Mantis - Last year my Symphony of Praise had very little splotchiness. This year it was splotchy about 30 percent of the time. (It definitely has a better track record than Born To Run and Wonder of It All.) But you must remember we have very heavy dew here nearly EVERY morning. Also, a lot of the times I don't take the mushies off because of hybridizing, so I either don't see new blooms (and don't know if they are splotchy) or the mushies add to the splotching. Overall, SOP is a wonderful pink - not my favorite, but in the top five. As a garden plant, I would recommend it 75%. As a hybridizing plant, I would recommend it 100% because it sets seed in extremely high temps and produces a high percentage of keeper seedlings. It just depends on what you're looking for in a pink. Debra

Lizzy, I think that's an even better idea than chicken on the bone, and here chicken is removed from the bone, added to the gravy and spooned over the waffles, much like your version I'd guess, except the chicken is fried. Many times chicken "strips" or "fingers" are used. Renee, you're right about regional dishes even within a state. Elery moved to Michigan when he was 11, but he spent his childhood in Tennessee and had never heard of chicken and waffles, although I thought it was a "southern thing". He was astounded when I dragged out the sorghum molasses to put on my cornbread, and said that was a southern thing but I've been doing it all my life and I was born here in Michigan. Of course, he claims that Grandma had to be from the south because of the way she cooked, but she grew up in Ohio. A little searching revealed that Grandma's stepmother, who raised her from a very young age and taught her to cook, was from Kentucky. So some of her cooking "migrated" to Michigan with Grandma and my kids grew up eating what is considered by some to be "traditional southern cooking". I guess after a couple of generations, the way people move around, anything can become a regional specialty! As for the chicken and waffles with syrup, I know a lot of people who will cover their sausage with syrup when they have breakfast, so chicken with syrup is no stranger than that, I've just always seen it served with gravy and never for breakfast. Annie

I've made the strawberry soup numerous times, but mine is a little different. Have it cruising on Carnival everytime I go. PATTI, check this out. rosemary braised white beans We first had these in a Greek restaurant called "Zoe�s Kitchen." My sister figured out a way to duplicate the amazing white beans they make. These are finger-lickin good. You need a few hours to let them simmer. Ingredients: 4 cans white beans (great northern) drained but not rinsed 4 cloves garlic 1 onion fresh rosemary, 1-2 sprig 1/4 c. olive oil plus 2 T salt and pepper chicken broth, about 1 cup Instructions: I used my ceramic Dutch oven pot so I could saute, boil, and bake in the same pot. If you don�t have an oven-proof pan, you will need several different pots. Begin by drizzling the pan with the 2 T of olive oil. Saute the onion with 1/2 t salt until soft, 5 minutes. Add the pressed garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 min. Then add the unrinsed beans, chicken stock, rosemary and 1/4 c olive oil. Cook on high until bubbly. Then turn the heat way down and simmer with the lid on for a nice long time. Keep your eye on it � you may need to add more chicken broth if starts sticking to the bottom of the pan. After an hour or so, use a potato masher (or spoon) to mash some of the beans, maybe half. Season with salt and pepper. Stir, and place in a 300 degree oven for another hour or so

And here's the other Bob Gibson's, lilliepad, in detail Big Bob Gibson's Hickory-Smoked Chicken 1 cup mayonnaise 1 cup apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons cracked black pepper 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, finely ground 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1 whole chicken, cut in half Finely ground kosher salt and ground black pepper 1/2 cup vegetable oil To prepare the sauce: Combine all the first six ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Place in an airtight container or bottle and refrigerate until you're ready to use. Keeps up to 4 days. To prepare the chicken: Wash the chicken and season it liberally with salt and pepper. Smoke over hot coals and hickory wood at 300 to 350 degrees for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Halfway through the smoking process, baste the chicken with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper once more. After you take the chicken off the pit, immediately place it in the bowl of white sauce, turning the chicken to coat evenly. Place the chicken on a cake rack and allow it to rest for a few minutes prior to serving. Discard any sauce that you've used for coating chicken. Serves 2 to 4