Heart Tarts

Heart Tarts are super cute and easy for Valentine's Day.  Although I usually advocate making things from scratch, store-bought pie dough is easier for kids to work with, so that's what I used.  You'll need a box of crust, or make your own double-crust recipe, jam or cinnamon filling, frosting, and decorations.  You can make them any size you want, just be careful not to overfill the smaller ones.

Heart Tarts

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut out an even number of heart shapes.  
3. Beat one egg with one tablespoon of water in a small bowl.  
4. Very lightly brush the egg wash on half of the heart shapes.  
5. Put a small amount of filling in the center of the hearts you brushed with egg wash.  
6. Lay another heart shape on top and press gently to seal the edges.  *Seal the inside point of the heart first to keep the filling in.
7. Crimp the edges with the back of a fork.
8. Bake 12-15 minutes until just starting to brown around the edges.  
9. Cool, frost, and decorate

Jam Filling:

• 3/4 c jam or jelly
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp water

Whisk together all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat slightly, and simmer 2 minutes.  Cool completely.  

Cinnamon Filling:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour 

Frosting:

• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon softened butter
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.  Add additional water if needed to make a smooth, creamy frosting.  Pour into a piping bag (or into a ziploc bag and snip off the corner).  Pipe a heart outline on each tart, allow to dry, then fill in the center.  Sprinkle with decorations before the frosting hardens.  

Let Your Heart Shine

Our snowy, rainy, almost Valentine’s Day project:

Here's how to make your own:

• Cut a heart shape out of black or dark red construction paper.  Lay on the sticky side of a sheet of contact paper, or glue to a sheet of white tissue paper.


• Cut various shades of red and pink tissue paper into small shapes and glue or stick inside the heart.


• Hang on a window or door and let the sun shine through your heart!

 

Caramel Apples

These are the cutest little things!  Use a melon baller to scoop out balls of Granny Smith apples, insert lollipop stick, pat dry, then dip in caramel and assorted toppings.  (I forgot to dry my apples, so the caramel is sliding off!).

These are the perfect size for kids, both for making and eating.  Mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, mini M&M's, and sprinkles all make great toppings.  You can also dip the apples in melted white or semisweet chocolate.

Winter Wonderland

We got out today just to experience this historic blizzard.  Snow was waist deep at 3:00pm, and still hasn't stopped at 9:00!  There was a good 4-5" on the road.  Luckily we'd shoveled paths this weekend, and they were fairly easy to excavate, but lots more shoveling tomorrow.[gallery]

Lunch Box

More Not-Deli-Meat Lunch Box Ideas:

Pasta salad - I always make extra when we have pasta for dinner, and toss it with some broccoli, shredded carrots, chicken, cheese - whatever's in the fridge the kids will eat!

Cheese and crackers - my favorite are Triscuit w/ a Hint of Salt - only 3 ingredients, none of which you need to sound out!

Yogurt - my kids think this yogurt is a big treat, and I intend to keep it that way.

Chicken Salad - use half tomato chutney or cranberry sauce, half mayo for a lot of flavor and not a lot of fat.

Leftover Ham & Cheese Biscuits

I'd love to hear your favorite lunches for kids - post in the comments!

Finally Mac & Cheese

Every time I decide to make mac & cheese I scour the internet and my cookbooks for a good recipe, and every time I'm disappointed.  My criteria:

• few dishes to wash


• budget friendly cheeses (I love gourmet cheeses, but we're talking dinner for kids here!)


• quick & easy

So this time I decided to wing it, and we've found a winner.   I added crabmeat (ok - imitation crabmeat - I'm not perfect).  You could also use prepared bread crumbs, or none at all.



I'm going to post directions, rather than a recipe, because I didn't measure anything.

1. Cook 1 lb small whole wheat pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water.*If you add a tiny bit of oil to the pot, it won't boil over.

2. While pasta cooks, toast 2 slices of bread.  I used whole wheat, which is why my topping is so dark.  Tear the toast into 3 or 4 pieces, and add it to the workbowl of a food processor, along with a few chunks of parmesan, and about 1 tsp of Old Bay.  Pulse until it forms crumbs.  Add 1/2 T butter cut into chunks and pulse 3-4 more times.  Set aside.

3. Drain and rinse pasta.  Return pan to the stove, and add 1/2 stick of butter.  Melt butter over medium heat, then add 1/4 c flour and stir until combined.  Add about 2 c milk in batches, stirring completely after each addition.  Stir until smooth and thickened.  Whisk in 1 T Old Bay, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp ground mustard.  Add 2 c assorted shredded cheeses - I used 1 cheddar and 1 c Italian cheese blend w/ mozzarella, parmesan, and fontina.  Don't use more than 1 c cheddar or its too sharp and bitter.  Stir until smooth and melted.  Stir in pasta. 

4. Pour into buttered 9x12 pan, top with bread crumbs, and broil on low 8-10 minutes until topping is golden brown.