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Black Bean Tart with Chili Crust

September 23, 2012 By + 44 Comments

“MY GARDEN IS MY MOST BEAUTIFUL MASTERPIECE.”  Claude Monet

Black Bean Tart with Chili Crust | From My Sweet Heart

I love creating vegetarian meals.  They sure do make the most colorful masterpieces!  When I moved to my home 18 years ago, I was excited to have several areas of my yard that I could devote to gardening.  Unfortunately now, so many trees on the perimeter of my property have grown so much, that my yard is now too shady for a proper garden.  And I’ve resorted to planting a few peppers and cucumbers.  My deck is the home of my many pots of herbs and my Meyer lemon tree!  Fortunately, I have a wonderful farm market nearby.  And with the exception of the black beans, all of the ingredients for this tart came from local sources.

Not only is this black bean tart vivid in color, but it is bright and bold in flavor as well. A light black bean puree, sweet corn and red bell peppers, spicy jalapenos, mild scallions and the kick of cilantro are bound by melted Monterey Jack cheese. All of this nestled on top of a flaky crust made fabulous by the warm spices of chili powder, cumin and paprika!  And to top it all off. . . . . [Read more...]

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Black & White Sesame Seed Bread

August 26, 2012 By + 68 Comments

“IF YOU HAVE EXTRAORDINARY BREAD AND EXTRAORDINARY BUTTER, IT’S HARD TO BEAT BREAD AND BUTTER.”  Jacques Pepin

Black and White Sesame Seed Bread | From My Sweet Heart

I always find bread baking to be an amazing experience.  Even Wonder Bread could fill me with wonder!  I mean, just look at what you need to make bread.  Flour. Yeast. Water. Salt.  Can you think of any ingredients more bland than these?  Yet with a little time, and a little (ok…sometimes a lot!) of patience, you have a product which is so beautiful and delicious in its simplicity!  Add a few extra ingredients and you have something quite extraordinary!  This bread took me two attempts today.  But I learned a very basic lesson. . . . . [Read more...]

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Garlicky Shrimp & White Bean Pizza

July 27, 2012 By + 54 Comments

“THERE’S NO BETTER FEELING IN THE WORLD THAN A WARM PIZZA BOX ON YOUR LAP.”  Kevin James

Garlicky Shrimp & white Bean Pizza | From My Sweet Heart

I remember that feeling!  Picking up a pizza in my childhood in New England.  Especially on a cold night.  Being responsible for balancing that box so perfectly on my knees.  Careful not to shift too much so that the cheese wouldn’t ooze off to one side or another.  Making sure there was no pressure on the top of the box so that the cheese would not be sticking to the lid when I opened it.  The torture of the smell of bread dough and sweet Italian spice the whole ride home!

While I still enjoy a simple, classic, ‘extra’ cheese pizza; nowadays I find myself searching for more.  And the pizzas I love the most tend to have no tomato sauce in them at all!  Well I joined a new baking group.  Claire, from Simply Sweet Justice leads this group of creative and talented bakers who accepted a more savory challenge this month.  PIZZA!  Mine is made with lightly marinated shrimp on top of a garlicky white bean puree and topped with crunchy home made bread crumbs and fresh herbs!  I guarantee you.  You won’t miss the box . . . . . [Read more...]

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Plum & Coconut Spoon Bread

July 19, 2012 By + 42 Comments

Plum & Coconut Spoon Bread

 Has everyone been enjoying their sweet summer corn?  The corn here in Maryland has been a little hit and miss this year.  Actually, I’ve had some ears that have been down right wonky!  So for this month’s Improv Cooking Challenge, I am opting to bake with cornmeal!  Kristen, from The Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker has challenged us to use corn and butter as the key ingredients in our recipes.  And I’ve decided to put a slightly exotic spin on the traditional spoon bread by adding . . . . . [Read more...]

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Parmesan Tuiles with Heirloom Tomatoes

July 7, 2012 By + 38 Comments

“APPETIZERS ARE THE LITTLE THINGS YOU KEEP EATING UNTIL YOU LOSE YOUR APPETITE.”  Joe Moore

Parmesan Tuilles with Heirloom Tomatoes | From My Sweet Heart

Come share in the tomato love at the Tomato Love Recipe Exchange, hosted by Gimme Some Oven & Bake Your Day, sponsored this week by KitchenAid.  Also visit Recipe for Change to learn more about how to support tomato farmers.

Well, temperatures here in the nation’s capital have been oppressive; reaching 102° today!!!  And I am feeling it!  I don’t know about you, but when it’s this hot; by the end of the day I feel so fatigued, the only thing I want for dinner is a bowl of cereal with ice cold milk!  And when I do eat a ‘meal’, it’s more like an appetizer.  So today, these parmesan tuiles were more than enough!  Light and crunchy, cheesy and salty; and perfectly topped with sweet, chilled tomatoes.

These are quick and easy to throw together and take great advantage of my beautiful, summer tomatoes!  I tried 2 different recipes for the tuiles.  And there was a clear winner for me . . . . . [Read more...]

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Purple Potato Pizza

March 15, 2012 By + 66 Comments

I wait all month for this day to come!  Kitchen Improv!

Purple Potato Pizza | From My Sweet Heart

Thanks once again to Kristen from The Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker for being the fabulous host of Kitchen Improv!  This is my absolute favorite group to participate in.  Kristen challenges us with 2 ingredients each month.  Sometimes the ways these ingredients can work together is obvious, and other times….not so much.  This month was pretty easy.  Potatoes and cheese!  So where do I go to get inspiration to bake for my favorite group?  To my favorite market…..Trader Joe’s!

And when I walked to the produce section, these purple potatoes were just waiting for me!  Beckoning me, if you will, to scoop them up and hurry on over to get the cheese!  Trader Joe’s always has such a great selection of cheese.  And wow, did I find an interesting one…… [Read more...]

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Cheddar Quick Bread with Cherries

February 27, 2012 By + 42 Comments

Baking from scratch really can be quick and easy!!!  Easy you say?  Absolutely!  Boring?  Not a chance!

Cheddar Quick Bread with Cherries | From My Sweet Heart

The Daring Bakers‘ February 2012 host was – Lis!  Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own.  She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and make new flavor profiles. 

The only rules for this Daring Bakers challenge is that the bread would contain no yeast and take no longer than an hour and a half to prepare.  While Lisa offered a great base recipe and some wonderful suggestions, this time we were allowed to make any quick bread that we wanted.  So I decided to share one of my favorites….. [Read more...]

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Poppy Pistachio Wafers

November 27, 2011 By + 40 Comments

“THROUGH THE DANCING POPPIES STOLE A BREEZE MOST SOFTLY LULLING TO MY SOUL”  John Keats

Poppy Pistachio Wafers | From My Sweet Heart

The unseasonably warm temperature here in D.C. yesterday was the talk of the entire afternoon!  Every where I went on my errand runs, store clerks, customers, UPS men in their cute little shorts and their really nice legs…..everyone……was beaming about the absolutely beautiful, warm, sunny day.  Everyone, that is, but me!  You see, the hectic holiday has had me a little out of touch with the news and weather.  With everyone hogging the tv for football,  and with me totally saturated with holiday sweets…..I decided to set out to pick up some ingredients for some savory baking.  Little did I know that I wouldn’t be needing my long sleeved sweater and fleece jacket!  I could only strip down so much and my errands kept me out most of the day.  So by the time I got home, the last thing I wanted to do was bake and the only thing I wanted to do was take a shower!  But the beautiful day soon turned into an even more beautiful evening.  And with a couple of hours of solitude, I baked these delicious, savory wafers and enjoyed them with a cup of tea on my deck at dusk.  The colors of these wafers were so striking, that I decided to photograph them before baking.  But it was after they came out of the oven, and when the sun began to set, that the magic began….. [Read more...]

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Sweet Potato Strudel with Brown Butter and Cranberries

October 5, 2011 By + 29 Comments

“MY DREAM IS TO BECOME A FARMER.  JUST A BOHEMIAN GUY PULLING UP HIS OWN SWEET POTATOES FOR DINNER.”  Lenny Kravitz

Sweet Potato Strudel with Brown Butter and Cranberries | From My Sweet Heart

I am with Lenny on this quote!  There is so much I would be willing to give up just to live life more simply.  Life can feel so complicated at times that the more I can do to reduce the fuss, the better off I am.  This sweet potato strudel recipe is very simple.  But it doesn’t compromise in flavor.  It’s a simple combination of sweet potatoes, carrots, brown butter, golden raisins, cranberries, pecans, salt and pepper! And that’s it!  All rolled up in puff pastry and it doesn’t get any easier or more satisfying than this!  I love savory baking; especially in the fall and winter.  This is a very festive and unique savory strudel.  And it would make a great accompaniment to any main dish or a perfect little lunch all by itself.  Remember….just keep it simple…… [Read more...]

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Wild Blueberry Oatmeal in Warm Maple Cream

September 18, 2011 By + 34 Comments

“YOU HAVE TO EAT OATMEAL OR YOU’LL DRY UP.  ANYBODY KNOWS THAT.”  Kay Thompson, author of ‘Eloise’.

Wild Blueberry Oatmeal in Warm Maple Cream | From My Sweet Heart

Growing up in New England, and especially in the winters, my dad would very often make me oatmeal for breakfast.  To some, this may have seemed like the dreaded, dreary breakfast.  I think oatmeal has a bad rap of being a sticky, clumpy, heavy gruel.  But I have always loved it! Dad always served it with milk and maple syrup.  And I remember secretly wishing that he would be distracted while making it, because I was sure to find a lump or two in my bowl.  And I loved finding the sweet, unexpected texture of those lumps!

I still love oatmeal and eat it all year round.  And who says oatmeal can’t be sophisticated?!  So I’ve tried to elevate it a little bit from it’s rustic form; while still giving a wink and a nod to my dad, who I miss with all my heart.  A friend gave me this recipe some time ago telling me how she tweaked it from when it was given to her.  And I did my own tweaking to get it to my personal liking.  Here are the basics, but I hope you will feel free to tweak away……. [Read more...]

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