Blueberry Cheese Tarts

Assalamualaikum!

I haven’t blogged in awhile.phew, being in your last year of uni is no fun! Fall semester came and went, and now hopefully, my last semester. I want to enjoy being a student while I still can... J

I just got back from a quick getaway to Quebec City. I freaking love that quaint little town. The architecture, the food, the view..It would've been lovelier if it wasn't snowing and my hands and feet weren't frozen!! We strolled through the Lower side of Old Quebec City; we went to the Ice Hotel, and also the Montmorency Falls. It was frozen. So I can finally tell people that I've seen a frozen waterfall. It was still so Magnificent!  Being such aunties that we are, we wouldn't leave that city without stopping at J.A Moisan. It is the oldest grocery store in North America. Boy, I wish I could just live there, right in the tea cookie section. It was BEAUTIFUL! I died and went to food heaven. I had to stop myself from getting more things that I don’t need. I convinced myself that I need these babies. I can just imagine them in my future kitchen. In between the big red porcelain cookie jar and my sexy red Kitchen Aid mixer. Hah! Okay the imagining part was a lie. But really...I know I would soooo regret not buying them. So I did. Now everyone knows where all my money went. =)

 Anyways, let’s start talking about desserts shall we? Whenever my older siblings went to their orthodontics appointments when we were younger, I always LONGED for the blueberry cheese tarts that were sold in a bakery near our orthodontists’. It was and still is a favorite of mine.It’s funny how I don’t think I like nor would I bake a blueberry cheesecakes, but for some reasons, I simply adore these tarts. Maybe it's the size? It’s one of my mum’s favorite too. So I can’t wait to make her some once I head back home. (Hi mom!)

Blueberry Cheese Tarts

20 Tart shells

1 cup(250g) of cream cheese (room temperature)

1 cup(250ml) of whipped cream

½ cup of sugar

about ¼ cup of blueberry jam

Food coloring (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and blind bake the shells for 15 minutes or until the crust turns golden brown. Set aside
2. In a big bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and sugar until well incorporated.
3. In another bowl, whip the cream until the peaks are firm.
4. Slowly mix the whipped cream and cream cheese mixture together.Set aside.
5. Scoop about a half tablespoon of blueberry jam into the cooked tart shells. Then, dollop some of the cream cheese mixture onto the jam layer. Even the top of the cheese tarts using the back of a spoon or butter knife.
6. To create any designs, take some of the cream cheese mixture and add some food coloring in a separate bowl.
7. Using tooth picks or bamboo skewers, slowly create your designs on each of the cheese tarts.
8. Refrigerate for an hour or more to let the cheese tarts firm up.

You can definitely substitute the blueberry jam for strawberry jam or marmalade even. This recipe is incredibly easy. If you are serving this at an event,everything can be made earlier on and assembled on the day of. As usual I am not even ashamed of admitting that I used a store bought tart shells. I bought these shells in Provigo. Those are one of the things that I wouldn't waste my time on.  Please.. the extra hour or two to make those tart shells can be spent...well..napping =P

It's already Wednesday!Half of our reading week came and went, the amount of things need to be done is still a mountain high. Lord give us strength!Amin.

Wasalam.

Till then,

Love,

Sofhan Hasni

Bathroom Makeover

Assalamualaikum

So I moved into a new apartment ages ago.The feeling of having your own space is indescribable.I do try to make my house as homie as possible.As you may know,moving costs a lot!A LOT!Fees for breaching the lease(ehem), buying furniture and appliances and moving them to a new place.Fiuh.So I tried to save where I can while decorating my place.The first place that I attacked was the bathroom.The thing about living room/bedroom,I already have most of my furniture so its not as easy.But with the bathroom,I could choose the color and theme.So if you know me well enough,you'd know peacock literally chirps my name(do they chirp?).

I did some research online and hit the dollar store.

acrilic paints in gold,lime green and blue

brushes

sponge(for wiping smudges)

clear shower curtain

and happy thoughts (bonus++)

I sketched my design on a piece of paper, put it undernearth the shower curtain and paint over it.=)

I was pretty nervous because,i'm not good at drawing.But oh well,

Bigger picture

Done

The thing is,I love pretty things and pretty things come with a cost.I was browsing through Anthropologie online store and what not.Theirs are gorgeous,but not something that I would invest in.So,be creative, colorful hand and foot prints would be a fun design and I'm sure it'll be a fun project too.Art is abstract.Go crazy.

I also like the rooms in my place(as if I have that many!) to have a theme colour.As you can see, my btrhoom is green and blue.Since I don't really like blue,most of my stuffs are green.:D

 

Dollar stores or bargain stores have some really interesting things that would cost a bomb elsewhere..

Again,go crazy.The shower curtain is your canvas.

Another cute thing that you could do is buy a pretty fabric from the sale section,cut small holes and Voila!

MI VANT TO SEW PWETZY SKEWRTS AND DIRTZY MI HANDS WIT PAPIER MACHE!MIDTERMS,Y SO MANY?!;(
I IS DIE.

Wasalam

Till then,Salut,

Love,

Anggerik