Mom Fail: Eating Habits

I did everything right when it came to food and my son was little. Turns out, it didn't really matter. I made him a wide variety of foods, he ate what we ate, including chicken, spinach, fish, all of it. When he was small he ate whatever I cooked, and I was so proud of myself. I used to watch the Pediasure commercials with the picky kids and think to myself in a snarky tone "OR, you could just feed your child a balanced, healthy diet".
Then it happened. Somewhere between the ages of 3 and 4, my son decided that he would prefer to exist on pasta with Parmesan cheese alone. I would have to hide the parm in the back of the fridge or he would take the whole block and eat it. Suddenly, I went from having a child with a sophisticated palate to one who only wanted pasta. I'm not sure how or why it happened, but there was that feeling in my gut that said "FAIL".
When I took him to the doctor for his five year check, he had not gained a single pound in a year. "Pediasure" my doctor said, and the reality that I really had failed kicked in. The worst part about this is that I don't know what to do. The Pediasure is working, he gained 3 pounds in under a month, but that cannot be the long term solution. I try new recipes, but he seems to misunderstand the difference between not liking something and not feeling like it. As soon as I find something he loves, he will eat it for a day, then decide he hates it. I don't believe in the "clean plate club"; however, at some point I think I need to buckle down, cook dinner, and if he doesn't like it too bad. I don't want to starve my child, but I think he needs to learn that he has to eat something other than pasta. He tells me "We always need to try new things, and maybe we will like the way they taste" yet seems to forget that as soon as I set dinner down in front of him. When he starts school next year, heaven only knows what I will put in his lunchbox, a topic I am trying to prepare him for, only to be met with "Plain pasta". I can't help but feel like a failure in one of the most basic areas of parenting, that being feed your child. Any advice?

I did everything right when it came to food and my son was little. Turns out, it didn't really matter. I made him a wide variety of foods, he ate what we ate, including chicken, spinach, fish, all of it. When he was small he ate whatever I cooked, and I was so proud of myself. I used to watch the Pediasure commercials with the picky kids and think to myself in a snarky tone "OR, you could just feed your child a balanced, healthy diet".
Then it happened. Somewhere between the ages of 3 and 4, my son decided that he would prefer to exist on pasta with Parmesan cheese alone. I would have to hide the parm in the back of the fridge or he would take the whole block and eat it. Suddenly, I went from having a child with a sophisticated palate to one who only wanted pasta. I'm not sure how or why it happened, but there was that feeling in my gut that said "FAIL".
When I took him to the doctor for his five year check, he had not gained a single pound in a year. "Pediasure" my doctor said, and the reality that I really had failed kicked in. The worst part about this is that I don't know what to do. The Pediasure is working, he gained 3 pounds in under a month, but that cannot be the long term solution. I try new recipes, but he seems to misunderstand the difference between not liking something and not feeling like it. As soon as I find something he loves, he will eat it for a day, then decide he hates it. I don't believe in the "clean plate club"; however, at some point I think I need to buckle down, cook dinner, and if he doesn't like it too bad. I don't want to starve my child, but I think he needs to learn that he has to eat something other than pasta. He tells me "We always need to try new things, and maybe we will like the way they taste" yet seems to forget that as soon as I set dinner down in front of him. When he starts school next year, heaven only knows what I will put in his lunchbox, a topic I am trying to prepare him for, only to be met with "Plain pasta". I can't help but feel like a failure in one of the most basic areas of parenting, that being feed your child. Any advice?

Penn State's Moral Compass

The recent events at Penn State have infuriated me. While I usually write about cooking and cleaning, I feel that as a mother and a human being, this subject deserves some attention. Joe Paterno has played himself as the "moral compass" of Penn state, and while he may have been a great coach, he clearly is lacking as a human being, and his indifference directly contributed to a multitude of boys being sodomized at the hands of one of his coaches.
This story is sickening from the beginning, but what really put me over the edge were the riots that took place near the Penn St campus last night upon students learning that Paterno had been fired. I was infuriated when Old "Joepa" decided that he would resign at the season's end, as if the decision were up to him. I'm sorry, who exactly do you think you are? Do you think, Joe Paterno, that you are so far above the law that a University would actually play by your rules in regards to when you leave the institution? I guess you did, since you have done it before. But this was not about football. This is about the fact that you not only employed and ignored a pedophile, but that you still thought that you were above the law in this regard. How dare you. The last time I checked, when people refer to a "moral compass", it does not read "Right, Wrong, or Protect Joe Paterno". Unfortunately, it seems that the latter is what the students and staff at Penn St. follow. Well let me tell you something, Joe. The mothers of America do not care how many football games you have won, how many players you have influenced, or how many lives you have changed. We care about the lives you tossed aside by your indifference and callous disregard. You knew, and you did essentially nothing. How dare you. You deserve to go out not in a blaze of glory, but in a veil of shame. Your years of coaching mean nothing if you are not the kind of person who would protect innocent children from a predator. In fact, instead of protecting the victims, you protected the predator and made damn sure that his actions didn't ruin your own precious reputation.

In regards the the riots last night at Penn St: It seems that the football program is not the only problem at Penn St, it is the level of education. To see misguided students tossing over a TV van, breaking windows and getting hit with pepper spray hints at a lack of discipline and education that is clearly campus wide, not solely confined to the football field. Perhaps these students do not have children, and cannot fathom the pain that would come with having your son raped by a dirty old man, only to have it covered up. Their ignorance only shows that they clearly care more about a football program than actual people.

As to Mike McQueary, who reported what he saw to Joe Paterno. Let me tell you something: When you see an 11 year old boy being RAPED by a dirty old man, you don't walk away and call your daddy and then Joe Paterno. You rip the old man off of him and beat the shit out of him. Then you call 911. If, god forbid anyone ever did this to my son, I would pray that if anyone saw it they would protect him, not some stupid university football coach. I also pray that when my son becomes a man, he would defend the child who was being sodomized, not some football coach.

The recent events at Penn State have infuriated me. While I usually write about cooking and cleaning, I feel that as a mother and a human being, this subject deserves some attention. Joe Paterno has played himself as the "moral compass" of Penn state, and while he may have been a great coach, he clearly is lacking as a human being, and his indifference directly contributed to a multitude of boys being sodomized at the hands of one of his coaches.
This story is sickening from the beginning, but what really put me over the edge were the riots that took place near the Penn St campus last night upon students learning that Paterno had been fired. I was infuriated when Old "Joepa" decided that he would resign at the season's end, as if the decision were up to him. I'm sorry, who exactly do you think you are? Do you think, Joe Paterno, that you are so far above the law that a University would actually play by your rules in regards to when you leave the institution? I guess you did, since you have done it before. But this was not about football. This is about the fact that you not only employed and ignored a pedophile, but that you still thought that you were above the law in this regard. How dare you. The last time I checked, when people refer to a "moral compass", it does not read "Right, Wrong, or Protect Joe Paterno". Unfortunately, it seems that the latter is what the students and staff at Penn St. follow. Well let me tell you something, Joe. The mothers of America do not care how many football games you have won, how many players you have influenced, or how many lives you have changed. We care about the lives you tossed aside by your indifference and callous disregard. You knew, and you did essentially nothing. How dare you. You deserve to go out not in a blaze of glory, but in a veil of shame. Your years of coaching mean nothing if you are not the kind of person who would protect innocent children from a predator. In fact, instead of protecting the victims, you protected the predator and made damn sure that his actions didn't ruin your own precious reputation.

In regards the the riots last night at Penn St: It seems that the football program is not the only problem at Penn St, it is the level of education. To see misguided students tossing over a TV van, breaking windows and getting hit with pepper spray hints at a lack of discipline and education that is clearly campus wide, not solely confined to the football field. Perhaps these students do not have children, and cannot fathom the pain that would come with having your son raped by a dirty old man, only to have it covered up. Their ignorance only shows that they clearly care more about a football program than actual people.

As to Mike McQueary, who reported what he saw to Joe Paterno. Let me tell you something: When you see an 11 year old boy being RAPED by a dirty old man, you don't walk away and call your daddy and then Joe Paterno. You rip the old man off of him and beat the shit out of him. Then you call 911. If, god forbid anyone ever did this to my son, I would pray that if anyone saw it they would protect him, not some stupid university football coach. I also pray that when my son becomes a man, he would defend the child who was being sodomized, not some football coach.

Developing Recipes and Learning to Cook

It is hard for me to believe that just six years ago, I had no idea how to cook. There were two things I could make: toast and ice cubes. When I got married, I figured I needed to learn, fast. So learn I did, by watching The Food Network endlessly and buying cookbooks. Like so many new cooks, I followed each recipe to the letter, since I didn't trust myself enough to make deviations. I believe this is a great way to learn, getting the basics down and following somebody else's rules until you get a good grasp on how ingredients work together (or not), and not making adjustments until you are more confident in the kitchen. Eventually, I was able to make changes that suited me, and even came up with a few recipes of my own.
I have always admired those who are able to write cookbooks, since I only have a few recipes in my repertoire that have been created solely by little old me. Despite the fact that I consider myself an intermediate to advanced cook, creating recipes intimidates me.
Then came the Real Women of Philadelphia contest. It is a recipe contest from Philadelphia Cream Cheese, with a weekly theme, time and ingredient restriction, and a 500.00 prize. I can almost picture that copper kitchenaid stand mixer in my pretty little hands. When I looked it up, something amazing happened - I started thinking about actually composing recipes of my own, and since I had been given an ingredient limit, a theme (appetizer, side dish, etc.), and a deadline, I was able to come up with some ideas. Now I cannot wait to come up with more! Because there are guidelines to get me started, I have gained so much confidence in myself and my ability to create recipes.
Here is one recipe that didn't make it into the contest, since I made it, photographed it, and ate it before I realized that I didn't put the package of Philadelphia cream cheese in the picture. I had every intention of re-making it, but life got in the way. It may not be healthy, but it tastes so good I had to share!

Creamy bacon cauliflower bake
Ingredients:
One head of cauliflower, cut into chunks
4 oz bacon or pancetta, diced
2 Tbs flour
1 cup whole milk
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
8oz (one brick) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tbs olive oil
2 oz shredded Gruyere cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Pre- heat oven to 375
In large pot, boil water and cook cauliflower for about 5 minutes. In addition to the regular cauliflower, I bought a few colorful purple and orange baby cauliflower heads to add to the presentation. When cooked, drain and set aside.
While cauliflower is cooking, render the bacon or pancetta over low to medium heat until crispy (about ten minutes). Remove bacon with slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving the fat in the pan.
Stir the flour into the hot bacon fat, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add milk, and let it come to a bubble, stirring occasionally.
Stir in room temperature cream cheese and nutmeg, cook until it is melted and incorporated.
Remove from heat and add parmesan cheese,salt and pepper, stirring to incorporate.

Grease a medium sized baking dish with the olive oil (or cooking spray if you prefer), and place the cauliflower in it. Top with the cream sauce and shredded gruyere cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes and serve.

Here's a money saving tip: Go to the deli counter for the pancetta and gruyere cheese. You can get the exact amount you need for so much less than if you buy it pre-packaged. I prefer Boar's head brand, but that's just me.

It is hard for me to believe that just six years ago, I had no idea how to cook. There were two things I could make: toast and ice cubes. When I got married, I figured I needed to learn, fast. So learn I did, by watching The Food Network endlessly and buying cookbooks. Like so many new cooks, I followed each recipe to the letter, since I didn't trust myself enough to make deviations. I believe this is a great way to learn, getting the basics down and following somebody else's rules until you get a good grasp on how ingredients work together (or not), and not making adjustments until you are more confident in the kitchen. Eventually, I was able to make changes that suited me, and even came up with a few recipes of my own.
I have always admired those who are able to write cookbooks, since I only have a few recipes in my repertoire that have been created solely by little old me. Despite the fact that I consider myself an intermediate to advanced cook, creating recipes intimidates me.
Then came the Real Women of Philadelphia contest. It is a recipe contest from Philadelphia Cream Cheese, with a weekly theme, time and ingredient restriction, and a 500.00 prize. I can almost picture that copper kitchenaid stand mixer in my pretty little hands. When I looked it up, something amazing happened - I started thinking about actually composing recipes of my own, and since I had been given an ingredient limit, a theme (appetizer, side dish, etc.), and a deadline, I was able to come up with some ideas. Now I cannot wait to come up with more! Because there are guidelines to get me started, I have gained so much confidence in myself and my ability to create recipes.
Here is one recipe that didn't make it into the contest, since I made it, photographed it, and ate it before I realized that I didn't put the package of Philadelphia cream cheese in the picture. I had every intention of re-making it, but life got in the way. It may not be healthy, but it tastes so good I had to share!

Creamy bacon cauliflower bake
Ingredients:
One head of cauliflower, cut into chunks
4 oz bacon or pancetta, diced
2 Tbs flour
1 cup whole milk
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
8oz (one brick) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tbs olive oil
2 oz shredded Gruyere cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Pre- heat oven to 375
In large pot, boil water and cook cauliflower for about 5 minutes. In addition to the regular cauliflower, I bought a few colorful purple and orange baby cauliflower heads to add to the presentation. When cooked, drain and set aside.
While cauliflower is cooking, render the bacon or pancetta over low to medium heat until crispy (about ten minutes). Remove bacon with slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving the fat in the pan.
Stir the flour into the hot bacon fat, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add milk, and let it come to a bubble, stirring occasionally.
Stir in room temperature cream cheese and nutmeg, cook until it is melted and incorporated.
Remove from heat and add parmesan cheese,salt and pepper, stirring to incorporate.

Grease a medium sized baking dish with the olive oil (or cooking spray if you prefer), and place the cauliflower in it. Top with the cream sauce and shredded gruyere cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes and serve.

Here's a money saving tip: Go to the deli counter for the pancetta and gruyere cheese. You can get the exact amount you need for so much less than if you buy it pre-packaged. I prefer Boar's head brand, but that's just me.

Fall Is The New Spring

Halloween is 8 weeks away.
Crazy, isn't it? That means that my favorite time of year, autumn, is almost here! I love the summer, but there is something magical about fall. It makes you want to put on sweaters, cook, bake, go apple picking and snuggle at home with your family. Fall is not just a prelude to the holiday season, it is a season of family time and being thankful. Each year I eagerly await September 1st, since that is when I allow myself to start breaking out the fall decor I put around my house. I love garlands made of fall leaves, pumpkins, all of it. I am such a dork when it comes to this stuff. Having my home feel comfortable and warm with the rich colors is so wonderful when the crisp days of fall come around. And by crisp, I mean 90 degrees instead of 100. I live in Vegas, so sometimes I have to pretend.

Right now is the perfect time to get down and dirty with some "fall cleaning". Sure, we all do spring cleaning, but I think now is the time to really focus on it. After all, soon our homes will be bustling with holiday activity and we won't have time during the hectic weeks before Christmas to tend to our homes as much as we would like. It is also a great time to de-clutter and bless some charities with the things we no longer love, before the influx of new goodies comes our way in December. If you do a deep clean now, you will be ready for spot cleaning in the coming months. So that is what I have been up to, from the baseboards to the backyard.
Here is a handy list to help you get started now, before it is too late and we are all in the chaotic holiday spirit:

Change the batteries in smoke/carbon monoxide detectors
Clean the gutters of leaves and debris
Trim down plants to get them ready for winter
Clean the windows and sills
Deep clean carpets
Organize the pantry
Change air filters
Put away summer pool toys
Change the light bulbs outside (better now than when it is cold out).
Hang heavier winter curtains that help insulate the house.

Well that should get all of us started! It may seem tedious, but it is so much easier to do these things now rather than wait until things get crazy in November and December.
Let's get cleaning!! Otherwise, if you are like me, it will be January 1st before any of it gets done.

Halloween is 8 weeks away.
Crazy, isn't it? That means that my favorite time of year, autumn, is almost here! I love the summer, but there is something magical about fall. It makes you want to put on sweaters, cook, bake, go apple picking and snuggle at home with your family. Fall is not just a prelude to the holiday season, it is a season of family time and being thankful. Each year I eagerly await September 1st, since that is when I allow myself to start breaking out the fall decor I put around my house. I love garlands made of fall leaves, pumpkins, all of it. I am such a dork when it comes to this stuff. Having my home feel comfortable and warm with the rich colors is so wonderful when the crisp days of fall come around. And by crisp, I mean 90 degrees instead of 100. I live in Vegas, so sometimes I have to pretend.

Right now is the perfect time to get down and dirty with some "fall cleaning". Sure, we all do spring cleaning, but I think now is the time to really focus on it. After all, soon our homes will be bustling with holiday activity and we won't have time during the hectic weeks before Christmas to tend to our homes as much as we would like. It is also a great time to de-clutter and bless some charities with the things we no longer love, before the influx of new goodies comes our way in December. If you do a deep clean now, you will be ready for spot cleaning in the coming months. So that is what I have been up to, from the baseboards to the backyard.
Here is a handy list to help you get started now, before it is too late and we are all in the chaotic holiday spirit:

Change the batteries in smoke/carbon monoxide detectors
Clean the gutters of leaves and debris
Trim down plants to get them ready for winter
Clean the windows and sills
Deep clean carpets
Organize the pantry
Change air filters
Put away summer pool toys
Change the light bulbs outside (better now than when it is cold out).
Hang heavier winter curtains that help insulate the house.

Well that should get all of us started! It may seem tedious, but it is so much easier to do these things now rather than wait until things get crazy in November and December.
Let's get cleaning!! Otherwise, if you are like me, it will be January 1st before any of it gets done.

The Nectarine Tart, Part Two: Rising from the ashes.

If at first you don't succeed...

The time had come. June was here, the sun was shining, nectarines were in full supply. My son, still scarred from the original experiment, kept saying "mommy, now you can make your nectarine tart!". Does he know what a tart is? No, but he was trying his best to be supportive. Round two, tart, it's just you and me, and only one of us is going to prevail.
After the oven was cleaned of all remaining beans and tart dough, I was ready to roll. On a side note, it is never a bad idea to clean your oven, as a dirty one will generally yield poor results to whatever you are cooking/baking. You wouldn't want your tart or pie smelling like burnt mozzarella from the pizza that overflowed the week before. Also, my pizza stone lives in the bottom of my oven, never to be removed, as it aids in the cooking of pastries, bread, and everything else imaginable. Just leave it in there.

This time, I started off by buying the nectarines first. Note to self: Perhaps I should try that with all of my recipes, gathering the essential ingredients to make sure they are available before buying the hardware. I also did a quick search to find the best tart dough recipe, and came across a wonderful blog with an equally wonderful tart dough recipe - The Smitten Kitchen. It was going to work this time, I could feel it! The beauty of this tart dough is that it is creamy and easy to work with, as well as impossibly simple to make. It also does not involve pie weights (or beans as I use), so there was no risk of having to once again fish in the bottom of the oven with tweezers in search of lost beans. I was sold.
On to the nectarines, which needed to be sliced super thin and formed into roses. While the slicing wasn't a problem, the forming into roses was even more labor intensive than I prefer, and I could not get them to stay together. Realizing that this could take hours, I took the cheap way out and decided to do one rose in the center and fan the rest of the slices into a large flower.

I filled the tart with a chambord mixture per the recipe, and popped it into the oven, to be greeted 40 minutes later by this beauty:

Note: if you do a quick search of this tart, you will find many bloggers who have tried it, I will tell you it is a pain, but it is so worth it.

If at first you don't succeed...

The time had come. June was here, the sun was shining, nectarines were in full supply. My son, still scarred from the original experiment, kept saying "mommy, now you can make your nectarine tart!". Does he know what a tart is? No, but he was trying his best to be supportive. Round two, tart, it's just you and me, and only one of us is going to prevail.
After the oven was cleaned of all remaining beans and tart dough, I was ready to roll. On a side note, it is never a bad idea to clean your oven, as a dirty one will generally yield poor results to whatever you are cooking/baking. You wouldn't want your tart or pie smelling like burnt mozzarella from the pizza that overflowed the week before. Also, my pizza stone lives in the bottom of my oven, never to be removed, as it aids in the cooking of pastries, bread, and everything else imaginable. Just leave it in there.

This time, I started off by buying the nectarines first. Note to self: Perhaps I should try that with all of my recipes, gathering the essential ingredients to make sure they are available before buying the hardware. I also did a quick search to find the best tart dough recipe, and came across a wonderful blog with an equally wonderful tart dough recipe - The Smitten Kitchen. It was going to work this time, I could feel it! The beauty of this tart dough is that it is creamy and easy to work with, as well as impossibly simple to make. It also does not involve pie weights (or beans as I use), so there was no risk of having to once again fish in the bottom of the oven with tweezers in search of lost beans. I was sold.
On to the nectarines, which needed to be sliced super thin and formed into roses. While the slicing wasn't a problem, the forming into roses was even more labor intensive than I prefer, and I could not get them to stay together. Realizing that this could take hours, I took the cheap way out and decided to do one rose in the center and fan the rest of the slices into a large flower.

I filled the tart with a chambord mixture per the recipe, and popped it into the oven, to be greeted 40 minutes later by this beauty:

Note: if you do a quick search of this tart, you will find many bloggers who have tried it, I will tell you it is a pain, but it is so worth it.

The Nectarine Tart Disaster (a two part series)

Part One, The Disaster
Those who know me know that I tend to gravitate towards labor intensive recipes. There is something that draws me in to spending hours composing appetizers and desserts that have that "wow" factor and make people wonder "how did she do that?" Self serving? Perhaps, but I show love through food, and let's face it: love and life can be labor intensive. Needless to say, when I was perusing the be all end all of baking, Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook and came across a recipe for a nectarine tart in which the nectarine slices were made into multiple roses, I thought "Yahtzee!" I waited for the perfect occasion to make this massively impressive dessert, and settled on Easter Sunday. This set into motion a sequence of events that while comical, were disastrous.

Having never made a tart before (and of course, wanting to start with the most difficult one I could find), I had no tart pan. I did; however, have a gift card to Williams-Sonoma with $11.00 left on it, more than enough for a shiny new addition to my kitchen. When I failed to locate said gift card (as clutter abounds in my house), I should have taken it as a sign and given up. Undeterred, I pressed on, and on Good Friday I made my pilgrimage to W.S. to buy the pan with my own money, since the gift card never appeared.
While checking out, the friendly clerk asked what I would be making, and I told her of the tart, at which point she innocently asked "Where are you going to find the nectarines?" Well, this thought hadn't occurred to me. Although it was only April, I was certain I had seen nectarines in the stores only a few weeks prior. Sign #2, walk away while you are still ahead. Signs be damned, off I went with my four year old in tow to the grocery store.

No nectarines. No nectarines anywhere. "Yes", the produce manager told me, "we had them a few weeks ago, but they were of poor quality so we are waiting until they are in season". My mind raced, still bent on making this stupid tart as I was now referring to it. I had also made a cake as a backup, but I wanted this tart! I searched, eagerly, desperate for a substitute fruit that could be made into roses and came across pears. $15.00 worth of pears later, I headed home.

I made the tart dough, which, by the way, is quite different than a pie dough, and set it in the fridge for the requisite 2 hours as the recipe called for. I put the boy to bed and took the dough out, oven preheated and ready to go, and unwrapped it. Disaster. Working with the dough was akin to a child trying to make a sandcastle out of dry sand. It was a crumbly useless waste of time and money sand dough. So I turned to old faithful, the red plaid cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens for a new tart dough recipe, began the process again, chilled for another 2 hours (at this point it was around midnight the Saturday before Easter, thank heavens I had baked a nice cake as back-up). This one worked, so I began the blind baking process, using dried beans as my pie weights. I was on my way! The tart shell was baking, I was happy, and when it was done I gleefully went to remove it from the oven. Note to new bakers: tart pans have two pieces, a removable bottom and the side part. It is a good idea to place the tart pan on a sheet pan while baking, since it is incredibly difficult to lift a two piece piping hot pan from the oven. Let me tell you what will happen from unfortunate personal experience. The bottom will raise, breaking the crust, the beans will spill all over your oven, and if you are really lucky, like I am, you will burn the inside of your wrist in two symmetrical places, one from the bottom and one from the side part. The tart will fall to the bottom, sides, and door of your oven, beans jumping ship every step of the way, until all you have to show for it are scars and a messy oven. Yes, this is precisely what happened to me. In fact, just this week, a couple of months later, I was asked "Did you have carpal tunnel surgery?" "no, that's from the nectarine tart". Sad. I also had the joy of dismantling the oven to find the lost beans that had fallen (with tweezers, mind you, for the ones in hard to reach places) some of which had been incinerated, and cleaning the whole thing out. I gave up the dream at this point, but only temporarily. I already had my eye on June, when nectarines would be plentiful and I could try again.

Part two of the nectarine tart disaster is Here.

Part One, The Disaster
Those who know me know that I tend to gravitate towards labor intensive recipes. There is something that draws me in to spending hours composing appetizers and desserts that have that "wow" factor and make people wonder "how did she do that?" Self serving? Perhaps, but I show love through food, and let's face it: love and life can be labor intensive. Needless to say, when I was perusing the be all end all of baking, Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook and came across a recipe for a nectarine tart in which the nectarine slices were made into multiple roses, I thought "Yahtzee!" I waited for the perfect occasion to make this massively impressive dessert, and settled on Easter Sunday. This set into motion a sequence of events that while comical, were disastrous.

Having never made a tart before (and of course, wanting to start with the most difficult one I could find), I had no tart pan. I did; however, have a gift card to Williams-Sonoma with $11.00 left on it, more than enough for a shiny new addition to my kitchen. When I failed to locate said gift card (as clutter abounds in my house), I should have taken it as a sign and given up. Undeterred, I pressed on, and on Good Friday I made my pilgrimage to W.S. to buy the pan with my own money, since the gift card never appeared.
While checking out, the friendly clerk asked what I would be making, and I told her of the tart, at which point she innocently asked "Where are you going to find the nectarines?" Well, this thought hadn't occurred to me. Although it was only April, I was certain I had seen nectarines in the stores only a few weeks prior. Sign #2, walk away while you are still ahead. Signs be damned, off I went with my four year old in tow to the grocery store.

No nectarines. No nectarines anywhere. "Yes", the produce manager told me, "we had them a few weeks ago, but they were of poor quality so we are waiting until they are in season". My mind raced, still bent on making this stupid tart as I was now referring to it. I had also made a cake as a backup, but I wanted this tart! I searched, eagerly, desperate for a substitute fruit that could be made into roses and came across pears. $15.00 worth of pears later, I headed home.

I made the tart dough, which, by the way, is quite different than a pie dough, and set it in the fridge for the requisite 2 hours as the recipe called for. I put the boy to bed and took the dough out, oven preheated and ready to go, and unwrapped it. Disaster. Working with the dough was akin to a child trying to make a sandcastle out of dry sand. It was a crumbly useless waste of time and money sand dough. So I turned to old faithful, the red plaid cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens for a new tart dough recipe, began the process again, chilled for another 2 hours (at this point it was around midnight the Saturday before Easter, thank heavens I had baked a nice cake as back-up). This one worked, so I began the blind baking process, using dried beans as my pie weights. I was on my way! The tart shell was baking, I was happy, and when it was done I gleefully went to remove it from the oven. Note to new bakers: tart pans have two pieces, a removable bottom and the side part. It is a good idea to place the tart pan on a sheet pan while baking, since it is incredibly difficult to lift a two piece piping hot pan from the oven. Let me tell you what will happen from unfortunate personal experience. The bottom will raise, breaking the crust, the beans will spill all over your oven, and if you are really lucky, like I am, you will burn the inside of your wrist in two symmetrical places, one from the bottom and one from the side part. The tart will fall to the bottom, sides, and door of your oven, beans jumping ship every step of the way, until all you have to show for it are scars and a messy oven. Yes, this is precisely what happened to me. In fact, just this week, a couple of months later, I was asked "Did you have carpal tunnel surgery?" "no, that's from the nectarine tart". Sad. I also had the joy of dismantling the oven to find the lost beans that had fallen (with tweezers, mind you, for the ones in hard to reach places) some of which had been incinerated, and cleaning the whole thing out. I gave up the dream at this point, but only temporarily. I already had my eye on June, when nectarines would be plentiful and I could try again.

Part two of the nectarine tart disaster is Here.

I wish I had thought of this sooner...

I have a couple of household tips to share with you today, but I must start by saying that we are having glorious weather here, and it is so nice to sit here with the windows open while I write, a cold beer, and a sleeping (or almost sleeping) child tucked safely into bed. Here in Vegas we get about two weeks in the spring and two weeks in the fall when we can actually have the windows open, so you have to jump at the chance to air the house out.

Now down to the homekeeping tips. I was washing dishes today and had a rare stroke of genius. I pre-wash every dish within an inch of it's life before loading it into the dishwasher. I am sure this is not completely necessary, but I use the dishwasher as the final sanitation process of dishes. (No, I would prefer not to hear your comments about wasting water, out here if you even water your rock landscaping on the wrong day the water police come after you, so if I want to use water in the privacy of my home leave me alone). More often than I care to admit, the dishes do not get done right after dinner, which means that there are dried bits on the silverware (especially the fork tongs) that need to be soaked off before I can wash them. By more often, I mean every night, which is a habit I would like to change, but I digress...

So today I discovered a small tip that made my life much easier. I removed the silverware basket from the dishwasher, loaded it up, and soaked the whole thing. Then, when the rest of the dishes were in the diswasher, I could just spray it down and plop it in the machine. It saved me so much time compared to washing each piece individually! It's the little things in life that bring so much joy.

The next tip is a small office in the kitchen. I have yet to find a desk I love, so I have devoted a space in the kitchen to an office space, and I try to make use of every square inch. The insides of the cabinet doors have been turned into valuable workhorses, and here is how I did it. I mounted a couple of cork strips using command adhesive so as not to damage them, and that is where I put those annoying scraps of paper that otherwise would have no home, the mail key, and other random things. Also, my mom just gave me a pack of these post it pockets that are amazing! They use post it adhesive, so they won't damage the walls or cabinets, and they are great for stashing receipts, recipes, coupons, or anything else that is in standby mode waiting for it's permanent home. They were giving them away at the last NASCAR race, but you can buy them at staples:

Here is the inside of the cabinet

Making every inch in your home count leads to a more organized home, and since I am "clutter challenged", I'll take all the help I can get!

I have a couple of household tips to share with you today, but I must start by saying that we are having glorious weather here, and it is so nice to sit here with the windows open while I write, a cold beer, and a sleeping (or almost sleeping) child tucked safely into bed. Here in Vegas we get about two weeks in the spring and two weeks in the fall when we can actually have the windows open, so you have to jump at the chance to air the house out.

Now down to the homekeeping tips. I was washing dishes today and had a rare stroke of genius. I pre-wash every dish within an inch of it's life before loading it into the dishwasher. I am sure this is not completely necessary, but I use the dishwasher as the final sanitation process of dishes. (No, I would prefer not to hear your comments about wasting water, out here if you even water your rock landscaping on the wrong day the water police come after you, so if I want to use water in the privacy of my home leave me alone). More often than I care to admit, the dishes do not get done right after dinner, which means that there are dried bits on the silverware (especially the fork tongs) that need to be soaked off before I can wash them. By more often, I mean every night, which is a habit I would like to change, but I digress...

So today I discovered a small tip that made my life much easier. I removed the silverware basket from the dishwasher, loaded it up, and soaked the whole thing. Then, when the rest of the dishes were in the diswasher, I could just spray it down and plop it in the machine. It saved me so much time compared to washing each piece individually! It's the little things in life that bring so much joy.

The next tip is a small office in the kitchen. I have yet to find a desk I love, so I have devoted a space in the kitchen to an office space, and I try to make use of every square inch. The insides of the cabinet doors have been turned into valuable workhorses, and here is how I did it. I mounted a couple of cork strips using command adhesive so as not to damage them, and that is where I put those annoying scraps of paper that otherwise would have no home, the mail key, and other random things. Also, my mom just gave me a pack of these post it pockets that are amazing! They use post it adhesive, so they won't damage the walls or cabinets, and they are great for stashing receipts, recipes, coupons, or anything else that is in standby mode waiting for it's permanent home. They were giving them away at the last NASCAR race, but you can buy them at staples:

Here is the inside of the cabinet

Making every inch in your home count leads to a more organized home, and since I am "clutter challenged", I'll take all the help I can get!