A Day to Remember

Sorry, Dorie, but it's all about England at our house today. I am so excited about the Royal Wedding and have taken the day off from work to watch it 'live' with my daughter. We can't wait to see Kate's dress! John thinks this is so silly of us to stay up to watch it and I will certainly tell him the same when he wakes up in the wee hours of the night to watch Wimbledon this summer. Of course, I am sure he will be joining us for breakfast which will include tea, scones, and this beautiful tin of Scottish shortbread biscuits that my dear friend, Joanna, sent from England. I just love the design on the tin and the Cath Kidston commemorative towel. Thank you so much, Joanna!

After I get some sleep later today, I will check in with my fellow Doristas to see if they made French fries with their steaks. :) Have a great Friday, everyone!

I'm Late! I'm Late!

Last week, Lizzy, from That skinny chick can bake!!! invited me to play an Easter tag game. Rules of the game require you to put together a menu of 5-10 dishes that you have previously posted on your blog. It was so close to Easter that I didn't want to put any extra pressure on those I tagged to come up with a last minute post, so my apologies to Lizzy, but I thought I would wait...and, so I AM LATE! And not only that, I am taking a little liberty and changing up the rules and instead of posting about Easter, I thought I would put together a menu for our next celebration.

We usually have Mexican food at our house so celebrating Cinco de Mayo is a given for our family. Here is what I selected for my menu from previous posts:

Killer Beef Daube Tacos

Nopales Salad 

Agua Fresca

Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake

Magic in the Middles

Each blogger tagged is invited to post 5-10 Easter, Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, or any other upcoming celebratory menu suggestions from previous blog posts with photos and links back to the recipes. Include appetizers, entrees, desserts - whatever you'd like. Then invite 10 more bloggers to do the same - sharing links to their blogs. 

Here are the bloggers I have tagged:

Ronda from Lilacs in May
Karen from From Scratch
Betsy from A Plateful of Happiness
Kris from Miss Kris Kitchen
Cakelaw from Laws of the Kitchen
Adriana from Great Food 360˚
Serene from The Mom Food Project
Teresa from One Wet Foot
Yuri from Chef Pandita
Kathy from Bakeaway with Me

Okay - y'all are IT! Have fun!

BAKED Sunday Morning: New York-Style Crumb Cake

I photocopied this recipe from the book, along with the others, when I first became a member of the BAKED Exploration baking group, so I hadn't looked at the photo of the cake in quite awhile and didn't look at the photo again until after I baked it. I realize that size is relative, so when the instructions said to take large chunks of the crumb topping and drop over the batter - well, I made LARGE chunks. What some might call GARGANTUAN. So, my cake looks nothing like the cake in BAKED Explorations. Whoever made that cake clearly did not follow the recipe's directions.

But, no matter. The cake was still delicious. I had to make an adjustment to the recipe because I thought we had a whole container of sour cream in the refrigerator, but I discovered some gremlins had eaten most of it and so I only had a 1/4 of a cup left. Luckily, I had some plain yogurt and so I subbed the other cup of sour cream the recipe called for with the yogurt.

Let's get back to those crumbs...er...CHUNKS. The idea did cross my mind as I was forming them that these did look rather large, larger than any crumb topping I have ever made before, but the side note said that Renato likes them gargantuan and I thought that these looked pretty gargantuan to me. But, perhaps they are more Texas-Style Crumbs than New York-Style...

Even though it's not the prettiest cake I have ever made, it tasted very good - not too sweet - not even the crumb topping was very sweet. John thought it was very good, but of course removed some of the large crumb chunks because of the sugar. The kids will be coming for Easter, so there will be plenty for us to have with our Sunday morning coffee.

I am looking forward to seeing what the other members did with the cake. You can check them out by following the links over at BAKED Sunday Mornings.

You can find the recipe at epicurious.com.

Have a Happy Easter, everyone!

French Friday with Dorie: Mustard Bâtons

I love how even simple breadsticks sounds so much better in French - bâtons. I just like saying it. The bâtons are made with puff pastry spread with Dijon mustard, chilled and brushed with an egg glaze and sprinkled with poppy seeds.

I had been toggling with the idea on whether to try making puff pastry from scratch and when I saw how expensive the frozen puff pastry with real butter was at the store that helped make my decision for me. 

I have heard horror stories about how much work it is to make puff pastry, but I found Nick Malgieri's quick puff pastry recipe on Martha Stewart's site. You fold the dough three times and chill it and it is ready to use. I made it the day before I cut and baked off my bâtons.

I used a pastry wheel to cut the dough and found that I liked the pattern made by the scalloped wheel best. I made some plain and some with poppy seeds. In less than a half hour you have beautiful bread sticks fresh from the oven. We really liked these. The layers of pastry were so light and moist. I froze some to make this weekend and I think I will add garlic to some of them.

To see what other members did with this recipe, visit French Fridays with Dorie.

Have a Happy Earth Day and Good Friday and I hope you have a great Easter weekend! 

You can find this week's recipe on page 15 of Dorie Greenspan's, Around My French Table.

Easter Bunny Cake

I have been making these bunny cakes since I made my first one with my mom when I was five years old. There have been some years when I haven't made them, but it just doesn't feel like Easter without Easter Bunny Cake.

This is a fun cake to make with your kids - whether you have little kids or big kids. 

Bunny Cake How To:

1. Make an 8 or 9-inch single round cake layer of your favorite cake recipe.

2. Cut the layer in half.

3. Make your favorite buttercream recipe and 'glue' the two halves of the cake together.

4. Cut a wedge of cake out where you think the head and body should separate. Put this wedge in the back. This is the bunny's tail.

5. Press sweetened coconut onto the butter cream frosting to make the fur.

6. Cut out bunny ears from construction paper. We always make them oversized.

7. Dye some coconut with green food coloring to make the grass.

8. Place pink jelly beans for the eyes and nose and sprinkle more onto the grass.

9. Enjoy!

A Secret Garden

Well, it's not actually a 'secret' garden, but you can easily miss it unless you are specifically looking for it because it is a botanical garden in the midst of a residential area. It is a local hidden treasure.

I hadn't visited the Charles C. Jensen Botanital Gardens in awhile and last Saturday gave me the perfect reason to take in the beautiful sights of Spring in all her glory. A plant sale! I enjoy going to the local plant sales because you can buy those 'hard to find' plants that you don't see at the box nurseries and most often you can purchase native plants to your area.

The 3-1/2 acre garden was the property and master work of Charles C. Jensen from 1958 until 1976. When he retired at the age of 63, Mr. Jensen had a vision to create a garden to be enjoyed by all. He and his wife, Marguarite, moved from their home in Oakland to Fair Oaks bringing many of their plants with them. After clearing the brambles and overgrowth from their new property, Mr. Jensen began planting magnolias, azaleas, dogwoods and Japanese maples. He hybridized, grafted and acquired many new plant varieties that attracted people passing by and brought many visitors to his garden. 

After his death, a group of citizens formed the Charles C. Jensen Botanical Garden, Inc. Committee to preserve this magnificent garden. Through successful fundraising efforts, the garden became the property of the Carmichael Recreation and Park District in 1976 where the garden is open to the public and enjoyed by visitors throughout the year. Friends of Jensen Botanical Garden is a volunteer group that gives TLC to the plants and work to add more varieties of plants to the garden each year. One of the volunteers told me that they try to have enough varieties so that something is in bloom throughout the year.

I took so many photos while there that I put them into a slideshow. I hope you'll take a few minutes and view it because you'll see some wonderful spring flowers in bloom. Enjoy!

And let's not forget the plant sale! I wanted so many of the plants that were for sale that day, but I controlled myself and only bought a Cape Fushia which I am anxious to see bloom. It will be another plant for the hummingbirds in my garden to enjoy.

Do you have any gardens in your area that you enjoy visiting?

French Friday with Dorie: Éclairs, Éclairettes, and Cream Puffettes

I was really excited about this week's French Friday with Dorie recipe because éclairs evoke fond childhood memories of going to the bakery with my Dad. He was always so patient with me because I took so long in making my selection. I had to carefully look at every pastry in the display case and then I would finally - inevitably - select an éclair with chocolate on top. So I decided that this week I would make what I consider the traditional éclair - my traditional éclair anyway.

I went to three stores this week to look for a piping tip that was at least 2/3 inches as Dorie suggests, but all I could find was a 1/2 inch pastry tip at the baking supply store. The shop owner said that because of the popularity of cupcakes he hasn't been able to keep large tips in the store. When I got home from the store I made my pâte à choux and was so happy (relieved) that it came out just fine. I love how the dough breaks away and then comes together. So fun! Anyway, I fitted my tip on the pastry bag and started piping and thought, "Wow, these look really small!" I carefully piped out the pâte à choux in four-inch lengths leaving about an inch in between each one. I also made some cream puffs because I thought they would be fun to fill with the pastry cream.

Well, when I took them out of the oven I couldn't believe how small the éclairs were! They looked like toy hot dog buns! They no where near looked like those big, beautiful bakery éclairs that I enjoy eating so much. And the puffs were more like puffettes. I frantically looked through my tips again and finally found one that was a bit bigger, but had jagged teeth, so I thought, "What the heck." When I pulled them out of the oven they had ridges and looked similar to a churro with shallower ridges, but at least they were a medium-size. Still not the size I wanted, but at least you wouldn't have to eat 10 of them to equal one normal size éclair.

I had made the pastry cream a few days before and pulled it out of the refrigerator to warm up so that I could fill the éclairs. It was a bit of a challenge to fill the éclairettes. The churro ones were much easier to fill, but the ones that I enjoyed piping the pastry cream into the most were the cream puffettes. It was easier to tell when the puff was filled with the cream. After I finished filling all the pastries, I started making the ganache. I don't know what I did wrong, but my ganache turned out really thick - more like chocolate frosting, but it sure tasted good.

I decided to try again and made more ganache with the same results. Really good flavor, but it thickened too quickly which made it difficult to spread evenly.

Both kids happened to be home while I was working on these and were happy to taste test. They liked the cream puffettes and the churro éclairs better than the éclairettes - only because they were so small! My daughter said that the churro ones were the perfect size because the ones at the bakery are too large and too sweet. They all loved that these were not overly sweet pastries, especially my husband. The éclair itself was light and soft and when you took a bite the pastry cream mixed with the bittersweet ganache tasted so good. Me? I really enjoyed them all, and sampled each size, but I did make one just for me that had milk chocolate glaze - more like the ones I remembered eating as a child.

I can't wait to see what my fellow FFwD members did with the éclairs. I am sure I will be inspired to make different variations the next time I make these. And there will be a next time because these were so much fun to make. Plus, I am determined to try making the ganache again AND I will be buying a larger pastry tip! You can also check out the creations that the FFwD members made over at French Fridays with Dorie.

Next French Friday with Dorie: Mustard Bâtons

BAKED Sunday Morning: Carrot Coconut Scones with Citrus Glaze

I am so happy to have another scone recipe to add to my scone rotation and this recipe from BAKED Exploration is a superb one. 

The two star ingredients of these scones are the carrot puree and sweetened coconut. The coconut gives the scones a wonderfully sweet texture. These scones are unlike the traditional scones that I make because they taste more like a dense carroty, coconuty cooky. Topped with the lip smacking lemon and orange juice glaze it just doesn't get much better than this. 

My scone loving husband really, really liked these and because he doesn't care for frosting or glazes I left most of the scones unglazed, but on mine I happily drizzled the citrus glaze which, to me, took these scones to another level.

You can see how other BAKED members made these scones over at BAKED Sunday Mornings. You can find the recipe at Publisher's Weekly. If you haven't made these before, you simply must make them. Trust me. You will love them. 

French Friday with Dorie: Garlicky Crumb-Coated Broccoli

All I can say about this week's French Friday with Dorie recipe is, "WOW!" Just like the green beans that I made a few months ago, I really didn't expect such a simple recipe to pack such a huge punch.

The gently steamed broccoli florets and stalks are stirred into a mixture of plain bread crumbs seasoned with salt and pepper that have been cooked with some melted butter and garlic. Add zest of a lemon and some parsley and you have the most flavorful broccoli dish you can imagine. I cooked this small platter of broccoli and proceeded to eat most of it before my husband and daughter arrived home for dinner. Standing at the kitchen counter, I couldn't stop putting stalk after stalk into my mouth. The explosion of lemon zest and garlic bread crumb-coated broccoli is addicting. I happily made another batch when John and Susi arrived home.

They both enjoyed this dish and also ate it with their fingers. No forks needed here! This is a perfect picnic side dish as it tastes good either warm or cold. 

See how the other FFwD members made this dish over at French Fridays with Dorie. You can find this recipe on p. 334 of Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table.

Next French Friday:  Vanilla Éclairs 

Herb Garden Markers

I potted up the herbs that I bought last week and made some herb markers. When we were at the flea market a few years ago, I came across a small letterpress set that I thought would be perfect to use for making plant markers. 

What I like about using the letterpress letters is that it is a more permanent way of labeling and you can easily fit in a long name like 'rosemary' or parsley on the marker. (click on the image to see a larger version)

All you need to make the markers is a letterpress or other labeling device, a hammer, a board to act as a cushion, and markers. I use copper ones, but you can also use zinc. I found some of the markers at Target a few years ago, but I also bought some through Gardener's Supply Company. I love the patina of the copper when it ages.

I also made some a few years ago using a nail and a template from Martha Stewart. These were also easy to make, although my fingers were a little sore after making a few of them and you would have to make really small letters in order to make longer names. I think they just get prettier over time and the great thing is I can reuse them.

Even if you can't find a letterpress set, or don't feel like taking the time to make the ones with the nail and template, it is nice to label your herbs so that you can easily identify them. Besides the ones you make will look much more attractive than those plastic ones that come with your herbs!

Treasures by Shabby Chic

When I went to Michael's on Saturday I was so happy to see these Treasures by Shabby Chic in the dollar bins. The note cards, gift tags, painted clothespins, and vinyl shelf paper are all in Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic design. I chose a few items, but I think I am going to go back and get some more. I really like the vinyl shelf paper and have a few projects in mind to use it with. They ranged in price from $1.00 - $3.00. So affordable to add a little shabby chic to your gifts and projects.

French Friday with Dorie: Quinoa, Fruit, and Nut Salad

This week's French Friday with Dorie is another first for me and my family. We had never eaten quinoa before, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I prepared the recipe.

I had selected red quinoa at the store and when I started cooking it I really didn't know what Dorie meant when she said that quinoa is cooked when each grain has a thin ring around it. Huh?! Well, of course, she meant exactly what she said.

It was like magic watching the thin, white rings appear. I was also surprised at how much the quinoa expanded in volume without each grain getting that much larger in size. A cup and a half of raw quinoa ended up being over 4 cups of cooked quinoa. 

I drained it; let it cool, and then seasoned with salt and pepper. I added some pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, almonds, raisins, dried dates, dried plums, dried apples, dried apricots, dried pears, and dried sour cherries. I mixed the extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil, ground ginger, and lemon juice in a jar and poured over the salad.

When I brought the salad to the table I served it on a bed of mixed greens like Dorie suggested and added a dollop of yogurt, but my husband and daughter ate their quinoa salad plain. After tasting it, I felt that the mixed greens and yogurt took away from the quinoa salad. Each of us really liked the quinoa with the fruit and nuts and felt good that we were eating something that was healthy and good for us, plus it was the first warm day that we have had and so it was the perfect dinner salad for a warm evening. This is a recipe that I will definitely make again and change it up with different fruit, nuts, and herbs.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what variations the other members made on this salad. You can find the recipe in Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table, p. 138.

Next French Friday:  Garlicky Crumb-Crusted Broccoli