I made MaryAnne's Recipe #2 last nite. I forgot to buy a pudding mix. It makes a huge cake! It was okay, but not as good as I was hoping. I did overcook it a teeny bit though. I was thinking it should have had baking powder in it, but it wasn't in the ingredients, and I was panicking. I thought cakes had BP, but I'm wrong, obviously. I have away the starters on Freecycle.....had lots of requests for it. I was surprised. I think I'll wait a while and maybe try it again with another recipe, one moister.

Can't help with your bread, but I think the fruit thing you are looking for is called Rumtopf. It is of German origin. When I lived in England some friends kept a pot of it on a shelf in their kitchen. It was delicious, and the fun part is you just add more fruit as you use it! Here is a recipe I found when I did a google search: Rumtopf (rum pot) Recipe The ingredients: 1. fresh fruit 2. sugar 3. rum (or brandy) It is traditional to begin with the first fruit of the season. This typically includes strawberries, but fresh fruit is often available all year round. Start with your favorite fresh fruit, as long as it is ripe (not over-ripe) and full of flavor. Ideal fruits are: Pineapple (remove rind & core and cut in large cubes) Cherries (any variety, pitted) Apricots (halves, pitted) Nectarines (halves, pitted) Peaches (remove pits and cut in halves, quarters, or slices) Pears (cored, peeled & sliced) Plums (remove seed and half or quarter) Grapes (sweet seedless red or green grapes are ideal) Strawberries (don't wash, just remove stem & leaves). Strawberries will lose their red color. Raspberries (don't wash). Raspberries will lose some of their red color. Red currants (removed from stem) Other less ideal fruits, may be added if you wish: Blackberries or Blueberries (can be bitter and can discolor the other fruits) Watermelon and Cantaloupe chunks (can make the mixture a bit watery) Rhubarb (can make mixture sour) Bananas (too mushy) Citrus (too acidic) Directions: Wash and dry the inside of the Rumtopf. Wash and dry the first chosen fruit. (Don't wash Strawberries and Raspberries.) Remove any stems, seed and pits. In a separate bowl cover the fruit with an equal weight of granulated sugar and allow to sit for one hour. (example: 3 pounds of fruit and 3 pounds of sugar) Place the fruit, sugar and any juices left in the bowl into the Rumtopf. Pour in just enough rum or brandy to cover the fruit. Weigh the fruit down with a clean saucer or plate Cover the opening of the Rumtopf with plastic (to avoid evaporation) and place the lid firmly on top. Store in a cool place away from heat and sunlight. Adding additional layers of fruit: For each additional layer of fruit follow the instructions above, but use only half as much sugar. (Example: 3 pounds of fruit and 1 1/2 pounds of sugar.) After the fruit and sugar has rested for one hour, gently add this mixture onto the earlier layer. Do not mix the fruits. Add more rum or brandy to cover the new layer. Cover with fresh Saran or plastic wrap and the lid. Throughout the summer, repeat the process for each new fruit until your Rumtopf is full. Then allow the entire mixture to sit for another 4 to 6 weeks. It is best at 2-3 months, which is just in time for the Holiday festivities. Serving suggestions: Serve the Rumtopf fruits with its syrup (hot or cold) over ice-cream, cake, flan, puddings, or cheese cake. Serve in an elegant dish topped with whipped cream or cre frâiche. Serve as a side dish with any game meat. Serve the strained liquid as a liquor or after-dinner cordial. Add two tablespoons of the strained liquid to Champagne for a unique and elegant cocktail. Linda

Wow! Good looking baskets. I noticed you made Plantmaven's Amish Sugar cookies. My neighboer and I made cookies today and we made the sugar cookies...made a ton! They are good but so crumbly you can hardly pick one up. I don't suppose you had that problem and I'm wondering what we did wrong. I'm hesitant to give them to anyone although they really do taste good. Any ideas what I did wrong? jude

Oh, Ole Joyful! I hear ya on that one. It is a gift that keeps on giving! If we could only figure out how to make "$dough$" replicate as well? Well, it was the thought that counts from Iva Mae, but you might have to kill that dough off. Seems I had that problem with Friendship bread many years ago. Came from a Chicken and Cornfield Farm myself. If I remember correctly, your are from Canada? So your Dad had a farm on the Canadian prairies? I am from MN and SD. There is less and less prairie all the time. Good luck with that overflow of dough. ;-)