I hardly ever dream, and when I do, I hardly ever remember them. Usually, when I lay my head down on my pillow and close my eyes, that’s all. It’s all over until the next morning.

Hubby, however, always remembers his dreams.

But last night was different. I did dream, and although I don’t remember exactly what I was dreaming about, I know I was eating. How do I know I was eating? Because I woke myself up trying to take a bite out of the comforter. Seriously.

I thought I had roused hubby from his sleep because I was tugging on the comforter, but I don’t guess I did. I am glad I woke up because I don’t think a mouthful of goose down feathers would have been very tasty.

Needless to say, this morning when I got up, I was really hungry, so I quickly gobbled down two bowls of cereal. I know, bad thing to do.

My eating habits have not been good lately. Last week, a few of my friends asked me to go to lunch with them. I got up that morning thinking, since I am going to eat a bigger-than-normal lunch, I’ll eat a light breakfast, like a boiled egg and a grapefruit. That didn’t happen.

Life happened as soon as I got up, and I never got around to eating that nice good-for-you healthy breakfast. So, around 11:30, my stomach started letting me know that I messed up, but our lunch date was still one-and-a-half hours away.

I knew I would be starving by the time I got to the restaurant, and would end up ordering the entire right side of the menu, so I decided to eat a bowl of cereal, thinking I would eat a salad at lunch. My only problem was that I didn’t stop at one bowl of cereal, I ate another one. I know. Bad thing to do! And I still ate a nice lunch – without a salad.

I have been trying to lose a few pounds before the holidays get here, but I think the cereal has defeated this effort. And maybe the cookies in the cookie jar. I have been going to the gym and exercising more, which is good, but I have been eating more, too, as you can easily tell from the above accounts. As a result, any kind of weight loss has evaded me so far.

The recipe I have for this week is not going to help my weight-loss battle but it will bring rave reviews at your Thanksgiving dinner! Thank heavens I will have lost a few pounds by then ... Who am I fooling? The only one who looses weight at Thanksgiving is the turkey.

Kay Bona is an award-winning columnist and photographer. Contact her at [email protected].

Coconut Pecan German Chocolate Pie

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold lard or shortening

3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

FILLING:

4 ounces German sweet chocolate, chopped

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

TOPPING:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup butter, cubed

2 egg yolks

1 cup flaked coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped pecans

In a small bowl, mix flour and salt; cut in lard or shortening until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-inch thick circle; transfer to a nine-inch pie plate. Trim pastry and flute edge. Do not prick with fork. Line pastry with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice. Bake 11-12 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake six to eight minutes longer or until light brown. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven to 350 degrees.

In microwave, melt chocolates in a large bowl; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk in milk, egg yolks, and vanilla; stir in pecans. Pour into cooled crust. Bake 16-19 minutes or until set. Cool one hour on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a small heavy saucepan, combine brown sugar, cream, and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Cook two to three minutes or until mixture thickens and a thermometer reads 160 degrees, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut and vanilla; cool 10 minutes.

Pour over filling; sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate four hours or until cold.

You can find this recipe online at www.tasteofhome.com.