Mastering the Art of French Cooking

On Saturday the Dr and I went to see Julie and Julia. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was awesome and I left the theatre feeling so inspired that I went out the very next day and found a hardcover edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. First up is Julia's famous Boeuf Bourguignon!

Friday Splurge

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Available in the following unique flavours:

Peanut Butter Salted Caramel - Dark Chocolate Bacon - Dulche de Leche - Raspberry Cassis -White Chocolate Pistachio - Passion Fruit - White Chocolate Blueberry Swirl - White Chocolate Hazelnut - Raspberry Passion - Peanut Butter and Jam - Banana Caramel - White Chocolate Creme Brulee - Honey & Rhubarb - Vanilla Carrot Cake - White Chocolate Candy Cane - Milk Chocolate Hazelnut - Egg Nog - Cranberry Orange - Dark Chocolate Grand Marnier

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Grilled Pizza

Pizza is one of our staple meals during the winter months. Now that it’s warmer outside, we prefer to cook outdoors on the BBQ so our pizza consumption has slowed. According to craft lovely, we can still have our homemade pizza while satisfying our desire to cook outdoors! I’ve put the Dr on the case and will report back on our results.

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Scone-tastic

Since moving into our new home last December, the Dr and I have been buying scones at our little neighbourhood bakery. Our habit was getting to be quite expensive so last weekend I bought a bag of white chocolate chips and decided to try and make some of my own.

These little gems are perfectly flaky and full of white-chocolate and cranberry goodness. If you are fan of scones, or just want to try something new, here's the recipe -

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips or pieces
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons half-and-half or light cream

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• 2. Mix together butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
• 3. Add cranberries, white chocolate chips, beaten egg and cream. Mix until dough forms.
• 4. Knead dough for 2 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
• 5. Roll into a log (desired thickness) and cut 8 rounds with a sharp knife
• 6. Transfer the rounds to gently oiled (cooking spray works best) baking sheet
• 7. Bake 14-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe makes 8 scones - 271 calories, 13g fat, and 1g fibre each.

CupCakeCamp

What is better than enjoying one cupcake? How about spending an entire afternoon at CupCakeCamp (US) and CupCakeCamp (CDN)! CupcakeCamp was originally founded in San Francisco as an event for cupcake lovers to unite and share recipes, bake, judge and eat cupcakes {it has since spread across the country, and to several Canadian cities.} All proceeds from the event are donated to charity so you can walk away feeling good about yourself for indulging in all the cupcake deliciousness!

You do not have to bring a cupcake to taste a cupcake, you just register as a cupcake baker/judge/taster or pay a small admission at the door and sample as you go.

Stay tuned for updates from CupCakeCamp v 2.0. Watch for this event in a city or town near you, or click here to organize your own

Psychic Psalad - The art of the Jello Mould

As Easter quickly approaches I remember the turkey dinners we used to have with my grandparents. My grandmother made the most delicious green Jello mould; if memory serves me correctly, the main ingredients were Jello pistachio pudding, cool whip, nuts, marshmallows, and pineapple. After she passed away her recipes were scattered amongst my family. I have since inherited the Tupperware mould, but nobody seems to remember what happened to the recipe that went with it. Since I’m cooking the bird this Easter, I just might surprise everyone with this recipe from Housewives Tarot. It’s not grandma’s, but it’s worth a shot. Does anyone have a family Jello mould recipe they wouldn’t mind sharing?

Recipe via: Housewives Tarot

Maxim - Purveyor of Bacon Porn

Knowing how much I love bacon, the Dr just presented me with this page, carefully removed from his December 2008 edition of Maxim Magazine. Have I mentioned how much I love this man?!

I absolutely, without a doubt, must immediately consume the January, June, July, August, October and November Bacon Porn offerings. As soon as Mother Nature grants my wish for warmth and sunlight, we will be gathering our friends around a table and christening our brand new BBQ with bacon-wrapped weiners and homemade mac & cheese.

Oh heavens, I ♥ bacon
Photo source: Maxim

Delicious Banana Goodness

We love bananas! Over the last couple weeks I've been testing out different banana loaf/bread recipes and I think I've finally found the winner over at Recipe Girl.

Photo source - Recipe Girl

The secret is in the melted butter and cinnamon. Other recipes I've tried in the past have been dry and overly dense but this version is very light and creamy, and has a surprise cinnamon kick.

Click here for Recipe Girls's Cinnamon Chip Loaf

For my version, I slightly modified the Cinnamon Chip loaf to suit the ingredients I had on hand (4 large bananas, chocolate chips instead of cinnamon chips, and included 1/4 cup coconut and a handful of walnuts). Depending on your preference, I suggest limiting the number of chocolate chips to 1/4 - 1/2 cup (chocolate easily overpowers the delicious banana-y goodness). Also, my version made 2 medium-size loafs and only required 30-40 minutes of baking time.

People, I think we have ourselves a winner! The Dr claims it is the best banana bread he has ever had and the coconut is a fantastic addition. Chocolate & Coco-nutty Banana Loaf -

4 large ripe bananas - mashed completely

1/4 cup melted warm butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar - packed firm

1 large egg- beaten

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

-Mash bananas in large bowl. Add butter, sugars, egg and vanilla.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup coconut

Walnut pieces - to taste

Semi-sweet chocolate chips - to taste

- In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix until flour is incorporated. Stir in coconut, nuts and chocolate chips.
-Pour batter into greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes - or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely and slice.

Thanks for the inspiration Recipe Girl! I can't wait until I can get my hands on a bag of cinnamon chips so I can try the authentic version.

When life gives you lemons, make curd!

Ever since I spied this jar of deliciousness over at poppytalk, I haven't been able to curb my craving for delicious homemade lemon curd.


photo credit - poppytalk   photo source - Jme Collection Shop

I'm wanting to try the Meyer Lemon Curd recipe from Recipe Girl. Just look at how delicious it looks -

photo credit - The Recipe Girl

Sweet Treats - The Art of French Macaroons

One famous macaroon from Ladurée in Paris and I was hooked. My favorite flavour is pistachio, followed closely by salted butter caramel. It's been two years since my trip to Paris and I have a serious craving for an authentic french macaroon. I sourced one local bakery but they don't appear to have them on a regular basis. Another bakery will make them only as a special order in batches of 3 dozen. This only leaves me one alternative - I'm going to have to learn to make them myself!



Aran at Cannelle et Vanille posted this picture and her recipe here and Emily of Inside A Black Apple fame seems to have perfected the art of the macaroon (posted here) so maybe, just maybe, there is hope for me yet...


photo source - Cannelle et Vanille & Inside A Black Apple