Recipe for homemade sesame candy made with toasted sesame seeds, honey and sweet spices. Impressive appearance. An unexpected holiday food gift, easy to pack and ship. For years, my mom loved these verrrrry chewy sesame candies from Turkey, the Middle East and all around the Mediterranean. Where she found such exotica in small towns in the northern plains, who knows? How her dental work survived, who can guess! Fast forward 30 years to me fast-flipping through a tall stack of recipes glued onto 3x5 cards during my first years of cooking. Many recipes no longer appeal – there's that Midwestern reliance on cans of mushroom soup for every "hot dish" and a box of Jello for every "salad" – but a surprising number do. The recipe for this sesame candy appealed instantly, just a few ingredients, a simple technique – and the inner giggle that my mom would have rolled her eyes at the very idea of her daughter making homemade sesame candy. Sorry, Mom! Call m...

Festive-red cinnamon apples. Simple to make, easy to serve. Perfect for a light holiday dessert. How old is this recipe? Well, let’s just say it came from Gov, who next year will attend his 70th high class reunion. But then again, Gov got the recipe from Mae, his own mother! Here’s what Gov wrote when he shared the recipe. “The red cinnamon apples were a family favorite and Mom always had them at Christmas. My wife and I follow the tradition and often make them for our own family. Of course, they can be improved with a dollop of whipped cream on each apples. Sprinkles of red and green sugar also add a festive touch!” Thank you, Gov and Wilma! Your mother’s cinnamon apples are so simple to make and the color so festive. Let’s hope her tradition is passed onto many families, thanks to sharing her recipe! Cinnamon apples are as healthful as dessert can get. The apples are poached in a syrup of cinnamon candies, sugar (or a sugar substitute like Splenda) and water. But only a...

The Quaker Oats easy meatloaf recipe made with lean, low-cholesterol, protein-rich ground elk meat and heart-healthy whole-grain rolled oats, topped with a tomato-onion sauce. No bread crumbs! No elk? No problem. :-) Make this meatloaf without elk by substituting ground beef, venison, bison and even turkey. Meatloaf Made from Scratch. Real Food, Fresh & Comforting. Weeknight Easy. Weight Watchers Friendly. High Protein. Naturally Gluten Free. Great for Meal Prep, Especially for Meatloaf Sandwiches.

A special pie perfect for fall and Thanksgiving tables. It's a "two-fer", that is, two pies in one. It's a combination of both pumpkin pie and pecan pie, in separate but somehow almost-melded layers. Dare I say, this is one spectacular pie? And yet, it's super-simple to make, including a No-Roll Oatmeal-Cookie Crust. Two Thanksgiving Favorites in One Pie. Pumpkin Pie, Made from Scratch & Pecan Pie, Made from Scratch, Just Together. Way Less Sweet Than Typical Pecan Pie. Budget Friendly. Party & Travel Friendly.

The Recipe: Cheesecake bars with four pretty layers, one cheesecake, one pumpkin and one whipped cream, all atop a graham cracker crust. Positively addictive! COMPLIMENTS! "It's very yummy." ~ Anonymous "... now a family favourite." ~ Anonymous "Made for Canadian Thanksgiving dessert four years in a row." ~ Michelle Oh dear, this is gonna date me. Who else remembers that layered concoction of pudding mix, cream cheese and Cool Whip? As a teenager in the 1970s, it felt naughty to call it "sex in a pan" cake and "better than sex" cake. Even the more polite "Robert Redford in a Pan" warranted a titter or two. The cake was a favorite at church suppers – take that, church elders! – and neighborhood potlucks. Well, this is the very same cake, just gussied up a bit with fresh ingredients. It’s not complicated to make but does have several moving parts. Diet alert: it’s positively addictive. The recipe...