It was my turn to pick this week and I chose the section in July Living with the chocolate chip cookie desserts. I made the chocolate tart with the chocolate chip cookie crust. I knew going in that this was going to be a lot of work – first you have to make the cookies, then you use them to make the crust, then you make the filling and bake that. You could definitely just buy pre-made cookies to make this crust if you wanted to.

Apparently, I was a little impatient, or it was just so dang hot that the cookies never really cooled, so when I whizzed them up in the Cuisinart with the melted butter, the whole thing turned chocolate since the chips were not set.

The tart filling was not hard to make and baked up nicely.

Here’s the recipe for the tart (I didn’t think there was anything special about the cookies):

16 choc chip cookies, finely ground, 2 cups

2 tbsp melted butter

for filling:

1 cup heavy cream

8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 tbsp butter

Mix cookie crumb and butter then press into a 9 1/2 inch tart shell with removable bottom.  Refrigerate 30 min. Then bake at 350 for 10-12 min. Make the filling by bringing cream to boil and pouring over chocolate. Stir in other ingredients after chocolate has melted. Pour into the shell and bake at 300 for 20-24 min until the edges are set.

This looked pretty and cut nicely. It was way too rich for me though, like eating candy. We cut one small slice, everyone had a taste, and off it went to Mr. MarthaAndMe’s office for others to enjoy. It was very good, but not something I could ever actually eat more than a couple little bites of.

It was my turn to pick this week and I chose the section in July Living with the chocolate chip cookie desserts. I made the chocolate tart with the chocolate chip cookie crust. I knew going in that this was going to be a lot of work – first you have to make the cookies, … Read more →

This recipe title sounds like I am describing a disaster, but actually this is a real recipe. This is one of the recipe cards in July Living (not online yet). I tinkered with the recipe a tiny bit. The basic idea is you make a salad by grilling romaine lettuce, so I followed that part of the recipe. It says to brush the leaves with oil then grill 4 minutes a side until slightly charred.

I had a grilled romaine salad at a restaurant last year and LOVED it, so I was anxious to try this. We followed the instructions exactly. One piece turned out pretty well. The others just wilted and turned brown. I made a quick vinaigrette and shaved some Parmesan cheese to put on this. I think you need really thick robust leaves and I also think you might be better to grill the hell out of it for a minute on each side so it chars but doesn’t wilt. I’m not sure. I need to try this a few more times. It has potential. I really like the flavor but I do not like mushy wilted lettuce. Have you ever tried this?

This recipe title sounds like I am describing a disaster, but actually this is a real recipe. This is one of the recipe cards in July Living (not online yet). I tinkered with the recipe a tiny bit. The basic idea is you make a salad by grilling romaine lettuce, so I followed that part … Read more →

Tiny Skillet was our selection person this week and she chose granitas.  I made the strawberry one. I did not add vodka and I did not make the syrup with the balsamic to pour over it because that sounded just awful to me! I thought this was going to be easy to make, but I have to admit that the time scraping with a fork was truly a pain in the butt! The granita was tasty though- kind of like shave ice or a popsicle or sorbet. Something I have never had before. Definitely refreshing a light. This was fun to try.

Tiny Skillet was our selection person this week and she chose granitas.  I made the strawberry one. I did not add vodka and I did not make the syrup with the balsamic to pour over it because that sounded just awful to me! I thought this was going to be easy to make, but I … Read more →

Sassy Suppers chose this week’s project, which was timely due to the heat wave we’ve had! The project was Honeydew Cream Pistachio Popsicles.  I had popsicle forms years ago when my kiddos were little, but no longer have one, so I just made these in little bowls – kind of a popsicle without the stick. They were easy to make. I just dumped everything in the food processor (except the pistachios). I made the mistake of using salted pistachios which was not good in this! I thought they were interesting, but I didn’t care for them much. Somehow the melon and cream tasted weird to me. Mr. MarthaAndMe liked this, which is weird since he has recently declared he does not like any melon other than watermelon. The kids would not taste it!

Sassy Suppers chose this week’s project, which was timely due to the heat wave we’ve had! The project was Honeydew Cream Pistachio Popsicles.  I had popsicle forms years ago when my kiddos were little, but no longer have one, so I just made these in little bowls – kind of a popsicle without the stick. … Read more →

Megan’s Cookin’ chose this week’s project and after several of you suggested having a general category where you pick your own, we went with the ability to choose your own project from the list of quick breads. I made Carrot Tea Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Very simple to put together. I enjoyed this, but I think I expected it to be a bit more carrot-y and moist like carrot cake. It was good for a tea cake, but honestly the frosting was what made it so good. Without it, it would be sort of blah. What did everyone else make?

Megan’s Cookin’ chose this week’s project and after several of you suggested having a general category where you pick your own, we went with the ability to choose your own project from the list of quick breads. I made Carrot Tea Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Very simple to put together. I enjoyed this, but … Read more →

Since this week’s Martha Mondays was a corn recipe, I bought enough to also make this recipe from June Living. You grill 4 ears of corn for 15 minutes. Cut the corn off the cobs and toss with 1 sliced avocado, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, 1 tbsp lime juice, and 1/2 tsp coarse salt. This was really fantastic. I love grilled corn and the other flavors in this dish are among my favorites too. I grilled some meat along with this and put the corn on as soon as I turned the grill on, so it was done first and I had time to assemble the salad. I’ll be making this one again.

Since this week’s Martha Mondays was a corn recipe, I bought enough to also make this recipe from June Living. You grill 4 ears of corn for 15 minutes. Cut the corn off the cobs and toss with 1 sliced avocado, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, 1 tbsp lime juice, and 1/2 tsp coarse salt. This … Read more →

Steak and Potato Kinda Gurl picked Corn, Bacon and Scallions for today’s project. You can’t go wrong with bacon. This tasted great , but I would probably not make it often because of all the bacon fat. It was really easy to make though and the corn and scallions looked great together. Did you make this?

Steak and Potato Kinda Gurl picked Corn, Bacon and Scallions for today’s project. You can’t go wrong with bacon. This tasted great , but I would probably not make it often because of all the bacon fat. It was really easy to make though and the corn and scallions looked great together. Did you make … Read more →

I chose this week’s project, Poppy Seed Danishes with Cherry Cream Cheese Filling. This recipe is from May Martha Stewart Living. I used strawberry jam instead of cherry. I had some trouble with the folding. I probably should have stuck my dough in the fridge, but scraping it off the counter and doing that was just too much work. I thought these were really good, but they were a bit big and doughy, so if I made it again, I would roll it out thinner to make more. That’s my only criticism, otherwise they were a hit here. I thought they were pretty and had a very nice flavor. I liked the cream cheese with the poppy seeds and the strawberry jam was just great. I had to bake mine longer than the recipe said, but I almost always have to do that! My oven must not be calibrated correctly.  I’ve never made a danish before, so this was a new one for me! How did this turn out for everyone else?

I chose this week’s project, Poppy Seed Danishes with Cherry Cream Cheese Filling. This recipe is from May Martha Stewart Living. I used strawberry jam instead of cherry. I had some trouble with the folding. I probably should have stuck my dough in the fridge, but scraping it off the counter and doing that was … Read more →

Bizzy Bakes chose today’s project, grilled mozzarella sandwiches. What did you think? It was easy enough to make. My family said the bread tasted like French toast. My mozzarella did not melt completely, so I didn’t like that aspect. It was something different, but didn’t quite do it for me.

Bizzy Bakes chose today’s project, grilled mozzarella sandwiches. What did you think? It was easy enough to make. My family said the bread tasted like French toast. My mozzarella did not melt completely, so I didn’t like that aspect. It was something different, but didn’t quite do it for me.

Today’s project for Mrs. Kostyra’s Stuffed Peppers was chosen by Ana at Sweet Almond Tree.  I’m sorry to say, I’m just not a fan. I love to eat peppers raw, but I just don’t like them cooked. This recipe didn’t change my opinion. The stuffing was not bad – tomatoes, rice, onions, raisins (blech), cut up peppers, and herbs — but it just did not enjoy it. It looked pretty though and I think if you like cooked peppers, you would enjoy this.

Today’s project for Mrs. Kostyra’s Stuffed Peppers was chosen by Ana at Sweet Almond Tree.  I’m sorry to say, I’m just not a fan. I love to eat peppers raw, but I just don’t like them cooked. This recipe didn’t change my opinion. The stuffing was not bad – tomatoes, rice, onions, raisins (blech), cut … Read more →