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Kurt made this for Thanksgiving, and we liked it so much that Holly made it for Christmas.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
3 eggs
2/3 c. white sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 c. light corn syrup
1 c. pecan halves
1-1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 374.

Beat eggs, sugar, salt, butter, syrup with hand beater. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Pour into pie shell.

Bake until set, 40-50 mins. Cool.

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Thanks to the encouragement of two friends, along with the beautifully simple glass pie plates Robert bought me for Christmas, I gave this a try. It was so easy, and my family sucked this down like they hadn't eaten in a month. Makes a mom feel good to see her family so happy!

Apple Pomegranate Crumb Pie

9 inch unbaked pie shell
6 c. thinly sliced apples
1 T. lemon juice (optional)
3/4 c. white sugar
2 T. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. nutmeg
seeds from one pomegranate
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 T. butter

Preheat oven to 375.

Place sliced apples in large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired. Top with white sugar, 2 T. flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and pomegranate seeds. Todd gently until apples are evenly coated. Spoon into pastry shell.

In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 c. flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. (Oh for heaven's sake, I stick the butter in the microwave until it's melted or close to it, and then mash in everything else. Let's keep this simple.) Sprinkle--or loosely spread--mixture over apple filling. Cover top loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 mins. Remove foil and bake an additional 25-30 mins. until top is golden brown. (Mine took a lot more time.) Cool on wire rack.

Optional: omit pomegranate seeds, and add 1/2 c. raisins and 1/2 c. walnuts (or any combination thereof).

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VALENTINE TREATS!

Oh crunchy, salty pretzels, sweet chocolate--how do I love thee?? (Quite a lot.) These little babies prompted me to join Pinterest. It's my new addiction; at least it is now that these treats are gone.


Ingredients:

square pretzels
Hershey Hugs (can use Kisses, but Hugs apparently soften better
plain M&Ms

Preheat oven to 200

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Place pretzels on and top each with a Hug. (I bought a "regular" bag of Hugs, whatever that is, and made 80 candies.)

Bake 4-5 minutes until chocolate is shiny and soft--but NOT melting. They should still hold their shape.

Remove from oven and arefully place an M&M in the center of each Hug and press it down to spread the chocolate.

Allow to cool completely (a few minutes in the fridge works perfectly) and enjoy!

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Last, but not least, Valentine cupcakes that Holly and Trevor absolutely adored. What I love about these is that you can change the cake mix/frosting to suit any occasion.

VALENTINE CUPCAKES (click title for picture)

1 19-oz. package of brownie mix
1 18-oz. package of cake mix (for Valentine's Day, I chose strawberry cake)
1 batch of cake frosting (I used canned, and I chose vanilla)

Prepare brownie mix in one bowl.

Prepare cake mix in second bowl.

Place cupcake papers in muffin tins, and fill each 1/3 of the way full with brownie batter. Top with cake batter so that muffins are about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 for about 20 mins. until done; cool on wire rack. Frost when cooled. These freeze really well too.

• 1 (19.5 ounce) package brownie mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 3 egg whites

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 48 muffin cups with