It will be interesting to hear your recipe, trailrunner! I just made a small batch (way too small as it turned out), this was enough for two pizzas. Minced garlic from 2 heads, simmered slowly in around 1/4 cup olive oil, for 5 minutes only, being carefully to not let brown. I can't remember for sure, but I think it was almost equal parts garlic and XV olive oil. Then, added a small can of tomato paste, 1/4 cup sugar and a couple Tbsp of water, and 1/4 tsp of oregano and pepper. The crusts do look different but I'm pretty sure they are both the Baguette recipe (which I must attempt this week, having found my pans). The second crust looks more like the Bittman recipe, but that was because it was made in a square pan, more deep dish style. I wasn't thrilled with either crust this time. We had a hockey game in the middle of the day so I made the 4 batches of dough in the morning and let them proof in the fridge, then skipped the second rise for the baguette recipe. Maybe they rose too long? Next time, I'll shoot for around two hours before oven time. Then again, I tend to not eat when I am hosting, so maybe I am imagining the difference. Everyone else loved the pizzas, which is all that counts. Between the two, I like the baguette recipe a little better but DH likes the MB.

Thank you, morz8! I have an extra can of crab I bought a couple months ago to make the crab stuffed potatoes at my friend's home, so now I have a good use for it :). Funny thing, I make deviled eggs every so often for the theatre, and they turn out really well here at home. Guess it was the stove and pan I used at my gram's that led to the fiasco. Last time I made deviled eggs here at home, I made 1 dozen (or 2 dozen halves) and sprinkled half with paprika and the other half with some fresh chives from my garden. It looked very pretty (and tasted good, too!) Brad AKA Moonwolf

Had lunch with my Chinese friends (in a pizza joint LOL) Got another lesson in dim sum culture: 1. Dim Sum does not really mean âÂÂa little bit of heartâÂÂ, âÂÂsmall heartâÂÂ, etc. it is a common misinterpretation of the essence of the concept. Dim means to point, or to focus. In other words, itâÂÂs all about the heart. 2. Dim sum is not about eating originally. Even today, a Chinese will not invite you to eat dim sum, instead, he/she will say,â LetâÂÂs go sip teaâÂÂ. 3. WiKi is inacurate in saying that: â At first, it was considered inappropriate to combine tea with food, because people believed it would lead to excessive weight gain. People later discovered that tea can aid in digestion, so teahouse owners began adding various snacksâÂÂ. It was a common greeting in China, â Hey, congratulations, looks like you have gained a few pounds.â Fat was considered a very good thing, because you would be looking like Buddha. 4. Not too long ago in China, dim sum eating was a different thing. In the morning thatâÂÂs where scholars would meet, with their pet canary birds in exquisitely crafted bamboo cages to compete to see whose bird could sing better and they would exchange poetry and artwork. Commoners would bring their pet cricks in highly decorated boxes to have cricket fights with each other. Much like dog fights elsewhere, a lot of money would be involved, and the well known lineage of crickets could be very expensive. Little kids would bring their per spiders in match boxes, a special kind of spiders known as âÂÂGolden hair catsâÂÂ. They would have spider fights also. House wives and concubines would walk around the room to chat with relatives and friends they knew. Matchmakers would also be around to drum up business in arranged marriages. Cricket fights Such picturesque imagery. I asked him to recommend a few movies which would depict China in the old days. Hopefully with subtitles of course. dcarch

Vee, sorry, I only just noticed your post to me about Death Comes to Pemberley. I don't watch Downton Abbey so haven't been following this thread. I can't remember what I said about the book either but the TV show looks interesting and I shall see if I can get an advance DVD download as I don't know when it will be shown here or it may have been on Foxtel satellite which I don't have. I don't get the time to watch everything I'd like on "Free to air" as it is! I have heaps of programs that sit in the recorder....