For Julia

A few of my Sweet friends are honoring Julia Child by making one of her recipes.

I chose Julia Child's Herb Biscuits to accompany soup. They were delicious.




I used this recipe: Julia Child's Herb Biscuits


Here are links to my friends' posts... I'll add as they finish their posts over the next couple of days:

Susan at Savoring Time in the Kitchen
Marsha at Marsha's Kitchen
Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet
Debbie at Mountain Breaths
Carol at There's Always Thyme to Cook
Barb at Foley's Follies
Kathleen at Cuisine Kathleen

Thanks for visiting!

Michigan Postcards...

Thought this might be a good time to make my first post to Susan's Outdoor Wednesday. Please check her blog, A Southern Daydreamer, for links to other Outdoor postings.

Flashback Friday with Suzy

I haven't joined my friend Suzy at Flashback Friday for a while. It's about time I do.




Cooler temps and we're eating soup more often. We just love soup with a nice crusty bread. Last night, we had Debbie's Sun-dried Tomato, Kale and White Bean Soup and a store bought baguette. (Great soup, BTW.) It reminded me that I haven't baked bread for too long. Time to change that too! But, for Flashback, here's some bread I baked last year. Most likely this is the 5-Minute Artisan recipe that I've used so many times. Yum!

Please visit Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet for some delicious Flashbacks.

End of Summer...

Remember, way back when... I said I was taking a break to enjoy Summer? Well, Boo Hoo, Summer is officially over. Still not sure how often I'll pop in here, but thought I'd make a quick little post, showing one of the last days of Summer here. We went horseback riding on a beautiful afternoon. (My Sweets, I know you've already seen these...sorry for the repeat!)

Susan's Garden Party!

I'm late, but could not miss dropping in for Susan's Garden Party. Please visit her beautiful garden at Savoring Time in the Kitchen. And check the links there for other participant's garden posts.





Here's to my good friend, Susan, the Queen of Clematis! Thank you for a lovely party!

Suzy's Ice Cream Social... Y'all come!

It's time for Suzy's Ice Cream Social! Visit her blog, Kitchen Bouquet, for a real treat and to link to other entries. Suzy knows I'm on vacation and am posting about our favorite ice cream store in SW Florida.

My all time favorite store bought ice cream is Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey. Good thing the Banana, Chocolate Chunk and Walnut is a regular item on the menu here. That's exactly what I had earlier this week. DH is usually trying the various chocolate varieties, but I always stick to my tried & true. I love this stuff! Even better in a chocolate dipped cone.

Now a plug for this fantastic ice cream store... Royal Scoop in Bonita Springs. I love their motto, "Life's Short ... Eat Dessert First!" But, they do serve great food too. It's a business we like to support as they do a lot of positive projects for the community. And the ice cream is really awesome!

Suzy, thanks for hosting this fun event!

Happy Birthday wishes to my friend, Carol!

Couldn't let the day pass without wishing my friend, Carol at There's Always Time To Cook. a wonderful and happy birthday! Have fun and enjoy this little piece of cake!

A quick white post...

My friend, Kathleen, at Cuisine Kathleen is hosting a Let There Be White event. Please visit her blog to read her fantastic post and see the links to other participants.

Life's a little busy at the moment, but I didn't want to be a no-show to Kathleen's party, so here I am with an inviting table amidst a garden... simple, but sweet. (No, this is not in my garden, but one I visited.)

Taking time to Grill and Chill

Just a brief return to join Debbie's Kick-off to Summer. Visit her blog, Mountain Breaths, for links to other participants. Thank you, Debbie for hosting a fun event.

A nice cool salad sounded good during our recent hot spell. With an abundance of home-grown strawberries and spinach, I searched out a wonderful recipe. It was a perfect base for a tasty grilled chicken breast. Hubby and I both loved it. It's a must-make-again recipe.

Strawberry Spinach Salad from allrecipes.com

(I didn't have sesame seeds and I reduced the amount of sugar.)

Taking a break...

...to enjoy Summer!

Flashback Friday

Running late today for Flashback Friday at Suzy's Kitchen Bouquet.

From a couple of years ago, a blueberry coconut cake that I adapted from a couple of recipes. I will have to try to re-create as I can't find my recipe. ;-)

Flashback Friday

It's been a busy week, but I don't want to miss Suzy's Flashback Friday at Kitchen Bouquet. I've been busy because it is gardening season. I can only hope the garden I planted this week produces as well as gardens in the past... I'm looking forward to another beautiful harvest like this...

I'll be back yet this weekend for a post to Barb's Mother's Day tribute at Foley's Follies. She'll have Mr. Linky up soon and anyone who wants to honor their Mother, Grandmother or special lady in their life is welcome to join.

Flashback and Foodie Friday

Cinco de Mayo is the feature this week for my friend Suzy's Kitchen Bouquet Flashback Friday and Designs by Gollum's Foodie Friday! Check their links for other participants.

Ole! Salsa for everyone!

I use my friend Annie's own recipe and it is awesome!

ANNIE’S SALSA

8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
3 – 5 chopped jalapenos
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp pepper
1/8 cup canning salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar (I use a mix of lime juice and cider vinegar)
16 oz. tomato sauce
16 oz tomato paste

Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, process in BWB for 15 minutes. Makes 6 pints.

Breakfast of Champions...

A champion morel hunter. OK, so I'm exagerating... I found 3 morels, but my breakfast the next morning was award winning! I prefer morels prepared simply. Such a rare treat that I want it pure and simple. Just coated in flour, S & P, then sauteed in butter. What a treat!

Flashback Friday

Friday again and time for my friend Suzy's Flashback Friday at Kitchen Bouquet .

We're having gardening weather so it's nice to be able to go back to an oldie when I don't have time for the kitchen. The pic is from a couple of years ago, but we actually had the same thing last night. Homemade bread, spread with goat cheese (sorry Susan) and topped with roasted tomatoes and garlic. One of our favorite snack type meals that I learned from Ann (thank you, Ann).

A winner!

My friend Susan at Savoring Time in the Kitchen has mentioned her One Bowl Brownie Cookies a few times. It always caught my attention, but for some reason, I never got around to making them. I don't know why, because my husband LOVES brownies. Well, I finally made them the other day and the recipe is a winner! Easy, quick and not much clean-up involved. Oh, and they taste great! What more could you ask for!

ONE BOWL CHOCOLATE BROWNIE COOKIES

• 6 oz bittersweet baking chocolate

• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate

• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine

• 1-1/4 cups sugar

• 3 eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 1 cup flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups toasted chopped hazelnuts or any favorite nut (optional)

Heat oven to 325 F. Microwave chocolates and butter in large microwavable bowl on high for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring halfway through heating time. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

Stir sugar into chocolate mixture until blended. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in nuts.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls, 1-1/2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until set. DO NO OVERBAKE. Cool 5 minutes, remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely on wire racks. Makes about 3 dozen.

Flashback / Foodie Friday Indulgence

Friday! Time for Suzy's Kitchen Bouquet Flashback Friday and Gollum's Foodie Friday .

Time to start thinking of summer... and ice creams. Today, a rich Chocolate Orange Sorbet. A delicious flavor combination, at least we think so! To serve, I scooped out orange halves and froze them. Makes a terrific serving dish for this sorbet. Yum, I need to make this again soon.

Rich Chocolate Orange Sorbet

3/4 c Granulated sugar

3/4 c Unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 c Water

2 oz Bittersweet chocolate -chopped

2/3 c Orange juice

2 tb Corn syrup

1 tb Orange zest

In a medium sized heavy saucepan, combine sugar and cocoa. Gradually whisk in water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low. Add chocolate, orange juice, corn syrup and zest. Stir just until chocolate melts. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour. Transfer mixture into an ice cream maker and process. Transfer to an airtight food container, cover and freeze overnight or up to 3 days to mellow flavors.

Source: Ice Creams and Sorbets-Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library by Sarah Tenaglia (Time-Life books)

Ina's Lemon Cake

After a nice sunny weekend, I was in the mood for a lemony dessert. Ina Garten's recipe for lemon cake sounded very good and had great reviews. Better yet, I had the ingredients on hand. The only substitution I made was using 4 Meyer lemons and one Honeybell for the zest and juice. This cake earned two thumbs up at our house!

Lemon Cake
2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!

2 (8-inch) loaves

Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired.
Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Just in time for Easter.

Busy week and I almost forgot to post the Easter cookies I made a couple of weeks ago. I don't decorate cookies often, but always fun when I do. Hope you all have a lovely Easter!

Flashback and Foodie Friday

Another Friday and I'm back for my friend Suzy's Flashback Friday at Kitchen Bouquet.

And Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

Today, I'm bringing Raspberry Galette...


I'm sorry, I don't remember where I found the recipe. But, it's very, very good. Can be made with raspberries or blackberries.

Blackberry Galette

Ingredients:

1½ C all purpose flour
1 T sugar
1 t baking powder
½ t salt
6 T cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4½ T sour cream
2½ C blackberries
2 T sugar
1 pinch salt
1 T milk

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and process until mixture looks like pebbles. Add sour cream and mix to combine. Remove from processor and knead lightly until just coming together. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes before using. Meanwhile, mix blackberries with sugar and salt and let sit until dough has been rolled out. Roll out dough into a circle and fill with blackberry mixture, leaving about 4 to 4½ inches on the edges. Fold sides towards the middle, making the galette somewhat round. Brush edges with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool approximately 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8.

April Fool's!

It's party time and who better to host April Fool's than my friend Carol at There's Always Thyme to Cook. Check out her post for links to our friend's fun posts or join the party yourself. Everyone welcome!

Today I fired up the grill for burgers! New Year's resolution was to give up fries, so it's solo burgers for us.

April Fool's... these are a sweet treat! I used this recipe from All Recipes with few minor adjustments.

Flashback and Foodie Friday!

I'm late joining my friend Suzy's Kitchen Bouquet Flashback Friday AND Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday. Like Gollum, I'm here with pizza... Meyer Lemon Pizza! This is a real change of pace.

I used this recipe for the topping, but my own pizza dough.

Fresh! and Happy Birthday, S!

Today is my friend Susan's birthday. Visit her at Savoring Time in the Kitchen. Fresh, creative salads remind me of Susan, so here's lunch for her today.
Marsha at Marsha's Kitchen is providing the wine. Dessert will be the cake that Debbie at Mountain Breaths made or cupcake cones from Carol at There's Always Thyme. And Barb from Foley's Follies brought awesome cookies.

Mixed greens, with strawberries, raspberries, seared scallops and sliced almonds with a vinaigrette dressing.

Happy Birthday, Susan!

Flashback / Foodie Friday. Spring!

My favorite season arrives today! Time to celebrate.

Again, I'm joining my friend Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet for Flashback Friday. When I saw she posted her lovely painted cookies from last year, I remembered that I also made painted cookies last year. (Suzy's are much nicer.) I'm the first to admit I have no artistic talent, but they really were fun to make.

This is also my contribution to Gollum's, Designs by Gollum, Foodie Friday. Always lots of great entries at her weekly potluck.

Happy Spring!

St. Patrick's Day

Welcome to the St. Pat's Bash, hosted by my friend Kathleen at Cuisine Kathleen. Click on the link to join the blog crawl!

We celebrated a little early and quite simply with Irish Beef Stew and Irish Soda Bread. (I can't believe I forgot to take a pic of the bread!)

Irish Beef Stew from Simply Recipes.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
I cup of Guinness beer
1 cup of fine red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Method
1 Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
2 While the meat and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew in step one has simmered for one hour.
3 Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat. Transfer stew to serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Salt and pepper to taste. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)
Serves 4 to 6.

Irish Soda Bread from Kathleen.

4 C flour
1 t salt
4 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
3/4 C sugar
2 t caraway seed
1 C raisins
1 egg
1 t vanilla
2 C buttermilk
1/4 stick of soft butter

Sift dry ingredients. Mix in the seeds and raisins. Add buttermilk and vanilla and mix. Add beaten eggs and soft butter, mix. Put into 2 greased loaf pans, or 1 10 in. round. Slit the top with a knife. Bake at 350 about 30 to 35 for loaf pans, 50 for round. Brush with butter or milk 10 min. before removing from oven. Check center to see if done, do not over bake.

(This is a delicious recipe... I omitted the raisins. I baked in a jumbo muffin tin. It made 9 mini round loaves.)

Kathleen, thank you for hosting this very festive party!

Flashback/Foodie Friday~Pre St. Pat's

Again, I'm combining my friend Suzy's ~ Kitchen Bouquet ~ Flashback Friday
and Gollum's ~ Designs by Gollum ~ Foodie Friday.
I'm joining in here with St. Pat's cookies.


The K cookie is in honor of my friend Kathleen ~ Cuisine Kathleen ~ who is putting on a big St. Pat's Bash on Tues. Everyone is invited! Sign up with her Mr. Linky beginning Monday, Mar. 16.

Versatile Quiche

Quiche, a favorite dish at our house. Never the same. It's a dish that is adaptable to use up what you have on hand. Simple to change up the meats or veggies and cheeses. Even easier if you use a pre-made crust. Or go lighter with a crustless quiche.
This one is made with onion, spinach and bacon. Excellent combination!

Happy Birthday K ... and Mom!

Here's sending Best Happy Birthday wishes to my Irish pal, Kathleen at Cuisine Kathleen! Looking forward to her St. Pat's Bash!

And Happy 89th to my dear Mom, also today!

Foodie Friday / Flashback Friday

Week 3 of Foodie Friday, hosted by Designs by Gollum. I find this a good time to join my friend Suzy of Kitchen Bouquet in Flashback Friday as well.

This week, I'm bringing Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti. I make it for my husband and he loves it.

This is an excellent recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti.

I hope you enjoy!

Chicken Pesto Tart

Puff pastry .. spinach .. chicken breast. I searched for recipes and then did my own thing, based on several different recipes I saw. This is a tasty dish. And easy. I made it up as I went, so no real recipe, but here's what I did.
Thaw one sheet of puff pastry. Roll into a square. I put it in a square springform pan with the dough coming up the sides by about an inch or so. Then layer chopped fresh spinach and grated pamesan cheese. Next, I cut chicken breast up into bite sized pieces and tossed in pesto to coat and layered it on top of the spinach/cheese. I added small roasted tomatoes and tucked in some spinach leaves on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes in a preheated 400 degree(F) oven. Nice with just a green salad on the side.

It's coming...

Several of my Internet buddies have had enough of winter. I've had enough of winter. Time to say "Farewell to February" and get ready for Spring... it's coming! And not a day too soon! Still need to be patient for a while, but it's coming and I can start planning.

I've been browsing old pics to remind me of what I'm ready to leave behind...

And looking forward to what's coming in the future (or in the case of these pictures, the past! ~last year).

I would especially like to find more of these...

Foodie Friday (and Flashback Friday)

Week 2 of Foodie Friday, hosted by Gollum. Thanks again for putting on a fun party!

And it's another Flashback Friday as I'm re-visiting from a summer day... a nice diversion from today's grey, wet day!

Last week, I was late to Gollum's Pot Luck, so I showed up with dessert. Arriving in time for cocktail hour today ... pink champagne, beer, spanakopita and mini quiches.

Blueberry Muffins, with a twist...

Lots of blueberries in the fridge and I wanted muffins. Lemons too, so off to search for a lemon blueberry muffin recipe. I stumbled upon one with hazelnuts and thought it sounded like an interesting twist. I just happened to have hazelnuts in the freezer so I was all set!


Blueberry Lemon Hazelnut Muffins

Ingredients
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup blueberries

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Coarsely chop hazelnuts, spread them on a cookie sheet, and toast for about 5 minutes. Watch so they don't burn. Set aside.
Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners (12 or so).
Mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg, and milk until just blended. Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture until just moist, son't overmix. The batter will be thick and lumpy. Fold in the lemon zest, blueberries, and hazelnuts.
Spoon batter in muffin tins, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake about 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let stand for about 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
*I used the juice and zest of one lemon.

Mardi Gras King Cake

We started a little early here and went to a Mardi Gras celebration yesterday. We had gumbo, beads, music and fun so I won't be making a Mardi Gras meal at home. However, I made a King Cake to bring to Suzy's party. She's a Louisiana gal, transplanted to the Pacific Northwest. A perfect hostess for this get together. Thanks Suzy for getting the ball rolling!



I used this recipe. We liked it... a lot! I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins.

Please visit Suzy's blog, Kitchen Bouquet, to link to more Mardi Gras party participants!

Let The Good Times Roll...

Mardi Gras Celebrations Begin...

Flashback Friday...Foodie Friday

I think this Flashback Friday is such a good idea. I first saw it on my pal Suzy's blog, Kitchen Bouquet. Today, another pal, Kathleen of Cuisine Kathleen also posted a Flashback Friday. So I thought why not, I have plenty of things to re-visit. Here is a delicious Coconut Tart, but I love seeing the pretty primrose.


Suzy and Kathleen also brought their goodies to Gollum's Foodie Friday Pot Luck
Then I saw another pal, Barb of Foley's Follies also attended. I'm a little late to the Pot Luck, but at least I'm showing up with dessert!

No cooking...

A nice dinner out tonight with friends... to celebrate her 83rd birthday! Happy Birthday, S!

A nice restaurant... I remember a friend mentioned this place a long while ago... a friend I've lost contact with... maybe she's out there... HI! I even ordered the meal she liked.

Super evening, good wine, great food, fantastic atmosphere and most importantly, the best time shared with friends!

Matteo's

Valentine sweet...

I've been waiting for today... dessert allowed for the sweetheart holiday. Not a re-visited one. ;-)

Earlier this week, my pal, Susan - Savoring Time in the Kitchen - wowed me with her gorgeous Chocolate Pots. I was tempted and do intend to make them sometime. But then another pal, Debbie - Mountain Breaths - sent me this article about CHOCOLATE. I thought the Cream of Chocolate sounded pretty decadent. Only 3 ingredients and no real cooking involved, so a super easy recipe. And skim milk could be used so that sure helped on the calorie count. The recipe made 10 "shots". I don't need extra desserts around and it was pretty easy to cut the recipe back to 4 servings. I made them with bittersweet chocolate (good for you!) and skim milk, so I didn't feel too bad about the butter! I also added a pinch of espresso powder to enhance the rich chocolate.

The recipe suggests serving in a shot glass, but I wanted to use the dessert dishes my MIL gave me. They belonged to her Mother. Pretty etched glass with a ruby glass base. Perfect for using on Valentines Day. This is a rich dessert, just like eating a truffle, so a small protion is just right.

Cream of Chocolate

Makes 10 shot-size glasses

1 2/3 cups whole or skim milk
14 ounces dark chocolate
About 3/4 cup (200 grams) butter, melted

Cut the chocolate into small pieces and set aside in large bowl. Boil the milk and pour over chocolate pieces.
Add the melted butter slowly and fold delicately until the mixture becomes smooth and uniform.
Pour the mixture into shot-size glasses or dessert cups and place in refrigerator for 2 hours before serving. Decorate with red berries or mint leaves.

*To make 4 servings, I used:

2/3 c. skim milk

5 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate

3 Tbl. butter

and added 1/4 teas. espresso powder

Breakfast...

I hope you all have a Valentine's breakfast, filled with love...

Blueberry pancakes for my sweetie...

Valentine repeat.

Here I am, bringing back a Valentine sweet from last year. I won't be doing all the sweets this year, so I'm re-visiting the past. These are simple. Make your favorite brownie recipe, cut out with a small heart cutter and top with chocolate ganache.


Wishing you all a Happy Valentines!

Dessert... revisited

I mentioned in my last post that we're "watching our weight". OK, to tell it like it is... we're dieting! I know, it's a lifestyle change (again), but gosh... a month+ without desserts (unless you count a piece of hard candy!) and I call it dieting! Why am I torturing myself, looking back at food pics from the past? Maybe to remind myself how I got to the point of needing to diet. :-) Here's a dessert I've made a few times. Dorie Greenspan's Cranberry Upside Downer cake. I've also changed it up and used peaches and raspberries in place of the cranberries. It's an easy quick dessert to make. A small cake that I find is good for watching portion size.



Cranberry Upside Downer
From: Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

1 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 ¾ sticks (14T) butter, unsalted at room temp.
1 cup minus 2T sugar
¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 cups cranberries
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla or ½ tsp almond extract
1/3 cup whole milk

1/3 cup red currant jelly, for glazing (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 350.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Melt 6T of the butter in a small saucepan. Sprinkle in 6T of the sugar and cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Pour this into the bottom of an 8 inch round cake pan, then scatter the nuts and cranberries on top. If frozen berries cause the butter to congeal, don’t worry, everything will melt in the oven.
Using a stand mixer, beat the remaining stick of butter until smooth. Add the remaining ½ cup sugar and beat until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating one minute between each. Pour in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed and add half the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear. Mix in the milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients. Spoon the batter over the cranberries, and smooth the top.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Carefully turn out onto a serving platter. If any berries stick just scrap them off with a blunt knife and spread them on the cake. Warm the jelly and gently brush over the cake.

Spice it up at tea time!

Hello... No posting from me for a while. Truth is, I haven't had anything worth posting!

We've been watching our weight, so nothing exciting in the food department! But, we have started a new little habit since returning from vacation. We have "tea time" nearly every afternoon. With smaller meal portions, it's a nice little lift in the afternoon and we aren't ravenous at dinner time. No scones or clotted cream for our tea, but usually a small healthy whole grain muffin. I've made a few different kinds with fruit and nuts and keep them in the freezer to have a variety. (cranberry/walnut - apricot/pecan - raspberry/almond)

I've always been more of a coffee drinker, must have my morning coffee, but I have to say I've been enjoying my tea. Hubby has coffee at teatime, but my tea of choice lately has been Celestial Seasoning's Bengal Spice. I never really cared for herbal teas before, but this one is very, very good. At 0 calories, it fits the bill for a weight watcher. It has a slight sweet taste and a nice spicy bite. Warms the heart and soul. I like our new little fireside habit!




I find the ingredients to be an interesting combination:
Ingredients: Cinnamon, roasted chicory, roasted carob, natural spice and vanilla flavors with other natural flavors, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, cloves and nutmeg.
This product contains all-natural herbs and flavors, and no artificial colors or preservatives.

A Taste of Summer...

Vacation is over and it's back to dreary winter days. Oh, but my freezer holds 12 quarts of summer in the form of raspberries. I picked and froze them, intending to make jam in the fall. It didn't happen. Now, I'm glad... it will be such a burst of sunshine making jam on a cold, frosty day. Hopefully next week, I'll have a batch of this and DH will be pleased.

Raspberry Jam
2 1/4 pounds raspberries

3 cups sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Combine fruit, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring gently. Continue cooking on high heat approx. 10 minutes until set. Skim surface if necessary. Put jam into jars immediately. Seal in a hot water bath.

Fresh... from the Gulf of Mexico

I've been MIA... entertaining guests. Takes away from computer time. ;-) But, they're gone now.

And then today, celebrating our anniversary! We had a lovely evening out. Dinner at a sweet French cafe and after, a nightcap at our favorite piano bar, where DH sang to me.

But, catching up... New Year's Eve treat was shrimp... we're fortunate to have a local shrimp fleet here. Nothing so good and sweet as shrimp fresh from the Gulf.

Beach Postcard

Good morning! Just got back from a bike ride around the neighborhood. This morning I had time to make Star Fruit preserves. They turned out well and will be on the breakfast table tomorrow. We're fortunate with the weather... another gorgeous day. My sister and BIL arrived last night and will be here for a week. We're heading out for a long boat ride today and I hope to get some pictures. Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

Good Morning from Paradise

It's a glorius day and the beach is calling my name for a morning walk. No time to post, but I wanted to share a fun pic. My friends have already seen this, but I like looking at it again and again. Back later...

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to post a Merry Christmas wish! We've already had our family celebrations and headed out of the cold on Monday. Spending the holiday in a tropical climate! Today I picked fruit... Star Fruit! I'll need to look for recipes, there are so many!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

The weather outside is frightful...

Inside, the fire is delightful...

We just returned from a fun weekend in cold, blustery Chicago. Nice to see the big city holiday lights. And really nice getting home to a relaxing evening, sipping cocoa by the fireplace.

And with homemade marshmallows. I used a Martha Stewart recipe , cutting a few into various shapes and the rest into squares. I made a change by substituting orange oil for half the vanilla. Delicious in hot cocoa! I think peppermint would be great too. I have found that they freeze well, so they're convenient to have on hand for a cozy, warm treat.

Running out of time...

You all know how it is during this busy season. Decorating, shopping, cooking, baking and wrapping gifts. You need a last minute cookie that looks impressive and sometimes you need to take a shortcut... these are easy and quick. I'm a from scratch baker, 99% of the time, but for this I used refrigerated sugar cookie dough. Just roll it out, cut it with cookie cutters (I used stars). Ice with royal icing. To make the pretty design, use decorating gel and drop a dot in the center, then 2 circles spaced around the dot, then a dot on each tip of the star. Using a toothpick, draw a line from the center dot out to each point. In between the tips, use the toothpick to draw a line toward the center. Do one cookie at a time before the icing sets. These are really quick and look so festive!

Ready or not...

Here I go. My first attempt at solo blogging.

Cookies for Christmas... or anytime.



Oatmeal Toffee Chip Cookies

You can make this dough ahead and freeze up to 3 months.

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup oatmeal, uncooked (not quick oats)
1/2 cup toffee chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside. Put the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on low speed until they are blended thoroughly, about 15 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl during this time. Decrease the speed to low and add the flour mixture and oatmeal. Stir in the toffee chips.

Scoop the dough with a cookie scoop. Place the cookie balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies until golden brown, 12 to 13 minutes. After 7 minutes of baking, reverse the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom to ensure even browning. Watch the cookies carefully as they near the end of their baking time. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

*I doubled the recipe.