We went on a class trip to the Shelburne Museum -- the kids were asked to make prints from styrofoam sheet and printers ink. The trick was that you had to write your letters backwards so they would come out the right way on the paper.

Here is Trevor working diligently on his drawing:



And here is the finished Trevbot 2000. (Someone should let trevor know that the year 2000 has come and gone.)

.

The leaves are turning this weekend -- it's a great show if you have a chance to take a drive through the Adirondacks.



The last few trips to NJ, we've been breaking the ride into two days with Albany at the center. It takes longer, but there's less chance of someone falling asleep at the wheel at 1:00am.

.

I was cruising through Everyday Food this month when I saw this ad. It really put me off. Word of mouth marketing is an incredible and unpredictable tool, but to suggest that we should put down our friends sarcastically for sharing information is just nasty.

I am a big fan of dry humor, but I would never speak to a friend this way. I might ask her reasoning or give my own opionion, but to cut her down like the example given is simply mean. The corn syrup lobby must be on some kind of sugar high.



Hello,

Your advertisement on page 41 of the October 2008 issue of Everyday Food gave me pause. Suggesting that typical Americans sharing information over daily activities is wrong because we're not experts is condescending and distasteful. I shouldn't have to wait to speak to a doctor before gathering information about a product or ingredient and sharing it with my peers.

Many busy mothers are glad that our friends to pass along important information that we may have missed in the constant flow of news, e.g. product recalls, e coli scares, etc. The example response in your ad -- of a woman using sarcasm to refute her friend, is mean-spirited. This is no way to increase support for your product.

Clearly, there's a reason the phrase is "you catch more flies with honey" and not "you catch more flies with high fructose corn syrup."

Tara Liloia

.

There's a moment while you're making apple butter when you hit the applesauce stage and you have a choice to make. Will you take the easy road, stop here, and make a batch of applesauce, or will you continue along that hard road of six more hours in front of the stove and make the apple butter?

.

I ended up winning the Seven Days photo contest with 37.8% of the popular vote for my sliced carrot picture -- thanks to everyone who voted!

First prize was a gift certificate to a New England Culinary Institute cooking class. These are hands-on classes for members of the public, taught by chefs from The Inn at Essex, where classes are held.

On the day I received the gift certificate, I popped over to the "Chef Inn Training" class schedule and found a breadmaking class for the following week that wasn't going to be offered for the next few months. I called for a reservation and there was room in the class (I didn't think to ask how many people had registered).

A few days later, I was on my way to Essex for my bread class. As you know, I'm bread-challenged, and I've managed to bungle every loaf of yeast bread I've ever made. Well, do you think Chef Kerry cured my bread deficiency? Judge for yourself:


Clockwise from top left: hazelnut-raisin dinner roll, everything bagel, grey salt bagel, plain pretzel, black salt pretzel

It didn't hurt that I was the only registered participant, and I had the kitchen to myself. I asked a boatload of questions and I specifically checked on what I might be doing wrong with my yeast. Chef Kerry had many helpful tips, and she encouraged me to do most of the steps in the recipes myself after a quick demonstration.

.

It's not easy to get a photo of the back seat when you're driving, but I had to try. Trev opened his window in the rain and leaned back to catch drops full in the face. He isn't asleep there, he's just enjoying the sting of the rain on his face with the tiniest hint of a smile, which is so awesome.

.

The ILM Southpaws were soundly beaten by the team from the north end of the island. They showed up in uniforms. That should have been a clue.



We have exactly one year to improve our game so that we don't lose by double digits. And next year, I hope the other team discovers that there is another gender besides male.

.