Lemon Cream Cheese Tarts for My Dear Mom

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For those of you who have forgotten…

Mother’s Day is lurking just around the corner.

This is not a joke.

I am not even foolin.

This past week I have been thinking a lot about my own dear Mother and all of the great things she has taught me over the years.

Do you ever find yourself saying things to your own kids that your Mother used to say to you?

It happens a lot at my house.

Sure am glad mine had so many good things to say.

Some of the things I have learned from my Mom are….

1. Visiting with strangers in the grocery store

is important and smiled upon.

2. Visiting with anyone, anywhere

is important and smiled upon.

2. Keeping track of dear friends and family

(“your roots” as she would say)

makes your life full and wonderful.

3. Getting the giggles at inopportune moments

during the prayer at church…

in the middle of a wedding…

any place where it should be quiet and all normal people are acting sophisticated….

is a curse….and a curse we carry with a chuckle in our hearts.

My apologies if I have offended any of you with my inappropriate chuckling.

You know who you are….

Aunt Thelma?

4. Laughter is the best medicine. You can take it anywhere and it’s cheap, cheap, cheap. Laughing your guts out can really brighten up the day.

5. Show grace under pressure.

6. Be kind and good to everyone you meet.

7. Reading to your kids is a pleasure.

8. Reading a good book for yourself is a heavenly pleasure.

9. Cook up a meal every night for your family.

10. Let’s just all LOVE EACH OTHER.

“Just let it go….”

“Take that one off your list….”

“Don’t worry about that one for one more second….”

11. Stand by your man.

She sounds like a pretty spectacular lady,

doesn’t she? She is!

I wouldn’t be surprised if 90% of you have visited with her at the grocery store at some point in your life!

Each year that goes by and I experience more of what raising a large family is like…

my admiration

and respect

and understanding

and appreciation

for her grows tremendously.

I made these Lemon Cream Cheese Tarts this week with her in mind. Lemon Meringue Pie has always been one of her favorites….just hope I can get some of these tarts to her house before my kids scarf them up!

Love you, Mom.

Happy Mothers Day…..

Lemon Cream Cheese Tarts

Yield: 24 tarts

Time: 1 1/2 hours + 1 hour refrigeration

Crust recipe from Julie Thomson

Filling Recipe from Taste of Home

Crust: (this crust recipe makes 24 tarts, or 2-3 pie crusts…depending on how thin you roll it!)
3 C flour
1 t salt
1 1/3 C shortening, butter flavored
2 T sugar
5 T cold ice water
1 egg, beaten
1 t vinegar

Lemon Filling:
1 1/2 C sugar
6 T cornstarch
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 C water
2 T butter
2 t grated lemon peel
6 drops yellow food coloring
1/2 C fresh lemon juice

Cream Cheese Topping:
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 C powdered sugar
1 1/2 C cool whip
1 T fresh lemon juice

PASTRY SHELLS

1. For the crust, put the flour, salt, sugar and shortening in your stand mixer and mix with the whisk attachment just until it starts to form a crumb like mixture. If you don’t have a stand mixer you can just put the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork, or pastry blender.

2. Turn the mixer on to low and add 5 T cold ice water. Don’t add any of the ice….just the cold water. I just fill up a bowl with water and ice and then measure out the 5 T.

3. Add one beaten egg.

4. Add 1 t vinegar. Mix the dough until all ingredients are combined. Don’t over mix here folks. Just get them combined and you are good to go.

5. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Flour your counter top just a bit and then roll each section out. It helps to flour your rolling pin and your dough as well. You don’t want it to stick to the counter top.

6. Cut out the tarts with a large star or flower cookie cutter. You could also use a large cup, or small bowl.

7. Gently place the cut out dough in regular sized muffin tins. Use a fork to poke some holes in the bottom of each shell.

8. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. You don’t want them to get too brown. Keep and eye on them and take them out just when the tips of the shells start to turn a golden color.

9. Take the pans out of the oven and set them on cooling racks for about 10 minutes. Don’t remove the shells yet. They need time to sit and cool in the muffin tins. This will help them keep their lovely form. After the 10 minutes are up carefully take them out of the tins and let them continue to cool on the wire racks.

LEMON FILLING

1. Zest your lemons and squeeze the juice. Set both of these aside.

2. In a sauce pan combine 3/4 C sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in the water and bring to a boil over medium heat.

3. Reduce the heat and add the remaining sugar.

4. Cook until the mixture is thick and bubbly.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, lemon peel, and food coloring. When these are combined gently stir in the lemon juice. Do not over mix.