Soupes Du Jour~ Deux~2

I cannot eat a bone ~in ham without making one of my very favorite soups.

Pea Soup..Here we call it French pea Soup:)

I soak my lb of yellow beans overnight..
In the morning.. 6 this morning.. I sauteed some tinily chopped onions..a potato..a carrot some celery..all tinily chopped... then put the beans in the pot..the huge ham end and bone. ... ap.. 12 cups of water some chicken bouillon..a bay leaf.. and some summer savory..
I simmered for ap 2 hrs.. removed the bone..and cut small pieces of ham and added to the soup which had nicely thickened by this time..simmered ap 1 hr more and it was perfect with some salt and pepper and another touch of savory..
That's what we had for dinner..Just so comforting..

Another soup we had this week..Friday I think..was Farro soup..another soup I love..
Farro Soup..



I had made chicken stock the night before.. I soaked my farro overnight..

added some carrots,chicken... a touch of celery ..bay leaf.. parsley..salt and pepper..and some home made fresh pasta..(very little..)

This is where I bought my Farro..I truly wish I had bought more..



This store was at the top of Castelluccio..I have mentioned it many times!

You can see the Farro in the stand if you look closely..the owners were charming..The day was as foggy as can be climbing the mountainous region..





Could the Farro soup taste so wonderful to me because of the memories associated with my visit there?




I think maybe so.

Mini Meals~

I love small things.. like miniature versions of larger meals.. or miniature versions of desserts.
We had leftover potato salad.. home made dills.. and I made small burgers..ap 2.5 inches across..not the bite sized burgers.



I found the 5 Minute Artisan Bread made great little last minute mini buns..
That book is such a great book! Have I mentioned that?:)

It was a lighter meal..and worked for me after a big Easter..



Lulu size!

Happy Easter~

It was so much fun getting ready for today..



The Easter Bunny came and left eggs throughout the yard and Secret Garden..
The highlight for me was watching them gather the eggs..one was too small:) but 4 were ready and able:)


Lulu never leaves Giulianna and Adamo's side:) It's too cute..

Max still needs some help getting through obstacles:)



I am sure Lulu is running after Giulianna right now..or Adamo:)



It was FREEZING here today..and the sun only shone later:( But it was still fun to watch the children run through the paths and gather the eggs..

Inside they were warmer and they could relax..
A went to a football practice(Imagine!)..and Noah tried out the chair grandad made for him..



Max every every egg he could find:)



I am so very lucky to have all these chubby little fingers to kiss..

Hmm..this is supposed to be about food!!

Ok..

I want to share a highlight.. The menu was simple..



Basically ham and baked beans..and potato salad..and Jacque's prosciutto and melon(a big hit!)..Jain's adorable little Pillsbury Carrot rolls..

France's escargots yet again..

But I made a salad I found at TS.. Have you seen and loved Carina's posts? She is from Russia I believe and I cannot translate all her gorgeously photoed recipes..but this one the Translator worked well enough..

Her melon salad?

Oh c'est bon!




Basically..I used baby spinach..arugula..and mixed greens..w/ a balsamic, honey, oil vinaigrette.. you top it it seedless watermelon rounds..some kalamata olives, red onion rings.. and Feta that you have marinated in red peppercorns..balsamic,oil and herbs of your choice.
This is a refreshing keeper salad..I just said my version..lots was lost in translation..but you can't go wrong..Her photos are Superb..go see.
A gem site.Wish I spoke Russian !
The hot bean pot is one I make regularly and maybe my family is tiring of it?:)



I can't blame them..since 94!

Potato salad is my downfall..loads of eegs.. dill ..dill pickles.. radishes.. Hellman's..spring green onions.. Yes my downfall.



Dessert was Carrot cake..



Everyone loves this cake and the kids eat the icing last..that's a good thing!

I knew the younger ones would like something lighter..and I love Bakerella's site..last night these popped out at me and I knew I could make them in a second:)

Done ..done and gone in a heartbeat!



I named them that..don't blame Bakerella..what a fabulous site..have you seen it?Next year I want to make her baskets..

All in all I had a ball..But now my carriage is turning into a pumpkin!

Until next year!

Revisiting Easter Past~

I love having photos.. all kinds..



I just finished looking at our wee grandchildren from Easter last year:) What a difference a yr makes!! One additional grandchild and another on the way!
And no snow this year! Yay!

I am making carrot cake this year because the small ones are older and WILL be eating their Easter chocolates so I am making less little sweets..but I had fun last year and wanted to share 3 little ideas for any of you wanting a new idea.

The top cookies are simply sugar cookies.. w/ a glacé icing.. which I had a ball handpainting..This technique..was all thanks to Mary.


The next is an idea Jain found online and shared with me..They were a hit..:)



Online the recipe is everywhere..Bird Nests Cookies:)

And the last is perhaps one of my favorite ideas from Ricardo..
Hen Pie..




The base for mine was his recipe.. a chocolate mousse pie.. that you top with a chocolate hen and eggs..I served it in a pyrex pie plate nestled in a straw handled basket..that must be at least 20 yrs old:)Add chocolate curls..mini hens..eggs and you are done..it works well with a cheesecake too:)

Anyway if you can find a hen..these are really cute on the Easter table..

Now to get ready for tomorrow..My fun is the anticipation of seeing the kids oustide at the hunt.
I actually get tears in my eyes.They are so cute to me.

Prosciutto Maison~Part 2~

Some of you may remember when we first sampled our friend Normand's home made prosciutto..

He had made it with his friend Salvatore..We dined at their home last summer and loved the prosciutto they made and raved about it..

Normand told us how he made it and Jacques and I read up on it..
It seemed complicated..you needed the right tools..room..etc etc..

Lo and behold..Normand called one day this winter and invited Jacques to join himself and Salvatore in the prosciutto making adventure..
I already posted the preliminaries..
Here's part of the final cut:)
(s)..


It is simply divine..
Jacques enjoyed the experience..

I am loving the results.


You can't imagine..

After it was undressed..and they cut and sliced it..




We enjoyed a ..well more than one..delicious coffee at their home..w/ biscottis..and grapes and cheese and crackers and OUR prosciutto..





We will be serving some for Easter here..and of course most of it has been packaged for future use.
I see a summer full of this mouth watering pleasure and we thank Jojo and Normie for the experience..



We still have another batch to save:)

I loved coming home with our bounty!!



Beautiful! Grazie~And Have a Very Happy Easter Bella Jojo And Normie:)

These are so good~

I came across these yesterday..at Dinner With Julie..I knew I had to try them because I buy a small 2 compartment box here that we just love..and frankly I find them pricey.. the only difference I think is that the ones I buy have cranberries instead of raisins..
I will make these again and again..Thanks to her..



Here is the recipe..resist the urge to bake much longer..I worried mine were not crispy enough..now they are a tad too crispy because I put them back in the oven for too long a time..
Perfect for Easter w/ a spread..

Or alone.



Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crisps

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup flax seed, ground
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar and honey and stir a few strokes. Add the raisins, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seed and rosemary and stir just until blended.

Pour the batter into two 8”x4” loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

The cooler the bread, the easier it is to slice really thin. You can leave it until the next day or pop it in the freezer. Slice the loaves as thin as you can and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. (I like to slice and bake one loaf and pop the other in the freezer for another day.) Reduce the oven heat to 300° F and bake them for about 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes, until crisp and deep golden. Try not to eat them all at once.

Makes about 8 dozen crackers.

Per cracker: 30 calories, 0.8 g total fat (0.1 g saturated fat, 0.4 g monounsaturated fat, 0.3 g polyunsaturated fat), 0.7 g protein, 5.3 g carbohydrate, 0.2 mg cholesterol, 0.3 g fiber. 23% calories from fat.

La France et Linda~

As you know..I love everything French.. and Italian.. and English.. :)

etc..

But lately I have been missing everything I saw in France and didn't bring home!:)

Small things.. like salts and spices herbs and cookies...and my wicker victorian trolley! Cookies like...(Rose de Reims...)..Lulus..the ones I cannot get here.. Macarons..etc..and Miel De Lavande..
Linda..showed me some salts and I started Googling..I have made a few..and will keep you posted..luckily we have Sel de Guérande here..

I also Googled making my own Miel de Lavande..
It worked and Poulet Provençal au Miel De Lavande is on the menu for dinner soon..I cannot wait..
All these projects were easy and fun and simple..


It is amazing how scents and tastes stay with you forever..the happier the occasion..or more flavourful the meal....the lovelier the memory!

The salt measurements I saw were 80% salt..20 % herbs..ap..and they varied site to site..

It's about what I did for the Rosemary and Thyme salts and already.. I clip the lid open and the aroma is divine!

The honey..I used 8 ounces and 3 tbsps of dried chemical and pesticide free lavender buds..and simmered over a bain-marie for 30 mins..then passed though a fine meshed sieve..bottled in these jars that I sterilized..and tasted today w/ J..Not overpowering..just the RIGHT scent I wanted.I was so happy to be able to recreate what I had witnessed in Provence!

I can't wait for my Lavender to come back to life~

The jars are from the $ store and the labels are actually gift wrap



Which you can download here:)


Have fun! I printed on standard size paper for the labels..Just cut the wrapping paper to size~
Thank You Martha:)



I would have preferred to add the text via my computer but didn't figure that part out..;0

Pasta Day ..Part 2.

Which did I prefer? The hand made ,hand rolled? Or food processor made,machine rollled?
Both.
I loved making both..

The small affordable machine worked charmingly for me..


Effortless.. easy clean up..no sticking no fuss no muss..





I cannot wait to try more variations..more colors:)




Jacques bought an apron in Florence..next time I will dress for the part:)



I loved Florence!


He rarely buys souvenirs..but like me..enjoys aprons I guess:)

The recipe that I used for the pasta is from Josée Di Stasio's Cookbook..Pasta et cetera...

Elena Faita co-owner of Dante is recognized as the author of it.(I love that store!)


La Recette~
3 cups of 00 flour(which I did not have ..now I do..I used regular unbleached flour)
4 large eggs
2 tbsps evoo
2-3 tbsps water at need


Sift flour as a well..add eggs and oil in center and start whipping w/ fork incorporating the flour little by little.... Knead 10 mins.. wrap for 10-30 mins.. roll and cut..
Or place flour eggs and oil in a food processor until it comes together and knead 10 ins(That's what I did)..
Then..
I used the machine to make my shapes..
I can't wait to make it again..

Simple Joie De Vivre~

I love the fact that I was blessed to enjoy simple things.
Like playing around in the kitchen~
I was totally taken this week at FG and TS w/ the Daring Bakers Lasagnas..
I thought to myself.."try that Spinach Lasagna"..and I did:)



Pasta is so simple.. eggs..flour..some oil..some herbs sometimes..
Simple beauty..



In the above recipe.. fresh finely chopped spinach was added..The person that got me going had this..




A simple spinach pasta heart..all the lasagnas in the world didn't motivate me..but the heart did.I wish I had kept the info of the poster..I am indebted:)

What a wonderful wonderful pasta recipe..Will I ever be able to eat a regular one now?

I had home made sauce..I made the béchamel..we had the cheese.. I just had to make the pasta..A meal that was just perfect tonight here in QC..Dark..raining and humid~

It's Sat. tonight..I often write my blog ahead of time..

Tonight's the night:)

Anyways... the recipe is divine..



We had a side of 5 Minute Artisan Garlic Bread and Jacque's wine..It was just delicious!

It's funny the final encouragement was purchasing a pasta machine yesterday..But w/ all the spinach in this recipe..I feared it would stop the process going smoothly so I rolled it by hand and used the hand roller/cutter I bought in Italy..

Do you see the boot of Italy? Beautiful..inoubliable Casteluccio...

We missed the poppies there.. they are known for those.. but saw the boot..the mist.. the hay..the unimaginable views..One of the MOST spiritual places I saw. Even compared to all the riches of Italy..this landscape held THE simple charm I love.





What wonderful memories making pasta .. brought back.. Classical music playing..raindrops on the windows...It's just nice to like being home.


I did use my machine for another recipe..it will be a later post..I LOVED it!

Here is the Lynn Rossetto Kasper recipe.. for the pasta only..

#1 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)

Preparation: 45 minutes

Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)
10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Working by Hand:

Equipment:
A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.
A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.
A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.
Mixing the dough:
Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

Kneading:
With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Stretching and Thinning:
If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm). Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

I cooked mine straight away.. 2 + minutes..and assembled the lasagna w/ my mom's sauce recipe ..and my béchamel and cheese.And I used 3 eggs as mine were not JUMBO.

It is unusual that I will eat everything on my plate(not that part) but go and eat more..:) I did w/ this.So delicious!!!

An April Weekend In Paris~

I wish~ ! But...
My Daughter went on her honeymoon and took this photo...

I thought it would be a nice start to My Darling Baker's April In Paris Weekend~
A DB is going to Paris tomorrow and we are celebrating her trip~
Thanks in large part to my personal shopper in the USA..:)and things I had.. I was able to pull 2 placesettings together~



We loved the escargots so much .. the recipe France gave me..that we made them again..





The Main dish.. mussels because Frédérick's were so fabulous!



I tried making his dill sauce and let's just say no one makes sauces like he does..Well maybe his mom:)


They were good though~


Believe me..as a child I never thought I would like eating this type of food.But I grew older..and although this meal is very rétro for us..like fondue..we still love it.

I had fun with the desserts..



My Brigitte cookie cutter is still one of my favorite cutters..and Ina's Shortbreads are perfect for this cutter!(And the EBAY Seller was great!)



I made some Fleur De Lys and one Eiffel Tower..



I made the little tag..but the clipart to the pastries were on a blog I restumbled upon by chance and it is gone again..so I can't link..Sorry!
I made little shortbread cakes too..to try the Fancy Flour transfer sheets w/ the crowns and they worked perfectly..I wish they shipped to Canada more affordably.
The little tag was a gift from a sweet sweet lady..Go peruse her site if you want to dream~



All in all ..there are just so many venues for Paris..I had to stop myself..
But I couldn't have just one bite;)





It's fun to make believe~

Here is Ina's Shortbread recipe..I did all my cookies with it except the crown shortbread cakes.

..
Yield: 24 cookies

¾ pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 ½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough ½ inch thick and cut with your choice of cutter. Place the cut-outs on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.



I added Charles for today.. because we love him..Have you seen the Montmartre Power Point Slide show w/ him singing La Bohème? It's goosebumps nice.
A co worker sent it to me while my daughter was honeymooning in Paris and I was getting her e-mails about Paris.
They LOVED it!