I apologize that I was not on the board in the last many months -- I am sure that I missed a gazillion great recipes from you great chefs. And I apologize that I cannot remember recipes posted here before I vanished. But I did go through my new recipes files (some of which I'm sure came from this forum) and I will post those that tuned out worthy of being made again. Fact is, there was at least double this amount that I would NOT make again; I just don't remember the bad ones and I don't file away those recipes. Chiles en Escabeche Tuñapple Crisp Agua de Tamarindo Easy Layered Ratatouille Roasted Root Vegetable and White Bean Cassoulet Tarte aux Pommes et au Fenouil Caramelise (Apple Tart ... with Caramelized Fennel) Acadian Apple Bread Pudding with Spiced Apple-Wine Sauce Baked Spiced Sweet Potatoes and Pears with Bourbon Cane... Syrup Glaze Fennel & Tomato Salad Siciliana Caponata Speciale Sugo Diane Country Style Vegetarian Lasagna Macedonia (Italian Macerated Fruit Salad) Mulberry and Nectarine Cobbler Creamed Cipollinis and Mushrooms Persimmon Ginger Pudding Saucy Apple Bread Pudding Stuffed Strawberries Apricot Fritters Creamy Pomegranate Parfait Frozen Feijoa Soufflé Apple Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips Roasted Eggplant And Garlic Soup Forgive me for not crediting any originators. I will do better this coming year to actually write down who posted what. Linda has put up a great post/question. I hope everyone -- including myself -- starts writing down all the recipes they try from this forum and has them ready when Linda posts this question on January 1, 2009. Joe

Mine was great too, Elery and I and Ashley got up early and went to church, the first time Elery attended my church. He was impressed with how comfortable everyone was, all the hugging and personal interaction. One young lady got baptized and the Pastor waltzed her around the front of the church in celebration, LOL, and invited the congregation to "join the dance of spring, of joy, of renewal". Several did, including one elderly couple who happily waltzed in the center aisle. Dinner was good, even the dreaded lamb. Bud ate mostly chocolate bunnies and dinner rolls, but Makayla didn't even hesitate to try the lamb, although she liked the ham better. No augratin potatoes for her, but seconds on the green beans and Woodie's 7 layer salad. I took a picture of the infamous cake, a 3 layer fudge concoction with fudge ganache filling and a layer of light green fondant, that big pink panoramic sugar egg on top and cascades of royal icing roses, daisies and forget-me-nots. We had an Easter Egg hunt, then Ashley had to go to work and Elery had to leave for home, Amanda helped me with the dishes while the "kids" (including David, LOL) watched Dukes of Hazard, the traditional Easter movie. (snicker) I sent the leftovers home with Amanda, the lamb with Elery, and now I'm planning a Passover dinner in solidarity with my Jewish friends here. I've got this recipe for gefilte fish.... Annie

Lars, we are great fans of Manjula's Indian cooking videos. Did you know she also has a website? Her instructions are clear and I really like watching her videos - so homey and she makes it all so easy. I'll have to try the roti recipe. We have been making naan. So far we have made the chola tikki (a garbanzo-potato patty - so yummy), hari chutney (cilantro - it can also be mixed with yogurt for a dip or frozen in ice cube trays for later use but we have been going through it so quickly that we haven't gotten around to that), chola (a curry with garbanzo beans with tomato), and the potato curry with yogurt gravy (we also did one where we used cauliflower and carrots instead of the potato). I've found her recipes easier to use because she is US based so her recipes have the American names for the ingredients. Some of the other Indian sites have good recipes but it takes extra time to figure out what the ingredient names mean which makes browsing difficult. My son makes something like "Hoppin' Juan" - but we didn't have a name for it. We have also found a lot of good vegetable recipes in Olive Trees and Honey like this one: Sephardic Leek and Cheese Casserole Olive Trees and Honey - 1/4 c olive oil 3 lb leeks ( 1 1/2 lb if you do the zucchini varient), white and light green parts only cut into thin lengthwise slices and washed 1 large onion chopped (optional - I've always used it) 1 c water 2 cups (~1 lb) grated zucchini 2 tsp salt or 4 tsp kosher salt 1 cup (5 oz) crumbled feta or 1 c (8 oz) farmer or pot or 1 c grated kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese or a combination (I've always done the feta) 1 c shreded kashkaval, Goueda, Muenster or Cheddar (did this the first time and thought it didn't add much - other times I've done just the feta) 5 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 tbsp olive oil ground black pepper to taste or 1/2 tsp cayenne 1/4 c chopped fresh dill or 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg (optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and oil a 9 " square or 8 by 11 inch baking dish or two 9-inch pie plates. In a large sauce pan (she must have really large sauce pans - I use a small soup pot), heat oil over medium heat. Saute leeks and onion until softened. Add water, zucchini if using, 1 1/2 tsp salt or 3 tsp kosher salt, cover and simmer until leeks are tender (about 15 min). Drain Combine cheeses, eggs, remaining salt, pepper and dill or nutmeg. Add leek mixture. Put in baking dish. Bake until set and golden brown, about 50 minutes. Variant - you can leave out the cheese and cook 2 lb peeled, diced russet potatoes with the leeks. Kind of mash it after the draining step. I usually still put in the feta or you can put in 1/2 c Parmesan cheese. Here is a link that might be useful: Manjula's kitchen

I made this soup up for Thanksgiving, 2007. Curried Butternut Squash Soup w/apricots & coconut milk 1 c onion 1" x 1 ½" piece ginger, peeled & minced 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded, but not deveined 3 or 4 cloves garlic, smashed 1 T curry powder 1 t ground cumin 1 can chicken broth 2 cans water 1 knorr chicken bouillon cube 2 lbs peeled, seeded, butternut squash, thinly sliced 4-6 oz. Dried California apricots (not Turkish style)depending on how tart you want the soup. 1 can coconut milk 1 t cayenne (opt.) 1 t salt 1 T sugar Saute onions over a medium-high heat with ginger, jalapeno & garlic until onions are translucent. Add curry powder & cumin, saute for a few minutes until the spices are pungent. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the coconut milk, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the squash is tender. Puree soup with an emulsifier wand or blender. Add coconut milk, adjust seasonings, and bring back to serving heat. This soup is good served hot or cold. Garnishes might be toasted, chopped nuts, chopped cilantro, thinly sliced green onions, toasted, grated coconut or raisin bread croutons. And this was something I came up with when booking catering jobs. A client wanted a "fall" theme to the foods, and had some vegetarian guests coming to her event. She was concerned that they have some interesting dishes to choose from, and would leave feeling like they had an actual meal rather than just "making do" with whatever side dishes they were able to eat. Our chef wasn't exactly familiar with vegetarian foods, but was open to suggestions. Mixed grain salad with roasted butternut squash A mixture of grainstry to use at least 3 kinds, of different colors. I use varying combinations of basmati rice, long grain brown rice*, barley, bulgar (tabuleh), quinoa, wild rice, millet, and sometimes, to lighten the texture, I add couscous. Onions, celery, carrots-chopped Green peas (frozen are fineif you have fresh, blanch them first) Roasted butternut squash cubes** Cranberry vinaigrette*** Chopped parsley & green onions Chopped, toasted nuts (I like pecans or hazelnuts) Cook grain selections separately, according to directions, but remember that they will absorb dressing and soften, so a bit al dente is better than over cooked. Saute onions, celery, carrots until tender, but not too soft. Toss with grains, parsley, green onions and vinaigrette. Gently fold butternut squash cubes in. *Short grain rices are too sticky for this dish, in my opinion. **Roasted butternut squash. Peel squash. Cut into ½ inch cubes. toss in olive oil and roast in the oven, checking frequently until just cooked, but not mushy. If it doesnt brown at all, pass under a broiler after cooking just to brown the edges a bit. ***Cranberry vinaigrette. Make a basic vinaigrette with olive oil, red wine or champagne vinegar, garlic & onion powders, salt & pepper. Put the vinaigrette in a blender with about 3/4 Tablespoon dried cranberries per cup vinaigrette, and puree until smooth. Then, add about a quarter cup of dried cranberries for every cup vinaigrette, and pulse blender until cranberries are chopped, but not pureed. Let vinaigrette sit over night. Before tossing the grain salad in the dressing, taste the vinaigrette for sweetness and add a bit of sugar if need be. It shouldnt be too tart or too sweet. Sprinkle the toasted chopped nuts on top and garnish with sprigs of parsley, green onion tassels or carrot curls and a few whole dried cranberries.