Exploding Lemon Tart

In celebration for my departure to Sydney on Thursday, I made a lemon tart to take to work.  I must stress - it's a cheats tart.  As per Jamie Oliver's instructions, (and I always do what Jamie says, except for when it comes to iceberg lettuce), I've used a store bought pastry casing.  While it's blind baking, which takes 10 minutes, give or take.  I mix 1 tin of condensed milk and 1 jar of lemon butter together, I used a masterfoods one this time and it was the consistency of jelly, which I wasn't really impressed with, but at the point of quality testing it tasted good.  I prefer to either make my own or buy from the lovely lady at the farmers market.  But time was short and I was lazy!  Once this is thoroughly mixed, place into browned casing, then put it back into oven, I usually put it in for another 10 minutes, but that's because my oven likes to kill things.

So this is where the exploding part of the tart comes in - I often joke with a friend from work about the romance novels I read and how there's lots of 'exploding' at certain times - anyone who reads Lora Leigh will know what I mean!  Anyway, since it's a romance convention I'm going to and there's bound to be a whole weekend of exploding I added the heart shaped 'bomb'.  

These are the things that happen, late at night when I'm bored and have been drinking vodka.  Go with it - it's much safer that way O.o

And while I was waiting for my tart to cook, I decided to decorate these little ginger bread guys.  It was for an earlier post and I wanted a picture.  Anyway, these are kind of fiddly and I've since decided it would be much better to leave these for when I can use enforced child labour.  But until then, I did have to use my boning tweezers.  And vodka - hence the Quasimodo of the gingerbread land below!  Originally, I did tell myself it was to cover up his shame at being all blobby and conjoined together, but then I fessed up that it was more because I was lacking much needed hand eye coordination and plus I  like me some icing and the little choc thingys.

Oh so good n tasty!

C.

Hello Autumn!

As I woke up this morning, I was greeted with seasonally appropriate weather.  The tiny pitter patter of rain and somber grey skies.  Summer this year was a non event really, not that I'm complaining, as much as I love the beach, my favorite time of year is Winter.  I love the cold and there is nothing better than snuggling down in bed with a good book and a cup of milo, Sloppy purring at my shoulder.

Now is the time I love visiting my Cuj, okay I love visiting anytime, but there something about sitting in her garden in the Adelaide Hills, drinking tea all afternoon, eating tiny gingerbread men that my niece, Josie, has decorated.  Then you get to go inside and sit in front of a toasty fire, with more cups of tea.  Tea is a thing in my family, well that and nibbling, do very well.  I think it's ingrained and what a tasty trait to have.  How cute are the gingerbread men :)

Time to bust out the scarves methinks, it's layering time :)

C.