Richard, which was your favorite chocolate cake batter??? I know I read it, but now

No tomatoes this year, unfortunately. smileys/frown.gif The gophers got them all last year -

and I wasn't up for the fight this go round.

Did you ever figure out what was going on with your plants this time?

 
Yep...it's the virus and worms. But we've watched them carefully every day and have reaped

almost a dozen...which is eleven more than we've ever gotten off a plant before.

On Monday I made a fish soup with fresh basil, parsely, thyme, lemongrass and rosemary from my standing garden. Well, not the lemongrass. it has its own pot. Such a vicarious thrill.

Now if only I could get mint and cilantro to grow. Apparently it grows like weeds for everyone else, but not me.

 
That soup sounds fabulous, and all the better since you grew most of

the ingredients yourself. What kind of fish was in the soup?

I have no tips for growing the mint or cilantro - good luck!

 
My mint won't grow either. I did give it a feeding today to see if that

helps. I think I read that Cilantro won't grow in hot climates but why is there so much in Mexico she asks???

 
Wild cod...the thinner ends of the fillets.

Saved the thick ends for baking: sauteed two sliced onions, two sliced shallots, 3 carrots (mandolined) in butter/OO. Then added that chinese yam Larry bought and a small potato (both mandolined), all the herbs, 1 tsp of Penzy's Sunny Paris season, and 2 cups of chicken broth. Simmered that for 15 minutes.

Then placed the thin slices of fish on top of the simmering broth and it was done in 5 minutes.

Served with crusty, warm bread.

 
OK, you found the results...

the really important thing is to not overbake. Dry, Dry, DRY!!!

Also, splitting the layers, brushing with flavored syrup (simple syrup with a liqueur), spreading thick with filling, and then stacking the next layer, is very important. Add some jam. Add some nutella. Slices of strawberries, bananas, or more jam. Whatever you can cram in. The cake is just a conduit for the thick, sweet, thick, rich, and insane. Then when it is all assembled, you cake is a masterpiece.

 
I laugh often at what appears as the last thread in comparison with the first. We don't get carried

away do we??

 
Janet, please let me know if that helps. A friend has her garden patch near

her A/C drainage pipe so the ground is constantly moist. That may be a factor. A few years ago she brought me in a large brown grocery bag! of parsley, mint and cilantro that was going crazy in this patch.

I can't even get a handful to grow.

 
Can you get Culantro plants? They're supposed to do better in hot weather than cilantro, I failed

at growing it, but think I probably gave it too much sun. It's also called recao and is more intensely flavored than cilantro. I found the plant at Home Depot in Florida.

 
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