See, ours is much more open-ended and without
an overarching goal - our goals are ephemeral;
problem is that without a critical mass, there's
going to be nobody to answer the occasional
questions that arise.

So far, we appear to be keeping up a sufficient critical mass... ;) Meanwhile, GENEALOGY is no more, since the critical mass moved to the Internet, and not enough were left behind to keep things going here...

Did it have a coffee klatsch or memories phase
before it shuffled off this mortal coil?

newbies to the field needed to learn where and how to look... There was
a feeling of family there, too, so there were some messages that were
more personal than genealogical from time to time...

We could do that sort of thing here, I guess.

Which... the teaching newbies....? or the allowing personal touches
that add to our feeling of family... ;)

The former. We already have a bit of feeling of
family, don't we - I hope so, anyhow.

Seems that some previous moderators tried to keep
the conference on the straight and narrow,

The larger the conference, the more things have to be more or less kept
in line, lest things get too unwieldy.... and some focus is needed...

It's not the unwieldy issue so much as the in
line for other reasons issue.

I guess it depends on the reasons... and how stifling it ends up being,
how appropriate it would be...

There are various reasons for everything. Reminds
me that at some point I'll post the rules, just in
case someone cares.

but with a smaller group, the focus is more likely to stray more... not necessarily a bad thing...

That's my more comfortable condition, anyway,
and I hope it's agreeable to the majority here.

It appears to be.... :)

Got to keep up appearances despite this.

They were useful to some subset, no doubt... Like the TAGLINES echo, devoted just to tags... ;)

I suppose, though the need diminishes as the
Internet fills in almost all its gaps, making
us more and more a purely social thing.

Nothing wrong with being a social thing... I'd not say it's purely
social, as it does have a focus, more or less... ;)

The moderator is more food obsessed than the
general public, so the focus will remain focused
for the foreseeable future.

You'd think. There's a balance between not spreading germs and encouraging the germs to evolve into being more resistant...

The most effective way to kill germs, they now
say, is to squash them. So rinsing, with lots
of rubbing action, is important; antimicrobials
apparently less good for the purpose and you in
general.

Especially as the antimicrobials tend to just encourage the bugs to
evolve stronger..... ;0

The bugs also have an interest in surviving and
self-perpetuation, after all.

+

Possibly people will get ideas for things for you to fix when they go shopping on Friday.

We shall see what we shall see. It is what it is.
Que sera sera. Heh.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Chocolate Caramel Truffles
Categories: Live!, Candy
Yield: 30 Servings

1 c Sugar
2/3 c Heavy cream
9 oz Fine-quality bittersweet
Chocolate (not unsweetened),
Chopped
1/4 ts Salt
1 ts Vanilla

MMMMM--------------------------COATING-------------------------------
1/4 c To 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
Powder, sifted
And/or-
1/2 c To 1 cup pecans, ground
Fine

In a dry heavy saucepan (about 3 1/2 quarts) cook sugar over moderate
heat, stirring with a fork until melted, and swirl pan until sugar is
a golden caramel. Remove pan from heat and add cream carefully
(mixture will bubble up). Return pan to heat and simmer, stirring,
until caramel is dissolved.

Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, salt, and vanilla. Let mixture
stand 5 minutes and stir until chocolate is melted. Transfer mixture
to a bowl and cool, uncovered. Chill mixture, covered, 2 hours, or
until firm.

Next, coat truffles: scoop out truffle mixture with a spoon and form
into 1-inch balls. Roll truffles in 1/2 cup cocoa powder or coat with
1 cup pecans, pressing nuts slightly to adhere. (Alternatively, roll
half of truffles in 1/4 cup cocoa powder and coat remaining truffles
with 1/2 cup pecans.) Chill truffles on a tray lined with waxed paper
until firm, about 1 hour. Truffles keep in an airtight container,
chilled, 2 weeks.

Yield: about 30 truffles

SOURCE: COOKING LIVE! Show w/Sara Moulton Copyright 1998, TV FOOD
NETWORK SHOW # CL9238

Format by Dave Drum - 05 February 99 FROM: Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen

MMMMM
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