pumpkin cream tarts with candied cranberries

last weekend we had our friend christmas get together

and I was bringing a couple of different food items and a dessert

I really had an urge to do something different

and I believe I found a wonderful, wonderful recipe

I was beyond excited to make tarts

out of all the desserts I've made over the years I had never tried tarts

and besides I wanted something other than a chocolate dessert:)

So during my late night internet search a couple of weeks ago

I found the winning recipe I wanted to try

pumpkin cream tarts with candied cranberries

courtesy of country living

I thought I'd share the recipe with you all because I loved them so much

making the tarts was definitely more fun for me

 I felt a little like I was "creating" more in the kitchen

rather than going through ..."my routine of baking"

I did take pictures as I knew I wanted to get back to blogging

plus I am such a visual person with recipes

I love to see pictures of what I'm making

and thought you may appreciate them as well

As a side note before I get started

most of my ingredients came from trader joe's

I know...

I go on and on about Trader Joe's

but I really believe that 1/2 the time the ingredients from there make all the difference

especially their ginger snaps

so throughout the recipe...I'll make note of which ingredients I think are best from there

step one

make the tart shells

one of my favorite parts about making the tarts are the beautiful tart tins

and how pretty they looked stacked together

I know...not part of my recipe {smile}

Preheat your over to 350

Combine the gingersnaps cookies crumbs {3 cups} with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 1 1/2 sticks of butter in a large bowl...yes that much butter:)

so the gingersnaps are literally the best from Trader Joe's...I purchased the ones in the circular clear container because there was more in the container than the ones in the bag

I love their cinnamon as well

and absolutely love, love, love trader joe's butter....I like how their sticks are quartered size or you can use their awesome irish butter...make sure it's unsalted butter:)

Cover the bottoms and sides of eight 3 1/2-inch tartlet pans with removable bottoms with the crumb mixture. Transfer the tartlet shells to a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely.

They will look this color

step two

Make the cranberry topping: Bring 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add the fresh cranberries {1 cup} and cook until they just begin to soften. Remove cranberries with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and set aside.

Reserve cranberry syrup for another use.

I did use cranberries from trader joe's as well

and I added just a bit of orange juice to them as I cooked them

I couldn't help myself that I filled almost two ball jars up with the cranberry syrup

the color looked amazingly beautiful

and the syrup will be perfect for the pancakes I will make Christmas morning
or even for ice cream

 

***also when I made this recipe I doubled the recipe in order to make around 16 tarts so that's why I had so much syrup***

 

step three

Make the filling:

Fill a large bowl with ice and water and set aside.

Place the milk {1/2 cup and yes I always stress organic...organic milk is a must in my opinion} in a small bowl, sprinkle the unflavored gelatin {1 teaspoon} over it, and set aside.

Combine the pumpkin purée {1 cup}, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons brandy, 1 1/3 Tablespoons cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, and 4 large egg yolks in large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble and a thermometer reads 140 degrees F.

***again trader joe's has the best pumpkin puree...and talking with the check out person she told me that their pumpkin is fabulous for dog's coats...

so I've been adding a little to my sweet cadence's dish at night too***

Stir in the milk mixture, cook for 1 more minute, transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, and place over the prepared ice bath.

Stir occasionally, until cool — about 10 minutes.

Okay since I doubled the recipe it was taking longer than 10 minutes for me...I set it in the ice bath for about a 1/2 hour and it still wasn't cool so I resorted to the freezer for about 15 minutes 

 I was in a time crunch because the tarts still had to set for 6+ hours when finished

I got a little ahead of myself and started filling the tarts with the pumpkin mix after it was cooled and it looked like this

BUT...the recipe wanted me to fold the whipped cream I made into the chilled pumpkin mixture and THEN fill the prepared shells

so I literally had to scoop this mix out of 20 shells back into a bowl

and then I followed the directions which it said:

Fold the whipped cream into the chilled pumpkin mixture, fill the prepared shells, and smooth the tops.

GOT IT NOW!!! {smile}

so to make the whip cream...you need 1 cup of heavy cream whipped to soft peaks

I love to use my mixer because I can turn the setting on high and let it go

just to let you know

I added about 1 to 2 teaspoons {I can't remember how much} of my vanilla bean paste that I get from william sonoma... I love vanilla bean paste of vanilla extract because it looks prettier with the little flakes of the vanilla bean ~ love, love

pretty pretty!!!

but you have to do it quick or people like my husband keep trying my whip cream

Chill for 6 hours+ or overnight.

Top each tartlet with a spoonful of the candied cranberries and serve cold.

I personally thought it was pretty to drizzle a little bit of the cranberry syrup I had in the ball jars on the tarts after topping them with the cranberries:)

the recipe says it yields 8 tarts...

but I found it was probably more like 10 tarts
as I got 20 tarts from doubling the recipe

I hope you all enjoy

I'm actually going to be making more this weekend

just one batch this time:)

since Madison and Hayley weren't able to try one

plus I wanted to make some for my parents too

Happy Baking and Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas!

xo



hayley's room redo

I'm a little belated in showing this

two months late perhaps

of Hayley's room redo

and I still don't feel like I'm ready to show the changes we made to her bedroom

her room really is pretty much done for now

except maybe some small changes here and there

okay the small change I'm hoping for sometime

is eventually adding white beadboard
when we can
and when Bobby is actually in town
{and willing to do it}

but for now...

her room is "done"

thankfully I downloaded Hayley's room pictures a couple of weeks ago
 I forgot my camera in Bobby's car when he was out of town
so i haven't taken pictures for weeks!!!

 however, I do have a little post of Hayley's room
after the redo
it'll be nice to have documented this down the road

but...I wish...

I wish...

I would have taken a before picture for you all too
I just got so consumed with getting it done before her birthday
I forgot all about taking the before picture

we had an old dresser in her room that i so happily put on Craig's list

it is not one I even want to refinish
look at
or really see again
it was a pain to clean
{that's why I say that}

she had a toddler bed in her room too
and some shelves
just not really put together after we changed her nursery to toddler

so how I approached Hayley's room redo...
i wanted it to feel like her own

she had been asking since early January that she wanted a "big girl bed" just like Madison

she was telling everyone...

my parents

Bobby and I

probably anyone who would listen:)
she is our talker in the family
non-stop talker as a matter of fact
that sometimes Madison even asks her to please be quiet for even a minute

 I thought her room redo would be the perfect birthday present from us

she gets so much from others

that I wanted to do something practical from us

and I was right because

she now loves to play in her room
and sometimes the peace in quiet when she is in there is worth it to me as a "mom"
whose husband is out of town pretty much every week

but i guess I "should say"
more importantly... I wanted it to feel like it was her space

actually I wanted some personal space a little bit too
just being honest here

since she had talked about wanting her big girl room to my parents

they said they had a bed I could refinish

so I did

and my parents wanted to get all of Hayley's bedding for her for her birthday
because they were on board with me
and once they get an idea in there head to help
there is no stopping them
that's just the way my parents are
i love them:)

 

literally

I refinished a bed and dresser

at no cost
already had the paint...just had to make the time

I also shopped around our own house to find a side table from Madison's room
{Madison now has a different side table as her birthday present in April}

and the display table under her shelves
used to be in our loft area that had our second tv and dvd player on

it is definitely much prettier in Hayley's room than in the loft

Bobby and I only purchased curtains and her new chandelier

which was actually refurbished...
not expensive at all
very similiar to the one in madison's room and our room

I wanted to share with you all that i shopped around my own house
because 'room redos" can be done
without spending any money or very little money

i'm by no means a decorating pro
but I have learned to shop my own home first before buying anything

since my first thought isn't always to buy something new
{unless i have a piece stuck in my head that I know I don't have}

I'll just wait until the time is right or until I come across what I'm looking for

with Hayley's room we wanted to keep her walls "the yellow" we painted her nursery

she loves yellow

and the color fits her...
since she is a sunshine girl

so we found some pretty white bedding to compliment her and her wall color

 I wanted her yellow walls to stand out rather than blend in

I asked Madison if I could take her pillow from her room for Hayley's
only because it wasn't going to fit Madison's new bedding anymore that she got for her birthday

she was so sweet and didn't even think about it when she said yes
I just explained she would have a new one very soon herself

I'm sure you are done with my rambling so I'll just get on to the pictures
it is so bright and vibrant for Hayley
it makes me smile every time i walk in her room
and she does too
...sometimes she even makes her own bed in the morning
well I guess that lasted about a month
but it was nice while it lasted:)
and to me any 3-year-old willingly making their bed is pretty good for anytime it lasts

yes I probably should have cleaned her frog container before I showed you pictures

when i was little I got two dolls from my Grandpa and Grandma M

 I gave one to each of the girls

and this one has always fit Hayley and her room

hayley's snuggly duckling sign from her Tangled birthday party I hung above her closet

and for Hayley's artwork because i never seem to have enough space on my

refrigerator...I thought I'd start hanging it in their room

so you can see I do actually have a fridge in my kitchen:)

and because Hayley is our dragonfly I had made her a dragonfly

when i was still pregnant with her

and it goes perfectly with her room now

white eyelet curtains with dragonfly clips on them

a picture of Hayley I took in our neighborhood last early spring

and a baby one of her

the shells in the jar are from our first family trip to the beach:)

and this bird cage was from my kitchen
hayley had asked for one just like Madison had
so it finally dawned on me to gift Hayley with this one

and that's it for the little walk through

two months a little late in showing you all
but i finally have it put together
if the pictures are edited a little funny
it's because my computer has a new screen and the lightening is really off on it to me

xo



just the thing

I was randomly searching for a few things to get ideas

and inspiration and came across this

super cute and super girly fabric that I love
*love*
for Madison and Hayley

{both sourced}

and it's perfect for the girl's rooms for an idea
can't wait to show you what I'll do with it
{well after Christmas}
 because it goes with one of their presents

and the extra fabric left over
I've already got a few ideas what can be done with it too

hoping the pretty soft colors and florals give you a smile today

as we are diving straight into cold fall weather

corner of smiles

this morning as I woke Madison up for school

I walked into her room

and just smiled at the side of her bed

she was sleeping peacefully...

albeit we were already late for school

because she was overtired from the day before

and I lost track of time

what's new lately...I'll admit running late drives me crazy

but I've been guilty of it so much these past couple of months

I still took my time with her getting her dressed and waking her up for the day

it makes the day go smoother when she wakes up nicely rather than in a rush

but this little girl had pictures today

and she was grinning ear to ear as I placed a grey headband on her head

that yes I do wear from time to time too

but it looks fantastic on her

But as I walked into her room ~

I always seem to gaze at this corner of her room

it makes me smile every time I see it

Even though we aren't quite finished with her big girl room we started at the beginning of the year

I still wanted to take a few photos of this little corner for memory sake

capturing the small things

that make her smile

because she loves her room

and that way she can remember what it looked like years from now

she's my girl that will secretly escape at some part of the day to her room

she loves her alone time

she's always been that way

so we let her be

giving her some space that she looks forward to everyday

we have some plans to add bead board to the walls and paint the top something that fits her

or that she picks...
within reason I will add
because we aren't doing something that clashes with her current bedding

but for the meantime we had changed the walls to white

in order to get the brighter pink out

as well as to fit with her big girl bed

in her nursery, she formerly had pink walls...

I just knew when I was pregnant with her that she would love color for some reason

and she does...
so at that time is was a great fit

but when we got her big girl bedding back last year,

 pink walls and pink bedding was a bit too much

for everyone

she loves bright colors but also loves white
so it will be fun for Christmas getting it settled for her

{courtesy of Santa, of course}

she already loves to get into fixing her room up

so its the perfect gift

but for now

it makes her smile

 as is right now

and you can't beat being happy about that!

my dream bedroom

the time has come to finally show our retreat

our dream bedroom

if you remember I first referenced

"in my dream bedroom" with this post here back in January

yes our room makeover has taken about a year by the time the finishing touches are finally done

I used some of the inspiration from the photos

but not too much

we had a couple of rules

for the big things in our room

we had to sell the old to purchase the new

by the time I am done with this post you will be amazed at how much money I didn't spend for our retreat bedroom

most of the furniture was given to us

either this past year or even prior to that

some even found for free

can you believe that?...

thankful we are, yes

for example we sold our old bed on craig's list that paid for our new bed in January or February

it has been so long I can't exactly remember when it was

I sold my old desk that paid for my new desk... {in February}

the only thing that was really of any cost is that we had to put in a ceiling light

because we didn't have one

the only light we had was coming from 2 lamps

and it just wasn't enough

the chandi I got back in February from a sweet man that sent it from Cali

it was such a great price

Madison even convinced us out of the first one we purchased

as her birthday present in April

she was so head over heals we couldn't say no

so we had him send us another one so we could have a light

the next rule we had was the paint colors were staying the same

and so were the curtains

because we loved them

now our paint...

you will either love it or probably not like it

we have one wall a pacific blue color ~ you will see as you walk in

and the rest is a tan color

we just couldn't do all our walls the pacific blue

we have a nice size bedroom and we didn't want to make it smaller with a dark color on every wall

without further ado
{remember I'm not great at indoor pics}

Welcome to our retreat!

as you walk in our bedroom this is what you will see

we have our walk-in closet to the left

and a small bathroom to the right

{which those were not part of the bedroom redo}

one of my very favorite items is that trunk we found last December at a consignment shop

very cheap and I talked about it here

it is over 75 years old now and has a key lock

love it!

it houses our extra blankets

behind the bed we hung 3 shutters that I found at a local shoppe back in March

she gave me quite the deal to get rid of them

we hung a curtain bar and 2 white curtains

because I wanted a light breezy feel behind our bed

I need to back up a bit...right when you walk in on the wall

{beside our closet}

is a mirror my grandpa gave to us

I painted it white to match our decor

but I love the detail and weight of it

above the bed we hung our beach sign that I got Bobby for Christmas last year

our white bedding that just makes me smile

my youngest almost got permanent marker all over

last week

I almost birthed twins right then and there

to the right of the bed is Bobby's bedside table

we love it as is....

we got it at the Kane County Flea Market a year ago last October for $25 or $30...

 I absolutely love the black and tan look on it

the couple who we purchased it from said it had many layers of paint on it

the details on the legs are so pretty

on the table we have a sailboat that Bobby's parents bought us years ago

an apothecary jar with sand from our 1st family beach trip I earned last October

a vintage book underneath it

and the vows I wrote to Bobby when we married are in that frame

the picture to the right of the table was given to us by my Grandpa

I painted the frame white

and we thought it looked perfect against the wall color

plus it has a beach scene with a sail boat

 my Grandmother's chair was given to me by my Grandpa too

it is very meaningful

as that was her special chair she sat in

we did get the chair re-upholstered earlier in the year

since it was a bold striped pattern that didn't fit with our decor

I chose something that reminded me of her

beautiful, elegant, and simple

we painted the arms and legs white and distressed them ourselves

on the wall to the right of this chair is a shelf that we already had

a pregnancy picture of me with Bobby

a Willow tree figure that Bobby got me last year for our anniversary

the sail framed painting is from my sister-in-law that she purchased for us while in Europe

and the clock was from my grandfather

{in case you are wondering my parents and I had to down-size my grandpa into assisted living last year and so he gave us everything that didn't fit in his new place}

I'm so thankful to have his items in our home

if you turn around from the right side of the bedroom you will see a window to the left

and our dresser

the dresser...you guessed it from my grandfather that I painted and distressed while Bobby was on one of his out of town trips

I should have taken a picture of the detail on top of the mirror...I love it

and our house wouldn't be our home if we didn't have pictures hung everywhere

yes...everywhere...

the ones in our bedroom are mainly pregnancy pictures from both girls

taken by this great photographer

what I can't decide is if I should do anything above the mirror

in the future I was thinking of hanging little mirrors of different sizes and shapes

or empty vintage frames painted white

our are curtains on the left...

I love, love, love them since they are a pacific blue that matches our wall color really well

the basket on the floor

has books on my list to read

given to us and painted white



here are some images of items on our dresser

yes those are hydrangeas from my yard that I dried

shells in the silver dish from our beach trip last October that Bobby and Madison found

with the letter C I found in the dollar section at Michael's

{yes poor quality picture there}

and white beach rocks in a vintage container that we got from our beach trip as well

something we hope to fill up with trips in the future



and of course Cadence enjoying her favorite spot in our room

now to the left side of the room

I had to move my desk in the bedroom when Hayley was born

we wanted the girls to have their separate rooms

I'll start with my office area

now in all honesty...there is usually a printer underneath my desk right there

but I moved it to take pictures for you all

eventually I would like to put some white ruffled fabric surrounding the open space

to cover the printer and cords

the chair on the left was found for free

yes free...

Bobby fixed the seat for me because it was split

but it seems to be holding up just fine

I also painted the number thirteen on it

I actually {normally} have this chair downstairs for extra seating

but since I haven't gotten a chair that goes with my desk yet this is the one I put there for now

above my desk is my dream board I am working on adding my inspiration

but I made this one from

a vintage frame I purchased from the same shoppe as the shutters

she gave me a great deal that day for buying the three shutters and frame together

I already had a cork board I used

 it just so happened to fit perfectly in that frame

can you believe it?

lucky girl yes

and I just covered it with burlap I already had



on my board is a hydrangea picture that I actually want a frame for to hang in our kitchen

a letter M

a drawing the girls made me on my first travel trip without them

and a few vintage necklaces

as well as the first noodle necklace Madison made

yes that is a dove wrapper...Bobby posted it on my board as a reminder to me

I love *love* this lampshade on my desk

and the right side of my desk is a romantic poem Bobby wrote me a couple years ago

with two birds that were given to me by a friend

to the left of my desk is a dresser that used to be my Dad's

but it has traveled with me through college, apartments, our first home

I repainted, distressed, and changed the pulls/knobs a year ago

I actually mixed colors because I didn't like the color I originally got

which now I am in trouble because I needed to touch up a spot

and there is no way I can mix exactly to match

leason learned to keep special paint mixes *always*

it is also the dresser where our television currently resides but we moved it for the pictures

it will eventually be moved out of our bedroom into our small loft area

{yes he finally agreed}

woohoo!

what I eventually would like to put on the blue dresser are old {industrialish} lanterns

adding a little industrial decor to the room

when the time is right to shop for them

right now I just have just a few things including the flowers Bobby brought home to me when he told me he was going to be gone for 5 months

I love the glass knobs and cast iron pulls

to the right of my desk is an old framed mirror I found super cheap 

 Bobby painted the mirror with chalkboard paint

and I painted the frame

adding a starfish to the corner

used here for fun family photos we did

and the saying on the chalkboard I posted about here

now if you turn around and look at my bed again

this is my bedside table

that was given to us with the dresser from my Grandpa

a picture I love of Bobby and I

{Madison took it}

a lamp filled with sand and driftwood

and a special notebook to Bobby and I



this is our dream bedroom

it has taken us eight years plus to figure out exactly our combined style

we love white, tans, light colors

but also love a little bit of color and contrast

definitely blues

and obviously beach inspiration

we have areas we would love to add to in the future

but this is our retreat

our relaxation

our dream bedroom