Merry {Belated} Christmas!

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas this year. We had a fabulous time with our family. Enjoyed good food and good company! I have lots to put on the blog, but I have to take the time to get Joseph's laptop (if he will get off it long enough) so I can post some pictures from my camera. I am so behind because I haven't shared any good pictures of the house, or Christmas decorations, or new furniture,or from Joseph's 30th birthday. So please forgive me!! Guess I need to get on that soon.

But I just wanted to get on here real quick and let everyone know that I haven't forgotten about my blog, it's just difficult to have a blog with no internet at home!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Yay! I got my tree up. And please excuse the poor photos because they are from my phone and I am doing this post at work, since I still have no internet! We got a monster of a tree this year in celebration of moving and the fact that the ceiling is so tall in the house that we needed a big tree. Here is a shot of my TV cabinet-turned-china cabinet.

The new house has a built in TV cabinet and it was easier to use that with all the wiring and stuff for the satellite, so that left me with our other cabinet to do something with. So I got Joseph to drop the top shelf down to the center and pulled out my Christmas china and did a little display. I thought it turned out ok.

And since I can't write a post without some mention of the doggies, here is Brutus and his new favorite place to stay:

He has decided that he likes it under the Christmas trees. I found his stash of toys in the skirt of the big tree when I went to water it yesterday. I guess he likes to chew up his toys in the beauty of the twinkling lights.

And last but not least, here is my little contribution to the museum this year.

I couldn't believe that the museum didn't have a nice, big tree and pretty decorations. And after going through the decorations, I knew that I couldn't let the Charlie Brown, mish-mashed tree be on display in the entryway. I'm talking old stuff that people donated after they didn't want it anymore. Ugly stuff. So for a few days this tree bothered me and bothered me just thinking about it. So, I ran down to Target and loaded up on some ornaments. Ha Ha. I'm crazy, I know! But I knew Target had some pretty blue/gold/silver ornaments that would look great in the museum, since the walls are painted a soft, light blue.

So that's about it for now with the Christmas trees. Hopefully, I can get Joseph to let me use his computer so I can upload some really pictures!!

Happy Holidays, Ya'll!

A Tasty Treat

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

I finally got around to making this recipe. I have seen Ina (my fav!) make this on her show a million times and it always looked good. I originally was gonna make it as a pre-dinner snack, but it was a little time consuming and so delicious and filling, that we just ate it for supper. I made four tarts. And let me say. These. Are. Fabulous! So here's how I did it: (to quote Ina)

Ingredients

• 1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted
• Good olive oil
• 4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions)
• 3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
• 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus 2 ounces shaved with a vegetable peeler
• 4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese (recommended: Montrachet)
• 1 large tomato, cut into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices
• 3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves

Directions
 Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 by 11-inch square. Using a 6-inch wide saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all. Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.

Place 1/4 of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

I'm still here!

I still have no internet at home, so I am just posting this really fast here at work to let everyone know that I will try and post some house/Christmas photos this weekend, if Joseph will let me use his laptop long enough to do it. But I do have my Christmas tree up and it's a big one! Stay tuned for pictures {hopefully!}