Cindy, I made meringue cookies last night and froze them for our Passover dinner. They were fun to make and our cookers here on the forum say they store well too. They are very decorative and will be served with sherbert. Happy Passover!

Sauerkraut Balls 8 slices bacon ý cup finely chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minces -----we leave this out 1 can (16 oz.) sauerkraut drained ý cup mashed potatoes 1 Tablespoon parsley 1 ý cup finely crushed corn flakes 2 eggs beaten Oil Fry bacon in large skillet crisp, drain &n crumble. Pour off all but 2 T. fat. Add onions & garlic to fat in skillet. Cook & stir until onion is tender. Remove from heat, stir in bacon, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes & parsley. Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto waxed paper lined baking sheet. Gently form ball shapes. Cover with waxed paper or plastic wrap, refrigerate until firm or overnight. Dip sauerkraut balls in eggs. Roll in crushed corn flakes. Heat oil to 375ð, fry until golden brown about ý minute. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot. Can be fried 24 hours in advance & reheat in 400ð oven about 10 minutes. We fry, cool, and freeze. This is my MIL's recipe for Sauerkraut Balls. We don't put the garlic in them. The Cheesy Bacon Chicken Tater Tot Bake is in the crockpot, smaller version, and with frozen hash browns instead of tater tots. The convenience store was out of tater tots. Note: My 3 quart crock pot is full to the top with only 2 chicken breasts, and not all of the cheese. We will be eating at 8:00! Oh well, I will be snacking in the mean time! Tami

Since we will be spending Christmas Eve with friends this year, I will be makking the following. It has been a hit every time I made it! Alexa CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY GANACHE CAKE This pull-out-all-the-stops cake for special occasions may be prepared in steps in advance and glazes on the day it is to be served. For genoise 1/3 cup sifted unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder such as Droste (sift before measuring) 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup cornstarch a pinch baking soda 3 large whole eggs 3 large egg yolks 2/3 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt For syrup 1/3 cup water 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup raspberry liqueur such as Chambord For ganache 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped coarse 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam For glaze 1 cup heavy cream 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped coarse Garnish: fresh raspberries Make genoise: Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 9-inch round cake pan (about 2 inches deep) and line bottom with a round of parchment paper or foil. In a small bowl whisk together cocoa powder, flour, cornstarch, and baking soda. In a metal bowl whisk together whole eggs, yolk, sugar, and salt until combined. Set mixture over a saucepan of simmering water and continue to whisk until lukewarm. Remove bowl from heat and with an electric mixer beat mixture at high speed until it has cooled and doubled in volume. Sift one third cocoa mixture over egg mixture and fold in. Sift and fold in remaining cocoa mixture, half at a time, in same manner. Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Bake genoise in middle of oven for 30 minutes, or until it is firm to the touch and pulls away slightly from side of pan. Invert genoise onto a rack and immediately invert onto another rack to cool right side up. Genoise may be wrapped in plastic wrap and chilled 1 week or frozen 1 month. Thaw genoise before assembling cake. Make syrup: In a small saucepan bring water and sugar to a boil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Cool syrup and stir in liqueur. Syrup may be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered. Make ganache: In a saucepan bring cream, butter, and corn syrup to a boil over moderate heat and remove pan from heat. Add chocolate, swirling pan to submerge chocolate in hot mixture, and let stand 3 minutes. Whisk ganache until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Chill ganache, covered, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Assemble cake: Let ganache stand at room temperature until slightly softened and pliable but still cool. With a whisk or electric mixer beat ganache just until light and fluffy. Remove parchment paper from genoise and with a long serrated knife cut cake horizontally into 3 rounds. Invert top layer of genoise onto a springform pan base or a 9-inch cardboard round and brush with one third syrup. Spread layer with half of jam and spread one third ganache over jam. Top ganache with middle layer of genoise and repeat layering of syrup, jam, and ganache. Top with third layer of genoise, smooth-side up, and brush with remaining syrup. Spread top and side of cake with remaining ganache. Chill cake until ganache is set, about 30 minutes. Cake may be assembled ahead, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled 5 days or frozen 1 month. Thaw cake before proceeding. Make glaze: In a saucepan bring cream to a boil and remove pan from heat. Add chocolate, swirling pan to submerge chocolate in hot cream, and let stand 2 minutes. Whisk glaze until smooth and pour through a sieve set over a bowl. Cool glaze to room temperature. With cake on a rack set over a pan (to catch drips) pour glaze through sieve onto center of cake. Quickly spread glaze evenly over top and sides of cake with a long, narrow, metal spatula. Let cake stand until glaze is set, about 5 minutes. Garnish cake with raspberries and keep at cool room temperature until ready to serve. Gourmet February 1997

Gorgeous piece Tom!! You should be very proud-I'm sure it will be treasured! Can I give you a tip? We have a dresser that has been passed down the generations. We got name plates engraved with the babies name and birthday and lined them up in order of use on the inside of one door. My daughters are numbers 6 and 7! 3 generations and hopefully my girls can use it one day and continue the tradition! Might be nice if you could do something like that too?