how interesting that deborah started this thread today--thank you! there is a very small (and CRAMPED) oriental market not terribly far from us and we stopped there yesterday to look around and pick up a few things just unknown to us. it was fun! i'd never had any thai food until 2 years ago and there was a nice restaurant that had a very small buffet every day. pad thai and tom gai soup were always there and most of the other dishes changed daily. i LOVED that soup and when i spotted fresh lemon grass yesterday, decided i had to attempt making it. there are about a dozen recipes for it on the "food down under" website and they are pretty similar to the one deborah posted. having said that, i simply don't recall the taste of either something like ginger (as a sub for galangel) or chili peppers in it but guess i'd be wrong about that :) in any case, i have dried red pepper flakes, or sweet chili paste with garlic or chipotle peppers in adobe sauce that i can use (VERY sparingly in our household). anyone have any suggestions on which might work best in this recipe? and maureen--ex or no, those sound like really great memories to me! it must have been quite the adventure for all of you! Here is a link that might be useful: tom gai

From Diabetes Self-Management Overnight nacho bake Preparation time: 30 minutes Baking time: 1 hour Chilling time: 6 hours 1 pound ground round 3/4 cup diced onion 1 can (4.5 ounces) diced green chilies 1 cup frozen corn 1 envelope (1.25 ounces) reduced-sodium taco seasoning mix 1 jar (8 ounces) taco sauce Cooking spray 1 can (16 ounces) fat-free refried beans 2 cups (about 3 ounces total) coarsely broken baked tortilla chips 2 ounces finely shredded, reduced-fat mild Cheddar cheese 2 ounces finely shredded pepper jack cheese Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, fat-free sour cream (optional) Brown and drain ground round. Add onion, chilies, corn, taco seasoning mix, and taco sauce; stir to combine. Cook over medium heat until onion is tender (about 5 minutes); stir frequently. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spread refried beans in bottom of baking dish. Spoon half of beef mixture evenly over beans. Top with 1 cup broken chips. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. Top evenly with remaining beef mixture then sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight. To bake, preheat oven to 350�F. Remove plastic wrap. Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and place over baking dish, sprayed side down. Bake for 1 hour, or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through. Remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 cup broken chips. Portion into 8 equal servings and, if desired, top each serving with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and fat-free sour cream. Yield: 8 servings Serving size: 1/8 of casserole Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories: 398 Carbohydrate: 42 g Protein: 26 g Fat: 14 g Saturated fat: 5 g Sodium: 1,061 mg* Fiber: 3 g Exchanges per serving: 3 starch, 2 lean meat, 1 fat Carbohydrate choices: 3

Here's a few more "Blue Willow Inn" recipes. Not all the recipes are keepers. For instance, their pineapple casserole uses crushed pineapple, no flour and doesn't sound nearly as good as Glenda's. Same goes for the fried green tomatoes. They only use flour and Glenda's recipe calls for flour and cornmeal. Much better with the cornmeal. A lot of their casseroles are made with canned soup, too. And cakes are box mixes. That was disappointing. Mashed Potato Cakes 1/4 c. chopped onion 3 Tbsp. bacon grease (and chopped bacon, if desired) 4 c. leftover mashed potatoes 1 c. flour 6 eggs Cooking oil Saute onion in bacon grease until soft. (Up to 1/4 c. chopped bacon may be added, if desired.) In a bowl, mix onion and bacon grease (and bacon if using) with mashed potatoes, flour and eggs. Mix wel, but do not beat. Pour enough oil into a heavy skillet to thoroughly cover the bottom Form the potato mixture into patties 3/4" thick and 2-1/2 to 3" in diameter. Place in hot oil and cook on each side until golden brown. Add more oil as needed while cooking the patties. Baked Vidalia Onions 6 medium Vidalia onions 1.2 c. crushed croutons Salt and pepper 1/2 c. melted butter 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar 1/4 c. water Preheat oven to 350. Peel onions and make two cuts diagonally across the top of each, cutting a little more than halfway down. Sprinkle the onions with croutons and salt and pepper. Pour a small amount of the butter over each onion, using all the butter. Place the onions in a pan with water in the bottom and bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes until tender. Remove from oven, top with cheese and bake long enough to melt the cheese.

Lucky Gardnr's recipe is almost like the one I use. My recipe calls for 1 cup of milk, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Baked at 350° for 45 minutes. The cinnamon sounds like a good addition. I just made it with canned pears a couple days ago. Here is how I remember to put it together: Butter on the bottom, batter on the butter, peaches on the batter . . sung in my little sing-song tune. This recipe came from a cookbook published in 1969 by the Kentucky Education Association. The story goes that it is one of those recipes that was asked for in a restaurant and later charged for. That is why in the cookbook it is called "The $10 Fruit Pie." Thought you might like the little story that goes with it. Sue