Saturday, August 21, 2010

Strawberry Tart

I was looking for a dessert to use our yummy strawberries in. I remembered this recipe from my SIL.

(Ignore the very cheesy picture...I made this for our anniversary so my hubby took the pic)
Her recipe was for raspberries but strawberries are an easy substitute.

Crust:
1 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 TBL sugar
½ orange rind, grated
1egg yolk
6 TBL cold butter, cut into pieces
3-4 TBL whipping cream (I just used milk)

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and orange rind. Add the cutter and cut in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With a fork, stir in the egg yolk and just enough cream to bind the dough. Gather into a ball, wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate. Prepare the filling.

Filling:
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 TBL flour
1 ¼ cup milk
1/8 tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and lemon colored. Gradually stir in the flour. In a saucepan, bring the milk and salt just to a boil, and remove from heat. Whisk into the egg yolk mixture, return to the pan, and continue whisking over moderately high heat until just bubbling. Cook for three minutes to thicken. Transfer immediately to a bowl. Add the vanilla and stir to blend. Cover with wax paper to prevent a skin from forming.

Topping:
1 lb fresh raspberries (strawberries also work well)

Glaze: (I compeletly forgot to make the glaze...we just added whipped cream :)
5 TBL concord grape jelly
1 TBL fresh orange juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough about 1/8 inch thick, transfer to a 10-inch tart pan and trim the edge. Prick the bottom all over with a fork and line with aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights. Continue baking until golden, 6-8 minutes more. Let cool.

Spread an even layer of the pastry cream filling in the tart shell and arrange the raspberries on top. Prepare the glaze by melting the jelly and orange juice in a pan and brush on top to glaze. DO NOT GLAZE UNTIL SERVING TIME!

Nice and refreshing!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Quick Snack Cake

My SIL passed this fun little recipe on to me a few weeks ago after she got it from a friend. Can't wait to give it a try.

1 box angel food cake mix (one that doesn't require eggs)
1 box regular cake mix - any flavor
Mix dry cake mixes together in a plastic bag or plastic storage container.

Put 1/4 cup dry mix in a microwave safe cup
Add 2 tbsp water and stir
Microwave on high for one minute.

After it's cooked, you could add frosting and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
1 serving, about 100 calories

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Cleaning Tip

While I was away, I learned a cleaning tip from my mom. Polish your bathroom/kitchen crome by spraying rubbing alchol on it and wiping off with a rag. FABULOUS! Spray rubbing alcohol on mirrors/windows...no streaks! AWESOME! Spray rubbing alcohol on sticky spots and rub off with a rag to remove it. AMAZING! I've had a sticker sticky spot on my van front window for over a year now. I've tried razor blades, water, window cleaner, etc. to get it off. Nothing has worked until now. I'm so happy. She claims it works on getting gum off/out of things. Haven't had to try it yet...hope I don't need to :)

August Menu

Finally back on track again...
1. Pasta
2. Grilled Steak
3. French Dip Sandwiches
4. Tacos
5. Baked Potato Bar
6. Beef Enchiladas
7. Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry
8. Roast
9. Crepes
10. Super Nachos
11. Steak Kabobs
12. Alfredo
13. Chicken Enchiladas
14. Tin Foil Dinners
15. Meatloaf
16. Chicken Parmigina
17. Fried Chicken
18. Pizza
19. Zuchini Casserole
20. Chicken Fried Steak
21. BBQ Chicken
22. Chicken & Rice
23. Baked Fish
24. Tator Tot Casserole
25. Pork Chops
26. Omelettes
27. Chicken & Dressing Casserole
28. Burritos
29. Hurdsman Chicken
30. Taco Salad
31. Orange Chicken