Palais Raisin

Today being National Raisin Day, I thought I would provide you with a delicious French recipe for this piped cookie. 

More Scary Storms!

There are more very frightening and scary storms and I hope they will bypass us. Prayers are welcome!

Only Two More Days

On Friday morning there will be a long-awaited wedding held here, at Westminster Abbey Cathedral. Kate Middleton will be made the Royal Princess Bride of Prince William. Besides the obvious clamor of well-wishers, there will be high fashion, hats everywhere, and the glamour of two popular, handsome, and charismatic young people pledging their love and commitment to each other.

Romance is in the air, and I want to remind you to set your DVR to capture their special day. Beginning at 4 AM; and then builds from there. I wonder how many of us will be awake to watch Princess Diana’s son marry the girl of his dreams. I am hopeful of a happy ending.

Monday or Sugar Blues

Klöntalersee, in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland

It isn’t just because it’s Monday, or that I had to get up extra early to continue my yearly physical appointments. I say yearly because I did go two years ago. About three weeks ago I was bombarded by phone calls from my doctor’s nurse. She insisted I come in and have blood drawn, vitals taken and let the doctor tell me if I was healthy, as she could not just take my word for it. I had known this was coming. I do (so) dislike being poked and prodded, stuck with the needle and so forth.

I did go and as it turns out I have been eating a few too many of my French concoctions, been using too much pasta in my meals (I love pasta!), been way too heavy-handed with the butter, cream, eggs, and rich foods. Apparently, I’d been overdosing on the carbonated colas, too. My funny doctor placed me on a healthier regimen of fruits, vegetables, hardly any pasta (there’s nary a noodle in sight … being all locked away in the pantry), and only lean white meat. Does this mean no chicken wings?

Easter Long Ago

We would drive over the quiet country lanes in our family car. We had a beautiful new Ford station wagon, recently purchased by my Mother and Father. The vehicle could fit our entire family of seven very comfortably. We all sat with the windows down and the afternoon poured into the car’s interior. The April sunshine was warm and the sky had puffs of gigantic white clouds, which drifted seamlessly overhead. It was a perfect day to take his family for a drive, and Daddy looked happy and relaxed steering us toward a favorite place. On the Isle of Staten, or as most people know it, Staten Island, within its seven miles of length lies some of the prettiest landscape in New York. Private parks and a few mansions are scattered across the island, and we would admire them as the automobile drove slowly by.

We would attend  the church most Saturday afternoons and go to confession. Afterward, we would drive around and enjoy the time together. Our parents converted to the Catholic faith shortly after my eldest sister was born. I believe they were raised Methodist and Presbyterian, and found a better fit in their adopted faith. We children were raised Catholic and we loved taking part in the observances and traditions. We embraced it. So, when Mother began singing some Lenten hymns, we would all join in. As we drove by, people would stop and listen

Make Paska Bread

Just wrote a post about this Easter Bread. Click for the recipe and make it for your family and friends.

Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday, today, is the day that Christians around the world commemorate The Last Supper (the Seder Passover meal), which Jesus and His apostles shared. During this meal, Jesus instituted the priesthood (represented by His humble anointing and washing of the feet of His disciples). Jesus used bread and wine as symbols of His body and blood, offered in the Holy Eucharist. Later that night, came His agony in the garden and finally, the ultimate betrayal of Our Lord. It is a day observed by millions and has a deep personal meaning for all who share in this celebration.

As Catholics, we celebrate the Mass, because it is the one thing Jesus gave to us to do.

Read More … 

Lovely Fresh Fruit

Just rinse, pat dry and slice. It’s a tiny banquet of flavor that is simple, elegant and perfect for your waistline. Fruits provide healthy benefits for the skin and give you energy, too. Even without any dressing the combination of strawberry, banana and orange was truly balanced.

Last night we added fresh fruit to our salad. For the dressing we drizzled red wine vinegar, olive oil and a dash of salt and ground pepper. I did sprinkle a little shredded mozzarella cheese on top and it was just right.

Seder Tonight

Sundown this evening marks the beginning of a very important meal. Seder is a dinner prepared and shared by families of the Jewish faith the world over. This meal is the traditional way to begin their week-long observance of Passover. It is a meal celebrated, yet ritualistically lived again, in honor of their ancestors from the Old Testament. Those Hebrews who were held in the harsh and cruel bonds of slavery. They made their Exodus from Egypt and wandered forty years in the desert, to reach the Promised Land. But they were free people!

Read More …

You Don’t Have To Be In Kansas Anymore

You can be anywhere in the world for this type of weather. It used to be such an isolated occurrence. Tornados are angry clouds combined with colliding temperatures, and high winds. I admit to being a glutton for punishment, and I have a strange fascination with these lethal funnels. I have watched the movie Twister many times, and still quake within while Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton chased, and then were chased by these giants. It was all right as long as it was just a movie and I was home safe shaking under the quilt.

Over the weekend twisters touched down wreaking havoc and taking lives. I am so sad for those families whose loved ones were torn away from them. It must have been a horrid, frightening, and helpless way to die. Those storms threatened us for hours, even days beforehand, once we had heard what they did out in the central American states.  

Making My Own Footprints

Today I begin year number five as a Blogger. On April 11, 2007, I was searching the Internet for ways to earn a living from home. After years of employment in the Credit, Accounting and Administrative fields, and also being self-employed in the Entertainment Industry, I decided to follow a dream and attend French Culinary School, for Pastry Arts. I did and then worked in a large fast-paced pastry kitchen, at a major hotel, in Washington, DC. By the time I approached the two-year mark at the hotel, I was exhausted after working back-to-back shifts, daily heavy lifting and proving to myself that I could “hang” do it. I decided to find other ways to put my culinary degree, work background and performance abilities to work for me. I wanted to be the one who decided how much and when. I was again to be the master of my destiny.

I searched the web and found that I could do surveys for free gifts. Let me say here that this is a particular thorn in my side, when I think about how much money it cost me to do these surveys and how much I had to pay out, in order to qualify. I shan’t do that again. But had I not experienced this, I might not have found blogging. “What in the world is a blog?” I asked out loud to no one in particular. I found that I could set up a blog and write about whatever I wanted, and I could also make money doing it. Let’s just say that you must crawl before you walk.   

Speciality Cakes

On the left side (middle) we have a marjolaine and to the right side a roulade. the marjolaine is composed of wafers of … (I’ll write about it tomorrow) Ha!  Directly in the middle are baba savarins, then an assortment of cookies, macaroons, tartlets, mini Paris Brest, choux buns filled with pastry cream, and in the back-left, a frangipane tart. Down in the very center are coco-covered chocolate almonds. In the very back is a sugar showpiece, by World Renowned Pastry Chef Anil Rohira.

This is a is a roulade decorated to look like a log. It is called a Busche de Noel. Speciality Cakes are unique and very tempting. One of my favorites is called Frasier (not to be confused with the sit com). It looks complex from the outside, but one you understand the construction, it seems like an assembly even a good home baker could try.

* Remember the acetate liner is measured, cut and fitted inside the cake mold.

Photograph one:

Reveals the inside of the Frazier, just before the chilbouste cream is piped in. On the bottom is a round layer of rum syrup-soaked vanilla genoise cake. Large fresh strawberries have been lined up (middles pressed up against the sides of the acetate-lined cake mold) facing outward. Whole strawberries are positioned inside.

Photograph two:

Shows Chef Mark (Pastry Instructor @ L’Academie de Cuisine) has already piped Chilbouste Cream in between the strawberries, and then he uses a mini spatula to smooth the cream evenly. Another rum syrup-soaked vanilla genoise cake round is placed gently on top. This little masterpiece is moist and full of loveliness.

Photograph three:

After the cake round goes on, Marzipan is colored light green, rolled out pretty thinly and cut to fit over the top. The name Frasier is written by fine piping dark writing chocolate on top. One strawberry is sliced part way through and fanned out, then placed on top. The acetate is removed from the cake and Voila!

Here is the recipe for chocolate or vanilla genoise cake. This is fragile batter, so treat it with respect.

Here is the recipe for    

Baked Chicken

It doesn’t take much to turn chicken into something more. Depending upon which seasoning you use,

whether you bake or fry or saute, and if you use a sauce or gravy, chicken is a versatile meat.

3-6 chicken breasts rinsed and patted dry

1 can cream of mushroom soup

15 uncooked mushroom slices

1/3 cup white wine

1/4 cup water

salt & pepper to taste

3/4 tsp paprika

1 Tbsp Herbs de Provence crushed and sprinkled on top