From Scratch

Asparagus Tart

This is a super easy side dish idea.

And I mean, really, really easy.

The secret to this tart's easiness...puff pastry.

I'm a huge fan of puff pastry. Pastry is awesome, so that's a given. And then "puff" sort of reminds me of cotton candy, woolly sheep in a field, puff the magic dragon, Jiggly Puff (the pokemon) and puffy 80s sleeves on dresses.

I always wondered when I would get around to mentioning pokemon on this blog. It's finally happened.

Asparagus Tart

Ingredients: 1 sheet of puff pastry (thawed in the refrigerator overnight), a wedge of Fontina cheese, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil and a bushel of asparagus.

Lay the puff pastry out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 325 F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover in cubes of cheese, rinsed and trimmed asparagus and drizzle the olive oil over the top. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the asparagus is bright green and the cheese is melted.

xo. Emma

P.S. Today is the first day we open the store...wish me luck!

Flavor of the Week: Caramel Apples

I say car-mel, you say caramel.

Either way they are stick-to-your-teeth GOOD.

As you can see, I like chopped up bits of candy bars on the outside of mine.

Because an apple covered in caramel, covered in dark chocolate just wasn't quite enough. So I add candy bar "sprinkles."

I will be making this a lot next month as they are the special seasonal treat at the Red Velvet Sweet Shoppe for the month of November.

And we open in two days...it's crazy ville around here right now.

xo. Emma

Snack Love

I had a box of this in my possession a few weeks ago.

It didn't last very long.

I miss him.

Why is my cereal a boy, you ask?

Um...well...oh never mind.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Remember how I, jokingly, made of fun of my stash of canned pumpkin. Like I was Y2K crazy again.

I mean, for the first time....um....

Well, now I am going through a rationing phase. I think of a pumpkin recipe that I would like to try, but then I wonder, "Will it be worth it?"

Canned pumpkin has become a standard of measuring worthiness. And it's scaring me.

After much deliberation (way too much to ever consider myself cool again), I deiced to make Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

Butter, bread, sugar, cream and pumpkin. With main ingredients like that how could it go wrong.

That was a statement, not a question.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Ingredients: 1 cup cream (I used half and half), 1/3 cup milk, 3/4 cup canned pumpkin, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 large eggs, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, a pinch of ginger and salt, 3/4 cup melted butter and one day old french bread loaf, cubbed.

To do: As mentioned above, cube you day old loaf into small, bite-sized cubes. If your bread is not a day old then simple cube it in the morning and either let it sit out or place in the refrigerator to dry out a bit. In a large bowl combine all other ingredients (excpet melted butter) until well combined. Melt the butter and allow it to cool just a bit before pouring it over the bread crumbs.

*Tip: I put my bread crumbs in a large plastic bag, poured the butter in and shook it like a Polaroid picture. Hey yeah! (Outkast anyone?)

Pour the buttered bread crumbs into a large baking dish. Pour pumpkin batter other the top. Then bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes, until the custard is set.

Other yummy bread puddings:

Banana Bourbon Bread Pudding, by: Joy the Baker

New Orleans Bourbon Bread Pudding, by: Ezra Pound Cake

Panettone Bread Pudding, by: Gourmet

xo. Emma (and by the way, you all are worth a hundred cans of pumpkin too me:)

Guest post

Last week I guest posted at elsiecake.com.

Last Week. So this is very up-to-date information. Again, the theme for the day is "Champion."

I shared some tips for making these Rosemary and Spiced Pear mini pies. So...um...you should go check that out.

And there are about one million, no that number is not in any way exaggerated, other guests posts about recipes and other cute and fun DIY projects. So...um....you should check those out too. Just keep clicking. It's free, so why not?

xo. Emma

Breakfast of Champions

I am the champion in question. In case you were wondering.

Champion of what?

Geez, I'm glad you asked....

Champion of eating cookies for breakfast last week. Three days in a row.

Champion of forgetting to order more contacts so now I am a glasses person. Luckily my glasses are cool, like Clark Kent.

Did I just compare myself to Superman?

Yes, yes I did.

No, I'm not taking it back. You're welcome.

Everyone should eat cookies for breakfast now and again, I mean it can't be any worse than some breakfast cereals.

Not that I'm advocating over eating sugar....I'd never ever do that. :)

Fresh Tomato and Basil Pizza

If the government passed a law that you had to choose one food, and that one food would be the only thing you were allowed to eat for the rest of your life. I would choose pizza. I would be tempted to choose brownies, but in the end I would do the reasonable thing and choose pizza...reasonable...yeah.

I'd like to see them try and enforce this law.

Wait, why am I thinking about imaginary/stupid laws...oh yeah, PIZZA!

This lovely was topped with a thin layer of tomato sauce, super thinly sliced roma tomatoes, shredded mozzarella, chopped basil and a bit of crumbled feta. It was delicious, I have witnesses, so don't doubt me. :)

Toppings are fun to change up. What's your favorite combinations?

Let's talk crusts for a second. I love thin crust, but every now and again I crave a lightly yeasted, bready crust. Not thick crust, just something a little chewy and filling.

Chewy and filling pizza crust. Makes 1 extra large pizza pie.

Ingredients: 3 cups flour, 1 cup warm water, 1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt.

Stir together warm water and yeast until dissolved. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Pour in water/yeast mixture and olive oil, stir until a dough ball forms. Remove dough ball from bowl and knead once or twice (just so it all holds together). Lightly oil the bowl and replace the dough ball inside. Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel and store in a cool dry place for 2 hours. Punch dough down and knead for 2-3 minutes. Put it back in the bowl and allow it to rise again for another hour. On a floured surface roll dough out into a large circle (or you can divide this into two smaller pizza pies). Now you are ready to bake, add toppings, bake a bit more and eat!

Free-time Food: Books

I am still reading so sparsely this month. Too busy. The first book I'm about to share with you all I actually got so into that I stayed up way too late reading and was SUPER grumpy the next day.

And when everyone asks you, "What's wrong? You seem a little...down today."

It's hard to answer, "I stayed up late reading a mystery book and now I'm really tired so just leave me alone," without realizing how ridiculous you sound.

Not that it stopped me.

I adore Alexander McCall Smith, I really think we could hang out. Probably every fan thinks this about the authors they love...but in my case I really think it's true. :) This is a mystery novel, although I would still highly recommend it even if you do not like mystery books. The mystery is usually the side note in this series. The protagonist, Isabel, lives a somewhat solitary life and is therefore an excellent observer of other characters and all the human interactions around her. She is intelligent and often entertains philosophical rabbit trails in her mind while hunting down potential murders, but she is also kind and generous toward her fellow man. Which is why characters often confide in her. So if you like quiet, interesting reads, or just fun mystery novels then I highly recommend Friends, Lovers, Chocolate.

It was really by chance that I started "reading" The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman. And I put "reading" in quotes because I didn't quite read it in the traditional sense. I actually listened to it, audio book style. I knew I had to drive my boyfriend to Kansas City last week, so he could catch a flight to New York where he lives. From my home to Kansas City is about fours hours, each way. So I stopped by the library to see if I could find an audio book to amuse myself on the solitary drive home.

Don't judge. Audio books are awesome.

I didn't really see anything on my to-read list, so I started looking for authors I like. I love Alice Hoffman. But when I read the description I wasn't too sure, the book is all about lost loves and broken hearts. Sounded a little sappy. But I saw nothing else good, so I got it.

Two hours into my drive home I was in love with this book. I also had tears streaming down my face and was eating honey Bar-B-Que potato chips.

What did I say about judging? It was a long drive and I was all alone. So there.

Hoffman is one of those authors who can explain those bits of life that are hard to put your finger on but that we all experience, or watch a loved one experience. It's beautiful, stunning and often quite sad. I highly recommend this book, but it will probably make you cry.

You have been warned.

What have you all been reading lately? Anything I should put on my to-read list?

xo. Emma

Warm Mushroom Salad with Walnuts and Feta Cheese

Long recipe name. Good salad.

This recipe was sort of inspired by my sister's fiance, Jeremy. She told me that he likes feta and mushrooms. And I thought, "I like feta and mushrooms too....hmm..." And thus a recipe idea was born.

And before you think I'm such a sweet gal for trying to impress my future brother in law you should know that my sister is allergic to mushrooms.

Too bad for her.

I'm evil. But, hey it's not like they are hidden mushrooms. No, this salad is in-your-face mushroom central. So...um...go back to thinking I'm a sweet gal. I liked that better.

Warm Mushroom Salad with Walnuts and Feta

Ingredients: salad greens (I used a mix of lettuces and spinach), 3-4 cups sliced mushrooms (any variety is fine, cooking time will vary based on they type of mushrooms you use), 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic, a scant 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup crumbled feta, and salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl combine the red wine vinegar and minced garlic and allow them to mingle for 5-10 minutes. In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium/high heat, add in mushrooms and cook until soft. Add in garlic/vinegar mix and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and, using a slotted spoon (less mushroom liquid), arrange mushrooms over a bed of salad greens. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, then sprinkle walnuts and feta over top. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Waffles

First off, you should know that these were originally going to be pancakes. But after three totally stuck to the pan tries, two differnt pans (one regular and one non-stick) and a heck of a lot of oil and butter...I decided to break out the waffle iron and try to salvage the remaining batter.

What a hassle! And I hadn't had my coffe yet so I was in a pretty foul mood during this whole fiasco...

...you know you have an anger problem when you feel like cursing while making pancakes.

I have an anger problem.

And the waffles, well...they worked. I personally found the texture to be too soft and almost mushy on the inside. If you nearly burn these waffles on the outside then the inside might be ok. Maybe.

I think I may have wasted a pumpkin can. Which is a real tragedy. The picture looks ok though, huh?

I will spare you of this recipe, it was a pancake failure and a very mediocre waffle. And pumpkin flavored breads should NEVER be mediocre.

Beacuase pumpkin is the holy grail of autumn.

Just meditate on that for a minute and make these waffles, for they will not disappoint.