And just out of the oven.

I didn’t offer a taste of these tarts to Michael fearing his opinion. If it is in a pie pan and Michael eats it, it better be pie. I did however, eat 3/4 of one by myself and found it absolutely delicious. I am not going to get precise on the amounts in my recipe because the size of the baking vessel will determine how much is needed. This could be made in a pie pan, regular tart pan, ramekins, or mini tart pans as I did. It could be served hot, warm, room temperature, or cold. It could be cut into bite-sized pieces and served as an appetizer. The small tarts could be served whole for brunch or lunch. The possibilities are endless. I imagine that second tart will turn up around breakfast time tomorrow morning.

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Roasted Tomato Tart

Ingredients

• Prepared pie crust, baked for 8 minutes and cooled
• Grape tomatoes, cut in half
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Olive oil
• Sweet onion slices
• Garlic cloves, pressed (I used 1 clove for two mini tarts)
• Basil leaves, sliced into thin strips
• Gruyere cheese, grated
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare your tart pan or pie shell with a prepared crust. Bake the crust for 8 minutes or until it just begins to turn brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before filling.
2. Place the sliced cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss gently to coat each with oil. Place the baing sheet in the 375 degree oven for approximately 12-15 minutes but watch them carefully to prevent burring. You want to to soften and release their liquid but not burn. Remove the roasted tomatoes to a plate lined with a paper towel. Sauté the sliced onion in a frying pan with a small amount of olive oil until tender but not caramelized. A minute before they are done, add the pressed garlic and stir it with the onions. Be careful that the garlic does not burn. Drain the onion and garlic on a plate lined with paper towel. Grate the cheeses.
3. Prepare the tarts as follows:
4. Place a layer of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese in the bottom of the pie crust. Follow with a layer of the onions and garlic. Add a layer of Gruyere cheese followed by the roasted tomatoes and basil. Fill your tar pan or pie shell to the top with a mound in the center as it will cook down. Add additional cheese on top. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the cheese is melted and bubbling. I baked my mini tarts for about 12 minutes with the filling. Allow to cool at least slightly before cutting. I removed mine from the tar pan and cut them in quarters with a sharp knife.

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Tucker had a rough day today. He probably only managed to get in a dozen or so naps. That is way off his mark. I took a few pictures. It is important to note that pictures 2 and 4 were taken eight hours apart.

Tucker also struggled with his obsession over baby chicks. He doesn’t show a lot of interest in the big chickens but babies get him going. I am not sure I want to know what would happen if he got one. I am working with him around the chickens.

Michael spotted these raccoon paw prints on the wall near the broody house. Helps remind me to always lock the flocks up at night.

I had a nice visit with the goats and emus today. Loca was especially nice which is unusual for her. She likes to be ornery.

Laverne has gotten much friendlier than she used to be. She has always been timid and afraid to be touched. Now she lets me pet her and she eats out of my hand. I love Laverne.

Shirley got jealous because I was paying attention to Laverne. They vied for my attention by chewing on my pants.

Louis is very friendly with both girls. Laverne has a big time crush on Louis. they take long walks together daily. It is quite a Mutt and Jeff affair. I have not yet captured it on video.

Chica is still strutting and drumming and spends a lot of time alone. She is quite the spectacle out in the pasture.

I love living here and interacting with all these amazing creatures is a joy everyday.

A few months ago I bought an espresso cupcake for Michael at a specialty cupcake shop. He said it was the best cupcake he had ever eaten. I wanted to see what I could come up with using the last of the stout. The cake itself was moist and flavorful. Michael ate all the centers I cut out to add filling. I adapted the filling and buttercream frosting to espresso flavor instead of whiskey or Baileys as the recipe was written. I ordered a triple espresso this morning at Starbucks and it gave me plenty for the cupcakes, filling and buttercream frosting.  I even have a little left over to add to my morning cup of coffee. If you love coffee and chocolate, this one’s for you!

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Chocolate Stout Espresso Cupcakes

Ingredients

• For the Cupcakes:
• 1 cup (minus 3 TBS) double chocolate stout
• 3 TBS espresso
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• ⅔ cup sour cream
• For the Espresso Ganache Filling:
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• ⅔ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp espresso
• For the Espresso Buttercream Frosting:
• 4 cups confections sugar
• 1½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 TBS heavy cream
• 2 TBS espresso

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 24 cupcake tins with liners. Bring stout, espresso, and butter to a simmer in a heavy, large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and ¾ teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add the stout-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add the flour mixture and beat briefly on low speed. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until it’s completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners, filling them two-thirds to three-quarters of the way. Bake the cupcakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 16-18 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack before filling.
3. Make the Espresso Ganache:
4. Chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth (if there are still pieces of unmelted chocolate after whisking for a couple of minutes, you can heat it over a double boiler, whisking constantly until it’s completely smooth). Add the butter and espresso and stir until combined.
5. Fill the Cupcakes:
6. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. Meanwhile, using a 1-inch round cookie cutter, an apple corer, or a small sharp knife, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for ⅔ of the way. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip (or a plastic bag with a corner snipped off) and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
7. Make the Espresso Buttercream Frosting:
8. Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes until very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. Add the heavy cream and espresso one tablespoon at a time beating in-between until the frosting looks thick enough to spread. You may need to add additional powdered sugar or withhold some of the liquid to get the correct consistency. Frost the cupcakes with an offset spatula or pipe the frosting on top.

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As if the outside of this cupcake weren’t enough, just look at the espresso ganache filling!

Michael shoveled out the used bedding into the bed of the Polaris. Tomorrow it will be dumped in the donkey pasture to compost and feed the grass.

Next I hosed the coop out with water and vacuumed it out with the shop vac.

Since this was a deep cleaning, I finished by spraying the entire interior of the coop with disinfectant.

We left the coop open for the night to dry and air out.

Even after six months of use the coops are in great shape. Amazing considering the leaks and flooding we had in the beginning.

I even sprayed the chick dust off the ceiling.

It will be moving day tomorrow for these project chicks and the olive eggers in the basement. Gosh, chicks are messy.

Update: The juvenile chicks survived their first night and day in the coop.

The two little flocks have combined into one bigger flock. The pink leg bands identify the olive egger chicks.

Fainting goats Laverne and Shirley were not the least bit happy about any of it! You can see them at the end of the video.

Let’s get back to the eggs. There is a lot of leeway when making huevos rancheros. You can use just about any Mexican sauce you have on hand. I used the sauce that was leftover from making enchiladas last night. You can also use chili verde sauce, mole, or just plain salsa. You can add beans, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, chilies, cheese, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, green onions, or fresh lime juice. I also added cooked fresh white corn. You can use poached, fried, or scrambled eggs. Pour on hot sauce to your liking. Here’s how I made mine.

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Huevos Rancheros from Cinco de Mayo leftovers

Cuisine: Mexican

Recipe type: Breakfast

Ingredients

• 1 TBS canola oil
• 2 corn tortillas
• Refried beans or any cooked beans
• Mexican rice
• Enchilada sauce or salsa
• 2 eggs cooked as you like
• Garnish:
• Sour cream
• Chopped lettuce
• Tomato
• Cheese
• Avocado
• Lime wedge

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan on low heat. Cook each tortilla on both sides until lightly golden brown but not yet crispy. Drain on paper towels. Place one tortilla on a plate. Spread beans on the tortilla followed by sauce and rice. Add another tortilla and spread beans and rice on top. Cook an egg or two as you like and place atop the tortillas. Add garnishes.

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