Storybook Woods

Watermelon in Rose Syrup

Akk, it is actually hot, I had to put  my polar fleece away. It will probably only last a week and then I be pulling them right back out !!! But I am having diXymiss and her lovely girls over today for tea. We have meet but she has never been to my house. I am so excited (I wish you were all coming). Tea (we will have iced) though in this heat is not easy. I think  watermelon with rose syrup sounds divine, refreshing, summery, pink, perfect. It is sooooo easy to make. Nobody want to be working to hard when it is hot. As far as what else I am serving, I am still deciding. We will see what I pull out of a hat this morning. Remember I am keeping a list of recipes using the rose syrup on the left side of my blog. I have plenty more recipe to share. Stay cool and enjoy

PS. Make sure you check out Gracious Hospitality's recipe for rice pudding in flower water with coconut cream. It does not use the rose syrup, but rather cook the rice in flower water. It is very interesting and I add it to my rose recipe. Thank you Miss. La Tea Dah xoxoxo

Ruhbarb Rose Rice Pudding

It is rose syrup time of year. I love things like rose syrup because they are simple way to add a special touch to your dishes without a lot of work or cost. There is something about rose syrup that makes me feel pampered. When I have days were I feel down, neglected, not pretty, empty, a bowl of fresh fruit with some rose syrup drizzled over it seem to make me feel better. Like a new pair of maryjanes or pretty new sheets.

In case you have missed it, I keep a list on the left side of the blog with rose recipes. I have been collecting more over the winter and will be sharing them over the next few weeks. If you have any recipes to share, please let me know and I will link them. This week enjoy Rhubarb Rose Rice Pudding xoxoxox 

                                                 

Healthier Caramel Corn

Healthier food. Hmmm, is that a loaded word or what. We certainly see it bandy around everywhere. I am not even sure what that means. I mean, I am still learning so much on what is healthy and what is not. I do not even think there is one simple answer for everyone. It only makes sense, we are all so unique and different. It seems to me, we would all need different things. I have hesitated to use the term healthy on my blog because it is such a loaded word. Also how I use the term healthy, may not  be the same way you do. But since I am using it here on Storybook Woods, I figured I better say something about it ;-)

To me healthy is not low- fat, low carbs, low anything (although those can be good things. But then again can not) To me healthy means not messed with, in as pure a form as possible. I feel nature did a pretty good job and does not need us replacing it. So when I cook, I look for items that have not been messed with, striped to much. This is one of the reasons I use evaporated cane, rapadura, ect. as a sweetener instead of white sugar. Yes, it has been processed but not as much. It still retains some of the vitamins, minerals, and so forth. To me that would make it healthier. I try to use whole grains instead of grains stripped of their nutrients, like white flour. I avoid process food because of bad fats, artificial flavorings, dyes and Lord knows what else.

So when you see a recipe on my blog with something like brown rice syrup (below) it is not just me using some weird new product (well it might be a little of that !!) but it is probably because it is a "healthier", purer version of something else. For example in the recipe below instead of using corn syrup, I use brown rice syrup and instead of brown sugar I use rapadura. I received several e-mails from readers saying they had not heard of these items. I encourage you to read up and study. Really it is a win- win thing. You will have heather food but also tastier food. Now it is not necessarily cheaper and that is hard. I have found ways to save money. Costco, Trader Joe's, bulk section, sales, even sometimes Grocery Outlet. I also order from Azure, a bulk co-op. All these help but it is still not as cheap. But some things are just priceless and worth the money spent.

Lastly I really think this recipe taste better the "healthier" way. I love the molasses intensity of the rapadura and I really love the malty taste from the brown rice syrup. I encourage you to try a "healthier" sweetener if you have not before xoxoxox

Mircowave Caramel Popcorn

4 quarts popped popcorn *

1 cup rapadura

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1. Put popped popcorn in a large paper sack and set aside.

2. In a microwave safe bowl add the rest of the ingredients except the baking soda. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir and microwave 1 1/2  minutes. Stir in baking soda. Be careful it is very HOT. Pour syrup over popcorn. Hold bag shut and shake several times. Pour popcorn on cookie sheet and let cool.

*To pop popcorn, take a paper lunch-bag and add 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn, 1/2 tsp. salt and drizzle a little olive oil. Tape down a 1/4 inch top of bag and shake. Microwave on high for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes, till popping slows down. Be careful opening bag, steam will come out.  

 

Healthy Candy

My goodness over 40 comments. I think I get the idea that you like my pantry ;-) Thank you so much for all the kind comments and I am sorry for causing pantry envy.

I have been busy cooking since my new space is so inspiring. I have been looking at what we eat and trying to make it the most of it. To make it both tasty and healthy. I saw these peanut butter candies on-line at a blog and of course forgot to save it. (if you know what blog it is please let me know). I tweaked the recipe just a hair. I used agave syrup instead of honey. I have been playing with agave and are really liking it. Agave is very low on the glycemic level.

These candies also have flax meal. I just wanted to say that flax is so healthy and you should try to work in both flax oil and flax seeds into your diet. They are an excellent  and affordable source of omega 3 fatty acids. If you do not know this, you should buy your flax seeds whole, not ground meal. Also your flax seeds and oil should be refrigerated, they are very fragile. So look for it keep cold in storage and then ground your flax at time of use. I use a coffee grinder and it only takes a few seconds.

I also added a piece of bittersweet chocolate. In my opinion a small bit of bittersweet chocolate is very good for your health. And that is my story and I am sticking to it. I liked these too because they are pretty rich, so my family did not gobble them down and they lasted a few days. I am playing with another version that does not have peanut butter. If they turn out good, I will post them soon. Enjoy

__________________________________________

Peanut Butter Candies

1/2 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth

1/2 cup agave or honey

1/2 cup of flax meal

pinch of salt

3/4 cup powdered milk

Put all ingredients in bowl of electric mixer. I put powdered milk and flax meal in first, then the rest to help the powdered milk adsorb the agave. Mix till it all comes together.

Roll into small balls and put a piece of chocolate on top. Yummm xoxoxox

Black Pearl Grog

Miss Donna at Ribbon Crown is having a A Swashbuckler Soiree today. I just do not have the time to craft something. When one is soo busy they do not have time to craft, a drink is appropate ;-P  I know nothing about pirate's but I live with to pirate-freak girls (whom I adore), so I asked them what do pirates eat. They said Barbossa always wanted apples and they drank lots of rum. Well I can do something with apples and rum. I created Black Pearl grog. I can just picture myself on a cold lonely black sea, covered in jewels, wrapped in my black rose shawl, waiting for my swashbuckler. With my Black Pearl grog to keep me warm !!!!!

Black Pearl Grog

1 cup apple cider

1-3 TBL. caramel sauce, depending on how sweet you like it

1 shot of dark rum

Heat cider, then stir in caramel sauce till melted and add rum !!!!!

Healthy Tips

 

I had mentioned I was having some health issues and I wanted to say I am fine. I am just a 45 yrd. overweight, peri-menopause woman. I am sure some of you can understand. So I am try to exercise, eat healthier and support my system. I do so much cooking for the family that I tend to let my meals slip, especially breakfast and lunch. In an effort to help myself eat better I am doing some a-head cooking. If I just take one morning a week to pre-pare it seems to really help.

Some Tips:

At the beginning of the week I saute a bunch of onions and garlic to use in my cooking. I keep this in the fridge.

I cook a large batch to beans and then freeze in small amounts for future use.

I also do the same thing with hummus. It freezes beautifully.

For the freezer I have been making more crisp topping.

Marinate tofu in soy sauce, ginger and garlic. I cut them in sticks and pan fry them for breakfast.

Make a salad dressing for the week.

I am still making breakfast brushette.

I make strawberries puree to have over yogurt for breakfast.

Strawberry Puree

In a sauce pan cook 3 cups of berries (frozen or fresh), 1/4 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sweeter. Cook till juices release and berries can be mushed, about 5 minutes. Add more sweetener if needed. Puree and keep in fridge for a week.   

I Confess

 

I confess,

I hate broccoli and cauliflower. I have had them roasted, served with an amazing sauce, even  Les Bouquinistes can not get me to like them. So I am looking for ways to eat these foods. I read Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld and it gave me some great ideas of how to sneak in pureed veggies. I started with broccoli. I bought a large bag from Costco, I steamed them, I pureed them and put cup fulls in little baggies (which I then put all those little baggies into a big freezer baggie). Now I have frozen puree on-hand to throw into dishes whenever I want. I have put the purees into chili (a fav.), spaghetti sauce, sauteed veggies, pesto. I have put pureed cauliflower into mashed potatoes and my family (and I) have loved it all. You really can not tell that it is there.  I am still playing with ways to sneak it in.  If you are picky like me, I challenge you to try sneaking in some broccoli xoxoxoxo

Pasta With Broccoli Meatballs, Roasted Red Peppers and Mushrooms

Tips for the meatballs:

You can take any recipe you love and add the broccoli puree. Just remember you are adding moisture and so decrease your other wet ingredients.

I make my meatballs on the wet side for a tender meatball. I bake my meatballs or cook them strait in the sauce I am serving them. If you want to fry them in a pan, these will not work well. They are to wet and fragile.

Do not over mix.

Keep them on the small side.

You can make meatballs ahead of time and freeze them. Bake off frozen, they will only take a few minutes longer.

For the meatballs

1 pd. ground beef or turkey or chicken

1/2 cup of broccoli puree

1 egg

1 cup plain bread crumbs (I use panko, I get from the bulk section)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or smashed

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

1 TBL. smoked paprika

Gently mix all ingredient and roll into balls. They can be any size, but when serving them with pasta I like to make very small ones. Like the size of a walnut. Set on cookie sheet to bake. They can be close together but not touching. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Till cooked on the inside but browned on the outside.

For the pasta

1 1/2 pounds uncooked pasta (cook while meatballs are baking)

Sauteed mushroom 

Roasted red peppers, chopped

                                     <<<< amounts is to your liking

Salt and pepper

Gently toss cooked pasta with meatballs, mushroom, roasted peppers, salt and pepper. If pasta seems to dry, drizzle a bit of olive oil over it. Serve with cheese of your liking. Parmesan, crumbled goat or blue cheese, also feta would all be wonderful.

Radish Salad

 

I am always looking for interesting, yet simple salads. I really enjoyed this salad, especially with something like a simple roasted chicken. I have always loved Deborah Madison and learned so much from her over the years. She now has a blog !!!!

I also love this recipe because I remember having Vella's dry jack and it is favorite. I rarely have it now but still remember being a teen in beautiful Sonoma plaza and trying this salty, nutty, amazing cheese.

Deborah Madison's Radish Salad

Serves 6

The Vella family's Dry Jack cheese from Sonoma County in California is one of our national food treasures. It's increasingly possible to find nationwide, but if you can't get your hands on some, use Parmigiano-Reggiano. This is a very pretty, bright, and lively little salad. You can stray successfully from its utter simplicity by adding some freshly blanched and peeled fava beans, radish sprouts, or very small arugula leaves.

Ingredients
2 bunches breakfast radishes or mixed varieties, including small daikon
2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
   olive oil, as needed
2 to 4 ounces Dry Jack or Parmigiano-Reggiano
  salt and pepper
  radish sprouts, leaves, or arugula greens, optional

Procedure
  Set aside a handful few of the most tender radish greens. Trim the radish roots, leaving just a bit of the stem, and wash them well. Wick up the excess moisture with a towel, then thinly slice, either lengthwise or crosswise. Put them in a bowl and toss with the chives, radish greens, and enough oil to coat lightly.

Put the radishes on a platter, shave the cheese over them, and add pepper and the optional greens, if using.

PS. I will announce the winner and a new book on Thursday xoxoxo

Coco, Tea or Me !!

 

The NW is gray and drizzly a lot, but I find that February and March are really long, hard months. The holidays are over, there is much going on, it is too cold to go outside and the weather really can get to you. I am always looking for little ways to entertain and brighten these days. Since we drink so much tea and coco, I thought I would make it a bit more special. I set up a little tray in my kitchen, I got a fun, cheery cup-cake towel at Target. I added our coco mix, tea, strainer, a mini-tea pot, sweetener, mini-marshmallows, a scoop, spoons and cups.

We have over 15 different types of tea. So each morning I set out a new tea and have a little tag in the bowl saying what tea it is. All day I keep a thermos filled with hot watter and I plan once a week to change a treat for the coco. Maybe candy canes, chopped chocolate, cinnamon, ect. It is inviting to see everything all set out and ready to go. A cheery spot on these not so cheery days.

Hot Chocolate Mix

I have looked at a lot of coco mixes but the problem with a lot of them is they use produces like chocolate drink mix, pudding mix or non-dairy creamer. These items have a lot of things in them I do not want to give to my family. So I decided to just keep it simple. Dried milk, coco powder, sweetener and a pinch of salt. Salt always makes it taste sweeter. I wish I could afford organic dried milk, but at this point I am still looking for an affordable option.

1 cup dried powdered milk

1/4 cup coco powder

1/3-1/2 (depending on your taste) cup vanilla sugar or plain sugar, I use evaporated cane

good pinch of salt

Mix and store in a air-tight container, I make at lest 3 times this amount at a time.

To make coco, add 1/4 cup of mix to 1 cup of hot water.

See You In A Week

I am heading off to OR to visit my in-laws, I will be back next week. With all my posts about saving grocery money, I thought I would leave you with my version of oatmeal.

It may seem silly to add all these ingredients to the oatmeal, when you could just add it when you eat it. But it seems to me it would be better to infuse the oats with flavors, instead of covering them. I find also by adding some sugar, my girls use less syrup.



Clarice's Oatmeal

2 cups rolled oats, not instant, I use thick

1 ½ cup milk

2 ½ cups water

1/8 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground fresh nutmeg

1/2 tsp. grounded ginger

1 tsp. vanilla extract or half of vanilla bean

Put all ingredients in large stock pot and bring to boil, add oats and turn down to med-low. Slowly simmer till oats are soft. Probably 15-20 minutes. If oats get too dry add bit more water.

While oats are cooking toast chopped pecans in oven, at 350 for 5-8 minutes.

Serve oatmeal with toasted pecans, chopped dried figs and dried pears, a dash of fresh maple syrup and oh what the heck, some heavy cream !!!!

My Kind Of Ice-cream Float !!!

If you have not had Lindemans' Framboise Lambic, you have not lived baby !!!! Imagine this very fres, intense raspberry, lightly sweet, very sight beer aftertaste. It is brilliant. Although my hubby is a home-brewer, so I am bit swayed. I do not drink soda (it is to sweet for me) so Lindemans' is like soda to me. My girlfriends who are not big beer drinks, love this. Well for New Years eve David and I made floats with just some good vanilla bean ice cream. Words, fail me, all I can say is it is love. Long, lasting, permanent kind of love. To my CM ladies, next party, we have to make these. I wish you all could have some with us !!!!!!

Christmas Menu

 

Beer Soup

Dried Fruit Compote

I am making mine with a comb of pears and Italian plums I dried myself. Also figs and sour cherries.

Red Cabbage and Apples

Mustard Roasted Pork Loin 

Egg-nog Creme Brulee

My game plan :

Several days ahead make creme brulee and compote.

Day before cut up veggies, steam carrots al-dente, make croutons.

Christmas morning prep meat.

Hour before pull out compote to come to room temp, make soup and cook spazel and then quickly fry in browned butter. Carrots saute for a few minutes in a dab of butter and caraway seeds.

While meats is cooked and resting make cabbage, pull out creme brulee to come to room temp.

Just before eating creme brulee do sugar top. 

Pumpkin Tiramisu

 

Well we had a lovely and yummy Thanksgiving. I have to say it all went smooth, no drama (which is always welcomed). Everything was sooo delicious. My sisters marsela wild mushroom soup was perfection. The farro stuffing was a lot like a wild rice stuffing and it is long gone. I really loved Aubern'es chocolate pecan pie. I do not like turkey, so I could not say a lot about it. But it was very moist. My favorite dish of all was my mothers Caesar salad with polenta croutons. I could have ate all of it. I especially loved the dressing, it is very lemony and garlic. We did not fry the croutons but baked them, and they were perfect.

Baked Polenta Crouton

Pre-heat oven 450

Cube polenta and coat each cube in olive oil. Set on cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, till bottom is crisped. Let croutons cool 20 minutes before removing from cookie sheet. You could makes these a couple of hours before. I will be making this salad a lot. 

The pumpkin tiramasiu was wonderful. I keep the coffee a bit light because I still wanted to pumpkin to come through. Now you should make this dish with marscapone and heavy cream, but with my budget I had to chose between either marscapone or the amarettini cookies. So this is what I did. I put my money into the cookies and made cream fraiche instead and whipped it into cream cheese. Both marscapone and cream fraiche have a tang to them. So I was able to get a similar flavor. But if I was making this and had the money I would use the marscapone instead. The lovely thing is the cream fraiche is made a day or two before. Feel free to e-mail me if I am not making sense. Also thank you Janet for the acorns, they were perfect with my brown and red table xoxoxox

                                        

Pumpkin Tiramisu

1 1/2 cup cream fraiche
3/4 cup sugar
1 8-ounce cream cheese, a room temperature
2 cups puree pumpkin
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tap. vanilla
1 package of 24 ladyfingers
1/4 cup rum
1/4 cup water
1 tsp espresso powder
crushed amarettini cookies

In a mixer cream, cream cheese and sugar together. Add pumpkin, spices, salt, vanilla and beat just until is smooth. Put in a large bowl and wash and clean mixing. Whip cream fresh, till firm peeks. Then gently fold cream fresh into pumpkin mixture.

Bring water to a boil and add, rum and espresso powder. Dip each ladyfinger in rum mixture and fill first layer if dish. Then spread half of pumpkin mixture, then cover with amarettini cookies.
Repeat with second layer ladyfingers, spread rest of pumpkin mixture and cover top with cookies. Wrap tightly in plastic, then foil. Chill overnight.

Thanksgiving Menu

This year it will just be my family, my mother and sister. Since my mom and sis are always up for something different, I thought we would do an Italian Thanksgiving.  Just so you know, every year we do something different, my family is use to it. I really do not have recipes to share with you because I am making it all up as I go along. But if you have questions feel free to e-mail me. My hubby is being good about it all (he is use to me ) but his one request, besides turkey, was mashed potatoes and gravy. I will let you know how the meal went. I would love to hear what others are cooking !!!

PS. can you see my Thanksgiving menu from last year 

Jonny Appleseed Day

Thanks to Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight I was reminded of Johnny Appleseed's birthday (the 26th, this Wednesday). We decided to make an impromptu day of it. We had so much fun. We read Johny Appleseed by Will Moses and looked at his Great-Grandmothers art work. We had an apple tea. We did soft-pastel drawings of apples and a fun craft. Paper quilts called Apple Core. We just used the template below and cut out papers and glued them till we filled a page. I printed up small version using wallet size on my printer. For a dinner we cooked baked apples and apple sausages with caramelized onions.

I wanted to say that my quilt represented Grandma Moses (right), Aubern'es her favorite colors (middle) and Chloe's is half her girl side and half her tomboy side (and her inner-struggle ;-) left). I think this may become a tradition. This is the type of day I homeschool for !!!!!

Baked Stuffed Apples

4 apple's cored

1/4 cup softened butter, 1/2 stick

1/3 cup rapadura sugar (it has a molasses flavor) or brown sugar

5 dried figs, cut into small cubes

1/8 cup raisin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 cup toasted, chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon and ground ginger

Pre-heat oven 350%

In a bowl mash together everything but the apples. Fill the core of each apple with butter mixture. If extra make a mound on top of apple. Drizzle each apple with a bit of maple syrup and 1/8 cup of water. The water will help the sugars not burn.

Bake uncovered 30 minutes or till apples are tender. 

                                             

Lavender Tea

Well I had the pleasure of meeting La-Te-Dah of Gracious Hospitality. She was on a trip with her dear friend Bonnie and was coming through my neck of the woods. Now anyone who reads Gracious Hospitality know two of La-Te-Dah's passions are tea and lavender. Which happen to be two of mine, so I had to give her a lavender tea. It is so fun meeting a fellow blogger. But one always wonders, will they be like I think they are. Well La-Te-Dah was as sweet and generous and kind as I thought. We immediately hit it off and would have probably talked till late in the night, if we could have. She is one of those bubble people who immediately makes you feel accepted and comfortable. She has a large heart and smile to go with it. The girls and I had soo much fun getting to know her and Bonnie. They both homeschooled, so it was also so nice to meet fellow HSers. Thank you La-Te-Dah for taking time out of your very busy trip and come to my house for lavender tea.

I served La-Te-Dah and Bonnie lavender/rosemary tea, biscuits with lavender honey, lavender chocolate mousse and espresso hazelnut cookies. I have been meaning to create a lavender chocolate mousse and was soo glad to have the tea as a perfect opportunity to try it.

This is my same easy 60 second chocolate mousse, just tweaked, again. Essentially you are infusing the cream with lavender and then adding that to chocolate mousse. You could do this with other herbs and spices by the way. 

                                       

Lavender Chocolate Mousse

makes 5 small ramekins

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup bittersweet chopped chocolate or chips

1 egg

dash of salt

1 TBL. sugar

5 stalks of fresh or dried lavender or 2 TBL. lavender buds or cheaters method *

(make sure your lavender has not been sprayed with pesticides)

In a sauce pan add heavy cream and fold lavender stalks to fit in pan. Push lavender down in heavy cream. Bring cream to just boiling and pull off heat. Let sit an half an hour and strain out lavender.

In a blender add chocolate, egg, salt and sugar.

Heat cream again in sauce pan again till just hot.

Quickly pour cream over chocolate and blend one minutes on high. Remember to put cover on blender, so you do not get covered in hot cream.

Pour into small containers and fridge 6 hours. Best served if you pull out of fridge for a good 1/2 hour to let soften a bit and will help bring out the lavender flavor.

* Cheaters method: if you do not have dried or fresh lavender, lavender oil will work. You have to make sure you are using food grade lavender oil. You will only need 3-4 drops. That oil is potent. At lest add a drop or two, then taste. You can always add more but never take out.

Joie De Vivre

   

"When I am in Flaujac, it is usually summer and I try to eat breakfast on the stone porch outside our kitchen. As the roster crows from across the fields, I prepare a fragrant, crunchy baguette with butter from the local dairyman. I slather the baguette in jam made from last month's crop of strawberries. Some days I prefer to try some local honey, fresh from the honey comb and purchased last Saturday from my local farmers market, or le marche. In fact, when eating this breakfast, I know that everything is grown or made locally.

  From the porch, I can see across the nearby fields and smell the wildflowers that the bees visit for nectar. The honey that I am eating comes from those flowers and smells like those flowers. I can also see the fields of wheat being harvested by my neighboring farmer and I know that, eventually, this grain will become the bread that my family enjoys each morning."

Now doesn't that sound like how our breakfast should always be. This is from the Joie De Vivre by Robert Arbor. I love this book and reread it from time to time when I need inspiration on making the most of the life I have. It is much more then a cookbook or a book about the way the french live. It is a book about how to stop and smell the roses, how to make the most of what you have, about how to really be in the moment, all in a french way.

The reason I pulled out the book is I needed breakfast motivation. I love to eat breakfast but HATE to cook it. Breakfast is such an important meal and I tend to skip it. So I wanted some motivation and found it, in the idea of breakfast brushette. I love the idea of this and have been able to make it work for me, as you can see with my walnut bread, honey Greek yogurt, blueberry brushette and tea (I do not drink coffee, if I did, do you know how crazy and perfectionist about it I would become :)

So here is my plan because I do have my budget to consider. I am going to Costco and get the La Brea demie-baguettes. There is 6 of them and I will cut them in half and freeze them. So I will always have yummy bread on hand. Then I got a few bits and bobs. Some slice prosciutto, fresh fruit, cheese, ect. Below I listed a few sweet and savory idea. Some from Joie De Vivre and some of my own. But really the sky it the limit, here. I think being pre-pared it what is important. Making sure you have the bread and a few items and then let your creativity flow.

One last thing, make your breakfast a thing to remember, a special moment. Pick a lovely spot in your home, make sure it is picked up, pull out a special piece of china and tea cup. Use a pretty cloth napkin, maybe some lovely music in the background. These really are small things but it will start your day on the right foot and make you breakfast taste better. If you have children I think this sends two important messages. Eating is something to be savored and appreciated and so is momma. We do need to teach our children this !!!

                                                                                                                           

Breakfast Brushette

Sweet:

almond butter, peach slices drizzled with honey

ricotta, berries drizzled with honey

yogurt (the Greek honey yogurt is perfect for this) with fresh plum slices

butter sprinkled with coco-powder  and sugar

nuttella with sliced bananas

orange marmalade and a pice of bittersweet chocolate

Savory:

olive oil, mozzarella and salami

ham and swiss cheese

olive tapenade and goat cheese

sliced avocado and mushrooms

melon or fresh figs and prosciutto

scrambled eggs, tomatoes and pesto

gilled veggies and fontina cheese

                                           

Happy 4th

Happy 4th of July and for those not living in the states, well just happy day. It is sunny here and actually warm. It finally feels like summer !!!! Although warm in western Washington is like 74 degrees. Sadly we are all sick with summer colds, yuck. So there is not much celebrating around here. We can hear the fireworks just over the trees but the trees are too tall for us to see them. Across the water is the Indian reservation, that has been shooting fireworks off every night for like 2 weeks. If we sit on my bed just right, we can see a few ;-)

With our summer colds, only cold things sound good on our throat's. So lots of fruit-pops, smoothies, ices, ect. I make this frozen strawberry treat, that we all love. Plus it is another recipe that uses the rose syrup (one more reason to make it). I hope everyone has a lovely day full of watermelon, potato salad, pie and ice cream. Enjoy it for us xoxoxox

Frozen Rosey Treat

This is basically a very thick stawberry buttermilk smoothie, frozen in a cup. If you have some smoothie you love to make, you can do the same thing.

1 cup frozen or fresh strawberries

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup rose syrup or honey

milk

ginger anna's thin cookies

In a blender add everything but milk. Then add just enough milk that looks like it will help mixture to blend, but try to keep the smoothie on the thick side. Blend till smooth. In a small bowl or cup set one anna's cookie in the bottom, fill with strawberry mixture and top with anna cookie. Set in freezer, uncovered about 3-4 hours or till frozen. If you are not going to eat it right away, then cover dish with foil, to keep fresh.

Mango Margarita

      

At the risk of sounding like a lush, I am posting another cocktail recipe (at the request of a friend). One of the things I did on my break was have a birthday party for my dear friend Kristin. She is always saying she wishes she could spend time on a deserted beach drinking my margaritas. Unfortunately we did not have a hunky margarita boy, our butler had to do. Look at these pictures of the amazing doll Angie's needle-felted for Kristin. I am always blown away at Angie's dolls. I have to say it was a pretty amazing night, for an amazing woman. We love you Kristin xoxox

 

Mango margarita

1 ripe mango, cubed and squeeze juice from pit

1/2 can mango nectar

1 lime

1/2 cup tequila

1 cup Margarita mix 

ice

In a blender add mango, juice of 1/2 a lime, mango nectar, tequila, mix and ice. Blend and taste to see if you need more of lime or mango nectar.  Makes one pitcher.

To be honest I just throw everything in the blender and never measure. But I had to give you something to work with, so feel free to play with the amounts to your liking.

Rosey Cosmopolitan

 

I use rose syrup a lot. I like to use it drizzled over fresh fruit, in custard, on pancakes with fresh berries, in iced tea. T-party's Vintage Rose tea has roses in it and it would be lovely with the syrup. A favorite I make is a strawberries buttermilk smoothie with the rose syrup, yumm. But what I mostly use my syrup for is a rosy cocktail. I will be honest, I just eyeball the amounts (but I had to give you something to work with). So feel free to play with what you like. This rosey cosmopolitan is very refreshing on a hot day and it is pink !!!!!

Rosey Cosmopolitan

1 oz. vodka (although I only use 1/2 oz I am a wimp)

2 oz. unsweetened pink grapefruit juice

1 TBL. rose syrup

ice

Fill a cocktail shaker (so it will strain off the ice) half way with ice. Add vodka, juice and rose syrup. Shake well, pour in glass and garnish with a lovely rose !!!

PS. I forgot to say in the rose syrup recipe, to keep syrup refrigerated, unless you can it.     

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                   

Rose Syrup

 

Here is my recipe for yummy rose syrup. I will talk in my next post of ways to use it and my rosey cocktail. About what roses to use, first of course know where your roses came from and do not use any sprayed with pesticides. Second use very fragrant roses. If they do not have much smell they will not make much of a fragrant syrup. I have a friend who has a lot of old moss roses, the kind with zillions of petals. Thank you Angie. I just pull all the petals off the stem and put those in a bowl.

Tip: Pick your roses in the morning before the sun hits them and they will be more fragrant.

A mistake I made this year was I used evaporated cane sugar. Not thinking, it is light brown and it changed the color of my syrup. The syrup usually has a slight brown color but this was really brown. I always add a bit of pink food gel to the syrup for color. But my girls had put the wrong lid on the wrong color. So my syrup this year is a deep purple brown :-{ 

Tip: Use white sugar and check your food gel coloring in water before using 

What you are doing is basically making rose water and turning that water into a simple syrup. Which you can, can by the way. Feel free to half this amount or double. I made the rose water one day, strained it,  put it into the fridge and the next day made the syrup and canned it.

Tip: if short on time make water one day and syrup the next

Make sure you quickly cover your rose water as soon as you pour the water over the roses and use a tight fitting lid so the fragrant oils that first come off the roses do not get lost. Also when you heat the rose water and sugar do not boil away, so again you do not loose the oils.

Tip: you might want to use saran-wrap and a lid for a tighter seal

Lastly if your rose syrup is not very fragrant (that happens sometimes) you can cheat two ways : 1 add some store bought rose water or 2 add food-grade rose oil.

Tip: Go very light on both store bought rose water and food grade rose oil. You can add but never take away. Also it will taste more rosey once cooled.

                                     

Rose Syrup

makes 12 cups

6 packed cups of rose petals

12 cups water

6 cups white sugar

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1. In large bowls add rose petals, have a large heavy platter that fits over the bowl snugly.

2. Bring to a boil 12 cups of water and pour over rose petals and quickly cover with platter.

3. Set aside till water cools.

4. Stain water and discard petals.

5. Mix water and sugar in a  large pot and bring to boil till sugar is dissolved. But do not boil, only heat water enough to dissolve sugar.

6. If the color is not to your liking, you can adjust it. Keep refrigerated. Will last about 3 months in fridge. 

PS: I am SO excited about the Beatrix Potter movie coming out Tuesday. I never got to see it in the theater. I am all ready, I will head to costco Tuesday morning, I have scones in the freezer and clotted cream in the  fridge. You know what I am doing Tuesday afternoon. Also don't you love my rosey lady above !!!!!

Violet Spritzer

         

Violet Spritzer

1 TBL. Violet Syrup

1/2 glass dry Gewurztraminer , I love Navarro gewurztraminer

1/2 glass bubble water

This is a wine spritzer with the violet syrup added. I choose a dry Gewurztraminer because of it fruity and floral character. I think it would go well with the violets. I posted a half wine, half bubble water ratio. But I have learned working at a winery that everyone taste things differently, so you need to play with the amounts to find what suits you. Also any fruity (which is different from sweet) white wine would work.

I sadly did not have any more violets to garnish my drink, so I use a pansy. But a floating sugared violet would be the perfect garnish. La-Tea-Da has the most interesting recipe for sugared flowers that does not use egg whites. Check it out.

Thank you La-Tea-Da and thank you again Joanne for sharing with all of us. I will be posting in a couple of weeks a rose syrup recipe and my all time favorite summer cocktail. So stay tuned !!

Violet Syrup

                                                      

    

Joanne was kind enough for letting me share her recipe for violet syrup with you ladies. She was inspired by Lisa who gave her a jar last year. Thank you Lisa. Joanne says it is yummy on pancakes. I have a cocktail recipe I will be posting in a couple of days, using the violet syrup.

Violet Syrup

Gather the violets

Rinse well

Pack in glass jar then pour boiling water over them to cover

Let sit for 24 hours

Drain into pot using cheese cloth/sieve, squeezing out the liquid

Cook on stove,adding 6 cups of sugar , some lemon juice and bring to a hard boil

Pour into jars and seal

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Here is another violet syrup recipe and and violet tea Joanne shared. Thank you Joanne for being so gracious to share with us and to inspire us.

xoxoxoo

Easter Menu

Well I pulled together our Easter menu. We will have a brunch and my sister and mother will also be making some dishes. But this is what I am making. This is a twist of a Susan Branch recipe and here is what you do. The day before make creamed spinach and quick hollandaise. The next day you gently warm them. On your plate you set a layer of spinach, then you set a artichoke bottom on the spinach. The artichoke is cup shape and you fill it with scrambled or poached egg. Then set a piece of smoked salmon on the eggs and pour hollandaise sauce over the top. Garnish with chopped chives or fresh parsley.

We will also have spiral cut ham with orange marmalade glaze. I like to drizzle the ham with chunky orange marmalade, because the orange candies in the oven and is soo yummy with the ham.

I will also make Mixed greens salad.

The girls will make stuffed eggs.

For dessert I will make Strawberry Trifles with Riesling Syrup the day before. Yummm.

Creative Love 2

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Dee Ann                                            Mary

? this card had no signature or       Kelli

return address    

Susan                                           Angie

Leigh Ann                                     Lisa 

Thank you, you ladies are the best xoxoxx

PS. To answer a few questions about the violet sugar.

1. It is violet sugar, not sugared violets. They are two very different things. With violet sugar you use the sugar. Eventually the violets dry up and you throw them away. With sugared (or candied) violets, they are done with a totally different process and you can eat the candied violets.

2. How to use them. We are BIG tea drinkers and love to use the sugar in tea. Especially a delicate tea. Also it is good sprinkled on fresh fruit, on sugar cookies or on scones. Lastly in making a chocolate sauce the violet sugar add a flowery touch. 

I am creating a cookie recipe for the sugar. I will post it tomarrow evening.

3. You just mix violets with sugar and should be ready to use after 2 weeks. But will keep for a year or more.

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