A Bunch of Randomness ♥

Hello Friends! ♥

 

Thank you for the nice comments on my last post about old style blogging.  It's nice to know I'm not the only one missing it. Let's get on a mission to bring it back. 

Is "randomness" even a word??  My computer didn't highlight it in red to autocorrect, so I guess it is! 

I was going through my camera roll and my photos taken over the past week are so random I just had to share.  My Dad always makes comments when he sees me taking pictures of seemingly nothing and says "oh am I gonna see this on Facebook??"  No Dad I say..."of course not".  What he doesn't know is the blog is a different story.  

We are all kindred spirits here and I love you that ♥

What do you think about the new addition to my bedroom?  It's an old plant stand that was folded up and buried on our back porch.  I dusted it off and fell in love it with it.  I just got rid of an old glider chair in this corner and had a big empty space waiting to be filled. I decorated it with a plant I got for mother's day, my favorite picture of my parents, some books, a candle, and a basket with a hand knit blanket one of the nurses gave my mom in the hospital.  It's purple, her favorite color.  I think it looks nice.  I will probably change the décor around a hundred times and I'm excited about that.  Of course my mind went right to Christmas because you can best bet there will be lights and a little tree on the top shelf.  Can't wait for that! 

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I treated myself to some new lip products this week too.  You all know I'm a makeup junkie and nothing makes me happier than new makeup.  This was a little set I picked up at CVS. It wasn't expensive (which also makes me happy- I love a bargain!) and the color is very pretty.  Perfect for going into the warmer weather.  The candle I got for Christmas from my sister and I just moved it into the bathroom.  

It smells like the beach ♥

A rainy day, newspaper, and cup of coffee.  Yes please. 

 I could sit here forever ♥

I had leftover scones from the strawberry shortcake I made mother's day weekend so I froze them.  I had forgotten all about them until one morning it hit me.  The scones! I defrosted two.  Strawberry Jam on one, lemon curd on the other.  I was so happy that day :) 

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More bunnies!!  This spring our neighborhood is loaded with them.  We seem them every night.  I'm a little obsessed!  I took a picture of this one and my phone accidently make it look like a watercolor painting.  

I kind of want to frame it  ♥

I snapped a picture of this tree on my walk last night.  I've walked past this tree probably a million times and never noticed it has wisteria growing on it!! I looked up to see a bird and I was so surprised to see all the purple flowers!  You can't tell from this picture, but this is pretty high up.  

It's so lovely! ♥

Ok, so after a month a half I finished my puzzle!  Yay! I didn't work on it consistently.  I enjoyed picking at it here and there, so that's why it took me so long.  It started out as a family project but one by one my family abandoned me.  I was determined to finish it and I did.  I borrowed it from the library so it was a gamble that all the pieces would be there. I'm happy to say my faith in humanity has been restored because all 1000 pieces were in the box. Whew!  It took about 30 seconds to break it up and back to the library it went and on to the next person.  On Saturday I checked out a new one and I'm looking forward to starting it this weekend.  

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On Sunday my cousin and his family came by for a visit.  I make this yummy blueberry gallate.  I've posted the recipe before but I'll link it again in case you need a quick dessert.  It's so delicious and looks fancy but it isn't.  You can use any frozen fruit and a frozen puff pastry sheet.  

Rustic Fruit Tart

I also have a video on my YouTube channel from a few years ago of me making this if you want to check it out.  My hair was very short : ) 

I added powdered sugar and a big dollop of whip cream in the middle.  

Cut it like a pizza and enjoy.  

YUM! ♥

This morning after a doctor's appointment my Dad stopped at a bakery and picked up blueberry muffins for us.  Oh how I wish I could start every morning with a freshly baked blueberry muffin.  The best.  

My Dad has a sweet tooth like I do.  We share a love of baked goods and all desserts to be honest with you ♥

I came running when I saw the bakery box : ) 

I'll leave you today with this meme I got from Pinterest.  So true, right?!  I'm adamant I'm not anti-social, but I will admit to being selectively social!  Yes, there is a difference!

Can you relate? 

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Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you are all having a wonderful week.  It got suddenly hot here (It's 85 today!).  Tomorrow night John has his spring band show performance, which is always a sign that the end of the school year is coming.  And I just realized this weekend is Memorial Day Weekend.  Summer is just around the corner! xo 

Fruit Galette ♥

Hello Friends! Happy Wednesday!  ♥

I wanted to share this quick dessert I whipped up last night.  It's wonderful what you can do with some frozen fruit and store bought puff pastry! I like to call this a rustic fruit tart, but if you're fancy you can call it a galette : )

I like the word "rustic" because that means it doesn't have to be perfect. 

Perfect is so boring.  Who wants to be perfect anyway? 

Certainly not me  ♥

 

Here's the link to the recipe.  It's SO easy!  

You can use any frozen fruit you want.  Mixed berries, peaches, and strawberries are my favorite!  For this one I used strawberries & blueberries because that's what I had on hand.  

Note to self: Always keep puff pastry in the freezer.  There are so many things you can do with it when the mood strikes! 

RUSTIC = FANCY 

I cut mine just like a pizza, top with whip cream, and eat up! YUM!

Today is Ash Wednesday. 

I'm making eggs for dinner and then we are going to an evening mass to get ashes. It will be Easter before we know it.  It's hard to believe that time of year is just around the corner.  Wasn't it just Christmas?  John is making his confirmation in two weeks and today I saw signs of crocus buds sprouting up from the dirt.  It's 44 degrees out and Spring is in the air! 

Have a wonderful day friends, and a beautiful start to the Lenten season  ♥

As always, stay cozy! xoxo 

Rustic Fruit Tart ♥ (video)

Hi Everyone! 

 I'm back today with another YouTube video. I'm really enjoying making these videos for you guys and sloooowly but surely I'm starting to feel more comfortable in front of the camera 😉

This week I decided to make this rustic fruit tart.  I've made it many times before and is one of my favorite recipes. Let's just say I love anything involving puff pastry : ) 

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I have to say I also love anything that can be called "rustic" don't you?  It means it can look anyway you want and still be considered charming.  How can you go wrong?  

This recipe uses store bought puff pastry and frozen fruit...any kind you want.  In the past I've used mostly berries (blueberries, strawberries, & blackberries) and it's come out delicious.  This time I used a mix that was heavy on peaches, pineapple, grapes, and cherries.  It came out amazing!!  The peaches and brown sugar were a match made in heaven  ♥

Please take a look at my video and let me know what you think.  

If you like it and want to see more, please subscribe to my channel.  

I am trying to post at least one video a week ♥

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Here's a link to my original post with the recipe and all the instructions. 

I hope you enjoy it!!  ♥

rustic fruit tart  

Happy Thursday, friends!  I hope you have a great day! 

Tomorrow is Friday already!! : ) 

Rustic fruit tart ♥

 

Hello Friends! It's the last week of February.  How did we get here so fast?

 

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I am totally excited that it's almost March because it means we are getting closer to Spring.  This past week we had temperature well into the 60's. I saw people walking around town in shorts.  Even I'm not that crazy.  I know better, because 2 days later it snowed.  Go figure. 

 

♥

 

I have the day off from work today and after I do a quick grocery run I am planning on some light housework and (sadly) putting away all my Valentine decorations.  I need to give St. Patrick's Day some equal showing time because before we know it  Easter will be here. I already saw the candy in the stores before Valentines Day! I'll never understand the rush.  Seriously, if I bought Easter candy this early, it would never make it to Easter....if you know what I mean.  I would eat it all and then have to buy more.  Maybe that's what the stores are hoping for! : )

 

♥

 

 

 

Speaking of candy, may I interest you in something fruity to wash down all that leftover Valentine chocolate?

 

I discovered that I have a new favorite dessert and I'm dying to tell you about it.

 

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  I noticed that I had a sheet of puff pastry in the freezer and I spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out what I could do with it.  I thought about making an apple tart but when I went to the grocery store to get the apples (and the rest of my dinner) I came across frozen mixed berries, which were on sale! Bingo!

 

I've never made one of these tarts before.  This was my first time.  But I really love the word "rustic" because we all know that means it's pretty impossible to mess it up. 

 

Rustic.  Yes, I like that ♥

 

 

 

 

The recipe is very simple :

 

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1/2 lb frozen puff pastry (one sheet), thawed

3 cups frozen mixed berries

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. white sugar

2 tbsp. flour

3/4 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. butter

powered sugar for dusting

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

 

 

 

 

 

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Roll out the pastry to about 14 inches.  It's supposed to be rustic so don't worry too much about the shape.  Just make sure it's big enough to hold the fruit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I rolled out my dough right on a piece of parchment paper.

I recommend doing this because after this step you need to chill the dough. 

I was able to slide the paper right onto a cookie sheet and pop it in the fridge ♥

 

 

 

 

 

While the dough is chilling you can prepare the fruit.

 

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I used Wyman's frozen mixed berries.  So good!  (and 2 for $6.99)

 

 

 

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Pour 3 cups of fruit (which is about a bag and a half) right into a bowl.

 

 

 

 

 

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Add the brown sugar, white sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter.

 

 

 

 

 

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 Toss it up!

 

 

 

 

 

Take the dough out of the fridge.

 

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Now dump the fruit right in the center. 

 

 

 

 

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Pull up and fold all the edges around the fruit.  Leave a 4-5 inch opening in the center.

 

Brush folds with a little water and sprinkle with sugar ♥

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake for 40 minutes~ 

 

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Let cool and sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar!

 

 

 

 

 

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Cut pie wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream!

 

 

 

 

 

 This is truly my new favorite dessert!

 

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While eating it my mother and I were discussing how delicious this would be with summer peaches!

 

 

I can not wait to try that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ok, so I probably should have slide it onto a pretty plate once it was cooled....but hey, we're all family.  No need to be fancy! (actually I was just too eager to cut into it that I forgot! : )

 

And there you have it.  Enjoy! ♥

 

 

Well, I'm off to make the most out of this day.  One my coffee and I'll be perfectly caffeinated for a Monday!  Grocery store, here I come!

 

 

Have a good day, my friends! Thanks for stopping by!

 

♥