Soul Food #113~

A dear young woman../friend.. sent me this story ..this week in the mail..with some other wonderful stories and poems.. some dried leaves and flowers..some special artwork and a handwritten note..~An envelope full of grace..





A group of students studied the Seven Wonders of the world. At the end of that section, the students were asked to list what they considered to be Seven Wonders of the modern world.

Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids,
2. Taj Mahal,
3. Grand Canyon,
4. Panama Canal,
5. Empire State Building,
6. St. Peter's Basilica,
7. China's Great Wall.

Gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet student, hadn't turned in his paper yet. So she asked him if he was having trouble with his list.

The guy replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."

The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The young man hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the world are:

1. To Touch,
2. To Taste,
3. To See,
4. To Hear,

He hesitated a little, and then added:

5. To Walk,
6. To Laugh,
7. To Love.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop~


Have a wonderful week..

..and Thank you Ollie for your sweet face ..and D for the star studded envelope full of grace.~

Teen Baker's Cheese Crackers~

I love her blog..
I am astounded and amazed at her depth of knowledge of baking..cooking etc..
Her zest for it all:)
I enjoy each and every post she submits.
I was never interested in anything domestic at her age.
Imagine..She's so young..so talented!
And this recipe she found for us?Simply magnifique!

I made them once..I made them twice..the first time..I made acorn shapes..the next assorted coins:)

I must admit I had to Google how thick I had to make them..Having never seen their coins..~

La Recette~

Courtesy of her delightful blog..and Simon Hopkinson

Ingredients
100g/3½ oz cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
100g/3½ oz plain flour, plus extra for flouring
pinch salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 heaped tsp mustard powder
50g/1¾ oz finely grated mature cheddar
50g/1¾ oz finely grated parmesan, or similar vegetarian hard cheese, plus a little extra
1 egg, beaten
Preparation method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Place the butter and flour into the bowl of a food processor with the salt, cayenne, mustard powder and cheeses. Process together to begin with, and then finely pulse the mixture in short spurts as you notice the mixture coming together - it will eventually bind without the need for egg or water. Wrap in cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Lightly flour a work surface and gently roll out the pastry to about the thickness of two pound coins. Cut out the biscuits to the size and shape you wish - anything between 3cm/1¼in and 5cm/2in, depending on the occasion. Lay them out on a greased baking tray about 2cm/¾in apart - it may take two lots of baking to use up the entire mixture.
Carefully brush the surface of each biscuit with the egg and sprinkle over a little finely grated parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until they are a gorgeous golden-brown colour; the superb smell will also inform you that they are ready.
Carefully lift the biscuits off the tray using a palette knife and place on a rack to cool. Although the biscuits will keep well in a sealed container for a few days, I have never known this to happen!

They are divine..and one of my daughter's has asked that they be on our Christmas eve feast at her home~Perfect w/ wine ..champagne..


My Notes..My oven must be finicky..mine took longer to bake..
So far..they are a 10.:)
Thank you Lucy~Jacques says they are excellent..and we have a few cheese biscuit recipes..~:)

Soul Food #112~

“We are one big family of people, trying to make our way through the unfolding puzzle of life.”
Sara Paddison

Paula Dean's Pumpkin Roll~

You know it's Citrouilles season here..the stands are brimming with these personality laden orange Halloween people~

Personally I love them..
In soups.. cheesecakes..and now in Paula Dean's Pumpkin Roll..

I was babysitting at my daughter's home one day ..

And leafed through her Food Network magazine..when I saw this I thought I would love to try it..

I scribbled the recipe.. but then found it on the net..
Much more legible:)

It's really nice..not too sweet and easy.
I omitted the caramel sauce as I felt it was sweet enough.

The occasion arose where I could share it with more than just Jacques.

With friends~

Sometimes things taste better shared..:)

 

 This certainly did..

C'est un petit bijou. Un bon dessert d'automne..

Here is La Recette~
Courtesy of paula Dean~

Pumpkin Roll Cake

Cake:
3/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
6 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup golden brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup canned pumpkin, packed
1/8 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar
Filling:
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
6 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup English toffee pieces for garnish
Additional powdered sugar, for garnish
1 1/2 cups purchased caramel sauce, warmed, for garnish
Directions
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a 15 by 10 by 1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice into a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until very thick. Add the pumpkin to the egg mixture and combine at a low speed until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and beat at a low speed until mixed. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry. Fold into the cake batter, stirring with a spatula, until most of the white streaks are gone.

Spread the batter onto a baking sheet and smooth out. Transfer baking sheet to the oven and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 15 to 18 minutes. While the cake is hot, dust generously with powdered sugar. Loosen the edges and turn the cake out onto a kitchen towel. Fold the towel over the edge of the cake and roll up. Cool completely, edge down, for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

For the filling: Soften the gelatin in the rum. Stir over low heat until the gelatin dissolves. Cool. Beat the chilled whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl until peaks form. Fold in the gelatin and 6 tablespoons English toffee pieces.

To assemble, unroll the cake and sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of English toffee pieces. Spread the filling over the toffee. Start at 1 long side of the cake roll and, using the towel as an aid, roll up the cake to encase the filling. Place the cake, seam-side down, on a platter.

Trim the ends of the cake at a slight diagonal. Dust the cake with powdered sugar. Spoon some warm caramel sauce and the remaining toffee chips over the top of the cake. To serve, use a serrated knife to cut the cake crosswise into 1-inch thick slices. Drizzle more sauce on each slice and serve.

Pumpkinlicious~

Soul Food #111~

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
Dalai Lama


P.S.
I am grateful to those who practice compassion~
I am grateful for those who receive compassion.
I guess you could say..I appreciate ..caring..quiet..companionship...understanding..joy,wit, knowledge..creativity.. wisdom...and love~
I am also grateful to the texture author that I have forgotten..who nurtures our creativity~The artists who share~

Carrot Cake Jam~

Yes you read right..carrot cake jam.. Absolutely delicious..so much so..my husband is having it on ice cream:) W/out the cake..

I have one Weck jar that had a special salt in it:)I put the salt in my salt pig..And then .. Of course I used it for one of the jams..

It's very easy to make..
The recipe came from Jasmine Cusine..Remember the Blueberry Chocolate Jam?

You can visit her blog here..

And the recipe is there in French~

Here is my translation for you~

La Recette~

2 cups of finely grated carrots,packed
1 3/4 cups of peeled and diced pears, packed
1 14 ounce can of crushed pineapple with the juice
3 tsps of bottled lemon juice
1 1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 package of powdered Certo pectin.. small package.
4 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of chopped pecans(I toasted mine a bit)

Method..

Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy cooking pot..
Bring to a boil and and then simmer for 20 minutes..
Add the pectin and dissolve.. add the sugar and bring to a full boil for..ap. 1 minute
Remove from heat.. skim.. add pecans..

Fill your warm sterilized jars.. leave a little space on top.. seal..and the water bathe them..The usual technique..ap 15 minutes..


PS..My notes.. jasmine said she would add raisins next time.. I make my carrot cake w/ raisins..So I added them to the recipe..not too many just enough and they plump up beautifully while cooking~

It's perfect for this time of year~

Enjoy~

Soul Food #110~

So nice to have met Fifi..and that she continues to think of me..as I her~

I was tickled pink a while back when she asked if she could suggest my blog for the Winter Issue of Romantic Country~
She designed the Header..so I am just going to keep it like this for a while..
It sure makes me want to tidy things up around here:)
Concerned about making faux pas and having no way back..

I have 2 aliases you know..

Goodie One Shoe

and

What if

Thank you ma petite Fifi.. tu es un petit ange qui rend les gens heureux...

xx
I just had to express my gratitude~♥

It's something I never anticipated..


Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William A. Ward

Marie's Heavenly Almond/Fruit Cake~

Unlocking an excellent recipe for you~

Courtesy of Marie~

I know I have shared other almond cake recipes and will continue to do so..As these are amongst our very favorites here.

Every little slice is heaven~

You can find Marie's recipe here at her wonderful blog..

And here..
Directly from her site~

La Recette~

*Autumn Berry & Almond Cake*
Makes one 9 inch cake
Printable Recipe

A real family favourite. You can use any berries you have in any combination you like, alone or a mixture. I love to use raspberries and blackberries.

140g ground almonds (1 2/3 cups)
140g butter (2/3 cup)
140g caster sugar (3/4 cup)
140g self raising flour (1 1/4 cups)
2 large free range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g of berries, fresh or frozen and defrosted (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 TBS flaked almonds
Sifted icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch deep. loose bottomed cake tin and line the bottom with paper.

Cream together the butter, ground almonds, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl until evenly mixed together. Spread half of the mixture into the prepared tin. Top with the berries. Dollop the remaining half of the batter over top and roughly spread it out as best as you can. (I wet my fingers and use them. This seems to work best) Sprinkle with the flaked almonds.

Bake for 50 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin. Dust with icing sugar and cut into wedges to serve.


Believe me..all her recipes are proven winners here.
I appreciate what she shares on her sites~

And now..I'll lock up her secret again~:)




Enjoy~

This coming weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving weekend~
I am so grateful for my beautiful family..I watch Parenthood..and cry:) Of joy ..and happiness..
and think..
Thank you God..for giving me ..such a loving family of my own..
I wish all my Canadian Friends..a wonderful.. beautiful..colorful Canadian Thanksgiving~
My dishes are on hold..~

But my sentiments are not.

Let us be grateful for the charming gardeners of our souls..

Family and friends alike.

That includes..


... most certainly..all the cherished "bloggers" , I have "met" in the last few years~Either in cyberspace..or in person.
Never question your importance in the "blogosphere":)~Thank YOU so much.


The leaves are falling..the petals too..

No Tutus here..:)Except..in dress-up times..until you are 3:)

But artistic creative beautiful .... Fall hands at work~

Let Us Be Grateful~

Soul Food #109~

Ahem..not everything mentioned on the front page of this magazine will appear.. as the cookies were a fiasco today..Ina..!
I think ..it is all my fault and I... Mea Culpa...I reduced the recipe by 1/3rd and that's a nono for Brigitte Cookie Cutters and her shortbreads..
I got lace cookies..
What a waste:(

However.. the Soul Food remained~intact.

Everyone and everything that shows up in our life is a reflection of something that is happening inside of us.
Alan Cohen


PS..I showed my husband the cover..and he knew where it was and said" when will it be on your blog? Cause I'm a fan of your blog you know~"
That's soul food.