Well then, that must have been my problem because I did double the recipe!! I didn't realize you couldn't! I know you're not supposed to fool around with amounts in recipes so you keep the acid ratio correct, but where this was just strawberries and sugar and nothing else in the recipe I figured it was ok! I guess not! And I measured out 4 quarts of whole strawberries. The recipe was 2 quarts of strawberries and 6 cups of sugar. It didn't say to cut them or mash them before measuring - in fact (I'm remembering off the top of my head here as I don't have the book with me) it said to crush the strawberries one layer at a time and then to mix with the sugar, so it sounded to me like you measured the whole strawberries, then crushed them and that's what I did. I'm not going to fuss with what I already made - as I said, it won't go to waste as hubby will use it as pancake topping - we've even been known to plop a spoonful of jam in a bowl of oatmeal, so this stuff will work for that as well. But I'm glad I spoke up because for future adventures in jam, I wouldn't have known any of this and would probably have given up on it if I kept failing! And I thought it was weird that the jam recipe that used the pectin used an extra cup of sugar from the one without pectin. I've learned so much from just this thread - thanks so much guys! I want to take my next adventure into the realm of peaches! Peach jam sounds yummy and if I fail again, hubby does like peaches, so he'll have more pancake topping than he knows what to do with lol!! Lisa

Well, apparently I'm not the only one to kill an Eskimo Pie! With its large creamy center, I figured that it would do best in a fair amount of sun. But after dwindling in size over a period of a couple years, I finally lost it. In spite of the description which is commonly given (such as the one below), I personally found Eskimo Pie to be a slow, poor grower. Don "WOW - this is one of our favorite new Hostas to come along in years. Eskimo Pie is a sport of the very popular Hosta 'Northern Exposure' and comes to us from the wonderful breeders of Walters Gardens. Leaves are corrugated and round with very interesting color patterns. When the plants first emerge in spring the leaf centers are pale yellow with chartreuse streaking and blue-green margins. As the summer progresses the central color fades to cream and the streaking turns a beautiful shade of apple green. Hosta growers across the US have reported that this Hosta is proving to be a very good grower and have all given a thumbs up! Very limited supply - order early." (I'd like to talk with all those gardeners who reportedly say this one's a "good grower.")

I have never had beans that tough. I have cooked beans left from Y2K. (You don't know what's Y2K?) I soak beans in very hot water to prevent them from being viable and germinate. The soaked beans stay in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. They all puff up to twice the volumn. Then I cook them in the pressure cooker for about 15 minutes. You must use very low fire to build up the pressure and keep the pressure. Some beans have a tendence to bubble and clog the pressure vent. Also you can't have a big pot of beans for the same reason. dcarch

The first link is for making/using lemon curd: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cooking/msg0117114015932.html This one is for making/using limoncello: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cooking/msg0323334527237.html Here is a recipe from 2011 for a pudding cake--looks good! Posted by doucanoe (My Page) on Sun, Jan 23, 11 Made these last night, a light, elegant, and as it turns out, a super easy and wonderful dessert! Made six, brought the remaining four to my mom's for dinner tonight with mom and my sister. Still fabulous! If you are looking for something ridiculously easy, super good and actually not too bad as far as calories and fat, this is a keeper recipe! Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com Meyer Lemon Pudding Cakes 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for ramekins 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2-3 Meyer or regular lemons 3 large eggs, separated 2 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted and cooled 1 cup whole milk 1 pint raspberries, for garnish Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease eight 4- to 5-ounce ramekins; sprinkle with sugar to coat bottoms and sides. Shake out any excess. In small bowl, whisk flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. grate 1 1/2 tablespoons peel and squeeze 1/2 cup juice. In large bowl, with wire whisk, beat egg yolks and lemon peel and juice. Whisk in butter and milk. Gradually whisk in flour mixture. In another large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add one-third beaten whites to yolk mixture and, with rubber spatula, stir gently until incorporated. Gently fold in remaining whites until just incorporated. With ladle, divide batter evenly among prepared ramekins. Arrange ramekins 1 inch apart in large (17-inch by 13-inch) roasting pan. Fill pan with enough hot water to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Carefully transfer pan to oven and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cakes are golden brown and tops rise 1/2 inch above rims. Cool cakes in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. With sturdy metal spatula, carefully remove ramekins from pan with water and transfer to wire rack to cool 15 minutes longer. Run thin knife around edge of 1 ramekin. Place small serving plate on top of ramekin and invert plate and ramekin together; remove ramekin. Repeat with remaining ramekins. Garnish each cake with a couple of raspberries and a mint sprig; serve warm. Recipe for Lemon Brownies from a lady I really miss! Lemon Brownies Marilyn-Cooking Forum 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) butter; room temperature 4 eggs Juice from 1/2 lemon Zest from 1 lemon 1 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Additional lemon zest for garnish Preheat oven to 350�. Grease and flour the bottom only of a 9X13X2-inch baking pan. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt; add butter. Stir together eggs, juice from 1/2 lemon and zest from 1 lemon; stir into batter and pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. When brownies are cool prepare glaze by stirring together powdered sugar and 2 tablespoon lemon juice; drizzle over brownies and sprinkle with additional lemon zest. Another goodie from about the same era: GLAZED LEMON LOAF WITH RUM ================================== Note: This cake is also nice with the addition of poppyseeds. Make sure the poppyseeds are not stale. 4 cups all purpose flour 3 tablespoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 3/4 cups cup sugar 2/3 cups melted butter 4 eggs, lightly beaten 1 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup rum Grated zest of a lemon 1 tablespoon real vanilla Lemon Glaze 4 tablespoons icing sugar (powdered) 2 tablespoons rum 2 tablespoons lemon juice Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 3 or 4 loaf pans (depending on size) Into large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In separate bowl, blend butter, eggs, milk, rum, lemon zest and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients all at once into dry ingredients. Blend just until moistened. Turn into prepared pans and tap pan to smooth out mixture. Bake 60 to 65 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean. Let cool slightly in pan, and then remove and place on a wire rack to cool. Poke top in several places with a toothpick and brush with lemon glaze while still warm. Glaze, Blend ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Servings: 4