With Halloween past, the holiday season is officially here, and that means it's time for parties and potlucks galore. If you're tasked with dessert, consider one of these crowd pleasers. The best part is they're so easy to prepare—Happy baking!

Audrey's Easy Chantilly Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix
4 eggs
1 box (4-serving size) instant chocolate pudding
1-1/4 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil

» Chantilly frosting:
2 egg yolks
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped and toasted macadamia nuts (optional)

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan.

Combine all ingredients; mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes; cool.

To make frosting: Mix egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk in saucepan. Add butter and evaporated milk. Stirring constantly, cook on medium heat about 6 minutes, until bubbling. Remove from heat; add vanilla. Add nuts. If the frosting is too thick, add a little more butter). Serves 20.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (without nuts): 290 calories, 14 g total fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 25 g sugar, 5 g protein.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (with nuts): 300 calories, 15 g total fat, 5 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 26 g sugar, 5 g protein.

Uncle Keith's Apple Crisp

4 cups flour
1-1/4 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups butter
2 cans (21 ounces each) apple pie filling
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter, until it looks like crumbs. Press a little more than half of this mixture into a 13-by-9-inch pan.

Spread apple filling over crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over top. Bake about 1 hour. Serves 20.

Approximate Nutrient Analysis per serving: 320 calories, 14 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 125 mg sodium, 47 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 24 g sugar, 3 g protein

Chocolate Delight

» Crust:
3/4 cup butter
1-1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or macadamia nuts

» First Layer:
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed

» Second Layer:
3 boxes (4-serving size) instant chocolate pudding
4 cups skim milk

» Topping:
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Chopped nuts for garnish (optional)
Cocoa powder for garnish (optional)

  To make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13-by- 9-inch pan. Cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal or crumbs. Gently mix in nuts, then gently press into prepared pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool.

To make first layer: Mix cream cheese with sugar. Stir in whipped topping. Spread over crust; chill.

To make second layer: Mix together pudding and milk until thickened. Spread over cream cheese layer; chill.

To make topping: Spread whipped topping over pudding. Sprinkle nuts and cocoa over top; chill. Serves 20.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (without nut garnish): 320 calories, 14 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 420 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 25 g sugar, 5 g protein.

For more local-style recipes, visit the Web site www.heco.com.