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



the best strawberry icing ever...

in March when I was in search of a strawberry cupcake and strawberry icing recipe

for Hayley's birthday

I started with the martha stewart website

I found a couple recipes and then read the reviews since

I couldn't decide which one to use

and I'm so happy I did that because

I found the absolute best recipe!

It is from Candace Nelson of Sprinkle Cupcakes

the best icing on the planet

I do say so myself

I wanted to share with you all

that I have a new friend in the kitchen

courtesy of my parents for my birthday
thank you again mom and dad

meet my new kitchen aid

so I made the icing just so I could use my new kitchen bestie

and she's certainly a beauty

and was so much fun to use

so i'm even thinking I need to name her

{smile}

here we go

the absolute best strawberry icing recipe ever

first puree the fresh strawberries

{I puree a little bit more than called for and keep in the fridge

if I need to make more

or you can use the rest of pancakes, etc.

not that I make pancakes a lot

because I don't...

but it always gets used somehow

whether it's smoothies or something

*just a note...you don't need to add any water or liquid to the strawberries to puree

no watering down...just puree them alone...it may take a second for the blades to start with the strawberries in the blender, food processor or whatever you are using

anyway, set the puree aside for now

lets start with two sticks of butter

{yes I really just wrote two sticks of butter}

and a pinch of salt

{I'm not a salt user...but you really do need to use it for this}

does that not look like two sticks of butter?

well it is...

I like to buy trader joe's quartered butter sticks...they still are 8 T

just the sticks are smaller but bigger round

they take up less space in my mind i guess

anyway...it's just good butter

beat together the butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy

reduce the mixer speed and slowly add the confectioners' sugar

{sifted...although i'm a bad sifter...but it does help}

3 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar

beat until all is well combined like this

add 1/2 t pure vanilla extract

now my very favorite thing to use is vanilla bean paste

I use the same amount

i just love it better because you can see the flakes of beans in it

and when you are making anything vanilla

you can see the flakes and it looks oh so pretty

the kind of vanilla bean paste I use

found at william sonoma

I don't go to william sonoma very often

so I bought two bottles so it saves me a trip when I run out

add three tablespoons of the strawberry puree

I do heaping tablespoons of the puree

because i love the real strawberry flavor

mix until blended

do not overmix as it will incorporate too much air

the frosting should be dense and creamy like ice cream

{just a hint...I have no idea on that...I personally just mix it until I like the way it looks}

and enjoy

of course keep away from family

as if you don't little fingers end up in the bowl

top to your favorite cupcake!

I do have Candace's cupcake recipe...

it was great...I just have a hard time getting homemade cupcakes to be light and airy

but if you'd like the cupcake recipe...it's below

Happy Easter everyone:)

Candace Sprinkles' Strawberry icing recipe

1/2 cup fresh strawberries {whole}

1 cup or 2 sticks of unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold

pinch of coarse salt

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/2 t pure vanilla extract {I used vanilla bean paste}

Candace Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes

makes one dozen

2/3 cups whole fresh strawberries

1 1/2 cupes all-purpose flour, sifted

1 t baking powder

1/4 t coarse salt

1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 t pure vanilla extract {I used vanilla bean paste when I made these}

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature {equivalent to one stick}

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg whites, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners

place strawberries in small food processor; process until pureed. You should have 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra if you are making the icing listed above

in a medium bowl, whisk together, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

in a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. gradually add sugar and combine to beat until well combined and fluffy. reduce mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until blended.

with the mixer on low, slowly add half of the flour mixture, mix until blended. add the milk mixture; mix until blended. slowly add the remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, until blended.

divide the batter eveny among the prepared muffin cups. bake until tops just dry to the touch ~ about 22 to 25 minutes. let cool completely before icing

for the love of mahi mahi

this past week the girls were asking for mahi mahi

every.single.night

Monday or Tuesday of last week
{obviously I cannot remember which night}
we had mahi mahi burgers

courtesy of Trader Joe's

they are delish

if I do say so myself

but every night there after they wanted mahi mahi fillets

so Friday we headed to Trader Joe's

to get those fillets
 they are such a good price at tj's

and taste wonderful

{fyi...they are in the frozen section}

usually I just cook the mahi mahi fillets

very simple because I love their flavor naturally
I typically just rub them in olive oil

and season with lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper
and saute or grill them

but I came across a great recipe in one of my old

Food and Wine magazines

the July 2010 issue

and I said

"that's it"

we are trying something new tonight {Saturday}

and I was so excited that most of the ingredients I had in my pantry

which is not usual

{chuckle}
I really wish I could get better at stocking my pantry
but it seems impossible right now

so here we go

the name of the recipe is

Grilled Fish with Artichoke Caponata

recipe by Michael White

from the July 2010 Food and Wine issue

here's the final dish...
but I'll show you step-by-step
with the recipe at the bottom
{lighting in my kitchen is not the greatest so excuse the pictures}

first here's the ingredients:

 make sure you have a deep skillet

{it's just easier}

I'm a big fan of my Rachael Ray pan that my parents got me a couple of Christmas' ago

absolutely *love* it

first four ingredients to use...olive oil, onion, celery, and garlic

start with the olive oil

and heat the olive oil until shimmering in your skillet

add the diced celery and onion
I *always* use a white onion
just my preference

then garlic, thinly sliced

give it a stir and cook on medium heat until softened

about 4 minutes

about like this

next

add the seasoned tomato sauce

I just bought a basic sauce and seasoned to taste according to our preference

which for my family...is garlic powder {never garlic salt}, basil, parsley, and oregano, and a few other things I cannot remember right now

add a dry white wine
I laughed because I was saving the already opened bottle that had about a 1/2 cup left in it
to make this recipe
poured it in a glass without thinking
and took a sip...since I forgot I was going to be cooking with it
so I guess I had a little less than called for

{obviously I like to cook while enjoying a glass of wine at the same time
so my typical red was poured shortly after}

*oops*
but it still turned out just fine

and here's the wine...pour in the skillet

next pour in the white wine vinegar

artichoke hearts

pitted green olives

pine nuts

which i completely forgot about

but would have been yummy

if i'd remembered

next I added organic cane sugar

drained, small capers

then add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

*i always do a lot of pepper*

simmer until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is reduced

about 8 or so minutes

lastly...add the shredded basil

i roll my basil leaves and slice that way

it's so much easier

and they stay nicer...

I'm sure you all know that

but took me a couple of years to figure that out

when basil is added, stir
 and let cool while you prepare the mahi mahi fillets

for the mahi mahi fillets
it actually calls for six 7-ounce fillets
I just bought one package for us four which usually has 4 fillets
but the package I picked up happened to have two extra large fillets
so I knew I would have extra sauce
but we are an extra sauce kind of family

on to cooking the fillets...

here's our mahi mahi fillets
that we rubbed with olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper

the recipe calls for grilling the mahi mahi

but being that it's super cold and we don't have an indoor grill

I just sauteed them by coating the pan with water

and a little more extra virgin olive oil so they wouldn't stick

you only cook them a couple of minutes on each side

it doesn't take long

and here you go...

next it's time to plate the mahi mahi

just put the amount of artichoke caponata on top as preferred

I did extra
since I loved the sauce and vegetables so much

for sides

I steamed some broccoli while the girls and Bobby made mozzarella cheesy~bread

for the broccoli

i seasoned with my homemade herb vinegar I did a couple months back

it is so yummy and made from freshly grown herbs out of my mom's yard

recipe found from this blog here

I added the herb vinegar while the broccoli was boiling as well as a tiny bit on top after

then I sprinkled the broccoli with trader joe's parmesan cheese

and voila!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup EVOO, plus more for rubbing

4 tender celery ribs, diced {1 cup}

1 onion, finely chopped {I always use white onions}

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 cup prepared tomato sauce

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 pound marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup pitted green olives, chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts

3 tablespoons of sugar {organic cane sugar is the best}

2 tablespoons small capers, drained

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons shredded basil

Six 7-ounce skinless mahi mahi fillets

1. In a large, deep skillet, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil until shimmering. Add the celery, onion, garlic and cook over moderate heat until just softened, 4 minutes. 

Add the tomato sauce, wine, vinegar, artichokes, olives, pine nuts, sugar, and capers. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is reduced, approximately 8 minutes. Stir in the basil, and then let cool.

2. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Rub the fish with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderately high heat, turning once until cooked through, about 9 minutes. Transfer the fish to plates, top with caponata and serve.

death by chocolate...

Alright everyone....

I don't have any pictures of my new so-called " hair-do"

but maybe another time...

 the hair whip that I got was from Aveda...

it is a defining whip

it's amazing how much product you have to use to get the "natural" beach look

on top of the sea salt spray

and volumizing stuff I already had...

but anyway...

I am desperately needing to take some pictures

I have been the slacker for too long now

and at the lake...my camera didn't come out once

shame on me, right?

because now it has left me without much to say

this week was a simple week

among my favorites...

was waking up to the smell of fresh lavendar on my bedside table

driving with the windows down and the radio up

seeing my vines outside take over our porch

having the girls stay up extra late with me last night to go see the 4 toads

and tree frog that we have in our yard...

and laughing as we are chasing them so we can pick them up

and then getting peed on by them

the toads peeing not Madison and Hayley

just in case you were wondering:)

we stopped by the pet store on the way home one day
we had so much fun adoring all the animals

from the dogs, rabbits, fish, birds, lizards

oh how I just wanted to grab a new addition to our family

but we didn't, of course...

and this morning aggravated that the newly painted chair I finally and just finished

had the paint peeled off by Madison

so I have to start over

grrrr...

but the frame for the mirror has been completed and I love the color

At first I wasn't sure about the color

I had picked a seafoam color that turned out lighter than I thought

but it'll end up being just fine

I still need to convert the mirror into a big chalkboard

well okay I have to recruit Bobby's help on that

I'm too much of a wuss to have the chalkboard spray bubble on me

all these things leading up to a death by chocolate night with girlfriends tonight

only for special, special people do I ever make chocolate cake for

{meaning only Bobby and my favorite girlfriends}
that doesn't mean you aren't special if I haven't made one for ya...
I just have to have an event to motivate me to do so

 chocolate cake is not my favorite

I won't say I don't like it

 but I'm just a plain vanilla or white chocolate kinda-girl

and tonight everyone has to bring chocolate chocolate

to our girls night

I may feel sick by the end of the evening

but I'm looking forward to another night out with the girls

to put a spin on the chocolate cake I made for the baby shower in June

I made it how the directions actually said - 3 layer cake instead of a bundt cake

with the original icing and made some ganoche on the side to dribble over the top

ridiculous, right?

on half of the cake between the layers I purchased black raspberry seedless jam

to spread between 1/2 of the cake so it isn't just chocolate

and topped with fresh mint leaves and blackberries

I was informed by Bobby that not everyone likes fruit filling

{meaning just him}

so I was instructed to do that for only 1/2 the cake

if you know Bobby at all he has an indirect way of telling you things

pretty much he was saying...

"Martha don't ruin the cake with fruit filling because I want the left overs"

I told him fat chance

no really if there isn't any cake left over from us girls there are issues

because this cake is huge and weighs twice as much as the cake plate

and there are 6 of us bringing desserts

although I must admit saving him some cake will become great leverage

because one way to his heart

is when I make chocolate cake for him

it usually only comes twice a year

Valentine's Day and his birthday

so this is a special occasion to him

I'm not going to lie and act like I don't bribe my own husband

with chocolate cake

because I do

{I tell you that as I chuckle}...

I absolutely do

it works every time like a charm

and to be honest...he really doesn't mind

so I'll save him a few pieces of this heart attack chocolate cake

just because I'm a good wife like that

in case you are a chocolate lover...

here's the recipe...

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

from the Taste of Home cookbook

1 cup baking cocoa

1 cup boiling water

1 cup butter, softened

2 1/2 cps sugar

4 eggs

2 t vanilla extract

3 cups flour {I did part wheat flour}

2 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 cup sour cream

frosting:

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips {I swear Trader Joe's has the best chocolate chips}

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sour cream

1 t vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

ganoche: {this is not from this cake recipe...but from a different one...so it makes a ton extra you won't              use but just adds texture and pretty to the overall cake}

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream; heated to a simmer

for garnish: fresh mint leaves and blackberries

and if you want to add fruit filling between the layers...I purchased black raspberry

1.  Dissolve cocoa in water; let stand until cool. in a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well. Add cocoa mixture; beat well.

3. Pour into three greased 9-inch round baking pans. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until toothpick insterted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

4. In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter over low heat; stir until smooth. remove from heat; cool for 5 minutes. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat until blended. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Spread between layers and over the top and sides of cake. This is where I also added the black raspberry jam between the layers.

5. for the ganoche: chop chocolate chips into tiny pieces or you may use a food processer and pulse them until chopped. Add heated cream as you are pulsing the chocolate chips in a slow steady stream until the mixture is smooth and cream. Drizzle while warm over the cooled cake....{I just did a little to cover up the imperfections of my icing}

6. Garnish with mint leaves and blackberries and/or raspberries