Raspberry Almond Tart

My latest "creation"...a Raspberry Almond Tart...finally got some use out of that tart pan! :) It's very yummy!!

Here's the recipe (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Raspberry-Almond-Tart/Detail.aspx):

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 cup butter or margarine, divided
• 3 eggs, divided
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam, divided
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and 1/3 cup sugar. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until fine crumbs form. Beat 1 egg; add to mixing bowl and stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Press dough evenly into bottom and up the sides of 9-in. x 1-1/2-in. tart pan with removable bottom. Spread 1/4 cup of jam over dough. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.

2. Meanwhile, cream together remaining sugar and butter; stir in almonds and extract. Add remaining eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; spoon filling over jam. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes. Cool in pan, then carefully remove sides from pan. Spread remaining jam on top. Combine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice; drizzle over the top.

Yummy Valentine's Treats

I came home and made Orzo with pine nuts and wilted spinach for dinner. It was pretty yummy. Then I started on some homemade Valentine's sweets. I made lavender heart cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, and chocolate raspberry truffles...half with sugar coating and the other half with toasted coconut coating. It's all pretty yummy!! I LOVE chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate raspberry truffles!!

Blueberry Extravaganza

I have 10 containers of blueberries and a lady picked a bag of fresh lemons off her tree for me, so I wanted to use these yummy fresh ingredients. It is so amazing what a difference there is with fresh off the tree lemons compared to the waxed up ones from the grocery store. I also had extra ricotta in the fridge, so I found a recipe for ricotta blueberry squares. I utilized the lemons in a loaf of lemon blueberry bread with a sugar-lemon glaze. They are so yummy!! They aren't that pretty, but they are certainly delicious if I do say so myself (as does my mother). :)

If you want the recipes, I pulled them from my favorite recipe site, http://www.allrecipes.com/. There are so many amazing recipes there and you can search so many different categories as well as by ingredients you have on hand and want to use.

Holy Banana Cake, Batman!

Oh my! I have a cookbook of Southern Cakes and I decided to try a new recipe today. It is HEAVENLY!! It sounds kind of strange, but it is one of the most yummy-licious things ever!! It is a Banana Cake with homemade chocolate frosting...I definitely licked that bowl clean!! I was so anxious to try it that I just threw on the frosting and it was definitely worth not having as pretty icing to taste that yummy cake! It's like banana bread, but cake with yummy chocolate icing!! Here's a picture...not very pretty, but who cares...it's scrumdiddlyumptious!

Evening Update: I made Basil Ricotta Risotto and Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi for dinner tonight. It was so yummy! I don't know if I like making gnocchi though...it's kind of icky to make from scratch...it's almost that same kind of ickiness as rolling meatballs or something like that. They are both new recipes that I haven't tried before, but they were both very yummy! Yay me! :)