Today’s post is in honor of one of my dear blogging friends, Courtney, of Cook Like A Champion.

You see, the food blogging world isn’t all that big.  There are all sorts of ways food bloggers connect with one another-photography conferences, conventions (yes, there are conventions devoted to food blogging), and of course, the network of comments, threads, and fan pages.  I had the opportunity to first “meet” Courtney through Annie, and I quickly realized that she was a friendly and inspiring “face” among my favorite food bloggers.

The best part?  I have met Courtney in person.  And even better, I met her for the first time in the early days of her pregnancy.  On an impromptu trip back home to Indianapolis earlier this fall, I was able to meet Courtney and Annie (and brought along my dear friend Kelli) for a fantastic brunch at one of my favorite breakfast places in Indy.  It was so much fun to chat: chat about food, baking projects, ideas, the food blogging world, etc.  And when Courtney excitedly announced that she was expecting her first child, I couldn’t contain my own excitement for her as she transitions into the world of motherhood.

Today, Josie is hosting the virtual baby shower in honor of Courtney’s new arrival (an arrival coming very, very, very soon…..).  Baby C will be here before we know it, and today a fantastic group of food bloggers has come together to celebrate such a happy occasion.

For a complete round-up of the virtual shower, please visit both Josie and Courtney’s websites to see a mouth-watering spread.

As far as my contribution?  I wanted to run with something savory for the occasion.  I happened upon these little tarts and couldn’t pass them up.  I obviously love anything with the word “tart” in it, so a savory spin on something traditionally sweet was intriguing to me.  And anything with sweet and mild creamy mascarpone has me hooked.  And, well, anything with caramelized shallots and cremini mushrooms does as well.  All in all?  A great appetizer for an elegant baby shower.  (P.S.  While these should be served warm, I DID try a few cold, and they were pretty good, too.  A hint for someone short on time?  You can pre-assemble the tarts by piping the mascarpone and chilling in advance.  Simply top with the warm mushroom/shallot mixture before serving-this is easily re-heated in the microwave.)

Mushroom and Mascarpone Tarts

Servings: approximately 16 tarts (I halved the original recipe when I made these and am posting that version here.  Please feel free to double this recipe if you need more.)

Ingredients

For the tarts:

1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 cup ice water, plus more if needed

For the topping:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 cup shallot, thinly sliced (about 3-4 medium shallots)

1 teaspoon garlic, minced (about 1 clove)

10 ounces cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned, and sliced

1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, (soaked in hot water for about 20 minutes and squeezed dry), thinly sliced

1 cup mascarpone cheese (or less depending on your personal/piping preference)

Sea salt and pepper

Instructions

1. For the tarts:  Combine the flour and salt in your food processor and pulse until combined.

2. Add the butter pieces, one at a time, through the feeder tube and process until the dough resembles coarse sand.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, lemon juice, and ice water.

4. With the motor running, slowly add the egg mixture to the dough, until the dough comes together in a solid mass.

5. Turn the dough onto a clean and floured surface and pat into a disk.

6. Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

7. Once the dough is firm, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

8. Roll the dough out into a 1/8″-thick layer.

9. Using a 2″ biscuit cutter, cut the tart shapes out from the rolled dough, combining and rerolling the excess dough as necessary.  Place the cut tarts onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

10.  Pierce each tart gently several times with a fork.

11. Bake the tarts until slightly puffed and lightly golden, about 15 minutes or so. Let cool completely.

12. For the topping: In a sauté pan over medium heat, combine the butter and olive oil.

13. Add the shallots and cook until lightly golden and softened, about 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.

14. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

15.  Add the cremini and the reconstituted porcini and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes.

16. Season the mushroom/shallot mixture with salt and pepper.

17. For assembly: Using your desired piping tip (I used my standard Wilton 1M), pipe the mascarpone onto each tart.  Top with 1-2 teaspoons of the mushroom/shallot mixture.  Serve immediately.

Source:  Adapted from Williams-Sonoma.

My thoughts on a weekend morning are usually as follows:

“Oh, man.  I really slept in longer than I wanted to.  I have so much to do today…where should I start?  Take Scout for a mini walk.  Make some coffee.  Feed the animals.  Make something for breakfast…oh wait…I have an overnight breakfast casserole to eat for breakfast, and all I have to do is preheat the oven and pop it in to bake.  Score.”

I compare a strata like this to one of the little things you sometimes hear people do to lighten their loads a little.  Like, sometimes I will leave cash in the pockets of my winter coats when I pack them away in the spring so that inevitably I will find it a year later when I have forgotten it completely.  Same thing goes for the glove compartment in my car.  An extra $5 for unexpected tolls and/or emergency coffee run?  I might have that covered.  This casserole is sort of the same thing.  My short term memory isn’t always the best in the morning, so the sudden realization that I will be having a warm and fancy breakfast with little effort is almost like an impromptu breakfast in bed.  It’s the little things in life, right?

The other nice thing?  If you do plan on hosting some sort of brunch or breakfast function, you can make this the night before and serve it to some seriously impressed and happy people for breakfast.  Whatever it takes to make life just a little bit easier, right?

I took Annie’s suggestions on how to modify this recipe when she made it, and I really liked the results-there was enough spinach there to make me feel good about eating my vegetables, but it still satisfied my need for some eggs and cheese. It also reheated really well throughout the week as leftovers (huge bonus).

Cheese and Spinach Strata

Servings: about 6-8

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 teaspoons garlic, minced (about 2 cloves)

Two 1-ounce packages of frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided

8 cups ciabatta bread, cubed into 1-inch pieces

6 ounces Gruyere, grated

1/2 cup sharp cheddar, grated

9 large eggs

2 and 3/4 cups milk

Instructions

1. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter.

2. Add the onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper and cook for another minute.

4. Add the spinach and cook until heated through, stirring, for about another 2 minutes or so.  Set aside.

5. Generously spray a 2.5-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

6. Combine the cheeses in a medium size bowl.

7. Layer the bottom of the dish with about 1/3 of the bread cubes, top with 1/3 of the spinach, and 1/3 of the cheese mixture.

8. Repeat the layering process two more times.

9. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, remaining salt and pepper until combined.

10.  Evenly pour the egg mixture over the bread/cheese/spinach layers.  Cover tightly and chill overnight.

11. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  While your oven is pre-heating, let the strata come to room temperature.

12. Bake uncovered until slightly crisped and golden, about 45-55 minutes.

Source:  Adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally adapted from Smitten Kitchen, as seen in Gourmet, February 2003.

I make kale chips several times a month.  And it’s one of those things that I make slightly differently every single time…well, because the versatility is endless and these leafy greens are pretty forgiving when it comes to flavor experimentation.  You’ve probably seen a billion different versions of how to make this potato chip alternative, and this is just another one to add to your repertoire of healthy snacks that take less than 20 minutes to prepare.

I debated on whether or not to even post these because of the fact that I change up the ingredients every time and the fact that this might be the most simple recipe I have ever posted.  But, this last batch…oh mama.  They were good.  I can proudly say that I ate an entire bunch of kale in one sitting.  I suppose that’s a good thing, considering that kale is one of those mega super foods, rich in all sorts of vitamins and iron (a good thing for those who are meat-free, right?).  But the best part is that these don’t taste like a traditional mega super food…they taste like crispy little savory chips of goodness.  And, in this case, some slightly spicy ones.

My favorite type of kale?  I like Lacinato (or otherwise known as dinosaur kale…it gets points in my book just for having that name) because I find the leaves a little heartier and with a slightly different flavor.  For this recipe, I used plain old Curly Kale because that was what was available in the market.  And when it’s baked, isn’t it beautiful?  (Humor me with this one…I just elevated my nerd factor by about 1000%, but I really do think it’s an incredibly beautiful food.)

Want some other kale chip ideas?  Just prepare it in the same way but use a different seasoning combination….these combos are some of my favorites.

Cheesy Kale Chips…with Parmesan

Lemon and Garlic

Sea Salt and Vinegar

And if I am feeling a little spicy, I do a little combination of red pepper flakes with a little drizzle of Sriracha.

Cajun Kale Chips

Servings: about 4 small servings (but if you are like me, you will eat the whole thing….)

Ingredients

1 bunch kale, rinsed, blotted dry and torn into 3 to 4-inch pieces

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon (or to taste) Cajun seasoning

Sea salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl (using tongs-it’s a little easier that way), combine all the ingredients and lightly toss to thoroughly coat.

3. Bake until crispy around the edges, about 10-15 minutes.  (Keep an eye on them-they make cook quickly.)

Source:  A Curvy Carrot original