Blueberry Marscapone {Roulade} Trifle - French Fridays with Dorie

I think I'm a week + a day late on this recipe.  We're busy this summer and it seems like when we have a free day, I just wanna be lazy and not do too many extras.  One of my favorite lazy-day activities, so far, has been watching the Star Wars movies because my kids had never seen any of the movies and 2 of the 6 were new to me too.   I think #2 is my fave, but we still need to watch #5 & #6.

I wanted to try this recipe, but I also wanted to make it as quick & easy (& mess-free) as possible.  Instead of rolling my cake to make a roulade, I just cut my cake into bite-size pieces and turned my dessert into a trifle.  I like raspberries better than blueberries, but I decided to stick to the recipe and try the blueberries ... they were great with the recipe.  I also drizzled a tiny bit of orange juice over my cake pieces which added another flavor to the mix and sweetened the cake a little.  I walked away from my heavy cream while it was whipping, so it got a little well-done.  Kinda ugly looking, but it still tasted good.

Overall I give this recipe 4 out of 5 stars.  I didn't love the cake.  It was good, but I'd probably try this with a different cake recipe next time.

Almond Tilapia Meuniere - French Fridays with Dorie

I've been MIA with my Dorie recipes recently.  My family participated in two concerts here during the month of April which meant lots of extra practicing & rehearsals.  And then I went to California to play in two concerts over there.  The whole family tagged along, so we ended up making a little vacation out of our trip, but that means packing, unpacking, cleaning the car, etc and not a lot of extra's like new recipes this past month.

Wednesday, Hubby had the day off work.  We got the house cleaned up, ran some errands, celebrated my mom's birthday, and had a nice day together as a family.  Thursday he didn't have to leave for work until around 1:00pm, so that gave us the morning to tackle a couple more jobs and then set-out to find some ingredients for this week's FFWD recipe.  We stopped at a couple stores, but didn't find flounder, so we opted for the frozen tilapia at Sam's Club ... I'm more of a tilapia girl anyways, so I was excited.

While hubby played toys with the kids, I made our family a nicer-than-normal lunch ... the kids & I usually eat leftovers. :)

I made some almond flour in my beloved Vitamix ....

Before-

After-

In addition to almond flour, I used a little flour and some lemon zest to coat one side of my tilapia.  Lemon with seafood is one of my favorite combinations.  

I've never used melted butter to cook my fish before, so this was new and it turned out great!! 

We ALL had seconds and I served the fish with steamed broccoli like Dorie suggested.  I will definitely make this again!  Delicious & healthy meal.

quatre-quarts {again} - French Fridays with Dorie

This week I went back & made an oldie, but goodie rather than doing the assigned recipe.  I needed a treat to take to a little social & I needed to use up from strawberries, so I decided to make Dorie's quatre-quarts again.  

This time around I doubled the recipe, baked it in a 13x9-inch pan, and then cut the cake up into 2-inch squares.  I made a little fresh whipped cream and stuck a strawberry slice on top of each little piece of cake and it was a hit.

Cocoa Sables - French Fridays with Dorie

Yum! I just finished snarfing down my homemade ice cream sandwich!

I made my dough around 11pm last night.  Quick & easy. FYI: I used mini chocolate chips as an add-in cause I was too tired to start chopping chocolate last night.

This morning I got the dough out of the fridge & gathered up my collection of Easter and spring time cookie cutters hoping the kids could have fun cutting & decorating some chocolate cookies, but the dough for this recipe was way too dry and crumbly.  I did my best to roll the dough into logs like I should've done in the first place if I had followed directions.  We did roll the logs in Easter sprinkles to make up for the lack of cute shapes.

After the cookies baked and cooled, I sneaked a bite.  I love a dry, buttery cookie and I knew I had to try Dorie's idea of turning some of the cookies into ice cream sandwiches ... it was our after-lunch dessert and I'll make more tonight when Hubby gets home from work cause cookies & ice cream are two of his favorite treats.

For next time: I might like to try some sliced, toasted almonds as an additional add-in.

Nutella Tartine - French Fridays with Dorie

French Fridays with Dorie brings us another fun & easy recipe this week.  I cheated a bit and only used ingredients that I had on hand, but I really enjoyed my version of Dorie's Nutella Tartine.

This was such a simple recipe that even a young child could make on their own.  I used some of my leftover homemade white bread from my Tuesdays with Dorie group and toasted it up with a little butter. (I actually don't even know where to find challah or brioche bread in my town ... if I were still in Pittsburgh I'd just run to the little local grocery store and have all kinds of choices of yummy bread!)  Dorie recommends orange marmalade on top of the toast, but I'm not a huge fan of orange marmalade, so I used some homemade strawberry jam that was in my fridge.  Then I melted some Nutella and drizzled it on top.  I also haven't had any luck finding hazelnuts in my town.  In the past I've looked at grocery stores, Wal-Mart, & Trader Joe's, but I've had no luck.  Maybe I need to make a trip to Whole Foods or Sprouts.  Anywho, since I wanted to use ingredients that I already had at home, I found some sliced almonds in my freezer and I toasted them up & sprinkled them on top of my tartine.  I have to admit that the toasty almonds were my favorite part of this dish.

Dorie says the Nutella tartine is comparable to American's milk & cookies after-school snack, so my kiddies & I enjoyed our tartines for our after-school snack one afternoon.  I highly recommend this little treat!!

P.S.  Dorie also recommends sprinkling a little fleur de sel on top, but I opted to not do that.  So far I haven't been a huge fan of desserts with fleur de sel.  I know it's popular and I spent a pretty penny to get my own bottle of this fancy salt, but it just doesn't seem to be my thing.  I've found it to be too strong when I have used it.  Any thoughts?

Cauliflower Gratin - French Fridays with Dorie

This week I chose to rewind & try a recipe that I missed ... cauliflower gratin.  We had ours for dinner with a big salad and some bread and it was well received by all.  It was more egg-y than I expected, so I thought it might be perfect for brunch or breakfast party.

I decided to make mine without the bacon, but I can see how bacon would be a very nice addition to this recipe!

Happy Friday to all!

P.S. What yummy food will you be enjoying this Super Bowl weekend?  Go Steelers!! :)

Broth-Braised Potatoes - French Fridays with Dorie

This week's recipe for our FFWD group was another easy, quick, most ingredients already on-hand recipe from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook Around My French Table.  This week we made potatoes.  I've always been a potato girl & I enjoyed trying them made a different way.

In a large pot, I brought some broth, EVOO, water, garlic, lemon zest, a bay leaf, sage, salt, and pepper to boil.  The smell was very comforting like homemade chichen noodle soup.  The potatoes were cooked until soft in the broth.  We didn't really make a dinner that went with potatoes but just threw them on the table with the other items we were having for dinner that night so the family could try & comment on Dorie's recipe.  I think the overall concensus was that they were good, but we weren't dying to make them again ... I think due to the sage.  Our Arizona taste buds aren't used to a lot of rosemary, sage, thyme, and other flavors that the French seem to love.

Thursdays are my crazy day and I'm always looking for something easy for dinner.  Last night I had a banana, some berries, a loaf of bread, and Dories potatoes that needed to be used up, so we made some banana pancakes & french toast ... with berries on top.  Then I fried up the rest of our broth-braised potatoes.  Because there were already flavored, oiled, and seasoned, I pretty much just threw them into a skillet and let them brown.  I LOVED them like this with a little ketchup!!  The texture was great and all the flavors came together really nicely.

If you're interested in taking a peek at this recipe, someone else published it HERE.

In other cooking and food news, last weekend was my husband's birthday and he wanted pies ... cream pies.  I searched through lots of cookbooks and found two new recipes that I wanted to try.

First up was a chocolate-coconut pie  ... the crust was made of only butter and coconut!  And then the filling was a bittersweet chocolate ganache ... definitely a winner!  The only change I'd make would be to have less crust in the area of the pie pan where the bottom meets the side ... don't know if that has an official name ... and put that extra coconut around the edge of the pan for a prettier upper crust showing around the edge of the pie pan ... if that makes any sense.

Second up was a banana cream pie. The pudding had cinnamon and nutmeg which gave it some interest and the then whipped topping had just a touch of sour cream.  Lots of yummy flavors that came together nicely.  I used Dorie's sweet tart dough rather than a traditional pie crust.  I love the more cookie-like crust, but next time I think I'll try to make the crust a little thinner.

We are planning more birthday celebrations this weekend, so I need to come up with another dessert idea ... any suggestions? ideas? requests?

Quarte-Quarts - French Fridays with Dorie

I think I'm missing my weekly night away at symphony rehearsal (we're on break right now) because by the time Thursday night hits each week, I'm feeling like I need a break or some me-time.  I actually kind of saved this recipe for Thursday night.  I knew I didn't have anything going on and that hubby & I could put the kids to bed and enjoy some fresh-out-of-the-oven cake before bed last night.

We hurried home last night specifically to watch American Idol (I used to be a big fan, but haven't watched for several years now) because it was in PITTSBURGH last night and I'm a fan of all things Pittsburgh!!  After we watched an hour of American Idol, hubby took the kids upstairs for the bedtime routine and by the time they came to find me for our nightly family prayers, my cake was done & in the oven.  So thank you to Dorie for another recipe that was quick, easy, and uses ingredients we all keep on-hand.  There were some options with the recipe ... I made mine with vanilla (probably about 2 tsp - I just poured) and I sprinkled a healthy tablespoon of brown sugar on top of the cake before it went into the oven.

Usually my oven bakes things on the quick side, but I ended up baking this cake for longer than the suggested time.  After it cooled for about 20 minutes, it came right out of the pan and Hubby & I each enjoyed a barely warm piece with sliced strawberries.

I am usually of the thinking that if cake doesn't have chocolate, it's not worth my time or the calories.  Not the case with the quarte-quarts!!!  I loved it!!!

Loved the melted, crunchy brown sugar on top.

Loved the simple yet comforting taste & texture.

Delish!  Will definitely make again to go with berries. 

Think I'll make it in a square pan next time....

One more quick story.  

The mama came down this morning to take photos of a yummy cake, and what did she find .... a little "mouse" had been into her cake!

She caught the culprit and he curled up on the counter-top to cry...

The mama felt bad for roaring like a lion at the little mouse, so she quickly grabbed one of his favorite foods out of the fridge ... strawberries.

The strawberries helped. 

The End.

Creme Brulee - French Fridays with Dorie

I was so sad when I noticed that I missed Dorie's creme brulee in the busy month of December.  I've never made creme brulee and I was looking forward to a good excuse to try-out this dessert.  We decided to try it for this week's recipe rather than the chicken & we were not disappointed!

Thursday night I was at feeling at my wits end and I was nursing a bad headache.  My husband was very kind and took the kids into a room to build forts with blocks for an hour while I rested.  After the kids were in bed, I was in the mood for a little cooking project and Dorie's creme brulee recipe was perfect.  Quick & easy, just a handful of ingredients, & the smells were heavenly.  I've always been a fan of Amish custard pies, puddings, etc, so this was right up my alley.  I LOVE the smell of hot heavy cream mixed with a little vanilla, sugar & egg yolks.  For me, it's a very comforting smell.

I chose to put a teaspoon of Trader Joe's blueberry preserves on the bottom of each of my ramkins just to add another flavor to the dessert (it turned out good, but I don't know that I needed jam & then more sugar on top).  I baked my creme brulee's for about an hour but I think they could've baked another 5 minutes.  My kids & husband were excited to help out with my kitchen torch to make a little crunchy sugar on top.

After making Dorie's recipe, I started looking at creme brulee recipes in other cookbooks.  It's basically the exact same recipe ... some use only heavy cream, some use a water bath, etc.  I've already got my 2nd batch of creme brulee resting in the fridge ... I decided to try a "black & white" creme brulee (it has chocolate mousse on top!!).  I think we'll have it for a Sunday night treat.  I'll let you know how it turns out. :)

Brioche Part 2

After I tried Dorie's brioche, I wanted to change things up just slightly the second time around.  Instead of rolling my dough into 3 balls per roll, I rolled out my dough & cut-out 3 crescents for each roll.  I also watched the baking time more closely and pulled my rolls out of the oven earlier this time around.  Results ... I loved the roll baked a little less because it was softer.  I also like the crescent shapes and "peeling" apart my roll better.  No huge changes but a couple minor changes made this recipe even more enjoyable for me!

Bubble-Top Brioche Rolls - French Fridays with Dorie

This week's FFWD recipe was bubble-top brioche rolls ... a recipe I looked forward to trying.

I doubled the recipe, but so far I've only baked 6 rolls.  Just enough for everyone to have a taste.  I'll save the rest of my dough for Sunday or Monday dinner since the dough can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days.

The dough came together fairly easily and Dorie's instructions were easy to follow.  The only thing I did wrong was leaving the dough on the counter for too long last night while I watched a Larry Crowne with my hubby ... cute movie ... but when the movie was over and I spotted my forgotten dough, it was overflowing onto the counter.  At that point, I just pushed it down a bit & threw it into the fridge cause it was past bedtime.  

This morning the kids were anxious to help me roll little balls.  Next time I think I'll try shaping the dough differently & see what I think.  The results were great, but I would've liked my rolls a little less brown cause the outsides got too crispy.  I think these will go great with a creamy soup or Thanksgiving dinner.

If you're looking for a great roll recipe, I highly recommend Dorie's brioche rolls!!

If you're looking for a fun date night/movie rental, check-out Larry Crowne!!

Potato Chip Tortilla - French Fridays with Dorie

This post is long overdue!  I made my potato chip tortilla & took my photos several days before the recipe was "due", but I'm finally getting around to posting my results nearly a month late ... December was a busy, crazy month!  In fact, there were some December recipes that I was really looking forward to trying, but I never got around to them, so I'll have to go back & do some make-up cooking.

This recipe was quick & easy and the only item I had to make a special trip to the grocery store for was the potato chips.  This tortilla is something I think I'd enjoy more during the breakfast hours (I made it  for dinner) & my only complaint was that I wished the potato chips were more crunchy.  Maybe I'll try adding them later next time.  I used cilantro in my tortilla because that's what I had in my fridge & for whatever reason it sounded better to me than the basil that's trying to grow on my back patio.

To see the results of other fearless Dorista cooks, please go HERE.

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good: French Fridays with Dorie

I'm a little slow today getting my post up.  Thursday afternoons are crazy-crazy for us because that's when my kids all have EVMCO rehearsal.  I usually have to be creative for Thursday night dinners because soon after I get the kids home, I have to rush off for my rehearsal and by the time I get home at 10:30pm, I'm not in the mood to do much ... even blog.  This morning I had to rush off to the dental office to have some work done and after lunch, I fell asleep on the couch for a little while.  Going to the dentist really takes it out of me.  And I'm extra unhappy with the dental office with week for numerous reasons, but we won't go into those details .. it's just a stressful place to hang-out.

On to better things....

This week's FFWD recipe was pumpkin stuffed with everything good.  I was excited to make this recipe for numerous reasons ... it could easily be done vegetarian style, it was very festive, and I'd never tried stuffing a pumpkin before this week.

The kids & I headed out for our Monday morning shopping trip this week to find a 3-lb pumpkin that Dorie recommended.  Jack-o-lantern pumpkins are close to 10-lbs at Wal-Mart and they looked too big for my oven so we grabbed a couple pie pumpkins.  A couple days later, my mom called me to let me know that she had found smaller pumpkins at Trader Joe's and she had purchased one for me.  I picked up my smaller Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin from my mom that afternoon and since Hubby was hanging out at home, I sent him out back to do the dirty business ... cleaning out the pumpkin.

I stuffed my pumpkin with a whole loaf of bread, lots of sharp cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic, and over a cup of heavy cream.  I replaced the lid onto my pumpkin and let it bake for several hours.  Within 30 minutes of the pumpkin baking, my home smelled heavenly!  It was wonderful & I felt very festive!!

Everyone in my family tried the pumpkin.  My husband went back for 2nd's, but he wasn't interested in leftovers.  My 8-yr old liked the pumpkin part, but not the cheesy-bread part.  My younger two kids seemed to like everything and my youngest woke up the next morning wanting more for breakfast.  I loved the stuffing-bread part, but the pumpkin had a bitter taste.  I'm not sure if it needed something (salt & pepper didn't help) or if it comes with the territory of Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins.

If you'd like to try something similar, I'd recommend checking-out what other Doristas used to stuff their pumpkin with and get some additional ideas because it could be stuffed with a variety of things and seasonings.  Have fun!

Pissaladiere: French Fridays with Dorie

When I Googled for images of "pissaladiere", I got a bunch of variations of Dorie's recipe ... a pizza type looking thing with olives and anchovies ... ewww!  I have never tried anchovies (so maybe I have no idea on what I'm missing-out on) and I have NO intention of ever trying anchovies ... I don't even want to be the same room as an anchovy!!

But ... I didn't want to be a total party-pooper this week and skip another FFWD recipe because it had aspects that didn't appeal to me.  I checked-out the fancier olives at Costco and decided I wasn't willing to pay the price for those, so I made a Frolicking Night Owl Family-Friendly version of this week's recipe ... PIZZA!!

I wanted to try Dorie's recipe for dough because, up to this point, Dorie's dough recipes have usually been excellent and recipes that I go back to over and over again.  I had also never tried a pizza dough recipe with egg in it, so that intrigued me.  We did our Monday morning grocery shopping and grabbed from fresh mozzarella while we were out.  When we got home, I started a pot of fresh marinara sauce so it could simmer all afternoon ... I even used fresh basil from my "garden" (aka pots on my back patio).  While the kiddies had quiet time, I started my dough.  I wanted to make some oven roasted tomatoes again, but I ran out of time.

Monday was also hair day.  Sweet Ms. Donna came around dinner time to work on Miss Peacock's hair.  So while Ms. Donna did hair, I rolled & decorated dough.

I ended up making a mushroom pizza, a tomato & basil pizza, a mixed-bag pizza (partly just cheese, partly mushroom and tomato leftovers from the other two pizzas), and then I used the remaining dough and just baked it into a loaf of bread.

Results: Everyone (including Ms. Donna) loved the pizza crust ... it was thin & crispy, but don't use this recipe for make bread ... WAY too salty!  Overall, I think we had great success!!

Corn Soup: French Fridays with Dorie

I was so proud of myself when I finally got a French Friday with Dorie recipe done before a Friday ... I finished my corn soup on a Tuesday and we all enjoyed it for family dinner, but ....  then I never posted my photos & results.  Ack!

So here we go ... the Corn Soup.

I've always loved corn soup of the Amish variety with potatoes, bell peppers, freshly diced tomatoes, and other good stuff.  While I was in Salt Lake City this past summer, there was a super yummy cafe basically across the street from where we were rehearsing, performing, and recording, so we (my friends & I) stopped in several times for lunch and dinner.  They had a corn soup there that I tried and kept going back to get ... it was soothing to my tummy after sitting for way too many hours and before nerve-racking concerts.  The corn soup in Salt Lake City had pesto swirled into it that I totally loved.  Even though I was hesitant to try a different corn soup recipe cause I already have one that I enjoy, I was hopeful that it might taste like that corn soup up in Utah.

I decided to hunt down some corn on the cob here in hot AZ.  It was not easy to find, but I did it and payed too much for it.  The kiddies and I made our corn soup along with some of my pesto.

I enjoyed the soup, but it more closely resembled my Amish corn soup, but without all the veggies, so I kinda missed my chunky veggies.  I did decide that if make a smooth corn soup again, I'll definitely make pesto to go with it again!

Creamy Cheesy Garlicky Mushroom Rice: French Fridays with Dorie

I have lots of cooking and family posts to catch-up on.  I have photos on my camera going back to the beginning of the year that I still haven't blogged about.   Ahhh.  And today's post will have to be quick because I have two concerts at ASU's Gammage this weekend.  If you're in the Phoenix area, please come ... I'll post a video at the end of my post that has more info.

This week's recipe was another simple one that I'm glad I made the effort to try.  The only ingredient that I didn't already have in my home was the risotto rice (I've never made risotto before) and since I was out & about, I decided to get a nice block of Swiss cheese. 

The recipe called for spinach,which I had here at the house, but I decided to try making my dish with sauteed mushrooms instead of cooked spinach cause I'm not a huge fan of soggy spinach.  I LOVE mushrooms and they were great in this rice dish.  The only thing I wasn't totally in love with in this dish was the Swiss cheese.  I think the "nice" Swiss cheese was a bit too strong and stinky.  It was still good, but I think I'll try a different cheese next time. 

Dorie suggested making stuffed peppers with the rice.  Stuffed peppers are a favorite food at our house and I think I'll try adding a little cream and mixing my shredded cheese in with the rice instead of sprinkling it on top of the peppers the next time we make our stuffed peppers.  This time around, my kids talked me into one of those rotisserie chickens cause I had a coupon for one from Sam's Club and I'm usually a mean mom and say no every time my kids plead for one of those chickens.  We also had cauliflower and lots of cold watermelon to finish off things off for a quick & easy dinner.

Excited to see the results of other Doristas!

Info for my concert in Tempe, AZ:

Get tickets for tonight or tomorrow night's show HERE.

Simple Slow-Roasted Tomatoes: French Fridays with Dorie

This week I actually got my recipe done before Friday!  On Tuesday, we made pistachio & mozzarella ravioli to go with our simple slow-roasted tomatoes.  This was a super-easy recipe ... just tomatoes sprinkled with salt, pepper, olive oil, and other herbs or seasonings of choice ... I chose to just use garlic.  My tomatoes roasted in the oven for about 3 hours and they made the house smell great!!

To see what other Doristas did with their simple slow-roasted tomatoes, go HERE.

Citrus Terrine: French Fridays with Dorie

One of my favorite aspects of Around My French Table is the introduction that Dorie gives to each recipe.  Dorie's intro for this weeks' recipe starts out, "While Americans of all stripes tend to turn snobby at the mere mention of gelatin...."  Yup, I am one of those Americans.  I am not a fan of gelatin, Jell-O, or anything like unto it.  I do not buy it for my kids and when I went shopping for this week's ingredients, it the the first time in my life that I bought gelatin.

I wish that I could say that after trying this recipe that I had finally found a form of gelatin that I like, but nope.  Gelatin is still ... weird.  While making it, I had to mix the gelatin with hot orange juice ... the smell was not desirable.  It bought back memories from when I was 8 or 9 years old of stinky horses in Havasupai.  When all was said & done, I was brave & tried a bite of my citrus terrine (I opted to leave the expensive berries out and use them on my waffles) and I liked that it was flavored with orange juice, but I just can't get past the whole gelatin thing. 

I'm guessing it will be a hit with the kids when the get up from their naps.

Next week's recipe, slow-roasted tomatoes, is more up my alley, but I'd love some ideas of how to serve them!!

Cold Melon-Berry Soup: French Fridays with Dorie

We've had a good, but busy week at our house ... movies, swimming, trips to the library, homemade ice cream, more swimming, some review work for school, working on the purchase of the lot we hope to call "ours" soon, pizza party, and lots of other fun summer activities.

I was kinda thankful for an "empty" day on the calendar today.  We are having a somewhat lazy day, but one can't ever be too lazy with 3 little kiddies! :)  After we had a little breakfast this morning, the kids helped me make this week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe.  The recipe consisted of pureed cantaloupe, strawberries, a little lime juice, and a smidgen of salt.  I decided to add a handful of pureed strawberries and a 1/2 of a banana, which was also pureed, to my cantaloupe juice for some extra flavors.

For the kid-version, we added a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream to their soup and blended it in with everything else to make a yummy summer treat.

Back in my college days, I used to like to run to Jamba Juice a lot for their smoothies.  Most of their drinks were way too sweet for me, but I did find a favorite ... their cantaloupe drink.  If I remember correctly, they used frozen vanilla yogurt, frozen cantaloupe, apple juice, and some ice to make my favorite smoothie.  This week's recipe reminded me a little bit of a Jumba Juice smoothie & my kids certainly enjoyed their special drinks.

Salmon & Tomato En Papillote: French Fridays with Dorie

This week's recipe for our French Fridays with Dorie group was just devoured by my family for our Friday night dinner.  I was worried that I'd get mixed responses ... even a little worried about what I'd think of it, but we all loved it!  The salmon & tomatoes en papillote (foil pouch) was very quick to assemble and mine cooked in about 12 minutes.  I have to admit that I cheated a little bit too.  Instead of buying a large fillet of salmon, I bought frozen individual-sized fillets from Sam's Club.  My family enjoys tin foil dinners and this was a similar meal.  My 4 yr old Peacock ate 3 kid-sized plate fulls of this dinner and Hubby went back for seconds, too.  Definitely a winner!!