Cherry (and Pumpkin) tarts

As long as i can remember, there have been cherry tarts at Christmas. My Grandmother (Dad's Mom) would make them at Christmastime, and Dad would allow us one each on Boxing Day when we visited her. There were three of us, and i have 3 cousins and many aunts and uncles that would visit, so we had to save some for everyone else. After my Grandmother passed, my Mom started making the tarts. Finally, my Mother shared the recipe with me; they are my sister's favorite treat and she has not been let into the secret, so decided to make them for her wedding shower tomorrow. I am going to share this family secret with the world! Read each step carefully, this is an extremely difficult recipe! 

Step One: Buy a package of frozen tart shells. I used store brand because I am cheap and wanted to save 20 cents. As per the package, thaw for a few minutes then separate and spread them on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Step Two. Buy a can of Cherry Pie filling. Open it (careful, sharp edges!) Spoon filling into tart shells. 

Step Three: stand back and admire your hard work in the kitchen. Eat one before presenting to guests, because that is all you are gonna get!! They tend to disappear. 

Because i had more shells than cherries, I thawed a bit of pumpkin pie filling and made a few of those to. I just filled the precooked shells and baked them for another 15 minutes. They turned out really nice.

I had my nephew Kyristan (K) over today while his Mommy worked; because his Daddy was sent to Alaska for work. K and I had these for a snack. He inhaled two of them, i was very surprised! He was supposed to try pumpkin pie last fall, when we showed him how to make it (here). He did not have a chance to try it. Pumpkin pie,  I find, is something either you really like it or you don't. I would not say many four year olds are into the taste. I expected him to take one bit and say he wanted something else, but they just disappeared! I will have to make some more for him. 

K and I had a fun day; I took him to his skating lesson, and then we came back to my place for lunch and made a cake for the shower tomorrow. I told him the cake was for a party we are having for Mommy, i tried to explain a wedding shower, but he thinks it is her birthday. Then we played some Wii and went out to meet Mommy after work to have dinner and catch a hockey game (poor Seadogs lost in overtime). It was a fun day! All afternoon, K really wanted to play Wii, but i told him we had to finish the baking first. So while i filled the tarts, he played in the living room. Suddenly, it got really quiet...and you have to wonder what a four year old is up to when it gets quiet!!! I peeked out and this is what I saw...

K kneeling in front of the television with the game package, studying it. He is not allowed to touch the game disks and therefore had to wait. He sat there patiently for another 15 minutes 'reading' the game box. Poor kid.

So tomorrow is the wedding shower finally, and i have only one more thing to do. I have to ice the cake in the morning. K helped me make it, so the layers are a bit lopsided, but that adds character!! I can't wait for tomorrow, it will be so much fun!