Lemon Raspberry Tarts

I found this particular recipe while stumbling (www.stumbleupon.com/) and just had to try it out:) I'm obsessed with all things raspberry so I figured it was worth a taste! Here is the link: http://www.simplebites.net/lemon-raspberry-tart-with-almond-crust/

I had to go on a hunt for lemon curd and good fresh raspberries, but I eventually found them. I also bought a tart pan (it has a removable bottom which is pretty nifty) and mesh sieve.

I crushed the graham crackers in a plastic bag (I only had sandwich size, so I did it slowly but surely :) ) and after toasting the almond slivers I crushed them as well (the recipe actually forgets to mention what to do with the almonds, but since it's in the crust I assumed they needed to be crushed as well). On an interesting note, I do not own a rolling pin. But I do have bead filled Coke bottles as decoration in my kitchen which work just as well :) haha. Who knew they would have more of a purpose than just looking pretty?

After mixing the crust mixture, I poured it into my new tart pan and realized there was a lot more crumbs than space in the tart pan. Luckily I own some pie tins which are about the same size, so I just used the rest of the crust mix in one of those. So this recipe makes about 2 10in crusts. Thankfully, I bought extra lemon curd and have a few extra raspberries that I will just split between the two crusts (I chose to puree my raspberries, but according to the recipe you could choose to use chunks of raspberries instead, which I may have to try out another time).

Having never made tarts before, I had no idea what lemon curd was nor what its consistency would be. I chose to buy curd rather than make it, and it was thicker than I thought it would be... The recipe tells you to spoon the curd on top of the raspberries and then use a toothpick to bring out the raspberries so you can see their color. Well mine just turned into a big pink mess inside the crust. It might have turned out better (or prettier) if I had made individual tarts instead of the two large ones, just because of the consistency of the curd I bought... Hopefully this will turn out good... I made them for Break the Fast tonight and since I'm fasting I don't feel right tasting them before hand. Please let someone enjoy them and eat them!
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So I discovered that I don't like things too tart... and these were too tart for me. Perhaps if I had made my own lemon curd or perhaps added sugar to the mixture, I would have enjoyed it more. But others found it tasty and that's all that matters!

#65: Ninfa's Mexican Restaurant

Had their ranchero chicken soft tacos which came with rice and beans. Very good:)

I always eat far too much at Mexican restaurants. Eating the chips, salsa, and queso becomes almost nonstop. At Italian restaurants I can usually resist eating too many breadsticks before my pasta comes out, but at Mexican places I just indulge! And then I can usually finish off my plate. Perhaps I just need to work on not eating my entire meal, so then I'd get two meals for one: 1) The chips, salsa, and queso plus half my ordered meal, then the next day 2) the rest of my ordered meal. But to do that means I have to work even harder at portion control and eating slower, and some days I just fail at that.

#64: The Grill at the Pavilion

One of the dining places on campus that I've never been to (there are lots; I just rarely buy food on campus). I had a delicious hamburger w/ an onion ring and A1 sauce on it. My friend got a different burger and ordered sweet potato fries as well, which of course by law I had to taste a few of them:) I've only had sweet potato fries once before and these were very tasty:)

#63: Frittella

It's this small casual Italian restaurant. Tried their chicken fettuccine alfredo: very tasty! Came with lots of sauce and rolls. The rolls were hard on the outside, but soft and delicious on the inside- the best kind of rolls:)