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

LOL! Writersblock, I think "plain" including mayonnaise must actually be a local oddity. California hamburgers normally come with mayonnaise or hamburger sauce (akin to 1000 Island dressing, but with different proportions, sometimes idiosyncratic to the chef), but plain means no condiments, and the vegetables on the side if you don't specify. Rusty, I only heard about burgers not having mayo/sauce when I was lunching with a friend from Boston. I think mayonnaise is common throughout the West. Which drives her nuts. :) When I was a kid, the lack thereof--in kid lore--was a telling point as to why McDonald's weren't "real" hamburgers. :) (It was probably the moms who first said they weren't "real" meaning that they weren't good quality food, and the kids were just trying to figure out why.) I ran out of ketchup, a few days back, in the middle of making Sloppy Joes. I compensated. The resulting mix was very tasty, and did have some ketchup, not to mention mustard, hot BBQ sauce, onions, parsley, S&P, bell peppers, jalapeños, and even some carrots and other odds and ends. That's what's so fun about Sloppy Joes. You can put anything in. It's like a salad. It was very tasty. Reaction? Needs ketchup!

Just reporting back to let everyone know how the lunch went. Despite on and off showers, the temp was great so we were able to sit out on the deck, half of which is covered so we were dry and comfortable and enjoying the outdoors. Friend brought a hot appetizer with melted cheese that was delish. I had a Latin salami slices with cucumber slices; roasted red pepper hummus with pita chips, smoke gouda and jarlsburg cheese with crackers, and a dish with celery and carrot sticks. Lunch rec'd all kinds of compliments...grilled chicken breasts marinated in a lemon BBQ sauce and I served it with quinoa pesto (found it at TJs). Lentil salad with carrots and celery. Haricot vert with fennel and toasted pecans in a lemon dijon sauce (Martha Stewart). I sliced up a whole wheat ciabatta bread and had an herb package from which to make a dipping sauce with EVOO. For dessert I made a mixed berry crumble (blue and rasp) with choc chip ice cream from a local creamery. Coffee and tea. The beauty of it was that most of the cooking was done a day ahead so I was able to enjoy the company on the deck and not be a slave to the kitchen in prep.

I was going to say…North Carolina Lemon Pie looks like what we call Beach Pie. Here is the Beach Pie Bar recipe that we use. Vegetable-oil cooking spray 7 ounces saltine crackers (about 54) 1 stick plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 large egg yolks plus 1 large egg 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups) 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from 4 to 6 lemons) 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt Confectioners' sugar, for serving Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 14-by-4-inch fluted-edge tart pans with removable bottoms with cooking spray. I use one 9x 13 pan with Parchment paper because I am not Martha Stewart. In a food processor, pulse crackers until finely ground (you should have 2 1/4 cups). Add butter and granulated sugar; pulse to combine. Divide mixture between pans and firmly press into bottoms and up sides. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Step 2 Just before removing crusts, whisk together eggs and yolks, then whisk in condensed milk, lemon juice, and salt. Remove baked crusts from oven and carefully divide filling between pans. Return to oven and bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes. Step 3 Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Remove from pans; dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into fingers or squares; serve. Cook's Notes This recipe can also be made in one 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Line the sheet with parchment after spraying, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the long sides, and use the overhangs to lift the tart out once cold to cut into squares.