Katie, I'm glad to see you again, you stay away too long and I miss you. Like you, I like LOTS of crystallized ginger in them, nice and "bite-y". Arlene, the imposters are the ones that they pick green, spray red and ship a couple thousand miles. When they get here they are still hard, plus they are dry, not juicy and they are white all the way through when you bite them. Fresh and local are something else, but if you tried to ship berries that perfectly ripe to Michigan, by the time they got packed and loaded on trucks and driven here and unpacked and on the shelves to sell them, they'd be a big moldy lump. Plus the varieties of berries they've developed to be sturdy enough to withstand shipping have not been developed for flavor, that's for sure.... Strawberries here will have to wait until June, everything in their own season, or I can eat styrofoam imposters but they sure aren't worth it. Those are beautiful, though, I'm sure glad you learned to post pictures! Annie

Trail, that pie looks fantastic! So the granola came out only so-so. I put lots of healthy, hippie type stuff in it so my SD will love it all the same. On the flip side, the applesauce is to die for! I'm not a fan of applesauce but this stuff I could eat all the time. I'm dreaming of pork chops and applesauce! Decided to give my SD the applesauce: Along with the granola: Also made a whiskey pecan tart & a chocolate tart: Made some Cardamom Coconut rice pudding as well. I think I'm calling it a day. I made the cherry pie filling today (like to let the flavors meld overnight) then I'll put it in the pie crust and bake in the morning.

Ann H., traditional Chanuka foods vary with the community. Jews of Eastern European descent eat latkes (but never agree on how to make them). Israelis eat fried filled doughnuts. As you see in the string, and can find on many web sites, everywhere in the world, Jews come up with something different for Chanuka. The one constant is that it should be something cooked in oil; that's the point. The idea is to commemorate the story about the oil for the menorah. lpinkmountain, if you use a mix for matzo balls, you will go to hell. JUST KIDDING! But really, I have never understood what the point is of that mix. I mean, matzo balls contain matzo meal, salt, egg, water or broth, and fat (chicken fat best if you are not a vegetarian and your cardiologist isn't looking). So what's in that mix? I think it's just matzo meal, salt, and some bouillon powder (which I don't like anyway); you still have to add the rest -- doesn't really save any time and just costs a lot more and uses more packaging. Lakeguy, here is how I (a genuine Jewish mother) make chicken soup and matzo balls. It's a very simple recipe, without even any dill or garlic, but it really doesn't need it, because the strongly developed chicken flavor holds its own, so try it this way first. Really, you can make any kind of chicken soup your family likes, but make sure to follow the two essentials about the type of chicken and the length of cooking. Try to find a kosher chicken -- the bigger, fatter, and older, the better. The taste is just much, much better. It's not that the kosher slaughtering makes a difference. But they grow them bigger, and they don't feed them chemicals (not for kosher purposes, just to broaden their market to foodies), and the soaking and salting of kashering is like brining it. If you can't find a kosher chicken in your town, then go for an organic one, I guess. Lindac taught me the money-saving tip of using a package of wings instead of a whole chicken (kosher chickens are not cheap). Gellchom's Jewish Chicken Soup (eat! eat!) 1 cut up kosher chicken, or a large package of wings, necks, etc. 2 stalks celery, NO LEAVES, scraped and cut into sticks 2 large carrots, scraped and cut into sticks one whole onion, peeled Salt and pepper Rinse the chicken and put it in your soup pot. Cover with water to about 3/4 inch from top. Bring to a good hard boil, reduce the heat, and skim. Then add the vegetables, 1-2 T salt, and some pepper. Cover and simmer a LONG time -- absolute minimum 1 1/2 hours, but I like to let it go to much longer, even to 6. If it cooks too far down, then just add some water; the taste will still be plenty rich, I promise. Remove chicken and use for something that can have seriously overcooked chicken! Discard onion (and celery, if you want, but I like it in the soup). Remove carrots and set aside. Strain soup and return carrots, celery, and maybe some of the chicken. Chill and remove some but not all of the fat before reheating. Serve with matzo balls, kreplach, noodles, or rice. Matzo balls (this is just the old recipe off the back of the Manischewitz matzo meal box, before they changed it from schmaltz to oil) 2 T schmaltz (rendered chicken fat; buy frozen in kosher market or make your own) or oil (if you must!) 2 lg eggs, slightly beaten ½ c matzo meal 1 t salt, optional 2 T water or broth (use broth if no schmaltz) Mix schmaltz and eggs. Mix matzo meal with salt and blend. Add water and mix. Cover and chill at least 15 minutes. Boil slightly salted water. Reduce heat to low, form balls (with wet hands, and note that they will enlarge as they cook), and add to soup. Cover and cook 30-40 minutes.

Ellendi6161, the recipe I use is the way my mother made banana cream pie, and it is simple yet so good. I use a store bought frozen deep dish pie crust just to make it easy on me. Mom had no such short cut available and made her own crust. Bake the shell empty according to directions after pricking it well. Cool. To make the filling, use one large Jello brand Cook and Serve Vanilla Pudding mix or two small boxes and whole milk to cook the pudding.(Be sure it is the Cook and Serve pudding and NOT instant.) Let the pudding cool in the pan 5 minutes after it has come to a boil and is done. Slice a large ripe banana thinly and line the bottom of the pie crust with a layer of the slices. Stir the pudding and spoon a thin layer of pudding over the slices. Add another layer of thinly sliced banana, and then pour the rest of the pudding into the crust, mounding as much into the crust as it will hold. Chill in the refrigerator several hours. At serving time, beat 1 cup of whipping cream with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar. Cover the entire top of the pie with all of the whipped cream. Cut and serve.