My ex is Puerto Rican, and his mother every so often makes and freezes various of her specialties, including something (I'll put it phonetically) called alcapurias. They are very good, very complex, and involve a flour from a ground root that one finds on Caribbean islands. I used to refer to them as "Puerto Rican hush puppies" and was rebuked for such blasphemy.

Hush puppies to me always seemed a way to use up left-over batter, and even the best of them are awfully greasy. But when you were discussing the mashed potato patties it reminded me of the heavenly salmon croquettes my mother used to make. Now those are wonderful. But try as I might, I could never make them come out the consistency of hers. They were mashed salmon with a mild white sauce or gravy just to stick them together, and a cracker crumb crust. The are pan friend in shallow oil, and are ambrosia. Probably something only found in the Northwest amongs salmon eaters.

Burke, the information on the levening was interesting, thanks for posting it. I have a very good recipe for baking powder biscuits that uses baking powder and extra cream of tartar. Now I can see why. And I use water, not milk in them. That's a secret a Kentucky friend gave me, after much pestering for his recipe, because he made the best biscuits I ever ate. Now my children are learning to cook, and I find that the trick is to teach them to make the things they like to eat, then branch out from there. So my son (age 9) has been making the biscuits for a couple of years. My daughter (13) makes muffins, pancakes, and is starting on things like macaroni and cheese. We watch cooking shows every so often, and on one some time back, the guy said "don't fool with the pastry blenders" and he used his hands to blend the flour and shortening. You know, that is the most fun! So now Dylan knows to wash his hands very well and then he loves mixing the shortening for his biscuits. I do too, and when I give it some thought, that's another thing my Kentucky friend did with his biscuits.

Maggie