My Mom used to make a really tasty Beef Stroganoff dish, and a good meatloaf and Pineapple Upside-down cake for my father's birthday and lots of other things. But this time of year always brings back memories of the delicious fruitcakes she would make. She spent hours producing a multitude of them (full size and mini loaf versions) every December to be given out as gifts to friends. I know the fruitcake is a very maligned item these days and the butt of many jokes but the ones my mother made still resonate in my memory and I miss her so much.