I'm going to squeeze two in because many will look at the name, persimmon pudding, and think, "not interested!" but perhaps the pretzels will interest you-like Bill P.

My friend, Martha, shared some of the persimmon pudding with me. It is not a pudding, like we think of, but a moist bread. I would not have tried it, either baking or tasting, had not I been gifted some. I had no idea what a persimmon was, except perhaps a crayon color. I found them at Andy's. Martha said they had to get squishy ripe before using and I can see why. If eaten too early, they have a lot of tannins that will be bitter and make your mouth dry. Very interesting! They are sweet and my first thought was peachy.

This recipe has no eggs or oils and is quick to put together.

Persimmon Pudding

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. super ripe persimmon pulp **

1 c sugar

1 c. all- purpose flour

½ c. soft raisins

½ c. walnuts

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

2-tsp soda dissolved in ½ cup sweet milk

1 tsp vanilla

Mix all the ingredients, adding the milk with soda and vanilla last. Put into a loaf pan. Cover with foil. Bake for one hour (check at 50 min) at 350 degrees ,. Uncover and cool

MY NOTES:

*** Only after I put it into the oven, did I bother to look up how to open a persimmon. I just took the top off and squished it all into a cup. Instructions says after you take the top off, slice lengthwise, remove pulp and seeds, then scoop out the fruit. Whoops. We found one seed so far, watching for the other one!!

I like this bread. It comes out very dark. I have no idea why and the foil steams the pudding/bread. If you want to try something different, try this.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg pretzel rods (I used about 2/3)

1 pkg chocolate melting bar –( I used half)

1 pkg Heath toffee bits –(I used about 2/3.)

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, spoon over pretzel rods, leaving about 2 inches for holding, sprinkle the toffee bits over, let set. The end result: a sweet, salty taste.

MY NOTES:

By experience, tap off excess chocolate, put the toffee bits in a glass and shake them onto the pretzel-with pan under it. Then put onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. My first batch looked pretty gnarly. It helps to chop the bigger pieces as they cling better.