Nov. 9, 1989, is a glorious day in the minds and hearts of the Eastern Bloc in Europe. It was the day East Berliners were allowed to visit those in West Berlin after decades of being separated. It was the day the wall effectively came down, and set the wheels in motion for an end to the Soviet domination of Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, the Czech and Slovak republics, and other countries, years later.

For Klara Cvitanovich, growing up in Dubrovnik, Croatia, a port city on the Adriatic Sea, the memories of Communist rule are seared in her consciousness. While she and her family were allowed to attend church, they were watched by neighbors who were informants.

"Only the best jobs, the best of everything went to those who were good Communists, who didn't go to church," Cvitanovich says.

After midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, she said her family would parade up and down the main square.

"It was a show of solidarity, of pride -- in other words, we know you are watching us, we know you control our livelihoods, but we are unafraid and we flaunt our religion in your faces," Cvitanovich says.

Christmas always meant steaming platters of Croatian sarma and trays piled high with krostule for dessert, a tradition she continues.

Today, Cvitanovich is as far removed from Dubrovnik as one could be. She and her husband, Drago Cvitanovich, and son, Tommy Cvitanovich, own Drago's Seafood restaurants in New Orleans and Metairie, La. Although she loves her new homeland, she makes frequent visits to Croatia to visit her mother and sister who still live there.

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It's never too early to get your ducks in a row for the holidays. And if your plans include a cookie exchange, these tips and recipes should come in handy.

Here's a sweet treat from every corner of the world. Consider these: kolaczki from Poland, Scottish shortbread from the UK, melomakarona from Greece, and so much more. Get baking!

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Clothes Pin Holiday Card Holders
What to do with all those holiday cards? Hold them up with clothes pins as dazzling as twinkling lights with this how-to from Kate Pullen.

Make a Gingerbread House
Ever want to create the perfect gingerbread house? Now is the time with these easy step-by-step instructions and patterns from Barbara Rolek.

How to Draw a Christmas Tree
Here is one that will come in handy for all those handmade cards. Master sketch artist Helen South will show you how to draw the perfect tree from start to finish.

Paint a Glass Ornament
Turn a plain glass ball into a work of stained glass art. Our Guide to Painting will show you how to create this delicate trimming.

Silent Night Cross Stitch Pattern
Don't just get cozy, get your stitch on. Create a Silent Night design with this free pattern from Connie G. Barwick.

Stitch a Pear Trio
Hang up something special in your home for that Thanksgiving gathering. This free 'Pear Trio' needlepoint pattern from Cheryl Fall is just what your walls needed.

Easy Christmas Ornaments
Start a tradition for the kids to make new ornaments each year. Sherri Osborne has the shape patterns and project ideas for these ornaments that reflect Christmas traditions.

Print Thanksgiving Placecards
Add some warmth to your table with these Thanksgiving place cards that will have your guests saying 'awwwww'. Barbara Crews has the free printable for you to personalize.

Wine Bottle Wrap Pattern
Instead of giving a bottle of wine in one of those skinny bags, make a felt wrap that the bottle can be displayed in all season. Phyllis Dobbs will show you how.

Make a Miniature Christmas Tree
Why are tiny things always so darn cute? Learn how to make a little pine tree with Lesley Shepherd.

Interchangeable Thanksgiving Pins
Sometimes you just can't commit to just one pin. With this interchangeable Thanksgiving pin by Tammy Powley, you can tell everyone when you're ready for pie...and when you're overstuffed.

Want to Join Make it Merry to show off your holiday crafts? We will showcase your crafts and recipes of all holiday traditions. Learn more.

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Bacon is the new black. But that's no news to Eastern Europeans who love bacon in everything from soup to salads to main courses and now they can find it in their beloved vodka. An abomination, some say!

Bakon Vodka is the latest product helping to stoke mixologists' trend toward carnivorous cocktails. Unlike most vodkas, which are mixed-grain spirits, Bakon Vodka is a potato vodka tinged with, as you might expect, a bacon flavor. Repeat. Bacon flavor. Bakon Vodka is gluten-free and, because the flavor is created chemically, it's vegan. The creators, three friends from Seattle, say "It's clean, crisp, and delicious. This is the only vodka you'll ever want to use to make a Bloody Mary."

But mixologists across the country say the vodka has a liquid smoke taste to it and so they are infusing their own vodka with good-quality bacon. Todd Thrasher of PX Lounge in Alexandria, Va., makes a BLT when tomatoes are in season, but currently he's offering the MacGriddle -- a cocktail made with maple syrup, his own bacon-infused vodka, a whole pasteurized egg and bacon powder garnish. Likewise, Adam Seger, of Chicago's Nacional 27 doesn't care for the chemical taste of Bakon Vodka, so he's taken to infusing his own vodka with real bacon for 72 hours. It appears in his Baconcello cocktail.

If chocolate-covered bacon and meat-flavored cocktails aren't your thing, try this Roasted Beet Salad Recipe with Candied Bacon. It's the bomb!

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Cooking at the Culinary Institute in Cracow, Poland was one of the experiences I had while on a Poland Culinary Vacation to Krakow and Zakopane this summer.

English-speaking chef Mark Widomski is the founder and director of this state-of-the-art school where classes can be tailored to a student's skill level and interests.

Take this virtual tour of the school for links to the recipes we prepared, including Christmas Eve beet barszcz made with beet sour, ryemeal soup (zurek) made with rye sour, potato-cheese (ruskie) pierogi, herrings in oil, herring rollmops, stuffed cabbage (golabki) with tomato sauce, and steak tartare.

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If you're looking for something to do this weekend, Nov. 6-8, and you live in the Dallas Forth Worth area, check out Saint Mary's Romanian Orthodox Church's Food Festival. It's the fourth edition of this yearly chance to experience the food, traditions, costumes and music of Romania.

This year's homemade treats include sarmale (stuffed cabbage rolls), ciorba de perisoare (wedding meatball soup), ciorba de burta ("truth-or-dare" soup), mititei (skinless sausages), pastrama de miel (lamb pastrami), mamaliga cu branza si smantana (polenta with feta cheese and sour cream), carnati proaspeti (sausage), cozonac, and a multitude of other sweets.

Visit the Romanian Food Festival website for hours, admission prices, and event schedules. Pofta Buna! (Enjoy your meal!)

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In the Roman Catholic tradition and to a lesser degree among Protestants, All Saints' Day is celebrated on Nov. 1 and All Souls' Day on Nov. 2. The latter is variously called Day of the Dead, Feast of All Souls, or Day of Remembrance. While there are some similarities with the pagan origins of Western Halloween, instead of trick-or-treating and partying in costume, All Souls' Day is spent remembering the departed with prayer, and flowers and candles at the graveside. It's a national holiday in Eastern Europe.

When Nov. 2 falls on a Sunday as it did in 2003 and again in 2008, All Souls' Day is celebrated the next day, Monday, Nov. 3.

What might otherwise be considered a maudlin tradition is actually a beautiful sight with candles flickering across vast expanses of cemetery land. If you have the chance to visit Europe in November, make a point of planning your trip around All Souls' Day. You won't forget it.

How All Souls' Day Is Celebrated in Eastern Europe

Kerry Kubilius, Guide to East European Travel, Describes Polish All Souls' Day Customs

Tommy Cvitanovich thinks an FDA edict to go into effect in 2011 will put Croatian-American gulf oystermen's livelihood in jeopardy.

The owner, with his parents Drago and Klara Cvitanovich, of Drago's Seafood Restaurant in New Orleans and Metairie, La., says the FDA's plans to ban the sale of raw Gulf oysters from April to October unless they are pasteurized is "ludicrous."

"What makes the restaurants of New Orleans so much better than others is the indigenous seafood -- our fish, oysters and shrimp. There is no comparison in taste. The FDA proposes treating raw oysters after harvesting from April to October to kill the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria. There is a definite difference in taste between a post-harvest-treated oyster and a raw one," Tommy Cvitanovich says.

"Over the last three years, about 10 people a year have died from eating raw oysters. All those people were told by their physicians not to eat raw oysters, and yet they did. To my knowledge, nobody has died from eating untreated cooked oysters, and the FDA is proposing that oysters earmarked for cooking be treated also. Cooking an oyster is a post-harvest treatment," Cvitanovich says.

Cvitanovich has no complaint about the FDA's requirements that oystermen refrigerate raw oysters after harvesting, but this plan, he says, will create a financial burden for a lot of oystermen and change the taste of the seafood.

"At present, everything is monitored very closely for this bacteria we've been fighting for the past 25 years. The system we have in place is working. Way more people die from diabetes than from oysters. We need to lobby our legislators. This is crazy," he says.

In the 1800s, Croatian immigrants, seeking a better life, brought their fishing skills and hard work ethic to New Orleans where they learned and then perfected the oyster farming trade. Today, the majority of oystermen in and around New Orleans are of Croatian descent. But the ban will affect oystermen in Mississippi, Texas and Florida, as well.

"This new FDA ruling will effectively eliminate oysters from the market from April to October, which will have a profound impact on the fishermen, dock people, suppliers, truckers, restaurants and, ultimately, the consumer," he says.

Cvitanovich developed his famous charbroiled oysters 20 years ago not only because he knew the flavor would be great, but in response to the Vibrio vulnificus scare at that time.

Read this background information on the FDA's plans to ban raw gulf oysters from April to October beginning in 2011.

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Actually, drinking blood and / or cooking with blood is not such an anomaly. It's been done since mankind first started butchering animals for food. Waste not, want not and all of that. It was also believed drinking the blood of one's enemies would make one invincible. Blood sacrifices are well catalogued as are taboos against consuming blood.

Cooking with blood exists in every culture, but as fresh blood becomes increasingly hard to find, blood puddings, soups and sauces are now relegated to restaurants and specialty stores, and considered delicacies. If you can find fresh or frozen duck, goose or pig blood from a reputable source, try entertaining your guests this Halloween with these Eastern European recipes.

• Polish Blood Sausage or Kiszka Recipe
• Polish Czarnina Recipe
• Blind Czarnina Recipe
• All About Cooking with Blood

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Well, we're in the grips of full fall weather in my neck of the woods. It's chilly and wet. Everywhere I go my windshield wipers tick out a slap-dash beat like a rain metronome. Don't get me wrong. I like rain. I even like chilly weather. It's the lack of sun that bothers me. (I've long suspected I have Seasonal Affective Disorder.)

Actually, though, I look forward to days like these because that's when I haul out my rainy-day (or snowy-day, as the case may be) recipes. You know, ones I've been meaning to try but are, perhaps, a little complicated or take time.

They're such good therapy for when I need to take my aggression out on something (especially if they involve kneading!), or to work through a problem. The concentration required keeps me from expending too much energy on something I usually have no control over!

I'm always looking to add to my recipe collection. Please share your rainy-day recipe and a picture of the dish and yourself, if you have one, to be published on this site!

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