emmie9999, try corn if you want to and have some extra room (particularly if you expand your beds). I live in the country in PA, with lots of corn around. There's a farmstand a half-mile up the road that always has great corn, but I still grow some of my own, just becauase it feels good to look out and see a little patch of corn in my garden. (But I've got a pretty big garden, so I'm not so worried about the space.) This year I'm increasing the fun factor by experimenting with a couple of open-pollinated heirloom varieties along with a regular supersweet hybrid type. You can plant a small patch of corn, but then it helps to hand-pollinate it to get good ears. When the silks show up, cut off some bits of the tassles from the top and dust it over the silks. CAVEAT: I haven't tried that yet, but I read somewhere here that it works well. I'm going to try it this year. Last year I had one very small patch of late summer corn that didn't pollinate well -- I didn't know about hand-pollinating then. A lot of my gardening is just aimed at getting fresh veggies, but a lot of it is also just for fun. I grow some dried beans, for instance. From the perspective of food, it doesn't make any sense, since you can buy a pound of dried beans in the market for about 80 cents. But I grow old heirloom varieties, like Steuben and Amish Knuttle, which you can't get in the market. I don't have room to plant enough to get more than about 1-2 pounds of dried beans per variety, but the beans are pretty and it's just fun. With green beans, you might consider pole beans. You get a much larger harvest from a small amount of garden space. You also can harvest a lot of it standing up. And the teepees look lovely -- I make mine out of 7- or 8-foot lengths of bamboo. One of the downsides is that you can't use row covers (at least not easily), if you're planning on using covers. You also have to make sure the teepees don't shade something else in the garden. One last downside to teepees is that occasionally a good wind will make them start leaning, especially in the early summer before the beans are strong enough to anchor them. Have fun and good luck with your garden.

I don't prep vegetables in advance. Except for maybe potatoes. I will sometimes cut them up for french fries and soak them in cold water in the fridge. But for me vegetables are the easiest part of putting together dinner. When I get home from work I get dinner started. If I'm grilling then while the grill heats I get vegetables ready. Potatoes are easy to peel, and it only takes a minute to snap the ends off of green beans or cut up broccoli or cauliflower, etc.. As much as I love corn, the one job I hate is shucking it, so that is Moe's job. He does it outside. I haven't tried the Lock and Lock's but I have these wonderful vegetable storage containers that Brenda gave me in one of our swaps. They are made by Tupperware and are called Fridge Smart. Different vegetables/fruit require different storage conditions. They have little tabs on the sides that allow for air flow when needed. I tested them with green beans last winter. I bought a large quantity of perfect green beans (hard to find in the winter) and I stored them in one of these containers and they looked and tasted just as good after two weeks as they did when I put them in. Ann

Guess I am with you Khandi. My son is used to having home cooked meals. He actually doesn't care to eat out. And college meal plans are rather expensive. He is trying to get by without any college debt. Yes, he has learned to cook and shop for himself. But, I know he'll be busy with tough classes, working and having some fun in college clubs (running, hiking, climbing, etc). I am planning to put together some simple recipes in a book. I will also be going up once in a while (3 hours away) and when I do, I'll be throwing together a few freezer meals for him to dump in a crock pot. I don't think there is any shame in that. It means you love your child and want them to eat healthy meals. I have always cooked at home, he has always seen me cook and I know he's learned the value in that to carry on for himself. Home cooking teaches them the value of a dollar and a healthy lifestyle. Good luck to your daughter and I'm so glad there are caring parents out there :)

I make these two on Christmas Eve. Both came from the forum, I think they came from Woodie but it is not in my notes. Also note that you need to bring them to room temp or cook a little bit longer, especially the egg bake. CRÃÂME BRULEE FRENCH TOAST (Courtesy of Arthur Schwartz, WOR Radio) 1 Stick Butter 1 Cup Brown Sugar 2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup 8-10 inch round country loaf, or 1 pound French bread or 1 Challah 5 eggs 1 1/2 cups half and half 1 teaspoon Vanilla 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier 1/4 teaspoon salt 1. Melt butter, sugar and corn syrup in saucepan over moderate heat. Pour into 9 X 13 pan. 2. Slice bread into 6 slices (1 inch thick) and place on top of the sauce in the 9 X 13 pan, press together to fit. 3. Whisk together eggs, half and half, Vanilla, Grand Marnier and salt. Pour over bread. 4. Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours. 5. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes, until puffy and brown. ITALIAN EGG BAKE (serves 10) 1 lb sweet Italian sausage 1 tsp butter 1/2 medium red onion, chopped 8 oz mushrooms, sliced 12 eggs, beaten 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp seasoned salt 8 oz mozzarella 2 medium tomatoes, peeled & chopped Preheat oven to 400ð. Peel casing from sausage & cut into bite-sized pieces. In a medium skillet, saute sausage over medium-high heat until crumbly. Drain & set aside. Wipe skillet clean, then melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion & mushrooms & cook until tender. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper & seasoned salt. Stir in mozzarella & tomatoes. Add sausage, onions & mushrooms. Pour egg mixture into a greased 13x9" baking pan. Bake 30-40 minutes.~~NOTE: May be prepared the night before, refrigerated & baked before serving.