Lots of fun things in your package. Teresa sent me some cheese straw that were out of this world. I know you'll enjoy yours. Have you used the mini pans yet? I have some little pans similar to yours but I haven't used them. The first one of us to try a recipe in them needs to share, please. Can you tell that I think the first one might be you? I hope there might be a picture of Chef Sebastian and the cookies too. It's a lovely, thoughtful package Teresa. Lee

Great job Teresa! How fun that Terri said she could have picked everyone of those items herself. You must be a good researcher! The pie plate is beautiful--and perfect for filling with comfort food this fall. I wonder if there are more similar name pairings this swap... Ann & Annie?

LOL dcarch! Teresa's kindness & generosity wasn't the surprise. The pan and generous amount of wild rice was! And yes, I can see how you could make 'ice balls' with it. And no, I'm not going to try it. Now I must confess. I have never made or even eaten an Aebleskiver before. In fact, I'd never even heard of them before reading about them on this forum. They sound intriguing and delicious. So I am really anxious to make some! I've read all the recipes I can find, I've watched all the videos Dcarch linked to. And hopefully, later this week I will get brave! I do want them to be hollow, not cake like. I've read how to fill them as they cook, But Teresa's 'trick' of piping the filling in sounds good, too. I can just see those two little boys' happy faces As they devoured those 'skivers'. Most of you know, I have never done food pictures. But Teresa, and Jimster, I promise, I will (try) to post some if (and that is a great BIG if) They come out anywhere near right! Thanks again, Teresa! Rusty

Alexa - no secrets here with my recipe. I posted it here last year and it is very similar to Doucanoe's recipe and hundreds of other recipes from the Lutheran church ladies of Minnesota. Of course this is just a guideline and often times larger amounts of my favorite things like carrots and almonds make their way into the pot. This recipe is for hand harvested marsh/river rice. Commercially cultivated wild rice takes longer to cook. The commercial drying/toasting process of cultivated rice causes it to be a much harder grain. LPink had a thread on the topic of cultivated wild rice last year. One cup raw marsh/river rice will make 4 to 4.5 cups of cooked rice. My favorite way to cook the wild rice: Heat oven to 350 degrees. You will need a covered casserole or pot (a 2 quart size is good). I use a glass casserole. Place in casserole: 1 cup raw rice 2.5 cups of boiling water or stock Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Test rice for doneness. Cook another 15 minutes if you want it more tender. Use excess water in wild rice soup. Wild Rice Soup 6 tablespoons margarine or butter 2-3 tablespoons minced onion 1/2 cup flour 3 cups chicken broth 2 cups cooked wild rice 1/2 cup finely grated carrots (I use more) 1 cup minced ham or leftover rotissiere chicken 3 tablespoons chopped slivered almonds (you can put them in the soup OR toast and top as a garnish) Salt to taste if you want 1 cup half and half 2 tablespoons dry sherry Directions In large saucepan, melt margarine; saute onion until tender. Blend in flour; gradually add broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in rice, carrots, ham, almonds and salt; simmer about 5 minutes. Blend in half and half and sherry; heat to serving temperature. Garnish with snipped parsley or chives. Sauteed sliced portabella mushrooms are a nice addition to this recipe. Happy Thanksgiving to all! Teresa in Minnetonka, Minnesota