New Baby-New Treats

 Hi there! 

Well, it's been a year or so and a lot has happened. The start of 2021 was bittersweet. We lost family members, including my cooking buddy Jack, but we gained a few new babies. So with deep sadness, there is also an overwhelming amount of new love. Say hello to Cass, or pandemic baby! 

I decided that I needed to start making treats again and found the perfect book! The Nightmare Before Christmas cookbook and entertaining guide.

So making treats is going to be a bit different this time around. With a new baby, my time is never my own, and doing anything takes a lot longer. With that being said these posts will be fun but a bit shorter haha! 

For my first treat, I chose these Mummy Tartlets. Aren't they cute! 

I started by baking the butternut squash with some olive oil, pepper and salt. Cass had fun watching this stage. I made sure to narrate the process and point out that the oven needed to be at 425 degrees. 

While the squash bakes, I cut out pastry rounds and strips for the mummy wraps. I decided to only make 7 tarts since the dough was pre-rolled. Which, thanks Craig, made things easier but I couldn't roll it out and get even more rounds. To prepare the dough, I used an egg wash.

This was about the time that we needed to take a Mr. Calimari break and then a nap LOL! I had to finish the tartlets alone...but he lasted longer than I thought. Hopefully, the next treat keeps his attention. 

After the squash was baked, smooshed and cooled, I added them to the pastry rounds. 

Next came the delicious goat cheese, two olives for the mummy eyes, and the remaining pastry strips for its wraps. Make sure to smoosh the edges down to attach the round and strips together. Place in the fridge for about 30 mins to chill the dough. 

After that, bake for 25 mins and voila! Mummy tartlets! A fun savory Halloween bite. They were scrumptious and went well with a spinach salad. The goat cheese adds a nice tartness with the earthy butternut squash. 

Looks like I should have made the strips a bit thinner though.

Thanks for reading,

Bunny and Cass