Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

I really want to write a clear and concise post about Chocolate-Covered Strawberries, to tell you how easy and fabulous these gems are to make. But my 2 year-old daughter's favorite song of late is Mahna Mahna, performed by Cake, and it blares through the house ALL DAY LONG, harvesting all tension and anxiety in its path. There is no critical thinking today, no logic to light the way. We laugh, we sing, we dance like no one is watching. And thank goodness they are not watching. I hope they are not watching...

I have tried to make Chocolate-Covered Strawberries in the past, but the chocolate always failed to adhere properly to the strawberries. Although they tasted wonderful, they looked too terrible to serve my guests. Robin Sue at Big Red Kitchen recently posted about the specifics of Chocolate-Covered Strawberries, and after reading her post, I discovered my fatal error- dipping the berries when they were cold. You can find Robin Sue's instructions here.

For my 12 year-old's last day of school, I sent a big tray of Chocolate-Covered Strawberries that were as beautiful as they were delicious. I managed to save a few for myself, to revive my tired body after a day full of Mahna Mahna.

Barefoot Blogger: Easy Sticky Buns

I am discovering a loyalty to puff pastry, almost to the point that I keep 4 boxes stocked in the freezer the same way I always keep 4 pounds of butter stocked in my fridge. I love this stuff! When I saw Ina Garten’s recipe for sticky buns made with puff pastry, I knew I had to give to it a try.

Having the family home over Memorial Day gave me the perfect opportunity to bake the buns. They came together in a snap and were full of awesomeness.

The puff pastry dough did not have to be rolled thinner, but was instead slathered with butter and the usual suspects, rolled up jellyroll style, and sliced into individual buns. Here is the really cool part. I spooned a little creamed butter and sugar into each muffin cup and perched the sticky bun on top, where it could swim in sugary butter goodness while it baked.

The buns came out ooey-gooey, just like you would expect from a sticky bun. The outer edges were flaky and crispy, but the inner circle was chewy. A star is born!

The great news is that they taste as good the day after you make them as they did fresh from the oven, which puts them into the supernatural category. I employ the supernatural category when I want to win friends, influence people, or leave a lasting impression.

Do you have your puff pastry ready? You can find the recipe here.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Fresh Mango Bread

This Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was chosen by Kelly of Baking with the Boys, and you can find the recipe here.

Times have been tough this past week. With the crash of a hard drive that housed all my photographs and photo software, I've been up a creek without a paddle. All the other stuff on my computer is important, too, but the absence of photography and the world of food blogging is crippling, although my husband doesn't quite see it that way. Luckily, I have a new laptop to keep me company while the hard drive is in the infirmary being prodded and poked for cryptic files. Only time will tell, but I am prepared to face the music, if I must, should the hard drive be rendered useless.

There is nothing like nibbles of a home-baked goodie to soothe a troubled heart, and that is exactly what this Fresh Mango Bread did for me. For those of you who make zucchini bread, you will recognize the familiar texture and moist crumb, but similarities end when comparing flavors. Fresh Mango Bread is loaded with ginger and cinnamon, as well as lime, giving it a distinctive fusion of flavors unlike any other quick bread I've ever tasted. Tender chunks of mango and plump raisins bring even more flavor to the bread while providing pockets of moistness in each bite.

Several Tuesdays with Dorie members, even Dorie Greenspan herself, have mentioned how much better the bread becomes after it sits for a day. For breakfast tomorrow morning, I plan to see for myself. I think I will try the bread toasted and buttered. I just may have to try little Fresh Mango Bread cream cheese sandwiches too. Yummy.

Angi's Ham and Cheese Torta

Hospitality is becoming a lost art replaced by social networking sites, text messages, and tweets. Few are the mornings spent in a friend's kitchen, laughing together, sharing experiences, and sometimes even crying. Friends still claim to be close to one another, but sadly, the depth of closeness is often characterized by a status update. This change in culture makes it even harder to develop meaningful and intimate friendships, something I long for.

What do you think of when you think of hospitality? I immediately think of a hospital, how it is a place that cares for hurting people and strives to meet their physical needs. How can a hospital be related to hospitality? I want my home to be a hospital of sorts, a place where friends can feel loved, be served and refreshed.

I care so much about hospitality that it's a recurring theme in my 101 Things in 1001 Days list. Why does it keep showing up on my list? Because I must be purposeful about it. If I don't set a goal for myself, I'll never hit the target. One of my hospitality goals is to start inviting more friends to my house for lunch, and hand in hand with that goal is my attempt to lower the expectations I have, like the expectation that everything should be perfect. My focus should be on my guests, after all, not on my silly quest for perfection.

Let me share a peek at one of my best recipes for hospitality. My favorite brunch recipe, Ham and Cheese Torta, comes from a beautiful friend, Angi Stewart, who first baked the torta for me when I was recuperating from having a baby. Angi is the type of lady who could make a potted plant laugh out loud, and she somehow manages to make everyone feel special. Even though we now live miles apart, I still call or email Angi to let her know whenever I make the recipe. Every time I put a bite of her torta in my mouth, I'm overwhelmed with thankfulness for her sharing the recipe with me. The torta is very similar to a quiche, but with lots of cheese.

This week I fulfilled one of my many hospitality goals by inviting a friend over for lunch. It was a wonderful morning, and I am so glad I took the extra effort to invite her over. I'll be doing it again soon! I encourage you to call up a friend and invite her over for a meal, or even just for coffee. You'll be glad you did.

Ham and Cheese Torta (recipe below)
Spinach and Clementine Salad
Blueberry and Orange Bread
Milk Chocolate Pudding with Raspberry Sauce and Cream (joy the baker)


Ham and Cheese Torta
from Angi Stewart

1 pie shell, unbaked
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 TBL all-purpose flour
4 eggs
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp pepper
Dash of Tabasco
1 cup (4 oz) chopped or minced ham
2 cups (8 oz) grated cheese, preferably sharp Cheddar or Swiss, divided

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine ricotta cheese and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until smooth and creamy. Add eggs and beat until evenly blended. Add sour cream, salt, pepper, Tabasco, ham, and half of the cheese. Beat just enough to blend ingredients

Sprinkle half of the remaining cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, and pour egg mixture over the cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of egg mixture.

Place in oven and imediately reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and torta is slighty puffy and set.

Spinach and Clementine Salad with Cherries and Vanilla Almonds

I am always on the lookout for new salad ideas. Every so often I surf the net, looking at restaurant menus to see what chefs are serving. When I find an innovative menu, I cut and paste the salad descriptions into a file on my computer and save it for future inspiration.

This recipe did not come from menu surfing, but from a food blog, goodLife {eats}. Posted back in January, it's been on my radar for a long time, but it wasn't until this week that I made the dish. The salad has everything going for it- ease of preparation, colorful range, and a flavorful and unexpected combination of ingredients. The sunny orange vinaigrette packs an intense citrus flavor tempered by a touch of sweetness. Quite simply, it's a lovely dish that speaks the language of summer.

Spinach and Clementine Salad with Cherries and Vanilla Almonds

slightly adapted from goodLife {eats}

baby spinach

2 clementines

2/3 cup dried cherries

French Feta cheese, to taste

2 TBS Vanilla Sugar Almonds (recipe follows)

Citrus Vinaigrette Dressing (recipe follows)

Peel clementines and divide into sections. Arrange clementines and cherries atop a bed of spinach. Sprinkle with Feta and almonds. Drizzle dressing over salad.

Vanilla Sugar Almonds:

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp butter

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Cook sugar and butter over medium high heat until melted and bubbly, whisking constantly. Add vanilla and almonds, stirring to combine. Spoon almonds onto a plate, spreading them out so the sugar can harden. Store in an airtight container.

Citrus Vinaigrette Dressing

juice of 2 clementines

2 TBS vinegar (raspberry vinegar recommended)

4 tsp water

4 tsp olive oil

Thoroughly combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Tartest Lemon Tart

This Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was chosen by Babette of Babette Feasts, and you can find the recipe here.

After weeks and weeks of baking with chocolate, Tuesdays with Dorie took a turn in the opposite direction, the tart direction. This lemon tart's filling was made with whole lemons, as in WHOLE lemons processed in the blender. I'm a little chicken, though, which is why I scraped much of the pith from my lemons in one of my more skeptical moments.

Because of family schedules, the blender full of lemon filling sat in the fridge for a while before I cooked it in the tart shells, but as a precaution I repeatedly tested the filling to be certain its quality was not diminished by the fridge. Several times I even thought of putting a straw in the blender, but I had witnesses in the house. I couldn't get away with such a crazy thing. I wanted to, though, and that's all that matters.

The filling was super easy, and the crust was, well.. a crust. I don't get along well with pastry dough. If I can make this crust, anyone can make it. Trust me. Even though the crust was manageable for me, I think a chocolate crumb crust, like the one for Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, would be delicious with the tartly flavored filling.

On the Table

With all the things going on this week, I will have to be extra intentional about the family meeting around the table for dinner. Family dinnertime is a priority for us, one that continually brings me to shuffle schedules and expectations. It seems the best time of the day is when we all sit down and connect over a plate of food. Our children hear about their Daddy's work, and Daddy and I get to hear about their activities. We have a chance to focus on manners, and we get to discuss the art of conversation. Even though I don't usually manage a home-cooked meal 7 days a week, I know most every meal I provide is healthier for them than eating out, and hopefully I am growing a new generation who will love to cook.



Here's what I'm planning for this week:



Meal 1: Huli Huli Chicken (ezra pound cake) & maple roasted sweet potatoes & Spinach and Clementine Salad (good life eats)



Meal 2: Baked Shrimp in Tomatoes and Feta (simply recipes)



Meal 3: King Arthur No Knead Pizza Dough with BBQ Chicken toppings



Meal 4: Angi's Ham and Cheese Torta with fruit salad, Blueberry Orange Bread, and Milk Chocolate Pudding (joy the baker)


Meal 5: Parmesan Chicken (barefoot contessa)



Tuesdays with Dorie- Tartest Lemon Tart

Oatmeal Cream Pies

We have had an amazing amount of sweets in our house this week. First, there was the Tuesdays with Dorie Tiramisu Cake on Monday. For my birthday on Wednesday, my husband ordered a decorated cake from my favorite local bakery. Then there were the Godiva truffles he bought for my birthday, not to mention the embarrassing chocolate stash I already have in the house. I planned to forgo any dessert making over the weekend, but plans are made to be broken, right?

Things were going along as planned until my husband called this afternoon to tell me he wanted to take Red fishing after school. I could not endure the thought of them going out on the lake without dessert in the cooler so I decided to make a little treat, Oatmeal Cream Pies.

These pies, made from cookies and marshmallow filling, have been showing up across the internet in various flavors like chocolate, pumpkin, and banana. All these flavors have been eye-catching and drool worthy, particularly when pictures show oozing marshmallow cream. But it wasn't until I saw this recipe for Oatmeal Cream Pies that I decided to put them in my file, and today the recipe came in quite handy.

Emily of Back to the Cutting Board made a few adjustments to the original recipe (you can find her version here), and I followed her adjustments exactly. The cookies turned out chewy and soft, just like the famous store-bought version, with fresh-baked flavor that didn't reek of a plastic wrapper. They were delicious, much better than store-bought, and definitely worthy of a repeat.

By the way, check out the beautiful jadeite platter the cookies are resting on. My youngest sister had it shipped to me for my birthday. Isn't it just grand?

Tuesdays with Dorie: Tiramisu Cake

This Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was chosen by Megan of My Baking Adventures, and you can find the recipe here.

It doesn't matter how far I run on the treadmill tonight. It won't be far enough to make up for all the Tiramisu Cake I've eaten. It was fun while it lasted, but now I've got to pay for my indiscretions. And boy, do I have to pay!

My first encounter with Tiramisu occurred in the early 90's when my husband took me to Chicago for a romantic vacation. Since I wasn't a coffee drinker at the time, I didn't expect to like the dessert, but my husband kept insisting I try it. That evening a monster was born, a Tiramisu monster that demanded frequent feedings.

Back home in Tennessee, we weren't so lucky to have Tiramisu on many menus, and necessity brought me to attempt Tiramisu at home, even though items like mascarpone cheese and espresso weren't available. Thus began the cream cheese/instant coffee version of Tiramisu with store-bought pound cake standing in as a substitution for ladyfingers. As time passed and semi-Tiramisu ruled the kitchen, I became conditioned to its lackluster qualities and forgot the subtle, refreshing nuances of traditional Tiramisu. Until....

Several years ago our family spent some time in Italy, land of a thousand Tiramisus, and I just may have sampled most of them while I was there. I came back to the states with the knowledge I had experienced the REAL thing, rekindling my passion for authentic Tiramisu. Within days of my return home, I began collecting multiple recipes for Tiramisu off the internet, Aunt Edna's recipe, Papa Scarlatti's recipe, even the Pope's recipe (who knew the Pope made Tiramisu?). In a montage of all these recipes, a Tiramisu recipe was formed in the fond memory of the best I tasted in Italy. To this day it is one of the most beloved dessert recipes I have on file, a recipe I'll have to share with you in the future.

Since I haven't been too clear, today is all about Tiramisu Cake. The cake is, in all aspects, a delicious representation of traditional Tiramisu. Sandwiched between the espresso syrup-soaked cake is a creamy filling of mascarpone and shaved bittersweet chocolate, while the outside of the cake is frosted with espresso whipped cream.

If given a choice, I'd still choose traditional Tiramisu over Tiramisu Cake, only because I prefer the spongy ladyfingers, soggy with espresso, that nestle in the bottom of the dish. I found the cake to be tastiest the day after I made it, when it was lounging on my kitchen counter, still cool from being in the fridge but close enough to room temperature to make the cake soft. To see many other interpretations and pictures of the cake, check out Tuesdays with Dorie.

On the Table

A few weeks ago Kristen of Dine and Dish invited food bloggers to take part in the 3rd round of Adopt-A-Blogger, where she would organize all the new bloggers with experienced bloggers. For 3 months the food-blogging duos would work together while the mentor helped develop and encourage the mentee.

The whole shebang sounded phenomenal. Not only would I have the opportunity to meet a new foodie friend, I would also get the chance to glean from the experience of a seasoned food blogger. As with any encounter like this, I was anxious about the person I would be paired with. Would she like me? Would I like her? What if her style was something I just couldn't relate to? Or what if she felt the same about me? All at once I felt like I was in junior high school again, awkward, shy, and looking for a place to retreat. Knowing full well some of the blaring weaknesses in my own blog, I wasn't so sure I wanted someone to critique me, but on the other hand I knew fools are the only people who can't take advice.

Thankfully all the hestiation melted away when I first clicked on my mentor's blog, DanaTreat, to take a glance. Woven into the pages of Dana's blog are personal stories, recipes, experiences as a vegetarian, business ventures, and many more subjects that make her blog creative and colorful. Stylistically she comes across as approachable and knowledgeable, both characteristics that make me like being a mentee even more. I've already enjoyed perusing through many of her posts, and in them I've found a beautiful person who loves her family and delights in great food. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about my experiences with Adopt-A-Blogger, but for now take a peek at Dana's blog and check out these wonderful looking dishes:

Southwestern Sweet Potato Gratin

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Rosemary Flatbread with Blue Cheese, Grapes, and Honey

Mushroom Enchiladas

As far as menu planning goes, this should be a fun week because every recipe is a new one for me. These are some of the dishes I have on the menu:

Meal 1: Greek Gyros with Cucumber Salsa and Tsatsiki (epicurious)

Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Feta Vinaigrette (cooking light)

Meal 2: Chicken and Couscous Salad (cooking light)

Meal 3: Teriyaki Hamburgers (your homebased mom)

Meal 4: Baked Shrimp in Tomato Feta Sauce (simply recipes)

Spinach and Clementine Salad with Vanilla Sugar Almonds (good life eats)

Treats and Snacks: Raw Donut Holes (ani phyo)

Tiramisu Cake (Tuesdays with Dorie)