Something you will learn about me quickly, dear readers, is my utter inability to follow a recipe. No, I do not have a disability or even a compunction against them. Truly, I just prefer to create and diverge. (It's why I have a major in British Studies and not just English.) The two following morsels are products of this hypothetical approach to cooking. Basically, (one of) my mottos in the kitchen is, Let's Try It. 

To begin with is what I am going to call, uncreatively because it is not perfected, which is when it will acquire a 'real' name, Whole Orange Tart with a Chocolate Crust. I remembered coming across a post over at Smitten Kitchen for a Whole Lemon Tart. Only thing was, I had oranges at hand and not lemons. So I decided, why not? and gave it a go with oranges. 

I adopted a basic pie crust dough to include vanilla and cocoa. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of pie and an even bigger skeptic of pie crust. I just don't like eating it. But I still make it because it is easy and seems right. Anyway, the filling was a whole blended orange and some sugar, a stick of butter, an egg and an egg yolk. And an indeterminate amount of 'dry ingredients.' Although this blog has no readers yet, if any future readers see this and demand a more explicit definition of these ingredients, leave a comment and I'll see if I remember. I didn't have a suitable pan for this tart, so I ended up using a muffin tin and making tartlettes. 

The first batch, which I did not overfill, cooked quite beautifully at 325 for another indeterminate amount of time. (Sorry people, precision is not my forte.) The second batch was slightly different in baking powder content and bubbled to an unsightly texture. Upon tasting though, they are quite good. Definitely a bit too sweet, which makes me glad my psychic foresight, aka fate, had me make them into tiny little bundles of goodness. One is definitely enough. 

The second delicious result of the evening is, for the time being, Orange Muffins with Currants and Poppy-seeds. Basically I had leftover filling from the tarts above. So I plopped in some European style yogurt, whole wheat flour, currants and poppyseeds, essentially making what I was hoping would more or less be a bread. I should have added a little more baking powder/soda because they turned out quite dense and did not rise like I wanted them to. However, they are yummy and tasty and overall an experimental success. 

To close I would just like to say that these pics are slightly doctored. My regular camera lens is broken at the moment, so I was using my extremely inconvenient telephoto lens. Let's just say that trying to get a close up of an already small object without having to stand more than 5 feet away with a telephoto lens is difficult for an amateur like me. 

Let's get this blog underway. Although eventually (a.k.a. when I buy a new lens for my camera) I hope to be posting original recipes and deliciously digital pictures of my food creations, I am going to start with something entirely unoriginal. 
I live in the North East and despite this year's unseasonably warm days, the sun still sets early and my house still gets cold. My little work space is in an uncarpeted room with three gorgeous bay windows which let in a hellish amount of cold air. Needless to say, I often find myself craving a hot beverage. And, although I looove coffee, sometimes I don't want to take the time to grind my beans or walk to the nearest local shop. And, although I looove tea, sometimes I want a drink with a little more heft to it. That's when I turn to my new favourite find, Trader Joe's Spicy Chai Latte.
This delicious blend of (pause to read ingredient list) sugar, creamer, tea and spices is now a fall and winter must-have in my house. One of my housemates steals mugfuls (it's a word, look it up) yet I refuse to hide it. I will admit, it does have a tendency to leave a slight residue at the bottom of my treasured drinking vessels, but I am telling you, it is worth the risk. 


*This post was in no way sponsored by Trader Joe's