The Final Straw....berry ;)

Hello Sweets,

I know I've been MIA that last couple days, but I am super busy lately.  Between spending time with family members, to trying to get organized and packed.  Yup that's right in just two short days I'll be with the love of my life once again, I will have already landed and will be enjoying the Texas sun :)  So Tuesday's post maybe just be a quick check in as I will most likely not be cooking that night, but who knows maybe Nathan and I will collaborate for a dinner. Eeekk, I can hardly wait it already feels like it's been months lol.

So this is it, the last tiny tart post lol and for my grandmother this is her favorite.  You remember that sneaky squirrel who was stealing our raspberries?  Well he also like strawberries, which made my grandmother very unhappy lol.  I haven't had too many strawberry pies that I enjoyed, but I also hated strawberries sprinkled with sugar as a kid lol.  I like fruit all on its own, but I wasn't going to let my personal preference get in the way of a new endeavor.  However, with that being said I was quite careful in selecting a recipe that really let the sweetness of the strawberries shine through.  With minimal sugar I was able to achieve exactly what I set out for, and considering these were gobbled up pretty quickly I think it was a good choice.

Strawberry Pie Filling

Ingredients

5 1/2C strawberries, washed/cored and quartered

1/2C sugar

3Tbs cornstarch

Directions:

1)  Place strawberries in a large bowl.

 

2)  Whisk together sugar and cornstarch to combine.

 

3)  Toss with strawberries until evenly coated.  Allow to sit for five minutes prior to adding to your pie pastry.

 

Same as with the earlier tarts, place a spoonful into each pastry cup.  Baking at 325F for 15-20 minutes, allowing to cool on wire rack before serving.

 

I know this post is on the short side, okay the really short side, but I still have more packing to do.  I also have a couple of letters I need to write and I have some thoughts swirling around in my head that I want to give a few minutes of my time.  Until next time.....................................................

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxoxo

A Little of This, A Lot of That!

Hello Sweets,

So after a really long sleep (ten hours) and a day of relaxing, I am still really sore and tired :(  I didn't expect to feel super and back to normal, but I definitely thought I would feel a little better.  It's unfortunate but I am used to this process, you'd think by now I'd be able to gauge what will hurt me and what won't.  Clearly I am not very good at that lol, but I made lots of lovely memories yesterday and that's all that matters to me.

Today's pie filling is a combination, I didn't have a lot of the main ingredient so when I came across this recipe it was absolutely perfect!  Let me see if this hint will help, what time of kiss do children love to do because of the sound it makes?  A raspberry lol!  My nephew does it all the time and he thinks it is just hilarious because it sounds so funny lol.  So our main star ingredient today is raspberries, but I didn't have enough to make a good fillings so I had to keep researching.  Then I came across a recipe that sounded so delicious to me, and it included one of my many favorite fruits.  That fruit is the one we used yesterday, nectarines!  The idea of raspberries and nectarines together sounded so good together that I didn't need to look any longer.  When I was little my grandmother used to grow raspberries and some other small fruits in her garden, I say hers because my grandfather's was the large vegetable garden.  It was fun at first, then the squirrels started stealing them before we could enjoy any and had to cover with mesh wire.  After that we had no problem ensuring we were able to enjoy them, and just like blueberries I just leave eating them by themselves.

Raspberry Nectarine Pie Filling

Ingredients

1C raspberries

1/4C nectarines, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced

3Tbs sugar

2Tsp flour

 

Directions:
1)  Gently toss the fruit with the sugar and flour until they're evenly coated.

 

A lovely mixture of sweet and tart, add a heaping spoonful to your pastry cup and bake as directed in my previous post.  Allow to completely cool before enjoying :)

 

I know I've said it probably a million times now, but I really am happy and proud of how these tarts turned out.  Each flavor is distinctly different in their own way, some sweet and other more tart.  All of them delicious and filling enough that you don't have to eat more than one at a time.  Not to mention you don't feel guilty about eating them because they're very close to bite size!

I know this post is on the short side as well, but my migraine is making it very hard to concentrate :(  Well we have one last tart left to fill, now I've got to start thinking about what I want to make next, hmmmmm maybe something for dinner perhaps ;)  Until next time.......................................

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxoxo

A Bruised Little Peach

Hello Sweets,

So it is with great embarrassment to tell y'all that last night I fell down the stairs >_<  Thank you gravity, like I don't have enough wide spread pain as it is *sigh*.  I couldn't even tell you how it happened, I wasn't multitasking or anything.  The only factor that I feel played apart was the fact that all the downstairs lights were off, normally there is a dim light in the kitchen left on but apparently not last night.  Thankfully I have nothing more than some bruised body parts, and well of course my bruised pride.  It really upset me because today I was supposed to have some play time with my nephew, but my sister had to reschedule as well.  Funny how things can sometimes coincide so that everyone is a winner, want to know my prize?  Tomorrow I am going with my sister to chaperon my nephews daycare to the movies, and we're going to see Planes!  As excited as I am to be going to see it I know I won't see most of the movie, as a chaperon I think that's normal.  I love the movie Cars so much that I convinced Nathan to watch it with me, he's a big fan of NASCAR so I knew he'd like it too.  I was super happy when he enjoyed it as much as I did, upon founding out they were making a Planes version it was decided we'd see that too!  With a family of pilots there is no other choice really lol, so thankfully when I'm back in Texas we will go and see it and I'll be able to see it in it's entirety.  When I write tomorrow's post I'll let you know how it goes with all the little ones, maybe even snag a cutie picture of Miguel to share with y'all.

When ever I finish one blog post I immediately start thinking of the next one, I sometimes find the title of the post to be the hardest part (you have to intrigue people after all).  Well as soon as I hit the bottom of the stairs the title hit me almost as hard, peaches bruise easily just like I did *BAM*.  Lol at least I can laugh at it now, last night I had a little bit of a sulk fest but I'm doing better today :)  So I'm sure you know which delicate fruit we're working with today ;)  Peaches have always been one of my favorite fruits, despite it's fuzzy outside they're so sweet and juicy.  I remember as a child trying to eat them with out having juice drip all over my hands and face, still to this day I have not mastered that lol.  However, I have never made a peach pie (only things like cobbler and muffins) or eaten one for that matter.  I know crazy right, well I was about to change that with more mini tarts!

Honey Peach Pie Filling

Ingredients

7 large peaches, peeled and sliced

3/4C honey, melted

4Tbs cornstarch

tiniest pinch of salt

3/8Tsp nutmeg

 

Directions:

1)  Stir all ingredients together.

 

That's all you do, lol really and I apologize for not having a picture of the final filling.  However, I do have something much.......sweeter ;)

 

These tarts have a nice subtle flavor that is sweetened by the honey, and it makes a great dessert after dinner when paired with vanilla ice cream (as my grandparents did).  I actually called my grandparents today to see how they were and if they were enjoying the tarts I left for them.  My grandmother was very thankful that I brought some for them and she is thoroughly enjoying them.  That melts my heart to no end, sometimes we don't think she eats enough but when I cook for them she usually eats more than I do.  There are few things better in life than knowing your family is proud of you but I'll tell you one thing, it still amazes me sometimes when they tell me that they are.

Well we are half way through the tart fillings, and that means it's getting closer to the day I am reunited with the love of my life in Texas.  Frankly it can't come fast enough, to anyone that is not Canadian I'll tell you why.  It's only the middle of August but it feels as though it's October or November, seriously it's super cold.  So I am going to cuddle up in my leopard hoodie footie and snuggle while I watch some Breaking Bad, yea I know I'm completely late to that party but I just got hooked on it a few days ago lol.  Until next time..........................................

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxoxo