cynic, as an aside to the roaster discussion, I use a big green unbreakable Stanley Thermos. It's not pretty, but I got mine because all th farmers and construction workers I know used them. Mine will keep a pot of hot chocolate steaming hot for several hours while the kids go tobogganing, so we're talking outside in a Michigan winter and usually stuck right into the snow. I used them a lot for camping, I could make coffee at breakfast, put it into the Stanley and it would still be drinkable at supper. Oh, and I've put ice water in it or iced tea when spending a few hours out in the hay field and it keeps ice in the liquid for a couple of hours too. I can definitely recommend them, although my oldest one is over 20 years old, so I'm hoping they haven't "improved" them. Annie

I didn't graduate from ECSU. I quit after my first year which would have been in 1981/82. Gee, when I went there it was actually still called ECSC....LOL. okay, so I am seriously dating myself :) Let's see, my fav pizza places were in New Britain or Southington. I left CT in '91 so I don't even know if they are still around. But see, if you miss a place in RI you just get in the car and you are there in no time! If I drive North for an hour I am still only on the other side of Indianapolis. Man, I remember jumping in the car with a friend just because we felt like walking around in Newport. Never gave it a thought :) Yes, I miss Ethnic foods. Anyone who knows how to cook true ethnic food never seems to move away from the Coasts. But boy do we have a gluttony of steak places around here.... yuk! And the pizza? Try No Greeks in Indiana, period! and no Diners.... and no Italian......well, except for Olive Garden (oh joy!) haha Dang, now I am hungry for things I couldn't get no matter what I was willing to pay! we will be in CT and The Cape this summer and I will eat, eat, eat. :p

Well, it depends on price point. I think the only feature that is absolutely expected across the board is to have a counter that isn't tile -- that is instead some material that is entirely smooth/solid (without grout lines) for easy cleaning. I also think people really appreciate things that look roomier than they were expecting. Americans tend to like big stuff and to associate it with luxury. So if the kitchen is bigger than you'd expect in house like that, that'll always make a good impression. I don't think the average American is particularly informed or design-minded, so they'd be looking to hear buzzwords like "granite counter tops" and "stainless steel appliances" and "custom cabinets" and "solid wood" and "new." I think it matters less if it's actually really unattractive granite that doesn't go well with the cabinet color, or if it's a crappy, unreliable dishwasher. That said, while most don't cook much and wouldn't know what a good layout was, anybody who does cook would also be on the look out for that. I am an enthusiastic baker, so how the work spaces are laid out is the first thing I notice aside from the general feel of a kitchen (calm, light, clean, etc.). I look for large swatches of uninterrupted counter, and I look at how someone else might use part of the kitchen while I'm in there too without getting in my way. I would run screaming from one of those tight u-shaped kitchens. They only accommodate a single cook. And I really dislike features that eat away at usable counterspace -- upper cabinets that come all the way to sit on the counters, split-level peninsulas/islands, appliance garages, etc.

Jack, I'm just using up the last handful of cloves that I kept "fresh", and they're just starting to sprout, so I need to use them up.... Right now I'm running with a Hereford/Highland cross, and I'm happy with that. The calves are born small but grow quickly and happily graze on brush and weeds along with their pasture. Mine are all grass fed and grass finished, and eat only that which is grown on the farm here. Well, not exactly, they all love the Little Debbie powdered sugar donuts the grandkids feed them as treats, but other than that it's grass and hay, LOL. We butcher at about 18 months, so it's really "baby beef", and my animals have acres of pasture to roam around in and just be cows. No feed lots, no crowded spaces, the barn is open but they seldom go inside unless they are escaping summer's heat. When it's time, Dallas comes to the farm and they are killed as quickly and humanely as possible. They are born on the place and never leave it, no trailers or strange places. They are not pets, (well, except old Red Cow, she's 16) but they are friendly and docile and I can handle them myself. They'd follow me off the edge of the earth for a powdered sugar donut, LOL. I have neighbors who are old farmers and they swore I'd never get an animal from birth to 1,000 pounds in 18 months on just hay and pasture, but a couple of them have now switched to grass fed because they can sell them for more money. I'm happy that you are buying beef from a neighbor, keep the little guys in business! And I mean little, right now I have 6 head of cattle. (grin) And so, I just canned 5 quarts of sirloin chunks and 3 quarts of stock. That'll be the last of my preserving until next year, as I have our family Christmas celebration on Sunday, complete with a 7 rib standing rib roast, homegrown. So, no time for canning, we'll need a new 2017 posting! A very Happy and Healthy New Year to all my friends here... Annie