I do mine in the kitchen, too. Bag of soil in the sink, containers on the counter, my seed box and seed list on the counter behind me, sown containers on the floor, a big mug of tea across the room (sugar only, please, no soil!). I take over the room! I listen to CD's while I sow. We're planning a Spring Dance and we have to put together the play-list. So I listen to a snippet of a song while I'm filling a jug, skip to the next track, throw a few seeds in, write down the track number of the good dance-songs, skip to the next track, tape and label the jug, skip to the next song, take a sip of tea, etc. It's very nice. Only me, my cat, seeds, and music in the house. Really, really nice. Yes, I'm excited for spring to get here, but I'll miss these lovely quiet mornings with the sun coming through the windows and my sowing stuff all over the kitchen. Diana Lynn

Tami, I didn't follow a recipe, but here's what I did: Sauteed a medium onion, chopped, in about 2 tbsp. olive oil. Added a large clove of garlic, minced, and several shakes of marjoram. If you want to add pepper, add it here. (The herbs/seasonings can certainly be varied, depending on individual taste. Rosemary is good, or something spicier.) I stirred in a cup of barley, and then added a can of chicken broth plus about a quarter-cup of water. Bring to a boil, covered, then simmer for a half-hour or more. Test the barley for doneness, and add a medium head of broccoli, chopped (not finely), when the barley is almost done. Add a little water if necessary, and continue to cook, covered. It's a good idea to stir a couple of times while it cooks. Keep an eye on it so the broccoli doesn't get overcooked. A little salt might or might not be needed. Hope you like it!

I also love barley, and like it leftover too, even after it has absorbed all the soup liquid and just become barley. I also haven't seen a difference in the way barley cooks, except I get "quick" barley which cooks in minutes, or regular barley which cooks in an hour or so. I like the long cooked barley better, the texture is different. I do agree that cooking it first and then adding it at the end is a good option if the soup will be "held" for any time, as it will soak up the liquid and may change the texture of the stew. I like stew thick but some others like it brothy, and the barley will definitely affect texture if it's in there too long. So, I'd go with a cup of barley and a couple of cups of liquid directly in the stew if I'm serving immediately, or some barley cooked separately according to package directions if you add it in before serving. Annie

Love the Butler's pantry off the kitchen which also has the all freezer unit, 8 drawers and 2 cabinets - tons of storage Love the big all freezer and all fridge units although not the brand originally purchased. Love the filtered hot and cold water dispenser. Love the sink so deep you can't see the dirty dishes unless you're right on top of it. With a dishpan also makes a great bath tub for the puppy LOL Love having 2 Dishwashers and love that they are SOOOO quiet Love my floating bar and that my kids can talk to me while doing homework and I'm making dinner LOVE having a computer in the kitchen (Love my new MacGourmet program too) Love the Magic corner units - I have so much extra space Love the toekick drawers Love my can drawers Love all my drawers - the 2 36" drawers are amazing for storing pots and baking stuff Love my pot rack in the cupboard Love having no smells - yeah venthood Love the pull through trash which opens from either side of the peninsula Love my WORKING Double Ovens Love my pull out pantry Most of all LOVE the ease with which it all works together One year later what I wish I had done differently: * Put one DW closer to the prep area instead of having both in the clean up area * Put in a back splash instead of waiting - it may never get done * Put in a whole house water filter instead of just the drinking water * Sacrificed one upper cabinet for bigger windows. I had so little storage before and I was so scared of not having enough in this kitchen that I went with storage over a window. Even though the window I have now is bigger than the old one, a bigger one would have been even nicer * Chosen a better brand of fridge and freezer. Our GE Monogram all fridge freezer unit will shortly be replaced with Miele units