My dh' favorite dessert is cherry pie, and I have made dozens of pies in the 22 years we've been together--high school sweethearts. Fresh sour cherries are difficult to find and also very expensive. Even frozen sour cherries are scarce. We lived in the Detroit area for a few years and even then it was difficult to find pie cherries. We were young newlyweds, so it wasn't possible to afford to stock up on cherries for more than a couple of pies. We were fortunate enough to have a few friends who introduced us to Trader Joes and Zingermanns. Then we moved to Chicago and discovered Richard Walker's Pancake House in Crystal Lake. We fell in love with the Montmorrency cherry Belgian waffles. A friend mentioned that Trader Joe's Monchello cherries were similar and made a wonderful waffle and crepes topping. I then tried making a pie filling with them, which my dh loved. I agree with those that say tapioca makes the best thickener. My key for the best filling is cooking it on the stovetop to ensure the correct thickness and flavour. I take the filling off the stove when it's still a bit too runny because it will continue to cook in the oven. I've also made pies with sweet cherries-- fresh and frozen. I add a bit more lemon for tartness and less sugar. I'm not a fan of a lot of almond extract. A few drops of real almond extract in the lemon juice for making filling with sweet cherries gives it a little j'en n'aise pas although I prefer a little splash of Amaretto in all my pie fillings if possible.

"neon HFCS death balls". ROFLMAO They aren't healthy but I happen to like maraschino cherries, even the "neon death balls" type. Readinglady sent me a jar of home canned maraschinos, though, and they were a different species altogether. Now THOSE were good, and I don't think they had any booze in them at all. Michael/Lyra, I saw signs for pick your own raspberries this weekend, now I just have to find a couple of hours between finishing my house painting, tilling the garden, fixing fence so my "rental bull" doesn't escape, taking care of stepmom's finances and this full time job that supports my bad farming habit. (grin) I'd sure love to make some raspberry jam, though... Annie

Woo hoo!!! I'm with coconut-nj. Well, at least I was until I bought a Bo-Na-Fide cherry pitter. I don't hold with gadgets much...they generally take more drawer space than they're worth...but my cherry pitter is a pal, as I can aim the cherry juice splats into a bowl instead of all over the counter. Still, if you aren't going to pit enough cherries to make it worth owning the gadget, a big towel spread over the work surface will catch the juice (most of it anyway), and a good whack with a cleaver loosens the pits for you to simply pick out.

Darn it, Rob, I forgot the potatoes! (grin) Actually, I've been putting that box together for a while and it was Cathy (mustangs) who gave me your address. I got the Cream Nut peanut butter and the Sanders topping, then I thought it needed maple syrup. So I got some and then I decided to add the salsa and then I had to wait for ripe habaneros to make the Habanero Gold and, well, I got busy and.....well.....it took a lot longer than I had envisioned, LOL. Arlene, I still have maple syrup for your DH too, my life has gone nuts lately, but I've got it, really I do. Robin, I'm glad I could provide a smile, so many here have done the same for me that it's good to be able to pay it forward a little bit. Hug that little guy for me. Annie