Battle of the Vegetable Tarts

I discovered that you can get your kid to eat anything if you promise an ice cream sundae for dessert.  Excellent parenting, right?  I managed to make two different vegetable tarts this past month.  I have kind of  been on a new food kick lately.

Tart #1 from Bon Appetit, a Roasted Vegetable Tart.  http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/01/roasted-vegetable-tart  It included yummy vegetables of peppers, tomatoes, sweet potato, eggplant and fennel.  Also included decedent items like goat cheese, eggs and heavy cream.  We liked this one very much.

Tart #2 from Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger, Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/cornmeal-crusted-roasted-ratatouille-tart-recipe/index.html.  This one was layered with eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes.  It had mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  I enjoyed it even though it was way healthier.  Michael thought it tasted like pizza.  Stayed tuned for more food adventures.

So Long Summer

I finally finished my last summer dessert, Plum Knuchen, on the Fall equinox, is that timing or what?  I managed to make everything that I wanted to this summer, I have lofty goals huh.

As a sign of a true professional, I forgot to take a picture of my cake.  This is from the Cooking Light website where I got the recipe  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/plum-kuchen-50400000113763/ .  We had our priorities correct, we ate the cake first.

On Sunday we took a family bike ride with our synagogue on the Ballona bike path to the Ballona creek.  In total we went about 8 miles but if felt longer for me due to the heat and humidity. Jacob took no notice of such things and said "let's go faster".  Most of the ride I was by myself.

Wigwam Resort Vacation

Our first vacation of the summer.  We stayed at the historic Wigwam in Litchfield Park, Arizona.  http://www.wigwamresort.com

Jacob enjoyed spending every day in the pool.

He was a pro at the slides.

Mom and Dad went down the slides too.

We met up with relatives Steven and Janice Rothschild who live in Surprise, Arizona.

Jacob's first golf cart ride.

Wall of sports memorabilia. Steven had decorated his garage with all sorts of memories.

On the advice of a co-worker we went to a down home steak house called Rustlers Rooste in Phoenix. Big food and big portions but was a fun experience.  http://www.rustlersrooste.com/

Nothing like seeing your meat before eating.

Local wild life sighting.

I learned that it takes forty years for one arm to show up on these cactus so this is an old one with 4 arms.

One of the vintage pieces from the Wigwam.

Where our room was located.

They turned a dead palm tree into a totem pole.

Wheel chair.

In case there wasn't enough pool time there was running threw the sprinklers.  A good time was had by all and we look forward to going back someday.

Happy Birthday Jacob

Jacob enjoyed his cards...

Lego Mindstroms books...

Presents...

and Shrinky Dinks, which have been used already.

The piano has been played.

Who doesn't love cake!

And the 1000 piece puzzle was finished in a week, a group effort.  Thank you all for your generous gifts.

Classic Fresh Fruit Tart

My latest creation using the best of  summer fruits.  I have never made a tart before and was determined to make one before all the summer berries were gone.  We made a trip to Surfas to buy a tart pan which was an adventure and Jacob even had a good time.  I used Cook's Illustrated recipe which is my go to magazine when I haven't done something before.  They have really good and specific instructions. 

After we cut into our beautiful creation, the custard part oozed out.  It was not thick enough to hold shape but it tasted good.  If I made this again I would use half the amount of custard.  I liked the crust and thought it came out good.

I am hoping to make a peach cobbler and corn ice cream before summer is up.  Happy eating!

4th Grade Here I Come!

I can't believe Jacob is starting 4th grade already.  Only 2 more years and then middle school, yikes!  Jacob's 4th grade teacher is known for having a good science program so we are thrilled.

So far Jacob is pleased with 4th grade so we are off to a good start.  Here's to a good school year.

Hollywood Bowl

The Zwang's scored Hollywood Bowl tickets thanks to Kristen.  I have mentioned her before, she is the neighbor of Hank & Berta and we have nicknamed her Fairy Godmother.  These weren't just any tickets but  Pool Circle tickets, they were front row seats.

Since there were only 4 tickets I sent Michael and Jacob off for a good time.

Dudamel was conducting the LA Philharmonic.  Verdi Rigoletto was the music. 

Jacob said he enjoyed staying up past his bedtime and he liked the hot chocolate and cookies.  A good time was had by all.