All of them. Plus, I do think that today calls for chocolate, but then again I was raised to think that everyday calls for at least a little chocolate. Fridays though? Those are double chocolate days.
So my week. Let me tell you a little about it. It’s been filled with barn decisions. Well, I guess so was last week, but it’s all exciting and a little nerve-racking at the same time. It’s exciting for obvious reasons, but the nerve-wracking part??? Ugh. See, there is this thing with the county and it’s a really long story that I could never possibly explain to you properly, but the bottom line is there are some easement issues. Whenever there are issues with the county, IT’S NEVER GOOD. And oh my gosh, it’s so stressful because we have to get this easement issue straightened out. I guess the county never got an easement from the previous owners for the existing gas line that runs along the northern border of our property – that three other homeowners (besides us) tap off of. But I mean HELLO, it’s already there now, and we own the property. We’ll give you the easement, just get this thing done. Apparently legally it is just not that easy! If don’t get it resolved quickly we will miss the cut off date of October 15, the last date that you can dig a gas line up here because of freezing – until May 15! That would mean no barn completion this year. Enter major sad face.
Told you, kind of nerve-racking. I am just praying it all gets worked out, and fast, because everything is starting to come a long. I decided on windows and cabinets this week. Like the final decisions. Orders placed and all. I had a TON of help from my awesome mom with the windows because to be honest, I really did not care all that much. I probably should, but all I cared about was that my north facing window, that I will be shooting at, is a decent size and will allow for some nice light. Other than that, I was kind of like, “well, I really just want them to be cute”. Luckily, I had my dad to remind me that they needed to actually be functional as well. So, I had mom for style, dad for practicality and me for the final say. It worked out pretty good… except it took my mom two days to decide that she didn’t like the look of the windows we were going to use at all. So then it was on to an all new window company. Thankfully we all loved the other company and were able to make a much quicker decision. Team work, but really, thanks to my mom for taking the reigns on the windows. A little boring for me I guess. Also, it’s nice to have parental help. Especially for someone who is young and has never built a house before. Knowledge is everything, and on barn renovations, I have none.
Other highlights of my week? Collecting (more like hoarding) mini sugar pumpkins + all the fall gourds I could hold and making a mini pumpkin patch. One, I am obsessed with pumpkins and two, because it is early fall, I want to steal all the cutest pumpkins before everyone else decides it’s time to get some. Nothing wrong with having too many sugar pumpkins, and/or gourds come Thanksgiving. And um, our chickens laid eggs this week. SO EXCITING!! I have to say though, the best part of my week came early. Actually it was Monday, the day I made this.
I guess it is kind of obvious as to why it was the best part of my week though, right? I mean, just look at all that delicious gooeyness, and with ice cream too. I am telling you, it’s a heavenly dessert.
And yes, I roasted some pumpkin seeds (in cinnamon sugar and butter!) to top this tarte. I really just could not resist the bag of already cleaned pumpkin seeds at the grocery store. Do you guys get those in your stores too? This was the first time I have ever seen them, but wow! Such a time saver. The base of this Nutella Banana Tarte Tatin is puff pastry, which I actually love and wish I used more often. I will definitely be using these more, the stuff is good! The next step is to slather the puff pastry with a generous amount of Nutella. Next, make some caramel, press some bananas into the caramel and add the puff pastry. Bake and be amazed. It’s a quick and simple dessert to make, but people seem to be really impressed by it. I guess because it turns out so pretty, although mine was far from perfect. But if I have learned anything about the appearance of a finished dish over that last two years, it is that pretty food is overrated. All you want is real food that tastes delicious.
And trust me, this may not be the prettiest tarte tatin you have ever seen, but it’s crazy good. Really, it is. Oh, and do not skip the ice cream. Ice cream is a must. No exceptions.
I mean?? How could you not be excited about that? Impossible.
