costume toys

Dress a Tudor and a Victorian man/woman - fun if somewhat simplistic. My only stylistic issue: I don't think Tudor men had "underwear", as such, and the shirt would have been thigh length.

Related: Elizabethan Spy Game - more about history than costume, but more challenging (and the animated royal people look like Monty Python graphics :P)

Finally: Fashion Quiz: From A-Line to Zouave - I got 9 out of 10, but no thank you, clothes are too fun to make a career of! Any quiz that expects you to be able to tell the difference between punk, glam, and New Romantic impresses/amuses me :)

use the Farm... reach out with your peelings

Someone at the Organic Trade Association has a lot of time on their hands....

Yes, the entire thing is an obvious promotion for organic foods (which isn't a bad thing, come to think of it), but it is rife with bad puns and I'll never view an egg the same way again!

(From H. - she knows who she is ;))

the food post(TM)

Both recipes from The Essential EatingWell Cookbook.

( Fragrant Chickpea Stew )

Very easy, filling, and tasty! I added lamb because D. prefers to have at least some meat in most of his dinners, and the flavors blend quite well together - I added it with the tomatoes to keep it from overcooking. Definitely doing this one again; I also imagine you could double it for guests if you have a big enough pan.

( Stuffed Chicken Breasts )

Biggest challenge was getting the filling into the chicken - even with a cookbook-recommended "sharp, thin-bladed knife" I didn't get a clean cut along the edge - more of a choppy gash, in which I spooned as much stuffing as possible (I think I would have had more success inserting it with a syringe :P). I put the rest on top of the breasts after the dredging stage.

Used a whole egg mostly because the yolk broke on the separator - given the distribution of egg across 2 breasts I don't think either of us is going to suffer high cholesterol!

Two stuffed (or topped) breasts is almost enough for two people; I'm serving it with steamed carrots next time. And joy of joys - goat cheese has no lactose, so I can enjoy without discomfort!

Really a wonderful cookbook - recommended :)