Fresh Tart

Silpada, Silpada - if you're a woman in my family, be on alert, you are most likely getting Silpada jewelry for Christmas. Suz is a Silpada rep, so I've hosted a couple of parties, which have led to other of my friends hosting parties, including my friend Polly last night and Baseball Mom Sonja this coming Friday (although I can't make Friday's party - I'll be attending a Commanderie de Bordeaux dinner with Debbie and Stu the Wine Genius, woo hoo! I've been to two before, both amazing nights, I'll do my best to pay attention to the food and lovely wine and not talk too damn much. Stay tuned...). Polly had a crackling fire, and delicious appetizers, and a yummy iced pumpkin cake - and oh yeah, Susie Silpada Sales with her bling! Good thing the jewelry is so pretty, and easy to wear (casual or dressy), 'cuz I sure do own a lot of it, ha.

Despite snow and freezing rain and all-day darkness - what is this, February? - I turned up the heat with quick chicken gumbo and sauteed okra before Nathan's basketball game tonight, and am ready to whip up tortilla soup tomorrow morning (I'll be busy with my nephew Cooper in the afternoon-into-evening, so have to work ahead a bit). Haven't decided yet what to bake for our neighborhood women's association meeting Thursday night. Cheesy vanilla fudge bars? Hmmm...you know, I might make almond puff pastry. It's a bit brunchy, but it's sooo decadently yummy, who cares? Yeah, I think it'll be almond puff pastry...

Moderate it: almond puff pastry, for sure one of my top ten all-time favorite foods, is definitely the kind of thing I only bake for others - lots of others.

Big baking day today, not my usual, but I had an awful lot of fun. Neither of the treats are for here - thank goodness! - but for sharing via John's office bake sale tomorrow and our neighborhood women's association gathering tonight. I bake something for John's colleagues every year, for their annual United Way fundraiser. This year I made a two-layer coconut cake and pulled out an old favorite bar recipe of my mom's - Cheesy Vanilla Fudge Bars. I in fact doubled the bars and am bringing a batch to the party tonight, easy enough. And I mean eeeeaaasy, I'd forgotten that they're a little heavy on the prepared-mix ingredients, due to the fact that they're a Pillsbury promo-creation from the - yes, cheesy! - 1970s. No Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate or imported butter here! But no matter, they RAWK. Big time, in fact - Stace and I used to go wild for these babies when we were kids. You store them in the fridge which makes them extra chewy, mmm. So tie on a ruffly, checked apron, pop a Swanson's TV dinner in the (real!) oven, turn on the Mary Tyler Moore show, and bake up a batch of Cheesy Vanilla Fudge Bars while you sip Martini & Rossi, On the Rocks. Say YESSSSS! (Recipe posted in comments, below.)