I tried the "mock apple pie filling" thing out of zucchini last year -- sorry, but, YUCK! No way to turn that into anything remotely resembling apple pie filling, it was just nasty no matter what I did to it or how I tried to doctor it up. Dave/Digdirt, I suspect that you've had winter squash pie many times (assuming you eat it), you just don't know it. The secret about commercially processed pumpkin pie filling is that it's ALL butternut squash, which is used almost exclusively by processors because it's smoother, richer flavored, deeper orange color, low fiber, and yields are much higher than pumpkin of any kind. I'd venture to say that most Americans under the age of 50 or so have probably NEVER had a true pumpkin pie unless they've had a homemade from-scratch one made by a gardener who grew or a chef who bought at the market a real pumpkin. There is no legal definition of pumpkin, so it's perfectly legal to label canned squash as pumpkin pie filling or canned pumpkin. As someone who cooks a lot, I don't find true pie pumpkins, like 'New England Sugar' or 'Winter Luxury' bad at all, but they are NOT as nice as butternut or other Cucurbita moschata cultivars in terms of eating quality. Anything larger, the jack-o-lantern and especially the big C. maxima cultivars like 'Big Max,' 'Big Moon' and 'Atlantic Giant' are pretty marginal in terms of eating quality (other than the seeds, which are excellent). But, frankly, with "pumpkin" pie, winter squash pie, or sweet potato pie, most people, even a lot of trained chefs, probably couldn't tell the difference between them once cooked -- the spices, sugars, etc. provide the bulk of the flavoring agents, with the "pumpkin" just being the base, really. I made a pie once out of American persimmon flesh using my grandmothers old standard pumpkin pie recipe, and we couldn't really tell the difference there, either. Sweet potato pie is a tad denser, overall, but there, too, it depends a lot on how you mix it, what other ingredients are used, etc. But cucumber pie, no, sorry, don't think that would work. Shredded apple in the raita, though, probably would, especially something really tart like 'Granny Smith.' Dennis SE Michigan

I agree on the 8 inch round pans for the coffee cake. For the casserole, butter your 8 by 11 dish very well, and pack in the frozen and well drained shredded potatoes....grate a little onion over the top...not a lot just about 2 teaspoons....enough to flavor it. Not sure what size the "packages" of hash browns are....but make the crust about 1/2 inch thick...pack the shredded potatoes in and then bake at 375 until lightly browned. That's your crust. then fill the dish with veggies of your choice...you will need 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups of veggies to fill the dish....and I would like a mixture of lightly sauteed onions, some red peppers, either roasted or from a jar, broccoli, maybe some cauliflower...both briefly blanched to soften a little...or previously frozen and drained, sliced sauteed mushrooms, maybe carrot buttons blanched, perhaps some dried or roasted tomatoes, maybe some water chesnuts. Just have enough veggies to fill the dish...I always have on hand a cam of sliced mushrooms and a bag of frozen broccoli in case I am short. toss with the shredded cheese and parsley and add all to the pan. Then mix up the eggs and milk...because you have used a potato crust you likely won't need all the 7 eggs and 3 cups of milk....more like 2 cups of milk and 5 eggs....with 2 tsps of worchestershire. Pour over the stuff in the pan////bake....and cool I think this recipe is better cooked right after making and reheated....rather than saving and baking later. Good luck!! Linda C

APPLE OF HER EYE PIE PASTRY: 3 c. Unbleached All Purpose flour 1/4 c. Sugar 1 tsp. Dry mustard Pinch of Salt 8 TB Unsalted butter, cold (1 stick) 1/3 cup shortening, cold 3/4 c. Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded 6 8 Tblsp. Ice water FILLING: 8 Tart apples (i.e. Granny Smith, etc.) 4 TB Unsalted butter, melted 1/2 c. + 2 Tblsp. Sugar 2 Tblsp. Cornstarch 3/4 tsp. Cinnamon 1 tsp. Grated lemon zest 1 tsp. Vanilla TOPPING: 1 tsp. Sugar Pinch of Cinnamon DIRECTIONS: 1. Prepare the pastry dough: Combine the flour, sugar, mustard & salt in a mixing bowl & toss well to blend. Using a pastry blender, 2 knives or your fingertips, cut in the butter & shortening until the mixture forms small clumps. Then add the cheese & work it in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 2. Sprinkle the water, 2 tablespoons at a time, over the mixture & toss with a fork until the mixture can be gathered into a ball. Knead it once or twice in the bowl and divide it into slightly unequal halves. Wrap both halves & chill in the fridge for 45 min. 3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 4. Prepare the filling: Peel, core and halve the apples; cut them into 1" chunks. (Or use slices instead.) Combine the apples & melted butter in a large bowl. Add the remaining filling ingredients (you can also add a generous sprinkling of Apple Pie Spice) and toss until the apples are evenly coated. 5. Roll the smaller portion of the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface to form a 12" circle. Transfer it to a 10" pie plate & press it into the bottom and sides of the plate. Trim the dough, leaving a 1" overhang. Reserve any excess dough. 6. Roll the larger portion of dough out to form a slightly larger circle. 7. Fill the pie plate with the apple mixture, mounding it slightly (or use more apples to make it mile high). Brush the edge of the bottom crust with water, then transfer the top crust over the apples, tucking it slightly inside the rim. Trim off any excess, allowing a 1" overhang again. Seal the edges of the crusts together with a fork & crimp decoratively. Trim away any remaining excess pastry. 8. Prepare the Topping: Mix together the sugar & cinnamon. Prick the top crust with a fork in several places & cut a small vent in the center. Brush the top lightly with water & sprinkle it with the cinnamon sugar. If you like, cut out shapes, such as leaves or apples, from the dough trimmings & decorate the top crust with them. 9. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the top is golden, about 1-1/4 hours. **NOTE: You can turn this into a Dutch Apple Pie by removing it from the oven 10 minutes before it's finished & pouring 4 Tblsp. of heavy cream through a tiny hole in the center of the top crust. It makes it even more wonderful. **TIP: Spice your apple pies Scandinavian style with ground cardamom instead of cinnamon...it's a nice change.

LOL, PM! I was contrasting "just food" to Sleevendog's documentation of her harvests and what she does with the food coming in from the garden, so she can refer back. That's not just "just food". That's recording using pictures rather than writing in a diary or something. You can't tell what's in a lasagna from a picture, and even when they taste different (usually different sausage), I can't tell one tomato/meat lasagna from another and I've made dozens. I don't think you could learn anything about lasagna from looking either, other than how brown the cheese was, or maybe from a cut piece how firm it was or not. The cut pie is more informative, I guess, than the whole pie would have been. You can't see how truly ugly it was, but it does show the filling. The lady next door when my mother was a tween/teen wasn't over fond of her (my mother and the boy next door spent a lot of time together chopping down old cars for drag racing), but one day she taught her how to make an apple pie. This pie uses thin sliced apples (not thicker little triangles), which are dusted with a couple tablespoons of sugar, some cinnamon, and tapioca, and refrigerated overnight, then baked. I like it much better than a cooked apple filling or sweeter pie. The tapioca makes the filling that firm, that it doesn't drip when cool. Not that there's much goo. Just the juice/sugar from baking. I'm not sure you could learn all that about the filling from the picture, but that's what else is there besides how lumpy and dull the crust is. :)