a good day

The good things about today:

- It was a chilly day, which I don't like in great numbers, but was nice for today.

- We made two different yummy treats.

- One was my own creation - mini apple tarts.

- The other was donuts!

- I don't even remember what we had for dinner, so that obviously wasn't something I thought about.

- Andwemayormaynothavewatchedtvalot. 

Now I feel rather bad, because I don't mean to say that all the other days aren't good, because they are. It was just that today was a fun, sit on your butt more than usual, watch more tv than usual, eat more treats than usual day. Not that I, personally, earned such a day, really, but nonetheless, it was awesome.

The willow was all tangled after last night's storm, so Quinn was sort of unwinding some of the branches.

So the mini apple tarts were a huge success. Remember the chicken pie? Well, I had all of this totally delicious pie dough leftovers from cutting around the dish, so I thought I'd use them up today.

Since I sort of made it up, I can share the recipe with you. And I do realize that I didn't actually invent this, I'm sure it's been done many times before, but here is what I did. Roll out your leftover pie dough, cut it into rectangles. Spread some butter on each piece, spread on some brown sugar, top with two or three thin apple slices that have been tossed with cinnamon. Make sure to leave an area around the edge of the dough free of butter or sugar! I didn't really do this, and I knew it would leak out in the over, but I didn't care. :P

Fold the rectangles in half and try to seal the edges by squishing them together and folding them. Place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with sugar and put them in a 350 degree oven for ageeees. I didn't have a timer, I just waited until they were the sliiiightest bit browned. The apples were done inside, but for looks, they could have been egg washed or stayed in a bit longer. I was starving, though, and these became my lunch. :)

Oh, also! I put apricot jelly in a few of the tarts and it was SO good. Definitely going to try some more jams next time I make them, but make SURE to seal the jam tarts. Butter burns a little in the oven, but jelly really burns and caramelizes like nobody's business.

We also made donuts, later on. Now I'm feeling piggy. :D They were a Cook's Illustrated "Lost Recipes" recipe. I'm going to have to say that the donuts were not as impressive as the tarts. They were good, but perhaps not light or fluffy enough. Still, it was very fun to deep fry them and roll them in sugar, and they made a great snack. :)

Oh, and as an afterthought, Happy Earth Day! I didn't realize it was Earth Day until rather late today, so it's only natural that I should wish you a Happy Earth Day after the day was over.

Good night!
- caroline