I did two big things last week. The first was that I co-hosted five canning videos with Nicki Sizemore for the Taste of Home Online Cooking School (I was initially super nervous but it ended up going incredibly well). The second was that I turned 36, which after the fanfare of 35 felt like a singularly anti-climactic birthday. Now I’m back to work and doing my best to make good things to share with you guys. Now, links!
- This tart shell is genius!
- Pickled ramps from Kevin West. And speaking of ramps, this pizza with ramp green pesto sounds absolutely dreamy.
- Pickled cauliflower, Italian style.
- Sweet mustard pawpaw pickles.
- Mini ricotta and parmesan cheesecakes, filled with jam.
- Blueberry meyer lemon cake.
- Tips for canning during a drought.
I’ve got winners to announce in both the Cuppow giveaway from last week and the Orchard Road one from the week before! First, the winners in the Cuppow giveaway are: #30/Paula, #33/Carol, #164/Brittany Williamson, #195/Terri, and #207/Christi Michaels.
The winners of the Orchard Road giveaway are: #12/Kelly E., #287/Millie, and #289/Rachael.
Thanks to all who took the time to enter!
Thank you and many thanks to the ladies and gentlemen at Cuppows’ for the awesome give away. I’m excited to give it a try and show it off. 😉
Marisa, one of the suggestions for canning during a draught is actually something I’ve wondered about – is it OK to re-use the water in your canning pot if there’s been no siphoning (to boil and process a new set of jars?)
Yep, totally okay. I sometimes use the same water for five or six batches, just topping it off as needed.
The tart shell recipe is definitely awesome. I originally found it via a recipe for mini lemon tarts (www.butterbaking.com/2013/06/20/little-lemon-tarts), and so far I’ve only used it for making tart shells in mini-muffin pans. It’s so perfect for that purpose, as rolling, cutting, fitting/smoothing that many regular pastry pieces would be a real pain. The result is thin, flaky, and fairly crisp, and has gotten good reviews from tasters of the lemon tarts. The only issue I’ve had with it is my top edges seem to shrink a little, and unevenly (maybe due to slight thickness variations?) which means I have to be careful pouring the liquid in. It might be user error, though – I might not be letting the dough cool enough before using, which could make it too elastic initially.