There are myriad ways to "be sweet" such as volunteering at the homeless shelter, remembering an aunt’s birthday, and writing thank-you notes. Then, there is food: baking a pie for a new neighbor, icing a cake for a coworker who is ill, or mixing up a batch of brownies for a family gathering.

These are the types of food traditions that inspire You Be Sweet, a celebration of southern dessert recipes and the people who cherish them. In this compilation of stories and sweet treats, Patsy Caldwell and Amy Lyles Wilson peek in on those occasions special enough to demand something decadent, and memorable enough to be repeated time and again.

In You Be Sweet, you’ll find delicious down-home desserts such as:

• German Chocolate Cake Rolls
• Doughtnut Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
• Miss Vara’s Cherry-Berry Jam Cake with Caramel Icing
• Key Lime-Lemon Cake
• Blueberry Beignets with White Chocolate Sauce

You Be Sweet is about more than just food but present the opportunity for connection and community and inspire you to serve up a piece of yourself to others as an expression of welcome, sympathy, celebration, or concern.