After chips and salsa and margaritas I was out of room for actual food. :) Elvis might beg to differ! My friend is in the process of divorcing and has never lived alone nor in an apartment. She was so happy to see that her new home was orderly, pretty, and ready. She had sturdy teen boys to help with the furniture. Her apartment is on the third floor. After numerous trips up and down the stairs and unpacking and organizing her kitchen and bedroom closet and breaking down boxes I slept very well! Thank you for the belated greetings. I plan to celebrate again when Alice comes home in another week or two. Eileen

Sounds like you did have great Birthday Plans. Let me add my best wishes for your very special day. And, thanks for your contributions to the CF. Cathy

After years of making all kinds, this is the one the fruit cake loving friends and family like best. Even hubby, who claims he never liked fruit cake, will eat this. No alcohol. Just have a jumbo-size bowl to mix it in. Hubby helped make it one year and wondered what all the fuss was about - fruit cake wasn't laborious like he'd heard. I said we didn't need to grate the sugar from a cone of sugar; we didn't need to crack/shell the nuts; we didn't stone the dates; we didn't pick the seeds out of the raisins; make the candied fruit well ahead of when we needed it....... ;-) Oh! -Grainlady Source: Pillsbury Kitchens' Family Cookbook DARK FRUITCAKE 3 c. Pillsbury Best All Purpose or Unbleached Flour (I use freshly-milled spelt and wheat combination) 1-3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar 2 t. baking powder 1 t. salt 2 t. cinnamon 1/2 t. nutmeg 1/2 t. allspice 1 c. liquid (fruit juice, water or milk) 3/4 c. shortening, melted OR oil 1/4 c. molasses 4 eggs 3 c. (1-lb.) raisins (I usually use 1 c. currants, 1 c. dark raisins, and 1 c. golden raisins) 2 c. (1-lb.) mixed candied fruit 2 cups (1/2-lb.) pecan halves (broken pecans work fine) 1 c. (1/2-lb.) whole candied cherries 1/2 c. chopped candied pineapple 8-oz. pkg. (1-1/4-c.) pitted dates, cut into large pieces Heat oven to 275°F. Grease (not oil) two 9x5-inch loaf pans and line with waxed paper or foil. In large bowl, blend all ingredients except fruits and nuts at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. Stir in fruits and nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake at 275°F. for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool. Peel off paper; wrap cooled cakes tightly in plastic wrap or foil to keep moist. If wrapped tightly, fruitcake will keep in refrigerator up to a year. Other Fruitcake Pan Sizes: For Dark Fruitcake recipe - fill containers 2/3 to 3/4 full. Coffee Cans (1-lb. size): 4 cans - bake 1-1/2 to 2 hours Soup Cans (10-1/2-oz. size): 12 cans - bake about 1-1/2 hours Miniature Loaf Pans: 6 pans - bake about 1-1/2 hours Muffin Pans: 48 cups (lined with paper baking cups) - bake

WOO HOO!!! Works like a charm. They are shelf-stable too, if you can keep them in a dark cool place. They will keep longer refrigerated or frozen. Be sure to check your dehydrated tomatoes occasionally and see if there is any little beads of moisture in your bags. If so, take them and finish dehydrating them immediately upon seeing any condensation. If you don't, you chance having the tomatoes mold. I use the snack-size bags for apple slices too. That way I can stuff a large jar or canister with them, and vacuum-seal the whole thing shut. Open when needed and take out as many as is necessary for snacking, adding to a recipe, or making into applesauce. Then vacuum-seal the jar closed again. This way the apples (or tomatoes) won't reabsorb moisture from the air each time you open the jar because they are in the snack-size bags. -Grainlady