A COUPLE OF weeks ago I asked readers if they knew where Mary Katherine Pace could find onion saltine crackers. As expected, the readers came through. Mrs. Pace remembered buying them in a local store and loved them. When she went back, they’d disappeared. “I am beginning to feel like I’m in the twilight zone here and would love a resolution of this mystery. Plus I would love some more onion saltines. Can you help?”

Yes, Mrs. Pace. Here you go:

* Anne Smith works at the Bi-Lo in East Ridge near the flea market and remembers that the store carried them at one point. She said she will check with the vendor to see if they can be brought back and will let us know what she finds out.

* Joanne Sigafoos said maybe Mrs. Pace had purchased matzo crackers. They come in onion flavor, she said.

* Mary Zelle also tried them. “They were Premium saltines with roasted onions,” she wrote in an e-mail. “I got one box (at Wal-Mart on Highway 153), and we inhaled them and have been unsuccessfully looking for them ever since. We’ll be ever so happy if somebody finds more of them. Tell Mrs. Pace that if she’s in the twilight zone, I’m out there with her.”

* An anonymous caller said she got her onion saltines at Wal-Mart.

* Melissa Stafford called to say she had some made by Premium.

There you go, Mrs. Pace. It appears they are nowhere to be found, but at least we know you weren’t imagining things. I’ll look forward to hearing if Anne Smith can help bring them back.

ARE THIN MINTS your favorite Girl Scout cookie? If so, it’s a shame that you have to wait till February of every year to place an order for a fresh supply. Now, you can get a taste of your favorite cookie at Dairy Queen. This month, DQ will team with Girl Scouts to debut the Thin Mint Cookie Blizzard. Here’s the mix: soft-serve ice cream topped with crushed Thin Mints then drizzled with a creme de menthe topping. Sounds like a match made in heaven.

MY DAUGHTER SPENT a few days on Monteagle Mountain recently and picked a basketful of cherries. After eating our fill, we made a delicious cherry tart using several recipes combined into one. If you love cherries, investing in a cherry pitter is a lot easier than removing the seeds with a paring knife.

Fresh Cherry Tart

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 (6-ounce) bar cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 pound fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved

1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam

1/4-1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Heat oven to 350 F. In a food processor, pulse graham cracker crumbs and 2 tablespoons sugar. Add butter, and process until combined. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Using the base of a dry measuring cup, firmly press mixture into bottom and up sides of pan. Bake until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, vanilla extract, almond extract and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add cream, and beat until soft peaks form; spread mixture in cooled crust. Scatter cherries on top.

In a small saucepan, combine jam and 1 teaspoon water; heat over low until liquefied, about 2 minutes. Using a pastry brush, dab cherries with glaze. Sprinkle almonds over top. Refrigerate tart at least 30 minutes or, if covered, up to 1 day.

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