Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Cooky's Steak Pub ...
Wow is that a name from the past!

While both of your suggestions sound wonderful, have you considered something chocolate? I can't think of a more decadent way to welcome someone home. Have you ever made Rose Levy Beranbaum's Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte? It's incredible.

A homemade deep-dish spinach-and-onion pizza? (Jane Brody has a nice one..check http://www.recipezaar.com/74954) It keeps well enough to reheat the next day - you make it in a springform pan and it's really impressive and hearty and generous-looking.

Or a big heap of handmade truffles....she can pop those little "meds" as needed! (Man, that's what I'd love if I was recuperating from hospital food!)

Or, a basket of assorted teas (green and otherwise) plus some muffins and a nice sweet bread...? And maybe a jar of unusual honey or jam to go with?

Sounds like your friend needs comfort food. How about a fabulous, rich bread pudding? You can stick with bananas and chocolate, and add them to a basic recipe( saute the bananas in sugar and butter,but not too soft, then add chocolate in either chips, chunks, or a ganache).

As much as I love banana bread and pear muffins, those are way too healthy for this situation!

If your friend likes chocolate, I say go with that torte mentioned above. Otherwise, how about a cake with lots of frosting and some sort of fruit filling between the layers?

Mmmm....cheesecake...make mini size! Or sometimes lemon flavor can really perk-up an appetite...lemon poppy seed pound cake?

clone of a cinnabon!

Thank you all so much, you guys are the best! You've given me a bunch of great ideas, and whatever I don't use for this particular occasion, I'll certainly keep in mind for the future. Speaking of which, Perky, would you care to give some more details of your "hundred-year-old" recipe:-)? It sounds good!

In case you're curious, I went with the torte idea, but since hubby didn't buy enough chocolate (actually, it was my fault as I sort of got lost in translation converting grammes to ounces to bars and told him to bring fewer bars than I needed), it turned out quite thin, so I had to improvise and add a layer of mocha mousse followed by chocolate ganache and dark chocolate truffle shavings on top. So it certainly is decadent! I'm also putting together a basket with some teas, hot chocolate mix (homemade) and preserves.

Oh, I'll add another suggestion: I recently made Dorie Greenspan's Molasses Spice Cookies (from her latest book) and they are killer.

Brooke, You call that an improvisation? I call it a masterpiece. Yowser, wish you could send one my chocoholic way.

I'd be happy to share my recipe as requested, but I feel a little like, ok - a LOT like.......whispering in your ear.......don't tell anyone, ok?.......Sandra Lee........shhhhhh!!!.... because it starts with a Duncan Hines cake mix. That's how I started baking a hundred years ago (almost). It's so good and so easy, I never tried to convert it. If you promise not to reveal my secret, here is the recipe for
Sock It To Me Cake (not the same as the one on the box if it's still there).

Preheat oven to 350. Grease & flour Bundt pan.

Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Yellow Cake Mix
5 eggs (yes, I goofed when I wrote 4)
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
6 oz. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all of the above and beat for 2 minutes. Pour half into bundt pan.

Mix together: 2 heaping TBL. light brown sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon & 1 cup of chopped pecans.
Sprinkle half on batter.
Add remaining batter. Sprinkle remaining nut/sugar mixture.

Bake approx. 1 hour, or until top springs back when touched.

Remove from pan 10-15 minutes after taking from oven. Once cooled, can be dusted with confectioners sugar and decorated with whole pecans if desired. Makes a great, but rich, coffee cake and is delicious with ice cream, too.

If you make it, you'll love it.........promise!

With you there, 100%. Even if she did none of the above, her choppy speech cadence is so phony. Contrived to be sexy? I can't listen to her speak. The vowels are bad enough, but then she drags out her consonants. I ken not ooooowwwwait for you to make this. Ay purrrrfect pullllllllate of llllllluscious kem ik culs. Keep it fin tassss tic and away from me.

Jumped down off my soapbox. She does that to me. Might drrrrrrive me to drrrrrrink! ;)

Hey Brook - I've been kind of icky lately, so if you want to send something my way, I'm sure (ahhhchooo!) I would totally appreciate it and it would probably make me all better (cough, cough).

Now, if I were making a basket for someone, I'd probably do mini pound cakes, chocolate cream cheese muffins, and peanut butter cookies. All super simple, all practically impossible to mess up and all (save the muffins) freeze really well.

Chisai - I'll be happy to, the more so that now I'm itching to bake Perky's cake and just need to find a reason:-)

Kerosena - I actually watch her show for the same reason, only sometimes I go from "stunned silence" to yelling at my telly in disbelief. But you know, it's good to get it out of your system :-)

Sure PerkyMac. Be aware that this is pretty much a boiler plate recipe that I'm putting down and can certainly be changed as you see fit. It's from some B&B in Canada. I'm cutting and pasting here:

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins
1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
One 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
One 6-ounce package chocolate chips

Mix together the first four ingredients, then add the next four ingredients. Blend together and fill muffin cups 1/2 full with this batter. Cream together cream cheese, egg, and sugar. Top batter with creamed mixture. Divide package of chocolate chips and sprinkle on top of the muffins.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Thanks chisai! These sound really, really good, I'll sure give them a try!