OOPS, I forgot to respond to the actual thread! I wanted to add that I have become a HUGE fan of the "large" priority box that you get for free at the post office, then it costs just over ten dollars to mail, NO MATTER HOW HEAVY it is or where it's going! I mail preserves to good friends at the holidays every year, and you KNOW how heavy and expensive those boxes can end up being! I just sent a box out yesterday with five half-pint jars in it (bubble wrap and styrofoam peanuts on the bottom, jars in bubble wrap in one layer on top of that, finished off with peanuts to the top), and they fit perfectly and securely (probably could have gotten a sixth jar in there as well). I bet you could easily do four pints of salsa in the same fashion. Just a thought... Here is a link that might be useful: Lindsey's Luscious

FWIW...I get full-screen windows on my Mac. Macs can read PC documents. When I switched, I had more than ten years worth of PC documents to transfer from PC to new Mac. It was easy, straightforward, and fast. I also exchange documents with my PC friends and they with me. Really...these are not issues. And, if you find you must run windows for some specific reason, Macs run windows also. (For myself, I want nothing to do with windows and its myriad problems. However, acknowledge the obvious fact that many prefer it.) Suggest this free forum if you want to ask more questions. I hung out here for six weeks before I bought. Found it well attended. The individual forum I've posted here is called "switcher hangout"....frequented by lots of folks just like you. Here is a link that might be useful: Free Mac switcher forum

Some thoughts... Cooking for yourself can be boring and almost painful. Ideally get a roommate (or gf or other) who loves to cook or for whom you'd like to cook, if that's an option. Cooking for one can be expensive, but sometimes better than eating same boring fast food too. I enjoy a good sandwich to this day. Some deli meat, decent bread or bun or even some whack-a-tube biscuits. Flame type grills are banned in a lot of apartment/dorm situations. An electric grill might be allowed. Foreman type are appliances and seldom not allowed. I've never had a Foreman type but see a lot of people talk about putting a couple wet paper towels in the unit when you're done and let it steam the gunk off while you eat, then wipe it down. And, I know from experience, just because stuff is dirty doesn't mean it won't get used! Especially by college kids, bachelors or the like! :) An electric frypan is a versatile appliance. Cook, bake, steam and more. Easy to clean up. Is there an issue with roomies helping themselves to the food if he puts up a "stock"? That could be an issue. Much depends on what he likes so I can't really help with recipes, more trying to give ideas. I also know if you don't like to cook, are busy, don't like to eat out, don't feel well or whatever reason you might not eat well, especially if eating isn't a priority with you. The last couple weeks, I've averaged eating every 2-3 days. Doesn't hurt me to miss a meal but a college kid needs nutrition too. So there's a concern I'm sure. One organizing idea is some meal planning help. Sit down and do a menu for a couple weeks, helps with using the stuff too. For example: Sunday: Pot roast, potatoes, veg of choice Monday: Roast beef sandwiches Tuesday: Soup/Salad Wed: Store bought roasted Chicken, instant Mashed potatoes, salad Thurs: Leftover chicken etc One thing I thought of is country style ribs or baby backs for that matter. Braised are simple and good eating. Lots of meat and little waste, well no waste on CS. Deli slaw or make his own from a bag of slaw mix and a bottle of poppy seed dressing with a little extra seasoning. Suggestions on organizing and things like that might mean more than just some recipes, but a few recipes he likes, even if adapted from canned, deli or the like could help. Tater tot hotdish is easy enough. Quick chili. Chunky soup in a can ain't all that bad either folks. Yes, it's not gourmet fare but then again it beats a a McSlider anyday. Quesadillas are easy and you can do a variety of things. I like a "pizadilla". Tortillas, pepperoni, cut up brown & serve sausage, pizza sauce and cheese. I usually do a double decker. Into the electric frypan, do one side, flip, then add the next layer, then flip once more. Good eats and quick. There's always toast and peanut butter. Peanut butter and celery sticks. Crackers, cheese and summer sausage. Brown & serve sausage & eggs with some toast and maybe some Simply Potatoes or fry some canned sliced potatoes. Hash brown casserole? Toss in some meat. Hamburger/macaroni hotdish is easy and tasty. You can do a good garlic bread and top it with some pepperoni and cheese. None of these are overly time consuming but sometimes if you just don't feel like it, you won't do it. Hope you're getting some ideas and hope he doesn't starve to death! :)

I work at a college in the frozen north, and my office window looks out on a path that gads of students (mostly girls) walk by every day to get from dorm to class. They are from all over the country. I have to laugh when every year, at least once, the whole campus gets a cautionary note from the campus safety office warning people to dress properly, particularly with footwear for icy conditions. I've seen the gamut, from dorky-warm to stylish-warm to ridiculously-under-dressed IMHO and mostly looking miserable under those conditions. So a lot depends on your daughter and her approach. Also her personal sense of style and frankly, her major! I was a natural resources major as an undergrad and now work in the biology dept. The clothing ethos in NR has always been focus on the practical. The uniform was hiking boots, plaid shirt with probably waffle weave long underwear underneath, jeans and a down coat or vest. Wool hat, scarf and mittens and windproof down or polartec coat for outside. No one would look askance at you and think you were a dork around the NR building and in class, in fact if you dressed in heels and a thin coat, then you would be labeled a dork! In the biology dept. most students are pre med/vet/dentistry, and their minds are on their books, comfort is the main concern because you'll need to be studying for long hours and you don't want to be distracted by clothing items or lack thereof. For other majors, all bets are off. Popular and sensible items seem to be stylish boots, which almost all gals here wear, either with pants or leggings, and some kind of head covering that doesn't give you hat hair! Cute hoods, cowl scarves, earmuffs and headbands are popular. Nice wool socks will never be a bad item to have around. The rest is personal style. The coat style Tibbrix posted is popular around here, but not to everyone's taste. I have a waterproof, windproof jacket that is my absolute go-to item to wear, either on iffy warmer days, or over a winter jacket to provide extra protection. It is expensive but good ones can wear like iron. Can be folded up into little sacks and stashed to have with you just in case. Oh, and the day they dropped me off to college, my folks got me a long cardigan/coat sweater. I loved it, wore it all the time, and still have it! Oh, and I've always been a long underwear devotee, but I'm always cold. You might discuss with your daughter getting a kind of long underwear that she can wear under most of her clothing, something stretchy and close fitting if she goes for a more form fitting look. When I was in college, I wore a lot of men's clothes, although now the lumberjack look is available for both sexes, having gone in and out of style for youth during the "grunge" era. Maybe that's why I never got married, lol! My current SO likes what he calls a "sporty" look, so I guess I am OK.