Since my earlier post was about kitchen "mishaps", I might as well keep to the theme of "edible mistakes". Besides, this one particularly suits the ocassion all because of how the strawberries are cut. Yup, this is how I usually do it: cut a V-shaped indent and half the strawberry.

How this strawberry tart came about I can't quite remember. I think it was based on a recipe in Everyday Food. 

But my store-bought pie crust couldn't hold its shape when baked blind. The edges just fell inwards in the oven, thus the thicker "folded" look. I spread an entire block of lemon-flavoured cream cheese on it and arranged the strawberries towards the center. They look shiny because of mandarin preserves that was brushed on them.

Happiness is not all about making the right choices and doing the right things every time. Sometimes, happiness occur through the little "accidents" in everyday life. So here's to a lovely Valentine's and a lifetime of happiness, although accidents are not pre-requisites.  

Confession: what you see above was a mistake. Due to the sudden demise of my five-year-old laptop (I'm still grieving now and then), I thought I'd just go ahead and make some sticky rolls by intuition. No need for looking up ideas on the internet. I'm not a huge fan of cinnamon to be honest, but with the cinnamon swirls which I love from Peet's in mind, I took out the last box of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets and there's no turning back. 

Here's what I did, in brief:
1. Roll pastry sheets to slightly bigger than the size of a laptop.
2. Spread fig jam over both sheets. Lightly sprinkle castor sugar over the area.
3. Roll up the sheets loosely. Cut each sheet into 6 wheels. Reshape them a little.
4. Sitting them cut-side up, stuff as much dried cranberries inside the wheels (between layers). 
5. Top with torn-up pieces of figs from the jam. Do an eggwash on top and around the wheels.
6. Arrange the wheels on baking tray and sprinkle castor sugar over. Bake 25-30 minutes at 400F.

On hindsight, I should have sprinkled the dried cranberries in step 2, after the jam, before the sugar. 

I suppose it all turned out well - I managed to finish the jam that's been sitting in the fridge for months (neither of us liked it enough...). Edible mistakes - what more to ask for?

The picture you see here is not taken with any iPhone photo app. Nor was the woman styled in that pretty frilly dress to match the retro setup. This is my mother in her kitchen back in the late 1970s. And if you're wondering, the scalloped edges on the photo are real.

It's a pity back then that one could only take monochromatic pictures. I was too young to remember but one thing's for sure, that four-panel cabinet is light olive green with white outline. I know because it still sits at the same spot today even though most parts of that area had been upgraded through the years. That cabinet is my mum's arsenal of sauces, spices and seasonings. The door panels can be fan-folded to the right for easy access during cooking.

Growing up with a mum who's capable of cooking anything contributed to a very delicious childhood. Bringing up six kids was not easy when one was a full-time school teacher and had to feed the whole family. Did I mention cleaning and washing after all of us too?