I love inviting friends over for dinner…even on short notice. Last minute invitations might require a simple menu, but you can still impress your friends (and the kids) with a fancy dessert!

This simple apple tart is attractive to serve, but also easy and healthy. It has only about 170 calories per serving…so move over, apple pie!

The tart comes together with only five ingredients that are easy to keep on hand. Use sweet but firm apples, like Fuji or Gala. Granny Smith apples also have a wonderful taste and texture for baking, but you will need to add more sugar because they are so tart.  Be sure to slice the apples as thinly as possible so they will cook quickly…

Simple Apple Tart

dough for one 9 inch pie crust, purchased or homemade*
3 or 4 large apples, peeled, cored, halved and sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons peach or apricot jam, heated

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. With the dough at room temperature, unroll into a 10 inch tart pan. Arrange the apple slices on the cutting board, then transfer by sections to the unbaked crust. Sprinkle the apples with sugar and dot with butter. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the apples are soft and bubbling. Remove the tart from the oven. While still warm, brush the apples with the jam to add sweetness and a shiny golden color. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8.

Delicious!

Many of us who love to read have a book we remember from our early childhood that really turned us on to reading. I remember reading No, No, Joan when I was a wee little preschooler, delighting in the fact that I could read it all by myself. Never mind that the only words in it were, “No, no, Joan,” until the final page. But still, it was a story I could read alone, and I never looked back, finding new favorites like Anne of Green Gables and Island of the Blue Dolphins.

As fascinating as I’m sure it is to hear about the books that got me hooked, I’m sure you’re far more interested in hearing about some celebrities! Many famous names have attached themselves to a fantastic initiative called What Book Got You Hooked? for the First Book charity, which strives to provide children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own a first new book.

Want to know what Rebecca Romijn’s book was? Or Stephen Colbert’s? How about R.L. Stine? You can find out all about Scarlett Johansson, Edward Norton, Patty LaBelle, and many, many other celebrities’ favorite first books at the What Book Got You Hooked website. And, you can join in the fun as well — enter the book that got you hooked, explain why, and then vote for the state you think should receive 50,000 brand new books for kids in need.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Nick Jonas, the youngest member of the band The Jonas Brothers, is on a mission. He was diagnosed with diabetes a couple of years ago, at the age of 13, and he’s not only determined to find a cure, but to help other kids cope with the disease. His initial response was, “Why me?” because he had nobody to relate the disease to — no athletes or Hollywood hotshots in his age group were really talking about it. Now, Nick wants to be there for other kids.

The latest move Nick and his brothers are making is to invite people with diabetes to enter a sweepstakes called “Walk In Nick’s Shoes” (W.I.N.S.). Four winners will get to meet Nick in L.A. and join “Team Jonas” in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk to Cure Diabetes on November 1. And while, of course, those lucky fans will surely be elated, they won’t be the only ones.

“It’s going to be really exciting to meet the winners who will walk with other young people and their families to raise awareness and funds for juvenile diabetes,” said Nick. “I’m lucky to have great support from my family, friends, and fans. By working with Bayer to help people see life in my shoes, I hope that we can motivate others to better manage their diabetes.”

Nick noticed early on that people don’t like to talk about diabetes, that many people, especially kids, feel embarrassed about it. I think it’s absolutely wonderful that he’s not only fighting for a cure but also letting kids (and adults) know that it’s okay to have diabetes, and the first step to take is to manage your disease. There’s nothing embarrassing about that!

Photo courtesy of mtv.com

Anjelica Huston is standing up for some of Hollywood’s actors — trained apes. She is narrating and distributing a PETA documentary about the cruelty towards monkeys and apes in the entertainment industry.

Huston said, “Having worked with actors for many years, I find it hard to believe that anyone would have to be dragged, kicking and screaming into show business. But the next time that you see a chimpanzee in a movie, on TV, or in an ad, chances are, that’s exactly what happened… Great ape mothers are fiercely protective of their newborns, which means that they must be tricked, sedated, or forcibly restrained when their infants are pulled from their arms. This cruel practice leaves lifelong emotional scars on both the mothers — who go into a deep depression — and the babies.”

Additionally, most chimpanzees grow too strong to be handled by the time they are eight years old, and, according to PETA, are often discarded at “dismal roadside zoos or pseudo-sanctuaries.” What makes this infinitely sadder is that chimps can live to be 60 years old, meaning they can spend decades in what is, essentially, a jail.

Huston makes a good point in saying that using an ape for an ad or a show, which might bring us a few moments of pleasure, can create a lifetime of suffering for that animal. To learn more about the treatment of monkeys and apes in Hollywood, visit NoMoreMonkeyBusiness.com.

Photo courtesy of anjelicahuston.net

Denzel Washington believes strongly in the importance of after-school and extra-curricular school programs. He’s even gone so far as to say, “If there were no athletic programs in Mount Vernon, I would not be the Denzel Washington that you know today.”

And so, when the Oscar-winner  heard that the his hometown was going to have to cut all of it’s after-school programs, including sports programs, he decided to step in and take action — he donated $100,000 to keep the programs going!

After-school and sports programs really are so important — they give kids a chance to grow and explore their talents, and it’s hard to imagine how many of us truly would be totally different people had we not had the chance to play basketball or join the school band. Good for Denzel for helping out so many kids. And keep in mind that, even if you can’t make a major donation for a cause like this in your area, every little bit will help pay for uniforms, coaches, facilities, and more!

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

Nothing beats fresh fruit for a healthy dessert. This is one of my favorite healthy endings to a simple summer meal…colorful fruit salad.

Most kids love fruit anyway, so enlist them to help choose a rainbow combination of their favorite fruits.  The more variety, the better the presentation and nutrition. And to make this dessert extra kid-friendly be sure the presentation rocks!

What could be simpler? Choose at least three or more fresh fruits to combine. Mix together bite-sized pieces of strawberries, watermelon, blueberries, cantaloupe, kiwi, pineapple and mango and mix together. No dressing necessary; the natural fruit juices combine for just the right amount of light syrup.

Serve the fruit salad from a large platter or glass bowl and ladle into sherbet cups. Make it fancy by adding a small dollop of low-fat whipped cream.

Pretty and delicious!

Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler still rocks. He recently took part in the first Boston Rock Ride For Africa by jumping onto his custom-made Red Wing motorcycle for a 15 mile charity ride along the waterfront in Boston. The ride raised money for two charities focused on stamping out poverty in Africa — FORGE and Opportunity International.

Tyler, 60, helped bring attention to the two day Boston for Africa event, which hoped to raise awareness of the problems in Africa which really affect the whole world. The event also included a gala at the Hard Rock Cafe — no word on whether Tyler attended that, but I’m sure they had plenty of Aerosmith memorabilia on hand.

The Boston for Africa website explains its purpose, saying, “While the United States has seen relative peace and prosperity on our soil for over 100 years, many African people have been born into a cycle of war and poverty that the rest of the world has an opportunity to end.” The organization believes, “With the simplest of opportunities, small-scale change is growing from the bottom up and the African continent is realizing positive change.”

Photo courtesy of exposay.com

A girl only turns 16 once, and if that girl is Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana), that birthday party is going to be a major celebration. Miley will celebrate the milestone 5,000 of her friends, family, and fans at Disneyland on October 5, and she’s making sure she’s not the only one getting a present — she’s giving back to one of her favorite charities, Youth Service America.

Anyone wanting to party with the teen sensation will pay a bit more than a regular Disneyland ticket for the pleasure — tickets are going for $232 a piece to ensure the charity benefits. Miley said, “The best part of the party is we’re going to recognize some really cool kids from Youth Service America who are giving back to their community. That’s so awesome because I think it’s really important for kids like us to volunteer.”

Only (only?) 5,000 tickets are available for the bash, and if you’re interested, you might want to get yours now. Learn more about the party and get your tickets here (warning — automatic music will play).

Photo courtesy of mileycyrusheaven.com

Brad Pitt and George Clooney are hosting a dinner tonight (squee!) to benefit their charity, Not On Our Watch. Unfortunately for me, but luckily for Italy, the dinner will take place in Venice because the pair is currently there for the Venice Film Festival promoting their latest film, Burn After Reading.

This is not the first time the famous friends have thrown a dinner to raise funds for the Darfur relief organization. Last year, in Cannes, Brad and George were joined by Ocean’s 11 (and 12, and 13) pals Matt Damon and Don Cheadle in throwing a party with which they raised $9.2 million!

There hasn’t been any mention of what the cost to enter today’s party will be, but the price to enter last year’s Cannes yacht party was $25,000 a head. I don’t imagine today’s tickets would be much less, but really, wouldn’t dinner with Brad and George be worth it? And it is going toward a good cause … I wonder if I can get there in time.

Photo courtesy of movies.yahoo.com

America Ferrera took some time out from being Ugly Betty to join some famous friends in being hot — Hot in Hollywood, that is. Ferrera, along with Katherine Heigl, Jaime Pressly, Ana Ortiz, Jason Biggs, and Neil Patrick Harris helped to raise nearly $300,000 at the third Hot in Hollywood gala, which benefited the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Just three years after its inception, Hot in Hollywood is fast becoming one of the major celebrity charity events in L.A. This year’s event, at The Avalon in Hollywood, had live musical performances, DJs, and an auction. As always, the money raised (including the $8,000 Heigl plunked down for a Jamaica trip) will benefit charities dedicated to the prevention, education, testing, and treatment of HIV/AIDS — this year, it will go to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the Real Medicine Foundation.

Ferrera had a ball playing host this year, saying, “It is such a great space to make a fool out of myself! It was professional chaos!” The past two events were hosted by Pressly, who was honored this year with an award for her dedication toward HIV/AIDS awareness. She shared her reason for being so involved — she had an uncle who tragically died from the disease.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com