The late dh and I differed on the chicken soup - based on our heritage - his Jewish style with a parsnip and mine Italian style with parsley sprigs and a tomato. I surprised him once by making matzo balls. I used the recipe on the matzo meal box and made them about the size of Italian meat balls...had NO idea that they would swell and grow...ended up being HUGE - like baseball size... He commented on how large they were - but ate them and seemed happy. He made them stuffed with a little carmelized onions. They were soooo good. -maria

Ilana, I hope you've resolved that curve ball... Here's the recipe I have for the marmalade, it doesn't have canning instructions but since it has no commercial pectin it can be doubled or tripled and then canned with the usual 10 minutes in a boiling water bath thing. Meyer Lemon and Vanilla Bean Marmalade Bon Appetit 1 1/4 pounds Meyer lemons 5 cups water 5 1/2 cups (about) sugar 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise Pinch of salt Working on large plate to catch juice, cut lemons in half lengthwise, then very thinly crosswise. Discard seeds. Pack enough lemons and any juice to measure 2 1/2 cups. Transfer to large nonreactive pot. Add 5 cups water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand uncovered overnight. Measure lemon mixture (there should be about 5 1/2 cups). Return to same pot. Add equal amount of sugar (about 5 1/2 cups). Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Add pinch of salt. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Attach clip-on candy thermometer. Maintaining active boil and adjusting heat to prevent boiling over, cook until temperature reaches 230°F, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Transfer to jars. Cover and chill. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Keep refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.) The limoncello recipe was Lori's, here it is, we agreed it would also be good without the mint, if you don't have fresh mint: Limoncello-Mint Sorbet with Fresh Blackberries Limoncello, the citrusy Italian liqueur, brightens this sorbet. It's nice to have a bottle on hand to splash with soda in a spritzer or macerate with fruit for a quick dessert. 2 cups water 1-1/3 cups sugar 1/2 cup limoncello 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 large lemons 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint 2 cups blackberries Lemon slices 1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; add lemon juice and mint. Cover and chill. 2. Strain juice mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm. Serve with blackberries; garnish with lemon slices, if desired. 8 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup sorbet and 1/4 cup berries) CALORIES 184 ; FAT 0.2g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.1g); CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 13mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.3g; SODIUM 1mg; PROTEIN 0.6g; FIBER 2g; IRON 0.2mg Cooking Light, MAY 2009 Have fun, I keep threatening to make limoncello, but I know I never will, I wouldn't use a bottle in 20 years! Annie

A tablespoon of sorghum flour or dried gluten-free bread crumbs, or as Annie mentioned GF cracker (or cookie) crumbs could be used for the matzo meal. It's just a binder. It looks like a great recipe - thanks for posting it. I have all the ingredients but matzo meal, which I'd never be able to find out here in the middle of nowhere and would have to use a substitute anyway. We just love things made with dried apricots so this recipe is printed and in the to-do pile. -Grainlady

Sorry I didn't see your post for a long time, lowspark. Okay, your doctor is going to hate me, but here you are, my Sephardi friend! These instructions are from The World of Jewish Cooking, by Gil Marks (yet another really good cookbook I got from my brother-in-law), and they look like the way my mother does it. That book explains that as Jews moved north from the Mediterranean, they couldn't find olive oil, but they couldn't use the lard their new neighbors favored, either, so schmaltz "became to Ashkenazic cooking what olive oil was to Mediterranean cooking and what sesame oil was to Near Eastern cooking." Schmaltz mit Gribenes 1 lb (about 4 c ups) chicken or goose fat 1/2 pound chicken or goose skin 1/2 cup water 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup) 1. Cut the fat into small pieces and the skin into 1/4-inch strips. Cook the fat, skin, and water in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat until the water evaporates and the fat is melted, about 35 minutes. 2. Add the onion and cook until the onion and skin turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the gribenes (browned pieces) with a slotted spoon. Store schmaltz and gribenes separately in refrigerator or freezer. Note: this doesn't make much gribenes -- just a little custard cup full. Traditionally, they are rationed on the merit system: i.e., you bribe the children, who are attracted by the smell, to be good by threatening to give them all to Grandpa if they aren't. Some fresh gribenes on a piece of warm challa may just be worth a mild heart attack. But to be on the safe side, just don't eat this too often, and remember to take your Lipitor. If you put gribenes in the center of your matzo balls, as my grandmother sometimes did, that's called matzo balls mit neshomes ("with souls"). I've also heard of using a bit of chopped liver that way.