Salivation Sunday

"Avoid fruit and nuts. You are what you eat."
-Jim Davis

Hello! Happy Sunday everyone - I hope you are enjoying your weekend! Today I have an easy recipe to share with you for a weekend brunch or anytime for that matter. Enjoy!


"As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists."
-Joan Gussow

Breakfast Souffle with Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

* Non-stick cooking spray
* 6 Tbsp granulated sugar & extra for sprinkling
* 9 eggs, whites and yolks separated
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1/4 cup + 1 tsp sifted flour, divided
* Powdered sugar
* 3 Tbsp preserves (I use Raspberry, Blueberry & Blackberry)
* 1/2 cup blended low-fat vanilla yogurt

Equipment Needed:

* 8x8x2 casserole dish
* Electric mixer

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.) Spray casserole w/non-stick spray & sprinkle a bit of sugar on bottom.
3.) Beat egg whites w/electric mixer in a clean bowl until frothy, about 30 secs.
4.) Slowly add 6 Tbsp sugar, beating as sugar is added, until soft peaks form.
5.) Beat egg yolks and vanilla with a fork in separate bowl, until blended.
6.) Fold egg yolk mixture slowly & gently into egg whites until incorporated.
7.) Slowly sprinkle w/flour, folding after each addition, until flour is mixed in.
8.) Pour into prepared dish.
9.) Bake 18-20 min, until golden brown and puffed.
10.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
11.) While souffle is baking, mix yogurt & preserves in a bowl to make sauce.
12.) Immediately scoop souffle into bowls & top with yogurt sauce.


"A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do."
-P.J. O'Rourke

Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Temptation Thursday

“Ignorance is like a delicate fruit; touch it, and the bloom is gone.”
-Oscar Wilde

Hello! Today I am sharing the recipe for one of my favorite desserts. It his always a go to - especially in summer when you can make it with different types of fruit. It is not hard to make and the results are always impressive! Enjoy!

What is a Clafouti you ask?

1. fruit pastry: a fruit and batter pastry, typically made with cherries
[Late 20th century. < French < dialect clafir "to stuff" + standard French foutre "to stuff"]
Taken from Encarta® World English Dictionary[North American Edition]©


Strawberry Clafouti

Ingredients:

* 1 1/3 cups + 1 Tbsp sugar
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 1 cup egg substitute
* 1 1/2 cups skim milk
* 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 tsp finely grated orange peel
* 1 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon peel
* 2 pears, peeled, sliced, seeded
* 10 strawberries, stems removed, sliced
* 4 Tbsp confectioners' sugar

Equipment Needed:

* 2 Mixing Bowls
* 8 - 6 ounce oven safe dishes
* Large baking sheet

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 375°.
2.) Butter all 8 baking dishes and set aside.
3.) Combine sugar, flour, and baking powder in mixing bowl.
4.) Lightly beat together eggs, milk, vanilla, & grated peels in another bowl.
5.) Add egg mixture to sugar mixture & stir slightly to combine.
6.) Spoon pears and berries into the 8 buttered dishes.
7.) Pour batter over fruit, filling dishes about three-quarters full.
8.) Place dishes on baking sheet.
9.) Then, put baking sheet with dishes onto center rack of oven.
10.) Bake 30 to 35 min, until golden brown.
11.) Sprinkle with confectioners sugar while still warm.

Thought of the Day:

“Truth is a fruit which should not be plucked until it is ripe.”
-Voltaire

Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Friday Favorites

"Mothers are those wonderful people who can get up in the morning before the smell of coffee."
-Author Unknown

Hello! Sorry for not posting the past couple of days, I decided to take a little break from the computer. I hope you are having a wonderful week - I don't know where my week has gone! As I was sitting here drinking my coffee I decided to search Etsy for handmade coffee mugs, sugar bowls and creamers - Enjoy my finds!

"No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee's frothy goodness."
-Sheik Abd-al-Kadir



1.) Textured Mug
2.) Dogwood Sugar and Creamer Ceramic Set
3.) Turquoise and Green Coffee Mug
4.) Celadon Sugar and Creamer
5.) Tall Shiny Green Mug
6.) Sugar Bowl and Creamer Set

Thought of the Day:

"Conscience keeps more people awake than coffee."
-Author Unknown

Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Tasty Tuesday!

“Everyone who enjoys thinks that the principal thing to the tree is the fruit, but in point of fact the principal thing to it is the seed. Herein lies the difference between them that create and them that enjoy.”
-Friedrich Nietzsche

Hello! I hope you are having a wonderful day. The following recipe is a delight, especially if you like bourbon! It is not hard to make, but it does require some preparation a day or two prior to serving.

I like to use fresh berries, but if you are in a pinch frozen berries can be used also. Mint is a pretty garnish, but definitely not necessary! Enjoy!

“Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup.”
-Wendell Berry


Berries with Bourbon & Ice Cream

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

* 3- 6 oz pkgs. raspberries
* 8 oz strawberries, stemmed and halved
* 1 pint blueberries
* 1 pint blackberries
* 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
* 3/4 cup bourbon
* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 pint french vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Day or 2 before serving:

1.) Combine berries, 1/2 cup sugar, and bourbon in bowl.
2.) Stir and mix well.
3.) Cover and refrigerate 24-72 hours.

Day you're serving:

1.) Combine 2 Tbsp sugar, vanilla extract, and heavy cream in bowl.
2.) Whisk until soft peaks form, 3-4 min to make fresh whipped cream.
3.) Place 1 scoop of ice cream into 6 individual bowls.
4.) Top with berries and whipped cream.
5.) Serve immediately.


“What will come from the briar but the berry.”
-Irish Proverb

Silly Joke of the Day:

What do you call a raspberry blowing a raspberry?
.............Berry rude!


Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Tasty Tuesday!

“Doubtless God could have made a better berry (than the strawberry), but doubtless God never did”
-William Allen Butler


Hello! I have a great dessert recipe for you today! It is SIMPLE to make and sure to delight!! You can substitute blackberries or even add them in if you would like - be creative! Why not try it for Mother's Day? Enjoy!

“The blacker the berry the sweeter the juice”
-Proverb



Rice Pudding Brulee with Fresh Berries

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

* 1 cup fresh blueberries
* 1 cup fresh raspberries
* 22 oz Rice Pudding (found in most dairy sections)
* 1/4 cup turbinado sugar (aka: sugar in the raw)
* 6 strawberries, sliced

Equipment needed: 6 ramekins (3 1/2" wide & 2" deep)

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to broil.
2.) Spoon blueberries and raspberries evenly between ramekins.
3.) Cover berries with rice pudding.
4.) Sprinkle rice pudding with 2 tsp sugar.
5.) Broil just to melt sugar, 3-4 min.
6.) Garnish with sliced strawberries.

(If you have a culinary torch, brown the sugar with it instead of using the broiler)


“What will come from the briar but the berry.”
-Irish Proverb


Silly Joke of the Day:

What did the strawberry say to the watermelon when they were introduced?
.........Berry nice to meet you


Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Mangia Monday!

"What is food to one man may be fierce poison to others."
-Lucretius




Melt-Away Cookies

Servings: 13 dozen

Ingredients:

* 1 batch vanilla kipferl Dough (recipe below)
* Vanilla Powdered Sugar (recipe below)
* All-Purpose Flour

Gadgets needed: Large baking sheet, parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Divide dough into thirds. Transfer one third to lightly floured work surface, replace remainder in fridge until you're ready to work with it. Cut working dough into approx 1-inch squares; gather up a handful and knead this briefly on work surface to soften.

2. Using lightly floured hands (dip in flour, then clap off excess), roll dough into a 12 inch rope (about 3/8-inch in diameter). Cut into 3/4-inch lengths; roll segments into small round balls.

3. Arrange about 1/2-inch apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

4. Bake on center rack of oven 8-9 min until edges begin to brown slightly (do not over-bake). Let cool on baking sheet 1-2 min, then, while still warm, carefully toss cookies in vanilla-flavored powdered sugar to coat entire surface (I put the powdered sugar in a paper bag, add the cookies and lightly shake).

5. Transfer to separate (cool, not warm) baking sheet to cool completely. Store in a covered container at room temperature.


Tip:

* This very soft dough should be kept cool while working with it for as long as possible for ease of handling and successful results. Use only enough flour as needed to be able to roll and handle the dough without it sticking to the work surface.



Vanilla Kipferl Dough

* 4 sticks (1 lb) unsalted butter
* 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp Powdered Sugar (un-sifted)
* pinch of salt
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1 large egg yolk
* 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
* 3 cups plus 2 Tbsp (16 oz) all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup finely ground nuts (slivered almonds or chopped hazelnuts)

Gadget Needed: Electric Mixer

1. Cream butter, powdered sugar, salt and cinnamon on MEDIUM until combined, scraping bowl and paddle as needed.

2. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix to combine.

3. Stop mixer; add flour and nuts. Mix on LOW just until flour and nuts are combined.

4. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface; form into rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Dough will be soft. Wrap with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.


Tip:

* Dough can be frozen for up to 2 months. Be sure to wrap well and date. Thaw frozen dough overnight in refrigerator.



Vanilla-Flavored Sugar

Serving: 2-3 cups

* 1 Whole vanilla bean pod, split in half lengthwise
* 2-3 cups powdered or granulated sugar

1. Split vanilla pod in half lengthwise. Scrape seeds out with the tip of a paring knife; reserve seeds for other uses (see tip).

2. Bury empty pod in container of sugar (either powdered or granulated). Store covered at room temp 1 week before first use of sugar.


Tips:

* Vanilla seeds can be used to flavor sauces, icings, etc.

* Tip: Replenish sugar as needed to keep vanilla sugar on hand. It is delicious in coffee or tea, use to top muffins, french toast, etc. Refresh pod as needed. Dried-up pods can be ground with spice grinder and added back to sugar container.


"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
-Virginia Woolf

Until tomorrow: Go Ahead and Indulge!