While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

We're pudding on the Ritz - May 22 is National Vanilla Pudding Day!

This creamy, classic dessert is made by carefully simmering together milk, sugar, salt, butter, vanilla extract and cornstarch.  It can be served right off the stove on a cool summer's night, or after it's been chilled on a hot summer's day.

Jazz it up with chopped nuts and whipped cream, or serve it au naturel, with nothing but a spoon.

Saddle up to a bowl of Mark Bittman's luxuriously simple vanilla pudding. Or if solid food is more your thing, follow the lead of the Two Peas & Their Pod blog and bake vanilla pudding mix into chocolate chip cookies.