I can feed an army

I successfully hosted my jewelry party last night. Fun! Or at least I had fun. And all the ladies seemed to have enjoyed a little "me" time on a Tuesday. I was glad some left without purchasing a thing - I never wanted it to be about the pressure of buying, just the opportunity to hang with some fabulous ladies.

However, as usual, I now have enough leftovers to feed the National Guard. In my mind I had convinced myself that everyone would arrive at 7 p.m. starving. I knew a couple of ladies were coming straight from work, so they'd be hungry. So here is what I prepared (should have snapped photos but that may have scared some folks away):

Chicken Parm calzone cut in pieces
Ham & Cheese puff pastries
Various cheeses, crackers
Hot artichoke dip
Beer bread in pieces for dipping
Salami, prosciutto, pepperoni
Various olives
Sliced roasted red peppers
Marinated artichoke hearts
Tortellini salad
Chips/salsa
Crazy cake (recipe below)
Edible Arrangement fruit basket
Nuts

See that last one? Nuts...as I typed this out I realized I am - NUTS! I have SO much food in my refrigerator it's insane. My attempt at tapas/antipasti ended up as buffet, Vegas style.

Next time. One cheese pizza, delivered!
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Crazy Cake: Family recipe!!

1 box Devil's Food cake mix
1 box chocolate pudding (heat and serve kind)
Chocolate chips
Chopped walnuts

Make pudding. Add directly to cake mix (JUST the mix). It will be almost rubbery but don't worry! Spread in 9X11 pan. Sprinkle nuts and chips on top. Bake according to directions.

Crazy easy, right? You can bling it up with other toppings but we stick to the originals. My mom cut it up into small pieces and served in baking cups. She taught me how to cook for an army - and we were only a family of 4.