Strawberry Preserve Crostata

You. Guys. This thing is so good I'm posting it even though all I have are these terrible iPhone photos.

It is cold and snowing in North Carolina. I'm not sure why, but this made me want to bake. I thought this was going to be AWFUL - look at how strange it looks!

It was (is) AMAZING. Delicious flaky crust, yummy jam…what more could you want? AND gluten free if you use Williams Sonoma Cup4Cup.

MAKE IT.

Here's what you need (slightly adapted from Eat Live Run) . . .

1 cup of flour (all purpose or Cup4Cup GF)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
Pinch of salt
1 stick of unsalted butter (cold)
1 egg (plus an additional egg to brush on the crust)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Your favorite jam/preserves (I used strawberry)
Powdered sugar

Here's what you do . . .

1. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Then, add butter in pieces and stir until you have a grainy consistency. Add 1 egg and your vanilla extract and mix until a dough ball forms (might take a few minutes). Refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.

2. Once you take it out of the fridge, preheat oven to 425.

3. Roll your dough out on a  flour covered surface until it's not as sticky anymore. Form it into a circle/rectangle/whatever you can do shape. Spread your jam/preserves over the top leaving about an inch bare around the edge.

4. Carefully lay your pastry on a parchment covered baking sheet. Fold in each of your corners. Brush your other egg, lightly beaten, over the visible crust.

5. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove and let sit, then lightly dust with powdered sugar. ENJOY!

I could not stop eating this. The crust is so flaky and fantastic. Justin wrapped it and hid it somewhere in the fridge, but now that I'm looking at these pictures I might go find it . . .

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Quinoa Pizza Snacks

Can we just skip the part where I apologize for being an absentee blogger and get to this recipe? YES!

SO, things have been insane. We traveled to Jamaica for our belated honeymoon (AMAZING), then to Baltimore for Christmas, then to Florida for New Year's, and when we got back, we had to finish our applications to take the bar exam (OMG!!!).

I've been stressed, overwhelmed, and in a totally crazy place. My food intake has not been the best over the last few weeks, so I'm doing an overhaul! You can check out the details of what I'm doing on Beth's Blog, but this recipe is part of my overhaul.

I have a (minor) confession: I LOVE Lauren Conrad (aka, LC from "The Hills" and "Laguna Beach"). I don't know what it is, but I really like her - I think she's a positive role model. On her blog she has a 7 Days to Skinny Jeans program, and I've always wanted to try it. So I am! This recipe came from her website.

These little guys are DELICIOUS and super healthy. I had 2 with a spinach salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, shallots, and some balsamic vinegar/oil. PERFECT lunch.

AND the nutrition stats are nuts. 100 calories per little muffin thing and only 2.7 grams of fat. AND 2 grams of protein in every one. MAKE THESE!

Here's what you need (from Lauren Conrad) . . .

1 cup of uncooked quinoa
2 eggs
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
2-4 cloves of garlic, diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cup mozzarella cheese (I used 2%)
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
Parmesan for topping
Pizza sauce for dipping (I used Trader Joe's brand, but Don Pepino's is also excellent)

Here's what you do . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Cook your quinoa with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer and cover for 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

3. In a big bowl, mix quinoa, eggs, tomatoes, garlic, onion, mozzarella, basil, italian seasoning, and salt. Make sure to mix it well!

4. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray or olive oil spray. Fill each cup close to the top with quinoa mixture and press it down. Sprinkle parmesan on top.

5. Bake for 20 minutes, then 2 minutes under the broiler if you want a browned top. Let sit for 10 minutes, then enjoy with your pizza sauce for dipping!

I could not get over how good these tasted. I think this is a great recipe to make on a Sunday night and then bring for lunch every day that week with a salad (or at least that's what I plan to do!).

I think the best part about these was how Justin took the smallest one when I asked him to try it, but then ended up eating two whole ones. They are legitimately good!

Get ready to see more of me! I will be posting WAY more - promise this time :)

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