FFwD - Only One of Two Tartines

This week's French Friday assignment was Two Tartines From La Croix Rouge. La Croix Rouge was a fashionable cafe in Paris that is evidently closed. I googled it for info and found a page that said closed. Too bad. It sounded like it had everything going for it!

Tartine Saint-Germain

I skipped the Tartine Norvégienne because we don't like smoked salmon. However, the Tartine Saint-Germain is delicious! Since it is such an easy recipe, more a set of instructions, I decided to make my mayonnaise. The only other time I've done this was for Hélène's All-White Salad and people, we loved it! I mean loved it!

The mayonnaise was my favorite part!

Dorie's mayonnaise recipe is on page 490 of Around My French Table. She says use 1/2-1 cup of oil and 1/4 teaspoon of Dijon or more if you like it more 'piquant' and I do! From the previous mayonnaise I learned that salt and pepper are essential to bring out the flavor of the oil and egg so I used both liberally.  Seriously,  you don't need roast beef or smoked salmon or anything else. I could eat it with a spoon!

Delicious with pickles and grapes. Does that sound weird?

We had this for a late lunch with a glass of wine. I admit I love drinking in the day. It makes me feel like I'm on vacation! Okay I just read that statement. Makes it sound like I'm one step away from a 12 step program.

Don't forget to add salt and pepper to the sandwich. They bump the flavor to the next level!

Its one step forward and one step back on the blog relocation and redo! Yep, that means I'm standing in place! And yes, it is frustrating. I WILL be there by Easter and hopefully sooner!

Go to the French Friday website to see what the other French Friday cooks thought.

FFwD - Garbure From the Supermarket

Garubure From the Supermarket

This was good! Gary liked it and said its a keeper. Reading through the recipe is daunting but, really, once you cook the beans and chop the vegetables its pretty simple.  I used a ham bone that I had and it provided so much flavor that the sausage wasn't necessary. I plan to try this with a pork shoulder next time and see if the sausage adds more to the flavor.

I could find no duck confit. Since I was in Dallas I was hopeful, but unless I wanted to run all over town it wasn't happening. Central Market (my favorite grocery store) said they would have more in about a week. That wasn't any help to me though!

Tasty and I'm glad it makes lots!

We've had beautiful weather here in Oklahoma City but it ends tomorrow and we have snow and ice and 7 degree temps in our forecast. I know many of you are having much worse weather. I am SO ready for winter to end!!!

I'm making progress on my blog redesign. I hope to be up and running in a couple of weeks.

We are cooking our way through Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table. Click the French Friday link to see what the other cooks thought.

Gratuitous pictures of my grandchildren to follow:)

My favorite little lunch partner having pizza his favorite meal. Forever ever he says:)

Our adorable little lady:)

FFwD - Butter and Rum Crepes, Fancy and Plain

I love crepes! I have made them several times, usually with some degree of success. Maybe a few stick or tear when I turn them, but all in all I can count on enough pretty ones to feed whoever is around. I've  even made these crepes a few times. I've left out the citrus. I've left out the rum. I've added both. They are delicious no matter how they were made.

And then I bought a crepe pan.

My new crepe pan!

I seasoned as recommended and had beautiful crepes to serve to my son and daughter-in-law. I filled them with vanilla pastry cream and topped them with melted fig preserves. Delicious and beautiful! Why didn't I take a picture?

So I had a casual dinner party. Dorie's Boeuf a la mode and sautéed green beans were on the menu, crepes for dessert.

A delicious pile of crepe crumbs!

I think I need to work on re-seasoning my pan. I think my flame was too high and then too low. I think I need more practice. But everyone loved them and hopes I will begin a quest to perfect the crepes. The sauce is perfect, as is! However, if your honey is Manuka and not as sweet as some honey, either cut back on the citrus or add a bit of sugar.

At least I got two pretty ones!

Out of the entire batch I had two that were presentable! The quest continues!

Go to the French Fridays with Dorie website to see how everyone else fared this week as we cook our way through Dorie Grrenspan's Around My French Table.

FFwD - Paris-Brest

When I think of French pastry I think pâté a choux, fruit tarts, small cakes, croissants. Pâté a choux covers cream puffs, profiteroles, eclairs, gougeres. All delicious and special treats for someone living in Oklahoma.

Paris-Brest

I made my first pâté a choux several years ago, 10 maybe. My friend, Marsha, and I were planning a trip to London and Paris.  Gary's dad died and we invited his sister and mother to come with us. We went to a small patisserie for coffee and pastry every morning while we were in Paris. My sister in law would have a fruit tart. My mother in law would have a scone. Marsha and I had croissants. Every day. Funny I came home determined to learn how to make pastries.  I don't know why I didn't decide to make croissants.

Paris Brest is a pastry made to commemorate a bicycle race that goes from Paris to Brest. The circular shape is reminiscent of a bicycle wheel. Its  pretty easy to make. The hardest part is piping out the pastry ring. If you google it you will see some people pipe inside a cake ring. One Dorista, Christy, used mini tart pans. A ring of some sort helps the pastry to rise up instead of spreading out.  Next time I will use a ring of some type.

The pastry cream is easy to mix up. And all components can be made in advance and put together at the last moment.  I made it while Gary's mother was here and the three of us almost finished off the entire Paris Brest! Two small pieces were still good the next day but the Creme had caused the pastry to loose some of its crispness. Still delicious though.

Winter is dragging on for all of us it seems! Snow is predicted for Oklahoma on Tuesday! Ugh....
Go to French Friday with Dorie website to see what everyone else thought about it.

FFwD - Christine's Simple Party Soups

Christine's Simple Party Soups

This French Friday is one of the simplest we've done. Basically you boil peppers, asparagus and broccoli, individually,  in chicken broth with zucchini. Then you blend it up, in the food processor for me. What could be easier, right? Well it is easy but it still wasn't worth the effort. I added hot peppers and spices and it still wasn't very good. My family wouldn't move beyond a taste and I felt the same. It all ended up in the trash. That's a French Friday first! The red pepper soup showed the most promise but even though I halved the water it wasn't very good.

Enriched White Bread

At least we had good bread!  One of my 2014 goals is to bake more bread and I'm off to a good start. How can you go wrong with Peter Reinhart though? I've baked many of his breads from bread The Bread Baker's Apprentice and plan to bake them all. I started with a simple enriched white bread since it has been a while since I baked artisan bread. I'm eager to continue my quest!

The French Friday website is where you'll find everyone's links.

FFwD - Recipe-Swap Onion "Carbonara"

2 #s of onions ready for the steamer

I seem to be stuck in a pattern of cooking but not blogging! Maybe after the holidays I will get back into the schedule. No, maybe after the arrival of our granddaughter on January 3rd! We are excited to meet her and also to see what kind of a brother Mr. Adorable will be to Miss Adorable! We predict he will be Extraordinary! 

Spaghetti and Onions Carbonara

For this week's French Friday recipe I went the spaghetti route. After a day of baking I wanted a quick and delicious dinner and this was perfect....in my opinion....an opinion not shared by Gary! Gary of 'will eat anything' fame didn't like this! He ate a bit and then went for leftovers! He said he's finally found something that bacon should NOT go on! Unbelievable! His sweet mother is with us and she thought it was good and cleaned her plate. I think she was as surprised by Gary's reaction as I was! Bacon, onions, cream and cheese over pasta? What's not to love?

Merry Christmas to all! Stop by the French Friday page to see everyone else's experience with the recipe!

FFwD - Orange-Almond Tuiles

Orange-Almond Tuiles

These delicate little cookies caused quite a stir on the P&Q page! The dough/batter mixes easily enough but from there its all down hill. I refrigerated over night, two nights actually and measured the little balls with a teaspoon. So far all went well. Things got tricky when it came time to remove the little sh--s from the cookie sheet! Last time I was at Williams Sonoma Outlet (yes Virginia, there is an outlet) in Memphis I bought a sharp edged metal spatula and I was feeling somewhat cocky about it. I thought I had the perfect tool for this job! I did not have the perfect tool. So I let them cool on the sheet a little longer. Then it was back in the oven. Then I scraped/mangled a few off. Draping them over the rolling pin was no easy task as I have a big old fashioned one and I think these need to go over a French style.

All in all these weren't worth the effort for me and I didn't even finish cooking the dough/batter.  My sweet mother in law and I nibbled on them while we worked on her Christmas cards.  We are excited to have her stay with us for a few weeks. This lovely lady has Parkinson's Disease and struggles as the disease robs her of herself but she pushes on with courage and dignity. We feel honored to have her in our home.

The day was not lost thanks to Trevor. He posted on facebook that it was the 80th anniversary of the end of Prohibition! Gary and AJ and I celebrated with a Manhattan:)

AJ wants a Manhattan too!

All the French Friday cooks can be found here. As we cook our way through Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table. Stay warm Doristas and thank you for the condolences in the loss of my friend.

FFwD - Chestnut and Pear Soup + Muenster Souffle Make UP

This soup is not pretty! I guess that's why Dorie didn't include a picture and I don't blame her! Actually, I didn't know what to expect from Chestnut and Pear Soup but its good. Kind of earthy and kind of sweet and more depth of flavor than I expected.  Gary didn't share my favorable impression. He is, however, impressed that we continue to try making soups out of things that shouldn't be soup. His words, not mine. I came close to chopping off the tip of my pinky while slicing onions! It is SO hard to keep a bandaid on the end of your finger!!!

The Muenster Souffles became Camembert Souffles and they are delicious! Really good with the soup too. My bechamel was too thick and lumpy the first time. So I remade it. I had to crack 5 eggs to get 3 eggs cleanly separated! It wasn't my best day in the kitchen!

This little bundle of sweetness could care less about my kitchen troubles. Give him a piece of peanut butter toast and an apple and he's happy! He makes me happy too!

All the Doristas trials, tribulations, and successes can be found at French Fridays with Dorie.

FFwD - Compote de Pommes + Hurry-Up-And-Wait Roast Chicken

I've gotten behind on French Friday cooking and posting. Hopefully, I will catch up in the next couple of weeks. I lost my friend almost two weeks ago and I'm struggling to move on with my life. I will get there...I just need a little more time.

Compote de Pommes

This weeks Compote de Pommes (French Applesauce) was simple and delicious. I served it as dessert with whipped cream. I've never served applesauce with whipped cream and it was a revelation! Gary and I each had two servings and on the second one I layered the whipped cream with the applesauce and it was even better! I used an assortment of apples left in the fridge and it came out perfect!

Hurry-Up-And-Wait Roast Chicken

Roast chicken was just what we needed for an easy comfort meal. I liked the technique of turning the chicken (although I admit it wasn't easy and involved props to hold it in place) to ensure even cooking. I through a few potatoes and carrots into the pan and we had an easy and delicious dinner.

This post participates in French Fridays with Dorie. Join us as we cook our way through Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table.

FFwD - Salad Nicoise

Elk crossing

Life has been hectic since I returned from Seattle and The International Food Bloggers Conference. Our son from Dallas arrived the day after I did, my sister from California later in the week, and our rowing club's biggest regatta is this weekend, along with Gary's birthday! I can hear my mom saying 'you can rest in the grave':) My mom was full of sayings. When I was younger it could be annoying. Now I smile at how often I hear her expressions in my head.

We shared our delicious salad with our good and frequent French Friday friends. The addition of a Whole Foods to our city makes last minute entertaining a breeze. I ran by and picked up a couple of cheeses, good crackers, and a few small cakes to share. This easy salad and a couple of good bottles of wine made for a fun and impromptu dinner party.

Salad Nicoise

This is a French Fridays with Dorie post. Join us as for year four as we cook our way through Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table.

FFwD - Tuna-Packed Piquillo Peppers

I'm tired everyone. I've been up so long that I can't even calculate how long I've been up.  Yes I'm that tired. But I'm happy.  I'm content.  And I'm stimulated. I have so much to process. I have to sit alone with things and let my experiences percolate. Tonight I met Dorie and 'The Original Dorista', her husband, Michael. I also met several of the Doristas I've been cooking with in this fun and challenging project, French Fridays with Dorie. The evening was such a pleasure!

I'll have more to say as the @IFBC progresses and I get some sleep. It just seemed kind of sacrilegious to not get my post up for this particular French Friday when I am with Dorie and so many of the Doristas. 

I wish I could have found the Piquillo  peppers but I didn't and I ended up using red peppers that were just bell peppers in water. Still, this was good.  I recently bought olive oil infused with Tuscan herbs and I used that for the olive oil to add flavor since I didn't have the piquillos that Dorie says are slightly smoky and sweet. Heating them intensifies all the flavors and with a nice baguette made an easy and delicious light supper. 

I can't figure out how to put in links on my iPad. I think I'm just too tired to think about it! You all know where to go to find all the  French Fridays with Dorie posts. 

IFBC Baby!

Sorry everyone but I live in Oklahoma. When we hear something like IFBC its assumed to be a sporting conference of some sort so I can't help but yell 'IFBC Baby!' Just as an experiment I tried telling a few fellow Okies about IFBC in Seattle. They immediately think its about basketball but that's a long story and only professional basketball fans would get it. When I say no, their brains go straight to college sports and then a worried, puzzled expression spreads across their faces. Is there a new conference they haven't heard of? Are they out of the loop? Is there something happening in sports that they are unaware of? Rodeo? International Federation of Bucking Critters?

Okay, I know its not nice to tease people too much but as a foodie living in Oklahoma I take my shots where I can.

IFBC is actually The International Food Blogger Conference. This year it will be held in Seattle September 20-22, 2013.  It will be my first food blogger conference ever! I'm kind of nervous but I'm more excited.

I've participated in this group called French Fridays with Dorie since December 2011. We are cooking our way through Dorie Greenspan's cookbook Around My French Table. I've never met any of the other cooks and 17 of our members will also be at the conference! On top of that Dorie Greenspan herself is the keynote speaker! On top of that she is going to meet with us as a group! I know! It just gets better and better! If you are attending the conference you will know us by our fabulous French Fridays with Dorie tote bags created by Trevor the Clever (that's kinda catchy, isn't it?) at Sis Boom Blog.

I've beaten myself severely (mentally, emotionally, but not physically) for not doing the things I told myself I would do with my blog. I feel I let myself down and its made me cranky and not want to do anything with my blog. Why are we humans so complicated and contrary? But I have now determined I WILL use this conference to learn and I WILL come home and USE what I have learned to make my blog the reflection of me that I want it to be. I won't go into the fact that it is a reflection of my current state of mind and............didn't I just say I won't go into that? Oh I am afraid I reveal too much......

Anyhow IFBC is going to be fabulous and I can't wait to meet new people, see new things, and have new experiences!  Did I mention I'm going to meet Dorie?

FFwD - Make Up Day - Gougéres

Hello Friends! I hardly know where to begin this post. So much has been happening in my life lately and there is so much happening in the next few months.

Gougéres

First, my gougéres. They are delicious. I think this was one of the early French Friday recipes and I actually thought I'd made them but what I made was the goat cheese mini puffs which also uses a páte á choux, though it is slightly different.  I used a combo of cheddar and pepper jack and next time will use more pepper jack.  The little pepper kick is wonderful!

Anyhow, they are super easy to make and wonderful to eat. We ate several (can I call six several?) and I have a bag in the freezer ready to bake at a moments notice. I love having ready to bake items in my freezer!

I need to post about the past couple of FF recipes. I've cooked, photographed but not posted. Come on Lola/Guyla! Get with the program! So much to do...so much I want to do...so much I'm not getting done!

I had my son, daughter-in-law and grandson for an entire week! Is there anything better than having your grown children return home? I don't think so! And my SON is returning next week for a couple of days. More good news...we have a baby girl joining our family in January! As my clever daughter-in-law put it "a little PINK with our beloved blue". Happy, happy, happy!

I have reached my goal weight! The Fast Diet is the perfect plan for us. Now I'm trying to figure out how to maintain but I'm pretty sure it doesn't include 'several' gougéres with my drink every evening.

Happy Friday everyone! Life is good! This post participates in French Fridays with Dorie. We are a dedicated group of fun loving home cooks cooking our way through Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table. There is still time to join us!

FFwD - Dieter's Tartine

You take one look at the list of ingredients and just know this is good! How could it not be?  Its the middle of summer here so tomatoes are fresh and delicious.  Recently, while visiting our grandson in Dallas, we had Armenian cucumbers. The skin is thin and mild and there are no seeds to speak of.  They are similar to an English or hothouse cucumber but a bit more flavorful.  I was happy to find them at our local Farmer's Market.

Dieter's Tartine

I just toasted baguette slices and spread them with goat cheese.  I had some in the fridge that needed to be used and in the interest of cooking what I have I used goat cheese but I will look for fromage blanc another time.  Very occasionally I see it at the cheese store.

Since my basil plant is going crazy I used basil instead of chives and I couldn't pass on the olive oil.  Everything was fresh and delicious and I can't wait to make it again. These could be a great light lunch but since we ate most of a baguette and a roll of goat cheese I'm not sure it was a diet lunch!

And then......we had pie! I found This great recipe recently at the Taste of Home web site. I used the tart dough recipe to make a pie crust for a cherry, peach and blackberry pie! To. Die. For. This is my new go to recipe for a crust.

I hope all the French Friday cooks had a good week.  Don't forget to head over and check out everyone's blog.

FFwD - Back of the Card Cheese Bread

Summer has come to the plains!  We went from monsoons to heat.  Has Oklahoma become tropical?

Back of the Card Cheese Bread

This recipe is very easy and very adaptable to whatever ingredients you have on hand.  Four eggs make this bread more like a cake!

I didn't have tapenade so I used pesto.  I had a drawer full of end pieces of cheese of unknown varieties.  There was a piece of parmesan and a little cheddar, though.  That much I know.  I had a few olives and a bit of roasted red pepper.  It was a mishmash of stuff that came together perfectly.

I took it to a going away party for a friend who has retried and is going to try out different places to see where she wants to live.  She's going to Mississippi first.  What an adventure!

And, yes, this bread is wonderful with a glass of white wine!  I like Honig Sauvignon Blanc.

Check out all the French Friday cooks!

FFwD - Asparagus Soup or From FFwD Loser to Sated in Under an Hour!

Where do I even begin?  You can't help but have heard about the tornadoes in Oklahoma this week.  The worst of it was about ten miles from us and not headed our way but it is such an odd sensation to know your city is being shredded and no one can do anything to help or prevent it.  Then when we heard the tornado had hit an elementary school and was headed for a mid high the nausea from the fear of knowing there would be fatalities in what was at least an EF4 tornado. I think when we see the devastation on television we are all amazed that there weren't more deaths.  Of course, when it is your loved one the statistics and miracles have no meaning.

I've been absent for a few weeks.  First there was a trip to Memphis for our niece's high school graduation.  She was the last graduate of her generation in our family. The baby. Our next high school graduation will be our grandson!  It was a proud moment with all the cousins gathered for the occasion.

My sweet mother-in-law and niece.

Then there was Mother's Day with my mother-in-law, a great lady who has taught me, by example, so much about kindness.  The men cooked a delicious brunch while the ladies sat around my sister's in law pool!

Mr. Adorable admiring the rhino at the zoo.

Next we had our two year old grandson for a week!  What are we teaching him through our example?  One thing we noticed he learned is that all he has to say is "Help please Gigis." and Gigi will help him get whatever it is he wants!

Asparagus soup with Bacon Bruschetta

Now for the food.  This is a simple soup or would have been if I hadn't burned the leeks, onions, garlic and scallion mixture!  I was so disgusted with myself I was tempted to give up and let my husband take me to dinner.  Instead I salvaged what I could from the mess and set the pot to soak.  Since I've rambled enough for one post I won't go into the ridiculously expensive frozen asparagus I used but just say frozen works fine!  I don't know if it was because I didn't have the suggested amount of aromatics but the soup was bland so I added a spoon of chicken bouillon, a bit of dried chili pepper flakes and a big glug (yes I said glug) of cream.  Delicious!

I served bruschetta topped with bacon, mozzarella, and tomato (an open faced sandwich) and my husband loved it all!

Pioneer Woman's Bread Pudding

P-Dub, also known as The Pioneer Woman, came to my aid with her Bread Pudding recipe 'cause we Okies are sticking together this week!  I used Whole Foods Cranberry Walnut bread and instead of Jack Daniels in the whiskey sauce I used Canadian Mist.  Its good, I mean REALLY good!

I haven't even touched on hiking or fasting, both of which are entire posts in themselves. Thank you for hanging in there with me and if you skipped to the end that's okay too.  I needed to say all this more than you needed to read it!

All of the amazing French Friday cooks can be found at the link.

FFwD - Creamy Mushrooms and Eggs

Creamy Mushrooms and Eggs

"This is a winner for breakfast, lunch or dinner!"  That's a quote from my husband and he said I could use it!

Breakfast for dinner is one of our favorite meals so when I didn't get this week's French Friday recipe made as planned for weekend brunch we were happy to have it for dinner.  I added asparagus and it was a delicious dinner.

While I was cooking we had Missy Cocktails, also known as a Raspberry Lemon Drop, but our daughter-in-law introduced us to the drink and we just call it The Missy Cocktail.  Anyhow, they are a tad strong and that could have influenced our love of the Mushroom Eggs....I don't think so but I want to let you know its possible.

Delicious Raspberry Lemon Drop

Tomorrow my friend, Franny, and I are going on our first hike.  We've been talking about doing this for a while and are finally getting ourselves together to do it.  Its only 7 miles and not very strenuous but we're hoping to build on this easy one at a nearby state park.

I hope everyone is having a nice, if somewhat unpredictable, spring.  Results for all the French Friday with Dorie cooks can be found at the link!

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 - Long and Slow Apples + Herb Speckled Spaetzle

I was in Memphis for last week's French Fridays Herb Speckled Spaetzle (say that 3 times quickly) and just didn't think my in-laws would enjoy it.  Well, that's kind of true but its also true to say I was afraid...yes, I feared the spaetzle.  I just couldn't visualize how this was going to work.  I finally got my courage up and made it when I got home.  I used my mom's old ricer and a lot of things I visualized happening happened!  The herbs didn't go through the little holes.  Some of the dough/batter stuck together and fell into the water in globs creating what I was sure would be gelatinous masses of goo.  After boiling the spaetzle goo I almost tossed it figuring I could boil pasta and combine with the butter, onions, mushrooms for a delicious dish.  But I pushed on and somehow the gelatinous goo globs became delicious spaetzle!  And it was Gary approved!

Herb Speckled Spaetzle does not photograph well:(

This week's recipe, Long and Slow Apples was as good and as easy as I expected.  The mandoline makes short work of the slicing.  I can't wait to read everyone else's post and see if the plastic wrap melted for them.  I checked the P&Q section and Mardi said hers melted.  Since mine was in the oven I quickly replaced my Glad wrap with parchment.  The apples turned out great!

Long and Slow Apples

I served mine with vanilla ice cream topped with a sprinkling of orange zest and toasted walnuts with a splash of Harlequin Orange Liquer.  Delicious, elegant and oh so easy!

All of the French Friday cooks can be found here!  Read about our adventures as we cook through Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table. Happy 2013 to one and all!