Here are a couple of recipes that I have tucked away in my cookbook. I did make marzipan one christmas to make minature fruits for decorating a cookie tray. It worked out well. Don't know about the total yeld, but think you could make a couple of batches.....or adjust the ingredients to suit your purpose. (Bought some marzipan once, but it did not have a good taste, so it was a waste of good money. That is when I decided to make my own!) ALMOND PASTE 100 g blanched almonds 100 g icing sugar egg white 2 ml almond extract Grate the almonds finely and mix with the sieved icing sugar in a bowl. Mix in egg white, little at a time, until you get a soft and kneadable mixture. Add the almond extract and continue kneading with your hands. Wrap the almond paste tightly in plastic. Use it to make candies, to cover cakes or to fill traditional Finnish shrove buns. Almond paste may be coloured and flavoured with food colourings, cocoa powder and various essences and extracts. There is enormous confusion about the difference between what we call "almond paste"and what some confectioners call "marzipan," and candy manuals are not much help. Some would say our recipe is one for marzipan, others would say, that it's almond paste. But whatever name, you can use the paste made by this recipe in pastry and cake fillings, as well as to make small candy shapes that you can tint, using a small brush and food coloring. The advantage of making your own, over most of the versions available in shops is the absence of inexpensive fillers and excessive bitter almond extract that compromise the delicacy of the flavor. Those with nineteenth century leanings might prefer rose water to the almond extract in the recipe. (Nice for wedding or special cakes.) Well wrapped and refrigerated, the paste will keep for many months. .1/2 pound whole, blanched Almonds 2 tablespoons Water (for processing almonds) 1 cup Sugar 1/2 cup Water (for the syrup) 2 tablespoons Light Corn Syrup 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract, or more to taste Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and spread the blanched almonds on a baking sheet. Bake, stirring frequently, until they are heated through but not browned. While the almonds are still hot, put them into the container of a blender or food processor and grind them as fine as possible, adding the 2 tablespoons water gradually and stopping to scrape down the sides of the container occasionally. When you pinch a bit and feel no coarse grain, the nuts are fine enough. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, 1/2 cup water, and corn syrup. Boil without stirring until the syrup reaches 235 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in the flavoring. Start the blender (or food processor) and add the hot syrup in a thin stream through the feeder opening in the cover. Continue to process until the mixture is uniform. Cool the almond paste and pack it into a jar, or wrap it in plastic, allow it to ripen in the refrigerator for a week or so before using it. (If necessary to soften the almond paste after storage, heat it, wrapped in foil, in a steamer over boiling water, or put it unwrapped in the upper part of a double boiler over boiling water, just until it is pliable enough to use.)

Here's one I made on Thursday, everyone liked it. I added the vanilla sauce on top. Eggnog Bread Pudding Serves 8. 1 loaf stale French bread ----- betting cinnamon raisin bread would do great (it does!) 1 quart eggnog 3 eggs 2 tablespoons vanilla 1 cup raisins 1/2 cup sugar 1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13x2-inch pan. 2. In a large mixing bowl, crumble the bread and pour the eggnog over it, letting it sit until bread is soft, at least 20 minutes and even overnight. 3. In a smaller bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla and stir into the bread and eggnog mixture. Add the raisins and mix well. 4. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until knife comes out clean. Let cool before cutting. 5. Serve with a little whipped cream, or powdered sugar on top if desired. Vanilla Sauce Recipe (1 CUP) This sauce is perfect with the Bread Pudding 1 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 pinch salt 1.Bring water to boil in a small sauce pan. 2.Combine sugar and cornstarch. 3.Stir well. 4.Add sugar mixture to boiling water. 5.Reduce heat to medium, stirring constantly or until mixture thickens. 6.Remove from heat. 7.Add butter, vanilla, and salt. 8.Stir until butter melts.

I've had this recipe at least since the 70's, and, since it's an historic recipe, is probably quite old. Fudge Batter Pudding Cake Shaker Hancock Village Sauce 1/2 cup white sugar 5 Tblsp. unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 2/3 cups boiling water Batter 2 Tblsps butter, melted 1/2 cup white sugar 1 tsp. Vanilla 1 cup white flour 3 Tblsp. unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 cup coarsly chopped walnuts or pecans Set oven for 350 F. Butter 1 1/2 qt. baking dish. Sauce: Combine sugar, cocoa powder and salt in bowl and stir until combined. Pour in boiling water and stir until completely dissolved. (This will be very liquid and not look like a sauce at all.) Pour into baking dish. Batter: Combine the melted butter, sugar and vanilla in small bowl and set aside. In large bowl sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; stir milk into butter mixture alternately with flour mixture; stir in nuts. Drop large spoonfuls of batter onto chocolate sauce. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm.

I would just use my regular recipe for bread pudding and put slices of banana and dark chocolate chips between the layers....and perhaps top it with a rum sauce. Ann T's recipe would work...and just add some rum extract ( stronger flavor than real rum) to the sauce. Linda C