Lemon Steamed Pudding With Berry Compote Pudding Softened butter for ramekins ¾ cup granulated sugar plus additional for ramekins 1 cup buttermilk ¼ cup lemon juice 3 eggs, separated ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt Zest of 2 lemons, finely chopped Berry Compote* 2 cups blueberries 2 cups raspberries 1/4 cup sugar *I used a berry sauce, instead of the compote. Pudding Grease the insides of eight 4-ounce ramekins with butter and coat with granulated sugar. Combine in a mixing bowl the buttermilk, lemon juice, and the egg yolks. Mix the flour, remaining sugar, salt, and lemon zest in another bowl. Whip the egg whites in a third bowl until soft peaks form. Whisk the dry ingredients with the buttermilk mixture, and fold in the egg whites gently, a third at a time. Ladle the batter into the prepared ramekins, filling them almost to the top. Place the puddings in a roasting pan, and pour warm water around them until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with foil, and bake for 18 minutes or until puddings begin to rise slightly. Remove the foil, rotate the pan front-to-back, and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until pudding is golden and springs back when touched. Compote While the pudding is baking, place the blueberries in a saucepan with the sugar and cook over medium heat until berries just start to burst. Remove from heat and fold in raspberries. Serve puddings at room temperature, or reheat in a warm-water bath before inverting onto plates and surrounding with compote. Courtesy: Craft _________________________________ Meringue Daisies with Lemon Curd For the meringue base I drew circles (about 2 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper. I turned the paper over and anchored it onto a cookie sheet with a tiny dot of meringue on each corner. Using a medium star pastry tip -#21 is good- quickly piped the discs onto parchment, then piped the daisy petals on the base. Pipe the petals close together onto the base itself, to build a "wall" for the lemon filling. Bake for 2 hours. Make sure the meringues do not take on color - they should remain white. Lemon Curd 4 large egg yolks ½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 3 fluid ounces lemon juice 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened Pinch of salt 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest In a heavy noncorrodible saucepan, beat the yolks and sugar until blended. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, but still liquid enough to pour. Dont allow the mixture to boil or it will curdle. When the curd has thickened, pour at once into a strainer. Cool, and store in airtight container. Meringue 4 large egg whites, room temperature ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar 1 cup superfine sugar ½ cup confectioners sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 200°F. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until mixture gets frothy. Gradually start adding the sugar. Beat for a couple of minutes after each addition. Once it forms soft peaks, add the confectioners sugar and vanilla and beat another 2-3 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Immediately put meringue in a large pastry bag, and pipe the discs. Bake 2 hours in a preheated 200°F oven. Turn off the oven and leave meringues to dry out 1 hour longer. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for about 6 months. Courtesy: Sol Sol

If we have to pay for it, I'm outta luck! If the bill is being footed by someone else (i.e. taxpayers), I guess I'd splurge. My son would have to be with me. He's my dinner buddy! He gets to leave before anything bad happens (whatever makes it the "last meal"). And how long does it get to last? I hope long enough to rest some! 1) Vodka martini (chilled, straightup with a lemon twist), at least Belvedere, Chopin, etc. with salted almonds and sexy jazz playing, Diana Krall, Frank, Ella, all of them. 2) 3 cups of soup and Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio; the grilled chicken and rice soup from Demo's on 2nd Avenue in Nashville or in Murfreesboro; Crab bisque; and some chowder with potatoes, like the flounder chowder we had in Florida. 3) Artichokes three ways. Grilled, steamed and fried, with hollandaise and any wine. I am not picky ;) (Although it can be a challenge to match up wine with artichokes (or asparagus) I would try it nonetheless). A huge pile. At least three pounds of it. 4) Good pumpernickel bread, slatered with butter, a huge glass of Gerst, and oompa music in the background 5) Surf and turf. Sparkling wine/champagne, Gruet would work. Dom would be better. Chopin playing this time instead of being consumed. Seared scallops, Dungeness crabs, drawn butter, and either really good prime rib or a filet served oscar-style to continue along #3's theme. Maybe some jalapeno creamed corn, or my mom's. 6) Dessert is way too hard for me. I love it all. My downfall is sweets. Cappuccino. Michael Buble. A slice of buttercake with blackberry filling and a lemoncream frosting. Another slice of chocolate cake with some sort of ganache. Another molten lava cake. Coconut macaroons. Huge platter of that. Enough to last another 40-50 years.

bobby, now you say that it does look kind of like an itty bitty sausage biscuit! Tami, we could do a bus tour, he just has to get us to one of the suburbs and we could take the train/bus into downtown, but first he has to drive all over Michigan and pick everyone up. Maybe he could charge bus fare and pay for the gas. Yeah.....that could work! Sol, you can come along, any time. I'd love, love, love to meet with you, just think of the he11 we could raise.....um....fun we could have. (heh heh) Peppi, she's adorable, isn't she? And so happy, she was just having a good time, hanging with all three of the Grandmas and eating good stuff. I also see Linda in her, but I see Linda in Erin too, so it's a third generation of Linda. That could be a bit scary, LOL. It really was a nice time, although too short. How can we be retired and still be so darned busy? I thought retirement was supposed to be slower and more relaxing somehow. Annie

Almost forgot my favorite when I visit Hawaii - Lappert's!! They supposedly have one of the highest butterfat content ice creams available. My favorite was a pineapple-coconut, but they have some wonderful combinations The original location was a little stand on Kauai on the road to work. We would stop occasionally for a treat when we were working out there for extended periods. Dessert before dinner!