Patti, that was a great box! Annie's an awesome swap partner! Well, I received my box from Christy today, and I'm almost afraid to list all of the wonderful goodies, because you all will be green with envy ... BUT, here's the list anyway, LOL! Read 'em and weep! Chili flavored dark chocolate bar (just enough heat to keep me from eating the entire bar at once, LOL) Pepper saver container Mini pepper mill and extra peppercorns Tabasco sauce Shopping list shaped like a chili pepper Plastic seed bags (I always need these, especially this time of year, when I'm harvesting seeds) A roll of plastic stretch tie for staking plants She sent me a TON of seeds, some were "spicy" and others were on my wishlist: Pepper 'Tollie's Sweet' (on my wishlist) Pepper 'Tam Jalapeno' (I have been wanting this one forever!) Pepper 'Chervena Chushka' (also on my wishlist) Pepper 'Topepo Rosso' (yep, this one too!) Pepper 'Sheperd's Rams Horn' Oregano 'Wild Zaatar' (wishlist item) Basil 'Greek Dwarf' (yep, another one) Basil 'Fine Verde' (I know, it's unbelieveable ... I had to update my wishlist because she filled so many of them!) Basil 'Purple' Cilantro 'Slow-Bolt' Herb Mix 'Wild Italian' Rocket (Arugula) (this one is new to me, but I can't wait to taste it) Radish 'Purple Plum' Radish 'Giant of Sicily' Radish 'Philadelphia White Box' (another wishlist item) Non spicy wishlist items: Carrot 'St. Valery' Cucumbers: Crystal Apple, Richmond Green, Thai Green, and Yok Kao Beans: Marvel of Venice, Yellow Indian Woman Squash 'Sweet Dumpling' Pumpkin 'Rouge D'Etamps Tomatoes: 'Costoluto Genovese, and 'Costoluto Fiorentino Lettuces: 'Ruby' and Silvia (a red-leaf Romaine) Did she spoil me, or what? Thank you, thank you, Christy! You are a sweetheart!!! Bonnie

I love my pull outs on either side of my cooktop. I keep seasonings for cooking on the right one and all my baking spices on the left. The baking zone is to the left of the cooking and it is very handy. There are deep drawers to the left of my baking spices. One holds my canisters of flour and sugar along with my big food processor and many measuring cups. The one under that holds mixing bowls, rolling pins and all my other misc. gadgets. My big KA sits on the counter in the corner, always ready for action. The pullouts were made by my cabinet maker. They are adjustable, full extension, soft close and like the insides of all my cabinets are lined with easy to clean melamine. About the third or fourth time I used this set up, I had one of those pure, joyful moments, realizing how much easier and faster it was to make something. It's fun not work any more. Nancy

Get someone else to sniff it. Sometimes my sniffer just goes off. Esp. if you have had a recent cold or sinus infection. Or it might just be that particular combination of herbs & spices smells bad when mixed together. Doesn't mean that it will taste bad--thinking cooked cabbage as a 'for instance.' I noticed that there is almost a quarter cup of salt for two cups of flour. (1 T. celery salt, 2 T. garlic salt, 2/3T. plain salt) If I was making it, I would substitute garlic powder for the garlic salt and probably leave out the 2/3 T. of salt. As is, it may be approx. as salty as KFC (which I find way too salty.)

Curry powder is really a European (British) invention. One derivation of the word itself is from medieval English 'cury', meaning to cook. 'Curry' or curry powder as such did not exist in India but they did use a similar spice mix combination - garam masala. Garam masala just omits any chilis or peppers that gives curry powder its heat. This was a feature favored by the early explorers and European colonists, probably to disguise the taste of less than fresh meat. Curry, as westerners know it, is not found in India and is not served in traditional Indian restaurants.....about as close as you would get with authentic Indian cuisine is korma And just like there is no single style of BBQ (sorry, Dan), there is no single recipe for garam masala (or curry powder for that matter). Individual areas or regions have their own combination of spices that are unique to them, just as various areas of the US have their own BBQ methodology. But I doubt you will find recipes for either garam masala or curry powder in any form that include MSG.