My favorite way of serving sweet potatoes Baked Sweet Potatoes with maple-jalapeno sour cream Rub oil and salt on 4 scrubbed, sweet potatoes and dried Place on rack and take 450 for 40-45 minuts or until soft (I wrap mine in foil) Topping Combine 1/2 c sour cream 1 Tbl maple syrup 2 tsp seeded and minced jalapeno ***I use canned minced green chiles, drained 1 tsp lime juice salt and tobasco to taste chill Serve potatoes with: maple-jalapeno sour cream bacon bits sliced scallions ----------------------------------------

I'm going to take the streusel part of this recipe and use it when I make Glenda's sour cream banana bread. Woo hoo! BANANA BREAD WITH CHOCOLATE CHIP STREUSEL (A Cook at Heart) 2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup sugar 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature 1 large egg 3 very ripe mashed bananas 3 tablespoons milk Preheat oven to 350�F. Spray a 9�5-inch metal loaf pan. Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, and walnuts together in a small bowl. Set aside. Sift all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter, and egg in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas and milk. Add dry ingredients and blend well. Spread half of batter in loaf pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool coffee cake in pan on rack. Cooking time: 50 minute(s) Number of servings (yield): 12

I would replace the cilantro with parsley Roasted Chicken Thighs and Yukon Gold Potatoes (Fine Cooking) 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened 1 Tbs. minced peeled fresh ginger 1 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest 2 cloves garlic, minced 1-1/2 tsp. ground coriander 1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbs. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro 8 chicken thighs (about 6 oz. each), trimmed of excess fat and skin 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes (12 oz.), each cut into 8 wedges 1 lemon, ends trimmed and cut into quarters Heat the oven to 425F. Stir together the butter, 2 tsp. of the ginger, 2 tsp. of the lemon zest, half the garlic, the coriander, the cumin, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a small bowl. In another small bowl, stir together the cilantro, the remaining ginger, lemon zest, and garlic to make the gremolata garnish. Set aside. Smear the butter mixture under the skin of the chicken thighs. Arrange the chicken skin side up on one end of a large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt. At the other end of the baking sheet, toss the potatoes and lemon wedges with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and spread into a single layer. Roast for 20 min. Baste the chicken with the pan juices using a brush, and flip the potatoes and lemon with a spatula. Continue to roast, basting the chicken and flipping the potatoes every 10 min., until the chicken and potatoes look crisp and deeply golden, about 30 min. more. Stir the potatoes and lemon, transfer to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon, and gently stir in half of the cilantro gremolata. Baste the chicken and transfer with tongs to a serving platter, sprinkle with the remaining gremolata, and serve hot.

Ya know, Dances, you can always make those convenience products from scratch if you want. Personally, I prefer the freshness of home-made, and would never even consider buying something like a jar of roasted red peppers etc. I do agree with your feelings about using just a small amount of a special product. I just went through that with tamarind. Needed just a walnut-sized piece of pulp, but the smallest package was a full pound. Leafy: Nothing surprises me when it comes to how much people need to have their hands held. I remember a story Friend Wife and I did, "In Search of the Perfect Crabcake." Basically, it was a tour of Maryland's Eastern Shore based on food tripping. Folks repeated that trip all summer. With copies of the article clutched in their hands they'd visit only the restaurants we mentioned, and would order, in each one, exactly what we had eaten there.