Here's a couple that I keep on hand - I make my own yogurt cheese and we go through a lot of dip in the summer. Italian Dip Mix 3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning 1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 1 teaspoon salt (optional - I don't add any) 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon onion powder 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1 pinch ground oregano 1/2 teaspoon dehydrated carrots (if I have them) 1/2 teaspoon dehydrated sweet peppers (I usually put finely chopped fresh ones in) Mexican Dip Mix 1/2 cup dried parsley 1/3 cup dried minced onion 1/4 cup dried chives 1/3 cup chili powder (mild and/or hot) 1/4 cup ground cumin Salt to taste (anywhere from 2 tablespoons up to 1/4 cup) You can add smoked paprika, chipotle powder, cheddar cheese powder, etc. It's fun to experiment. For a quick dip, I take a cup of yogurt cheese (or you can use sour cream and mayonnaise) and mix in one cup of homemade salsa. DH can polish off the whole bowl even without the chips :-)

Mrs TLC - I have to tell you that my Excalibur doesn't dry foods as evenly as advertized. Food and trays still need to be moved around while drying. My old American Harvester, now called Nesco, worked quite well for me. I consider it a good buy for the money. L_in_FL - I did buy a jerky gun but I haven't use it yet. I wish that I watched the jerky videos more carefully before buying the gun because I didn't realize that the ground meat has to be mixed with chemicals so it can turn into a paste. That didn't appeal to me. I need to do more research on that. If anyone has experience with a jerky gun, I would like to know also. You don't need a jerky gun to make jerky. It's only for ground meat. I want to learn how to make ground turkey jerky because it is healthier than beef. Years ago when I made beef jerky I would ask the butcher at Publix to slice the meat for me. That is really important so you get the slices the right thickness. I have seen some videos on making jerky with sliced chicken breasts. I want to give that a try. Christine

Tennessee Banana-Black Walnut Cake with Caramel Frosting courtesy Paula Deen Yield: 12 servings Cake: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs 2 ripe bananas, mashed 1/4 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup chopped black walnuts* Frosting: 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 1 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more as necessary 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners sugar 2 cups finely chopped black walnuts, for garnish (optional)* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans. For the cake: In a medium bowl, stir together flour and baking soda; set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together shortening and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add flour mixture, mix until just combined. Stir in black walnuts. Pour into prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in pans on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare frosting. Melt butter in small saucepan. Add brown sugar and 1/3 cup cream. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Transfer to a large bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in confectioners' sugar a little at a time until smooth. If frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon heavy cream at a time until consistency is right. Sandwich 2 layers of cake with frosting. Frost the outside of the cake. Press chopped black walnuts on the sides of the cake, if desired. *Cook's Note: DO NOT substitute English walnuts for black walnuts. BANANA SPICE CAKE Yield: 12 servings Bananas, pecans and currants give rich flavor to this recipe. Baking 1 hrs. 20 min. 3/4 cup currants or raisins 1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur or orange juice 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted* 2 eggs 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange peel 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 3 medium bananas, peeled, chopped 1/2-inch 3/4 cup chopped pecans Topping Ingredients: Vanilla ice cream, if desired Caramel sauce, if desired Instructions: Heat oven to 325°F. Combine currants and orange liqueur in small bowl; let soak 30 minutes. Drain well. Set aside. Combine sugar, butter, eggs, orange peel and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves. Beat until well mixed. Stir in soaked currants, bananas and pecans by hand. Spoon into greased and floured 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 80 to 90 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove sides of pan. Cool completely. (Cake may dip slightly in center upon cooling.) Top each serving of cake with ice cream and drizzle with caramel sauce, if desired. *Substitute LAND O LAKES® Soft Baking Butter with Canola Oil. Calories: 330 Banana Cake Cockaigne Adapted from Joy of Cooking Grease and flour 2 round cake pans (8 or 9 inch) or one 9X13 inch rectangular pan. I usually line pans with waxed paper before I grease and flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Mash two ripe bananas, or enough to make one cup. Add 1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (fat free is OK) ot buttermilk and 1 teaspoon vanilla Sift together: 2 1/4 cups flour (Cake flour) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt Cream in a large mixing bowl: 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup butter Add 2 eggs, one at a time, Add the flour mixture, alternating with the banana puree, STIR until smooth after each addition. ( DO NOT OVER MIX...THINK MOISTEN) Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake at 350 until the cake springs back when touched, about 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if serving warm or frost with a chocolate frosting, mock whipped cream frosting. or a cream cheese frosting. I make it with the Mock Whipped Cream Frosting and sprinkle the filling and top with a crushed Heath Bar. Mock Whiipped Cream Frosting Ingredients: 2/3 cup milk 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened 1/2 teaspoon vanilla combine milk, 2 tablespoons flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil (4 to 6 minutes). Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cover surface with plastic food wrap; cool completely (1 hour). Beat 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup butter and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in large bowl at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, gradually adding cooled flour mixture and scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy. Frost cooled cake. Banana Cake Mocha Frosting: 6c powdered sugar 1/2c cocoa 1/2c butter, softened 1/2c brewed strong coffee Sift powdered sugar and cocoa` together. Add softened butter and mix on very low speed till incorporated. Add coffee and beat till smooth.

What kind of banana tree do you have? I'm thinking of getting one that is not a dwarf that will make regular sized bananas, like the one I had in Houston. Banana trees are mainly sold seasonally in Los Angeles, and I think April or May is the best time to find them. They sell them then because that is the best time to transplant them. I did make rather thick slices, since I only cut the bananas in half, but then they were miniature bananas. I cut them in half before peeling, but I did cut the ends off first. They were extremely easy to peel this way. I agree that this process was extremely easy. I do large batches of apples, simply because I get too many apples from my tree, and the process is more complicated because I have to peel, core, and slice the apples, then put them in a citric acid (or lemon) water bath for 10 minutes, and then dry them on a towel before I put them in the dehydrator.