French Friday with Dorie: Marie-Hélène’s Apple Cake

Pink Lady, Gala, Honey Crisp, and Pippin were the four apples I chose for this week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe. I thought these choices would give the cake the sweet, crisp, and tart flavor that Dorie said Marie-Hélène’s cake should have.

The recipe calls for dark rum, but I only had light, so I decided to sub with Kahlúa. The batter was so silky smooth and thick that when the apples were added there was just enough batter to cover them.

The end result? Oooh, la la! This cake is moist and tender, yet has the crunchy sweet, tartness of the apples along with the sweet crusty topping. The Kahlúa gave it a wonderful coffee flavor without being overwhelming. This is just a perfect dessert and one that I will be making over and over again.

Next French Friday: Potato Gratin

Postcards from the Mojave Desert

On our trip to and from Las Vegas, we had to travel through the Mojave Desert. I think the desert holds its own special kind of beauty.

Alien jerky, anyone? This place is in Baker, Ca. the halfway point through the Mojave Desert. It can get to temperatures of up to 134 degrees during the summer.

These cloud formations were so strange.

Did you know that Borax crystals were discovered here in the 1880s? Eighteen mules and two draft horses were used to transport borax from Death Valley to the railroad junction in Mojave, hence the term "20 mule team borax." There is now a road by that name here and a modern plant in Mojave where the crystals are mined today. My mom always used borax in the laundry and I have continued using it, but I never knew where it came from. It was cool to accidentally discover where it is actually mined.

Postcards from Las Vegas

We went to a wedding in Las Vegas over the weekend. It was a long drive there and back, but it was totally worth it. I thought you might enjoy some of the photos I took during the trip.

The wedding and dinner reception were held at the Luxor Hotel. 

The Bellagio fountains were magnificent. They synchronize them to music and when we were were there it was the sound of Frank Sinatra singing 'New York, New York.' These fountains were in the movie Oceans 11.

This just made us laugh. You don't even need to leave the comfort of your car to get married here. Only in Vegas.

French Friday with Dorie: Hachis Parmentier

We are into week four with French Fridays with Dorie and this week the recipe is hachis parmentier, the French version of shepherd's pie. I made it this past Sunday and it was a perfect day for this kind of dish - cool and a little rainy.

Dorie suggested using cube steak, but I had some beef stew meat in the freezer so I wanted to use that, but I also picked up a pound of lamb neck to give it extra flavor. Lamb neck is a wonderful tender cut and very inexpensive.

The meat was cooked in a dutch oven along with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, water, salt and pepper. My husband wanted me to just leave it at that and make a stew because the smell made him so hungry!

Once the meat cooked, I let it cool and then chopped it into very small pieces.

Since I used beef and lamb for the filling, I decided not to add the sausage as the recipe called for thinking it would be too much, but in hindsight I think it would have given the hachis parmentier even more flavor. Next time I will be sure to add it. Dorie said that traditionally the hachis parmentier is vegetableless, but I couldn't help myself. I chopped some carrots and celery and added to the meat filling along with some of the reserved broth and a couple of teaspoons of tomato paste, and more salt and pepper to taste.

I topped the meat and vegetable filling with garlic mashed potatoes and put it in the oven until the topping started to get a golden brown crust.

I have always loved the taste of shepherd's pie and even though I deviated somewhat from Dorie's recipe, it still tasted a little different than the shepherd's pie I have made in the past. The mixture of beef, lamb, and vegetables was delicious and the perfect comfort food on a rainy Sunday. 

Next French Friday: Marie-Hélène’s Apple Cake

NASA & Etsy Space Craft Contest: To the Moon and Beyond

MSPremiseConclusion Etsy store

After 50 years, NASA will be ending its space program once the international space station is completed in 2011. In honor of its program and to celebrate its many accomplishments, NASA and Etsy have teamed together to sponsor a space-inspired craft contest, NASA & Etsy Space Craft Contest: To the Moon and Beyond. The Grand Prize Winner will win a $500 shopping spree at Etsy and an all-expense-paid trip with a guest to watch the shuttle launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The deadline to enter the contest is November 2, 2010. 

stellarquilts etsy 

Moon Trees

I recently discovered that there is a Moon Tree in Sacramento.

I learned that on the 1971 Apollo mission, astronaut Stuart Roosa took along 500 Douglas fir, loblolly pine, sweetgum, sycamore, and redwood seeds with him in his personal kit. He orbited the moon in the command module, Kitty Hawk, while Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell walked on the moon. 

The idea to take the seeds to the moon belonged to the Chief of the Forest Service, who had worked with Roosa when he was a smoke jumper for the Forest Service years earlier. He oversaw the project and selected the types of tree seeds that Roosa carried with him on his moon mission. When Roosa returned to earth, the U.S. Forest Service germinated the seeds and the seedlings, known as the 'Moon Trees' were sent all over the U.S. and the world as part of the 1976 Bicentennial. 

One of the redwood seedlings was planted at the state capitol in Sacramento. It is surrounded by much older and taller redwoods that stand as majestic sentinels watching over the moon tree. They aren't the only ones protecting this special tree; however, the design plans for the security pavilion at the state capitol were designed to ensure the Moon Tree's safety. I think this is so awesome that our state went to such lengths to ensure that the tree remained safe. It is flourishing in that spot and is truly one of the living monuments to Stuart Roosa, the U.S. Forest Service, and the NASA Space Program.

Unfortunately, there was no systematic tracking of where the moon trees were planted, but NASA does have a list of some of the trees, so you can check to see if there is one where you live.

French Friday with Dorie: Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

I have to admit, this week's recipe from French Fridays with Dorie surprised me. I didn't realize the deep ties between Vietnam and France and that Vietnamese food was part of today's French culture. When I read the recipe, one of the ingredients that caught my attention was coconut milk and I thought this would definitely not be the average ordinary chicken noodle soup.

The spices also caught my attention because some of them I had never used before, like whole coriander seeds, white peppercorns, and star anise. The spices are gathered with some cilantro stems in a piece of cheesecloth and tied in a bundle and dropped into the soup along with a couple of thai chiles. A heavenly aroma filled the house as the soup cooked on the stove.

When I poured the coconut milk into the chicken stock the broth turned to a nice milky color, but after I added the chicken to poach, the coconut milk broke apart and never did return to the milky substance it had been before. The broth ended up looking like regular chicken noodle soup, but the flavor had quite a kick to it. My husband enjoyed more than one bowl, but passed on adding the fish sauce. I served the soup along with gougères from week one that I had frozen and then popped into the oven. The crusty, cheesy puffs were a perfect accompaniment to the soup. 

Next French Friday: Hachis Parmentier

Thrift Store Finds

It was nice having a super long weekend so I could do a little thrifting. I was lucky to find a few treasures.

My first score were these beautiful plates by Vernonware, called 'Tinkled Pink:'

And I was literally tinkled pink when I saw them. I love, love the pattern and was sad that there were only three plates to be found. I couldn't find any other pieces, but decided that I had to have them even though there were only three. This is a pattern I intend to add to. The plates are in mint condition with no chips or scratches.

It was also my lucky day to score an old MSL magazine that I didn't have, and a baking book by Nick Malgieri which I cannot wait to try some of the recipes. I also found a vintage beginner's knitting book. I want to do a project for Christmas that requires some knitting skills, so I thought this might help me.

On Tuesday I went to a different thrift store and found these beautiful dessert plates by Johnson Brothers, called 'Snow Crystal.' I loved the pattern and thought I could incorporate these in with some other Johnson Brothers vintage china that I have during the holidays. I did a quick search online to try to find out when they were made, but I didn't have any luck. If you happen to know when they were made, please let me know. I don't think they are very old, but the back of each plate is marked 'Made in England.'

And I couldn't resist these vintage pipe cleaners. I have no idea what I will use them for or if I will ever use them, but I loved all the colors. You just can't find pipe cleaners like these in the stores.

It was a great thrift weekend and I can't wait to go thrifting again. The hunt is on for more Tinkled Pink pieces!

Decorative Art Gourds

A few years ago, my mom got a bunch of gourds at a gourd farm in Florida. She found a few that were in the shape of an apple and painted them for me. Looks realistic, doesn't it?

I love this little whimsical apple cottage she painted.

She painted this one for my grandma. So cute!

French Friday with Dorie: Gérard’s Mustard Tart

The recipe for this week's French Friday with Dorie is a mustard tart and it is the first savory tart that I have ever made. It calls for thinly sliced carrots and leeks which I bought, but Dorie writes in her book that a more traditional tart is made with tomatoes and since heirloom tomatoes are still available for at least a little while longer here I decided to make it with a large heirloom tomato instead.

One lesson I learned while making this is that it probably is a good idea not to answer the telephone when you put the tart in the oven. My brother called long distance and I was on the phone when the timer went off. Normally I would check its progress and take it out before it got this brown.

Luckily, however, the extra golden brown didn't hurt the flavor of the tart. It was creamy, yet also had a bit of texture with the grainy mustard in it. I loved the tartness of the mustard, but my husband thought it tasted too 'mustardy.' He loved the taste of the tart shell though. I am going to make another tart this weekend with the carrots and leeks and adjust the amount of mustard to hopefully please both our palates. Bon appétit!

Next French Friday: Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

Magpies

These birds are yellow-billed magpies and they are found only in California. Bird watchers from around the world come to California just to see them. I saw this one feeding contentedly near a squirrel.

What's interesting about magpies is that they stay together as families in small colonies. A mated pair spread their wings and bow to each other and the male feeds the female. (Love that!) They are such beautiful birds and I always enjoy watching them.

Simple Abundance

My husband, the ultimate garage sale aficionado, bought this book for me about a year-and-a-half ago at a garage sale. It is a book I had heard a lot about, but never went out and bought for myself. I was thrilled and touched that he thought it would be a book I would enjoy and immediately I started reading each daily entry. 

Somehow though, the book kind of disappeared, probably when we had house guests and I swept everything in the closet to make my craft room/office/guest room presentable, and I simply - forgot about it.

I was cleaning out the closet today when I came upon it and felt that "Oh!" like I had just found an old friend. I took it outside and started reading. If you aren't familiar with the book, it is about the author's journey as she searches for her authentic self. She takes you on the walk with her through each day of the year as she discovers six practical, creative, spiritual principles: gratitude, simplicity, order, harmony, beauty, and joy.

I flipped to today's entry and it begins with a quote from one of my favorite writers, Anne Lamott: "Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life." And I thought, "How very true." Sometimes, more often than I'd like to admit, I try so hard to make everything perfect especially when it comes to entertaining people in our home that I can't even enjoy the moment and enjoy our guests. Reading this was a reminder that my house doesn't need to be perfect to have friends over; that it's okay if the dishes aren't washed and someone pops in unexpectedly. It's okay.

The book isn't going back into my office - it is going on my bedside table so I can read it every day. I think I need this daybook of comfort and joy in my life right now. It came into my life a year-and-a-half ago for a reason and I think it has reappeared again for a reason. Serendipity? I think so.

French Friday with Dorie: Gougères

When I heard that Dorie Greenspan had a new book coming out called, Around My French Table, I was really excited to get a copy and take a look at the recipes. It's a warm and inviting book filled with comfort food - French comfort food - made by Dorie and her friends. When I heard that there was going to be a cook-along with the book, French Fridays with Dorie (FFwD), I knew that I wanted to join in on the fun.

Dorie chose the recipes for this first month of Fridays and from the comments I read over at FFwD everyone agreed that this was an easy and delicious first recipe. Since I had never eaten a gougère [goōˈ zh e(ə)r] before I really didn't know what to expect. The dough is unlike any dough I have made before - shiny and smooth.

You can see by the photo that I was all prepared to eat them like a biscuit, with butter and a little jam, but they didn't need anything at all. They are light and airy golden puffs of goodness - cheesy puffs - and are perfect just the way they are.

Next week's French Friday: Gérard's Mustard Tart.