Secret Recipe Club Reveal: Rustic Tomato Tart

It's that time of the month that I look forward to every month. Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day.  I have been a part of this club for awhile now and I really, really enjoy it. Each month our hostess from The Secret Recipe Club sends each blogger an "assigned secret blog". We are to keep this blog under wraps until our reveal day. We usually have close to a month to browse the blog, and try desperately to narrow down the choices to one recipe that we will feature. I've been guilty of making two, sometimes three recipes from my assigned blog...it's just that hard to decide. For me, I'm incorporating these meals in to our everyday eating so I usually don't have time for glamorous food staging and sometimes barely get a picture of the finished product before everyone wants to dig in. I just love it.

This month my assigned blog was Baking and Creating with Avril. Avril loves to bake, cook and craft. Gee, those are all things I love to do too. I had a hard time deciding but since we were trying to keep the sweets down I decided to go for savory...though at the time of the typing of this blog post I may make one more...her Glazed Maple Oat Pecan Scones...they just sound so yummy. I did however make her Rustic Tomato Tart which was even eaten by my youngest who at first turned her nose up to it (she's not a tomato fan). 

This was really, really good and light. I think I needed to season it a bit more..after I had it put together I remembered I had some pesto in the fridge and thought that might be a nice addition to the tart. I did have a bit of a fiasco...two actually....

Fiasco #1: I rolled the dough out on my board and then proceeded to top it with all the filling ingredients...realizing that, uh, it needed to still get on to the baking pan. After some wrestling and help from my daughter I managed to get it on my beloved Pampered Chef pizza round, which led to Fiasco #2.

Fiasco #2: I failed to remember that the Pampered Chef Stones are not recommended to use over 400 degrees, and I will say, they are correct. But I was just thinking of how pretty this tart would be on top of the stone. I walked out of the kitchen after a bit and heard a "pop" type noise. We weren't sure what it was so I ignored it, only later to go back in and discover my stone had split in to about 5 big pieces...AAARRRGGHHH

We managed to lift the tart off the split round, checking the bottom for any loose pieces (thankfully it was a clean break), transfer tart to another pan and sorrowfully dispose of my pizza stone. Looks like I'll be having a Pampered Chef party this summer. 

Okay enough of the drama and on with the recipe. Like I said, I think I needed to season it just a bit more, really maybe only a little more salt. The other thing I think I need to do is let my tomatoes sit on paper towels for a bit to absorb some of their juices because they were so juicy that the bottom of the tart was a little soggy, but still good. 

Ingredients: 

For Tart Crust:

1 1/2 c. flour
4 Tbs. butter, cut in cubes
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
2-3 Tbs. water

For Filling:

3 Tbs. Dijon or whole grain mustard
2-3 large fresh tomatoes
2 Tbs. Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
2-3 Tbs. fresh herbs of your choice (I used fresh Basil and parsley...you could use dried but use only 2 tsp.)
8 oz. fresh Mozzarella (I probably used closer to 12oz.. I.LOVE.CHEESE)

Instructions:

For the pastry: *Note: I used my Food Processor which worked like a dream but you could do it however you normally choose to make crust. 

In a bowl, mix together flour and salt. Add in butter. Using a pastry blender or other method of your choosing, cut in butter until it is incorporated and crumbly. Beat egg and then add 2 Tbs. of water. Make a well in middle of dough and add water and egg mixture. Combine these together until a nice dough forms. Add more water if necessary. I used 3 Tbs. 

 Gather dough into a ball and roll out on to a floured surface. Roll until it measures 14" across. Transfer dough to baking sheet. Spread dough to outer edges with mustard. Add tomatoes and sprinkle with herbs. Top with mozzarella cheese then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold up the sides of the dough, overlapping slightly. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 30  minutes. Enjoy!

I think this is such a versatile recipe. I really wished it was summer and I had access to good old heirloom tomatoes. I also think this would be good using pesto, or even thick cut ham and cheese. And so quick to put together for a fast lunch! Thanks again Avril for the great recipes.

Check out the links below for more Secret Recipe Club reveals.

An InLinkz Link-up

With Joy UNquenchable,

Energy Bites

I'm always on the hunt for a good "snack" type food that we can have in the house but also to take with us to soccer games. Sometimes our games are early or they need a quick pick me up before hand or afterwards. I came across these energy bites awhile back and just tailored them to fit what I had or what I wanted to give my family. 

Many of the recipes called for chocolate chips but to me that defeats the purpose...quick spurt of energy? maybe, but I wasn't looking for them to crash afterwards. I'm hoping to purchase some raw cacao powder to use, but today I made half the batch with unsweetened cocoa. Yummy! Here is my version. I think it's a keeper.

I made these today because we have an early morning soccer game tomorrow and knew they'd be perfect. Even my pickiest eater likes them. 

Ingredients:

2 c. rolled oats
1 c. ground flax seed 
2/3 c. honey, more if needed
2 Tbs. maple syrup
1 c. peanut butter, almond butter or a combination of both
1/4 c. finely chopped pumpkin seeds
2 Tbs. Chia Seeds
1-2 Tbs. Hemp Seeds
2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. of cocoa powder (optional)

combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until set enough to work with easily. Roll in to 1-2" balls. Keep refrigerated. Easy Peasy and they won't last long so you don't need to worry about shelf life. 

With Joy UNquenchable,

Homemade Vanilla

I have been using homemade vanilla for a few years. A friend of mine makes it and I've gotten several bottles of it. LOVE. IT. I've always wanted to try making my own and my goal was to make it before Christmas time and give it as gifts. I never got around to it. 


Recently a friend gave me about 30 vanilla beans and I decided no more procrastinating, I was going to do this! It is super easy and I plan to make some more come June to give away as Christmas gifts. 

The rule of thumb is 3-5 vanilla beans per 8 oz. of Vodka (that's what I used). I have heard you can use Rum or bourbon as well but I thought I'd stick with Vodka. Instead of going out and buying a bunch of bottles I'd been saving several from a variety of items...red wine vinegar, maple syrup, etc...

Simply take your vanilla beans and slice them down the middle lengthwise. I left the tops intact. Place in the bottle (remember 3-5 per 8oz...I used 5), then pour Vodka in to your bottles using a funnel. Cap, give bottles a good shake and then place in a cool, dark place (a kitchen cupboard is fine). Let sit for 3+ months before using. You can possibly use it sooner, I think I read 6 weeks somewhere, but I think the longer it sits the better it is, so even going 6 months would probably be great. Can't wait to try it out. 

I plan to purchase some vanilla beans through Amazon and probably will buy Costco's Vodka again since it was highly recommended by one of my friends. Making your own really does end up saving you money in the long run. A 1.75 liter bottle of Vodka made 5 bottles that were at least 16oz. each. One was 8oz.

I thought I'd share a picture that I took yesterday of my vanilla. This is going on the second week...see how nice and dark it's getting? YUM! It smells amazing.

With Joy UNquenchable,

Winter Wonderland

In the part of the Pacific Northwest that I live in, experiencing a "true winter" is a miraculous treat. Usually our winter consists of many days of rain, maybe some dry but very cold days, and sometimes, if we're lucky, a bit of snow, though typically not more than a few inches. The last time we had any real significant snowfall was in 2008, shortly after we had moved in to our new home. I was in my glory (here is my post on that snow). Our town is barely above sea level, about 30'. We don't see much snow.  

Last week there were rumors on the news of snow coming our way. I thought, "is it possible? could it really be true? Snow?!" You see, I. LOVE. SNOW!!! Thursday morning I left for work with just a few fluttering flakes. I work as what I call a "personal assistant" for an older gal. I drive her to appointments, the store, do things around her house and yard, etc. Thankfully she only lives about 10 minutes max from my house. By 11:00 the snow was really starting to come down and the wind was blowing hard. We decided it was best that I head home. I am thankful for 4 wd and the fact that I am pretty confident in my driving skills. After a stop at the bank, gas station and grocery store, I headed home. Boy was it crazy. I couldn't wait to get home...everyone in a panic trying to get stocked up on food, traffic blocked from getting on the freeway, people getting off the freeway, wind and snow blowing. 

(The pictures below are from Thursday's snowfall)

I made it home and was ready to be happily hunkered down in our home for however long it took. Much to my delight we ended up with 10" or so over the course of the weekend. Sunday evening the rain began to arrive and now all the snow is melted away. I enjoyed a wonderful 4 full days of it. 

The photos below are from Friday and Saturday. I love our trees when they are covered in snow. It makes me happy. Benelli, our 11 month old lab LOVED the snow!!! She was so funny!

With Joy UNquenchable,

SRC Reveal: Flatbread Pizza

It's been quite awhile since group D has had a reveal. I was feeling nervous hoping I wouldn't forget the day, forget if I remembered to sign up for February's reveal, forget to make and post my recipe. Thankfully, I didn't forget any of them. Phew! The Secret Recipe Club is a place where bloggers gather once a week with 4 different groups sharing the recipes they've created from their secretly assigned blogs. I really enjoy it!

This month I was assigned the blog K & K Test Kitchen. This blog is a collaboration of the mother daughter team of Kelsey and Kim. There blog originated as a way to test out recipes that Kelsey had collected from cookbooks and blogs. Check out their About Me Page for  more information on their lives. 

I had several recipes marked to possibly try. These decisions are always so hard! But I finally settled on their Brussels Sprout and Chicken Pizza.  I'm really the only one in my family who likes brussels sprouts but thought maybe in this fashion everyone would eat them! Guess what? They did! We also had a few other toppings that my girls love...BBQ sauce for their base and chopped peppers. This has become a new favorite. They were so easy to put together and I loved it so much that I didn't miss the traditional "sauce" for a base. 

Let's get on with the recipe. I stayed pretty true to their recipe, but I did make sure I took the time to find some pancetta since they had mentioned that it was something that the original one they ate had on it. Glad I did. I have never used Pancetta...I love it. 

Ingredients:

1 flatbread crust (I purchased a pack of greek flatbread..there were 5 in the pack so we made individual ones)
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic (I just realized I think I forgot this..how on earth did I forget garlic?...that's a crime)
1 pinch red pepper flakes (seriously...forgot this too? good grief! Guess I need to make this again)
1 c. shredded brussels sprouts (used my food processor)
salt and pepper
chopped or shredded cooked chicken
1/2 c mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. goat cheese crumbled

Instructions (according to what I did)

1. Cook Pancetta in a small pan. Mine came diced so I just threw it in till it looked done. I've never cooked with it so really didn't know.

2. Preheat oven to 400. Place flatbreads on oven rack and bake until a bit browned. You could skip this, but I was going for a crunchy crust.

3. Combine oil, pepper and garlic, or if you're like me and completely forgot those last two items, just brush the crust with oil. 

4. I used my food processor with the slicing blade on it to shred the brussels sprouts. Worked quickly and perfectly. Combine with 1 tbs. olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

5. Now that you have everything ready...assemble! I put mozzarella down first then topped with shredded chicken, pancetta, sprouts then goat cheese crumbled on top. 

6. Place back in oven and cook until cheese is melted! Devour!!

Thank you ladies for an amazing recipe. This seriously is a new favorite...too bad my hubby wants to go Paleo for awhile to try and lose weight. This may be a treat day!


With Joy UNquenchable,