ya_think i read some of your posts on that other thread ...way to funny. tntw did you check into American Range? try dvorson's restaurant equipment thats where i got my best price. although i went with the 48". we cook for 3 but on holidays it's more like up to 20. it works great. great for making lots of cookes or cupcakes for school. cut DW cooking time in half for parties and holidays. she sometimes caters professionally. great range, looks great, great customer service! not all the bells & whistles to break down. john

This thread, which I didn't catch the first time around, made me think. In general, I cook to eat and feed my family. However, I do enjoy baking for special occasions. I think that if I didn't work outside the home I would cook more...and be more adventurous. But, I work and have a long commute so by the time I get home I have to make fast meals with little time for creativity or major prep work. So, we eat a lot of frozen veggies--as is out of the bag, pre-cooked meats warmed up, pasta, soup, occasionally waffles/pancakes/eggs, potatoes, etc. I.e., for the most part things that I can cook fast. One up side to this is that our meals haven't changed that much w/o a kitchen since we do have a MW, Toaster Oven, and hot plate to cook with! One very big downside to this, though, is that my children are not learning to cook like I did from my mom. Back on topic... After finding this site and reading about zones, I realized that one thing that I really wanted was a baking center. So when my kitchen was being designed I had it in the back of my head that whatever we ended up with had to have an area I could designate my "Baking Zone", preferably near the ovens--with room to roll out dough, spread out cookie sheets, and have cookie cutters spread out all at the same time! The other thing I got from this site was our window...having the window down to the counter (OK, not cooking-related, but a very important design element!) Our very first plan that our KD came up with had input from us...but a very naive/ignorant us! (Before GW...BGW!) Then....I found this site.....and the changes began. Actually, I posted that original plan and asked for help (and also asked my KD to start over w/no island) Many, many people here helped me come up with a plan over several weeks (months?). We finally came up with a plan that has changed little since then. Interestingly, when I took away the island "must have", my KD came up with a plan very similar to what we came up with here. The only 3 differences were (1) no mini peninsula, (2) a 36" pantry cabinet rather than a corner pantry, and (3) no separate Message Center cabinets. My KD wasn't completely happy w/our differences, but she, wisely I thought, told me to go home and mock up what I wanted to see how it would work (same advice I got here!) Well, the mock up was great! It proved that I did indeed want the mini peninsula (I liked it so much I left the mock up in place until demo and used it!) When I told her the results, she didn't argue, she accepted it telling me it's my kitchen, so ultimately it's up to me. So in the end, my design was/is based on what I wanted, not what the KD wanted. [If only someone else had measured my kitchen and she was given more authority, I think a lot of subsequent problems would have been avoided.] Our kitchen isn't done yet, but it's close...so I can't yet tell you how it is going to work for us...but we are so...

I subscribe to the NYT Weekender home delivery and with that package we get access to the recipes. We get an email a few times a week with links to excellent recipes and I just love the writing. It's really fun to read. I also subscribe to the print edition of Cooking Light and so I can access it on line to save recipes. About 5 years ago, I went on a diet to lose 30 pounds and I found that reading recipes (especially before going to bed) was immensely helpful in helping me control my urge to eat! I know that it sounds counter-intuitive but it really worked for me. Something about imagining food satisfied my cravings. I don't actually have to eat it! I have signed up for a few blogs too. I really like the Mediterranean Dish blog and the Proud Italian Cook blog.

Would you explain what you meant by this comment? Did she do something wrong? ”I'd never let her within a mile of any horse of mine.” I realize nobody can do everything, but someone should have pointed out that a horse's mouth is just about as sensitive as yours and the way she hauls on it like it's a runaway truck just makes me wince in sympathy. The most overworked old cart horse would feel that. (Also, wrapping reins around your wrists endangers you, if you should fall.) There are a lot of silly comments on an earlier video about how she pushes away one of the puppies that tries to climb on her lap when she's cleaning something or paring something, but clearly she doesn't mistreat the dogs because they still want to be all over her whenever they can, and they follow her all over. So I don't think she's cruel; I just think someone should have explained a few things before letting her borrow the horse. Maybe given her a half- hour riding lesson. The idea is lovely, though. ETA I don't mind her bouncing around like anyone who hasn't done this much; I just mind that her handling of the reins was obviously quite painful to the horse.