Fabulous French Apple Tarts

Well hello my little foodies!

It has been a long time and to tell you the truth, I haven't been cooking. I know, I'm bad.

I am super excited to share this easy dessert recipe with you all. And when I say easy, mean easy.

Now, I know what you must be thinking. "French? Easy? No way!" This simple tart with change your mind of thisd usually frou-frou cuisine for good. I know easy is usually not my style. I'm usually a Mario Batalli wannabe in the kitchen and am willing to go through those 20 steps. But not with this. I think you'll be pleased at how easy and straight forward this is.

Now, another thing that I'm not usually comfortable admitting is that I am a naughty baker. I don't do exact measurements, I don't follow the instructions to a tee, and I like to throw things in and change tempertatures. I would not reccomend this if you're not experienced in the kitchen.

Here's what I'll do, I will write the recipe I used in black ink, then write my corrections in red. Then, you can use your judgement.

French Apple Tart by Ina Garten

For the pastry :

2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon sugar 12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced 1/2 cup ice water

I followed this exactly!

For the filling :

4 Granny Smith apples 1/2 cup sugar 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced 1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam 2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water

Now, with 4 apples chopped, I made two cookie sheet sized tarts.

I did not use jelly or jam, and I just sprinkled 2 T water on top.

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

The food processor works great for this, truely. However, I did not let the dough rest, I know...naughty.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

I did not roll this either. I have and it works fine, but I just used my hand and smoothed it over the parchment. And, you guessed it, I didn't refridgerate it either.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.

I didn't peel the apples, nor did I follow the instructions for dividing the apple, but these are simple to follow. I did cut them very thin. Like I said earlier, I made two cookie sheet sized tarts out of the dough and the apples for this single recipe.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature. 45 min worked better in my oven, but mine gets very hot. I put the water on before the tart went into the oven to keep them from drying out. I sprinkled a little cinnamon on top just before serving.

I love how rustic it looks when it's finished. Bon appetite!

Spring NOW!

Ahh, the air is filled with that warm-er air and the snow is melting, my friends! It is time to be thinking spring, if you haven't already! This drink recipe is perfect for a little boost of sunshine.

I tried this for a superbowl party and it was delicious, refreshing, and easy!!

Mint-Lime Spritzer

1, 2 liter of lemon-lime soda
3 medium limes, juiced
5-8 sprigs fresh mint, depending on how minty you like it
lots of ice

Juice 3 whole limes into a pitcher. Place as much ice as you like in the pitcher, then pour soda over. Slightly roll mint sprigs in your hands to release the essential oils, and add to pitcher. Stir well.
I put mine in the fridge for around 20 before serving, just so all the ingredients can hang out and get to know each other well.
*If you prefer a sweeter drink, you can add a tablespoon of sugar.

The result: A wonderful, refreshing, spring-in-a-glass drink!

Bottoms up!

A

a few of my favorite things...

Last night while making dinner I stumbled upon this delicious pasta dish! I don't think I've mentioned yet that my husband and I are vegetarian, and therefor all my recipes will be too! But, vegetarian or not, this pasta is "yum" and the ingredients are just a few of my favorite things:

Garlic Spaghetti
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
salt
1 lb/450 g dried spaghetti
3 tbsp dried parsley flakes
teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 c. fresh Parmesan, grated

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic & pinch of salt and cook over low heat stirring constantly, until golden brown, then remove saucepan from heat.

2. Bring large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, return to boil & cook according to box directions. Drain and return to saucepan.

3. Add the olive oil-and-garlic mixture to the pasta and toss to coat thoroughly. Add parsley & pepper and toss to coat again.

4. Transfer the pasta to warmed serving dish & sprinkle with Parmesan. Salt to taste.

Enjoy!
~Laura Joy~

(Base of recipe from "Mmmm... Pasta")

A New Year, A New Kitchen!

Hello! I'm Laura Joy, the other "writer" for this blog! I've been a little busy over the past few months, but here I am and I'm ready to blog! This past New Year's Eve my husband and I hosted a party to celebrate our new apartment. Mostly, to celebrate my new kitchen! I love to cook & bake, but when your kitchen teeny tiny, it is difficult to make much more than noodles & sauce. But, moving into our new place also upgraded my kitchen! So, I decided to make everything from scratch for this blessed event. Quite an undertaking when you have been out of practice, but still very fun! I am going to share just one of the recipes with you today... Spinich & Artichoke Dip.

Makes about 5 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
2 c. (8 ounces) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/2 c. Fat-Free Sour Cream
1/4 c. (1 ounce) Grated Fresh Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 (14 ounce) Can Artichoke Hearts, drained & chopped
1 (8 ounce) Block 1/3-Less-Fat Cream Cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) Block Fat Free Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 of a 10 ounce package Fresh Chopped Spinach

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350*

Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and next 6 ingredients (through spinach) in a large bowl, and stir until well-blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm with bread or tortilla chips.

Good luck!

(The base of this recipe is from Cooking Light & myrecipes.com)

Pumpkin Love

Fall is by far my favorite season for three beautiful reasons. 1) the weather, 2) the colored leaves and 3) it's closer to Christmas.
Fall is a great time of family bonding and wonderful memories, thanks to all the holidays jam packed into these few months. One of my favorite memories of me and my family is of my dad and I baking pumpkin seeds right after gutting a huge pumpkin for carving.

This idea is GREAT if you have kids. Let them dig their little hands into the squishy pumpkin guts; they'll love it! And, if reduce, reuse, recycle is your motto, you'll love this, too. Not one part of this wonderful fall fruit goes to waste! Use the actually pumpkin, de-gutted, to carve, use the seeds as a tasty, low calorie snack and the guts go into your garden or compost.

You can use about any size pumpkin for this. I find the medium carving pumpkins give the best green benefit, and surprisingly, the small pie pumpkins have a ton of seeds.

• The most laborious of tasks is to scrape all the seeds out of your pumpkin's cavity (I use two bowls, separating the messy, orange insides from the seeds the best I can).
• After you're done, place the seeds in a colander. Rinse well and make sure to turn the batch so you can find extra innards and discard.
• When you're finished prepping, spread the seeds out onto (a) greased baking sheet(s).
• Next, apply your favorite seasoning. I like seasoned salt, but I know of recipes using Ranch Dressing mix, brown sugar and cinnamon, butter and garlic powder... you name it.
• Give your seeds a 'mild' coating, making sure to toss to coat.

*Tip* If you're using a salt mix, make sure not to over apply. Results will make you thirsty.

• Next place in a 275 degree oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

These tasty treats save for about 2 weeks in an air-tight container. You can also freeze undressed seeds for later toasting.

*Tip* If you're planning on carving your orange friend, coat the inside with ground cinnamon. It helps keep the fruit from getting infected and rotting; plus it makes your work of art smell like pumpkin pie when you light a candle inside!

Aubrey

Pantry Raid #1

I love pantry raids! This recipe was designed to be easy, but still homemade. The beauty of it is you can add whatever you like to the salad; cucumbers, chicken, even jalapenos. Whatever you have in your pantry or fridge will work great in this salad.

Tuna Salad Over Pasta
2 cans tuna or 1 package
1 carrot, chopped
3 medium ribs celery, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, diced
3 cups pasta, I used whole grain spirals

Dressing
1/2 tomato, squished
1/3 c Kraft Tomato Basil dressing
1/4 c EVOO
1 T freshly chopped basil
2 T lemon juice
pinch of red pepper flake, optional.

-Boil water, add a healthy dash of salt and drop pasta. Cook according to package.
Chop veggies, add tuna into a medium bowl.
Squeeze tomato cut side down, like you're juicing a lemon, into a small bowl. Add dressing, lemon juice and whisk with EVOO to combine. Add basil and red pepper flake.
Add veggies and tuna to pasta, then dress.

No matter what Italians say, this pasta is beautifully garnished with Parmesan cheese, freshly grated.
Happy Raiding!

Aubrey

Exciting News!

We are very excited, yes we, to bring you a collaboration!
My friend, Laura and I are here to bring you more recipes and reviews! We have just signed on today, together, to start a whole new experience of blogging.
We hope you enjoy us doubly!

Laura&Aubrey