes. 9 Add pureed spinach now and lower the heat. 10 Let it cook for 15 minutes on heat or microwave for 10 minutes. 11 Serve with Indian breads and add a dash of fresh cream while serving. 12 Serve hot. Bengal Spinach serves: 4-6 3 Tbsp. sesame oil 1 tsp. whole black mustard seeds 1/4 tsp. fenugreek seeds (crushed slightly) 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds 4 tsp. brown sugar 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger root OR 2 tsp. ginger juice (it comes in a bottle) Minced fresh chiles or hot sauce to taste Spinach - 2 lbs fresh (washed, chopped) or 2 10-oz. pkgs. frozen (thawed, drained) 1/4 c. dried, shredded coconut salt to taste a dash of freshly grated nutmeg fresh lemon wedges squeezed over finished dish, plus a pat of butter if desired Heat the sesame oil in a large, heavy pan over medium. Add the whole spices and sugar, and stir fry until the spices brown and the sugar starts to carmelize. Add ginger, chiles, coconut, then the spinach, cover and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, so it cooks evenly. Make sure it doesn't boil dry--add a little more water if needed. Cook until it is very soft. Stir in the nutmeg, turn into a serving dish, and squeeze a bit of lemon over the top. Optional additions: 1/4 c. slivered, toasted almonds, 1/3. c. currants, or a few tablespoons of cream Here's a Thai recipe: Thai-Style Pasta Salad DRESSING: 1/2 cup natural peanut butter 6 Tbs. water 4 Tbs. vegetable oil 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice (1 lime) 2 Tbs. distilled white vinegar 2 Tbs. Asian (dark) sesame oil 2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce 1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or more, to taste SALAD: 4 oz. snow peas, strings removed 1/2 lb. Chinese rice noodles/vermicelli (can substitute angel hair pasta or spaghettini/thin spaghetti). 1 pkg. (8 oz.) coleslaw mix 5 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges 1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into thin strips 1 cup mung or soy bean sprouts 1/2 cup chopped scallions (or 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion) Dressing: In medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Set aside. Bring large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside. Meanwhile, cut the snowpeas into thirds on diagonal. Steam until just cooked, keeping them a little crunchy. Rinse under cold water. In large serving bowl, combine noodles, dressing, snow peas, coleslaw, radishes, tomatoes, cucumber, sprouts and scallions (or onion). Makes 6 servings

I have made trinket boxes with some I had for craft shows and gifts. You draw around the top of the cup, on a piece of cardboard, to get the circle size. Pad the circle and cover it with a fabric that looks pretty with the flower on the cup. You can put narrow lace around it and then finish it off with a piece of felt or other fabric that doesn't ravel on the inside. But before you glue the finishing circle on, take a piece of ribbon aprox 16 inches long, fold it in the center. Take the folded end and glue or sew to the bottom side of the cardboard. Then glue the finish piece. Tie the ribbon around the handle of the cup and the ribbon becomes a "hinge" You can keep rings or whatever inside the teacup. I glued the cup to the saucer, you can decide if you want to or not. Then I glued small roses on the saucer with a dainty tea spoon. If that doesn't make sense and you'd like to try it but want more instructions email me and I'll see if I can help. patti