Working for the Weekend

I live for weekends. All week long I add chores and tasks to my "to do" list, with the intention of crossing them off on the weekend. It almost never happens. There are always movies to be seen, drinks to be had, a TIVO to empty, and so on and so forth. Somehow, Sunday evening arrives and hardly anything has been accomplished. And that's just the way I like it. There's nothing I love better than a lazy Sunday - the kind of Sunday where I get dressed to go to brunch or Starbucks, only to wind up back on the couch in my ever-so-comfy Vicky's boyfriend pj pants. (They're the best. You need them. Really. I praise The Sister's name for introducing me to them.) This weekend was no exception.

On Friday, The Sister moved into a new house with two of our girlfriends. Like any good friends would do, we convinced them to stop unpacking and come out for drinks. Two of our oldest and best friends (who just happen to be married to each other) were in town and, as is often the case when they visit, we had one hell of a good time and more than enough cocktails!

in our happy place, booth 2

things appear to have deteriorated at this point

Saturday was spent recovering relaxing. It was a classic lazy day - napping, a trip to Super Target, pizza for dinner and a Netflix movie - Confessions of a Shopholic. It was just okay, but I wasn't expecting much so I wasn't disappointed. (Did it bother anyone else that she wasn't British in the movie???) To be honest, I usually find movies based on books to be pretty sucksville.

Sunday ,The Mister and I went car shopping. The Mister's SUV is definitely a clunker, so we thought we'd see what we could do with the C.A.R.S./Cash for Clunkers program. Holy geez, cars are expensive! Since The Mister only drives about a mile each way to work, I suggested he get a Vespa. He suggested I get my head examined. We quickly abandoned the car shopping for a quick bite at the Cheesecake Factory before a matinee showing of Harry Potter. (Another "just okay" movie. However, on the whole, I find the Harry Potter movies to be among the exceptions to the rule of movies based on books generally sucking. )

The Mister spent the rest of the afternoon napping on the couch while I made dinner and baked Carrot Cake Cupcakes for The Sister. Carrot cake is her favorite, so I wanted to bring some to her at the new house as a little housewarming surprise. My favorite part about baking cupcakes, other than the delicious frosting and yummy cake of course, is that you can share them with somone and keep a few for yourself! Try that with a cake - notsomuch. "Hi Neighbor, I baked you this delicious cake. Please don't mind the giant hunk missing. Or the frosting on my lip." But with cupcakes, no one will ever know if you hold a few back. (Just to make sure they're not poisonous, of course. It's practically a public service.) Anyhow, The Sister and her roomies loved the cupcakes. And I love that The Sister finally lives close enough for me to drop by on a Sunday night.

Looks like I forgot the green top on one of the carrots. Oops!

Apparently I was channeling Ina Garten on Sunday, because I decided to make a Tomato Basil Tart for dinner. It was beyond delicious. The Mister was ready to marry me all over again. I helped my grandmother make this tart many years ago and loved it. I hadn't thought about the tart in years, but one day last week I was thinking of my grandma and my thoughts somehow wandered to her delicious Tomato Basil Tart. I emailed her immediately for the recipe but when I didn't hear back from her oh, five minutes later, I started google-ing like a mad woman to find the recipe. I HAD to have that tart! Luckily I found a recipe that seemed pretty close to my memory and went straight to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients. Unfortunately, I was too busy to make the tart last week and couldn't get to it until Sunday. Oh boy, was it ever worth the weight...um, I mean wait. :) Here's the recipe:

Tomato Basil Tart

Ingredients:
1/2 of a 15-ounce package folded refrigerated unbaked piecrust (1 crust)
1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
5 Roma tomatoes or 4 medium tomatoes (I use roma)
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing (I used light mayo)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
Fresh basil leaves (optional)

Unfold piecrust according to package directions. (I suppose you could make your own crust. If you have no job, a clean house, an empty Tivo, no books to read or stores to shop and you drank all the wine in the house yesterday, sure - go ahead and make the crust from scratch. But if you have absolutely anything better to do with your time, the ready made crust will do just fine.) Place the pie crust in a 9-inch quiche dish or glass pie plate. Flute edge; press with the tines of a fork, if desired. Line shell with double-thickness of foil. Bake in 450 degree F. oven 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 4 to 5 minutes more or till set and dry. Remove from oven.

Reduce temperature to 375 degree F. Sprinkle crust with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Cut tomatoes into wedges; drain on paper towels. (I cut them in slices instead of wedges. I thought it would make for a better distribution of tomato in each bite of the tart. Plus, it looks pretty. I like pretty.)

Arrange tomato wedges (slices) atop cheese in the pie shell.

In a food processor bowl combine basil and garlic; cover and process till coarsely chopped. Sprinkle over tomatoes. In a medium mixing bowl combine remaining mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and pepper. Spoon cheese mixture over basil mixture, spreading to evenly cover the top.

I may have gotten so damn excited that I forgot to take a picture before I put the tart in the oven.

Bake in a 375 degree F. oven for 35 to 40 minutes or till top is golden and bubbly. Serve warm. If desired, garnish with basil leaves.

It was a wonderful way to end a fabulous weekend. Too bad the weekend can't last all week...