Cranberry-Apple Tarts

Ooooh boy... have I got a recipe for you.

Dane and I hosted a housewarming / Christmas party this weekend, and these little tarts were my shining dessert. All of our closest friends came to celebrate with us... they came, they ate, they drank, and they did a marvelous job of making our house warm! We're hoping this is just the first of many rockin' parties to come.

As our guests quickly discovered, these tarts are addictive. They vanished in about 5 minutes once everyone arrived, although I'm amazed any of them lasted until the party after Dane got home from work at 4:30 and tried one... I had to practically hide them to keep him from eating them all! 

And don't let the color throw you off. At first, everyone kept asking, "What are the little tomato things?" and I kept having to explain that "No, those aren't tomatoes... they're actually apples!" You can blame the cranberries for the festive red color. And you can blame the butter and cinnamon for the epic-level flavor.

Seriously, if you like apple pie, you're going to love these. The bubbly, melted butter joins forces with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to form a sort of spicy caramel sauce that coats the sweet, tender apples... and piling the filling on top of light, flaky, buttery puff pastry sends the flavors out of this world. (And I have it on good authority that leftover filling goes exceptionally well with french toast the next morning.) Pop one of these guys in your mouth and you'll understand the meaning of irresistible... betcha can't eat just one! 

Chorizo-Pepper Empanadas

Feliz Cinco de Mayo, mis amigos! I have to work this evening, so Dane and I celebrated this festive occasion last night. Can't let a little thing like work keep me from enjoying some good Mexican food and a cold Corona. :)

My favorite magazine subscription is to Better Homes and Gardens, and when I flipped through the food section and saw this recipe I immediately ripped it out and put it on the menu for this week. It's not traditional by any means - I'm sure puff pastry is not something you'll easily find in Mexico, after all - but it is a fantastic twist on an old idea. These little hand pies are simply scrumptious, and would make a perfect appetizer for a Mexican-themed party since they're just irresistibly pop-able. For Dane and I though, we just ate a few with some chips and fresh salsa on the side, and they made a great meal! The puff pastry provides a wonderful, flaky crust that just melts in your mouth, while the filling is amazingly flavorful and complex, with a lovely little kick. Mexican chorizo can be overwhelming if not paired well, but cooking it down with other flavors really mellows it out and brings out its flavor without going overboard. We have a little bit of the filling left over, and I'm definitely seeing some breakfast burritos in our future, too.

Give this a try and you'll see why... I'll definitely be making these again!

Cinnamon Twists with Lemon-Honey Dipping Sauce

Step over, Dane... I have a new love. Puff pastry. I mean, really... where has this stuff been all my life? I can't believe this is the first recipe I've ever made with puff pastry. I've seen lots of recipes that include it over the years, but I'd never actually tried working with it until today. Hahahaha... now I'm going to have to keep myself from making every recipe including puff pastry known to man.

These little twists are fantastic. They were the perfect addition to our usual Sunday morning breakfast of maple bacon and coffee. Lightly crunchy on the outside, flaky and airy on the inside, with a hint of cinnamon-sweetness... they were delicious dipped in the accompanying dipping sauce or simply dunked in coffee. I will warn you though, the dipping sauce is very lemony. I think next time I'll use less lemon juice, or I might even leave it out altogether and use a little brewed coffee to replace the needed liquid. But with or without the sauce, you need to try these twists. Make them today. They're too easy and too delicious to wait.