Surprise!! and Brie and Apple Tarts

I got a great surprise today my parent came to see us! I had just finished working out when I heard a loud knock and guess who it was! My Mom and Dad. We watched the Carolina vs. NC State game, went to the Aquarium and enjoyed dinner out at one of my favorite Italian places Pizzettas! Here are some pictures from our day. At the bottom is a quick easy dessert called Brie and Apple Tarts enjoy!!


Liam checking out the fish!

                                                     

                                             Petting a horseshoe crab dont worry they dont bite!

And of course he got a little something from the gift shop meet Fred the sea turtle!

Brie and Apple Tarts

Individual Brie and Apple Tarts
1 box (2 sheets) of puff pastry, thawed ( note I could only find the shells and they work just as well if not easier I made mine like a sandwitch)1 green apple
1 Tbsp brown sugar, divided
1 Tbsp butter, divided
1/4 tsp cinnamon, divided
1 medium wedge of brie
1 egg
flour (for rolling)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife.
Again I only could find shells so I did not do this just used one shell on bottom the other on top of apples and brie.
 Place a good-sized slice of brie and 3 or 4 this slices of apple the middle of each of the 4 squares. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon and brown sugar and top with a pat of butter. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

Kids Corner-Baking for Liam

Below is a recipe I made for Liam since he loves apples and applesauce. These cookies are very soft and fluffy and even the adults enjoy them. If you love apples these are a must try!

Applesauce cookies with carmel frosting

APPLESAUCE COOKIES WITH CARAMEL FROSTING

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups applesauce
• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cloves

Preheat oven to 375 F

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.

Cream sugar and shortening together.

Add eggs and applesauce and mix well.

Add in dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated.

Drop small spoonfuls of batter on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes.

While cookies are cooling, prepare frosting.

CARAMEL FROSTING

• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, heavy cream and brown sugar.

Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool, then stir in the powdered sugar.

Spread frosting over cookies

Enjoy!

Recipe from: Chef in Training


Liam approved!! He ate almost 2!

Letters to Liam-17 months

I have been writing letters to Liam since he has been born. Here is the latest one.

Dear Liam,

You are almost a year and a half old. Boy have things changed since my last letter, you can now walk and most of the time you just run. You have an unbelievable amount of energy. You are currently napping and I have a couple of minutes to write to you. Although, I do not get a lot of little moments to myself anymore I love the time we spend together. We have so much fun playing in your tent, building blocks, playing guitar and of course your favorite going to the park and taking a walk almost every day! You are saying words now they include MaMa, Dada (you say this more) Dog, Yellow, Blue, and owwy which is your version of oww. You are starting to develop your own little personality. You are very outgoing and flirty. You love to wave to people and really make our neighbors day on their way to work by smiling and waving from the window, or if we are outside on a walk. Watching you become a little boy is so much fun you make me so happy and proud to be your Mommy. I am so lucky to be able to spend every moment with you and I will always cherish our time together. I love you the moon and back and to infinity and beyond!



Love,
Mommy

 March, 5^th. 2012

Lemon Cupcakes

This recipe is so easy and the cupcakes are low in fat as well.

Cupcakes: One box of Lemon cupcake mix
12 ounces of spirt zero

Lemon Frosting (recipe from Real Simple):

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

1 pound confectioners’ sugar (about 3 3/4 cups), sifted

pinch kosher salt

Directions

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and lemon zest on high until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the sugar, then the salt, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Jason didn't even realize these are diet cupcakes. I am guessing because the frosting is so yummy and full of fat! This is a great little treat if you want something light and refreshing!

And a picture of Liam to make this post complete!

Pumpkin Pancakes

 

• 3 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4. tsp. ginger
• 2 T brown sugar
• 2 cups pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
• 2 1/2 cup sour milk* (more or less depending on moistness of pumpkin)
• 3 eggs

I halfed the whole recipe since it was just for me and Liam and I still have left overs!

1. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl, making a hole in the center.

2. Add pumpkin puree, sour milk, eggs to center of bowl, and mix gently. Do not overmix. If batter is a bit stiff, add a little water until it can easily be spooned onto a hot lightly greased griddle.

3. Let pancakes bake until bubbles pop in the top, then flip—just one time. Do not press down—you want these to be light and airy!

4. Serve with your choice of whipped cream, syrup, and strawberries...or you could go the sweet route and top them with a vanilla glaze. ( I used maple syrup and decorated with blueberries for Liam)

 

 

Monkey Bread and the Lion

Jason never ask me to bake anything, but he saw Paula Deen making Monkey Bread on a daytime TV show and said it looked beyond awesome. I ran out to get biscuits and the rest is history of me really wanting to eat a whole cake at one time! ( I didn't but I seriously could!) I am really excited because it will be the perfect thing to make at Christmas time for my family up north. A side note Liam was a Lion for Halloween and had a great time check out the picture!

 Monkey Bread

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 (10 count) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits each)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• cooking spray

Directions:

1. 1
   Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. 2
   Put the white sugar and cinnamon in the pie plate and mix them together with your fingers until they are completely mixed.
3. 3
   Remove the biscuits from the tubes.
4. 4
   Place each biscuit on the cutting board and cut each one into fourths.
5. 5
   Place each piece of biscuit into the cinnamon sugar and shake it all.
6. 6
   around until it is coated. (Do a few at a time.).
7. 7
   Put the butter and brown sugar into the pot and heat it over low heat until it is mixed together.
8. 8
   Stir with the wooden spoon.
9. 9
   Turn off the heat.
10. 10
    Spray the Bundt pan with cooking spray.
11. 11
    Place the biscuit pieces evenly in the Bundt pan.
12. 12
    Pour the brown sugar mixture over the biscuits.
13. 13
    Bake the biscuits in the oven for 35 minutes.
14. 14
    Remove the Bundt pan and place it on the wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
15. 15
    To serve, turn the Bundt pan upside down onto the cake plate.
16. 16
    The biscuits should fall right out.
17. 17
    Let the monkey bread cool for a few minutes.
18. 18
    Pinch off piece to eat.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/paula-deens-monkey-bread-379134#ixzz1cmAvT8Bc

I love Pumpkins!

I love all things pumpkin and I found this recipe online and cant wait to try it! The biggest reason I love October is because on the 1st day of October it will be my little pumpkins first birthday! The time has really flown by and I am so grateful l I have gotten to spend everyday watching Liam grow and become such a awesome little boy with tons of personality. Today we did some of his one year photos enjoy!!

http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2008/10/pumpkin-parfaits

My pumpkin!!

Love him!!! I am so proud of you LIAM!!