The 'Why?' Pie

Why an ice cream pie? Good question. Why, when trying to be healthy, would we Tarts make an ice cream pie...with caramel sauce to boot? Because we threw a birthday party for a youngin'? Nope. A new report came out that said 'Ice Cream will add years to your life?' Uh-uh. Clint Eastwood put a gun to our heads, declaring that an ice cream pie would make his day? If only.

We made an ice cream pie because of this here durn blog...The Pioneer Woman. Okay, it's more 'dang' than 'durn.' In fact, it's so damn divine that we lick the computer screen every time Ree posts a new recipe...which is like, every minute. That's a lot of licking...of a surface we're pretty sure is toxic. Anyway, she posted said pie from her ranch in Oklahoma and Danielle, a bonafied Okie, got a brilliant idea and roped Erin into it.

Ice Cream Pie with Easy Caramel Sauce

by Ree Drummond

(We reversed the order of the recipe and made the crust first. Why? Because it's The 'Why?' Pie.)

The crust:

1/4 cup egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup Pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until frothy. Add sugar and salt and beat on high until stiff. Fold in nuts. Spread mixture over bottom and sides of a non-glass pie pan, making sure to adequately coat all sides. (Thanks Viv for the cute dish!)

Bake 15 to 20 min, watching toward the end to make sure it doesn't get too brown. Remove from oven when crust is golden brown. Cool completely.

While the crust is baking, start the caramel sauce, henceforth referred to as Crack Sauce.

Easy Crack Sauce:

4 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup half and half
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

Mix butter, brown sugar, half and half and salt in saucepan over medium low heat.

Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thicker. Add vanilla and cook for another minute to thicken further. Turn off heat and pour sauce into a jar.

Refrigerate until cold.

When crust is cooled, remove 2 pints of ice cream from freezer. We used coffee and vanilla bean, per Ree's suggestion. This crust is so light and delicious, it goes with any flavor. Allow to soften. Spread one pint of ice cream over the bottom of crust.

Spread the other pint over the first flavor. We would suggest freezing for a few minutes before applying the next flavor. Cover with foil and freeze until very hard. When ready, serve and drizzle with crack sauce.

As you can see, we were a bit impatient...

...so the freezing part, yeah...not so much.

But that didn't stop us.

Why didn't that stop us?

Somebody stop us!!!

Btw - in the pic above, Danielle is about to suggest sliced bananas and caramel between the crust and ice cream for next time. Somebody stop HER!!!!!

Soló Queso

It's a rare occasion when we Tarts take a day and just chill. And chillax we did, as we drove down south to Laguna Beach, sipping iced chai lattes and chatting like teenagers with the ocean breeze whipping through our slightly dirty hair. Does it get any better?

Ummm, yes, yes it does. The bar rose quite a bit in fact when we pulled into The Montage and headed straight for the The Loft with one thing on our mind...

"Hello, welcome to The Loft, will you be-"

"We'll be having cheese."

"Would you like to sit in-"

"Just cheese."

"Would you like a glass of-"

"Cheese? Yes, please."

They finally got the message...

Hello cheese, goodbye self-control.

This truly is an experience. Especially when you're lucky enough to have Janice as your personal fromagier. She invites you into her palace of cheese and crafts an adventure to satisfy your every whim, marrying each one with a homemade compote, mustard or honey, like this aged gouda...

...rocked out with a lavender caramel sauce. What?! I think my mouth just did a cartwheel!

Janice went above and beyond the call of queso and invited us on a tour of the kitchen where we 'borrowed' some delicious homemade truffles. One of us, the pregnant one, popped a few in her mouth before Janice even offered. Bad Tart. But great truffle:)

It was a beautiful, lactose-filled day and an adventure we shall treasure. Thanks Janice!

Oh yeah, and to top it all off...the cheese plate comes with a view...

Cheese will never be the same. Shame on you, Cheese Lady!

Salmon Morissette

When Alanis Morissette sings, "And isn't it ironic...don't ya think," I'm pretty sure she's referring to my eating habits. Last night, I, Danielle, was reading a book about the macrobiotic diet...while eating pizza. Very delicious, cheesey pizza.

Yes, Alanis, I do think it's ironic that we Tarts intend to be healthy, but sometimes we 'come to' and find ourselves eating a hot, gooey, cinnamon roll. "Well, now how did that get in my mouth?" But this week, we bring you something that Alanis can feel good about. Unless she's a vegetarian. Then I'm sure she'd sing a different song, perhaps something catchy like, "Taking Down The Tarts."

Salmon Morissette

by Ham and Rye

Preheat grill on high.

Take 2 lbs. WILD Salmon, we chose Sockeye...

...and rub with a generous amount of preferred spices or rubs, like Potlatch Seasoning from Williams-Sonoma, a gift from my awesome friend, Clarkles.

When grill is nice and hot, spray or brush with olive oil and place salmon FLESH SIDE DOWN on the grill. Cook for about a minute and then flip over so skin side is touching the grill. Reduce heat to medium, drop the lid and cook to desired doneness, anywhere from 5-7 minutes.

Serve with fresh lemon and wallah!

Pair with greens...

...and you have a healthy meal that even Alanis would be proud of.

Until you top it off with ice cream pie and caramel sauce.

Which is very ironic...don't ya think?

As the Tarts Turn

This week on As The Tarts Turn...

Erin receives a message from her unborn child...

"The baby says the Tarts are getting lazy."

"Oh, no he didn't."

Oh, yes he did.

The Tarts, shamed by a tiny little baby, leap into action.

"Let's make something from Sprouted Kitchen. That'll impress him."

Roasted Parmesan Parsnips

8 Parsnips, cleaned and peeled

2 Large Egg Whites


1 Tbsp. Dried Oregano


2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped


1 1/3 Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese


Sea Salt


Fresh Ground Pepper

//Dipping Sauce//

1 Cup Organic Tomato Pulp/Diced Tomatoes


3 Cloves Roasted Garlic


2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Pinch of Salt/Pepper

Roasted Red Pepper Flakes

Preheat oven to 425

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and either spray or give it a rub of butter.

Cut the parsnips into wedges or halves depending on the thickness. Since they taper so much, use the ends whole then cut the fat top into fourths. Try to get them as evenly sized as possible.


In a large bowl, beat the egg whites til frothy with 2 tsp dried oregano.


Working with about half of the parsnips at a time, toss in the egg white and then gently roll in the Parmesan cheese.

Place each parsnip on the baking sheet, with space in between. Sprinkle the fresh rosemary and generous amounts of fresh pepper and salt. (*We misread the directions and added the rosemary before they were on the sheet.) You may even want to give one more sprinkling of

parmesan. Sara recommends drizzling with olive oil before baking.

Bake the wedges 20-25 minutes until crispy and cooked through. Rotate and test them after 15 minutes as the size of parsnips will vary.


We turned the oven off and let them sit for a while; we wanted them crispy.

While baking, simmer the sauce ingredients listed above.

Yum. Thanks Sara! The Tarts are thrilled!

But is the baby?

Find out next week on...As The Tarts Turn.

And the Oscar goes to...Pati's Chipotle Guacamole!

We'd like to thank the Academy, the genius who invented the avocado and of course Pati for this simple twist on a classic dip. Starring some very talented chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, this guac is a real crowd pleaser and sure to bring you many accolades!

Chipotle Guacamole

(From Pati's Mexican Table)

2 large ripe Haas avocados, about 1 1/2 lb, halved, seeded, meat scooped out and diced

1/3 cup white onion, chopped

1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

2 tablespoons chipotles in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped, more if desired

Tortilla chips, toast squares, pita chips, crackers or vegetable sticks, optional

Gently mix ingredients in a bowl and serve.

Craze McCraze! Can't wait for the sequel!

Food Friend-sie

How does a pregnant Tart entertain her girlfriend Sari when she comes from NYC to visit? By exploring the sights? Uh uh. Touring a few museums? Nope. Hiking perhaps? Negative!

A pregnant Tart entertains her friend with food. And food. And more food.

And for one of the stuff-fests we made Smitten Kitchen's Rice Pudding (Arroz Con Leche)...

It was delicious; my fellow Tart didn't even know we subbed brown rice for white! (Yes, we are nerds and when we can't cook together, we bring each other tiny morsels.)

Not only did I put Sari to work in the kitchen, I also forced her to take these amazing photographs! They're so good, Danielle broke a tooth trying to eat her computer screen.

Come see us more often, Sari! I promise, next time we'll go shopping...

After we go to BLD, Huckleberry, Campanile...this awesome sausage place downtown and...

The Look Has Landed

Generally, I would consider myself a pretty good friend, one who supports a Tart's attempt at maintaining a healthy lifestyle, however, I have a confession to make: I get sick pleasure from this look that grabs hold of Erin's face when she tastes something (often involving sugar and butter) that blows her mind. It's a look that says, "Help me. I'm scared."

It's like she's flashing forward into the near future when she'll be lying in bed and that sacred fare will come a-callin', "Hey you. Just cold-kickin' it in the fridge, all craze-a-licious and what-not. Wanna hang?" Although it's a look that slays me, I generally try and keep my desire at bay, but every now and then a certain occasion forces it to rear its ugly head...and that time hath arrived...Erin's birthday.

In search of the perfect vehicle for my amusement, I called on Deb over at smittenkitchen.com. She never lets me down...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

(Click link for recipe)

You start with 3 layers of sour cream-chocolate cake...

Then frost with peanut butter frosting. (I added another half Tbsp of PB.)

Deb suggests a commercial brand peanut butter as the natural kind is oily; I went natural and just blended the peanut butter first so the oil doesn't separate out. There's already so many 'bad for you' ingredients that I figured I'd cut Erin a little slack.

Tart tip: Listen to Deb: This cake is pretty moist, so Deb suggests you freeze the layers for 30 minutes first and then follow with a crumb coating. Monkeysee.com has a good instructional video for crumb coating.

Finally, you finish with a chocolate-peanut butter glaze. Corn syrup makes me want to ralph, so I subbed agave nectar and cut the amount in half. Deb poured the glaze on top and let it drape down the sides, but mine looked shabby so I just spread the chocolate all over...(The first pic is from my 2nd attempt when I made it the right way)

This cake is crazy good...

See what I mean? Now there's a certain 'thing' I'm eagerly waiting for...where is it? Come on...

Ahhhh...the eagle has landed:) Thanks Deb!