Some weeks seem to drag, and others seem to fly by.  This week flew. Even though it seems like we just got to Kansas, we are gearing up to leave again. My husband got orders to Washington, DC and we are thrilled. We will be moving in early June. We are both East coast born and bred, and happy to get back. I spent the week trying to get my youngest into preschool. It was one of most surreal experiences of my life. He is 3, and it felt like I was trying to get him into college. The words “safety school” actually came out of my mouth in reference to preschool. Interviews, recommendations, wait lists, paper, and even more paper. We got him into a school, and all was happy in the world, only to find that the house that we were planning on renting may have fallen through. If it isn’t one thing, it is another. If you need me, I will be cruising Craigslist and working on more application essays for my preschooler.

Let’s talk tart instead, shall we? I made this tart over the holidays and it is quickly becoming my go-to dessert when I need something that looks super fancy and impressive, but really is not. Tarts are one of my favorite things to make. I have started collecting rectangular tart pans, and it is quickly becoming a problem. I just think that it looks so elegant, and a nice departure from the typical round one that you usually see.

When I was a little girl, my mom owned a catering company. She and my grandmother made thousands of tarts similar to this one. I remember her brushing the tops of the fruit with a sticky glaze, with a paint brush, and always wanting to do that job. My mom’s tarts taught me this important step. It is not necessary, but adds so much gloss and shine to the fruit. There is something so domestic goddess-like about making tarts. You can also use whatever fruit you like. Use what is in season. Kiwi, grapes, plums, peaches, berries, anything works.

Crust:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
zest of one lemon
1 vanilla bean, seeded
2 sticks butter, very cold
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup white rum

Filling:

1 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 Tablespoons white rum
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 vanilla bean, seeded
1 pint strawberries
1 pint blackberries
1 pint raspberries
1/2 cup apricot jelly

Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla in a stand mixer.  You can also do this by hand or in the food processor.

Add the butter and mix until looks like peas.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks and rum.

Slowly add the egg mixture while the machine is running.  As soon as it comes together, stop, and turn the dough out.  Form into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap.  Chill for an hour.

Roll the dough out and lay into a tart pan.  Press the dough into the sides.  Poke the crust with a fork.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the crust begins to brown.  Cool completely.

Add the mascarpone, cream, rum, sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of your mixer.  Whisk until the mixture forms soft peaks.

Spread the filling into the crust.  Melt the apricot jelly over low heat.

Layer the berries over the mascarpone cream.

Brush the jelly over the fruit.  It makes the fruit so shiny and beautiful.

Adapted from Extra Virgin.

I am over at The Creative Mama today sharing the recipe for these insanely sticky and sweet chicken wings.  These are so good, you will never know that they are baked, and not fried!

Happy Thursday!

This month for Lazy Susan, we are celebrating things that we love.  There is nothing that I love more than tiramisu.  It is my favorite dessert in the world.  I never made it at home because most of the recipes that I found called for raw egg.  I know, the tiramisu that I was eating probably contained raw egg.  But I didn’t know about it, therefore, it didn’t bother me.  I am pleading ignorance.  I discovered this recipe from a friend, and it truly is what I want for my last meal on this Earth.  Layers of zabaglione, lady fingers, chocolate chips, and a boozy coffee mixture.  The longer it chills, the better it tastes.

This recipe is for sure a special occasion recipe.  It calls for an absurd (not to mention expensive) amount of mascarpone cheese.  But worth every calorie, and every dollar.  When I was buying the ingredients for this tiramisu, I discovered that there is such thing as frozen ladyfingers.  I had no idea that these existed.  They are a little more cake-like, I have made this recipe a few times, and I prefer the kind that are more like biscotti.  You can buy them in gourmet stores, Italian markets, online, and sometimes in the cookie section of the grocery store.

I really like the addition of the chocolate chips.  The one thing that I don’t like about tiramisu sometimes is that it has no texture.  The mini chips add the perfect amount of crunch that I think this recipe needs.

6 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 cups mascarpone, room temperature
1 cup mini chocolate chips
6 cups boiling water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup instant espresso powder
3 Tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup Kahlua
2 packs (14-ounces) ladyfingers
3/4 cups finely grated bittersweet chocolate

Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a large bowl.  Or a double boiler if you have one, I don’t, so I just use a metal bowl.

Put the boil over a pot of simmering water.

Whisk constantly until the eggs triple in volume and turn pale yellow. It takes about 5 minutes.

Now that I am reading this recipe again, it would have been smart of me to use the bowl of the mixer, instead of transferring it to the mixer bowl.  Oops.  Pour the eggs into the mixer and beat for about 5 minutes.  The bowl will feel cool when it is ready.

Add the mascarpone, one tub at a time until it is combined.

Fold in the chocolate chips.  Chill for at least one hour.

In a large bowl, stir together the boiling water, brown sugar, espresso powder, and Kahlua.  Stir until everything has dissolved.  Set aside and let cool.

Pour the coffee mixture into a shallow dish.  Dip the ladyfingers into the mixture, and line the bottom of a 9×13 pan with the cookies.  You want the ladyfingers pretty wet, but not so wet that they fall apart.  When I was done with my layer, I would brush more of the coffee mixture over each layer just to be sure that they were really soaked.

Layer 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers.  Repeat the layers until you have 3 layers of each.  Alternate the direction of the cookies, it helps the tiramisu hold together when you cut it.  Cover and chill for 2 hours.  Overnight is even better.  You can make this a few days ahead of time.

Cover the top with shaved chocolate before serving.

Next up, find out what Amy Boring loves.  And while you are it, check out her gorgeous website called eat swell.  Seriously beautiful.

Happy 151st Birthday Kansas!  On Friday my children celebrated Kansas Day at school.  Ava’s teacher asked me if I would make cupcakes for the class.  I immediately knew what I wanted to make, Kansas is the Sunflower State after all.  Even better, it was an excuse for me to go to Sweet! to buy some supplies.  I love that store, and the cupcake liner wall alone makes it worth the drive.  Not to mention the sprinkles.  You know how I much I love a sprinkle.

These cupcakes look complicated, but they were really easy to do.  I got everything ready before I started.  I mixed the colors and filled the piping bags.  I used straight kelly green for the leaves, but mixed a few shades of yellow for one bag, and a mixture of yellows and oranges for the other.  Thin Mints were perfect for the centers.  Thin, obviously, but also the dimpling looks like the middle of a sunflower.  You could use an Oreo, but I would use only one half.

The kids loved them, and I loved making them.  Nothing is more cheerful than a sunflower.  Happy Birthday Kansas, here is to a 151 more.

white buttercream (8 pounds is not necessary)
egg yellow
golden yellow
lemon yellow
kelly green
leaf tips (Wilton 66 and 68)
Thin Mints
ladybug picks
green and white dots cupcake liners

Start by making a circle with green frosting.  Add a few leaves.

Add one layer of yellow petals.

Add a second layer, I alternated with yellow and orange-ish frosting.

Add a Thin Mint to the center.

And a ladybug.

I made a sunflower assembly line.  I had a fresh Diet Coke, the Food Network on my iPad, it was a very relaxing activity.

How about a little giveaway?  The nice people at Instawares sent me this Party Crock Pot, and were nice enough to give me one to give to you.  I am hesitant to add new kitchen equipment and gadgets to my kitchen, but this crock pot is worth having.  It is the perfect size for dips, with the option to use a tea light, or the electric base.  I do not have a microwave, so this is perfect for when I want to serve a warm dip, like my Nacho Cheese Dip.

Would you like to win one?

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sometimes, a lot of times, my most inspired ideas come to me in the shower.  I don’t know what it is about the shower that gives me such good ideas.  Maybe it the the quiet, or the warm water, or the sound of trickling water?  Whatever it is, most of the good ideas that I have gotten recently have come to me, late at night, in the shower.  Example:  Oatmeal Scotchie Pie.  I am sure that I am not the first person to make a pie out of this popular cookie, but it was a new idea to me, and that is all that matters.  My best friend used to make these cookies for us all the time, and when I have one of those cookies I always think of her.  They also happen to be my husband’s second favorite cookie.

This recipe is a hodge podge of a few recipes that I put together to make this pie.  Next time, I will make the crust a little bit thinner.  It tasted delicious, but it was a little hard to cut.  It is an oatmeal cookie after all, I should have figured that out while I was making it.  All-in-all, I was really proud of myself that a good idea turned into a really good pie.

Edited to add: I realize that there are eggs in the ingredients picture, but not in the recipe.  I changed my mind about the recipe and forgot to take a new picture, the recipe below is correct.  I even remade it just to be sure.  Sorry for the confusion!

Crust:

1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup melted butter

Filling:

3 Tablespoons cornstarch
heavy pinch of sea salt
1 cup evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup brown sugar
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon vanilla

whipped cream

Whisk together cornstarch and salt.  Add evaporated milk and whole milk and whisk until cornstarch has dissolved.  Set aside.

Melt together brown sugar and butter.  Cook over medium heat.

Boil until the mixture bubbles and all of the sugar has melted.  Reduce the heat to low.

Slowly pour a half cup or so of the milk mixture into the sugar.  Whisk constantly.  Turn the heat back up to medium.  Cook until the mixture comes up to a bubble and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Take the pudding off of the heat, and add the vanilla.

Cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap, chill for 3 hours.

Make the crust.  Mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Add the melted butter.  Mix well.

Press into the bottom and up the sides of a pie dish.  You may have a little too much, it depends on the size of your pie plate.

Cover the dough with parchment paper and press it into the sides.  Cover with pie weights, or dried beans.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the parchment, and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.  Cool completely.

Pour the pudding into the baked pie shell.  I sprinkled a bit of sea salt over the pudding.  I could not help myself.

Pipe whipped cream over the top of the pie.  Chill until ready to serve.

Chili is one of those recipes that I never seem to make the same way twice.  Sometimes I want a deeply rich and exotic chili, a green chili, or a really basic chili.  I stumbled upon this recipe from Ali of Gimme Some Oven, and I now have my go-to recipe for a really delicious and flavorful basic chili.  Calling it basic is not doing this recipe justice, it is not basic in flavor at all.  It really is warm and comforting, and has just enough kick.  I like to serve mine with lots of different toppings, and let people add what they want themselves.

The original recipe is made on the stove in a Dutch oven.  I bought a Cuisinart Multi-Cooker a few months ago, (after doing a series of slow cooker recipes for Tablespoon I fell in love with my slow cooker all over again) and I really like this one because you can brown in the same pot as you cook in.  You can make this recipe either way, but I like to to make mine in the slow cooker because I like that when it is done cooking, it flips over to warm, and we can eat it whenever we want.  Perfect for your Super Bowl party.

I have made this recipe many times since, but when I took photographs, I was lucky enough to have vegetables fresh from my friend Alison’s garden.  I really missed having a garden this year, and cannot wait to live somewhere long enough to plant another garden.  There really is nothing better than veggies that you grew yourself.

3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds lean beef, cubed
1 onion
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1 (15-ounce) can Rotel
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons masa harina

toppings:

grated cheddar cheese
chopped red onion
cilantro
sliced jalapenos
sour cream

Add olive oil to the pan.  Brown beef in small batches over medium-high heat.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more oil if needed, and add the onions and peppers.  Saute until they begin to soften 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic, all of the spices, and the sugar.  Cook for a minute to bring out all of the flavors from the spices.

Add the beef broth, water, kidney beans, Rotel, tomato sauce, and balsamic.

Add the beef back to the pan.  Simmer oven medium-low heat for 2 hours, or 6 hours on LOW in the slow cooker.

Before serving, mix together the masa harina (cornstarch and flour work well also) and 1/2 cup of water.  Stir into the soup and let it come up to a bubble.  If you are making this in the slow cooker, turn it to HIGH and let it cook until it begins to thicken.  Give a taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serve with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, and sliced peppers.  I also make Jenny’s Cornbread to go along side.

A few days ago, Hayley of The Tiny Twig posted over at The Creative Mama about sprucing up your salad.  Hayley’s salad looked so good that I craved salad, and made one every day last week.  I think that salad is one of those things that taste so much better when someone else makes it for you.  My mom was just here, and I bugged her to make me a salad every single day.  She really makes the best salad in the world, her dressing is always perfect.  Even better, Clay has been asking for “tyrannosaurus salad” (he is into dinosaurs right now) every night for dinner.  The thing that I think makes a salad good is a variety of flavors and textures.  Nuts really add sweetness and crunch, and also a nice little hit of protein.

Hayley shared this slow cooker nut recipe, and I immediately had to make it.  I love this method, she is so brilliant to make these in a slow cooker.  Seriously, why have I never thought of this before?  You can also make different variations.  Add some heat with cayenne, or cumin.  This recipe makes a lot, so I gave some to my friend Heather.  She texted me about 10 minutes later asking for the recipe.  I think that is a sign that it is a good recipe.  These are really delicious just as a snack too.

I am sharing a recipe over at the 30 Days 30 Ways with Mac and Cheese website.  My Dressed Up Penne and Blue Cheese is one of the best mac and cheese recipes that I have ever made.  Inspired from Lorraine Paschal, the method of slowly adding the milk to the roux, makes the creamiest sauce ever.  Go check it out.

1 pound walnuts (or any kind that you like)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sea salt (I love to use fleur de sel)

Put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker.

Mix it together.

Cook on Low for 1.5 hours.  Stir every once and awhile.

After an hour and a half, the sugar will have melted, and the nuts will be coated.

Spread the nuts out onto a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet.  Taste them and see if they need more salt.  I like mine salty.  Let the nuts cool.

You can store the nuts in an air tight container for about 2 weeks.

I am over at Tablespoon sharing some of my favorite appetizer recipes to get us ready for the big game.  This year I watched and paid attention to football more than I usually do, I am obsessed with Tim Tebow the games were just so good.  It was a year for underdogs, and I happen to love a good underdog story.  Teams that were notorious for being terrible made it to the playoffs, and we did not have Peyton Manning.  Instead we were Tebow-ed, and could not go anywhere without hearing his name.  All of my favorite players and teams are out, so you know what that means.  All that is left to do is get our Super Bowl Snack on.

1.  Sweet and Spicy Meatballs -  These slow cooker meatballs are so easy to make, whisk together a few ingredients, throw everything into the slow cooker, and a few hours later, you are ready to go.  These are sweet and spicy from apple jelly and whole grain mustard, and a little kick from whiskey.  Grab an icy cold beer, and find your seat on the couch.

2.  Jalapeno Popper Dip -  Don’t let the simplicity of this recipe fool you, this baked dip packs a punch.  Everything that I love about a jalapeno popper without having to break out the fryer.  Both fresh and pickled jalapenos give this dip a nice kick, without being overpowering.  One of my most requested recipes.

3.  Baked Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dip -  A healthier version of the classic chicken wing.  Baked in the oven, and tossed in a hot and spicy buffalo wing sauce.  Serve with carrots, celery, and homemade blue cheese dip.

4.  White Bean Dip -  Even on the biggest snack food day of the year, we need to show a little restraint.  My white bean dip does not taste healthy, it just tastes amazing.  Fresh herbs, lots of garlic, and lemon, whizzed together in the food processor, are the perfect dip for some crispy pita chips.  I have made this no less than 6 times in the last month.

5.  Nacho Cheese Dip -  The one day of the year that I allow fake cheese into my house.  I secretly wait for it all year.  Not your typical nacho cheese dip.  Beer, spices, and cilantro really make this dip worth waiting for.

What are you Super Bowl favorites?  Add a link to the Blog Hop and share your favorite Super Bowl Appetizers.

A few months ago, I teamed up with Land o’ Lakes and a group of talented bloggers to create some new and different recipes using LAND O LAKES® Eggs.  They asked us to do it again, and I was happy to be a part of it.  As you can imagine, I go through a lot of eggs at my house.  I buy them almost every time I go to the grocery store, and when I buy LAND O LAKES® Eggs, I know that I am getting the freshest eggs possible.  For a recipe like this Milk Chocolate Pots de Creme, having fresh and high quality eggs is very important because they are the star of the show.

Pots de Creme is the french equivalent of custard.  Traditionally, they are served in beautiful little pots, hence the name pots de creme, or pots of cream.  The egg yolks make this recipe the most rich, creamy, and smooth dessert that I can think of.  Almost like a chocolate pudding, but times a thousand.  There are a few ways to make this dessert, but I am opting for the stove top method.  You heat cream and milk together with sugar and salt, bring it to a boil, and slowly marry it into whisked egg yolks.  You put that mixture on the stove and cook it until it becomes thick and coats the back of a spoon.  Pour the custard over chopped chocolate, let it sit, and then give it a go in the blender to get out any lumps that might form from the cooking process.  Chill in the fridge to let the pots de creme set up, top with some freshly whipped cream, and some milk chocolate curls.  Heaven in a cute little pot.

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
5 LAND O LAKES® All-Natural Brown Egg yolks
10 ounces milk chocolate, chopped finely
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

whipped cream (optional)
chocolate shavings (optional)

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream, milk, sugar, and salt to a boil over medium heat.

In another heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks.

Very slowly, whisk the half of cream and milk mixture into the egg yolks.

Pour the egg and cream mixture back into the saucepan and put it back on the stove.

Cook over medium heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the custard coats the back of the spoon, about 4 minutes.
Add the chopped chocolate to a large heatproof bowl.  Pour the custard over the chocolate and let it stand for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate.  Add the vanilla.

Put the mixture into a blender and blend for 1 minute until it is completely smooth.  Pour the mixture into 4 (1-cup) bowls.

Chill for 2 hours before serving.

Garnish with freshly whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

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