Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Spinach Lasagne with Vegetables....
The Daring Baker Challenge is here and the recipe chosen this month is Lasagne made with spinach pasta you make yourself. I decided to go light with the cheese and make my lasagne all vegetables, because I had alot in the fridge. I try not to go out and buy any special items when doing these challenges.
The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.
The recipe for the pasta was simple and easy. I put mine in a food processor until it came together. Some people will make it by hand...
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Labels: Dinner Recipes
Friday, March 27, 2009
Hooked on the Most Surprising Thing.....


These Spiral Cellars are tapping into that primal romanticism, the same sort that led us to build forts out of blankets and chairs and progress to treehouses with "Keep Out" signs as we got older. The only difference is that this cellar design has a rather more grownup function.

The Spiral Cellar system was developed in 1978 by a Frenchman who saw that few modern houses had wine cellars, but that people still needed a place to store their wine. If a wine-lover has a serious collection it can quickly outgrow wine racks and refrigerator units. So he came up with the Spiral Cellar design, which uses the earth to insulate and create good storage conditions. It does this, however, in a fraction of the space of a regular cellar. It also can maintain a constant temperature with no power required.
A spiral cellar is dug into the floor by a professional team, and the cellar storage itself is created from concrete wrapped in a watertight lining. Passive ventilation keeps the temperature around 55°, an ideal temperature for wine storage. There are several sizes, holding from 1000-1600 bottles.
Of course, this is one indulgence for wealthy or well-off wine drinkers only. The Spiral Cellar purchase and installation runs at least $30,000. One site reported that there is an option to buy a kit and install the cellar yourself, but we can't find this on their current site; it may not be offered anymore. This cellar price, though, is still much cheaper than installing a full-blown, climate controlled wine cellar in the basement.
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Labels: Hooked On
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Raspberry Crumb Cake

I didn't have any blueberries on hand and didn't have the means to go out and buy them. So I figured I could alternate it a little. So instead I used the following:
Triple Berry Jam folded in, Pecans instead of Walnuts, and almond extract instead of vanilla.

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Labels: Tuesdays with Dorie
Monday, March 23, 2009
Frangelico Infused Hazelnut Cupcakes...
It's Iron Cupcake time again....Seems like forever since I have posted in the challenge. Time just keeps slipping away..... This month's challenge was NUTS or SEEDS. And since my favorite nut is HAZELNUT, I knew I would make this wonderful recipe. I served this same cake at my wedding,(yes I made my own wedding cakes), so long ago, and everyone loved it. If you love what you see, don't forget to vote for me starting the 29th!

2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Hazelnut Flavoring (Substituted for Vanilla)
DIRECTIONS
**Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
**Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes until they spring back when touched. Remove and allow to cool
*A Bunnycake Easter Plushie by DOGBONEART, http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21636297.
*A whimsical piece by CAKEASAURUS, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5729584.
*as well as a pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6057281.
*a collection of all new printed cupcake liners, 200 in all from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
*PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!
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Labels: Iron Cupcake
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Class Continues.....
Then for sweets they made some Brownie Bites,
Raspberry Crumb Squares, and Soft Chocolate Chippers.
Can you believe the four 5th graders made this in an hour and a half...
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Labels: Kid Recipes
Friday, March 20, 2009
Fashionable Friday...
It's Fashionable Friday in the Kitchen at Fifi's. I thought I would send over my dream French Stove that is hard to get here in the states. I love the lines of this classic look. It will really go well with the hood she has picked out. I have seen these stoves in different colors or with ceramic tile on the front. If funds were unlimited, this stove would be mine!!
Blended Together by Suzy at 8:08 AM 11 Others Say:
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Hooked on this week's Holiday Food Fest....

Or perhaps my favorite quick bread "IRISH SODA BREAD", made with currants and caraway seeds. The seeds are what makes this bread traditional, along with the cross that is sliced in the top. What makes the bread rise is the interaction between the baking soda and the buttermilk.



Since St. Joseph is also the Patron Saint of Poland, leave it to the Polish to throw a big bash that includes a incredible amount of food, with this entree as the center of attention. Polish stuffed cabbage is known as Golabki. In my family I have seen so many of these, there was a time when I never wanted to see or make another one. But then I came back around and perfected
the recipe that I now use. They are time consuming, but once you get the hang of it you can wrap and roll easily. After perusing these holiday delights, check out what others are hooked on with
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Labels: Hooked On
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade
Tuesdays with Dorie again, and the choice this week, comes from Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction. She chose the French Yogurt Cake with a Marmalade Top. As Dorie says in her Baking Book, this is a very popular cake in France. Each family having their own recipe that is handed down through the generations. She describes it as a cross between pound cake and sponge cake. I say that I would have to agree on that.
I didn't have any Lemon Marmalade on hand as the recipe suggest, so I used Orange Marmalade instead, and did not strain it. I flavored my cake with a little rum extract. I thought it was pretty good. It is Dorie's suggestion that you serve it with a fruit compote. Which would be an excellent accompaniment, when fresh in season.
You can find this recipe in Dorie's Baking Book on pages 224 - 225, or go to Liliana's website. Liliana also used Orange Marmalade.
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Labels: Tuesdays with Dorie
Friday, March 13, 2009
Hooked on Green Milk Glass.....

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Labels: Hooked On
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Italian Red Sauce
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Labels: Dinner Recipes
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Lemon Cup Custard
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Labels: Tuesdays with Dorie
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Let the Cooking Class Begin.....




They started out with a basic chicken breast which they pounded and breaded then baked. While that was going, I had half the group start to chop up the ingredients for the red sauce. While they were simmering and baking, we started on a garlic, cheesy bread. And then cut and sauteed the Zucchini. No one had ever tried Zucchini cooked this way and all LOVED it!
It is great when you can persuade a child to taste something and then they say "WOW! I really like it!"

Yummy!
The girls really had a great time learning and planning new things. They will be presenting their projects next month during a Open House at the school. I'll show you more photos, and these recipes as the weeks go by.
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Labels: Kid Recipes