Okay... Raspberry Iced Tea This is the double strength recipe. When using, dilute with equal parts of water. 2 quarts of water 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups mashed raspberries (or use frozen whole berries) 5 individual regular tea bags 1/4 cup lemon juice Bring all to a boil. Boil for a few minutes long enough to dissolve the raspberries, if you used frozen mashed berries. If whole berries then mash the berries as it is boiling and once the berries are all mashed then add the tea bags. Turn off the stove. Let mixture steep for an hour or till you remember to come back to the kitchen. Let the whole mixture sit until it is a lot cooler to make it easier to handle when sieving later. So, then once cooled off a little, remove pot from stove, sieve mixture. Refridgerate. Serve later by adding equal amounts of water. The original recipe calls for 4 quarts of water and I figure why store that much in the fridge when I could just dilute it later instead. We used this drink last summer when our daughter was married in our yard. Her colors were red and white. The raspberries give this tea a nice red color and it was a very refreshing drink to serve on a 33C day. Bailey's 1 can condensed sweetened milk (Eagle brand or no name) 1 small whipping cream (1 cup size) 1 1/2 cups rye 2 tsp. instant coffee dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water Mix, enjoy. Be sure to refridgerate 'cause of the cream. Kahlua 1 1/2 cups boiling water 1/8 c. instant coffee 2 cups sugar Bring the above to a boil in a pot on the stove and boil for one minute or two or until syrup. Let cool. Add 1 1/2 cups rye and 2 tsp vanilla. Mix, enjoy. I refridgerate this also, although I do not think I would need to do so. Make these recipes yourself and then tell me what you think of the them... Brenda

Hey, Rick, I know lots of words - when I was a kid, I used to read the dictionary...just for fun, LOL! But seriously, if only I was half as smart now as I used to seem to be then! Sigh... ;) I must try the tortiere - I really like the combination of meat with unusual spices, or things like dried fruit. Here's a recipe I really like - the combination of lamb, cinnamon and nutmeg gives a really rich and exotic flavor. This recipe is the best home-made moussaka I've had. (Actually, it's better than most restaurant offerings, IMO...however, since moussaka is not a part of my "food heritage", my opinion may not be worth that much, LOL! ) Moussaka (from The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook) 2 eggplants (~2.5 pounds) Slice eggplants 1/4" thick and sweat them with salt in a colander for ~30 minutes. Then rinse slices, drain, pat dry. Brush slices with olive oil, and broil on baking sheets until golden and translucent; set aside. (BTW, there's nothing like home-grown eggplant - especially if you think you don't like eggplant.) Meat Sauce: 2 lb lean ground lamb 2 onions, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp dried oregano 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp pepper 1 cup red wine 1 19-oz can tomatoes 1 5-1/2 oz can tomato paste 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley Cook lamb over high heat in skillet; spoon off any fat. Add other meat sauce ingredients and cook until onions are softened (~5 minutes). Add wine, tomatoes and tomato paste; break up tomatoes with a spoon (or squish 'em with your hands...clean, of course!); bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes or until mixture does not fill in when spoon is drawn through pan. Stir in parsley and set aside. Bechamel: 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup flour 2 cups milk 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp each nutmeg and pepper 1 cup crumbled feta 4 eggs, beaten 2 cups pressed dry cottage cheese In saucepan, melt butter, whisk in flour and cook, whisking, for 2 minutes without browning. Gradually whisk in milk until boiling and thick enough to coat back of spoon. Stir in spices. Let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Rinse feta and drain well; whisk together with eggs and cottage cheese, and then whisk it into the bechamel. Assembly: 13"x9" pan (or two 8"x8" pans) Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce on bottom, spreading evenly; then 1/2 cup bechamel, spreading evenly. Layer with half the eggplant. The point is to make two complete sequences, with the remaining bechamel on top. Topping: 1/2 cup bread crumbs 1/4 cup grated parmesan Mix and sprinkle over moussaka. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 70 minutes (it seems to me 45 min to an hour is enough), or until browned and bubbly. Mmmmmm.... Puts me in mind of a wonderful dish I had at a Moroccan restaurant once...unfortunately, I can't remember the name of it (something like "brik" or "brikka"??) It consisted of a chicken mixture, flavored with cinnamon, which was wrapped in filo, then baked, then served with a sprinkle of icing sugar on top. It may sound weird but it was great!

Sherry, I just did a head count and out of 167 cultivars I think I have 102 cultivars planted (some 9 duplicates not counted) so that leaves at least 65 in pots..not including a couple of duplicates..more than I originally thought. How often do I water the potted hostas on average? When the temperatures are in the 30's with winds, I have had to water pots that are more exposed every day or every second day depending on size of pot. But on average, I would say 2 good soakings a week. Winter storage is not a problem here in the snow belt. I do have a garage, stored some the first winter but lost some anyway so for me, they are safer outside, laying on their sides right against the fence line or against the sides of the house where they get ample snow cover. Snow is such an excellent insulator. Losses are very minimal to none now - Fire and Ice rotted this spring - why I will never know....it was fabulous last summer. By the way, Potted hostas in our zones do not need to be stored/housed specifically - outside is perfect. Paula! How nice to hear from you! You will be happy to know that my Lakeside collection is growing :D thanks to you! I hope you are enjoying your summer. Miss seeing your posts and pictures of your beautiful hostas. :(. Have you added any new ones lately?

Any annuals I plant in my beds must be colorful, self-sufficient and flower all season. No deadheading, no supplemental watering, no flopping and must be deer/rabbit resistant. That really narrows down my selection. I've found these four fit the requirements and use then liberally: angelonia, melampodium, spreading vinca, lantana, They're all annual in my zone 6. I use plenty of other annuals in pots on my deck where I can give them a little more care and attention (and keep the critters away).