My ex-MIL made a casserole called "Bugs" (I have no idea why it was called that). It was a layered casserole of elbow macaroni, meat sauce and mozzerella cheese, sometimes with bacon on top. It was very tasty.

I just wanted to mention that a new mother who has had a C-section may not be able to eat solid food for a day or two, until her digestive system is working again. When I had mine, I had to eat a clear liquid diet for a day or so (broth, popsicles, gelatin, tea.) So if you take food to the hospital, make sure that it is something that can keep until she is able to eat it.

My sympathy to you and your family, hapax.

"Whatever you're majoring in, drop it and just major in business because business is the only dicipline worth studyingl; any actual skill you need in your career you can learn in a few hours out of a For Dummies book. Also, don't worry about this class being too hard because business is all just common sense." I hope his neurosurgeon doesn't think so. Hey, I've got an idea! I'll write a book called "Neurosurgery for Dummies." I don't actually know anything about neurosurgery, but I've got this nifty book called "Writing Books about Neurosurgery for Dummies," so I'm all set... /brightidea

This is more of a global than a personal plan to deal with famine. I'm reading a book called "World on the Edge" by Lester Brown. It sums up the problems facing the world that could cause the collapse of many societies. The main problems are intertwined and tend to exacerbate each other. These are: 1) climate change related to carbon emissions, 2) lack of water for agriculture and personal use, 3) loss of topsoil due to wind and water erosion, 4) overpopulation and 5) poverty. All of those have to be addressed in order to bring the earth to a sustainable state. One thing he makes very clear is that this is a global problem, and not just limited to impoverished developing countries. Almost all countries have some of these issues to some extent, and when states fail, such as Somalia, they become havens for terrorists and pirates, with worldwide consequences. He also gives numerous examples of countries and organizations that have had success in tackling these problems. The scary thing is the time frame which Brown proposes. The book was written in 2010, and he claims that the world will need to see significant progress in these areas by 2020. That will take some serious leadership on an international scale, and I'm not sure where that will come from. I'm pretty sure, though, that the US is not up to it at the present.