Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart - Recipe Included...

This weekend I had the opportunity to get creative in the kitchen again!  On Saturday we had dinner with friends and I had to got to bring desert! If you know me very well at all, you will know that I felt like a kid in a candy store.

My first plan was tiramisu. The Pioneer Woman has a pretty straight forward looking recipe for this, but my plans were dashed when I went to Safeway with an ingredient list, and realized that our little town doesn't carry mascarpone cheese - the assistant manager didn't even know what it was. :/

Ryder accompanied me to pick up our Bountiful Basket and swing by Safeway on Friday night. It's incredible how freeing just managing one child is after having two from just a few months. Plus, it doesn't hurt that the Safeway bakery just so happens to give free cookies to children - best marketing move ever!

Then on Friday night, one of those new sponsored advertisements that Facebook has started including on my newsfeed showed a quick video of how to make Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart.

SOLD

It looked simple enough. Besides heavy whipping cream for the ganache, I had everything on hand already. The only tricky aspect was that it required 9 hours to make - with chilling each different layer.

First I made the chocolate crust. I think if I were to do it again though, I'd change it up and add more crushed nuts for texture. The recipe ends up tasting more like a chocolate pie crust.

This was my first time making caramel from scratch - also known as sugar, water, butter, and cream. Well, first and second. The first time I tried making the caramel, I got nervous and didn't let it simmer long enough. The result was a very creamy looking soup that didn't have any distant caramel flavour. The second time I cranked the heat and just let it work its own magic. Yum - no more store bought caramel sauce for me!

I added the caramel sauce to the cooled crust and let it chill for about 4 hours. By the time I pulled it out to add the ganache, the caramel was nice and hard.

I cheated on the chocolate ganache. The actual recipe called for bittersweet chocolate whipped with warm cream, but I didn't have just plain chocolate. What I did have was my favourite brand of chocolate EVER. Have you heard of Theo? It's based out of Seattle. I should warn you, it's ridiculously good. If you're ever in Seattle, call ahead and schedule a tour of their factory. It's well worth the $7 - and you'll sample all the chocolate a soul could want.

Anyhow, I just ended up using 2 bars of Sea Salt 70% Dark Chocolate with the cream - so I skipped the coarse salt garnish. It was salty enough. 

Sorry, the lighting here isn't awesome. Nevertheless, it turned out. I'll warn you that it's very rich. I think most of it can be blamed on the extremely dark chocolate I used. A milker substitute would take care of that. But, with a nice steaming cup of black coffee, I'd say it turned out just about perfect.

Oh, and here are the boys all matchy-matchy heading out for our dinner party in their pjs. Those were fun shower gifts!

Here's my latest Baby Lynden picture. He sure does love his sock monkey pjs from Mimi & Pop. What a joy this little guy is. <3

And did anyone else notice that GAP is trying to market culottes?  

Sorry, but some things are better left dead. :P

Fennel for Dinner

Happy Friday!

Here's my morning boy, post-bath and ready to take on the day!

After 4 nights of not having Braden home for dinner, I was a little excited about eating something other than leftover chicken noodle soup. Since I've had a big beautiful fennel bulb with long stalks just hanging out in the refrigerator since last Friday (thank you Bountiful Baskets!), I thought I'd better find a fun new recipe to try out on the family.

Whatever did we do before Pinterest?!

Confession time: I've never purchased fresh fennel before. I don't think the fennel seeds in my spice cupboard count, because they were part of a gift and I've only ever used them in one recipe - Tuscan Chicken Stew - which I've written about here before.

A fresh fennel bulb looks like a cross between an onion and a bunch of celery with wispy dill-like hairs protruding from the stalk.

Well, I came across two fennel inclusive recipes that were top contenders and one used ingredients that I had on hand, so that was the winner - Lazy Sunday Casserole. If it were my own recipe, I'd probably change the name. When I hear casserole, I think of cream soups and meshed flavours, but this was basically roasted vegetables with sausage...organic garlic provolone chicken sausage to be exact. Yum!

Sorry for the blur!

I did add to this recipe a little yellow butternut squash that I diced (another Bountiful Basket item) and served it with a side of broiled broccolini  (smaller flowers and longer stalks than just regular old broccoli). I know, I know. I roasted mainly veggie dish with a side of veggies, but that's what we had and the colours looked great together.

And when I've not been in the kitchen, I'm usually enjoying walks with this little sweetie or reading him stories with my feet propped up. 

Have a great weekend!

What To Do When Hubby Works 12 Hours on a Saturday?

We've been blessed to be able to spend most weekends together of late, but today was an exception. After making his breakfast smoothie and kissing Braden goodbye, I determined to make myself a Saturday-worthy breakfast anyway. 

Enter Belgian Waffles.

Since I was already going to have dishes to clean and had 4 extra egg whites (after making homemade chocolate pudding last night) I decided to go ahead and make a double recipe in order to freeze the extras for the busy days to come.  There's nothing quite like a toasted waffle with peanut butter and creamed honey all gooey and oozing into the squares - YUM! 

My toppings of choice were a handful of granola and sprinkling of fresh organic blueberries (thanks to yesterday's new Bountiful Basket!)

I ended up with over 12 full waffles all ziploc-ed, frozen, and ready to pull out at a moment's notice. Not bad considering 8am hadn't even rolled around yet.

After breakfast Ryder and I made a quick trip to Walmart to pick up a few lightbulbs and a few other 'necessities' - have you seen/smelled the new Burt's Bees soy candles? I saw them for the first time today and immediately fell in love with the Papaya Guava scent. It's warming in my kitchen now.  Mmmm....

I also picked up a fairly large galvanized pail (Made in the USA) with a lid for only $12 and came home with projecting on my mind. A quick look through my stockpile of fabric and a not so quick browse through Pinterest later, I whipped up a few pail liners with my sewing machine. Voila! I now have a diaper pail that seals - with washable liners. 

I had just one more item on my to-do list for the day and that was to turn some alien vegetables into baby food. Once again, my Bountiful Basket contained an unidentifiable vegetable (it looked like a cross between a cauliflower and the ugly succulents that rapidly reproduced in our WA flower beds). Thanks to a friend, who also picks up Bountiful Basket produce, I learned that it's actually called romanesco broccoli. Call me a wimp, but I wasn't about to eat this terrifying looking plant. Thankfully, the Vitamix can turn any substance into a silky puree, and so that's what I did with these and a bunch of carrots. Lucky Little Dipper has a treat in store for him!

And here are a few fun photos from earlier in the week. We've been enjoying the sunshine and on Friday had a great picnic lunch play date at the park with friends. 

Two New Creatures Have Joined the Zoo

I've noticed that as the days and weeks pass, bringing us closer to the arrival of Baby Little Dipper, less and less gets accomplished. It may have something to do with the naps I try to sneak in while Ryder is having his afternoon. I anxiously await that nesting second-wind, because at this rate, the baby's going to show up whether I'm ready or not.  Hello week 37!

Ryder was my sweet shopping buddy on Tuesday. Everywhere we went, he saw hats and shoes, pants and socks - and wanted to try it all on, whether it was infant size or not. 

His reward?  A new pair of fuzzy brown bear slippers to keep his toes warm in our big cold house. We're working on names for these new creature friends, so comment if you have any suggestions. :)

THAT FACE!

Yesterday afternoon included another new milestone.  After his nap, Ryder begged to go play outside with Dixie and so I bundled him up and sent him out the back door. What followed was 30 whole minutes of uninterrupted exploration and play with our rascally little dog. The two of them have become fast friends and I certainly enjoyed a half hour of cleaning the kitchen and prepping dinner without the two of them underfoot. I sure do love to see my little boy growing up!  <3

On the menu for today... I have 4 Etsy orders to get started on, I plan to make a big pot of beet borscht for lunch (using up the last precious beet I received in my latest Bountiful Basket), and creamy homemade Pioneer Woman mac & cheese to accompany the pulled pork we smoked last weekend. 

Today I'm thankful for a hardworking husband, days to get stuff done at home, and the joy God gives in daily walking with Him. I am blessed!

35 Weeks and Counting...

Little Dipper keeps on growing and the big day is fast approaching! There's definitely a lot to get done before his arrival, but his brand new carseat arrived last week and so in a pinch we could get by now. :)

I'll warn you now - this may be picture overload - but we had such a fun-filled weekend, I couldn't decide what to leave out.

Out for a busy day of errands with my little buddy on Friday.

Ryder chose out a special treat at the cafe we visited for lunch, and learned a new word: 

'CAKE-POP!'

Friday night I picked up our second Bountiful Basket. I wish that I had stopped to take a picture before diving in. I quickly got excited about the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and Saturday morning I got to work on a few different recipes.

Yummy butternut squash muffins to freeze and have on hand for Ryder and myself at home.  More than a few disappeared from the mini muffin tin and were devoured buttered, honeyed and hot by the boys. <3

*If you do look up the recipe to make, I'd recommend adding a little extra sugar. We topped ours with butter and honey, but they taste a little too 'healthy' on their own. :)

And then a super fantastic old-school red velvet layer cake made with two whole beets (thanks Bountiful Basket!) and no red food colouring. This was frosted and accompanied us to our Sunday church potluck - thankfully, there are just a few slices left to enjoy at home still. 

Saturday ended with homemade and grilled burgers on fresh-out-of-the-oven hamburger buns.  I tried a new recipe, which was great!

This bun got a little extra toasty on the grill. Oops!

Followed by a quick trip through the DQ drive-thru to get a 1/2 price Oreo blizzard, which we all shard. Mmmm...

Eggplant Parmesan Happened!

As promised yesterday, Martha Stewart's Baked Eggplant Parmesan happened at our house for lunch today - and it was a HUGE success!  I'll admit, I was a little doubtful trying a new recipe with a new vegetable. But, if you look at the recipe, it's really pretty simple, though time consuming (baking the breaded eggplant) and the finished product is filling and delicious!

Here are my eggplant rounds breaded and baked on both sides.

Next I layered them with chunky pasta sauce, mozzarella, and then repeated that all over again.

And here is the finished product.  You'll have to forgive me for our post-church hunger that prompted me to serve lunch before capturing the complete dish for you. These left-overs won't last long and now I've got a great new healthy recipe to add to my repertoire.

I can't help but show off my two handsome boys in their Sunday best. 

I hope you've had a blessed and restful day, as we have!

J

Our Latest Adventure - Bountiful Baskets

I'm so excited to tell you about our latest adventure/experiment. I'm so excited about it - and most things that pertain to the kitchen - that naturally I want to share this with family and friends.

A month of two ago, we had some friends from church over for a play date.  In the course of conversation while our boys played, I learned from this friend that they participated in a Food Co-op called Bountiful Baskets. As a wife and mama always looking for economical ways to nourish my family with wholesome, and if possible, local food - my curiosity was piqued!  

Unfortunately, at the time I found out, we were about to be out of town for the better part of a month and it just wouldn't have been practical to participate then. But, since we've been home, I signed up for our very first basket - they even have an organic option!

Here's what I picked up last night...

The eggplant and one cucumber were gifted from that friend who introduced us to the co-op.  I happened to run into her while picking my box up and she shared what they couldn't use. 

Thus begins even more fun adventures in the kitchen, honing my culinary skills. For lunch today, we tried a new recipe - roasted green beans garnished with fresh tomatoes and bacon, and seasoned with lemon pepper. Here's the recipe, I highly recommend it! Even my non veggie loving husband cleaned his plate. :)  

My plan for tomorrow is to incorporate the eggplant into our lunch. Since I've barely even tasted eggplant and NEVER cooked with it, I sought out Martha's advice. Be sure to ask me how her Baked-Eggplant Parmesan turns out for our Sunday lunch! I think I'll make some crusty fresh bread with melted butter to accompany our experimental dish. 

Here is just another way that I'm learning to love our new duty station...  As a milspouse, you have to actively seek out aspects of a new community to love and places where you can get involved.  For our family, that generally starts with seeking out a church home where we can worship and be a part of a community of Christians. For me personally, I've been blessed to also meet and build relationships with other military wives - whether they be co-workers of my husband, ladies at the gym or moms at MOPS. But you've got to be active, you've got to look for ways to love your surroundings wherever you are - and you'll find them!

Since it's Saturday and we're enjoying some family time at home, here are a few photos of Daddy teaching Ryder to use the air pellet gun. Ryder's first 'shot' knocked the pig right out of the target. I think we have a prodigy on our hands. <3