When I was a kid, we had a special gizmo for warming up bagels. It was a brushed-aluminum, almost-spherical pot/lid combo, a little flattened on the bottom so it could sit on a burner. Made by Rival or Proctor-Silex or one of those companies. The lower part had an inset with small holes in it. As I recall, you'd put water in the main pan--there was only room for a very small amount--and then put the bagels in the inset, plunk on the lid, and warm them up over low heat. The printing on the lid said "bun warmer," but in our house it was always used for bagels. And usually to revive ones that were starting to go stale, but I bet it would work to thaw frozen ones, too. I guess it was basically a steamer, but the bagels always came out of it tasting fabulous. I've got to check and see if my mother still has that thing.

I love a big cast iron pot full of Gigantes. A very lean and healthy dish. I follow Bobby Flay's recipe. We were in Greece this summer, and I was disappointed not to find them on a single menu anywhere. Gigantes 1 pound gigantes (or big lima beans), soaked for 12 hours, drained 1/4 cup Greek olive oil 1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 (15-ounce) can chopped plum tomatoes plus their liquid 2 cups water 2 tablespoons honey 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves Directions Add the beans to a pot with enough cold water to cover well. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer until just soft throughout but not quite cooked, approximately 50 to 80 minutes, depending on the beans. Drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Add onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and their liquid, 2 cups water, honey, cloves, salt, and pepper and boil gently for 20 to 30 minutes or until it begins to thicken. Stir in the parsley and remove from heat. Place the beans in an oven-proof dish, pour tomato mixture on top, stir and spread mixture out evenly. Bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until beans are soft. (Check the dish during cooking and if needed, add a small amount of boiling water.) The dish will look crispy on top. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot or at room temperature. Serves: 6*; Calories: 380; Total Fat:10 grams; Saturated Fat: 1 gram; Protein: 17 grams; Total carbohydrates: 58 grams; Sugar: 14 grams; Fiber: 17 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 187 milligrams Here is a link that might be useful: Bobby Flay's Gigantes

I'm glad you enjoyed it, but actually I posted this one first but I didn't think anyone was interested as no one commented until now. Animals are so amazing, it boggles the mind sometime. It's video's like this that give me my passion for helping animals like the ones who fell victim in the other stories posted. It's not all good sometime, but we need to see it and step up to help change it. They suffer in silence and we are their voice.

i will yell ... NOT IF YOUR GROUND FREEZES ... and i am pretty sure your probably does ... bunch of cliches .....dormant trees need little water ... dont confuse a dry surface.. with moisture at root depth ... and if soil frozen.. its not like you can dig little holes to find out ... roots need air as much as water .. and if frozen into an ice cube.. no air ... i am sure this would all be different in warmer climes where soil doesnt freeze .... lastly ... these dudes cant predict tomorrows weather.. i have little faith in long term predictions ... try to keep some perspective of all the chicken little weather predictions ... too many peeps put their hoses away .. when raking leaves in late october ... you should be CHECKING moisture thru thxgiving ... and if need be.. ON NEW TRANSPLANTS... give them a late drink ... THEN PUT THE HOSE AWAY ... again .. i would not be all that worried about long established plants ... in our zone ... and lastly.. again.. lol ... you can waste a lot of money.. cracking hoses in very cold weather ... probably more money than the plants you are trying to save ... its hard to wind up a hose for winter storage... when its 40 degrees out ... ken