For my mom's birthday last year I hosted a dessert buffet. It was so fun and much easier than a meal to pull off. I made these bars and have made them several times since then as per request. They have a very full flavor but a nice fine texture. You could change the apricot to any flavor preserves and the almond extract to vanilla or another flavor and customize these bars for any taste.

Apricot Almond Squares

1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) yellow cake mix with pudding

8 TBSP. butter, melted

½ cup finely chopped almonds (with skins or blanched)

1 1/3 cups apricot preserves (12 oz. jar)

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature

¼ cup sugar

2 TBSP. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. almond extract

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam. Place the cake mix, melted butter and almonds in a mixing bowl. Blend well. Mixture will be crumbly. Reserve one cup for topping. Press the rest of mixture in the pan, making sure it reaches all the sides. Spread the preserves over the crust. For the filling, place the cream cheese in the same mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Add sugar, flour, almond extract and egg. Beat for 1-2 minutes. Spread mixture over the preserves and scatter the reserved crumb mixture over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes and cut into 24 bars.

I found this in a cookbook but can't remember which one. Sorry to whoever made this recipe. You rock!

Best Bread Pudding

Okay, better late than never I hope because this post didn't make it before Mardi Gras.

I love bread pudding! It is wonderful. We make it at church and this is that recipe with a few changes. I make it very basic without raisins. You can add raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, cinnamon chips or toffee chips. You can top it with hard sauce, soft sauce, ice cream; vanilla or rum raisin, caramel sauce or chocolate syrup. It is so easy and very versatile. Bread pudding should be in every one's recipe box.

Bread Pudding

1 (10 oz.) loaf French bread, torn into 1 inch pieces

4 cups whole milk, cold

2 cups sugar

4 Tablespoons butter, melted (not margarine)

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon each-cinnamon and nutmeg

Combine all ingredients. Mixture should be very moist but not soupy. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Place into an UNheated oven. Bake at 350 degrees until top is golden brown (approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes). Serve with Hard Sauce or ice cream.

Hard Sauce

½ cup whiskey or rum

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter

¼ cup water

Combine in a saucepan and cook until mixture comes to a boil. If you want more of a rum flavor, add the rum after you remove the mixture from the heat.

Enjoy! Enjoy!