So I’ll try to to make this short and get straight to the sweets, but I thought I’d share something interested I noticed a few days ago that was a very quiet, yet loud reminder for me.

So what, right? It’s a kid’s purse on a chair and is that a snow boot on my coffee table? Why, yes. Yes it is.

This little action caught my attention as soon as I walked in the room. Whenever I get home, my purse automatically goes on a chair. The exact same way. Sure it could be in the kitchen or dining room, but my purses always hang on a chair.

To see this from a kid that has no problem leaving her trail throughout the house without much thought (a snow boot on my coffee table? Really?!), was a bit of a surprise.

I know that I’m probably stating the obvious here. Just a note that your children are watching you. Always. Even when you’re going through the motions, getting home, cooking, cleaning, a lot of you even when you use the dang bathroom (little creeps).  I’d like to work on being more conscious of that. She’s got some hilarious, wonderful and loving traits from her father and I, but I’m sure some of her being impatient at times comes from me as does her stalling by saying, “Five more minutes” come from her trying to wake Daddy up on a Saturday mornings.

Kids are creepy like that.

Onward!

Yesterday Eleanor and I had grand plans of making a layer cake. Those plans quickly dwindled when I saw what I had in the cabinets and knew what they didn’t have at the Little Polish Store two blocks away.

I’m always equally amazed at the things they do carry as I am at the things they don’t. More kinds of Smoked Polish Sausage than I can think of, anything containing hazelnuts, fresh dill, fresh parsley, pomegranates, cleaning products, a full service bakery counter, fresh baked rye bread, Cake flour (although it says “Tortowa”- took me a few visits to figure that one out) cage free eggs, you get the picture.

However, they don’t carry peanut butter, heavy cream or stewed tomatoes. I’m sure as time goes on I’ll be able to add to this list. For the layer cake we had planned, I needed the first two items on the “don’t list”.

They did have a nice sized container of pecans for six dollars. So, we wound up making pecan pie bars.

Don’t be fooled by these bad boys just ‘cuz they’re in bar form. A little goes a long way. Don’t cut the bars too big!

We followed the recipe to a T until Eleanor decided that they needed coconut. I guesstimated what three kid-sized handfuls might be.

Pecan Pie Bars

Adapted from The Comfort of Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine, cut up
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
• 2/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in large bowl; cut in 3/4 cup butter thoroughly with a pastry blender until mixture resembles very fine crumbs. Press mixture evenly into a greased 13″ x 9″ pan, using a piece of plastic wrap to press crumb mixture firmly in pan. Bake at 350° for 17 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring gently. Remove from heat. Stir one-fourth of hot mixture into beaten eggs; add to remaining hot mixture. Stir in pecans, coconut and vanilla. Pour filling over crust. Bake at 350° for 34 to 35 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack, about 2-3 hours. Cut into bars.