October is...

... Adopt A Shelter Dog Month, Antidepressant Death Awareness Month, (World) Blindness Awareness Month, Celebrate Sun Dried Tomatoes Month, Celiac Sprue Awareness Month, Celebrate The Bilingual Child Month, Children's Magazine Month, Christmas Seal Campaign, Church Library Month, Church Safety and Security Month, Class Reunion Month, Co-op Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Dyslexia Awareness Month, Eat Better, Eat Together Month, Emotional Intelligence Month, Emotional Wellness Month, Energy Management is a Family Affair-Improve Your Home Month, Gay & Lesbian History Month, German-American Heritage Month, Global Diversity Awareness Month, Go Hog Wild - Eat Country Ham, Halloween Safety Month, Head Start Awareness Month, Health Literacy Month, International Starman Month, International Strategic Planning Month, Long Term Care Planning Month, Lupus Awareness Month, National Animal Safety and Protection Month, National Bake and Decorate Month, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National Caramel Month, National Chili Month, National Chiropractic Month, National Crime Prevention Month, National Dental Hygiene Month, National Depression Education & Awareness Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, National Down Syndrome Month, National Ergonomics Month, National Family Sexuality Education Month, National "Gain The Inside Advantage" Month, National Go On A Field Trip Month, National Kitchen & Bath Month, National Liver Awareness Month, National Medical Librarian Month, National Orthodontic Health Month, National Physical Therapy Month, National Popcorn Poppin' Month, National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, National Reading Group Month, National Roller Skating Month (This is for you, Smarty Pants, in honor of your stellar performance on skates at your mom's birthday party, which by the way, ROCKED!), National RSV Awareness Month, National Sarcastic Awareness Month, National Seafood Month, National Spina Bifida Awareness Month, National Window Covering Safety Month, National Work and Family Month, National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month, Organize Your Medical Information Month, Pastor (Clergy) Appreciation Month, Photographer Appreciation Month, Polish American Heritage Month, Positive Attitude Month, Raptor Month, Rett Syndrome Awareness Month, Right Brainers Rule! Month, Self-Promotion Month, Spinach Lovers Month, Squirrel Awareness Month, Stamp Collecting Month, Talk About Prescriptions Month, Vegetarian Month, Wishbones for Pets Month, Women's Small Business Month and Workplace Politics Month.

But the one I'm going to focus on is National Dessert Month. I feel I have a little knowledge on the subject because (1) I've made my share of desserts in my time and (2) I have a recipe in a cookbook put out by a major publishing house. Wikipedia defines dessert as "a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one, such as some cheeses. The word comes from the Old French desservir, 'to clear the table.'"


Growing up, we didn't have dessert at every meal. Cakes, pies and cobblers were usually saved for special occasions. My grandmother Ballenger baked a mean pound cake and I can remember some absolutely lip-smacking blackberry and peach cobblers from my mother's oven. She also made a strawberry custard pie that was to die for. And she has a banana pudding recipe that goes way beyond my easy version using bananas, vanilla wafers and vanilla pudding.

I'm sure every family has a dessert recipe that is the family specialty. It's that treat you beg someone to make for family gatherings and the recipe for it is carefully filed away in your recipe box or taped into the front of your favorite cookbook.


I didn't much know how to cook when the DH and I got married, so most of my efforts in the kitchen were to learn how to please his meat-and-potatoes palate. I did learn pretty quickly that I could put a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sliced strawberries on a slab of pound cake (hello Sara Lee!) and top it with frozen whipped topping and he'd be as happy as a pig in slop.


I'm no gourmet cook now, but I've moved beyond Hamburger Helper and Minute Rice. And we still don't have dessert much because most of them just have too darned many calories. At Thanksgiving I'll bake the requisite pumpkin pie, and for Christmas I have a candy recipe that involves graham crackers, melted butter and sugar and a package of chocolate chips. If I'm in the mood for fresh-baked cookies, God bless Pillsbury for coming out with slice and bake cookie dough. And even better is the kind you just break apart and bake.


So are you a dessert person? What special dessert does your family beg you to make? My daughter-in-law made Better Than Sex Cake when I babysat last week. Oh my gawd was it good!


Share your recipe in the comments tail and one lucky cook will win a free book from my stash.