Wednesday, December 29, 2010

An easy appetizer or two


Crispy Prosciutto Cups w/ Pears
3 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 ripe Bartlett pear, finely diced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375. Cut prosciutto into 24 two-inch squares. Place one square (overlapping any tears) in each cup of a mini cupcake tin. Bake until fat turns golden, about 15 minutes. Using a fork, immediately transfer to a paper towel to drain; cool completely. In a small bowl, combine pear and juice. Place 1/2 teaspoon mixture in each cup just before serving.


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Vidalia Onion Tarts

1 stick (1/4 lb.) unsalted butter
2 large Vidalia or regular
onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2/3 cup milk

Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large, heavy skillet over low heat. Add onions, 1/2 tsp. salt and thyme; cook until tender and lightly browned, 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Place one rack in upper third of oven and another in lower third; preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in a bowl. Cut remaining 6 Tbsp. butter into small chunks and add to flour mixture. Cut in butter using your fingers, 2 knives or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk with a fork just until flour is evenly moistened.

Turn out dough onto a floured surface and pull together into one piece with floured hands. Divide dough into 48 mounds (about 1/2 Tbsp. each); roll each into a ball and place on baking sheets. With a teaspoon measuring spoon, press an indentation into center of each ball. Spoon onion mixture into indentations.

Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.


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I had a holiday party to attend in the middle of December & wanted to try a new recipe for our appetizers. I ended up finding two recipes off of http://www.marthastewart.com/ to try. I think they both turned out well. For the prosciutto cups, I asked my deli man to cut it sandwitch thick which was perfect for making the squares. As for the onion tartlets, I think I won't make those again. It took entirely too long to carmelize the onions on my stove along with the tarts not being as good as I've tasted before.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Ocmulgee National Monument


Shortly after receiving my Canon t2i with the kit lens, my husband and I visited the Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon. The land is one of the few areas around Macon for walking trails and a monument to the Mound Indians that originally inhabited this area.

Visitor Center Mound

Bridge Over the Train Tracks



Cargo Train


View of Macon from Monument