@teresa - ya saw right through me!! Baloney & city chicken were favorites growing up. I thought of some other Western PA terms: Slippy - when ice is on roads & sidewalks, it is slippy outside Red up - as in "go red up your room" (clean-up) Dun Tun - where're yinz going? Dun Tun to shop for shoes. Kennywood is open! - when someone's zipper is down Up 'ere or down 'ere - directional inference, i.e. up there or down there 7-Iron - shot of Seagrams Seven dropped into a mug of Iron City Beer Funny & true story: Went to Primanti Brothers for first time a couple of yrs ago. Looking @ menu at list of 'sammiches' I saw Steak & Cheese - #2 best seller. But I just couldn't find the #1 best seller. Asking waitress, she pulled up a chair & said, "Honey, in these parts Iron City beer is the #1...

dgkritch, I have a good egg roll recipe from a Chinese cooking class I took many years ago. Our teacher was wonderful and we had a great time and learned a lot. She gave us three recipes for sauces...Fruit Sauce, Plum Sauce and Mustard Sauce. I think it's kind of like wines...no rules, just have what you like. EGG ROLLS Ingredients: 10 oz chicken meat (*I usually use more) 1 T soy sauce 1/2 tsp salt 1 T wine (*I use pale dry sherry) 1 tsp chopped ginger root (or 1/2 t ground ginger) 1 large shredded onion 1 1/2 cups shredded bamboo shoots 1 1/2 cups shredded celery 1 cup shredded mushrooms 1 1/2 T oyster sauce 1 tsp salt 2 T cornstarch and water (makes everything stick together) 1 T flour and 1 T water ("glue" to seal the rolls) 5 cups vegetable oil Procedure: 1. Shred the chicken meat and marinate with soy sauce, salt, wine, ginger root and cornstarch for at least 20 minutes. 2. Heat 5 T oil in a frying pan, stir fry chicken until it turns white. Drain and set aside. Use the remaining oil to stir fry onion, bamboo shoots, celery and mushrooms. Add oyster sauce and salt. Add water if needed (I usually use less oil and I do add water to sort of steam the vegetables instead of frying them.) Cook until the vegetables become wilted but are still crisp. Add cornstarch paste. Stir until thickened. This is the filling. 3. Place 3 T filling in the egg roll wrapper an inch from the edge which is toward you. Fold the edge, then the right side and then the left side toward the center. Roll into a tight roll. Stick outer edge of skin to wrapper with flour paste "glue". 4. Heat the oil to 370 degrees. Deep fry the egg rolls until golden. Drain on paper towels. For the vegetables you may substitute: cabbage chinese cabbage (not bok choy) carrots broccoli bean sprouts This may be served over rice (omit cornstarch paste and add 1 cup chicken broth and 1 T cornstarch to make sauce.) FRUIT SAUCE 1 c. apricot preserves 1 c. applesauce 1/2 c apple cider vinegar 1/2 c brown sugar 2 cloves garlic 1/4 tsp red pepper powder (cayenne) 2 slices ginger root Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat. Stir until mixture boils. Reduce heat an dsimmer without lid for 15 minutes. Pick out giner root and garlic cloves and discard. PLUM SAUCE 1/4 c water 1/2 c plum jam 2 T brown sugar 2 T vinegar Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Brint to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. MUSTARD SAUCE 2 T mustard powder 3 T cold water 1/8 tsp salt Mix all ingredients together and serve. I also have recipes for Stir-Fry Beef with Barbecue Sauce, Egg Roll Skins, Mar Far (Chinese cookies), Stir-Fried Cabbage with Brown Peppercorns, Cold Noodle Salad with Sesame Paste Sauce, Stir Fried Chicken Cheng-Tu style, Peking Hot and Sour Soup, Double Cooked Pork and Stir Fried Chicken with Mushrooms (Moo Goo Gai Pan) if anyone's interested. Pam

Deviled eggs Pinwheels (either tortilla or puff pastry) Hummus and pita chips artichoke and red pepper squares (recipe below) Crispy bread with bruschetta Crispy bread with a smear of goat cheese, a few toasted walnuts, fresh thyme leaves and a drizzle of honey Tapenade on crackers, bread, pita, etc Artichoke Heart and Red Pepper Bites 6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts in oil 6 ounces roasted bell peppers 1 small chopped onion 2 minced cloves garlic 4 eggs 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Dash hot pepper sauce Freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch baking dish. Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil. Drain the roasted peppers and discard the liquid. Finely chop the artichoke hearts and peppers and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved oil, onion, and garlic. Cook for five minutes, or until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until thick and lemon colored. Beat in the remaining ingredients along with the artichoke hearts, peppers, and onion mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into one inch squares. Tightly wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to a month. Serve cold, at room temperature, or gently reheated in a 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Makes @60 1” bites. Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 35 minutes Cooling Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour

DH is Chinese and I'm (Irish/French background) Canadian, so we have the traditional North American turkey dinner for Christmas, as well as DH's home cooked Chinese food. His elderly father joins us every year for our Christmas dinner, and he loves getting to have both cuisines! And I must say, DH is an excellent cook and can make any dish you can order in a Chinese restaurant, except they're even more delicious!