Saturday, September 23, 2017

Mini pumpkin tarts with Nilla wafer crust = Happy Fall, Y'all!


Hello, everybody! Mary Jane here and  I have a tasty recipe for Fall. I'm a fool for Fall. You know those people who love pumpkin spice everything? Yes? That's me. 

Sometimes I get out the spices and take a whiff of nutmeg or allspice just so I can pretend that cold weather is on the way! Not that I love cold weather, but it's just the season...

Crisp leaves. Frost in the morning. Dark clouds on the horizon. 

Fall is so.... dramatic. 
My writerly heart feels an affinity for the season that's not all sunshine and clear blue sky. 

The spices of fall. Nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. (In this house, we call them "too much cloves" because I can't ever get the measurement right. There's none at all, and then way too much. We just accept that cloves will be "too much" in every dish.)
But before I begin, I have to say this little doggy makes me laugh. He rolls himself up in his favorite blankie when his person leaves him at home. Goodness gracious. Some people have emotional support animals. Our animal has an emotional support person. 
So! Let us begin. Two cups of crushed Nilla wafers, plus 1/4 tsp cinnamon and a dash of "too much cloves".
 Add a few TBS of melted butter and press into a pan.
 Oops, missed a picture but take a can of pure pumpkin puree and add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a dash of ginger. Mix well, then add four large eggs to it will bake together. Most recipes have condensed milk, but I have a child who is lactose intolerant so we skip that part. It gives the pie a less custardy feel, which I like, too.
 Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until done. I let the crusts brown too much but there you go. It's Friday and the 80th birthday of the publication of The Hobbit so we were watching the movie. I remember my dad reading me the series when I was younger than my youngest child, and now I've read the series to them. Bless you, J.R.R. Tolkien, and thank you for the gift of your stories!
 A latte with a dash of bittersweet chocolate is the perfect pairing...
 Happy Fall, everybody!!


 Leaving you with this fun picture I took of a sunflower in my kitchen. (See how the screen made little tiny squares on the leaves?) I hope you find something with pumpkin spice to enjoy, and a few cheerful flowers to brighten your day!


10 comments:

  1. You got me at the Nilla wafer crust! These sound delicious. :)

    I also had a dog once who needed an emotional support person - me. :) My husband reported that if I left the house, Connor would lay by the door and pine until I returned. If I was gone for more than a day....poor dog! I still miss that dog.

    And yes. Tolkien is the best. Hands down.

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    1. It's funny about the Nilla wafer crust. We had some that went stale and we were trying to decide what to do with them. The next thing I know, it's pumpkin pie time. LOL

      When my daughter went to Montana for a while this summer, our dog had a fit. He even pooped on the clean clothes in the laundry pile! RUDE.

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  2. Pumpkin pumpkin pumpkin! I am right there with you! I bet this would make a good mini tart filling too! Must say it is a good thing the coffee shop is out of my way for work or my pocket book would be devoted to a daily pumpkin spice latte!

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    1. I must add we have 2 dogs that need their humans! One more then the other our Sparrow dog is soooo sad when his dad is gone. The other one Bond depends on the day. I thought for sure last time we went out of town he would be sad, but their "uncle" Ben came to stay and apparently Bond was just fine with that because of course he is the extra fun human!

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    2. My husband makes fun of my dog who must always be right on top of my feet or else he's a mess. :)

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    3. Haha! I need an extra fun human to distract him when the kids leave for a trip!

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  3. Virginia, that flower doesn't look real!! It's so perfect! And the little squares make it look like paper. haha I LOVE it!

    What a yummy dish! Thanks for sharing. I'm still laughing about the cloves. I TOTALLY AGREE! I can never use cloves right around here. In fact, I usually just leave them out. LOL Or else I just use pumpkin pie spice so I don't have to worry about it. :)

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    1. Right?? Cloves... their only purpose is to mess up whatever delicious dish is being made.

      And pumpkin pie spice is perfect. I use it all the time... but I ran out!

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  4. This recipe looks delicious! =) Thanks for sharing.
    And, I love Sunflowers! Your photo is so pretty!

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    1. My husband loves growing sunflowers and they look beautiful all over the garden. But he lets them die and go to seed for the birds, so about Halloween, we look like the spooky house on the block. :(

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