Instant Tart... no more!

A few years ago,
when i was vaguely interested in making desserts,
but very interested in bringing something homemade,
something special for people's birthdays,
(wow, that part of me has not changed a bit!)
I decided to make an easy birthday 'pie.'

i used something that every baker would be shameful about:

Keebler Ready Crust Graham...
I remember decorating the pie with colorful M&Ms,
while mumbling to myself,
"Wow! That looks... cheap & disgusting."

I love my friends, and that was the end of those pies.

Fast forward to 2 days ago,
seeing 2 tubs of sour cream +
finding 1 sour cream tart recipe while flipping through
the beautiful book: Desserts by the Yard (Thx Jules!) --
I took it as a sign *_*

I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE A TART!

Although... I'll be honest.
I still took a semi-cheat route 0_o"
I used betty Crocker's Pie crust mix...

But hey! At least i tried rolling a dough
with a wooden pin for the very first time.
I decided to add some cocoa powder also,
just to see if i can incorporate any chocolate flavor --
but i couldn't taste it at all after the crust came out...
so that was a waste -_-"



























Yard's recipe called for fresh raspberry
or red currents - neither of which i had at hand
nor was able to get coz EVERYTHING is closed on 1/1
(or so i was told).

So, hei's creativity came in and covered the tart
filled with dainty marshmallow instead! : D














Ohhhhhh...
I found myself smiling at the tart
as i took it out of the oven...
*_* Creamy, slightly brown dessert heaven!
Best paired with ice-cream / fresh fruits! : D

New Year's Intimate Dinner

We had a quiet, relaxing New year's eve --
then we got lovely company for a dinner gathering
on our first day in 2008 : )














We love company of all sorts,
but not all parties have to be big ; )
Since Fishcake & Jules both love Food Network
as much as we do (high-5!!),
we spent the late afternoon watching:
The Next Iron Chef Marathon : D
It was a capturing show -- very inspiring too!

Then, goh goh made an appetizer
that hit a home-run, according to our opinions:
Bacon wrapped Jumbo shrimps
with BBQ & honey sauce *____*














An hour later,
i forced goh goh to make another of my favorite:

















GUACAMOLE!!!!! : D
[So sad, Fishcake's allergic to it : /]













Can't you see how happy i am? : D
muahahaha...













For dinner, I made:
Chicken soup with Chinese mushrooms --
learned from Chef Homer aka Fafa : )
































-Cauliflower with spicy soy sauce/oyster sauce;
- Pork chop bites & sauteed onions with garlic black bean sauce;
- Pan-fried Chicken thighs with sweet & sour peanut dip.
While goh goh made white rice with garlic & chicken broth : )













I think it's true that cooking is easier than baking,
in the sense that you don't have to be as precise & neat.
However, i'm seeing how there's plenty of room
to be creative in both arears.
Yes, I aspire to master higher culinary skills! ; D














Obviously, I won't let them leave
without sending them off with desserts.
They were excited (& probably watched too much TV)
as they exclaimed: Wow you plated it like an iron chef!
I made a marshmallow sour cream tart
(more about that in the next post),
served it with coconut sorbet & toasted peanut sauce.

Thanks for coming by, sis!
I look forward to cooking over @ your home! ; D