"Reunited and it feels so good..."

This past weekend was our 10 year high school reunion. (Most of you already know that Justin and I graduated high school together, and actually met way back in 5th grade!) It was so fun to see some of our old friends again and take a little trip back in time. I've been working hard for a while, with help from my friend Kristin, on planning the reunion and getting everything together for it. I was so happy to see everything go smoothly and everyone have a nice time.

The events began Saturday with a family picnic at Planet Playground in Meridian. This was a chance for everyone to bring their kids and show them off. We were the only couple there with no kids...which was slightly awkward, but we survived! Saturday night was dinner and drinks at Weidmann's in Downtown Meridian and I made the cupcakes for the event! (recipes coming right up!)We ate and mingled and drank and laughed and listened to corny old music (think "Ghetto Cowboy" and Destiny's Child)until midnight. It was a blast. The best part of the night (or morning, I should say) was our bonfire after the reunion! Our closest buddies from high school came out to our land to sit around like old times and catch up. We stayed out there until 4 AM! The next day was ROUGH...but totally worth every minute!

Good Times!

I made three different mini cupcakes for the dinner event. I wanted them to reflect our school colors (yes, I'm that dorky) so, I chose red velvet, dark chocolate, and raspberry sour cream. If you were at the reunion, you are probably thinking, "I didn't see any raspberries!". Well, turns out, the only berries to be found in Meridian were a few (sad looking) pints of strawberries at Piggly Wiggly. So, improvise I did! Here is a link to the recipes I used (cupcakes 4, 5, and 25):Mingmakescupcakes.com I made a few modifications, like: 1. I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder for a darker color and flavor in the red velvet and chocolate cupcakes. 2. I subbed in strawberries for the raspberries in the Raspberry Sour Cream cupcakes. 3. I thickened each icing recipe a bit with additional powdered sugar to get to the consistency I needed to ice them as shown. 4. I omitted the chocolate shavings on the chocolate cupcakes.
I forgot (!) to take a picture of my cupcakes displayed at the reunion, so the only photo I have is of the trial run I did last week (for which I was in Jackson...where they have raspberries...) So, here they are!:

They were a hit, especially the strawberry! Go figure! Haha.


What else have I been baking, you may ask....

How about a 12 layer chocolate cake?
Fun!




It was so good, but so time consuming!! Here is the recipe if you have some time on your hands! 12 layer Cake


I'm getting excited to start planning my Christmas baking soon! Hope everyone has a great day!

My cure for the "Sunday Blues"

Last week Justin and I visited Buffalo, NY for one of his residency interviews. After the interview, we went to NYC for a few days. On our last night in "The City" we had an amazing dinner at db Bistro Moderne. Check it out here :
db Bistro Moderne
I had the Tomato tart tatin, bacon-veiled salmon, and poached pears for dessert...Heaven. And, a most delicious bottle of Pino Noir.

My mission today is to recreate that beautiful tomato tart. I have a bunch of plum tomatoes I need to use...garlic, basil, olive oil all on hand. Ready, set, go!
After researching and combining a few recipes, here is what I came up with:

Tomato Tart a la Katie

1 refrigerated pie crust (I used Pillsbury)
1 Tbs. dijon mustard
1 Tbs. pesto (I just use the kind in a jar from the grocery store)
2 oz. shredded mozzerella
2 oz. shredded parmesan
1 Tbs. butter
1 clove garlic chopped
1 medium onion (caramelized with butter and garlic)
7-8 plum tomatoes thinly sliced
2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.
Prep tomatoes: Place thinly sliced tomatoes on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Cover with another paper towel. This helps draw moisture out to keep tart from being soggy...yuck.

Caramelize onion: Peel and thinly slice onion. Melt 1 Tbs. butter over medium heat, add onion and 1 clove of garlic chopped, season with salt and pepper. Cook until fully browned.


Transfer onion to a plate and set aside. Press pie dough into tart pan and trim around edges. In a small bowl, stir together mustard and pesto. Spread pesto mixture on crust. Sprinkle on mozzerella. Spread onion on top of mozzerella. Sprinkle on parmesan. Place tomatoes on tart in concentric circles. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and basil. Bake for 30- 35 minutes until brown and bubbly.

The tart turned out delicious! I had some asparagus in the fridge, so I roasted it with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Yummy!

Now for dessert: I picked up a pre made angel food cake at the grocery store today, along with some fresh blackberries and raspberries. Here is what I came up with:

Angel food cake with raspberry balsamic reduction and yogurt

Pre made angel food cake
1 6 oz package fresh raspberries
1 6 oz package fresh blackberries
1/2 cup yogurt (my absolute favorite yogurt is Stoneyfield Farms lowfat vanilla)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. sugar

To make reduction: Place raspberries, balsamic vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer about 15 minutes until thick. Crush berries with your spoon. Srain sauce to remove seeds if you want.
Top a slice of cake with yogurt, raspberry sauce and fresh blackberries
Mmmmm....


I love cooking on Sunday nights. I suffer from severe "Sunday Blues" every week...that terrible feeling when the weekend is over and the work week looms ahead. Sunday dinner cheers me up a bit and takes my mind off the stress of the week to come.