Pulled pork BBQ beef Little Smokies in bbq sauce Guacamole Salsas Onion dip Mexican Pizza - On a large flat platter or pizza pan layer 1 large can refried beans, 3 or 4 mashed avocados, chopped green onions, small can of green chilies, some taco sauce or salsa, chopped olives, chopped tomatoes and cover the whole thing with 8 oz. of shredded cheddar. Serve with tortilla chips. Most guys like foods that familiar and simple. Sweet mixed with salt and too many veggie ingredients are snack killers.

plllog- If you soak nuts and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) in lightly salted water 12-24 hours and dehydrate them until they are crispy dry, they are easier to digest and you increase the nutrients. For more information check out "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. I use this method with all nuts and peanuts we consume because it germinates the nuts which increases the enzyme activity. Another way to offset difficulty digesting large quantities of nuts is to take an enzyme supplement to neutralize the enzyme inhibitors. I also stick to sprouted and dehydrated sunflower seeds for the same reason. You can purchase sprouted seeds from Nuts.com or goraw.com, but I make my own. Here are some tasty ways to consume chia seeds. CHAI CHIA PUDDING 2 c. boiling water 2 Chai tea bags 3 T. chia seeds small amount of milk of choice (cow, goat, nut milk) sweetener of choice (to taste) Steep tea bags in boiled water for 15-minutes. Remove bags and add sweetener and a small amount of milk to "lighten" the mixture. Add chia seeds, mix well. Let sit for 5-minutes and mix again. Refrigerate overnight. CAROB FUDGE \- a terrific high\-energy treat! (source: The Magic of Chia \- by James F. Scheer) 3/4 c. maple syrup 1 c. peanut butter 1 t. vanilla 1 c. almonds, chopped or ground 1 c. walnuts, chopped 1/2 c. sesame seeds 1/4 c. dry chia seeds 1/2 c. sunflower seeds 1/2 c. carob powder (I use 1/4 c. cocoa or cacao powder) Mix maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla. Add carob powder (or cocoa) a little at a time. Mix until well blended. Mix all nuts and seeds together and add slowly to carob mixture. Press firmly into a lightly oiled pan. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve chilled. Must be stored in refrigerator or may be frozen. Makes 24 pieces. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ \-Chia gel: 1 T. chia seeds + 9 T. water (you can use other liquids if you'd like). \-I add chia seeds or chia seed gel (water and chia seeds) to all yeast breads. It helps keep homemade bread stay moist longer and increases the fiber. If you don't like the dark seeds in your breads (slightly bigger than poppy seeds), mill it into flour and add it. \-Egg replacer. To replace one large egg, use 2 T. of chia gel. \-Fat replacer. Chia gel can be used to substitute for up to half the butter or oil in baked recipes without altering the taste, texture, or baking method. To replace butter or oil, use 1 T. of chia gel per tablespoon of butter or oil removed from the recipe. (Source: "Chia Seed Remedies") \-You can mill chia seeds into a flour in a coffee/spice mill. I regularly mill a 50/50 chia seed and flaxseed mixture and store it in the freezer. I add this mixture to our morning smoothie, baked goods, oatmeal, etc. \-I add chia seeds to homemade "energy bars". \-I add chia seeds to lemonade made with whey from draining my kefir. Chia Fresca is a favorite Mexican beverage. CHIA FRESCA 16 oz. filtered water 6 T. lime juice (fresh\-squeezed, about 2 limes) 1 T. chia seeds Your choice of sweetener. -Chia gel works in hot or cold beverages Add it to 100% fruit juice beverages, coconut water, etc. WATERMELON CHIA SLUSHY (source: "Chia Seed Remedies" 2 c. watermelon chunks 1 T. dry chia 1/2 c. crushed ice squirt of lime juice Sparkling water or seltzer In your blender, plus or chop the watermelon chunks. Be careful not to reduce it to liquid. Add the chia to hydrate and wait about 10-minutes. Add a squirt of lime juice, the crushed ice, and your amount of sparkling water. Pulse once to combine. Now you're ready to pour a glass of sweet, cool, refreshment. -I add chia seeds to my homemade popcicles. homemade tortillas, homemade pudding, granola...... CHIA COCONUT PUDDING (1 serving) 1-2 T. chia seeds (I like to use white chia seeds in this recipe) 1 T. coconut milk powder (Wilderness Family Naturals) 1 c. water Grind seeds or use whole (I grind them). Mix milk powder and water and heat to boiling point. Whisk seeds into liquid. Whisk again after a few minutes. Serve hot or cold with a drizzle of honey. -Add 2 T. chia seeds along with bread crumbs per 1-pound of ground meat when making meatballs or meatloaf. I use 3 to 5 pounds of chia seeds each year. -Grainlady

I'm just doing a few appetizers with drinks before Christmas Eve dinner and this is what I'm making. DEBBIE'S HOLIDAY BACON APPETIZERS (from the early 80's) Club Crackers 1 pound Thin-Sliced Bacon cut in half 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese Begin by laying crackers on a cookie sheet, face up. Now just spoon 1 teaspoon of cheese over each cracker. Assemble: Wrap 1/2 piece of thin bacon around each cracker. Being careful to completely cover the entire cracker. Place the wrapped crackers onto a baking sheet with a rack. I used my two piece broiler pan. Place the pan in a 250-degree oven for around 2 hours. The great thing about these is, you can make them way ahead of time, then store them in a large Ziploc in the freezer. Then, when youÂre ready to serve them, just thaw and warm in the oven for about 10 minutes. BAR NUTS From The Union Square Cafe Cookbook, HarperCollins, 1994 These nuts won The New York Press award for "best bar nuts in New York." Every afternoon at about 4:45, a piping hot batch emerges from our ovens and is sent out to the bar, where the sweet rosemary fragrance wafts throughout the restaurant. Though they don't have a television set at they're bar, these nuts would probably be a hit in your living room accompanied by a football game and some ice-cold beer. Yields 5 cups  1/4 pound each peeled peanuts, cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, and whole unpeeled almonds or 1 pounds unsalted, assorted nuts.  2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary  1/2 teaspoon cayenne  2 teaspoons dark brown sugar  2 teaspoons kosher salt  1 tablespoon butter, melted 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Toast in the oven until they become light golden brown, about 10 minutes. 3. In the large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, salt, and melted butter. 4. Thoroughly toss the warm toasted nuts with the spiced butter and serve warm. CINDY 5NY's HOT CRAB AND CHEESE APPETIZERS 1 can crabmeat, drained 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup cheddar, shredded 2-3 green onions, minced French bread, sliced 1/4 inch thick or melba toast rounds (I am using small cocktail size pumperknickel) Combine filling ingredients. Spread thickly on bread or toast. Bake 375 15-20 minutes.

When we looked at this we were told that the issue is heat transfer - as you work the dough it produces heat and you want the surface to pull this heat out of the dough. Marble and granite both have the capability to do this and importantly have the mass (and the thicker the material the better) to do it over time. We were told that other materials lack the necessary mass and while they may work when you first begin working the dough that they will warm up faster and allow the dough to warm up. You can also place a baking sheet of ice on the surface prior to working your dough or candy to further reduce the starting temp. If you have any heating ducts in the cabinet underneath then a bit of extra insulation will keep the heat from migrating up through the cabinet to the bottom of the baking surface. We're doing this but I've no idea if this will make a realistic difference or not. Lots and lots of counter surface for cooling racks and other stuff. Some folks on here strongly recommended only drawers (vs doors) in base cabinets. I think that's a good idea and we changed our plans to do that. All baking stuff together in one area. We've lots of drawers for frequently used stuff all together in one area. Our cabinet guy does sealed pantry's (kind of like a frig but no cooling system or insulation) for people to store flours, grains and stuff in to reduce bug/rodent problems. Keeps the smell inside and the varmints out. We've never had a problem so didn't opt for this. Hopefully we're not sorry. I think I agree about the combi oven. We're doing a Miele XXL and have high hopes for it. Lots and lots of good light! Downlights over the work surfaces (and not over walking areas). Think about shadows. Shadows aren't good. Also under counter lighting but keep in mind that you still need good overhead light on outside counters w/ undercab lighting.