Please Pass the Crepes

Yesterday morning my family and I

drove downtown to try a new french

cafe; Crepes & Croissants.

After ordering, and watching the

owner make the crepes practically 

infront of us, he delivered them

to our table hot and fresh. 

We tried the Norway Crepe 

(smoked salmon, topped with

 a lemon sour cream)

 the Paris Crepe 

(filled with ham, swiss, and 

cracked cooked egg) 

and ended with the Cinnaple

(filled with sugar, caramelized 

apples & cinnamon).

It was a simple, and fresh meal

and it reminded me of how many

different types of delicious foods

there are to find, if you just look...

and of course taste! 

Thank you Crepes & Croissants

for a lovely meal. 

(Photos courtesy of: Crepes & Croissants)

A Bite of Chocolate

Today I was at the store when I passed the 

candy aisle...well, I almost passed the candy

aisle. I stopped when my eyes saw a Godiva

Milk Chocolate Salted Caramel Bar

sitting on the top shelf. 

I know this might sound silly but sometimes 

when I taste something very delicious I feel my 

lips pulling up into a smile. I can't help it. 

That's what happened when I tasted this. 

Note: A small glass of milk is the perfect

addition! 

(photos courtesy of: Godiva and Google) 

Fruits In Season

Growing up my mom had us eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Most I liked, a few I did not (for some reason I had a disgust for celery that lasted into my adulthood. It changed when I found out how delicious it could be smothered in blue cheese with spicy wings!)  

Now, I am trying to learn the best times to pick out my fruit and vegetables (in season) for two simple reasons: Flavor and price (oh, and so I can also tell my child one day, "Eat your celery sweetie, one day, you'll like it...smothered in blue cheese ") 

December, January, February

Clementines
Grapefruit

Kiwifruit
Mandarin Oranges
Oranges

Pear
Persimmons
Red Banana
Tangerines


March, April, May
Apricots
Honeydew
Mango
Oranges 
Pineapple
Strawberries

(Courtesy of: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org)

(Photos courtesy of: steamy kitchen and me)

Fluffernutter

Last night my friend and I somehow got to talking about marshmallow fluff 

and I told her that my dad use to make peanut butter and marshmallow fluff 

sandwiches when I was growing up.She told me she had never had that kind 

of sandwich before so...

yes, we sat there in our kitchen at ten o'clock in the evening 

eating fluffernutter sandwiches cut into little triangles 

with smiles on our faces.

A fluffernutter is a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow creme. Its name comes from the common use of "Marshmallow Fluff" brand marshmallow creme. It has been proposed as the official Massachusetts state sandwich.

(From the show Rizzoli & Isles)

Isles: Look at this! What is that white substance?

Rizzoli: Fluff.

Isles: Light, downy particles of cotton?

Rizzoli: It's marshmallow, and the brown substance is called peanut butter. 

It's ground up, heavy, oily particles of peanuts.

Isles: It's really good

(photos courtesy of: google)

Women Are Like Spaghetti

"Women are like spaghetti...everything in her life touches everything else."

Last night my sister, a friend and I, talked and laughed over platefuls of

spaghetti and meatballs. It was fun...pure and simple fun. 

Ingredients

HERB MEATBALLS

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup fresh or dried bread crumbs

2 cloves garlic minced 

1/4 cup fresh basil minced 

1/4 cup onion minced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt 

1 egg, beaten

*1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 

(optional if you are serving anyone who has dairy allergies) 

Directions

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, basil, onion, garlic, 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, salt and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls. 

Bake meatballs in the oven @ 400 for 30 minutes until firm to the touch. 

Scoop and place in sauce and simmer 30 minutes more. Serve.

Apple Crisp Cups

• Ingredients
• 4 apples-peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 dash ground cinnamon
• 1 dash ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup pecans 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons butter, diced
• 1 pinch salt
• 
  
• Directions
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

1. Place apples in bowl, stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Place apples in a casserole dish or in cupcake cups.
2. In a food processor (or blender) chop nuts with a few short pulses. Pour in sugar and flour and process to combine. Add butter and salt and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle topping over apples.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Would you like S'more?

At the beginning of this summer I found out the lady I take care of had never had a S'more.

We got all the ingredients to make them and then roasted the marshmallows over her little grill. 

She said, "It's very sweet. It's messy...it's very good"

(Photos courtesy of: weheartit)

Labour Day Breakfast

 "We've just increased the buttermilk to make them a little thinner, more ethereal, and crispier". 

~Blue Ribbon Cookbook

Light and Fluffy Buttermilk  Pancakes

Makes about 15 pancakes: serves 4 to 6

Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour         2 large eggs

2 tablespoons sugar               2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

2 teaspoons baking powder   1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for serving

1/2 teaspoon baking soda       Pure maple syrup, for serving

1/4 teaspoon salt   

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

1.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt

2.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and oil, Gradually stir the wet ingredients into the dry

3.  In a large skillet or on a griddle over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Working in batches, spoon 1/4 cup pancake batter into the pan. Cook the pancakes until the edges have begun to brown, flip into golden. Serve hot, spread with butter and drizzled with maple  syrup. 

For lunch

I had company and when the meal was over I found I had an extra piece of steak. So the next day for lunch I sliced the steak very thin and made it into a steak salad with pita.

Steak Salad 

Servings: 2 

1 Steak sliced very thin (served chilled) 

3 cups Romaine lettuce 

1/2 tomato 

1/2 avocado 

2 hard boiled eggs 

Dressing 

3/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

1 clove of garlic

(minced or pushed through a garlic press) 

1 teaspoon of lemon juice 

Crispy Pita

Cut one pita into triangles

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet 

Place pita triangles into the oil and allow them to get golden & crispy.

After removing them from the skillet, place on a paper towel and sprinkle a little sea salt over them. 

"We all scream for ice cream"

"Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment 

of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone." 

Jim Fiebig 

I doubt whether the world holds for any one a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice cream" 

Heywood C. Broun 

Milk and Cookies

This evening I drove to the store to get one item...yes one item: chocolate chips:) I wanted to make a batch of chocolate chips cookies and that was the key ingredient that was missing from my pantry.
I love the smell of a fresh batch of cookies just coming out of the oven but even more than that...I love the taste of a warm cookie with a cold glass of milk and that smile that I can't seem to stop from spreading clear across my face:)

Ingredients
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups milk (or semisweet) chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

(Photos courtesy of: Me)

The bare essentials

Dear Anthropologie,
Each time I look through your catalog or walk through one of your store, I cannot help but smile. Each item is so beautiful and unique. From a tiny teacup, to a shell shaped measuring spoon to a vintage looking timer...you've got me hooked.

Sincerely,
Libby

(Photos courtesy of:Anthropologie.com)

The Pie Hole

Strawberry Pie

Ingredients

1 (9 inch) unbaked pastry shell
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry gelatin
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries

Directions

Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack.
In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in gelatin until dissolved. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes or until slightly cooled.
Meanwhile, arrange strawberries in the crust. Pour gelatin mixture over berries.

Pie Crust

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup canola oil
6 tablespoons ice water

Directions

Mix together flour, oil, and ice water.
Divide dough in half. Roll each piece between two pieces of plastic wrap.
(Recipes courtesy of:(allrecipes.com)
(Photos courtesy of: we heart it)

Good morning Saturday

Saturday
9:00 a.m.-Wake up with the sun shining
9:15 a.m. Make coffee
9:30 a.m. lay out ingredients for an omelet (fresh rosemary, feta cheese)
9:35 a.m. heat olive oil, crack egg, spinkle feta and rosemary, fold egg in half
9:40 a.m. take a sip of coffee, first bite of breakfast
9:41 a.m. sigh and smile..."Good morning, Saturday"
(Photos courtesy of: Me)

Simple Foods

I so enjoy food and when I heard these lines from the movie Julie & Julia where Julia Child's husband asks her "What is it you like to do?" and she responds enthusiastically "Eat!" I thought "Me too!" I like strawberries, fresh basil, fish tacos, french fries, gelato, roast beef...the list is very long:) There are times though when something very simple, like a bowl of granola on a sunny morning tastes very good and maybe a part of that is because it's so simple.
(Photos courtesy of: Me)