I have a bag of potatoes that have a thin slightly dark ring on the INSIDE of the potato when I cut into it. I'm thinking it is bacterial ring rot from the pictures I can find (see the third picture down on this page labeled "ring rot on potato tuber"). Online information is aimed at farmers and I can't find anything that states definitively that it is safe to eat or not. It won't let me add the link. Hmmm. . .picture a pencil line drawn in a circle around the inside of the potato. That is what it looks like.

The Tennessee Governor proposed in his recent State of the State address that we use the large reserve from our lottery scholarship funds to provide the opportunity for every high school graduate in Tennessee to attend a community college or Tennessee college of applied technology (TCAT) free of tuition. Here's a link to more info: http://www.driveto55.org/tennessee-promise/ It would have to pass the state legislature first but would go into effect for students graduating high school in 2015.

We've just started watching "The Great Doctor" because of this thread and are greatly enjoying it. We are about 4 episodes in and we do have a question that maybe you can answer. Why do English words and phrases pop up? For example, the doctor is performing surgery and recites "tie...cut...tie...cut" as she is suturing. There were some other English uses as well, including the bottle she handed over that was labeled "ASPIRIN" and the doctor's repeated use of "psycho" to describe the general. Just curious!

Thank you for the links and great ideas. I've never tried fixing a Kong and freezing. That's a great idea. I will also try the recipes and see what works best.

I want to start making these at home for cost and safety reasons. I've started browsing the internet for recipes and many of them have ingredients I don't want to use (e.g., bouillon cubes = high sodium). Ideally, the final result would be hard baked and large enough to insert in the dog's Kong to keep him entertained for a while as opposed to just gulping it down immediately. Alternatively, maybe a treat that could be frozen and given that way. This dog has no known food allergies but I'd love a treat that has mostly healthy ingredients. Many thanks! Pegasus

Has the weather been cold with a wintry mix falling? Folks may just be impressed by seeing him out running when everyone else is cowering inside.

Wow. Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the specific suggestions. I'm going to check out the suggested sites and store sales and at least buy a few basics. Thank you, too, for the encouragement! The process has been both harder and easier than I expected.

Here's our favorites: OAT APPLESAUCE MUFFINS 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup milk 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 t baking powder 1/2 t baking soda 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup applesauce 3/4 t cinnamon 1/2 t salt 1 t vanilla 1 egg Soak the oats in the milk for 2 hours (we usually put them in the fridge the night before), mix, and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. OAT PUMPKIN MUFFINS 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup milk 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 t baking powder 1/2 t baking soda 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 3/4 t pumpkin pie spice 1/2 t salt 1 t vanilla 1 egg Soak the oats in the milk for 2 hours (we usually put them in the fridge the night before), mix, and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

This is very timely! I asked for and received a pedometer as a gift. I've noticed that on work days (full time in an office), I rack up a pitiful number of steps for the day. On the days I'm home and busy around the house and running errands, I easily approach 8,000 steps without any extra effort! When I add in a long walk, I'll hit 12,000+ steps. Just supports my theory that my job is killing me. :glare: I need to make more effort to take long lunchtime walks from the office or just walk the long hallways and staircases when the weather is atrocious.

I made some lifestyle changes last summer and have been slowly losing weight since then. Even I have to admit now that my clothes no longer fit. My pant are baggy and almost falling off if I don't use a belt and my underthings are loose and unsupportive. I still have a way to go, weight-wise, so it doesn't make sense to buy a new wardrobe at this point. I also HATE to shop so combing through thrift stores to find inexpensive clothes to wear for now would be a painful process. How do people handle this awkward intermediate stage? Pegasus

Around here, the stores are trying to clear out the rest of the turkeys after the holidays. Ham too is cheap. Buy as many as you have freezer space for. Right now, these are way cheaper than even chicken.

I think I knew the answers I would get, and needed the extra push to get rid of them. I like the idea of taking pictures first. Thank you for that. I think I'll be starting my spring cleaning a little early. I have plenty of my own clutter to clear, I don't need to add the clutter from previous generations.

I appreciate all the ideas. These were Aldi brand chips. They taste fine but maybe they just don't melt well. I did use new chips when I switched to using the metal bowl over water. I don't have an actual double-boiler so I improvised. I think I will pick up some Nestle chips and maybe some almond bark for our next attempt. I welcome any additional input. Thank you.

So, I have a few mementos from my mom that mean something to me: a couple serving plates and a sapphire ring. I saw these every day as I grew up so they hold a lot of meaning and I can use them daily myself. I also ended up with a few of her Precious Moments figurines. These mean nothing to me because she always kept them boxed up and "safe." I don't want them. I realize that they aren't worth anything (and aren't selling on E-bay, I checked), but I am hesitant to toss them in the box going to Goodwill. What would you do with them?

DD wanted to make peanut butter balls and dip them in chocolate. We only had chocolate chips so we tried melting them in the microwave, 20 seconds at a time, and stirring. The chips melted but became a thick paste, never a lovely liquid chocolate. Extra microwaving just made it thicker. So, figuring that we overcooked them, we then tried to melt some in a small metal bowl in a pot of water on the stove. Again, as the chips warmed, they melted but never got thin enough to dip things into. We ended up spooning some of the chocolate paste onto the top of the pb balls - they look like they are each wearing a bad toupee. So, are we using the wrong kind of chocolate? She wants to make these treats again next week to take to her dance class so we'd like that batch to turn out pretty. Thanks. Oh, I should add that the only thing we added to the chips for melting was a small amount of butter. Was that a mistake?

We have a couple of the expansion sets, but we still play the base game the most often. IMHO, the expansions add to the complexity of play without adding to the fun. Our favorite accessory is a plastic frame that holds all the hexes together. We have an older set that didn't come with an outer frame and the pieces would slide and separate during play.

If it is a cavity, it isn't a big deal to get it fixed. The dentist will generally apply a numbing gel to your gum and then inject Novocain. You will feel the vibrations of the drill but NO pain. Then it is filled and you are good to go. The numbness may take a couple hours to completely wear off. Don't try to eat before it does, because you may bite your cheek.

I would just use all the batter and add a cooking sheet under the pans to catch any batter that runs over. Otherwise, if you don't want muffin tops, fill the pans about 2/3 full. . .maybe make a few cupcakes with the leftover batter.

Have you looked at EPS Writing Skills by Diana Hanbury King? They are inexpensive workbooks with different levels. The workbooks start at the beginning and teach writing step-by-step. I credit this series with finally getting my DDs writing without stress and tears. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hmmm...DD17 actively tries to avoid books with love stories but in case it helps, here are some of her favorite authors: Terry Pratchett, Scott Westerfeld, Rick Riordan, Tamora Pierce, Neil Gaiman, and Diana Wynne Jones.

I think it varies a bit, person to person. DH has to be careful not to each too much grease/fat. He loves bacon, but will only eat 1/2 a slice, for example. Try keeping a food and symptom diary. That would help to show any patterns.

Just this weekend, I put a pan into the oven and turned the oven off. I had checked on the dish a couple times, wondering why it was taking so long to cook, before I noticed the oven was off. I certainly wouldn't worry about forgetting to turn it off after removing a pan.

It does sound similar to the gallbladder attacks my DH suffered. He has not had it removed and has managed symptoms by being more careful about what he eats.

The one time it was an issue with us, DH stepped in and told the parent "No, this is not going to happen again." He was very firm about it and it was clear that he was willing to walk away from what had been a friendship between both families over several years. I think it is expecting too much of young children to handle this themselves. It has not been a problem since.

In our case, it started as bird watching. The squirrels got into the action to share the seed. They can be very entertaining! We also have some cute striped chipmunks that join in - love to watch them stuff their cheeks.