Meet the parents with a Blueberry lemon custard shortbread tart

Baking for my boyfriend is easy. He likes everything. Well except canned tuna. ahaha! But baking for the boyfriends parents when you have never met them can be difficult. I ask "so what do your parents like babe?" he says "they like everything." ahaaha well gee honey that doesn't help me.

I've been on a blueberry kick so I searched for something in my many recipes that I could add blueberries to. I have this easy blueberry lemon custard tart from Rachel Ray that I have been wanting to make.

So that is exactly what I did all the while hoping my boyfriend's parents will like everything I make too! ahaha!

Edit to a few hours later....I have met my martian's parents who are so great!! I can see where my sweet BF gets it from. So so nice!! Now we dig into the tart, in the back of my mind I'm thinking "oh dear I hope this is good or I am going to look like a big old a$$!"

SUCCESS!!! HOLY COW!! It was soooooooooo good!! Way to to go me!!

Here is the recipe! It's from Rachel Ray. She uses raspberries.

Enjoy and Keep On Making Stuff!!

Ingredients:


3 cups frozen raspberries (1 pound) (I used fresh organic blueberries)

1 stick plus 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

11/4 cups granulated sugar

13/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

Zest and juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup juice)

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting


Directions:

1.Drain the raspberries in a strainer set over a bowl. Preheat the oven to 400°. Using your fingers, combine the butter, 1/2 cup of the sugar and 11/2 cups of the flour and blend together until coarse crumbs form. Pour the mixture into an ungreased nonstick 9-inch springform or cake pan and press down evenly to form a crust. Bake the shortbread crust until lightly golden, about 20 minutes.

2.Remove the shortbread from the oven and reduce the temperature to 325°. Scatter the drained raspberries evenly over the baked shortbread.

3.Beat the eggs with the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar until thick and pale yellow. Whisk in the lemon zest, the lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Pour the lemon cream over the raspberries and bake the tart until the custard is set, about 30 minutes. Let cool, then dust with confectioners’ sugar.

mmmm beer! mmm bread! together make Beer Bread

My grandparents gave me their bread maker but it was missing the directions. But since the bread bug bit me I had to make some bread, bread maker or not. I heard rumors about beer bread and it's greatness so I searched until I found a recipe that caught my eye. I honestly do not think I could have found a more awesome recipe!!

I found it here on Ezra Pound Cake. She has about a bazillion great recipes original and borrowed. Check it out I think you will find something you like. If anything make this beer bread it is all kinds of yummy!!

My most adorable BF enjoyed it, I think he may be partial though ahahaha!

aww it's my favorite martian!

I wouldn't post this if it didn't knock my flip flops off!

So make this...smear it with butter while its still warm, or with some of your fav jam or really just about anything. Heck it's perfect just plain.

Oh and sing into your wooden spoon like it's a mic. It's fun!!

As always here is the recipe.

Enjoy and Keep On Making Stuff

Makes 1 loaf

•3 cups all-purpose flour

•3 tablespoons sugar
•1 tablespoon baking powder

•1 teaspoon salt

•1 bottle (12 ounces) beer (i used my fav Blue Moon)
•1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (Note: Feel free to reduce to 1/4 cup.)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-x-5-x-3-inch loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer into the dry ingredients until just mixed.
4. Pour half the melted butter into the loaf pan. Then spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter. Slide a baking sheet onto a lower rack to catch any butter that might overflow from the loaf pan.
5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Look how golden and chunky it looks. It's like little buttery chunks!! aka Heaven!
 
 
 
 

even Lucy wanted some! I may have accidentally dropped some on the floor for her.

Beer Can Chicken or as Paula Deen calls it Beer in the Rear Chicken

So when you are dating you tend to meet men who simply do not have anything to eat in the house. The fridge has weird things like ketchup and bud lite ahaha! I guess you could make something out of that! Ha!

Anyway I told my fav Martian I wanted to cook dinner for him. I asked what he wanted or what his fav meal was and I got nothing! So I decided for him. I mean who doesn't like a roasted chicken.

There are so many recipes for this. I didn't use anything specific.

What you will need:
3-5 pound roasting chicken
Olive Oil
Various Spices (i used sea salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, dill, red pepper flakes)
1 can of beer
Large roasting pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F
rub the chicken down with olive oil
cover with your seasoning
Pour half can of beer in a cup to use for basting later
Now the fun part
carefully sit the chicken on the can of beer. Thus the beer in the rear title!
ahaha I know I know but this beer can in the butt makes the chicken super moist ahaha!!

It took about 2 hours for my birdie to cook basting it about every 30 mins. It was super yummy!!

This meal also included corn on the cob foil pack red skins and blackberry cheesecake.

Enjoy! Keep On Making Stuff!

Pack up all the left overs for the grogeryless boy to enjoy the next day!