I knew it, it wasn't just me who had the same feeling or was thinking the same way. LOL. :D I went to HD yesterday and saw tons of nice plants in full bloom. I kept asking my petunias when they're going to be in full bloom so I can hang them in my basket. But my visual memory of pitimpinai's petunia is giving me hope. Mone, what month did your petunias reach at least 10-12 inches? I was also praying that the seeds labeled spring blooming will bloom all summer to late frost. LOL. :D I sometimes feel guilty as well when I plant my wsown seedlings. I always tell my head, "hmmm, you haven't seen anything yet. Wait till you see what my garden's got." LOL!!! Hahaha!

dayenu makes a really good point about breakfasts. I don't know what it is about breakfast -- maybe because we so often eat it alone? -- but it seems to be so idiosyncratic; the meal where we are most likely to eat something no one else wants, and the meal we are least likely to feel adventurous. A lot of people eat the same breakfast every day, or at most choose from a limited list; how many of us do that for lunch or dinner? Same for different menus; we sit down to the same dinner, but at breakfast, we each do our own thing. And some people hear "breakfast" and think of eggs, some want only bread or cereal and fruit, some want vegetables or fish, some want last night's leftover chicken, some want the last piece of pie, some can't handle anything but coffee and juice ... and NO ONE wants to have to discuss it. Plus, as a guest, I don't want to be putting my hosts to trouble when they may be hurrying out the door for work or otherwise trying to get through their morning routines (which, likewise, we don't like to have disrupted). It's hard to know how to be polite in that situation, because trying not to make work can actually be the most exasperating to the host. When I am the host, it used to be so awkward: "What can I fix you for breakfast?" "Oh, anything." "Well, I make really good omelettes -- how about an omelette? I have cheese, mushrooms, and onions." "Oh, no, not eggs." "Well, how about a bagel, or some cereal, or some cottage cheese?" "Oh, just anything." "Would you like juice? I have grapefruit, orange, and tomato." "Any kind; I don't care." [Honestly, now! Of course they care! But *I* don't care what kind of juice THEY drink -- I just want them to give me an answer so I can get on with it!] As you can see, this goes nowhere fast. It drives me, as the host, crazy, but I know that my guest is really trying not to put me to any trouble. Even worse is when they say, "I'll just have whatever you're having." BIG mistake -- good chance I'm having no-fat cottage cheese and a bowl of Cheerios and granola with skim milk, or maybe some leftover kasha. That would probably come as a big surprise! But if I just go ahead and make and serve a breakfast, the way I might just go ahead and make dinner and serve it without consulting the guest on the menu, that can be really bad -- even a breakfast that's a treat for some people is a real ordeal for the poor person who is accustomed to only coffee in the morning. It's just so much harder to be a good guest and eat what's put in front of you at breakfast time. I COULD just put out everything I can think of and let them serve themselves, offering to make eggs, pancakes, or whatever, too. That's what I do if there is a big crowd (usually a bunch of teens), especially if they will be wandering into the kitchen at different times and levels of fogginess. But for real houseguests, I have learned to do what dayenu does: I ask them in advance, "Tell me what you like to eat for breakfast -- it's so personal, and we each eat something different in the mornings anyway." They start to say, "Oh, anything -- " but then they "get it" and tell me. They and I both appreciate not having to try to find something we both want to eat or to do a complicated minuet about trying not to inconvenience each other -- especially not first thing in the morning!

This one was on the table at a book club potluck last week. Everyone raved and wanted the recipe. I'm going to cross post in new recipes. Zucchini Pickles - Heidi Swanson, 100 Cookbooks There are quite a number of ways to play around with the personality of these pickles. Sometimes I shave the zucchini paper-thin, resulting in a whispy tangle of pickled zucchini and onions. Other times I want my pickles to have a bit more bite, structure, and definition. In those instances, I slice the zucchini thicker, perhaps 1/8-inch, and let them drain as long as possible, sometimes overnight refrigerated. Also worth noting, when I make them for our personal condiment stash, I used a brown natural cane sugar. It gives the pickle liquid a brownish cast that, quite frankly, weirds people out if they don't know what is causing it. So, if I'm making the pickles to bring to a BBQ or something, I'll make them with regular organic cane sugar - one that is lighter in color.
 3 medium zucchini (1 pound / 16 oz / 450 g), thinly sliced
 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
 3 shallots, thinly sliced 1 1/2 tablespoons fine grain sea salt 
1/4 cup (small handful) fresh dill sprigs 1 small fresh red chile pepper, very thinly sliced 1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds 3/4 cup / 180 ml cider vinegar
 3/4 cup / 180 ml white wine vinegar
 1/3 cup / 1.75 oz / 50g natural cane sugar 
Toss the zucchini, onion, shallots, and salt together in a colander and place over a bowl to catch the liquids. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least a couple hours. Toss once or twice along the way. You're aiming to get as much liquid out of the zucchini as possible.

When you're finished draining the zucchini, shake off any water. At this point you want the zucchini as dry as possible. Place in a 1 liter / 1 quart jar along with the dill, chile pepper, and mustard seeds. Alternately, you can cram them into a 3/4 liter Weck jar like I do, but it's always a bit snug in the jar. Combine the ciders and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves, and continue to boil for a few minutes. Pour the liquid over the zucchini and seal the jar. Let cool, then refrigerate. The pickles are good for a week or so. 

Makes one large jar. Prep time: 120 min - Cook time: 5 min Here is a link that might be useful: Quick pickled zucchini

Jasdip, I wonder if the difference is the mayonnaise rather than the MW? The mayonnaise I like has spices and vinegar and is zippy. :) I'm surprised that the ketchup is different, unless it's the specific type. Simply Heinz tastes like it's supposed to (used to), whereas the one under the regular label tastes more like ketchup candy. I wonder if you have the better one. I know the "plain" tea is (or was) different. When I was travelling in my teens, I'd realized we'd come back over the border at the first stop where the (nothing in it) tea didn't taste sweet. Someone once said what kind of tea it was in Canada that tasted sweet, as opposed to the black tea blends I was used to, but I forget.