Many recipes for persimmon pudding are actually more cake-like. This one is reminiscent of a steamed pudding or bread pudding. It has a great fall flavor and is a unique comfort food that I remember having around this time each year. 1 cup persimmon pulp 1 pint milk 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 cup butter, melted 2/3 cup flour Blend ingredients and pour into greased casserole dish, Bundt pan or individual ramekins. Bake at 325-350 degrees F for 70-80 minutes. Pudding will rise and fall somewhat during baking and should be set but soft and moist when done. Serve with whipped cream, ice cream or your favorite dessert sauce.

Dh made these on our first Valentine's Day... so this year for our First Valentine's Day as a married couple.... I made them for him. They are made from Pillsbury breadsticks twisted to hearts!

MMMMM - yummy and you can even pretend they are good FOR you! Nothing is better or more romantic than chocolate covered strawberries - and they are EASY too! I used the directions here:

http://home.ivillage.com/cooking/recipes/display/0,,ghj9,00.html

I might just have to make this chocolate cake for my hubby on Valentine's Day. Looks great!

Click here to view the recipe.

Easy to make, hard to resist.

*2 cups sugar
*3/4 cup butter
*1 6-ounce can evaporated milk

Bring to boil (stir rolling boil for 1 minute), remove from heat and add:

*4 ounce package instant butterscotch pudding
*3 1/2 cups quick cooked rolled oats (uncooked)

Mix thoroughly, cool 15 minutes and drop on waxed paper.

We love our latkes every year - and it took us a few years to find a yummy and easy recipe! For this one:

* 1 pound potatoes (grated and drained well)
*1 egg
*3 tablespoons flour

Brown in about 1/4 inch of oil. Thicker pancakes are creamy, thinner ones are crispy. This makes up about a dozen latkes. MMMMM!

Making holiday cookies doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming -- I like to make the simplest varieties in mass quantities for best results. These are from the Recipe Finder: Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies.

My grandmother Josephine was an amazing cook. Unfortunately she never shared a single solitary recipe! One of the family's favorites was potica. Grandma baked this holiday treat for Christmas, Easter and all our special family occasions. I've found several versions of the recipe on the web and diced and spliced them together until I came up with a recipe that I think is as close as I am ever going to get to her original recipe.

I love experimenting with cocktail recipes -- adding fresh basil or rosemary. Kicking a cosmo up a notch with pomegranate instead of cranberry.

Here's the recipe

I love the food gift ideas in this article:

Creative Christmas Crafts

*1 cup confectionary sugar
*3 sticks salted butter (3/4 pound)
*3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and butter together in large mixing bowl. Gradually add flour. Mix well. Place into an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Score into bite-size pieces and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

History of the recipe: My great grandparents had seven children. The first was born in Scotland and then the family immigrated to NY. During the 6th month of my great-grandmother's next 6 pregnancies she traveled from NY on the Queen Mary to London and then by train to Glascow, Scotland, so that all her children would be born on Scottish soil. This recipe has been handed down through many generations of the McGregor clan.