Sherry, glad you have decided to go for it. Lori and Robin, just wondered if you have decided to participate or not? I want to add you to the list. Just a reminder - if you are new to the forums and especially if this is your first Swap, make sure that you activitely post over the next few weeks so that your partner will be able to find some current information on you. Most of us like to search the various threads for hints of things that you might like rather than look at a list of likes and dislikes. Also, if you are looking for information on your partner and can't find what you are looking for, then get sneaky and start a thread on the cooking forum that hopefully your partner will post to. Example - Want to know if your partner likes spicy foods? Start a thread asking about favourite Curry or Mexican foods. Or maybe you are thinking of including something BBQ or Grill related. Start a related thread. Ann

OK, so who has sent a package that hasn't been rec'd yet? (besides me...:-) ) These lists confuse me...those names must have been the "sent" boxes, right? eeek, forgive me - I haven't rec'd my box yet...and as usual going nuts trying to figure out who it's coming from!!! wait, no, that list is the names of people who have received theirs, right? so to figure it out would take some figuring - looking at each thread to see who sent to each, and comparing to the list of participants...Ann, how can you do this to me??????? lolol... Stacy

Here is my favorite Pound Cake recipe. Perfect for all of the fresh fruit that is available this time of year. Janelle McComb, who was Elvis's friend from the time he was a boy in Tupelo Mississippi used to bake two loaves of this cake every Christmas and bring them to Graceland. On a good day, Elvis could eat one all by himself. He shared the other with his entourage. ELVIS PRESLEY'S FAVORITE POUND CAKE 3 cups sugar 1/2 pound of butter softened 7 eggs room temperature 3 cups cake flour, sifted twice 1 cup heavy cream (not whipped) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Thoroughly butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Cream together the sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time, beating extemely well after each addition. Mix 1/2 half of the flour, then the whipping cream, then the other half of the flour. Beat 5 full minutes. Add vanilla. Pour batter into prepared pan. Set in cold oven and turn temp to 350 degrees. Bake 1 hour to 90 minutes, until a sharp knife inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan 5 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool thoroughly. Wrapped well in foil, this cake keeps several days. My group likes grilled pineapple too. I just dip it in butter and then brown sugar and grill. Great by itself or with ice cream. Here are a couple of others I have in my files from Ruthanna. Can you tell I'm leaning toward the grilling thing? GRILLED STRAWBERRY SUNDAES (Ruthanna) 1/ 4 cup orange juice 1/ 4 cup strawberry spreadable fruit 1 tsp. cornstarch 2 pint strawberries, hulled 2 cups low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt Preheat the grill to a medium heat. In a medium saucepan, combine the orange juice, spreadable fruit, and cornstarch. Set aside. Thread the strawberries onto 4 skewers. Grill the kebabs, turning once, for 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the medium saucepan directly on the grill or on the stovetop over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove the strawberries from the skewers and stir gently into the sauce mixture in the saucepan. Divide the yogurt among 4 bowls, spoon the strawberry sauce over, and serve. Notes: Can substitute ice cream for the frozen yogurt if desired. Sauce is best when serve hot. Can also be served over sliced angel food or pound cake. GRILLED PEARS WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE serves 4 (Ruthanna) 4 large firm-ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears 3 Tbs. fresh lime juice 2 Tbs. sugar 1/3 cup evaporated milk (can be evaporated skim milk) 2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar 2 tsp. butter (not margarine or spreads) 1/ 2 tsp. vanilla extract Peel the pears, halve lengthwise, and core. With a sharp knife, cut a very thin slice from the rounded side of each pear half so they will lie flat. In a bowl, toss the pear halves with the lime juice and sugar. Grill the pears over medium heat for 4 minutes. Turn them over, drizzle with any remaining lime mixture, and grill for 5 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Cook directly on the grill or stovetop over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Divide the pears among 4 plates, drizzle with butterscotch sauce, and serve hot or warm. David

YAY! i know you both could walk 15 miles in way less than a year but having driven on the island a few times a couple of decades back, i'm not surprised it took that long to get up the courage to do so when you didn't really HAVE to :) but it sure sounds like it was absolutely the perfect thing to do! i'm so glad you guys had a chance to spend the afternoon together! and that little jam pot is totally adorable--i'm sure you'll put that to good use, carol. thanx for the pics!