Less Impractical Than Previously Thought

I bought a tart pan a while ago. Not the most practical kitchen gadget – how much use is it going to get? How much precious storage space is it going to require? I can’t remember now what I bought it for, but it was for something specific, not just a random kitchen filler. So hopefully that went well. Because I forgot about it for a long time. Exactly how long I’m not sure. But long enough to not remember why I bought it.

But I digress. It’s back, and in heavy rotation. I’m churning out adorable tarts as often as I can. I’m up to 3 uses, but that’s all this week. I feel like it’s future will be busy. Check out the spinach pie with artfully arranged artichoke hearts. It’s just so adorable. Oh, and I’ve also blind-baked for the first time in this little guy. Pinto beans in a coffee filter. I did the first one, and then forgot to put the beans in for the second, and found out why you need the beans. Major shrinkage. By the third, I was back to beans.

To inaugurate a different pan, I made the balance of the tarts even tinier and more adorable, if it’s possible. There’s the Trudy (a Belize-inspired coconut tart) and the Zane (a district convention-inspired combination of lemony cream cheese and maple apples). (The Trudy was for nostalgia, the Zane is a work in progress for October’s visit.)

Oh, I almost forgot about the muffins. Lately I’ve been having gnat issues. I don’t know if they’re really gnats, but they’re tiny, and they fly. And they like food. Especially ripe fruit. To curb the tiny pests, I’ve been trying to keep as much as possible refrigerated. But you know how you forget about stuff in the fridge? Yeah, me too. So there’s 1 banana on my counter. It’s not black yet. But it’s a little too ripe for my tastes. If I don’t handle it now, it’ll go overripe and bring the bugs. If I put it in the fridge, I’ll forget about it. What do you do with 1 banana? You quarter a recipe. And hope for the best when you don’t have any baking soda or eggs. Stock of essentials seriously depleted. They didn’t hold together well, but they tasted amazing. Banana and walnut and vanilla and butter. Really good butter. I call it a win.