Fruitcake, as we all know, has a less-than-stellar reputation when it comes to holiday food. “If you want to get even with a person,“ said Mattie Clayton with a laugh, expressing a common line of thinking, “give them a fruitcake.“ But she’s not talking about her fruitcakes. She uses those for genuine gifts, not retribution.

The trouble with most holiday party finger foods is that you can’t eat just one. This wouldn’t be an issue except that the usual buffet of puff pastry hors d’oeuvres, mini quiches, egg rolls and chicken wings is jammed with fat and calories. So if you’re hosting a holiday party, do your guests a favor and offer nibbles that are as guilt-free as they are delicious.

Reader Sheila Preville came to Recipe Exchange looking for a recipe for figure skater Randy Gardner’s Diamond Lil Cheesecake. The recipe had been published in the late 1970s or 1980s, she said, at the height of Gardner’s popularity as a figure skater. He was a five-time U.S. champion with his partner, Tai Babilonia. The cheesecake was something his mother used to make him and featured a pineapple topping.