California Living

BAKED Sunday Morning: Speculaas

2012-01-29T01:53:00.000-08:00

No matter whether you call these cookies Speculaas or Speculoos, they are a Dutch brown sugar shortbread cookie that are traditionally served on St. Nicholas day. Matt and Renato's version in BAKED Explorations, Speculaas, is highly fragrant with the addition of grated orange zest.

In the Baked's notes to the recipe it says that this is a close version to the European Biscoff cookie, but I think these spicy shortbread cookies are far better than the store bought ones. They are a perfect dunkin' cookie for tea or coffee.

I have to say that I was a little surprised that the recipe didn't use a standing mixer as many of the recipes used in this book have been modernized, but this one suggests cutting the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fork which I gladly did because this is still my preferred method of making scones. The only thing I did differently from the recipe was instead of forming the dough into a ball before chilling, I formed it into two discs to make it easier to roll out.

I really enjoyed this cookie, but I think I would have preferred it more during the holidays. By the time I made these I had had enough of Christmas cookies, so I will try to make these again for Christmas. You can find the recipe over at BAKED Sunday Mornings.

I made a similar version with light brown sugar from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Around My French Table, over a year ago which you can see here.

French Friday with Dorie: Broth-Braised Fennel

2012-01-27T00:30:00.000-08:00

It seems to me since I started cooking along with French Fridays with Dorie over a year ago, that I have said so many times "I have never eaten this before," or "I have never fixed this before," or "I have never heard of this before." Sad, but true. It makes me wonder what on earth I have been cooking all these years. Have we just been eating the same things over and over again and didn't even realize it?! At any rate, that's what I enjoy so much about being part of this group is that I have expanded my cooking repertoire in leaps and bounds and hearing my family declare, "This is a keeper!" at the end of a meal is so very satisfying.

The recipe on the schedule for today is a perfect example. I have used fennel seeds and fresh fennel fronds in my cooking over the years, but have never used the bulb. I have seen them in the grocery stores and at the markets, and I must confess that I usually just glide right past them because although I like licorice, it is not something I choose to eat very often and I find the smell of fennel to be a little overpowering, but when I saw Dorie's Bonne Idée for making broth-braised fennel I decided we needed to bite the bullet and give it a try and so I made it instead of the potatoes.

The braising liquid consists of chicken broth, some water, a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, a strip of lemon zest, a bay leaf, fresh thyme, and rosemary with some salt and pepper to taste. After bringing it to a boil for 5 minutes you add the fennel, cover and cook. Since my fennel bulbs were large, I quartered them, and cooked them for 20 minutes until I could pierce them with a fork.

The result was a side dish that we both loved. And actually John remarked that he could easily eat a bowl of this as a meal. I thought it would taste like licorice, but it didn't at all. Instead, it had this wonderful subtle flavor, but with layers of depth to it from braising in the aromatic sauce. John liked it so much that I found him digging around in the refrigerator the next day looking to see if there was any leftover. Needless to say, I won't be walking past it at the market any longer.

I'm eager to see what the other group members thought of this recipe. You can find their links over at French Fridays with Dorie.

Cookbook Giveaway! If you don't already have a copy of Dorie's book, Baking with Julia, I am giving away a used copy on my blog. The giveaway (see previous post) closes at midnight pacific time on Tuesday, January 31st. An entry will be selected at random to receive the book and will be announced on my blog on Wednesday, February 1st. Although used, the book is in really good condition.

Cookbook Giveaway: Baking with Julia

2012-01-25T16:21:00.000-08:00

Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis know that some of my favorite pastimes are visiting antique stores and thrift stores. At a thrift store I found a gently used copy of Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking with Julia which happens to be the new cookbook that Tuesdays with Dorie will begin baking from on February 6th (Can't wait!). I just couldn't resist buying it because it was such a fabulous price and even though I already own a copy that my dear friend, Mike from Living Out West, gave me a few years ago, I thought that surely someone who would like to bake along with the new group at Tuesdays with Dorie, but doesn't have a copy of the book yet, wouldn't mind that it is gently used.

It is in really good condition with only minor wear on the cover edges, EXCEPT that it does have an inscription written on the inside cover:

So, to celebrate my upcoming 4 year blogaversary on February 10th, I decided to have a giveaway. If you are interested in becoming a member of Tuesdays with Dorie, but don't have the book, and don't mind that it is gently used and has a handwritten inscription (albeit with a misspelling) from a total stranger, please leave a comment below. The giveaway will be open until Tuesday, January 31st, midnight pacific time. My giveaway is also open to International readers.

Update: I would like to give the book to someone who enjoys baking, but doesn't already have the book, whether you plan on baking with Tuesdays with Dorie, or not.

A Coffee and Walnut Cake

2012-01-23T00:31:00.000-08:00

Last week I made a cake for my co-worker who was retiring after 20 years. Since he loves coffee so much I looked for a recipe where coffee would be the star and I found it in Nigella Lawson's Coffee and Walnut Layer Cake.

What was so interesting about this cake is that it is made entirely in the food processor, including the frosting. I had never made a cake in a food processor before and really like this no-fuss method. The espresso powder and the walnuts that are mixed into the batter really shine in this cake. It was easy to make, tasted wonderful, and everyone at the office enjoyed it. But, I think the person who enjoyed it the most was the person I made it for which is exactly what I had hoped. Based on the rave reviews I got, it is a cake that I plan to make often. I found the recipe in Nigella Lawson's cookbook, Recipes from the Heart of the Home, that I recently bought, but you can find the recipe on Nigella Lawson's Web site. I made the recipe exactly as it was written. I hope you'll give it a try.

French Friday with Dorie: Quatre-Quarts

2012-01-20T01:05:00.000-08:00

I have been making pound cakes all my life, but this is the first time I have made a French version. Quatre-quarts means four-fourths and the French recipe calls for equal measures of four ingredients: eggs, butter, flour, and sugar. Dorie made the recipe easy for us by allowing for the differences between American and French flours and tweaked the French recipe a bit, so no weighing was necessary to make this basic cake.

I have always made my pound cakes in a loaf pan, but Dorie suggests using a spring form pan. Since John recently found this heart-shaped pan for me I decided to use it instead. One of the things that was different about making this than the pound cakes I am used to is that you separate the eggs and whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form and then fold them into the batter making this a lighter cake than the American version. And instead of using vanilla extract, I used the option of brandy which gave it an extra bit of sweetness. I really liked Dorie's sprinkling of light brown sugar on top of the cake to give it a little golden twinkle.

Since I often serve pound cake with fruit and whipped cream, I decided to do the same with the quatre-quarts. We both enjoyed it served this way, but I also really liked it plain the next morning with my morning coffee.

Dorie said this cake would be dry by our standards, but I didn't think it was dry at all. Check out the other quatre-quarts over at French Fridays with Dorie to see what the other group members thought.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Pecan Tassies

2012-01-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

This week's BAKED Sunday Mornings recipe takes me back to South Carolina. My dad used to buy pecan tassies at the golf course where he played every weekend and bring them home for a morning treat. He and I were the only ones in the family that really enjoyed them because my mom and my brothers felt these were more like eating candy and they preferred to eat a "real" pecan pie.

These were smaller than the ones of my childhood, and not as gooey, but they did have the flavor that I remembered. The dough for the tassie shells is soft and easy to work with and the filling is just as easy to make. These were a perfect Sunday morning treat and since I only made half of the recipe they disappeared before early afternoon because it is really difficult to eat just one. We really liked these and I will be making these again and for sure adding them to my holiday baking list.

You can see what the other members thought about pecan tassies over at BAKED Sunday Mornings and you can also get the recipe while you are there.

French Friday with Dorie: M. Jacques' Armagnac Chicken

2012-01-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

As much as I wanted to use Armagnac to make this week's French Friday with Dorie recipe, seeing that it is the name of the dish after all, when I saw that a bottle would cost around $40, I decided to use some of the brandy that I had on hand instead. And since I was subbing the Armagnac with brandy, I took Dorie's Bonne Idée and bought some prunes to add to the pot along with the herbs. These prunes were a little more expensive, but I liked that they had no preservatives and since I saved money by not spending it on the liquor I figured I could splurge on the prunes. I have never tasted Armagnac, but from Dorie's description, it sounds like it is a sweet liquor and I was hoping that the prunes would pair well with the brandy and make it a good substitution.

What I really liked about making this is that it didn't require a lot of time chopping vegetables and there is just enough olive oil to make them glisten in the pot. A sprig of rosemary, thyme, and a bay leaf, along with some salt and white pepper is all the seasoning this dish requires. I had to cook mine in the oven an extra 20 minutes because my bird was 4 lbs. and when I checked at 60 minutes it wasn't as browned as I wanted, so I left it in for another 20 minutes.

When I took the pot out of the oven, the chicken was nicely browned and there was a good amount of sauce in the pot. I removed the chicken and added less than the 1 cup of water Dorie says to in the recipe and added a little more brandy. I cooked it until it thickened and the prunes had started to melt. It smelled so wonderful throughout the house that John came in to see what was for supper.

I don't know what we missed, not making this with Armagnac, but I can't imagine it tasting better. The chicken was cooked perfectly - moist and succulent and with the vegetables in the sauce it was one of the tastiest dishes that I have fixed so far from Around My French Table. The next time I make this, even though it has potatoes - I won't skip the potatoes because they are so flavorful with this sauce - I will make a pot of sticky white rice because it would taste incredible with this sauce.

The Magic Language of Things

2012-01-09T22:05:00.000-08:00

When I found a beautiful curved dish at a Goodwill many years ago, I had no idea that it had been designed by one of the most important woman designers in modern history. At the time, I was drawn to its shape and by the brightly colored floral pattern, and later I learned that the shape of the piece is what distinguished the designer from other designers of her time. So, when I heard that Eva Zeisel had died on December 30th at the age of 105, I was sad, but at the same time I thought what a long and illustrious life she lived. She was an industrial designer, known for her work in ceramics, and she designed into her 100s. Her design career spanned seventy-five years. Pretty amazing.

If you don't recognize her name, than perhaps you'll recognize some of her work. She designed these pieces in the 1940s and Crate and Barrel has recreated some of these pieces in a new line. Every time I walk into Crate and Barrel, I look for the gravy boat. Known for the sensual curves in her designs, Eva Zeisel often told interviewers that she was inspired by mother and child and many of her pieces resemble birds and look like a mother bird nestling her young.

The piece that I found at the Goodwill was one that she designed for Hall China in the 1950s, from her Bouquet collection. It is the celery dish in the top of the photo. Last year, I was lucky enough to find a matching plate when I was out thrifting. I was thrilled that I had found another Eva Zeisel design to add to my collection.

I've read that Eva's work in industrial design was her 'search for beauty.' I think she found it, don't you?

You can read about Eva and her work at http://evazeiseloriginals.com/. And just a few months ago, a new book was published: Eva Zeisel on Design: The Magic Language of Things.

French Friday with Dorie: Bubble-Top Brioches

2012-01-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

Happy First French Friday of 2012! This recipe is the perfect French recipe to begin the new year. I have always wanted to taste brioche, but never seem to find it at the stores or bakeries around here and have never made it before. Although it takes some planning ahead because you need to give the dough an overnight rest, it doesn't really take that much time to make and couldn't be easier to put together.

The only time during the process of making this bread that I had a question, was when the dough was in the stand mixer and I wasn't sure if it had gotten to the point if it was pulling away from the sides and crawling up the dough hook as Dorie describes in the book. She said the time would take about 10 minutes or so, but mine it kind of looked like it was during that after 15 minutes of mixing, so I decided to stop and hoped that it would turn out okay. I slapped it into a bowl, wrapped it in plastic and put it into the refrigerator to chill. I made this on Monday night, so having to slap the dough down every 30 minutes for 2 hours, was a little pain because I was getting tired by this time, but I certainly didn't want to skip this step.

The next day after work, I pulled the bowl out of the refrigerator and pinched some off to roll into little balls to put into the muffin pan. After letting the dough rise an hour by the window, I put the pan into the oven and 15 minutes later I had these beautiful bubble-top brioches! After letting them cool a few minutes, we tasted them and honestly we weren't that impressed because although they smelled wonderful, they didn't have a lot of flavor, but after cooling down completely and eating a few more, they started growing on us and we ended up devouring them. I even took a few to work the following morning in a zip-lock bag, and pulled it out during a meeting to have something to munch on. As soon as I unzipped the baggie the wonderful smell of yeast-risen bread filled the room. Several people glanced over, but didn't say anything as I broke off a bubble and popped it into my mouth. It was the perfect mid-morning snack - not sweet, but a light eggy taste and so pillowy soft.

I had enough dough to make several muffin pans of bubble-top brioche rolls, and one small loaf. We had freshly baked bread all week, but by far our favorite was the bubble-top loaf that we toasted lightly and ate with a smear of butter. It can't get much better than that!

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what the rest of the group thought of this week's recipe.

A Coloring Journal

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

I have long been a colorer. Ever since my mom bought me my first coloring book and crayons I have spent long hours coloring away. I even keep a coloring book and crayon set stashed in one of my desk drawers at work and take them out when I have had a stressful day and need to look at something besides a computer screen. Coloring just relaxes me. While browsing through Etsy this morning, I discovered this coloring journal for grown-ups by Cynthia Emerlye and love the idea that it mixes beautiful, complex images to color with blank pages to write down your thoughts and meditations.

I think I am ready to move on from my Suzi's Zoo coloring book. You can find Cynthia's coloring journal on her Web site and while you are there, check out her other beautiful artwork. She also sells some of her work in her Etsy shop and she has an art blog at www.EmerlyeArts.blogspot.com. Check out her lovely kirigami Valentine she just posted.

French Friday with Dorie: Cauliflower-Bacon Gratin

2011-12-30T06:19:00.000-08:00

When I went to an Edible Landscape workshop featuring Rosalind Creasy a few years ago at the University of California, Davis, I learned that there are so many different colors of vegetables available other than what is offered to us at most grocery stores. When I am seed shopping or out grocery shopping now, I am always on the look out for more vibrant colors of vegetables. The more colorful the vegetables, the more vitamins and nutrients they offer. I was happily surprised when I found some orange and green cauliflower at one of my local grocery stores.

Dorie's gratin is so rich with heavy cream, eggs, whole milk, AND Gruyère cheese, but it is absolutely delicious and I wouldn't advise on skimping on any of it - especially the bacon. This is a crowd-pleasing dish that can be served as a side or can be the main attraction for brunch, lunch or dinner as Dorie suggests in her intro to the recipe.

We ate this alongside the chard-stuffed pork loin I made a few weeks ago and enjoyed it so much, but I will be making this again and adding it to my repertoire.

Please visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what the rest of the group thought of the dish. You can find the recipe here.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-28T00:15:00.000-08:00

Winter Whites

2011-12-26T22:14:00.000-08:00

Suzonne Stirling from Urban Comfort is one of the most talented crafters out there and I am so inspired by a few crafts she posted before the holidays that I want to share with you. Her post for these Evergreen Painted Trays has me scouring Goodwill for trays that I can paint.

Suzonne is doing a column for Momster and your can find her tutorial for the trays over there.

She also made these wonderful clay dishes imprinted with evergreen branches. You can find her how-to on her blog, Urban Comforts.

French Friday with Dorie: Crème Brûlée

2011-12-23T22:18:00.000-08:00

I have been looking forward to making crème brûlée for the longest time and was excited when it came up for the December schedule for French Fridays with Dorie. It's been such a crazy week getting ready for Christmas and working though, that I didn't have time to make it until this morning. Since this was my first time making crème brûlée, I decided to skip the jam preserves in the recipe which sounds like a great twist, but I wanted the traditional version. After tweeting with Mardi and Cher last weekend I learned that the temperature of 200 degrees in the recipe was too low thanks to Mardi's research (Thank you, Mardi!), and so I set my oven for 250 degrees and checked the crème brûlées after 60 minutes and they looked like they were almost set, but I left them in there another 10 minutes to make sure.

After they cooled, I put them in the refrigerator to chill and left them there for most of the day until we got home from doing some last minute shopping tonight. I had to experiment with a couple of them though because I have never used the torch. The first one I used brown sugar and it burned in quite a few places, the second one I used raw sugar and John got out his larger torch which was much easier for me to handle and control than the smaller torch. We each had a taste test and it was declared a winner! The custard is so creamy and combined with the crackled sugar is so very delicious.

It is almost 10:00 at night and we haven't eaten dinner yet (my daughter is making dinner so I am not complaining). The remaining crème brûlées will be our midnight dessert. My post is so late, but I can't wait to see what the rest of the French Friday with Dorie group thought of the recipe.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

BAKED Sunday Morning: Buckeyes

2011-12-18T07:29:00.000-08:00

My mom and I used to make chocolate peanut butter balls and chocolate cherries every year for Christmas. We would spend hours rolling peanut butter balls and rolling cherries into soft nougat and then dip them into chocolate. We didn't have enough room to store them in the refrigerator to set, so mom would stack each sheet pan and put them out on the back porch because it was just as cold out there as the refrigerator. We made these each year for our Christmas party and even though we would eat a good share of the peanut butter balls, there were always plenty to put out for our guests.

This week's BAKED Sunday Morning recipe is similar to the chocolate peanut butter balls I used to make with my mom, but instead of dipping the entire peanut butter ball into the chocolate, you leave some of the peanut butter showing so they look like a buckeye. I think it is much easier to dip the entire ball into the chocolate and then go back and cover the hole made by the toothpick with a little chocolate. I had a difficult time maneuvering the chocolate to cover the hole for the buckeyes. After covering myself and the counter with chocolate, I finally had an idea to use the wire dipper that you dip eggs into the dye at Easter. You just have to close the wire opening where you put the egg so that it will fit around the peanut butter ball. Much easier method than using a skewer! The recipe also includes crushed graham cracker crumbs which I am not sure I liked, but the different taste didn't prevent me from eating a good portion of them.

They make a great gift for family and friends especially when you put them in Martha Stewart's holiday food packaging. Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to get the recipe and see the group's buckeyes.

Mom's Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

1 pound margarine (I now use unsalted butter)

2 pounds creamy peanut butter

3 pounds confectioners' sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla

3 packages of chocolate chips

Mix together the first four ingredients and knead. (Mom and I would get our hands dirty here, but you can use a mixer.) Form into balls and place on a baking sheet covered in wax paper. You can layer the balls on the sheet, by just placing a piece of waxed paper between each peanut butter ball layer. Chill the balls overnight. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. (We used to use Nestle's Semi-Sweet chocolate chips, but you can use your favorite chocolate.)

Using a toothpick or skewer, dip each ball into the melted chocolate making sure you shake off as much of the chocolate that drips and place on the covered baking sheet. When you have finished dipping the balls, dip the toothpick into the chocolate and cover each hole in the peanut butter balls. Chill until chocolate is set. You can use parchment paper instead of wax paper. This recipe makes enough peanut butter balls to serve for a party or give as gifts.

French Friday with Dorie: Potato Chip Tortilla

2011-12-16T04:58:00.000-08:00

Happy French Friday! This week's recipe is what Dorie Greenspan says the French call a wink to the original basque tortilla made with cubed potatoes. I used jalapeño-flavored crushed potato chips for my tortilla, and in addition to the eggs, garlic, scallions, and minced fresh herbs of parsley, basil, and chives, I added some bacon, bits of zucchini, and a little bit of grated Gruyère cheese.

After putting the egg mixture (I used 2 eggs) into the six-inch skillet, I let it cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes until the edges had set as Dorie instructed. I then sprinkled some roasted cayenne pepper on top and stuck it under the broiler for about a minute. I really liked the flavor of this tortilla - you could taste the spiciness of the jalapeño from the chips and the cayenne pepper gave it just the right amount of heat. The crushed chips also gave this such a nice texture - almost like a quiche, but not quite as eggy.

The best part is that it takes hardly any time to make. Dorie says this is best served at room temperature and is great cut up and served for a party, but since we were doing some holiday shopping after work, I ended up making this for a late night meal last night which is the time I prefer to eat eggs. We really liked it served warm out of the oven. I am curious to see how the rest of the group served their potato chip tortilla at French Fridays with Dorie.

French Friday with Dorie: Chard-stuffed Pork Roast

2011-12-09T05:27:00.000-08:00

When I went to the store to get the swiss chard and pork loin for this week's recipe, I was greeted in the produce section with this beautiful chard in Christmas colors.

Dorie says in her intro to the recipe that this would be a good one to fix on a worknight because it doesn't take any time at all. And she was right. Finely slicing the chard and chopping the onions and garlic took longer than prepping the pork. The recipe calls for golden raisins, but I took Dorie's suggestion and substituted dried cranberries. Once the stuffing is prepared, you slice the pork loin in half, leaving about a quarter inch from the other side so that you can open the pork up like a book. You put the stuffing on one of the sides and then tie it up with kitchen twine.

You put the loin in a roasting pan and roast in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 140 degrees. Dorie said the meat will be pink, but if you want it more well done to leave it in longer. We do not eat pink pork at our house, so I wanted eat more well done and when I checked at 40 minutes the internal temperature was 157 degrees and just right for us.

The crushed peppercorns and coriander seed give this a nice crust and when you bite into it you get this wonderful taste of the stuffing with the pork. Next time I make this though, I will add salt to the peppercorn mixture because we needed to add a little salt. It made a great meal and Dorie is right - this is elegant enough to serve to guests or simple enough to serve after a busy day at work. Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what everyone else thought of this week's recipe.

How to Tie a Ribbon on a Present

2011-12-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

I still have a lot of holiday shopping left, but one thing that I enjoy doing is wrapping my gifts early, if at all possible. It's fun to personalize the wrapping and decoration on each gift, but sometimes I have a little problem with getting the bows just right. I remembered a video that designer Eddie Ross posted on his blog a few years ago and wanted to share it with you for some wrapping inspiration. Eddie demonstrates how to tie a ribbon on a present - one where the recipient just pulls one end of the ribbon and it magically unwraps.

Pecan Crunch Cookies

2011-12-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

I have amassed a large number of cookie recipes over the years and some of the best ones have come from cookie exchanges. So when Di from Di's Kitchen Notebook sent invitations out to her second annual Virtual Cookie Exchange, I got so excited because this is my favorite time of the year to bake. I am late posting my cookie recipe, but Di said not to worry if we were running late because she will be posting the cookie exchange round-up on December 11th. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone's cookies and adding even more cookie recipes to my collection.

The recipe I selected for Di's Christmas Cookie Exchange is one that I got from a co-worker at a holiday party at work quite a few years ago, but I have never made them even though I got the recipe after tasting them at the party. I've had them on my "Christmas Cookies to Make" list every year, but this year I decided was the year I was finally going to make them. It took me two attempts to get them the way that I remembered them, but even though the first batch spread a little too much and got a little too brown on the bottom they tasted just as good as my second batch.

What makes these Pecan Crunch Cookies so crunchy are crushed potato chips. Yes, potato chips! These cookies are buttery, crunchy, flaky bites that are so delicious.

They are a great cookie to package and even send in the mail because they stay fresh longer than most cookies since they have no milk or cream in them.

Now that I finally got around to making them, I will be making another batch for our family gathering on Christmas Eve and since they have become a hit with my family I have a feeling I will be making them often throughout the year.

Thank you to Di for hosting another wonderful seasonal virtual exchange! I am already looking forward to the next one. Don't forget to visit Di's Kitchen Notebook to see links to some fabulous cookies.

Pecan Crunch Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup crushed potato chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 cups sifted flour

Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla.

Add crushed potato chips and pecans. Stir in flour. The dough will be crumbly, but don't worry. Form dough into small balls. Place each ball on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press balls flat with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees 16-18 minutes. (I had to turn my oven down to 325 degrees) or until lightly brown. Makes 3-1/2 dozen cookies.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Baked French Toast

2011-12-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

What a perfect Sunday morning breakfast! And, it couldn't be easier to put together. The hardest part was going to the store and getting the bread. I really wanted to try Challah bread for this recipe since we had never tasted it before and Whole Foods carries Challah made from a local bakery. They also had a golden raisin version which I thought would be perfect for french toast. What's great about this recipe is that you assemble it the night before, refrigerate it, and the next morning you add the nuts and bake it for 40 minutes. I used pecans instead of almonds and grated some fresh nutmeg on top before putting it into the oven.

I also substituted eggnog for the milk called for in the recipe, but still used 1 cup of half-and-half. I pretty much put eggnog in everything this time of year, so I thought it would be a good seasonal substitution.

When you take it out of the oven, you have a lovely golden brown french toast with the custard bubbling up. I don't think I'll go back to making french toast one or two slices at a time with a griddle on the stove top. I also think this would make a perfect breakfast when you have company because you can pop it in the oven when everyone is asleep and they can wake up to the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg.

The recipe suggests making a raspberry syrup or you can use any other fruit, but I just wanted to use maple syrup because that's what we prefer on our pancakes and french toast. I think I would like to try it with fruit syrup another time, but with it being so cold and windy out - I heated the maple syrup before pouring it over the french toast and with the french toast still warm from the oven it just warmed us up from the inside out.

The result was layers of bread and raisins with eggnog custard. The maple syrup gave it just the right amount of sweetness and the pecans along with the crispy brown crust gave it the crunchy texture that was so satisfying. The cinnamon with the raisin challah was a perfect combination in this recipe. Yep, I don't think I'll ever go back to the stovetop method of making french toast. Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to see how the rest of the group make their french toast and you can also get the recipe on the site.

French Friday with Dorie: Matafan

2011-12-02T05:02:00.000-08:00

This week's French Friday with Dorie recipe is one that I am very familiar with, although we called them simply potato pancakes. My dad was a meat and potatoes man and so we ate mashed potatoes pretty much every night when I was growing up and mom would often make potato pancakes just to vary things a bit.

I like the word Matafan instead of referring to them as mashed potato pancakes, don't you? Mat is short for matin or morning and fan is what the word faim sounds like, meaning hungry. They were eaten to stave off the rumbling and roaring sounds that your stomach makes when you are hungry. I sure wish I had eaten some of these before my meeting on Tuesday morning.

Dorie's recipe is a lot more involved and more work than my mom's recipe though. Instead of using leftover mashed potatoes, you bake some potatoes in a pan of kosher salt to draw the moisture out of them for 1-1/2 hours in a 400 degree oven. I used some gold potatoes I had on hand and instead of the russet potatoes that Dorie suggests in the recipe and because I made these last night after work, I put them on a plate covered with kosher salt and popped them in the microwave for about 13 minutes. The salt really did draw out the moisture in the potatoes.

What's also interesting about this recipe is that you whip the whites of 2 eggs until stiff peaks form and then fold the whites into the potato batter which is supposed to make them fluffy, but my mom's were just as fluffy and she never separated the eggs and whipped some of the whites. I served my matafan as a dinner side dish and topped them with some sour cream and snips of green onion. This isn't a side that I would normally choose to serve with chicken mole, but it worked and I think they were tastier with the gold potatoes.

Be sure to check out the rest of the groups' links over at French Fridays with Dorie. You can find Dorie's Matafan recipe here.

holiday decorating

2011-11-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

I am having a difficult time making the transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas this year. The leaves on the trees here are such vibrant colors of brown, gold, red, and green that I am finding that I am just not ready for the colors of December. The last few days I have driven by homes that are already decked out with lights and have brightly lit Christmas trees glowing through the windows. They must have elves living at their homes. I have been poring over the holiday issues of my magazines that are arriving daily and they are giving me lots of inspiration. I love the soft blues of this fabric wreath that Sweet Paul made for the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens. This would also be so pretty in soft shades of blue felt.

And just how cute are these little votives wrapped in blue velvet ribbon with a tiny pine cone spray painted white and then glued onto the ribbon? Just makes the table look so festive, doesn't it?

When I saw this spread in Better Homes and Gardens, it made me remember that Sweet Paul's Holiday Magazine is out. I took a quick look at it the day it came out, but there was so much going on at work and home that I haven't had a chance to really look at it again until now.

This is another gorgeous issue by Paul Lowe. Filled with holiday crafts, recipes and beautiful photographs, you can't help but get inspired by it. I just want to pluck one of those pudding cupcakes right off that cake stand! Isn't that faux bois background fabulous?!

I really liked this wreath composed of family photos. What a wonderful way to display both old and new cherished photographs of family members during the holidays.

Isn't this chocolate espresso flan to-die-for?! I really must make this!

You can find the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens on news stands now and you can view Sweet Paul's free digital holiday issue here. Happy Decorating!

French Friday with Dorie: Rice Pudding and Caramel Apples

2011-11-25T00:15:00.000-08:00

For this week's French Fridays with Dorie we were given cook's choice where we could select any recipe from Dorie's book, Around My French Table. Since there have been no dessert recipes for FFwDorie for the past couple of months, I decided that I wanted to make a dessert. And, since it is Thanksgiving week and after making a very involved cake recipe last week, I decided that I wanted a simple dessert and so I selected Dorie's rice pudding with caramel apples.

I still had some leftover rice from the FFwD stuffed peppers I made a few months ago, so I was happy to see this recipe called for Arborio rice. It is an easy recipe to make, but it does require some time to cook and you need to watch the milk as it is coming to a boil. Don't walk away for a few minutes like I did because then your milk will pick that exact instant to boil over like mine did. It turned out to be okay - I just had a mess to clean up later and had a little less milk for the pudding. Once the milk boils, you turn the heat down and add the rice that you have pre-cooked for 10 minutes and 50 minutes later you have this creamy pudding.

While the pudding cools to room temperature you make the apples and caramel sauce. This is so simple to do. You put the sugar in the middle of a non-stick skillet and add a splash of lemon juice. I added some lemon juice from a meyer lemon from my little tree. Once this begins to caramelize, you add some butter, lower the heat and add some apple cider. When it boils you add the sliced apples and cook until they are tender. Then you add the heavy cream and continue to cook until the sauce turns the caramel color you want. Dorie says to cook another minute after adding the heavy cream, but it took mine about 4-5 minutes to get to the color I wanted.

Once the caramel apples cool to room temperature, you layer some of the caramel sauce along with some of the apples in the bottom of the dish and spoon some of the rice pudding over it and then top with more caramel apples. The result is a creamy caramel apple pudding that is so delicious. I am not a big fan of rice pudding, but I really enjoyed this and liked the plump Arborio rice. My husband loved it with and without the caramel apples. It is a simple, yet elegant dessert and as my son said, "A perfect finish to a meal." You can find the recipe at Epicurious.

Visit this week's French Fridays with Dorie link to see the recipes other members selected.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Boston Cream Pie Cake

2011-11-20T00:15:00.000-08:00

The first cake I can remember making was Boston Creme Pie from a cake mix. Do any of you remember that cake mix? Boston Creme Pie was one of my dad's favorites and I enjoyed making it for him. This week's BAKED Sunday Morning recipe pays homage to this great American dessert.

I would call this a grown-up version as I followed Matt's suggestion and soaked two of the layers in some light rum. You couldn't taste the rum at all and it actually compressed the sponge layers a little bit, so I think I would omit this step the next time I make this recipe. The milk sponge layers are light and the pastry cream is so smooth and delicious. I love the twist in this recipe with making two layers of chocolate pastry cream with one layer of vanilla.

The chocolate ganache is a perfect finish for this cake. Cutting through layers of chocolate ganache, milk sponge cake, chocolate and vanilla pastry cream is every chocolate lover's dream. This was a huge hit here and we couldn't get enough of it. While it takes some time to make, this cake is definitely worth the effort.

You can see the other group members' creations over at BAKED Sunday Mornings and you can also find this recipe there. If you haven't made this cake, I hope you will give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

French Friday with Dorie: Braised Cardamom-Curry Lamb

2011-11-18T05:32:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday was one of those days that I spent the entire day in the kitchen, but I didn't mind a bit because at the end of the day I had a hearty lamb stew to put on the table and a beautiful cake. The cake you hear more about when I post it for Baked Sunday Mornings. The stew is what I will be talking about today.

I haven't bought lamb in quite awhile, so I was a little surprised at how expensive it was, but it wasn't as expensive as the duck that we made a few weeks ago. Since it was only going to be the two of us for dinner, I bought just under 2 lbs. and it ended up being more than enough meat.

The curry powder, ground cardamom, and cardamom pods smelled wonderful as they cooked in the olive oil with the garlic and onion. The addition of mint, honey, figs, some golden raisins, and a scattering of apples gives the lamb a wonderful sweetness that balances the curry and cardamom. Dorie's recipes adds potatoes with the stew, but I had some egg noodles that I wanted to use up, so I skipped the potatoes in the stew because I didn't want to have too much starch. I added some frozen petite peas at the last few minutes of cooking.

When I lifted the lid to put the peas in, I was surprised to see that the apples had melted away and when I tasted the stew, it was a wonderful blend of sweetness and spice. We both enjoyed this dish so much and it is one that I will look forward to cooking again.

Please visit French Fridays with Dorie to see how others fixed this recipe. From some of the comments I read on Twitter, there were some meat substitutions and some creative flavors added that I can't wait to read about.

French Friday with Dorie: Spiced Squash, Fennel, and Pear Soup

2011-11-11T00:30:00.000-08:00

The weather has turned much colder here this past week, so I was really happy that soup was on the menu for this French Friday.

For the squash in this soup, I selected a Kabocha, a delicata, and an acorn squash. I chose the kabocha and delicata mostly because we have never eaten them before and wanted to see what they tasted like. For this recipe, you roast the squash first with a little bit of olive oil and salt.

Onion, garlic, and fennel are then slowly cooked in a Dutch Oven until softened and then ginger, cumin, and nutmeg, along with some more salt are added for flavor before pouring in the vegetable stock. The roasted squash and coarsely chopped pears are added to the simmering soup. When you can mash the squash and pears with the back of the spoon the soup is ready to purée.

While I prefer most of my soups chunky, when I tasted it before puréeing, I wasn't sure I liked the separate chunks of squash and pear with the slices of fennel and onion. But after it was pureed I loved the taste of everything blended together. I followed Dorie's directions exactly with the amount of spices and only added salt when she said to and it resulted in a perfectly seasoned soup. Topped with a dollop of sour cream and some snips of fennel brought out the smokiness of the cumin which balanced the sweetness of the squash and pears, and the ginger and nutmeg.

John also really liked it, but thinned it down a bit with more stock. He said it tasted great and warmed him up after a day spent working outside. Our daughter was here and she said that it was good, but she wished it was left chunky. I liked it so much that I had another bowl for breakfast the next morning. See what the others thought over at French Fridays with Dorie. You can find the recipe here.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins

2011-11-06T00:15:00.000-07:00

These are perfect muffins to serve on a Sunday morning and served fresh out of the oven they need nothing to dress them because they are a wonderful blend of sweet and savory.

The surprise for me with this recipe is the blend of cayenne pepper and ground black pepper. When you bite into the muffins, you can feel the heat in the back of your throat. It is not overwhelming though and the peppers balance nicely with the pumpkin, cheddar cheese, and the sweetness of the brown sugar. I used some of the leftover pumpkin that I had roasted for the Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good which, along with the sour cream and cheddar, made the muffins so moist.

The pumpkin seeds are optional, but I had roasted the pumpkin seeds from the little sugar pie pumpkins and used some to decorate each muffin top. The seeds not only gave them a pretty touch, but also gave the muffins a nice little crunch with each bite. Matt and Renato suggest using raw milk cheddar cheese in this recipe, but I used the Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese that I always have on hand and it gave the muffins so much flavor without overpowering the pumpkin. This recipe is a keeper and one that I will be making often during the fall and winter months. I had enough batter to make 12 standard-size muffins and four smaller ones.

These muffins are refreshingly different and so delicious and great to eat at any time of the day. If you have never had a savory/sweet muffin, you should try this recipe and taste them for yourself. Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to see what the other members thought about these muffins. You can get the recipe there.

French Friday with Dorie: Twenty-Minute Honey-Glazed Duck Breasts

2011-11-04T00:30:00.000-07:00

When I walked up to the poultry counter at Whole Foods, the butcher asked if he could help me. I saw that there were two duck breasts in the case, but no price, so I asked him how much they were. He told me he could look the price up in the register and while he was doing so I told him that I had never cooked duck before and that my husband was really excited that I was going to fix it. He looked up and cautioned me to not overcook the duck because he said it is easy to do and then it will be dry. He put one of the duck breasts on the scale and fiddled with the scale and it was exactly one pound and then he said that it was $13.99 per pound. "Oh, wow, " I said and I don't know if was my low gasp of shock mixed with what I am sure was disappointment on my face that moved him to say, "Well, since you are buying two perhaps I can give you a break in the price. "Shall I wrap them up for you?" he asked. "Okay." I replied, thinking to myself that I had better not overcook these because while they may be Dorie's duck-as-everyday food, they are duck-as-caviar only-for-special-occasions dinner for us.

I think the butcher would approve of Dorie's recipe because 20 minutes is all that is needed to have the most moist and succulent duck that you will possibly ever eat. No kidding. And the honey-glazed sauce is truly what put this recipe over the top for me. If you haven't made this yet, make sure that you do have some rustic bread on the table because you will want to sop up every last bit of the sauce. And what did John think about it? He said it was the best meal I have ever made. Can't wait to share that with my butcher the next time I see him. Yes, I finally understand how important it is to get to know your butcher, so I will be buying my French Fridays with Dorie poultry and meat from him from now on.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what the other members thought of this week's recipe. You can find the recipe on p.229-30 of Around My French Table and you can find it online here.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T00:05:00.000-07:00

French Saturday with Dorie: Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

2011-10-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

What a crazy, busy week it has been. Even though this post is late, I simply could not miss making the stuffed pumpkin. I was so glad to have some down time today, and I am very, very glad that I made this recipe.

This is one of the recipes I have been waiting to make ever since I bought Around My French Table. Luckily I had bought the sugar pie pumpkins last Sunday and had all the ingredients, so I didn't have to make a trip to the grocery store this morning. I used Gruyère cheese for the stuffing and added some dino kale that I sautéed in some of the bacon grease before adding to the bread and herb mixture. I baked them for an hour and then removed their tops and let them bake another 20 minutes to brown the stuffing a bit.

The heavy cream makes the stuffing just moist enough without being soggy and the herbs combined with the bacon, bread, and kale is just about the most wonderful flavor when you mix it with the cooked pumpkin. Dorie suggests two different ways to serve this: one is the pull-and-mix where you use a spoon to scoop some of the stuffing and some of the pumpkin out at the same time, and the other is cutting the pumpkin into wedges. I served it the pull-and-mix way and ate that smaller pumpkin all by myself. Yep. All. By. Myself.

Don't forget to visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what creative ideas the other members came up with for this week's recipe. And if you haven't made this yet, you'll want to try it for yourself. It would be fantastic served along with Thanksgiving dinner. You can find the recipe at Epicurious.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Chocolate Mint Thumbprints

2011-10-23T00:15:00.000-07:00

I was so ready to make these chocolate mint thumbprint cookies for this week's BAKED Sunday Morning because I have been baking so much with pumpkin lately that I needed a little chocolate fix and when you throw in some mint, well, that's even better.

I used some Valhrona cocoa powder and since these seemed like they would be extra special cookies I even broke down and bought some Valhrona white chocolate for the white ganache filling.

The cookie dough was easy to make and it was the first time I used the little Andes baking mints and they melted nicely along with the dark Ghiradelli chocolate. I used the handle end of my cherry pitter to make the indentations in the cookies which I thought worked well.

But I must have made crater-size indentations because I ran low on the white ganache filling even though I made the amount the recipe called for and only made 1/2 of the cookie dough. I had just barely enough for 24 cookies. These are absolutely delicious cookies and I think they are special enough to make not only for holidays, but for any day you want to put a smile on someone's face. The mint with the dark chocolate and white chocolate is wonderful together.

This has nothing to do with the cookies, but I couldn't resist showing you a picture of our cat. Her official name is Sophie, but we have called her Little One since day one and it has stuck. This was one of those rare days that I was able to take a fairly decent picture of her. She is my husband's baby girl. Oh, she loves me too, but she loves him more. She follows him around like a puppy dog.

Be sure to check out the links of the other BAKED Sunday Mornings members to see if they made the chocolate mint thumbprints or decided to bake something else from BAKED Explorations. You can also find the recipe for these cookies over there.

French Friday with Dorie: Pissaladière

2011-10-21T05:32:00.000-07:00

Pissaladière is basically an onion pizza with Niçoise olives originating from Nice. It has no tomato sauce, no cheese - nothing else. As much as I wanted to make it like the pizzas we are used to eating, I resisted the impulse and followed Dorie's recipe.

I was happy when I found the Niçoise-style olives at Whole Foods because I had struck out at a few of the grocery stores and since we had never had Niçoise olives before, I wanted to include them in the pissaladière.

The dough was easy to make and while it was rising, I made the onions. The onions took all of the hour to cook and while I was chopping the anchovies I wondered how everyone was going to like this. We never eat pizza with anchovies - Never, so I decided not to adorn it with the anchovies because no one in my house would touch the pissaladière, including myself. There is something about those little fillets, besides the fact that we never eat them, that is off-putting and I didn't want everyone to be turned off and not try the Pissaladière, so I only mixed the anchovies in with the onions because I knew they would melt away and just flavor the onions.

All of us liked the pissaladière and although it will never replace the American-Italian pizza that we are used to, all of us thought it was good and were happy to have tried it. You can find this recipe on pp. 45-47 in Around My French Table and you can also find it online. Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what the other group members thought of this week's recipe.

leaf

2011-10-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

Finally, a garden magazine has joined the ranks of the free online magazines with the launch of Leaf Magazine.

The premier issue of Leaf is full of garden inspiration and inspiration drawn from the outdoors. This issue includes articles on a little known, but prolific American landscape designer, Ellen Biddle Shipman; the wonderfully creative garden of landscape designer, Dustin Gimbel; and master basket artist, Kari Lonning, who weaves the Norwegian landscape into her baskets.

Beautiful, right?

the french chef birdhouse

2011-10-19T00:15:00.000-07:00

How cute is this Julia Child-inspired birdhouse?! From New Inspiration Home Design. (via Words and Eggs)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf

2011-10-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

I have a penchant for quick breads, so it was a no brainer for me when Di from Di's Kitchen Notebook e-mailed about her autumn seasonal blog event and that she had chosen handmade loaves - we could bake anything that is made in a loaf pan - even meat loaf, if we wanted. When I made the pumpkin whoopie pies from the BAKED New Frontiers in Baking book a few weeks ago, I saw a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf that I thought would be perfect for Di's event.

I adapted the recipe from the original by using dark brown sugar in addition to white sugar. I liked the combination so much in the pumpkin whoopie pies and thought it would be good for the quick bread as well, and it was. The dark brown sugar gives the bread a rich, dark color. It is a delicious, moist bread and has just the right ratio of chocolate to pumpkin. This is a quick bread that I am happy to add to my autumn baking repertoire.

Visit Di's Kitchen Notebook to see what she baked for the event and in a few days she will be posting a round up of the loaves of the other bakers who participated in this event. Can't wait to see what everyone baked!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf
(adapted from BAKED New Frontiers in Baking)

Makes one loaf

1-1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup room-temperature water
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a loaf pan and dust with flour; knock out excess flour. (I used Baker's Joy and it worked fine).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and oil until combined. Add the sugars and whisk again. Whisk the eggs into the mixture, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add 2/3 cup room-temperature water and whisk until combined. With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Gently knock the bottom of the pan against the countertop to even out the batter. Use the spatula to smooth the tops.

Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. I tested my loaf at 45 minutes and it was done and already getting dark around the edges. The recipe in the book is for two loaves and it said to bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. You should adjust the time depending on your oven.

Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Invert the loaf onto a wire rack and cool completely before serving.

The loaf will keep for 3 days (if it lasts that long), wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake

2011-10-09T03:00:00.000-07:00

If you have ever wanted to turned your breakfast of oatmeal into a cake, then this week's BAKED Sunday Mornings recipe is for you. It is a super moist, delicious cake that is good at any time of the day.

There were a couple of interesting steps to this recipe. When I first saw the recipe, I thought it would just have rolled oats as an ingredient, but I didn't realize until I read the recipe through that you actually make oatmeal with a stick of butter, the rolled oats, and 1-1/4 cups of boiling water. After letting it set and cool for 30 minutes, you add it to the rest of the ingredients to make your batter.

Another interesting step to this recipe is that you add bourbon, Scotch, or other liquor to the semi-sweet chocolate chips. I used a 1/2 teaspoon of bourbon and per the recipe's instructions added the 2 tablespoons of flour to coat them so the chocolate morsels wouldn't all settle to the bottom of the cake pan. The only change I made was the recipe suggested baking the cake in a 9 x 13 inch pan, but I decided to use 9-inch square pan and reduced the baking time to 35 minutes.

I didn't make this cake with the cream cheese frosting because you-know-who prefers his cake without, but I had some leftover cream cheese frosting from the pumpkin whoopie pies I made, so spread a little bit on my piece. It was good with a thin layer of frosting, but really it is the kind of cake that needs no frosting and tastes better without. The oatmeal and chocolate chips make this cake so moist and since some of the rolled oats didn't soften totally there is a bit of texture to the cake which is quite wonderful. It is a perfect 'snacking' cake and disappeared in no time.

I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends! I hope you have a Thanksgiving filled with love and many blessings!

French Friday with Dorie: Olive-Olive Cornish Hens

2011-10-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it is another French Friday with Dorie and that we have been cooking together together for over a year now! I have learned so much this past year of cooking through Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table. There have been so many good recipes and meals this past year that have brought me and my family so much pleasure and have certainly helped me hone my culinary skills. I don't often fix a whole chicken or bird and even though I have seen the technique, I have never fixed a bird en crapaudine, or spatchcocked, but it is a wonderful way of cooking the bird evenly.

For this recipe, you make the olive tapenade. I used California black olives and even used half of an anchovy, a little rosemary and thyme. Added a pinch of cayenne pepper, some lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil. You put the tapenade under the breast skin of the cornish hen after you have removed its backbone and flattened it to put in the pan.

Twenty-five minutes later, you have a perfectly cooked cornish hen. Even though I served it rustic-style, it made a delicious and elegant dinner.

I served it with some roasted vegetables and green lentils (recipe from the October issue of Whole Living) which went perfectly with the cornish hen and olive tapenade. One bird was just enough for the two of us and John thought it was a great meal. This is definitely something I will make again. I can't wait to read what the other FFwDorie members thought about this week's recipe. You can check out their olive-olive cornish hens by visiting the French Friday with Dorie link.

Roasted Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup

2011-10-05T05:04:00.000-07:00

The first rain storm of the season arrived last night, so a hot bowl of soup was in order for dinner. This soup takes only about 15 minutes of time to prep and 50 minutes or so longer before you have it to the table. The sweetness of the butternut squash is balanced perfectly with the flavors of cumin and coriander. It's a thick and chunky soup that is so very satisfying on a cold, rainy autumn evening.

Roasted Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup (from Everyday Food)

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 medium butternut squash (about 2-1/2 lbs.) peeled, seeded, and diced
1 small yellow onion, medium diced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet, toss together chicken, squash, onion and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer and roast until squash and chicken are cooked through, about 30 minutes. (I used two pans and roasted my chicken on one and the squash and onions on the other)

2. Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool. Transfer squash and onion to a medium-size pot and add broth, cumin, and corinander. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. With a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon, mash some vegetables until soup is thick and chunky. Discard skin and bones from chicken. Cut or shred meat into small pieces and add to soup. Stir in lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2011-10-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

I've been craving pumpkin for weeks now and finally found some cans at my grocery store, so when I got home I decided to make pumpkin whoopie pies. This recipe is from Matt Lewis's and Renato Poliafito's first book, BAKED: New Frontiers in Baking. The extra dose of cinnamon and dark brown sugar make these special and I can understand why Time Out New York named these one of the top 100 tastes of 2007.

These whoopie pies are moist little pumpkin cakes and are super delicious. It didn't take any time at all to whip up a batch with the cream cheese filling. My craving has finally been satisfied. You can find the recipe online here.

Fall Decor, Handmade Ornament, and Handmade Gift Tutorials, plus Free Printables

2011-09-27T00:05:00.000-07:00

Now that fall is officially here, 'tis the season to start thinking about decorating your home for the holidays and making those holiday gifts. For a little inspiration to get you started, here's a fantastic collection of fall and halloween decor, Christmas ornaments, and simple handmade gift tutorials, along with a list of DIY free printables from Everything Etsy (via Leo on the Loose).

101 Festive Fall Tutorials
101 Handmade Ornament Tutorials
101 Simple Handmade Gift Tutorials
101 Free Pretty Printables

BAKED Sunday Morning: Honey Corn Muffins

2011-09-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

I have been making cornbread in these cast iron pans for as long as I can remember.

As I mentioned in another post, I was my mom's little sous chef and as soon as she thought I could handle stirring the egg and milk into the Jiffy Cornbread mix and lift these into the oven, it became one of my tasks in the kitchen. We ate quite a bit of cornbread when I was growing up because they always had to make an appearance when chili was made and my mom was always cooking up a pot of beans during the winter months, so cornbread was the perfect accompaniment. I was thrilled that mom gave her Wagner cornbread pans to me when she and dad moved to Florida.

When I read that that corn muffins began for Renato with a box of Jiffy corn bread mix in the intro to this recipe from BAKED Exploratons, it made me smile and think that this was probably a shared experience for so many of us growing up in the U.S. But I was skeptical that his recipe would be as good and as easy as Jiffy's.

The recipe calls for honey which is different from Jiffy's. I used a different flavor of honey than the one I used in Dorie's Honey-Spiced Madelaines. We get this honey at the beekeeping store, but it is local honey that is not any 'one' flavor because the bees have pollinated every flower within a 5 mile radius of their hive, so no clear, strong flavor stands out. It is a beautiful, mellow honey that goes with anything and the store has the honey in a large vat so customers can take their own jars and fill them up. I thought this honey would be a good one for the muffins since I wasn't used to having honey in my cornbread.

We really loved the texture of these corn sticks. The cornmeal gave them a nice crunch and the honey gave them a sweetness where butter was not really necessary after they came out of the oven, but I put some butter on mine out of habit more than anything.

These were so moist, yet crunchy, and with the honey had a hint of sweetness that was perfect with our morning coffee. I halved the recipe in the book and it made enough for 10 cornbread sticks.

French Friday with Dorie: Honey-Spiced Madeleines

2011-09-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

Fall may have arrived, but our triple digits say that we are still firmly in summer. I am dreaming of crisp fall mornings, warm cozy fires, hot apple cider and pumpkin pie. This week's French Friday with Dorie is a perfect transition recipe in that it has the spices of fall, but also the summer flavors of honey and orange.

I used local Raspberry Honey in my madeleines which gave them even more of the taste of summer. These were so easy and fun to make that I can't believe that it was my first time making them. For some reason, I was under the impression these would be difficult, but I was happily surprised that it was not the case at all.

They were perfect with a cup of tea outside on the patio when the cool delta breeze had kicked in later that evening. The taste of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, along with the raspberry honey and orange zest, were summer and fall rolled up together in one delicious bite. The madeleines were a hit with everyone and disappeared very fast. I'm so glad that French Fridays with Dorie got me to finally take my madeleine pans out and use them.

I bought my madeleine pans last summer at a garage sale and had them stored away. The large individual madeleine pans were still sealed in their original packaging. It wasn't until after I washed them and put them back in the bag that I noticed that the packaging didn't say 'madeleine' pans, but 'madelaine' pans. How funny is that?! Needless to say, madeleines will from now on be called madelaines in our home. :)

Please visit the links to see the lovely madelaines that fellow French Fridays with Dorie members made this week. You can find this recipe on pages 408-09 in Around My French Table, but you can also find it online here.

French Friday with Dorie: Cinnamon-Crunch Chicken

2011-09-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

Was I the only one who had a problem finding the cookies for this week's recipe? After going to five stores, and ready to give up and think of a good substitution, I finally found the Cinnamon Sugar Spice cookies. All that time and gas to use just two cookies...Crazy, huh?!

One thing's for sure, since joining French Fridays with Dorie, I have gotten to know the grocery stores and markets in my area. Some weeks I spend more time hunting down ingredients than I do fixing the recipe. I still had to make one substitution for an ingredient, however, and that was because I forgot that the recipe called for crème fraîche and since it takes about two days to make it, I used mexican crema instead.

This dish doesn't require a lot of ingredients and once you have them all it is a perfect one to fix for a week night meal as it doesn't take more than 10 minutes to put on the table. The cookies are roughly cut with a serrated knife and mixed with the cream. You then slice the chicken breasts in strips and cook in oil or butter. I cooked mine in a little oil. You add the cream mixture and cook until the chicken is coated, season with salt and pepper. And that's it.

I served my chicken on a butter lettuce leaf and ate it like a wrap. I took Dorie's suggestion and made her Lemon-Steamed Spinach and I also had some leftover pasta as side dishes.

The chicken was good - not much of a crunch from the cookies after cooking them - but the cookie coating gave a nice sweet flavor and texture to the chicken. Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what the rest of the group did. You can find this recipe on page 220 of Around My French Table.

Get Inspired for Fall

2011-09-13T05:08:00.000-07:00

The fall issue of Sweet Paul's online magazine is out.

His seasonal magazines are such a treat. You can view his fall issue here.

We Bake to Remember: Caramel Apple Cake

2011-09-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

When I was thinking about making the Caramel Apple Cake for this week's BAKED Sunday Mornings post, I knew that I wanted to incorporate the remembrance of 9/11, so when I read over at Cakelaw's blog, Laws of the Kitchen, that Marla Meredith from Family Fresh Cooking created a We Bake to Remember post, I wanted to participate.

I made the applesauce for the cake last night and everything seemed to be going well. It was the first time I have ever made homemade apple sauce and it tasted so good. And the smell! The apples cooking in cinnamon and brown sugar on the stove is a perfect aroma to put you in the mood for fall.

I didn't make the cake until this morning and as it is with cakes that I really want to turn out, everything seemed to go wrong. I decided to make a two layer cake instead of a 3 layer that the recipe calls for, so I halved the recipe and made the layers in two 8-inch pans. So far so good. Then I made the caramel and that turned out pretty good. But when I went to take my cake layers out of the pan, one of the layers fell apart. Probably because I didn't let them cool enough because I was in a rush this morning.

I next made the buttercream frosting and what a disappointment. I have not mastered the type of frosting you cook first. I definitely need more practice. I chilled the frosting in the refrigerator for awhile to firm a little and then spread the frosting on the unbroken layer and put a dollop of frosting on some of the broken pieces of cake and drizzled with the caramel.

John, of course, loves it plain and this time I have to agree with him. It was just too sweet with the frosting and caramel - even for me. I do want to try making this cake again and definitely try the caramel buttercream frosting again. It tastes really good, but just didn't have the consistency of light, fluffy frosting.

The BAKED Sunday Mornings link for the Caramel Apple Cake is not up, but I hope you'll visit the We Bake to Remember post and see what bakers made in remembrance of 9/11.

It's so hard to believe that ten years have passed. We will never, ever forget.

French Friday with Dorie: Creamy, Cheesy, Garlicky Rice with Spinach

2011-09-09T05:27:00.000-07:00

I watch Top Chef. So, I know that the chef who doesn't cook their risotto perfectly is often the one sent to pack their knives and go home. When I read Dorie's intro to this week's French Friday with Dorie recipe, I admit that I got a little nervous because I have never made risotto.

But, I should realize by now that I can trust Dorie. You bring chicken broth to a boil, add a cup of Arborio rice and simmer until the broth has almost been absorbed which was about 26 minutes on my stove. Turn off the heat and let it finish cooking. I chopped the onion and garlic and grated some Gruyère cheese while the spinach was cooking. These are all the ingredients that make this dish so delicious. I found some beautiful bell peppers at the store and they are at the lowest price they will be all season, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to try Dorie's Bonne Idée to stuff the peppers with the rice.

An hour later, you have this wonderful way to serve and eat your risotto.

I tasted the risotto before stuffing the peppers and thought it tasted so good alone, but eaten with the mild pepper took the risotto to another level. Both my husband and daughter said, "This is excellent!" And they both ended up picking their pepper up with both hands and eating it that way. I could tell by their expressions how much they were enjoying it. I couldn't believe that I was eating a stuffed pepper. I grew up with my mom making stuffed green peppers, but I would always eat the stuffing and leave the pepper because green pepper tastes too strong for me. I had the orange pepper and it was a perfect combination of flavors.

It was so worth turning the oven on and heating up the kitchen on a 100 degree day. And, I am so glad that I stashed some of the risotto in a dish in the refrigerator to take for lunch today. I wonder what the other group members thought about this dish? Head on over to French Fridays with Dorie with me to find out.

The Seven Links Game

2011-09-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

Kathy, from Bakeaway with Me, tagged me to play the game of seven links where you link to seven of your posts and then tag five other bloggers to play the game. Getting to know Kathy through her blog has been such a pleasure for me and I am always learning about a new ingredient or food from her. I hope you will stop by and visit her and you will see what I am talking about.

So here are my seven links:

1. My most beautiful post was probably the Malted Crisp Tart.

This is from BAKED Explorations and though it took some time to make and had quite a few steps, it was worth it.

2. My most popular post was the Savory Cheese and Chive Bread.

This is Dorie Greenspan's recipe and I received the most comments on this post than any other. I made the bread into small muffins and actually had them again for this last Friday's post with the Corn Soup.

3. My most controversial post was probably the Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Flans.

This recipe was in the French Fridays with Dorie cookalong and it was one of those recipes that everyone either loved or hated. My family didn't like this one at all, although it was one of the prettiest Dorie recipes that I have made.

4. My most helpful post was a difficult one to choose because I don't know that any of the recipes I have posted have been actually helpful to anyone, but the one that I posted recently on the Roasted Banana Paletas I thought was the most educational because most everyone who commented had never heard of paletas before, so I felt that those who read the post learned something new and that made me feel really good.

5. My post that was most surprisingly successful was the post on the éclairs. I was really intimidated about making these because they have always been a special treat of mine when I go to the bakery, so I was really happy when they turned out so well.

6. My post that did not get the attention it deserved was my momma's cheesecake. My mom lovingly made this cheesecake recipe for my dad and it was his favorite and is mine.

7. The post I'm most proudest of has to be the Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux. Although the translation of this is Roast Chicken for Lazy People, it was such a different way for me to roast a chicken and I was so thrilled with the results. I was so pleased with how it was just a perfect golden color when I took it out of the oven and all the vegetables were crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. Anyway, I was so proud of putting this dish on the table that night and my husband's reaction just made me feel proud and happy. It truly was a memorable meal.

Thank you so much, Kathy, for tagging me to play this game. It gave me an opportunity to reflect back on the baking and cooking that I have posted about over the last few years and brought back wonderful memories. It's hard to believe that I have been a member of French Fridays with Dorie and BAKED Sunday Mornings for almost a year. Even though I have been cooking and baking for nearly all my life (since I was 5 and was my mom's sou chef) I feel like my skills have improved since joining these groups, not only from the recipes from the cookbooks, Around My French Table and BAKED Explorations, but also from all the wonderful new friends I have made from both groups. I have learned so much from each of you and the creativity of everyone is so motivating to me. It has been such a delight to cook and bake along with some of the most wonderful people in the blog world.

Now I am supposed to 'tag' 5 people to play the game:

Karen from From Scratch

Betsy from A Plateful of Happiness

Teresa from One Wet Foot

Candy from Candy Girl

Katie from Making Michael Pollan Proud

French Friday with Dorie: Corn Soup

2011-09-02T05:33:00.000-07:00

With the temperature hovering around 94 degrees when I got off work yesterday, I wasn't really in the mood to make soup, but I'm glad I pushed forward and made this week's recipe.

What was nice about making this is that it didn't take more than a half hour to get it to the table. I used ruby jewel corn that I found at the market, thinly sliced a carrot, celery and onion and added sprigs of rosemary and thyme. One bay leaf and some sea salt and white pepper is all the seasoning this soup requires.

I snipped some green onion and added a few kernels for garnish, skipping the bacon and sour cream because I really didn't want the extra fat since I used whole milk for the soup. Once the soup was cooked I puréed it in the blender.

I nibbled on some of Dorie's Cheddar Cheese and Chive biscuits while sipping the soup and it was a light, tasty dinner. I ate mine hot, but when John got home later he ate his cold from the refrigerator and loved it. He said it was the perfect soup for a hot summer night.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what the other members did with this week's recipe.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Coffee Ice Cream

2011-08-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

I had to make this recipe twice. The first time I followed the recipe exactly and put in 1 teaspoon of salt per directions. I know. Silly me. I should have followed my instinct and just put in a pinch, but I didn't, so we ended up with salt ice cream. Not good.

I made it again, though, and this time only added a pinch of salt. The result was a creamy delicious coffee ice cream which happens to be John's favorite. He has been happily eating it. I made a mark through the 1 teaspoon of salt in the recipe in the BAKED Explorations book and wrote in 'pinch', so I won't make the mistake of adding way too much salt when I make this again.

Served with a few coffee beans gave it a nice little crunch. Shhh! Don't tell anyone, but I actually ate this for breakfast. As hot as it has been this week, it tasted so much better than drinking hot coffee.

French Friday with Dorie: Café Salle Pleyel Hamburger

2011-08-26T04:58:00.000-07:00

After having eaten one of these hamburgers, I can certainly understand why there was a write-up about them in the New York Times.

I have never had a hamburger quite like this. All I can say is that it was one of the most delicious burgers I have ever eaten. It was definitely the first time in my life that I didn't put mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup on my hamburger. This one is packed with so much flavor that other condiments are not needed. I really like the onion marmalade on this so much better than the huge slice of red or white onions that are often served on your hamburgers in burger joints. I usually just remove those and leave them on my plate. The onion marmalade, however, is perfect and doesn't slide off because you spread it on the bottom bun, add a slice or two of thinly sliced dill pickle and then the hamburger, and parmesan cheese.

The tapenade-like mixture is made with sun-dried tomatoes, capers, cornichons, fresh tarragon leaves, and parsley leaves. This is mixed in with the beef (I used chuck) prior to cooking. With each bite of the burger you taste the parmesan cheese shaves, beef and tapanade, onion marmalade and dill pickle. Each bite is so flavorful. It is juicy and crunchy - just DE-LI-CIOUS. My daughter, who usually doesn't like pickles or onions of any kind on her hamburgers or sandwiches, loved her burger and said this was a keeper. I can't wait to see what the other FFwDorie group members thought about their café salle pleyel hamburgers.

Roasted Banana Paletas

2011-08-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

I don't know about where you live, but we are still in the dog days of summer here and what better way to beat the heat than to make some fresh frozen treats.

I was first introduced to paletas when my husband and I were dating. One afternoon when we were on a date, I heard the tinkling of a bell and I remember looking around questioningly wondering where the sound was coming from and then I saw this man pushing a colorful cart and ringing a bell that was on one of the handles. John explained to me that he was the paleta man and the cart was filled with paletas which are Mexican popsicles made from fresh juice (paletas de agua) and cream (paletas de crema).

That day I tasted my first banana paleta and it has been one of my favorites ever since. I also really like the pineapple and coconut. When I heard that Fany Gerson was coming out with Paletas, I couldn't wait to buy her book and make paletas at home. Her book also includes recipes for shaved ice and aguas frescas. Paletas are so much tastier and healthier than the overly sweet artificial popsicles that you buy in the store. The base for the roasted banana paletas is so creamy and delicious. Roasting the bananas and plantains really bring out their sweetness.

Roasted Banana Paletas by Fany Gerson
This recipe makes approx. 6 paletas made in conventional popsicle molds.

3 ripe bananas, or 2 plantains (I used plantains for mine. The blacker the plantain the sweeter it is)
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Mexican cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the bananas/plantains (don't peel them) individuallly in foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast about 30 minutes for bananas and 40 minutes for plantains. They should be cooked through and soft. You can test their doneness with tongs.

Let them sit until cool enough to handle. Peel and put the banana flesh in a bowl. Discard the peels and mash the bananas with a fork. Add the sugars and stir until they are dissolved into the mixture.

Put the mixture into a blender. Add the milk, cream, vanilla, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, and rum. Blend until smooth. Let the mixture cool at room temperature and then put in the refrigerator until completely chilled.

Pour and divide the mixture in ice pop molds and freeze for 5 hours. If you are using glass or other containers for molds, freeze until they are just beginning to set, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours, and place a stick in the center of each mold and put back in the freezer for about 4-5 hours until frozen solid.

If you have never eaten a paleta, I urge you to try this recipe. You will be hooked! And Fany's book is one that you will want to add to your collection. She gives a history of Mexican frozen treats and tells a wonderful story of how she opened her own paleteria in New York City and why she named it La Newyorkina. It is a small book, but it is packed with both simple paleta recipes like strawberry, raspberry, and cantaloupe; and also more adventurous paleta flavors like sour cream, tequila, and cherry paletas, or pecan, or rice pudding paletas. I think I am going to try the Mexican Eggnog (rompope) paletas next. Or maybe the Caramel (cajeta) paletas. Or...

French Friday with Dorie and Thomas Keller: Eggplant Caviar and Potato Blinis

2011-08-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

When I started thinking about making this week's recipe, I wasn't really sure what I would serve it with, but coincidentally The Martha Show had a rerun this week featuring Thomas Keller making potato blinis with eggplant caviar. The combination looked so good to me and since we often eat potato pancakes, I thought they would be a perfect way to serve the eggplant caviar.

For Dorie's eggplant caviar recipe, you roast the eggplant whole for about 40 minutes. I tried her Bonne Idèe and made slits around the eggplant and inserted slivers of garlic before roasting. I really liked Thomas Keller's technique for extracting as much moisture as possible from the eggplant before making the caviar, but I wanted to stick with Dorie's recipe and try his another time. Once the eggplant cooled, I slit it open and scooped out the flesh and discarded the seeds. I wanted to keep it on the chunky side to make it more like a salsa than a dip, so I didn't mash the eggplant very much before adding the onion, herbs, and tomato.

The potato blinis were easy to make. They are made with crème fraîche rather than milk, so they have a wonderful flavor. You can watch a video of Thomas Keller making these with Martha here. I was worried that everyone wouldn't like the eggplant caviar because they don't like eggplant, but since I made it like a salsa I told them it was a salsa with a 'secret ingredient'. They didn't even realize that they were eating eggplant and really liked it with the blinis. The freshness of the herbs mixed with the eggplant and tomatoes was so good and the zest and lemon juice gave it such a fresh flavor. I added a little extra roasted cayenne pepper, so the little bit of extra heat brought out the flavor of all the ingredients. I put the caviar in the refrigerator while I made the blinis. The cool, chunky eggplant caviar served on top of the warm potato blini was so wonderful together.

You can see how the other FFwDorie members made their eggplant caviar at French Fridays with Dorie. Dorie's recipe is on p. 23 of Around My French Table.

Sew Simple Summer Craft

2011-08-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

During the summer, after it cools down in the evenings, I often sit outside to catch up on some reading and to watch the birds at the feeders and bird bath. I usually have a refreshing drink on the table next to me, but sometimes a pesky wasp or fly stops by to check out what's in my glass. I usually cover the glass with a small dessert dish to keep them away from my drink, but I saw a much cuter and more personal way to solve this dilemma in the June British edition of Country Living magazine. A beaded pitcher cover, made from a vintage doily, keeps pitchers of drinks wasp- and fly-free. Beads sewn along the edges of the doily ensures that it stays put during summer breezes. I thought one of these would make a perfect drink cover.

I found one of the doilies that my grandmother made and sewed some of her vintage buttons on for anchors. Now, when I am outside relaxing in the swing I have a bit of my grandmother there with me and can enjoy my drink without having to worry about those flying pests. I think she would be happy that I am using one of her doilies in a thoroughly modern way.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Grasshopper Bars

2011-08-14T00:33:00.000-07:00

This week's BAKED recipe is a riff on the 1950s Grasshopper cocktail. Although I have never had a Grasshopper cocktail, I was excited about making these because I love chocolate and mint together. These bars take a little bit of effort and time, but they are so worth it. If you make these I would recommend that you leave them in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight if you can. I cut them after the 1 hour that the recipe suggested, but they had a slight medicinal flavor to them because of the crème de menthe liqueur in the buttercream filling, but after sitting in the refrigerator overnight, the filling melded with the chocolate brownie base and chocolate ganache topping and turned into a delightful chocolate mint brownie.

These remind me so much of the After Eight Dinner Mints my mom used to put on our plates to eat after our holiday dinners. Those mints were always something I looked forward to eating and was a perfect ending to our holiday meals.

My only criticism of these grasshopper bars is that unless you are going to make these for a party, you might want to cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8 x 8 pan because these are so ADDICTING you will be tempted to eat them all!

Take a look at what the other BAKED members did with these bars over at BAKED Sunday Mornings. You can also find the recipe over there. If you like chocolate and mint together, you will want to make these.

French Friday with Dorie: Salmon and Potatoes in a Jar

2011-08-12T05:26:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt, this week's recipe is one I would have glanced at in Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Around My French Table, and then moved on. That's what I like, however, about being part of the French Fridays with Dorie cook along is that I make some of the recipes I would not try if left to my own devices.

I have never pickled anything before so when I told my family I was going to be pickling salmon this week they looked a little skeptical, but thought it would be good to try "at least once."

There really wasn't much to prepare this dish. A little bit of kosher salt and sugar was all that was needed to cure the salmon and a little bit of time. You can't do this recipe in a rush. After it cures in the refrigerator for at least 18 hours (mine was at least 22 hours), you wash and dry it, and cut up a carrot, some onion, add some thyme, coriander seed, black peppercorns and then fill the jar with olive oil. And then put it back in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

You do the same thing with the potatoes except you add vinegar. I added white wine vinegar to mine and used small red and gold potatoes. I enjoyed the preparation of this so much and thought about my father and how he would have loved this. I remember when we would go visit my grandparents in Pennsylvania every summer, my grandmother would have pickled herring ready for my dad. And there is something so rewarding when you can food in jars. It just gave me a sense of accomplishment and made me feel like I had something ready for my family to eat and I loved just looking at the jars of salmon and potatoes sitting on the refrigerator shelf.

We all were filled with anticipation when I opened the jars. I served it with some lemon wedges and bread. I have been thinking about what adjectives would best describe this dish, all of us were, but we finally came to the conclusion that it is indescribable because it is unlike anything any of us have tasted before. The potatoes were cooked (you boil them a little before pickling them), but a little crunchy and you could taste a hint of wine vinegar. The carrots were crisp and crunchy and the salmon...the salmon is what is indescribable. Firm, a little salty, but with the lemon it has such a burst of flavor in your mouth. We kept trying to compare it with other foods that we have eaten and couldn't come up with any. This is just something you have to try for yourself.

I will definitely make this again. It is a perfect summer meal when you don't want to turn on the oven or stove for very long and I think it would be a great dish to serve to guests because the meal would be something everyone would talk about and remember.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to read what the rest of the group thought about this dish. You can find the recipe on pp. 182-184 in Around My French Table. Next week's recipe is eggplant caviar. The reaction to this one should be interesting because I am the only one who likes eggplant.

French Friday with Dorie: Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

2011-08-05T00:05:00.000-07:00

What's so great about these slow-roasted tomatoes or tomates confites is that you put them in the oven at a low temperature of 225 degrees and you can pretty much forget about them for the next 3 hours. Only, you would never forget about them because your house fills with the wonderful smell of rosemary and garlic.

Some cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market, a little bit of sea salt, some pepper and extra-virgin olive oil, along with the cloves of garlic and rosemary gives you a wonderful tomato preserve that tastes so good alone, but also can be put into salads, added to rice and pasta, spooned over meat and fish...the possibilities are endless.

John ate some straight out of the jar from the refrigerator and loved them that way. I also served some on fish tacos as a tomato salsa along with some chipotle crema. The smokiness of the chipotle combined with the sweet tanginess of the tomatoes were perfect with the fish.

I think I am going to be roasting a lot more tomatoes by the summer's end.

You can see what the rest of the group did with their tomates confites over at French Fridays with Dorie and you can find the recipe on p. 342 of Dorie Greenspan's, Around My French Table.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Mom's Olive Oil Orange Bundt

2011-07-31T00:05:00.000-07:00

The oranges that we have been getting lately have been so juicy and delicious, so I was happy to see that we had a recipe from BAKED Explorations that I could use them in. This is a delightfully aromatic, light, and moist cake and one that is so easy to make. Gently folding the egg whites into the batter is key to the light consistency. I think this recipe might just become one of my go-to cake recipes.

Since John doesn't like frosting or glazes on his cakes and I do, I decided to divide the batter into three small bundt pans and one larger one to save for later. In Matt's notes he writes that the cake only needs a light dusting of confectioners' sugar, but he also includes a recipe for an orange glaze. So, I left one of the small bundts plain, dusted one with confectioners' sugar, and made a light orange glaze for the third. This gave us an opportunity to taste all three versions and I have to say that although all of them were delicious, our favorite was the one with the orange glaze. Yes, even John liked the one with the glaze! I think largely because the orange flavor in the plain one is so subtle. When I make this again I will probably add a few drops of orange oil to intensify the orange flavor.

Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to see what the rest of the group thought about this cake.

Next BAKED Sunday Morning: Grasshopper Bars - August 14

French Friday with Dorie: Citrus-Berry Terrine

2011-07-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a day, but at least I am just getting this done before midnight. For this week's French Friday with Dorie recipe we were to make a citrus berry terrine using unflavored gelatin and I thought, how hard could this be, right? I have been making Jell-o desserts since I was a kid, so surely this would be a snap. Boy, was I ever wrong!

I bought a pineapple last weekend that had ripened and I wanted to use it in place of the grapefruit in the recipe, so I not only substituted with pineapple chunks, but also used one cup of pineapple juice for the gelatin mixture. I made my terrine and it looked so beautiful, but it never set! I was ~~upset~~ disappointed, but John ate a bowl of it this morning and thought it tasted really good the way it was, but I wanted to know what went wrong and why it hadn't set. I thought perhaps the fruit I had washed possibly hadn't drained enough of the water from the slices and could be the culprit, but then I remembered about the Ps and Qs and after reading them for this recipe I found out that it was the pineapple that was the problem! Lesson Learned: Read the Ps and Qs [I forget to do this!] before making your FFwDorie recipe because you can benefit from the experience and tips of fellow members. While I have used chunks of fresh pineapple in small quantities in Jell-o before, I had never used canned pineapple juice. Apparently, there is an enzyme in pineapple or possibly in canned pineapple that keeps the gelatin from setting. Thank you for sharing that knowledge, Lizzy!

I decided that I wanted to try making the terrine again, so after work today I stopped by the store and picked up some more unflavored gelatin and orange juice. I used the same fruit I had used in the first terrine, minus the pineapple: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, bite-size pieces of orange segments, and kiwi slices. After about 6 hours in the refrigerator I finally had mostly a success. The kiwi slices looked pretty, but they were a little heavy and didn't jell because I had put them around the sides and top of the terrine.

And you know what the funny thing is? After all that work and time, all of us agreed that the unjelled terrine tasted the best because of the pineapple. The second terrine tasted good, but it was not as sweet and just tasted so much different from the first one. The pineapple juice and chunks made the first terrine tangy sweet and really had the overall best flavor. But, the best part of this experiment for me was that I finally discovered a way to get my big kids to eat their fruit!

Head on over to French Fridays with Dorie to see the terrines that other group members made this week.

Sundae Sunday: Spumoni Anyone?

2011-07-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

In celebration of July being National Ice Cream Month, Di from Di's Kitchen Notebook is hosting an old-fashioned ice cream social, Sundae Sunday. The last time I hosted an ice cream social I was in college. My roommates and I decided to have some of our friends over for banana splits only we didn't have enough dishes for everyone so we covered our kitchen table top with saran wrap and put the bananas, ice cream, nuts, syrups, and other toppings in the middle of the table and everyone created their banana splits and ate them right from the table. It was actually so much fun and the clean up was a breeze!

For this ice cream social I decided to make spumoni mostly because heavy cream is so expensive here, but also because it is a little lighter than regular ice cream, so you can eat it almost guilt-free. Spumoni is an Italian ice cream and I always look forward to eating some at the end of our spaghetti meals at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Spumoni is the perfect after dinner dessert. It is smooth and creamy and cleanses your palate.

I made three different flavors from one base: almond, chocolate, and pistachio. You can find the recipe at epicurious.com. I followed the recipe exactly except I added some dark chocolate and mint chips that I had on hand to the chocolate. Each flavor was delicious. Did I have a favorite? Hmm...I think I might need to eat some more to decide. For the rest of my family the first choice was pistachio, followed closely by chocolate, and then the almond. Now that I have an ice cream maker, there is simply no excuse not to have ice cream socials all the time and my family heartily agrees.

Thank you, Di, for hosting Sundae Sunday! She has a great blog, so please stop by and visit. She is also going to have a round up of everyone's Sundae Sunday posts in the next few days, so be sure to check it out. I can't wait to see what the other guests made and collect more ice cream recipes.

French Friday with Dorie: Coconut-Lemongrass Braised Pork

2011-07-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to making this recipe ever since it came up on the schedule and I was relieved that the temperatures went from the low 100s earlier last week to the low 80s over the weekend. There was no way I was going to turn the oven on if the heat wave had continued!

This is one of those dishes that I really enjoy making because it is basically a one-pot dish. Okay, maybe two because you cook the vegetables separately. When I browned the chunks of pork in olive oil and added the spices, lemon strips, and lemongrass, the aroma was wonderful.

I think I kept it on the stove longer than I needed to just because I loved looking at the yellow-orange color and smelling the fragrance in the kitchen. Turmeric and curry powder gave it that beautiful color. The addition of coconut milk combined with the spices and lemongrass is what makes the sauce in this stew like no other. For my vegetables I used potatoes, carrots, celery root, onions, and peas which I added at the last possible minutes so they wouldn't get mushy.

This was THE best stew. Since it had potatoes, I decided not to serve this over rice or noodles. All it needed was a loaf of crusty bread to make it a complete meal. This was such a big hit that I know I will be making it again and again.

Unfortunately, the French Fridays with Dorie server is down, so you can't view the links from those in the group who made this week's recipe, but I encourage you to check them out when the server is back up on Sunday.

You can find this recipe on pp. 274-275 in Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table.

Oh, and in case you didn't see Dorie's announcement, she has posted her glossary to her book, Around My French Table, on her Web site. It is a wonderful resource for not just this book, so make sure you check it out!

Can They Ever Dance!

2011-07-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

Sasha and Twitch perform the best Hip-Hop routine EVAH!

BAKED Sunday Morning: Peaches and Dream Pie

2011-07-17T01:05:00.000-07:00

I love peaches and usually make peach cobbler over any other peach dessert, so this week's recipe gave me an opportunity to make a peach pie. I knew as soon as I read the list of ingredients that this wasn't going to be just a regular peach pie.

And since this wasn't any 'ole peach pie, I decided it called for a different kind of peach. I found these 'Saturn' or 'White Donut' peaches at the store and learned that they are a sweet peach with a little taste of almond. I only had four of these peaches, so I also used one of the yellow peaches which I thought would give the pie more color.

The crust was easy enough to make and surprisingly didn't require pre-baking. The filling was very different with two eggs, sour cream, some honey, dark brown sugar, salt, and two tablespoons of flour. The topping was a normal crumb topping, but I decided to add some toasted pecans and some cinnamon because those just seem to go hand-in-hand with peaches in my book.

The result? Three thumbs up at our house. Although it looked a little eggy when I cut the first slice, the filling was creamy and moist, but not overly sweet. The topping gave it just the right amount of crunch and sweetness. My son ate half the pie in probably 10 minutes. He thought it was that good.

Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to see what the rest of the group thought about this pie. You can also find the recipe there, so you can try it for yourself.

Next BAKED Sunday Morning: July 31 - Mom's Olive Oil Orange Bundt

French Friday with Dorie: Cold Cantaloupe and Strawberry Soup

2011-07-15T00:05:00.000-07:00

We eat an abundance of melons and berries, particularly during the summer months, and most often we make agua fresca from the overripe fruit. This chilled 'soup' is a great alternative. It is light and refreshing and perfect to serve during the summer especially when it is too hot to turn the stove on. I liked this as a dessert and served it in fountain soda glasses.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see the rest of the group's creations.

The Bee-a-thon and The Great Bee Count

2011-07-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

Learn more about The Bee Count and how you can become part of the Citizen Science Project at the free online Bee-a-thon event scheduled for Saturday, July 16, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. PST. Join bee experts, beekeepers, and environmental experts as they give us the latest buzz on what's happening with the bees. You can log onto the event at www.yourgardenshow.com and you can also follow the Bee-a-thon on Twitter (#iseebees) and Facebook.

The Bee-a-thon kicks off the Great Bee Count, a Citizen Science campaign hosted on YourGardenShow.com in partnership with the Great Sunflower Project. They are counting bees across North America and helping shape bee conservation efforts.

Why should you care about the bees? Because the pollinators are responsible for every three bites of food and are facing challenges from colony collapse disorder and other threats. Tune in to the Bee-a-thon and get inspired to count some bees!

Everyday Food and Bourbon-Cherry Brownie à la Mode

2011-07-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

Have you picked up your copy of the Everyday Food Special Summer Issue yet? No?! Then, what are you waiting for?! This is a super full issue filled with delectable summer recipes and entertaining ideas. I am a big fan of the monthly small format Everyday Food magazine because it is so easy to tuck into my bag, but I am loving this large format special issue. The idea for this issue was born "...because we wanted to show what summer food means to us, " says Editor-in-chief Anna Last, "...it grew in leaps and bounds, as we tapped into what made us passionate about food and cooking in the first place."

And the passion comes through in every page from the gorgeous styling and photography to the writing and article selection. There is a profile on Ree Drummond and an article on one of my favorite southern chefs, John Besh. Bask Country is highlighted with a beautiful layout on blogger Aran Goyoaga as she entertains with family and friends. And New York Food Writer Mindy Fox shares her roasted chicken dinner menu.

The recipe I couldn't wait to make was on the very last page. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand. (I love when that happens!) The Bourbon-Cherry Brownie à la Mode was easy to put together. Simmering those cherries in the bourbon and brown sugar not only softened them and plumped them up, but also imparted a wonderful bourbon taste without overwhelming the cherries. It is a made for combination with the chocolate brownie. Next up? I can't wait to make the popsicle that's on the cover!

Frank's Fabulous Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

2011-07-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

I have been collecting recipes since I was a young girl, and I have to say that my very favorite recipes are the ones collected from family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. These are the recipes that have been tested again and again in home kitchens and most often have been passed from generation to generation.

This cake recipe is one of those recipes and came from my mom and dad's neighbor whose husband was a fantastic home baker. I made Frank's cake for my brother-in-law's birthday yesterday. The cocoa cake is light and moist, and the frosting - well, the frosting is unlike any other with the combination of cream cheese and peanut butter.

This is a perfect cake to make for the peanut butter chocolate lover in your life. The cake disappeared in no time, but luckily I managed to save the last piece for the birthday boy to take home with him.

Frank's Fabulous Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Cocoa Cake

3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1-3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder (I use Hershey's)

1-1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/3 cup water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 round 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, beat at medium speed for 1 minute. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and add this mixture alternately with the water to the butter and sugar mixture. Pour batter into pans and bake 35 to 40 minutes for 8-inch pans or 30 to 35 minutes for 9-inch pans. Toothpick inserted into center of cake should come out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then cool completely before frosting.

Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream peanut butter, cream cheese, and butter together. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until creamy. Add vanilla. If frosting seems a little too thick, add about 5 drops of water. It should spread easily.

This cake must be kept in the refrigerator if it lasts that long! The frosting has a tendency to get too soft at room temperature.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Rosemary Apricot Squares

2011-06-19T00:05:00.000-07:00

One of the things I enjoy about participating in a bake-along like BAKED Sunday Mornings, is that I bake some desserts that if left to my own devices, I probably would not otherwise bake. Take for instance, this week's recipe. Rosemary and apricot are not flavors that I would have paired together, and frankly, the idea of them together didn't appeal to me.

When I read through the recipe, however, I realized that the rosemary was not mixed directly with the apricots, but was in the crust, so I thought it would probably give the crust a really nice flavor. It sure gave it a wonderful fragrance and when the dough was pressed in the pan, the rosemary made the crust look really pretty with the flecks of green throughout the dough.

When I made the filling, it actually took about 60 minutes on low for the syrup to almost evaporate. When I tasted it after pureeing the apricot mixture, I didn't think the filling was too sweet. The filling turned into a lovely rich, brown color and I could taste the honey and the brandy - neither of which overpowered the apricots.

The crumb mixture has brown sugar and pecans which is a perfect topping for these squares. These taste very good and, to me, are reminiscent of fig newtons - one of my favorite cookies. I think they are a perfect treat for Father's Day.

You can visit the rest of the group by following their links, and you can also find the recipe, over at BAKED Sunday Mornings.

French Friday with Dorie: Roasted Rhubarb and Tourteau de Chèvre

2011-06-17T00:05:00.000-07:00

I have to confess that I really wasn't sure I was going to make this week's roasted rhubarb recipe, not because I don't like rhubarb, but because...well, it just didn't seem challenging enough, and, well not very French at all.

So I decided to make it more of a challenge by making the Tourteau de Chèvre as well and serving the roasted rhubarb as a topping. I was gone last month when the tourteau came up on the schedule and it was a recipe that I really wanted to try.

First, let's talk about the rhubarb. It couldn't have been simpler to make and it also couldn't have been tastier. I cut my rhubarb a little shorter than the inch and a half that Dorie suggested and since I didn't have oranges on hand and only one lemon I used the zest of the lemon and mixed it with the sugar and rhubarb before roasting. Even though Dorie also suggests using some honey if it isn't sweet enough after roasting, I didn't need the honey at all. The roasted rhubarb tasted delicious just with the sugar and lemon zest. The tang of the lemon mixed with the sweetness of the sugar was perfect.

Now, for the tourteau. I made the sweet tart dough and pressed it into an 8-inch springform pan. Egg whites that have been whipped to stiff peaks are gently folded into the goat cheese mixture to make a super light filling. When I topped my slice of tourteau with the roasted rhubarb, it was a perfect balance because the tourteau is not sweet at all. You get a little sweetness from the crust, but it is a subtle sweet. With the rhubarb it was just a perfect combination. John had his pieces-yes, pieces-plain and thought this was a really good cheesecake.

I am so glad that I made both of these recipes and will be making them again and again because they are both delicious. I can't wait to visit the other members of the group to see what they paired the roasted rhubarb with. I hope you will do the same by clicking on their links over at French Fridays with Dorie.

BAKED Sunday Morning: Orange Creamsicle Tart

2011-06-05T01:27:00.000-07:00

As much as I am a chocolate lover, one cold treat I loved as a kid was Orange Creamsicles. The orange and cream mixture is a taste that I well remember and seemed to always cool me off on a hot summer day.

So, to say that I was excited to make this Sunday's Orange Creamsicle Tart is an understatement. I was intrigued that BAKED had recreated one of my favorite childhood treats in a tart. After buying and taste testing several different kinds of orange cream sodas, I decided to use Harvey Weinhard's orange cream soda because it was exactly the flavor I remember.

The tart dough also had some orange zest in it which I infused the sugar with, rubbing the zest in with my fingers. The recipe said that the dough was sticky, but mine wasn't sticky at all - it was soft and smooth, so I think infusing the sugar with the zest might have kept the dough from getting sticky. I loved the smell of the orange in the tart dough! Even though I carefully followed instructions for baking the tart shell I did have some shrinkage. I had enough dough left over from making the 9-inch tart shell that I made a rustic mini-tart with a 4-1/2 inch springform pan.

The filling took awhile to make, but it is important to follow the directions carefully. I did deviate a bit again by infusing the sugar in the filling with the orange and lemon zest before adding it to the saucepan. It takes a bit of patience to carefully sprinkle the gelatin over the lemon juice. I was so afraid that it would clump, but luckily it didn't. When I poured the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve unto the butter and then whisked I noticed that my filling was really thin and even though I whisked furiously as the directions indicated, I didn't notice the volume of the filling increasing. I covered the filling with plastic and put it in the refrigerator for 4 hours, but was really skeptical that it would thicken because I felt that most of the gelatin was left with the pulp in the sieve. As you can see from the pictures, however, I needn't have worried.

Since the tart dough and the filling had so much orange, I decided to make the Simple Whipped Cream that was suggested rather than the Orange Whipped Cream that came with the recipe. I really wanted the tart to recreate the taste of the creamsicle and I didn't remember the cream part of the popsicle having an orange flavor.

If you love orange creamsicles, you will love this tart! It was such a big hit with my family. I just loved this and couldn't stop eating the leftover orange filling. I really don't know how Matt and Renato did it and can only imagine how many times the recipe must have been tested and retested to get it just right. This is a perfect summer dessert.

Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to see other BAKED members' orange creamsicle tart creations. You can also find the recipe there.

Next BAKED Sunday Morning: Rosemary Apricot Squares - June 19

French Friday with Dorie: Warm-Weather Vegetable Pot-au-feu

2011-06-03T00:05:00.000-07:00

For someone who doesn't eat a lot of eggs, I sure am liking this egg on a salad and now egg on a soup thing Dorie has going on. This week's French Friday with Dorie recipe is a warm-weather soup which actually ended up being a cool-weather soup as spring temperatures dipped back into the 60s this week.

The recipe lists vegetables that could be used in this soup as a starting point, but Dorie encourages you to use seasonal vegetables that are available at the market. Since asparagus is at the peak of its season right now and available for 97 cents a pound I bought some and added them to the carrots that were simmering in the vegetable broth. I peeled them first because I really like them that way now that I made them in Dorie's Egg, Bacon, and Asparagus Salad. I also saw some English Sugar Peas while at the store and bought some and had a good time sitting out on the patio shelling them. I haven't shelled peas in a long time and it brought back memories of shelling peas, for it seemed like hours, on my grandma's porch during our summer visits to Pennsylvania. I had forgotten how much fun it is to see the perfect little peas emerge from their pods. They tasted so sweet and good raw that I had to stop myself from popping most of them into my mouth.

I also added some baby shiitake mushrooms, and spinach and seasoned the soup with salt and white pepper and a bit of lemongrass from my garden. The stalk wasn't as big and pretty as the ones at the grocery store, but why pay $2.99 a stalk when I had some growing at home? The lemongrass added a subtle lemon flavor to the soup. I was a little heavy-handed with the white pepper, but it turned out okay since the baguette was perfect to sop up the broth and temper the pepper taste.

By the time I finished making the soup it was getting a little late and I was also getting tired and frankly just wanted to photograph and be done with it, but that little nagging inner voice started to coax and push me to make the basil coulis and the poached egg. When I went to poach the egg and looked into the pantry, I remembered that I was out of white vinegar, so I grabbed the first vingear I could find which was red wine vinegar and it worked just fine. I am so glad that I made both the coulis and the poached egg because they made such a difference to the final taste of the soup. When I cut the egg with my soup spoon the egg yolk oozed out, making the broth turn even more golden. The yolk and egg white made the soup taste so rich and heightened the taste of the vegetables. The basil coulis elevated the soup to an even higher level, giving the soup fresh undertones of basil and olive oil.

You can find this recipe on pp. 378-79 in Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what the other FFwD members did with this soup.

The Vernal Pools of Phoenix Park

2011-05-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

There are so many things I love about living in California, but one thing I really enjoy doing each spring is visiting some of the vernal pools in our area. I've shared a visit to different vernal pools here that were in their dry stage. This is the stage where the wildflowers are abundant. We recently visited some vernal pools at a local park that we haven't been to in a number of years. Truth be told, we couldn't quite remember where the pools were and the area surrounding the pools has changed so much including the land where the pools are located. What a difference a few years make...

Now the vernal pools are part of a park, Phoenix Park, and rather than the large vernal pool that we remember, there are a number of smaller vernal pools. Although the neighborhood is probably very happy that the park has a baseball diamond and other park amenities, you can't help but wonder what the impact of this development has been on these natural wonders.

The day that we visited was sunny and windy and the pools were in the wet or aquatic stage which means that they are teeming with life and the wildflowers are not yet prevalent. Teeny, tiny frogs no larger than your fingertip can be seen. Fairy shrimp no more than an inch long, itsy bitsy flies and bees, and other flying insects whose sole purpose is to pollinate some of the wildflowers that only grow in and long the vernal pools.

We were bending over this pool looking at a teeny frog when all of a sudden we heard a loud ruckus and saw...

These guys running as fast as they could away from...

...this guy...He was scared off though and luckily the wild turkeys were given a reprieve.

We saw a few water fowl that day.

And quite a few wildflowers, although they weren't blooming en masse like they are during the dry stage.

Over 200 species of plants are found in vernal pools and about half of these are exclusive to this habitat.

What's so fascinating about vernal pools is that no two are alike. There are different species of animals that inhabit a shallower pool than a deeper one.

Each plant and animal species is dependent on how long the pools are flooded. It has rained longer than I can remember any spring since I have lived here and I wonder how this has affected them.

If you'd like to learn more about these pools, visit the Fair Oaks Recreation District Web site. They have a brochure you can download and beautiful photos of the pools.

French Friday with Dorie: Cardamom Rice Pilaf

2011-05-27T00:30:00.000-07:00

I made this week's recipe along with black beans, sliced zucchini with shredded Parmesan cheese, and tri-tip steaks. John was a little surprised when he scooped up a forkful of rice along with some beans and tasted something different from the white rice that I usually make. He prefers to eat rice with beans and salsa, lots of salsa. It probably didn't help that I made the hottest salsa I have ever made the night I served this rice pilaf. You know the kind of salsa that is so hot it clears your sinuses.

I wish I could say that he liked the rice pilaf, but he didn't. The cardamom is a flavor unfamiliar to him (even though I have used it sparingly in some of my other FFwD recipes) and he didn't like the ground pepper or the lemon zest in the rice. My daughter, on the other hand, loved this dish and was surprised that I used some of the basmati rice that she gave me a few weeks ago. When she handed the bag to me in the kitchen, asking, "You like basmati rice, don't you?" I knew that what she really meant was that she had tried the rice and didn't like it.

I have a feeling that she'll be taking her bag of basmati rice back when she returns to her apartment, along with some cardamom seeds and a copy of this recipe.

What did I think about it, you ask? Well, I had to agree with John. I didn't care for the pepper and cardamom in the rice, but I did like the fresh taste of the lemon zest. I do like basmati rice though and will try making this again, but without the ground pepper and less cardamom. Seven seeds was just too much for us when it is a spice that we are still getting acquainted with.

I am looking forward to reading what the other Doristas did with this recipe over at French Fridays with Dorie and I know I will be inspired as I am every week by their creativity.

You can find this recipe on p. 378 of Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table.

Next French Friday: Warm-Weather Vegetable Pot-au-feu

BAKED Sunday Morning: Cowboy Cookies

2011-05-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

When I e-mailed my friend and fellow BAKED member, Mike, and asked him if he had made these cookies yet and if he had, did he think the thin, salty pretzels were necessary, he e-mailed back and said "Yes!" And, he said that he had made them a couple times already and that he thought they were really good if you put all the pretzels in the batter rather than just 1/2 cup the recipe says and then put the remaining 1/4 cup on top. So, I did just that.

I also made these Texas-sized cookies because, after all, these are Cowboy Cookies and to me, cowboys are larger than life and warrant an ice cream-size scoop.

The verdict? Three thumbs up at our house. The oatmeal, chocolate chunks, and the little surprise of thin, salty pretzels, along with the hint of espresso coffee made these a delicious chewy cookie on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside. The only thing difficult about making these was letting the dough chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before baking them off.

Visit BAKED Sunday Mornings to see how other members made these cookies and to get this wonderful recipe.

Next BAKED Sunday: June 5 - Orange Creamsicle Tart

French Friday with Dorie: Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad

2011-05-20T04:44:00.000-07:00

Inspired by all the fresh produce at the market, I have been looking at so many recipes lately trying to lighter ones to serve during warmer weather. Just like last week's Spinach and Bacon Quiche, this week's French Friday with Dorie recipe is a perfect salad to serve for lunch or as the main course for dinner on those days when it is just too hot to be in the kitchen for very long.

A bed of mixed greens, drizzled with a vinaigrette of Dijon mustard, champagne vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, walnut oil, and salt and pepper to taste is the back drop to this dish. The greens are topped with asparagus that has been trimmed and peeled and boiled in salted water for 4 minutes until perfectly tender. Another drizzle of vinaigrette to coat the asparagus. Next comes the crispy bacon crumbled over the asparagus and then the pièce de résistance - a soft boiled egg that has been softly cooked in bacon fat just to give it some color - is gently nestled in the salad. I then sprinkled with some roasted sunflower chips to give it some extra crunch (only because I had no toasted walnuts or hazelnuts on hand).

The luscious, runny egg yolk mixes with the tanginess of the vinaigrette and the crunchiness of the bacon and sunflower chips to create an explosion of flavor in your mouth which is tempered only by the smooth, silky asparagus and greens.

Really. What's not to love?

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to see how the other members interpreted this dish.

Next French Friday: Cardamom Rice Pilaf

May Blooms

2011-05-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

I plant Ranunculus bulbs every Fall and can't wait until their fuzzy little buds appear each Spring. I am so glad I took pictures of this year's blooms before Sunday's storm.

Sunday Morning with Dorie: Crustless Spinach and Bacon Quiche

2011-05-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

I didn't have a chance to make the quiche on Friday, but it turned out this morning was the perfect time to make this week's French Friday with Dorie recipe as the weather outside was frightful. While I was prepping, the sky darkened and then it started pouring - I mean POURING - rain. Then, it started hailing in just minutes.

It was so incredible watching the weather change so quickly. We don't get rain often in May, and it has never hailed this late in Spring that we can remember. I was praying that the electricity wouldn't go off because I was right in the middle of putting the quiches together.

I made three 4-inch crustless quiches. The grocery store only had 6 ounce bags of spinach, so I didn't have the 10 ounces that the recipe called for. I still used 4 slices of bacon, one small onion, and a large clove of garlic. It smelled so good when everything was mixed together and spread into the small quiche pans. I whisked together the eggs and the heavy cream and poured over the spinach mixture and topped with finely grated Parmesan cheese.

Since I was baking the smaller quiches, I kept an eye on them in the oven. It took about 25 minutes for them to evenly puff and turn a golden brown. I let them cool for 5 minutes and you could hear them softly crackling while they were cooling on the rack. My husband thought this recipe was so good and ate two of them. I am not a quiche lover, particularly quiche with crust, but I thought this was so delicious. What is wonderful about this recipe is that you can taste each individual ingredient, but none of the ingredients overwhelms the other. There is no 'star' in this recipe, but rather each component works together to make the whole quiche the star. We both really liked that this wasn't 'eggy' like other quiches. I will definitely be adding this to my repertoire.

Visit French Friday with Dorie to see what the other members did with this week's recipe.

Next French Friday with Dorie: Bacon and Eggs and Asparagus Salad

Handcrafted Gifts

2011-05-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

Have you used a spurtle or a muddler? The spurtle is used to stir sauces, soups, stews, and oatmeal. The muddler is used to mash herbs and spices in a glass or bowl to release their flavor. I love these handcrafted ones over at Jane's new online shop, Coterie. One or both would make a perfect Mother's Day gift, or a 'just because' gift. While you are visiting Jane's shop, check out the rest of her wonderful selection of handcrafted items.

A Day to Remember

2011-04-29T00:50:00.000-07:00

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!