Lamb and Carrots

Ravioli

Mushroom stuffed ravioli with artichokes, green olives, basil, and blue cheese.

Petit Ecolier

DIY Swiffer Wet Jet Pad

Here's what you need to make your own reusable/washable Swiffer mop pad.

1 package of Gerber padded cloth diapers
2 foot strip of sew-on Velcro per pad. Just the soft side.
Sewing machine, pins, and thread
Scissors and measuring tape

Lay out your padded cloth diaper landscape style	Fold cloth into thirds. Bring down top, bring up bottom and pin.  Take the time to measure your thirds so that it fits the Swiffer mop.
Fold in half and cut on the fold line. You get two reusable Swiffer pads per cloth diaper.  Use a serger or a zigzag stitch to sew around the outside corners of your cloth.  It needs to be squared and secured.  Sew, trim, sew.  Be sure it will not fall apart in the wash!	You will only need the soft side of the Velcro (about 10 inches per side, 20" per cloth.  One package of Babyville diaper Velcro will be enough for two Swiffer cloths.)Measure 1" from the edge of the cloth diaper and pin on your strips of velcro. Make sure that with the other piece of velcro you pin it on top of the edge of cloth diaper that was folded over. You don't want the pad to have any flappy parts. This will secure the edge down as well as cover it up making it look a little better.

The pad is a little shorter in width than the actual mop. It really makes NO difference at all having it a bit shorter. It just has to be a little shorter if you want to be able to make two pads from one cloth diaper.  You can also make these pads from old towels using a similar sewing procedure.

Orchids

Another exciting orchid update for you.

Orange Shelf Mushrooms

Sulphur shelf (Laetiporus sulphureus) is also known as the chicken of the woods. It is an edible mushroom with a taste quite similar to lemony chicken. Individual "shelves" range from 2-10 inches across. It is most commonly found on oak trees in the lake summer and early fall. I did not sample any because I was not certain of what it was. Also, about half of the population has an allergic reaction to this type of mushroom, with cases being more pronounced in older mushrooms. Due to all of these factors, the mushroom should generally only be eaten when young, and one should always only try a small amount the first time.

Broccoli Salad

Salad	Dressing
3 heads broccoli	1 C. mayonnaise
3 Tb. red onion	2 Tbs. sherry vinegar
6 strips bacon, cooked, crumbled	3 Tbs. sugar
1/4 C. shredded cheese

raisins, craisins, sun flower seeds, whatever if you want it to have more crunch

Make dressing ahead of time. It is good if can sit overnight in the refrigerator. Cook and cool broccoli. Add toppings to taste.