Quick & Easy Apple Tart

I made this recipe for my dad for Father's Day. It was really good, but not quite as good as the last recipe that I made from the Pioneer Woman's blog.

INGREDIENTS:

1 sheet puffed pastry, cut into half OR thirds

3 to 4 apples, cored, halved, and sliced (but not peeled)

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
Place puffed pastry rectangles onto a baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray.
Add sugar and salt to apples. Stir to combine. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
Arrange apple slices on the pastry rectangles in a straight line, overlapping as you go.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown.
Remove from pan immediately and place on a serving platter. Serve plain, with caramel topping, whipped cream, or a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Recipe from Pioneer Woman, picture from my kitchen!

Lasagna

We are getting ready to throw a 30th Anniversary party for my parents this August. We will be serving Lasagna for the dinner. Therefore I will be trying several recipes out trying to decide which one that we will serve. I really liked this recipe, but I think that I will definatly be trying at least one more from a person that I worked with in Viriginia. She won a cooking contest with it!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
32 ounces cottage cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried parsley
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
9 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef. Drain the grease. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, eggs, half of the grated Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, salt and ground black pepper.
To assemble, in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish evenly spread 3/4 cup of the sauce mixture. Cover with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles, 1 3/4 cup of the cheese mixture, and 1/4 cup sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add 1/2 cup water to the edges of the pan. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree F(175 degrees C) oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Allrecipes picture from my kitchen.

Walnut-Strawberry Quick Bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts
1 1/4 cups (6 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon zest, or 1/4 teaspoon lemon oil
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) mashed strawberries
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) vegetable oil

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the walnuts, flour, sugar, soda, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, eggs, strawberries, and vegetable oil. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, whisking until well blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan and transfer it to a rack to cool completely, 1 hour or longer. For best flavor and easiest slicing, wrap the bread while still slightly warm and let set overnight.

Source: The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook and Amber's Delectable Delights

Mascarpone Cheese Substitute

When I went to the store to buy the ingredients for my Strawberry cupcakes, I could not find any mascarpone cheese. When the recipe was posted on the forum someone posted this substitute. Luckly I was smart enough to print it off too!

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz. package) packages cream cheese
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons whipping cream

Directions:
Allow cream cheese and butter to reach room temperature.

Beat until the sour cream is incorporated, add whipping cream and beat just until thoroughly blended.

If you need to store leftover "mascarpone", keep refrigerated in tightly sealed containers filled as full as possible.

On partly filled containers, putting a layer of plastic wrap directly on the cheese before sealing keeps it fresh longer.

Strawberry and Mascarpone Filled Cupcakes

My parents next door neighbor was graduating from highschool and I was asked to being a dessert to his party. I am always looking to try new things and someone posted a link to this recipe on one of the forums that I read. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to try and make these.

Ingredients:
1 box vanilla cake mix (like Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe French Vanilla cake)
1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese, chilled
1/2 cup thawed and drained frozen strawberries
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Make the cupcakes according to package instructions. Lightly grease the muffin tin and fill the batter almost to the rim of each muffin cup. Bake according to package directions and let cool.

In a food processor combine the mascarpone cheese, strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice. Process the mixture until smooth. Transfer the strawberry mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a small tip. Push the tip gently into the bottom of a cupcake and squeeze in the strawberry mixture until the cupcake plumps. Continue with the remaining cupcakes.

In a small saucepan bring the 1/2 cup sugar, water, and vanilla extract to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved. In a medium bowl combine the vanilla syrup with the confectioner's sugar. Stir until smooth. Working quickly, use a rubber spatula spread the icing on the top of the cupcakes. If the icing begins to firm up, place in the microwave for a few seconds to warm up again.

Len- Did not think that they had a stong enough Strawberry taste and next time instead of the icing that the recipe has he wants me to do a cream chese icing.

Party-goers- They loved the cupcakes. they thought that they were a little too sweet and when I told them of Lenny's suggestion of using cream cheese icing they all really like that idea.

Recipe from Food network, picture from my kitchen.