Hi all! I'm reporting back having tried Linda's recipe for Apple cake but I wound up using the 1/2 cup raisins plus 1/2 Cup Craisins and about 1/4 cup dried Apricots (chopped up) and the pecans and a handful of shredded coconut, at the last minute. It was awesome! It came out more like a fruit cake, but the best part of the traditional, not so compacted and packed with so many different intense flavors. I highly recommend doing this, if you want a very Holiday-type cake but don't want to use the traditional fruit cake recipes! I think it would also make a very nice Apple-Fruit *Bread*, baked in a loaf pan or two! I loved the 'gravy' (tasted like 'Eagle Brand' condensed milk) but the next day, found I still enjoyed the cake even without the gravy and it did remind me more of a 'bread' than cake, that way! :o) Thank you, Linda, for a good recipe! I promise to try it as it was presented, after the holidays! Right now, I'm enjoying it 'tweaked'--way too much, I'm afraid!! Oh, and I used 'Gala' Apples which turned out fabulous in this recipe! I had read somewhere on the internet that they tested out as one of the better cooking apples--in the top three, in fact, and I couldn't agree more based on how this 'Apple (fruit) cake' turned out!

Well then, that must have been my problem because I did double the recipe!! I didn't realize you couldn't! I know you're not supposed to fool around with amounts in recipes so you keep the acid ratio correct, but where this was just strawberries and sugar and nothing else in the recipe I figured it was ok! I guess not! And I measured out 4 quarts of whole strawberries. The recipe was 2 quarts of strawberries and 6 cups of sugar. It didn't say to cut them or mash them before measuring - in fact (I'm remembering off the top of my head here as I don't have the book with me) it said to crush the strawberries one layer at a time and then to mix with the sugar, so it sounded to me like you measured the whole strawberries, then crushed them and that's what I did. I'm not going to fuss with what I already made - as I said, it won't go to waste as hubby will use it as pancake topping - we've even been known to plop a spoonful of jam in a bowl of oatmeal, so this stuff will work for that as well. But I'm glad I spoke up because for future adventures in jam, I wouldn't have known any of this and would probably have given up on it if I kept failing! And I thought it was weird that the jam recipe that used the pectin used an extra cup of sugar from the one without pectin. I've learned so much from just this thread - thanks so much guys! I want to take my next adventure into the realm of peaches! Peach jam sounds yummy and if I fail again, hubby does like peaches, so he'll have more pancake topping than he knows what to do with lol!! Lisa

I searched for years for my perfect piecrust recipe - then one day I found it. Here it is: These quantities make enough pastry for 3 double-crust pies or 3 1/2 dozen tart shells - muffin size. 5 cups flour 1 teasp salt 2 teasp baking powder 1 lb (454 grams) Tenderflake lard 2 teasp white vinegar 1 egg - slightly beaten. Add water to vinegar and egg to make 1 cup 1) Mix together flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in lard until crumbly (using two knives.) 2) Add liquid and mix gently with hands. (I use a fork to help me here.) Roll into a ball. 3) Roll out amount needed on a floured board. Refrigerate or freeze remainder. Source: 'I've GOT To Have That Recipe' Doubleday Canada - Victoria, B.C. 1986 My tip: After step two I often put it in the fridge for an hour to make it firmer and easier to roll out. *************************************** When I use it for apple pies....here's the fruit mixture: 3/4 cup sugar (or a little less if you wish) 1/2 teasp salt 1 teasp cinnamon 1/2 teasp nutmeg 1 1/2 TBS flour 2 TBS butter 4 1/2 - 5 large apples *(I prefer Granny Smith)- peeled and sliced. Nathan's pastry - enough for double crust pie 1 TBS milk and 1 teasp sugar for top of crust * Check quantity of apples by slicing them first into empty pieplate before lining with pastry to see if you have enough. Then remove and wipe plate clean again. 1) Preheat oven to 425 F (218 C) 2) Peel and slice apples into a mixing bowl. In another small bowl combine the dry ingredients and pour them over apples. Toss well to coat all over. 3) Line pieplate with pastry and pile coated apple slices into pieplate. Dot apples with pieces of butter. 4) Roll out top crust and put on pie, flute edges, brush crust with the milk and sprinkle with sugar. 5) Bake 10 minutes at 425F (218C) then lower heat to 350F (177C) for 35 - 40 minutes or until crust is golden. SharonCb

Its blackberry cobbler for me. In my younger days, mother made the best blackberry clobber. The berries grew wild in pastures and I spent many hours berry picking. Sadly, most cobblers are off my diet these days. I'm counting carbs to help control my blood glucose. Maybe someday, I'll try making a cobbler with substitute sweeteners. However, the fruit carries a load of carbs which will limit how much I could have per meal, and from experience that would be small compared to my appetite for cobbler. Sigh - I love cobbler.