Just because it's dry doesn't mean it can't go bad! Be sure to check the expiration date on dried marjoram you purchase. Unlike fresh, you should add dried marjoram at the beginning of the recipe unless explicitly directed otherwise. Use less dried marjoram than fresh, as the flavor is stronger. Store dried marjoram in a tightly closed container in a cool, dark place. Use home dried marjoram within one year.

Summary: Purchase fresh marjoram. Add dried marjoram to your cooking. Store any excess Marjoram.


Because the beans expand while cooking, periodically adding small amounts of water to the pot will keep them adequately covered, ensuring even cooking. Properly soaked beans usually require between 30 minutes and 2 hours of cooking. Cooking times will vary depending on the variety of dried bean.  Black beans: 60 minutes Light/dark red kidney beans: 90 to 120 minutes Navy beans: 90 to 120 minutes Great northern beans: 45 to 60 minutes Pinto beans: 90 to 120 minutes Ideally, your beans will be tender but not mushy. If your beans are still crunchy or underdone after the recommended cooking time, continue cooking at a simmer, checking every 10 minutes for doneness.

Summary: Put the beans in a large cooking pot and add enough water to completely cover them. Add a tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil to the pot to cut down on excessive foam and boil-over while the beans are cooking. Simmer the dried beans on low to medium heat. Consult the proper cooking time of the types of beans you're using. Test the dried beans by mashing one with a fork or between your fingers.


Pick up something simple like flowers or candy. Give the gift to her before you ask if she’ll be your date. There won't be as much pressure on her to say yes if you stick with something simple, and she'll appreciate the kind gesture. Asking her in a romantic way will create a memory she won’t forget. One idea is to put a bunch of keys in a bucket and label one with the words “find the key to my heart.” Label it with your address, and hopefully she'll follow cue and come over to your house where you can finally ask her to the dance. Write your message on balloons and deliver them to her. Each balloon could have a different word on it (e.g.  one balloon each for “Will” “you” “go” “to” “the” “dance” “with” “me” “?”). You could also spell out your message in candy, like jellybeans or lollipops. Get permission (from the principal or her parent) to put the candy message in her locker or her bedroom. Get permission from her parents to decorate her driveway. Spell out your message, or simply put “Dance?” Get creative by using a variety or colors or illustrating your message. Design a treasure hunt with a map that will lead her straight to you. For example, draw a map of your school and add a dotted line leading to the parking lot. Wait there for her to arrive, and present her with flowers or candy for completing the hunt. Then ask her to the dance.

Summary: Bring her a small gift. Get romantic. Spell it out. Write it in chalk. Create a treasure hunt.


To calculate your Handicap Index, you’ll first need a minimum of five golf scores (and no more than 20).  Gather at least five scores 18-hole scores or ten 9-hole scores and use them to calculate your Adjusted Gross Score. To determine your Adjusted Gross Score (AGS), total up the number of strokes taken during a round, then adjust for the maximum per-hole scores (determined by the USGA’s Equitable Stroke Control guidelines). Most golf courses make the information on maximum per-hole scores available to the general public. Check the course’s website or inquire at the clubhouse. For example, if you took 8 strokes on a hole whose maximum-per hole score is 5, you would count 5 strokes (not 8) for that hole when adding up your total number of strokes for the game. Once you have your AGS, use it to determine your handicap differential.  The equation for a Handicap Differential is the AGS minus Course rating, multiplied by 113, and divided by the Slope Rating, or (AGS - Course Rating) x 113 / Slope Rating. The Course Rating is the numerical value given by the UGSA to each set of tees on a course. It approximates the number of strokes it should take a scratch golfer to complete the course. Most courses make this information available via the course website or at the clubhouse. The Slope Rating shows the difficulty of a course for an average golfer and is calculated by comparing the Course Rating to the scores of bogey golfers. Most golf courses make the Slope Rating available to their guests; again, check their website or at the clubhouse. For example, say your AGS is 85, the Course Rating is 69.3, and the Slope Rating is 117. You would have the equation (AGS - Course Rating) x 113 / Slope Rating, or (85 - 69.3) x 113 / 117, which results in a Handicap Differential of 15.2. The formula for your Handicap Index is the sum of your differentials divided by the number of differentials, multiplied by 0.96, or (Sum of Differentials / Number of Differentials) x 0.96.  The figure of 0.96 in the equation represents the “bonus for excellence” that the UGSA has figured into the Handicap Index. Determine the number of differentials to be used. If you’re using 5-6 scores, use the lowest differential; if you have scores from 7-8 rounds, use the lowest two differentials; if you have scores from 9-10 rounds, use the lowest three differentials; and so on). You can use up to 20 scores (for which you would use the 10 lowest differentials). For more detail on how many differentials to use, see the UGSA Handicap Differentials Chart. For example, if you’re using 8 scores, you’ll be using the lowest two differentials. Let’s say your two lowest differentials are 10 and 11. To average them, add them together, and then divide the resulting number by 2. Then multiply the result by 0.96, and drop any digits beyond the tenths place. The equation would look like this: 10 + 11 = 21; 21 / 2 = 10.5; 10.5 x 0.96 = 10.08. Dropping the digit beyond the tenths place gives you a handicap index of 10.0 (remember not to round up).
Summary: Find your adjusted gross score. Calculate your Handicap Differential. Calculate your Handicap Index.