FFwD - Financiers

Delicious Financiers!

Yummy.  Delicious.  Perfect little spring time treat.  Financiers are very easy to make with just melted butter, sugar, flour, egg whites and almond flour.  I used my mini processor to make almond flour and it really didn't grind it as fine as I would like.  Still it made excellent cakes but next time I will either use the big processor or buy almond flour.  This weekend I plan to make the chocolate ones!

This might seem like an odd combo of topics in a single post but after watching two PBS shows about Michael Mosley's search for better heath and longevity I'm committed to following his Fast Diet for 6 months.  I have a doctor's appointment Tuesday so I'll have my blood checked and then I will have it checked again in six months so I will know if this way of eating is benefiting my chemistry.  Yesterday was my first fast and it wasn't as difficult as I expected.  I broke my fast with financiers!  This plan calls for two days a week of calorie restriction, around 500 calories!

I love spring!  Tuesday in OKC was in the high 70s and Wednesday we had an ice storm.  My neighbors have draped their flowers and shrubs with sheets trying to save flowers and new growth.  That's spring for you!  New beginnings my friends!

This is a French Fridays with Dorie post.

FFwD - Pierre Hermé's Olive Sablés

Olive Sables

I was happy with this one.  I didn't have any trouble finding potato starch.  My dough came together quickly and easily and after chilling it was easy to slice.  It produced a tender and flavorful cookie.  I used oil cured olives and they have the perfect degree of saltiness to balance the sweetness of the cookie.  My husband and guests loved them!  I made the whole recipe, cooked one roll and have the other two sliced and frozen, ready to bake at a moments notice.  Cocktail party in an instant!  They were delicious with brie!

Ispahan Loaf Cake Sort Of

Since my epic fail with the ispahan loaf cake I've been having recurring nightmares of being a failed baker.  One day while wasting time surfing the internet I found a super simple cake recipe.  Who doesn't want a super simple cake recipe?  So I decided to try it subbing the rose flavoring for the vanilla.  This yogurt cake from The Cooking Frog is as easy and good as she says it is!  That said, I'm throwing out my rose extract.  We don't like it.  The cake is good though and its my new 'go to' easy and quick dessert!

Open Faced Bacon Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich
What's not to love?

One more quick thing then I'll let you go.  This project we are working on together is making me a better cook.  That hit home for me when I was going through leftovers from Easter Brunch.  I had tomatoes, mozzarella, and bacon and a few slices of bread.  I asked myself how to best use them.  "Damned if I know, Kimosabe.  All I know is when you're making those kind of calls, you're up in the high country."  Joe vs. The Volcano.  As we were happily munching away on our open faced oven broiled bacon sandwiches I realized how Dorie has made me a more confident and creative cook.  Thank you Dorie Greenspan, fellow French Friday cooks, and the originators and administrators of French Fridays with Dorie.

Don't forget to check out everyone's adventures at French Fridays with Dorie.

FFwD - Lemon Steamed Spinach

I'm just barely making this post on Friday but I AM making it!  I have made this several times but never took a picture so I had to get to the grocery store so I could make it again and PHOTOGRAPH it!  I tell you the blogging part is so much HARDER than the cooking part!

Lemon Steamed Spinach

This is so good.  So simple.  So delicious.

Make it.  You'll love it.  Its good for you.
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This post participates in French Fridays with Dorie.

FFwD - Ispahan Loaf Cake

Hello Blog World! I've been gone for a couple of weeks but I'm back...back to the blogosphere that is.

We've been to Memphis and Florida and now we're in Dallas. Babies, babies everywhere but that's a different post!

Epic Fail should be the title of this post. I found rose syrup and rose extract easily at an Eastern Food market, cheap too. What got me were the raspberries! $4.99 for 6 ounces! That was going to be $10.00 for berries! I could buy the same amount of raspberries frozen for $2.50!

I hear you judging me already! But I was hopeful that if I thawed them first and dried them on paper towels I could remove enough of the water to make it work.....I could not.

I AM going to make this again because the bits around the sides were really good:). I just haven't been home long enough to get it done and I forgot to bring the flavoring a with me.

And the sad part? I was supposed to bring this to a Sunday brunch!

Okay! Guess I accidentally deleted my photo. It showed a very brown loaf cake broken into four pieces with a liquid center oozing out!

How about a picture of my grandson instead. Happy French Friday on Sunday!

FFwD - Cheesy Creme Brûlée

My sister in law, Kathy, has had me cook two French Friday dishes at her house. Weird that they're both cheese dishes! The previous one was a cheese soufflé. It was not a hit! This time it was cheesy Creme brûlée and it was more popular but still they would have preferred a standard Creme brûlée.....they missed the sugar topping:)

That being said, Gary and I loved it. I think next time I will try making it in a chafing dish and serve it with a hearty, crusty bread.

This blog participates in www.frenchfridays.com.

FFwD - Chicken Breasts Diable

I did my entire post, added the pictures, hit preview and it all disappeared!  Where'd it go?

Delicious Chicken Breasts Diable!

To summarize - it was great.  It was easy.  We loved it and will do it again.  I breaded my cutlets and fried them.  My son said they were Frenchified Fried Chicken and Gravy:)

Apple and Blackberry Polenta Cobbler

Since its my goal to cook at least one recipe from every food magazine that comes into my house I made Apple and Blackberry Polenta Cobbler from February's Bon Appetit.  It was also delicious and easy and tasted even better the next day.

Be sure to visit the French Friday with Dorie website to see what all the participants thought of this recipe.  Now if this post disappears I give up!

FFwD - Cheating On Winter Pea Soup + Coeur á la Créme

Cheating on Winter Pea Soup

This soup was easy.  This soup was good.  I didn't have any of the color issues talked about in the P&Q.  It worked and we enjoyed it.  I'll admit to curiosity about boiled romaine but it contributed a lightness and a freshness to the soup that was nice.  This is a keeper for us!

I've been telling myself (and my husband) that I would get back into my bread baking routine for several months now.  I was a regular bread baker for quite a while.  I don't know what happened.  Life I guess.  Actually, I realized just now it was my mother's illness and death 2.5 years ago. Time to get going on the things I like to do!  I know she would want me to as she took great pride in any and all of her children's accomplishments.

So it was a simple one day bread Thursday but definitely a delicious addition to the soup.  Just a basic white bread with oatmeal and flax seed.  It made a delicious ham and cheese panini to go with our soup!

I know this is the post that never ends but moving on to the coeur á la créme.  Something was lost here for me.  There was no, absolutely none, liquid to drain out.  Cream cheese, sugar, whipped cream of course it was good but I just couldn't find the point of it.  That being said, I made this while visiting my grandson and my daughter in law loved it.  I felt like it needed to be used IN something.  Like a twist on smores maybe?

This post participates in French Fridays with Dorie.  A project that is cooking through her book Around My French Table.  

Secret Valentine - Death By Chocolate Cookies

Death by Chocolate Cookies

I don't know how she does it but Alice organized a Valentine's cookie exchange for our French Friday group.  At Christmas she organized a card exchange.   Alice has terrific ideas and the energy to carry them out!  I envy that:)

Anyhow I received Death By Chocolate Cookies from Liz Berg at http://www.thatskinnychickcanbake.com/.  They were chocolatey and delicious and everything you want in a chocolate cookie.  We ate several immediately (who could resist?) then put the rest in the freezer and have been having one in the afternoon with our coffee.  If you're looking for a new chocolate cookie recipe I highly recommend this one!  And you see the lovely red paisley print in the background?  That's a beautiful dish towel that came in my package as well!  Lucky me!!!

1 cup + 1 Tbsp flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

5 Tbsp room temp butter

3/4 cups brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

Melt the 8 oz. chocolate chips in microwave until smooth and set aside.

Whisk together eggs and vanilla.  Set aside and yes this makes for a lot of dirty dishes!

Beat butter until smooth and creamy then beat in sugars.  Mix in eggs and vanilla until incorporated.  Add chocolate and mix until incorporated.  Add dry ingredients on low speed and mix until just combined.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Chill dough for 1/2 hour.

Scoop 2 T dough and roll into balls.  Bake about 10 minutes or until cookies just start to set.  Centers will appear soft.  Cool for 5 minutes on sheet then remove to cooking rack.

Enjoy!  

FFwD-Fresh Orange Pork Tenderloin

Fresh Orange Pork Tenderloin

This is a hard one to write about.  I wanted to like it but can't say that I did.  The end dish wasn't worth the work involved.  I like the idea of fresh orange and pork but this didn't match my vision.  I do think, however, a roasted pork with an orange glaze and an orange reduction on the side might be interesting. 

I read the P&Qs so I left out the onions but I wanted more of the cardamon flavor to come through.  One thing that occurred to me is the blandness of pork today.  Pork used to be more flavorful, fattier.  Also, I had quite a bit of sauce.  All in all this didn't work out for me but I think there is something here that could work, should work.  I'm going to try it again using pork loin, if I can find it.  Its hard to find pork loin these days.  I wonder why...

This is where you go to find everyone's adventures!  I hope our members in the northeast don't get hit too hard by the latest storm!

FFwD - Brown Sugar, Squash, and Brussels Sprouts en Papillotes

Roasted Brown Sugar, Squash and Brussels Sprouts!

Maybe this recipe didn't generate the level of controversy of liver but whether to 'en papillote' or roast had us buzzing!  I roasted for a simple reason.  I adore roasted brussels sprouts.  Its the only cooking method that causes me to adore brussels sprouts.  En papillote is a wonderful way to cook and I especially enjoy making little packages for the grill but for me brussels sprouts should be eaten roasted or raw.  Plain and simple.

That being said we enjoyed this combo.  The squash and apple were delicious with the sprouts and I plan on making it again next week for company.  Remember back in November when we made  Endives, Apples and Grapes?  I made the bonne idee using squash, chestnuts, apples and grapes.  I think I'll try that recipe using brussels sprouts and roasting.  Should be delicious I think!

I don't know about where you live but here in Oklahoma we are taking turns passing around a bug to each other.  It seems none of us can stay well more than a week before we get something else!  Please let this end soon!!!!  I miss good health....

French Fridays with Dorie is where you will find everyone's cooking adventures!