Hi, all...
I've been reading your posts with interest for several weeks, and I
now have a question. I was recently given a complete Oster Kitchen
Center, with mixer, meat grinder, food processor, blender, dough
hooks, 2 mixing bowls, etc etc. The book that came with it is dated
1979. I've read that the older KitchenAid mixers are much more
reliable than the newer ones, and was wondering if anyone knew
anything about the Oster one. (Obviously, since it was free, I'm
ahead of the game, but any advice/comments would be welcome)

I'm not a beginner cook, and I do a lot of "comfort foods". I share a
house with my sister and her 2 kids (boy, 7, and girl, 3) who cook
with me every night. They REALLY enjoy cooking, and are developing
some real skills. The 3 year old's "specialty" is roasted chicken.
Her recipe is "give the chicken a good bath, dry him off, rub him with
oil and spices, shove onions and garlic in his butt, then find a
grownup who can put him in the oven". She even did the thanksgiving
turkey this year for 20 people, who were a bit...surprised that she
knew what she was doing. The 7 year old makes homemade pies and beef
jerky, and both kids love baking bread, cookies, and pastries. The 7
year old is desperate to learn how to cook different seafood, which I
know little about, and just ate his first whole lobster last night,
and is also interested in learning asian recipes. We've gleaned a lot
of good hints from the group, and hope to continue learning from all
of you!

Jeanne