Spring Lamb

Spring and Easter are upon us and with it brings the perfect occasion for lamb! I love serving lamb in all forms; burgers, rack, chops but for Easter a boneless leg roast is perfect (and you might even have leftovers for a feta and lamb salad the next day).

My favorite way to serve a boneless lamb roast is actually my adaptation of a recipe I found on Food & Wine online for Vadouvan-Spiced Leg of Lamb.

Here is my version:

Clementine Vadouvan-Spiced Leg of Lamb

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter
3 tablespoons vadouvan or curry powder
2 tablespoons coarsely grated Clementine zest (so floral and fresh!)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons salt...citrus if you have it...I used Salt Farm's Lemon Pomegranate
1 tablespoon crushed pink peppercorns
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
One 4-5 lb boneless leg of lamb

Directions:
In a saucepan, combine the butter, vadouvan, zest, rosemary, mint, salt, pink peppercorns and black pepper. Cook over moderate heat until the butter is melted; let cool.
Rub the curry butter all over the lamb. Set the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan and let stand for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450°. Roast the lamb for 20 minutes at this temperature and then lower it to 325°. Roast the lamb for about 25-30 minutes per pound for medium rare basting a couple of times. Look for the instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part to register 130° for medium-rare meat. Transfer the lamb to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Pour the pan juices into a small saucepan and skim off the fat. Set the roasting pan over moderately high heat. When the drippings sizzle, add the water and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits. Add the deglazed drippings to the pan juices and keep hot. Carve the lamb into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve with the curried jus.

As a suggestion for a festive side why not roast the lamb over artichokes carrots and sweet potatoes too!?

What wine should you pair with this? Here are some classic and some fun suggestions:

Classic:
For special holidays and occasions this lamb roast and a bottle of France's Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge are perfection. Of course in the spirit of the season and a newly named Pope a wine from the "New House of the Pope" is perfect!

Prefer domestic? Try a Central Coast Syrah or Grenache... Tablas Creek's Espirit de Beaucastel from Paso Robles for example.

Fun:
When I say fun I also mean a little out of the normal thought process for wine pairing. My recent "fun" pairing for this roast was a bottle of white wine, a Viognier from Condrieu in France. The citrus notes from the curry butter danced magically with the orange blossom and dried apricot notes in the wine.

My domestic suggestion would be Darioush's Viognier from Napa Valley.  This wine would satisfy a red wine drinker and could hold up to the gaminess of the lamb.

Happy Easter and Slainte!




 

Vivaciously Vegan ...

Last weekend I was invited to my dear friend Colleen's (CEO /Founder/President of GELA ) house for a dinner to celebrate her father and talented photographer Victor Rugg, being in town. The primary focus of the dinner was to serve vegan and gluten free dishes. She knows me well and knew I would insist on bringing something so she threw me a curve ball and requested a dessert that was both vegan and gluten free.

I do try to eat healthy and yes, at one time in my life I was a vegetarian but I was skeptical that I could make a tasty dessert both vegan and gluten free. I begin my research, as suspected, Sprouts Market made finding my ingredients easy and I got to work. If it were to be gluten free I had to decide what my "flour" would be. I happened to have chestnut flour already at home but almond flour would also work just as well. To make it vegan/replace the eggs I used none other than Vegenaise in the cupcake batter.

The frosting was my next challenge...a vanilla citrus butter cream without butter!? A company called Earth Balance makes vegan shortening sticks and it surprisingly whipped up quite nicely with the confectionery sugar. I did find I added more almond milk than I would add to a normal butter cream. But, at the end of the day they looked as I wanted them to.

Now to taste...they appeared to please and satiate the dinner attendees. Surprised am I but pleasantly. Since I have had numerous requests for the recipe so with great pleasure here it is. Enjoy!

Bridget's Vegan Vanilla Citrus Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Soaking liquid

¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla bean paste (found on Amazon)

Cupcakes
2 cups chestnut flour (Gave the cupcakes a lovely nutty and gingery taste)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt (I used Salt Farm's Lemon Pomegranate salt)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
½ cup Vegenaise
1 tbsp Clementine zest
1 tbsp Clementine juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla bean paste

Frosting
½ cup Earth Balance dairy free butter substitute
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla bean paste
1 tbsp Clementine zest
Pinch of sea salt or Salt Farm's Lemon Pomegranate salt
Up to ¼ cup almond milk (only use as needed to smooth out and thin frosting)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Insert paper liners into 12 standard muffin cups.
Prepare the soaking liquid by combining the ¼ cup sugar with the 3 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until the sugar has melted and continue to boil for 1 minute or until it thickens slightly. Let cool while preparing the cupcakes.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, water, Vegenaise and 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste until fully combined and no lumps from the Vegenaise. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups (it will be fairly liquid). Bake for 15 minutes or until firm to the touch, browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
Spoon the soaking liquid onto the center of each cupcake. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
Prepare the frosting while the cupcakes cool. In a mixing bowl, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the Earth Balance, powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste, clementine zest and salt. Mix, starting on low speed, to combine. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and then turn the mixer to medium and beat for about 60 seconds. Add the almond milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency – it should be thick, smooth and spreadable.
Frost the cooled cupcakes with the frosting and decorate as desired. I had candied kumquats on hand so I used those but even more clementine zest would be pretty!

The world according to Julia....

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients"
-Julia Child

After having watched Julie & Julia now for the second time I felt compelled to blog about the film, Julia and her recipes...all of which I adore!

Before my first viewing of the movie I found myself wondering; how would they weave Julia and Julie's stories together? How would Meryl perform as Julia? Would the film capture Julia's spirit? How would the food look?

My answers? The movie parallels the lives of these two leading ladies and their quest for happiness which leads them to the same place...cooking, wonderfully!

And Meryl?? As an actress myself I've grown up admiring her and once again she has absolutely blown me away with her performance. Although she has Julia's voice down what always impresses me the most are the little things...the sly glance, the sigh, or funny little gestures. Indeed Julia is alive in this film and captures her spirit!

Now...the food...warning!!! Do not, I repeat, do not go to this movie without immediate dinner plans afterward! Scene after scene is filled with heavenly dishes...chocolate mousse pie, butter, bruschetta, butter, duck, and did I mention...butter!? Not to mention you will be terribly parched from all the wine and martinis in every other scene! One of the main dishes the film focuses on is Julia's Boef Bourguignon. My humble suggestion is to plan a night of Julia...make the Boef the day before (it's always better after a day!) and plan to eat immediately, and with a glass of Burgundy after the film as I did. This is proof that simple, fresh ingredients can themselves make a masterpiece! I have yet to get the cookbook, shamefully. However, I did find the recipes from her book on her publisher's website:

(Be sure to follow the recipe for the mushrooms and onions as well!)

And in tribute to Julia...enjoy the film and "Bon Appetit!"

I scream, you scream...we all scream for aebleskivers!

Aebleskivers? Yes aebleskivers!

I first discovered these delicious morsels on a trip to Solvang, California a few years ago. Solvang is the Danish Capital of America and just so cute and charming! Many places in town serve them but my favorite is the Solvang Restaurant, which was featured in the movie "Sideways". You can order them in the restaurant and they also have a to go window outside where you can grab and go!

I'm sure at this point many of you reading this blog have questions like...but what are they? Where did they come from?

According to lore when the Vikings were roaming up and down the coasts of Europe and the waters of the Atlantic, one band of these Vikings had been particularly hard hit in battle, so, when they got back on their ship with their horn helmets and shields all dented and banged up, they decided to have one of their favorite dishes to help them regain their strength, pancakes!! Years and years ago they did not have s frying pans, so, they greased their shields and poured the pancake batter on them over the fire and aebleskivers were born!

Now you must be wondering...but what do they taste like?? They are a tasty breakfast confection, like a pancake ball often served with raspberry or lingonberry jam and powdered sugar. I love them because they also have a spicy taste to them of cardamon and mace. Besides for breakfast I think these would be fun to serve for a tea party or even a savory version could be made by adding herbs and cheese to the batter. The pan itself can be purchased in Solvang (where I grabbed mine) or Williams-Sonoma sells them also. My favorite batter mix is from the Solvang Restaurant but other recipes are on the web. The closest I've been to matching the Solvang recipe is below:

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• A pinch of ground cardamom
  
• 1/4 mace
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk
• About 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Preparation

1. In a bowl, mix flour with sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. In a small bowl, beat egg to blend with milk and 2 tablespoons butter. Add liquids to dry ingredients and stir until evenly moistened. Let mix sit for ten minutes

2. Place an aebleskiver pan over medium-low heat. When pan is hot enough to make a drop of water dance, brush pancake cups lightly with melted butter and fill each to slightly below the rim with batter.

3. In about 1 1/2 minutes, thin crusts will form on bottoms of balls (centers will still be wet); pierce the crust with a bamboo skewer and gently pull shell to rotate the pancake ball until about half the cooked portion is above the cup rim and uncooked batter flows down into cup. Cook until crust on bottom of ball is again firm enough to pierce, about another minute, then rotate ball with skewer until the ridge formed as the pancake first cooked is on top. Cook, turning occasionally with skewer, until balls are evenly browned and no longer moist in the center, another 10 to 12 minutes. Check by piercing center of last pancake ball added to pan with skewer--it should come out clean--or by breaking the ball open slightly; if balls start to get too brown, turn heat to low until they are cooked in the center. Lift cooked balls from pan and serve hot and with raspberry or lingonberry jam and powdered sugar.

Also check out the Solvang Restaurant's site and be sure to visit them if you find yourself in Solvang!

Eating in Regal Style at The Orangery, Kensington Palace in London

When one visits London The Orangery at Kensington Palace is a must! Upon entering The Orangery one can't help but gasp at it's beauty! This brick building was built in 1704 by Queen Anne for entertaining in the summer and sheltering fruit trees in the winter. Because it was once used essentially as a greenhouse it is all white, stunning floor to ceiling windows, lush Baroque style, and countless Corinthian columns.

Everything I had was delicious and so perfectly proper from the cucumber cream cheese and chive tea sandwiches, poached salmon and dill tea sandwiches, fruit scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam and my favorite...the Orangery Cake! The cake was a decadent (no diets allowed whist at The Orangery!) orange pound cake with rich orange butter cream frosting. I have done my best to replicate the recipe, try it for a festively spring tea party!

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp lemon zest
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup low fat sour cream, at room temperature

Frosting:
1 tsp orange zest
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 1/2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Serves 8 to 10.
Cake:
Preheat an oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a round cake pan and dust with flour.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until blended. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and orange and lemon zest on medium to medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until just blended. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and stir until both are just incorporated. Stir in the sour cream, then sprinkle with the remaining flour mixture and stir until evenly distributed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap gently on the counter to even out and settle the ingredients. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes, or longer if using a metal pan. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.

Run a thin knife around the inside of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack and lift off the pan. Place the cake on one of its sides and continue cooling. Once cooled cut the cake in half, frost the middle, place the top on the cake, frost entirely (it may take two layers...one crumb layer and then a final of frosting)

Frosting:
Have all the ingredients at room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, the 4 1/2 Tbs. orange juice, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. You want the texture to be creamy but still hold its peaks

Wine Pairing:
Although I had a cup of tea that afternoon this cake would be a perfect pairing with a flute of Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Reserve!

Amaranth, A fantastic Farmer's Market Find!

One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is to head to the Hillcrest Farmer's Market. The Market is open every Sunday from 9am-2pm. Whenever I go I am sure to pick up all the usual produce one might get from the grocery store but much fresher and for much less! I also love the Farmer's Market for finding unusual fruits and vegetables that a store might not carry. This past weekend I found quite a treat! What I found was a beautiful bunch of Purple Amaranth.

Amaranth has approximately 60 different species with colors ranging from purple to red to gold! Although some may mistaken it for a weed, to others it is invalueable for it's use as a leaf vegetable, and even used ornamentally. It's flavor is very close to a spinich. The uses are many depending on the culture; in India it is added into preparation for certain dals, in China they use it in stir fry, in Vietnam and in the Caribbean it is used to make soup and in Greece it is boiled, served with olive oil, lemon and as a side to fried fish. These are all delicious ideas but I decided to make it a pesto! Check out my recipe below and serve this simple but beautiful (look at the color it turns your pasta!) dish as a change from your usual green basil pesto!

Ingredients:
1 bunch of purple amaranth
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1 garlic clove
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup basil infused or regular extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 pieces turkey bacon chopped
2 cups ziti/pasta with ribs to catch the sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Remove all the amaranth leaves from their stems and blanch your leaves for only about 30-40 seconds in boiling water and have a ice bath ready to drop the leaves into. This process of blanching and shocking the amaranth will help lock in it's beautiful color, and it turns the water bright purple! Save some of that water (a tsp or 2) for adding to the pesto. Be sure to squeeze as much water out of the amaranth as you can (like with spinich!) and add it to a food processor with your parsley, pine nuts, lemon juice, cumin, garlic clove and pulse for about 20 seconds, now continue processing while adding in the olive oil. If it still seems too solid now is the time to add the extra blanching water. Meanwhile boil the pasta and set aside and in a fairly large sautee pan on medium heat cook up your bacon pieces. Once the bacon has cooked, remove it from the pan for a minute and put in the pasta and pesto and toss lightly letting some of the bacon drippings flavor the pasta, add in the bacon again and grated parmesan. Add salt (remember bacon will add salt too!) and pepper to your liking and enjoy!

Wine pairing suggestion: Try a French Burgandy ! I liked 2007 Domaine Marius Delarche, Pernand-Vergelesses, Old Vine Reserve. The slight smoke and spice will be a great pairing with the bacon and cumin in the dish!

"Yellow bag pasta" the best there is...

....in my opinion, and that of many of my friends! When my husband and I first went to Italy to visit his Dad I was introduced to Martelli's heavenly pastas. What is so special about them you may ask...the only thing I can say is that this pasta is "meaty" (although not literally of course!) Maybe a better word would be "hearty"? This pasta really holds any sauce tossed with it. The Martelli family (only the family works in the factory!) sells their pasta out of a town named Lari right near Pisa and they only offer four types; Spaghetti , Spaghettini, Penne and Maccheroni di Toscan. Their intense process for making their pasta allows for it to be very porous and absorbs sauce extremely well.

The only thing is their pasta is very hard to find here in the US! I have yet to find it here in San Diego. The only place I have found it is at an amazing gourmet food and wine store in Great Barrington in MA called Lock-Stock and Barrel. May I only suggest if you ever do come across a yellow bag of this pasta....buy it! For more information on Martelli's pastas check out their website: www.martelli.info/

I have included the recipe I have come up with that is close to the way I first had the spaghetti in Italy.

Ingredients:
1 bag of Martelli spaghetti(or another brand if you can't find Martelli)
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 small can/freshly diced tomatoes
1 small diced onion
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tbsp capers (drained)
3 or 4 leaves fresh basil hand torn
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan over medium (to low) heat add oil and saute diced onion until translucent (about 5 minutes depending on your stove), add garlic and saute for only about 30 seconds to a minute (it can burn quickly!). Now add the diced tomatoes and capers and simmer for about ten minutes. Once the spaghetti is cooked al dente pour it in with the sauce and cook for a minute or two. Toss in the fresh basil, parmigiano reggiano and salt and pepper to taste. (Remember parmigiano is salty so keep that in mind when adding more seasoning!)

Enjoy this simple and elegant dish with a glass of one of my favorites:
Swanson Sangiovese

Passionate for Paella!

There is something to be said about the power of suggestion. The force was strong last night indeed! I was watching "Spain...On The Road Again" on PBS, a food and travel show with Claudia Bassols, Mario Batali, Mark Bittman, and Gwyneth Paltrow. In the series the four travel all around Spain sampling the best wines and foods the country has to offer. In last night's episode Mario and Gwyneth traveled to Valencia to experience their infamous paella. They had it cooked for them on an outdoor grill over wood from orange trees. As Mario and Gwyneth articulated on the smoky flavor, texture of the dish and how delicious the crispy bits from the bottom of the pan (the best part!) were my mouth was watering and I knew I had to make it for dinner tonight! Enjoy my version of paella!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb large shrimp (cleaned and deveined)
2 hot turkey sausages removed from their casings
1 yellow onion finely chopped
4-5 chopped garlic cloves
1 jar of diced or whole pimentos (dice them if they come whole)
1/2 cup chopped fresh grape tomatoes
1 tsp smoked paprika (add more if you want more smoky flavor)
1 tsp saffron
1 tsp salt
1 cup homemade lobster stock (or store bought fish stock)
1/2-1 cup chicken stock
2 cups rice (white, or I used basmati)

Shrimp marinade:
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
Add all the shrimp marinade ingredients together and let shrimp sit in it while you prepare the other ingredients (about ten minutes)
Put 2 tbsp oil in large pan/paella pan over medium high heat. Add marinated shrimp once pan is heated, cook shrimp 2-3 minutes per side, remove from pan and set aside for later. Add diced onion and cook for about 5 minutes, add garlic and turkey sausage and brown sausage. Next add tomatoes and pimentos for about 3 minutes. Add salt, saffron, smoked paprika and cook for another 5 minutes. Next add the lobster/fish stock, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, add the rice and stir well to distibute it all evenly. Cook without stirring for 10 minutes. Reintroduce shrimp to the paella, stirring in, add more salt if so needed and more smoked paprika if you desire if you so desire (to replicate the outdoor grilled flavor) Add 1/2- 1 cup chicken stock now depending on how dry the paella is. Now cook again without stirring for 10-15 minutes more or until all the liquid is almost completely absorbed and you hear the pan make a crackling noise (it's a good thing!) Remove from heat and let it rest before serving.
Tip: When serving give everyone a few bits of the bottom of the pan goodness!

Wine Pairing Suggestion:
2003 Rincon del Baron Double Blanc
A Mexican wine that my friend Robin Mackenzie gave me, it's crisp with a hint of sweetness that was perfect with the heat from the paella spices

Slow Cooker Maple Pumpkin Turkey Breast

For Christmas Eve this year I wanted to do something special for dinner, but being that it was only Conrad and I it did not make sense to make an entire turkey. I wanted something fairly simple. I decided to get a turkey breast and try it in our slow cooker (crock pot). This freed up the oven so I could also be working on desserts and food for Christmas Day! Next decision was how would I season it? I decided on using one of my favorite flavors...pumpkin! It came out delicious and so juicy! The flavors were pleasantly complex with the onions, salt and pepper reining in the sweetness of the pumpkin and maple. Another great variation for fall would be to use apple butter instead of pumpkin and throw in some granny smith apples cut up and tossed with the sweet potatoes!

Slow Cooker Maple Pumpkin Turkey Breast:
Ingredients:
1.75-2lb boneless turkey breast
1 sweet onion sliced
1/4 cup pure real maple syrup
1/4 cup pumpkin butter
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
2 sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into chunks
4-5 Fresh sage leaves

Directions:
Take sliced onions and sweet potato chunks and toss them together in the slow cooker. In a bowl mix the maple syrup, pumpkin butter, cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp white pepper. Put the turkey breast on top of the sweet potatoes and onions. Pour the sauce all over the turkey. With your hands take some of the sauce and work it under the skin of your turkey as well as the fresh sage leaves (see sage in the turkey slices in picture!) Cover the slow cooker and set it for 4 hours on high. Over the course of the turkey's cooking time be sure to baste 3 or four times..mostly towards the end, over both the turkey and the sweet potatoes. Your bird will be done when it's internal temperature reads 165. Remove everything from the slow cooker onto a platter and cover to rest for 10-15 minutes, and then enjoy!

For the wine pairing I would suggest
Domaine Chandon's Pinot Menuier
(check my next post for more on this grape varietal, essential for most Champagne making)

Healthy Holiday Dip

The Holidays are here in full effect and so are all the parties, but the big question is
"What should I bring??" I have found the perfect delicious and festive dip to wow your guests, or guests at any parties you will be attending. I found this recipe while attending a healthy cooking class at the University of California San Diego. I adjusted it a little and decreased the amount of heat, but if you like it hot, just add more jalapeno! It is a Cranberry Salsa Dip with non fat or low fat cream cheese. The colors are ideal for the season with the lovely red of the cranberries and the crisp green from the cilantro and jalapeno!

Ingredients:
3 cups fresh or frozen (defrosted) cranberries
4 green onions minced
1/4 jalapeno minced with seeds removed
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh cilantro minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 8oz package of fat free/low fat cream cheese
*Reserve a few fresh cranberries and sprigs of cilantro for garnish

Place your cranberries in your food processor and pulse into finely chopped, but not mushy. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in your green onions, jalapenos, sugar, cilantro, ginger, and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours to let the flavors mingle. (If you taste the dip immediately the flavor is too sharp..with time it mellows and sweetens!)
Although the salsa is delicious alone, to arrange it with the cream cheese place the block on a pretty plate and pour the salsa over the cheese. Add cranberries and cilantro sprigs for garnish and serve with whole wheat crackers or mini toasts.

Other serving ideas are to prepare the bites ahead of time for guests. Spread 1/2 teaspoon of cream cheese on each cracker and top with 1 teaspoon salsa. If you will be bringing this to a party get a holiday mini loaf dish (Michaels has them for $1!) , spread the cream cheese on the bottom and pour over the salsa and the mini loaf dish makes a festive hostess gift!

Paris Street Food

It's been awhile since I posted but with good reason, I was busy getting married and on my honeymoon! Now that we are back I have many pictures and food and wine fairy tales from our travels to share!

Since I was a little girl my dream had always been to go to Paris so when we began planning our honeymoon and Paris was going to be in my future I was so ecstatic!! I dreamed of eating a crepe freshly made along the streets of Paris while strolling into all the beautifully decorated shops and markets! One of my favorite streets (pictured here with me enjoying my first Parisian crepe) was Rue Mouffetard. The crepe I got was heavenly! It was so simple too! It was a "crepe de framboise" ( raspberry crepe) made right on the street in front of me and filled with scoopfuls of Bonne Maman Raspberry Jam. This is my new favorite brand of jam that was everywhere in France. It was so fresh, tasting like the raspberries were just plucked and now melting into my warm crepe! In honor of this delicious street food snack I have come up with my own recipe that is pretty close posted below:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups skim milk
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 1/2 tbsp light oil
1 tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
Directions:
Pour the milk into the flour, add oil, eggs, and sugar. Stir. Let the batter rest for 1 hour to help ensure best texture. The batter must be thin and fluid so you might need to add more milk. Oil a frying pan, pour in a small amount of batter and spread aruond the bottom of the pan. Let it cook for about 1 minute, flip, cook the other side. Once removed from pan fill with Bonne Maman Raspberry Jam, fold and close your eyes and imagine you are in Paris!