i also have a Picea sitchensis version.. though it seems to not welcome my z5 winter ... 'Virgata' ... as sold ... the form it has taken on.. is snake like ... though the name seems to indicate otherwise... since rat tail is not snake like ... only time will tell maybe snow cover this winter.. has protected it from the 4 weeks of single digit temps ... ken

Here you go. Haven't met anyone that didn't like these. Decadent Caramel Rice Krispies Squares Regular Rice Krispie Squares (thicker version) 1/2 cup butter 400 g Marshmallows Pinch of salt (optional) 1 tablespoon vanilla extra 9 to 10 cups Rice Krispies Melt butter and stir in marshmallows and pinch of salt. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and rice krispies. stir until well coated. Pour into buttered 9 X 13 inch . (I use a pyrex glass) cake pan. The idea for these squares comes from another blog - Pots and Pins. Nan, makes the rice krispies squares the normal thickness and pours her caramel over the top. Because her squares are not as thick, some of the caramel sits on top of the square forming a separate caramel layer. In my version, I used my caramel sauce which does not contain corn syrup and because my squares are thicker, the caramel funnels it way through the whole square. Caramel Rice Krispie Squares Prepare rice krispies squares. Set aside. Caramel Sauce 1 cup butter 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar pinch of salt vanilla Coarse Sea Salt ( I use Maldon Salt Flakes) Place butter, cream, sugars and pinch of salt in a heavy sauce pan. Simmer until caramel reaches the soft ball stage. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour caramel over rice krispies squares. Caramel sauce will slowly seep down through squares. Sprinkle with sea salt and refrigerate until cold.

les, first of all, i actually prefer bisque to any other appliance color....all the newer, funky primary color ones are fantastic (but i think they would irk me at some point.) and it makes no sense to me to get rid of appliances that are only a couple of years old. i'll be keeping my dw for that reason and getting new bisque fridge and stove to replace my old bisque. might sound boring to some, but it's not so bad being in the minority. stainless looks great in many kitchens i've seen here, but it's not for me. the corian/dupont site has some cool tools for deciding on countertops....i'm so dreading that decision....way way too hard for me. good luck!

2Many, I was thinking about how to use the 12" tube for shorter smokes. First thought was to loosely crumple some aluminum foil and stuff in as a space filler and then add pellets to fill. (Except getting foil out would be a bit of a pain.). Thinking that a partial loose fill might cause the pellets to burn too fast? After I ended up with that huge 40# bag of pellets decided not to worry about it; I'll just fill it up and let 'er burn out past the time I remove the food. With pricier pellets, yeh, I'd try conserving the fuel. Course this then strengthens the argument for adding a 6" tube...for shorter smokes and adding part way thru longer smokes. Then again, I was pondering last night why something like a tomato paste can or two with a bunch of holes punched in it wouldn't work... (from a brand with a removable paper label.) Pulled a couple of chicken halves out of the freezer last night. Going to brine overnight and smoke 'em tomorrow. Thinking I'll try to confine the smoke a bit better with the chicken going on what you learned with your bird. I bought the chicken already halved (was in the reduced 'Use today or freeze' bin--perfect, I thought for experiments!) so the halves may be a little more receptive to smoke than a whole bird? Also, more prone to drying out but brining ought to help offset that... This is actually kinda' fun to do. Needed that cause I get burned out on cooking!