"Appetizers" is one of the most searched-for terms on our website, and that's no surprise. Apps are associated with so many pleasant things -- parties and social gatherings, a satisfying sampling of different small plates, and a taste of indulgence without the mass of a full-blown meal. Whatever the occasion, there's an app for that!

So we were delighted when our Virtual Supper Club bloggers chose appetizers as this month's theme. As the holidays approach, this is a great time to revisit old favorites (like the Spinach-and-Artichoke Dip that has become a staff all-time fave) and expand our repertoire with newly discovered recipes. 

If you love to entertain but feel overwhelmed by the thought of hosting a big holiday dinner, consider a tapas potluck party. Make a couple of simple appetizers (chips and salsa and shrimp cocktail never fail), supply the drinks, and ask each guest to bring an appetizer. With the right number of people, your table will overflow with goodies. It's a clever excuse to round up favorite folks without dampening your fun with a lot of work.

Here's what our Virtual Supper Club brought to the table this month. Make sure to visit their blogs for their full report on each recipe, and leave a comment while you're there! If you want to join us, post a link to your blog in comments.

Awesome Appetizers

Grilled Pepper Poppers -- by Helene, from La Cuisine de Helene
Harvest Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tartlets -- by Shelby, from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch
Windowpane Potato Chips -- by Val, from More Than Burnt Toast
West Indies Shrimp -- by Aggie, of Aggie's Kitchen
Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese -- also by Aggie
Warm Cranberry Walnut Brie -- by Jamie, of Mom's Cooking Club
Mini Crabcakes with Herbed Aioli -- also by Jamie

Photo credit: Images courtesy of the bloggers (aren't they great?). Clockwise from top left: Grilled Pepper Poppers by Helene (actually, this was taken by her 15-year-old son, Matheiu!); Windowpane Potato Chips by Aggie, Warm Cranberry Walnut Brie by Jamie; Mini Crabcakes by Jamie; Pecan Pie Tartlets by Shelby.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Join the Club! The Virtual Supper Club is a group of Cooking Light readers who dazzled us with the idea of blogging CL recipes once a month. They live in two countries and several states, but get together (virtually) once a month to enjoy a seasonal menu of their choice. Please make sure to visit their blogs to read more and enjoy their great photos. If you're a food blogger and wish to join, post a link to your blog here.Read More

Now that my little one is four and a half months old, our doctor has pronounced her ready to try solid foods. Of course, solid," in baby world, is a relative term, referring to pureed fruits and vegetables that you could all but suck through a straw. Good thing, since baby is all gums and no teeth.

Way back last summer, before I was pregnant, I somehow foresaw the need for a freezer full of frozen pureed veggies. We had joined a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program called Grow Alabama, and we always had oodles of leftover vegetables at the end of each week. Although I wasn't pregnant at the time, I started making homemade baby food, freezing in little zip-lock bags. (If you're wondering just how many freezers I have in my house for all these casseroles, baby food, etc...the answer is: TWO!). 

The good news is, making your own baby food is really super easy. Plus, it's free of additives and preservatives, and organic (if you buy organic ingredients, of course.) Even better news: It lends itself to making big batches that freeze well and can get you through a week or more at a time.

I am thrilled to test my organic, homemade baby food out on my little one. I'll give an update on how she is progressing with this process. If you have a favorite homemade baby recipe, tool, or tip, please leave a comment below. I'd love to try them out and let you know what products work best!Read More

When I was little, the delivery of a package of persimmons signaled approach of the holidays. Our Japanese family friends sent us kaki each year, plucked straight from their backyard trees. The perfect little fruits arrived carefully wrapped in pretty paper, looking almost too lovely to eat. They made a stunning centerpiece before they disappeared, one by one.

Then and now, persimmons strike me as the edible embodiment of autumn, with (depending on the variety) a crispness between apple and pear or soft, custard-like texture, a floral, clove-like sweetness, and a color that matches the turning leaves. In season from October to February, they are used in baked goods, holiday puddings, salads, salsas, and more. I prefer them eaten just as they are as a snack or a simple dessert.

Two persimmon varieties are most common in the United States, and it's important to know the difference between the two before you take your first bite.

The Fuyu persimmon (top photo) resembles an orange tomato and can be eaten when slightly underripe and crisp, or when it yields to gentle pressure. Its mellow sweetness tastes wonderful when it's sliced and added to salads, or simply eaten alone, like an apple. My friend Yukari has a recipe for Sunomono of Persimmons and Daikon, a vinegared dish that's easy to make and a good element for a bento lunch.

The Hachiya is a little larger, elongated, with a slightly pointy bottom. It's not ripe until it's water-balloon soft, and then it is eaten by slicing off the top and spooning out the tender flesh, like pudding. (The Kyoto Foodie has great step-by-step photos of this.) Whatever you do, don't bite into a Hachiya that isn't ripe. It will make your mouth feel like a snail might feel after a salt shower. This persimmon's tannins are the source of its tongue-curling astringency, but they're broken down by the ripening process, and the fruit becomes sweet. In Japan, Hachiya are peeled, hung to dry, and massaged for a dried treat called hoshigaki. 

Today, the packages of persimmons no longer arrive in the mail. But a few years ago, when my grandmother died, we found a pretty spot in the woods where she lived and planted a persimmon tree in her honor. It was a leafless little stump, so we folded white paper cranes to hang on its bare branches. After a few years of maturing, grandma's tree began bearing the lovely little fruits that are one of the ephemeral gifts of autumn. The persimmons in the top photo came from her tree.

***

Persimmon Recipes

Sunomono of Persimmons and Daikon (Food Lover's Guide to Tokyo)
Persimmon Cookies (Pinch My Salt)
Persimmon Gingerbread (Cooking Light)
Spiced Persimmon Salsa (Cooking Light)

Photos: Top, Kim Cross; Bottom, courtesy Anauxite on Flickr

Read More