-=> Ruth Haffly wrote to Dave Drum <=-

 RH> Mini mums were part of my wedding bouquet, along with dried pods and
 RH> other fall greenery. We always buy the pots of small flowers, don't
 RH> want to overpower anything else. And, yes, we have several steps going
 RH> up to the front door. Steve had to add an extra rail before he could
 RH> get the VA loan but it's a help as we've gotten older. (G)

 DD> I know the words to that song. I was going to buy breakfast at Temple
 DD> B'rith Sholom on Christmas morning as I have done in past. But there
 DD> si a longish flight of stairs down to the meeting/dining hall where
 DD> they do the Interfaith breakfast. And I do not do stairs well. Up or

 RH> They don't have an elevator, ramp or other handicap entrance?

The have "spaz spot" parking and a ramp up tp the entrance doors. There
is an elevator downa hallway off the lobby. But it's not well marked -
and IIRC there are soe obstacles to wheelchair access. Not that I'm in
a chair or using a scooter.  Bv)=

 DD> down. So I took my brother and my friend to the Star 66 (truck stop)
 DD> Cafe for the Star 66 Special - 2 eggs, potatoes, a breaded boneless
 DD> pork chop, and a biscuit. The chop and the biscuit topped with a
 DD> very good sauaage gravy. I didn't eat anything the rest of the day.

 RH> That'll work. We did a braised leg of lamb with kasha and a side
 RH> vegetable. Just the 2 of us so nothing fancy. Did get to talk with our
 RH> girls on Christmas day which was nice.

And it was close to the same "out of pocket". But the profits went into
John and Ozzie's pockets rather than to Habitat for Humanity.

 DD>       Title: Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine w/Butternut Squash
 DD>  Categories: Poultry, Squash, Fruits, Chilies, Vegetables
 DD>       Yield: 5 servings

 RH> This does look good, slow cooker is a good sub for a tagine, given the
 RH> amount of ingredients. Maybe add some kalamata olives too?

 DD> Don't see why not. Ripe olives are usually always good.

 RH> The kalamata olives have a different taste than black olives. I found
 RH> out about them in the late 90s, here on the echo. Bought a jar to see
 RH> if we liked them, they were a keeper. Steve isn't fond of black olives
 RH> so we usually just have kalamatas and green olives on hand.

 DD> I can detect subtle differences between the Kalamata and the black
 DD> olives but, I like both - so, no harm, no foul.  Bv)=

 DD> I also like the briny green olives, either pitted or whole but without
 DD> the pimento stuffing that many seem to think "de rigeur" in ther
 DD> pitted greenies.

 RH> They all work well for various things but we found we don't care for
 RH> kalamatas on pizza. Steve ordered it that way once; it was enough of a
 RH> taste difference that we decided "never again".

Your $$$ - your choice. All I ever see around here are the sliced black
olives on pizza. And thse not very often. Went Saturday to Antonio's (a
local pizza mini-chain) and order two of their large "Belly Buster" pies
(everything but anchovies) to be delivered today at lunch hour to the shop 
that takes care of my Beemer. They comp me often enough trhat I figured
they deserve a nice lunch.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Dave's Pizza Sauce
 Categories: Sauces, Vegetables, Herbs, Chilies
      Yield: 1 Pint plus
 
    3/4 c  Chopped onion
    1/2 c  Chopped bell pepper
      2 cl Garlic; minced
      1 tb Olive oil
 14 1/2 oz Can diced tomatoes
      8 oz Can tomato sauce *
      1    Turkish bay leaf
      1 tb Snipped fresh basil
           +=OR=+
      1 ts Dried basil; crushed
      1 tb Snipped fresh oregano
           +=OR=+
      1 ts Dried oregano; crushed
      1 ts Fennel seed; crushed
    1/2 ts Sugar (opt)
    1/2 ts Red (cayenne) pepper
    1/2 ts Chilli spice mix
 
  * For a really zippy sauce use El Pato tomato sauce,
  available in the Latino aisle of many markets.
  
  Cook onion garlic and bell pepper in oil. Stir in
  remaining ingredients. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat;
  simmer, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes or to desired
  consistency, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf.
  
  Makes 2 1/2 cups
  
  Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen
 
MMMMM

... The coffee shop is this century's virtuous tavern substitute.
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