Okay, I'm going to try to contain my excitement about the word "tartlet" and focus on the actual dish.  Which is really difficult because I wildly love the word tartlet.  A tiny tart.  What could be better?  Maybe the fact that the recipe comes from Martha, but does not require 43 steps to full fruition.  I thought this was hearty & wholesome & delicious & perfect for late Autumn.    

Martha's description:  "Ensconced in each of these savory cornmeal tartlets is a bounty of vegetables. On the short list: sweet red bell peppers, assertive kale, and cherry tomatoes that provide bursts of fruitness and juice."

I'm a mango fan.  And a shrimp fan.  But the thought of them in a quesadilla (tossed in honey!) had me worried.  But dang these were good.  The recipe comes from Downright Delish, a food blog I recently discovered and linked on my side bar.  The only thing I changed was to add cilantro & I think I'll saute some red onion in extra butter before cooking the shrimp next time.  Definitely delish!

Spiced beef skewers are great appetizers or you can serve them on an Asiany salad and call it dinner.  We love these, and the boys gobble them up as quickly as we do.  Chicken can easily be substituted with good flavor and results. 

When Jim hears I'm making cookies, this recipe comes in first place for what he hopes to find. It comes from straight off the wrapper of Nestle Toll House white morsels. 

I hate just putting this globby picture up because it does NO JUSTICE to the wonder that is Chicken Tikka Masala.  Years ago my good friend Angie introduced me to an Indian restaurant, and I fell in love with this dish, which is actually a non-authentic Indian dish invented in a London curry house (oh where would I be without the internet!).  Regardless of its origins, I love and crave it.  Jim was initially wary (orange and globby, you know), but now he enjoys it, too.  This recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen.

This recipe comes from my friend Mandy, and it is so, so good.  And addictive.  And I think I'm in love with tomatillos after this and the enchiladas of last week. 

I spotted this recipe on Jordan's blog. She has a true foody spirit, and I'll never forget when she made me lunch out of nothing in her Phoenix kitchen.  About the pretzels, she gives this advice: "They're best with a smudge of Dijon. Just don't boil them too long--they'll turn into really-old-man-skin looking piles o' dough. This one survived after a brief boil and then a browning in the oven. A perfect toasty treat for a Fall afternoon."

This bread is amazing.  It comes from my sister-in-law Shanon's family.  And anything those girls share is pretty much a keeper.  Jim is no pumpkin fan, so I have to have "share with friends & neighbors" plans when I make this stuff or I'll definitely gobble most of it down on my own.