Shortbread tarts

As promised, here is the recipe...

Crust:

1 c. butter

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 c. flour

Filling:

1 pkg. cream cheese

1 c. powdered sugar

Lots of fresh berries

For the crust, you are going to cream the butter and sugar, then add the flour. You can use one large tart pan or lots of little ones. I think I had about 10 smaller tart pans, that I greased and then pressed the crust into the bottom and edges, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. I put them all on a cookie sheet and baked at 375 for about 10 -15 minutes. I don't like my crust crunchy or brown so I under cook it just a bit, but you do want a little bit of color to show up before you take them out so they stay together. Let cool before you fill.

For the cream cheese filling, cream the cheese and powdered sugar, and keep at around room temperature. Fill the crusts the appropriate amount, so its about level with the tops of the crusts. I used 3 different sizes of tart pans so the amount varies. Wash, cut and dry you fresh fruit and place on top however you would like. Keep refrigerated before serving.

It was the fourth of July so I went with a flag theme for these ones. They're so delicious, I can't believe I've never attempted to make anything like this before! I hope you enjoy!

Apricot Cobbler

**this recipe can DEFINITELY be made dairy free/vegan.  I have used coconut oil instead of butter and almond milk instead of cream and it still makes for a lovely cobbler!  :)

Filling:
12-14 apricots (depends on the size)
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
dash of clove

Topping:
1 1/2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
3 T. sugar (plus more for dusting)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. cold butter
3/4 c. cream or half and half

Peel and slice apricots, place in a 9x13 pan (or a similar size).  In a separate bowl or measuring cup, add all the dry filling ingredients and mix; sugar, flour, spices (which can vary, I like a lot of nutmeg, you could also do no spices and just add a little vanilla or almond extract).  Add the dry ingredient mix to the apricots in the pan, and lightly toss (just enough to cover all the apricots), and even out in the pan.
For the biscuit topping, mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl.  Slice the butter into tablespoons, add to the dry ingredients and cut in (I use a pastry cutter), until all pieces are smaller than a pea.  Add the cream, or half and half (I use milk if I have to), and only mix until combined.  If it's too sticky, add a little flour, and fold dough (knead) a few times.  If you want perfect biscuit shapes, you can roll it out (about 1/2 inch thick) and use a cookie cutter (or something round) to make your biscuits.  I separated my dough into 10 even pieces, pat into circles and evenly placed in the pan over the apricots.  Use a pastry brush and lightly brush the dough with cream (or whatever you used).  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes.  Fruit filling should be bubbling all around, and the biscuits should be golden and cooked through.  Let cool for about an hour, serve with vanilla icecream!
Enjoy!

Magic bars

To be honest, I think they might just be magic.  This delicious bars are so easy I think my girls could have made them all by themselves.

Magic Bars

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/2 c. butter (melted)

1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (I like to mix white and milk chocolate)

1 c. chopped/sliced nuts (almonds, pecans or walnuts, really anything)

1 1/2 c. flaked coconut

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl until combined then press into a 9x13 greased pan.  You can mix the dry ingredients and then evenly place them over the crust or one by one add them.  We sprinkled the chocolate chips over, then the nuts, then the coconut on top and slightly press/flatten down.  Open the can of sweetened condensed milk, and drizzle evenly over all the toppings (you can use a spoon or just pour straight out of the can).  Just make sure to keep a slow drizzle so that you evenly distribute it.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.  The top and edges should start to brown.  Let cool before you cut them.  

My photo shoot buddy :)

Blueberry Mango Pie

My new favorite, especially for spring.  

For an 8 or 9 inch pie

For a 9 inch pie I have to adjust the recipe so that I still have a full pie.  Also, for a lattice crust, or if you want extra dough for braiding or any add ons, you will need more dough.

Pie Crust Recipe:
2 c. flour
½ t. salt
¼ c. sugar
2/3 c. shortening
8-9 T. cold water

For detailed directions of my pie crust.

Fruit Filling:
5 c. berries/mangos (1-2 cups mango, 3-4 cups blueberries)
1 c. sugar
2 T. flour
3 T. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt

For the fruit, I use frozen, but let it sit out for a little while (maybe 30-45 minutes) before using it.   In a separate mixing bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Mix in the fruit.  I like to mash some of the berries (maybe ½ c.) to help absorb and mix the sugar mixture.  If you were using blackberries, which is what I originally used this recipe for, the berries break while you mix it and you don’t have to worry about it, but you want it to incorporate.   Add the berry mixture to the empty pie crust, and spread evenly to the edges.
Cover pie with top rolled out crust. Roll the edges in to seal in the berries and design the edges however you prefer. The top should have some kind of an opening to allow air to be released, use any design you prefer for that as well, with a knife, just deep enough to cut the crust.  You can use an egg wash over the crust if you would like and sprinkle it with sugar, or just leave it dry. 
Bake at 375 for about 50-60 minutes. The edges of pies have a tendency to burn, so you may need to use a pie crust saver, or just foil will work fine. You can cover almost the entire top and edges with foil, just as long as you cut a hole in the center, to allow air to flow. The pie is almost done once the filling begins to bubble through the cut made in the crust (let bake for 5-10 minutes after you notice a bubbling edge).

Lemon Meringue Pie

I need to give my mother credit for a majority of this recipe, as well as the pie crust. I'm not sure where she originally got it from, but she's been using it for years and I owe my love of pie making to her :)

Lemon curd:
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 T. cornstarch
3 T. flour
dash of salt
1 1/2 c. hot water

3 egg yolks
2 T. butter
1 t. lemon zest
1/3 c. lemon juice

Meringue:
5 egg whites
1/4 t. cream of tartar
6 T. sugar
1 t. vanilla

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From my pie crust recipe (only use half because this is for one lemon meringue pie) cook the crust on 425 for 10-15 minutes, until edges are slightly golden. Before cooking you will need to fork the bottom of the crust a few times, and also either fill with pie beans or use a few pieces of foil to use as a form for the pie. The crust will collapse if there is nothing keeping it up around the edges.

For the Lemon Curd: In a saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt; gradually add hot water, stirring constantly, over high heat. Cook until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Slightly beat egg yolks and stir a small amount of hot mixture into them. Add spoonful at a time of the hot mixture to the egg yolks, stirring the whole time. Now mix the egg yolk mixture into the hot mixture. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Take off heat; add butter and lemon zest. Slowly add lemon juice, mixing well. Pour into cooked pastry shell.

For the Meringue: In a mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks from, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla and mix until completely combined, just a few more seconds. Spread meringue over filling. Use a spoon to seal the meringue to the edge of the crust and to create a wave over the top. You don't want to have a peaks to high, because they could possibly burn.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, until the meringue is golden brown. Check about midway through and make sure the tops of the meringue peaks are not getting too brown, if so, take down the temperature of the oven to about 320.

Chow Mein

This is such a favorite meal of ours now, and it's one of those things that you can really through anything in, the best.  You can buy a bag of frozen mixed veges, which works great, and saves on the prep time!  But I really just use whatever I have in the fridge. :)

Chow Mein

serves 3-4

1 onion chopped

2 cups chopped bok chow

1-2 cups broccoli florets

1 cup spiralized or julienned carrots

6 ounces pasta (I used brown rice spaghetti noodles)

15 fresh/raw/cleaned shrimp 

soy sauce, ginger, garlic, scallions

In a pot of water cook the pasta as directed, drain it, rinse it with cold water and set aside.  Saute your vegetables in the same pot, on a high heat, with a drizzle of olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  I like my vegetables a little crispy still, but cook as desired.  Transfer your cooked veges to your serving bowl and set aside. 

 In the same pan, on high heat, with a drizzle of olive oil, place all your shrimp (hopefully they all fit in the pan).  Salt and pepper your shimp, and if using fresh garlic or ginger you can add it now, but you can use dry garlic/ginger as well.  About 2-3 minutes on each side should give you a nice sear.  Transfer your shrimp to your serving bowl with the vegetables.  

In the same pan, on high heat, with a drizzle of olive oil, add your cooked and drained pasta. Get a good sear on your noodles before tossing, it should only take a few minutes to do the whole pan.  Add a few tablespoons of soysauce, toss, and add veges and shrimp to your pan.  On high heat, toss a few times, just to re-heat everything, and serve!  Top with scallions and serve with sriracha!

Dreamy Lemon Bars

This is a recipe that my family, friends
and I have used and loved for years;
hope you enjoy it!


Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 c. butter
½ c. powdered sugar
2 c. flour

Filling:
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
8 T. lemon juice
Zest from 1 lemon
4 T. flour
1 t. baking powder

Crust:

• cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add flour
• press into a 9x13 buttered pan
• bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until slightly golden, not brown

Filling:

• beat eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and zest completely; gradually add in flour and baking powder
• pour over crust, bake at 350 for about 20 minutes; the edges should be golden not brown
• let the bars sit for about 5 minutes, then sprinkle with powdered sugar, cut once cool

Kristin's Tips

• The most important part of this recipe is cooking time, all ovens and pans are different, so it's really hard to tell someone how long to cook something; the best thing I can do is to tell you what to look for. Make sure when you're only cooking the crust that you don't let it get too dark (it will take away from the flavor if it cooks too long) and if its undercooked, they'll be harder to keep intact, and they'll be more gooey than anything. Same thing goes for when you're cooking the bars with the filling; you want a golden color around the edges, nothing too dark, or they'll be too stiff, and if undercooked, too gooey. Hope I've helped!

P.S. Yes you have seen this recipe before. I cheated a little by reposting it, but it's because I now have beautiful pictures and I had it posted to foodgawker. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!!