Lemon and Rhubarb Posset with Pistachio Crumb | Great British Chefs.
Doesn’t this look divine! A simple, elegant dessert to impress your guests.
Also, take a few cues from this post on how to prepare for the perfect party. “You don’t need to spend this month’s rent on lobster and foie gras to have a successful dinner party. In fact, cooking for a crowd can be a much more economical choice than forking out on dinner in a restaurant.”
Have a great weekend!
Hope you’re having a fab day! The mini sweet pepper WhirlwinDISH was inspired by a couple of things: fried, cream & cheddar cheese-filled jalapeño poppers and a church cafe chicken salad. I know that sounds funny, haha! As you can see, the sun was starting its descent when I snapped the pic. I did the best I could 🙂 . I’ve been thinking about poppers for several weeks. I am limiting my cheese portions, though, and I rarely fry anything at home. I saw these sweet mini peppers, and dreams of those spicy, rich, poppers came back. I thought, why not stuff these with what I have on hand, and leave them raw? What did I have on hand to fill them with?…well, my first thought was that hummus would be an easy, inexpensive, & delish option. Then, I remembered a simple chicken salad from a church cafe in Phoenix (it came with a side of sliced bell peppers). I don’t know how many times I ordered that, but it always hit the spot! No chicken in sight, though. I did have salmon, so I decided to sub it. The jalapeño was the stuffer instead of the stuffee for these 2 fillings: Raw Sweet Pepper Poppers Filled w/ Edamame-Jalapeño Hummus & Salmon Salad w/ Jalapeño Mayo.
The Hummus Filling– Standard hummus w/ these changes: I made a roasted pistachio butter vs. tahini for the 1/2 garbanzo, 1/2 edamame hummus. And, I added a little parsley for a bit of green, jalapeño for a little kick. Totally simple.
The Salmon Salad Filling — Salmon with mayo & relish. Homemade extra-virgin olive oil mayo with egg, extra-virgin, chia seed powder, garlic powder, pinch of mustard, vinegar, s & p, jalapeño. When I started to drizzle in the oil, I thought I could use chia seed powder to thicken up the mixture. This allowed me to cut down the amount of oil used. The church cafe chicken salad didn’t have relish in it, but I decided to add some at the last minute. I diced up a few homemade sweet pickles.
I can’t believe how much I loved the mini peppers! They have a milder, sweeter flavor than when they are full grown. It’s hard to believe growing up I detested raw peppers and onion, lol! If you see any of these peppers when you are out and about, I encourage you to try filling them with whatever sounds good to you (if you are a pepper person, that is 😉 ).
Raw Tri-Color Cauliflower-Spinach Salad with Honey-Lemon Vinaigrette. Colorful cauliflower was calling for me to make a salad. I was just missing the purple variety! I had a little more light with these pics. I poured the dressing on after I took the pic and let it sit for a bit (while I checked off a few things on my “to-do” list.). This allowed the flavors to mingle for a while. Salad: tri-colored cauliflower (white, orange, and green), baby spinach, pistachios, red onion, dried cranberries, raisins, and mini red sweet peppers. Easy vin: lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, honey, shallots, garlic, s&p.
This simple, but super colorful dish made me so happy! Sometimes, you just need a bit of color to perk you up and brighten your day. Both dishes were very satisfying, without being overly heavy. I may consider them for the next potluck I’m invited to!
Have a great weekend!
*If you’re new to my blog, you may want to read this for info on what ‘My Way’ posts are all about. 🙂 *
— Hope you had a lovely St. Patrick’s Day! This past week, I made the celery juice from this blog post, another batch of the Chunky Corn & Black Bean Falafel, as well as the Crab & Goat Cheese Guacamole posted some time back. All were delish! The falafel will frequently be in my rotation, for sure. After posting the Fruit & Herb Honey Syrups, I made one with fruits and herbs I had in the freezer: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, pom, lime, and purple basil. So far, I’ve just used it to top off a little sparkling water, and it’s very nice.
And, I made the cherry-vanilla. A cherry-vanilla float with my Holiday bourbon sounds good. These syrups are super versatile, easy to make, and do not require any cooking. I am thinking I might do pineapple-mint next. If you haven’t done so already, check out the honey syrups here.
OMGoodness, the Spicy Carrot & Hummus Sandwich from my Healthy Work Lunches post really hit the spot!
I made an open-faced sandwich on whole wheat sourdough toast. I used the No-Knead Whole Grain Sourdough (no herbs or garlic this time). The recipe actually calls for einkorn, but I still need to pick some up. One of the reasons I wanted to make this sandwich was that I had leftover garbanzo bean dip. It wasn’t actually a traditional hummus, but it worked. From the picture posted, I initially thought the carrots were raw, but they are sautéed until just wilted. I opted for the alternative suggested cumin vs. caraway seeds to flavor the carrots (as caraway seeds are not my favorite). I can tolerate caraway, but I have never really loved them. I added toasted sesame seeds on top, and it was quite a lovely sandwich!
Just an update, I made a few more ‘energy bites,’ this time chocolate-peanut butter. I made them in the style of the chocolate-orange, but baked them. So, I guess they were more like ‘granola bites.’ I didn’t have peanut butter, so I blended whole roasted peanuts with the rest of my wet ingredients: cooked sweet potato, egg (I had a bit already beaten I needed to use up), powdered chocolate, raisins, maple, vanilla. The dry ingredients were (I think): Oats, ground oats, ground chia & flax seeds, wheat germ, chopped peanuts, toasted coconut, and salt.
I can see using the sweet potato puree as perhaps a pie filling, maybe a base for a mousse, or just a pudding. The chocolate (and peanut butter) makes the sweet potato pretty much undetectable. Sweet potato puree is a great vehicle if you cannot have dairy, in that respect. You can use dates in place of raisins, but that’s just what I felt like using at the time.
And, the last bit about my eats for this post…I baked a few individual soda breads for St. Pat’s in ramekins on the weekend. I haven’t made another batch of the ‘green muffins‘ yet as I still have a few in the freezer. I think Irish soda bread was my first (non-yeast) bread-making venture. I’ve never made separate portions, though.
I still use the same recipe from way back in the day, but I replaced the AP flour with whole wheat pastry flour and butter with coconut oil. The recipe calls for caraway seeds, but I’ve never included them (as I’ve said, they’re not my fave). I love soda bread for toast. SO good! I wanted a hot cup of Irish coffee to go alongside (I didn’t add too much liquor), but ended up with an Irish coffee frappe/smoothie-type drink. I had a few sips hot, then blended in frozen banana, non-fat homemade yogurt, oats, flax, chia, wheat germ, and almonds. I topped it off with a coconut cream-yogurt whip and blackstrap molasses (I am not really fond of chocolate sauce, so I decided molasses would be nice). I forget how nice Irish coffee is until I’ve had it again!
— I made my folding side table! I wanted this to be a table I could quickly set up when needed, then quietly tuck it away. As it wasn’t meant to be a stable piece of furniture, I just wanted it to be presentable without much expense. To achieve this, I decided to re & up cycle as many items as I could. Pic:
Several years back, I cut down and stowed away a large piece of bamboo. It was meant to be a curtain rod, but I ended up using another (thinner) piece (of bamboo). I decided to pull it out of storage and use it for the table base. I cut it into 4 pieces, and put holes (to join the pieces, with glue) in 2 of them. When I was cutting the holes, I thought, Oh, I should make a flute (even though I don’t play the flute, lol!). I made the holes a little smaller than I wanted, then carved away a little at a time for a snug fit. I drilled a hole to adjoin both legs, put a screw through it, then secured it with a washer and nut. I wish the screw was a little shorter, but I used what I had. I purchased 4 rubber leg tips to keep the base from moving around. I then glued two sides of a pic frame to the top of the legs. The spray paint I used did not have primer, so I primed it first, gave it a coat of (leftover) black then a light coat of (purchased) gold. I tried to allow some of the black to show through. Then, I sprayed alternate wisps of black and gold until it looked the way I wanted it to. I do not care for the finish of a lot of metallic spray paints, so I dulled the shine with leftover frosted glass spray. I’ve used it before for other glossy spray paints as well.
The top: I used a picture covered with one of my many fabric remnants. I was going to use wallpaper (as was suggested in my Using Wallpaper Remnants post), but this fabric seemed to fit the space better. I made it waterproof by brushing on melted oil & wax (method found here). You can use beeswax, paraffin, perhaps soy wax, and any fixed drying oil. Some of these are healthier options than others. More on that in an upcoming post. I staple gunned the fabric to the frame and added decorative nails (originally intended to re-upholster a chair. I did it freehand, so some are a bit wonky. I will go back & fix them later. I just wanted to take the pic while I still had a little sunlight). The top is not attached to the legs, so I added “stoppers” (synthetic corks) on the back of the picture to hold the top of the legs (the frame sides) in place. All in all, I think I made out pretty well with just the purchases of the rubber leg tips and gold spray paint!
— I love macrame! There are tons of vids out there if you want to learn how to craft something for yourself. I think you could totally DIY something like this: Glass & Twine Lantern Set | shopterrain.com.
Here’s a sweet macrame bracelet tutorial: DIY Shamballa Style Macrame Bracelet Tutorial | rings-things.com.
— I have tons of plaid. It’s one of my fave things. This is a cute idea: DIY Clothes DIY Refashion: DIY: Ombre Dip Dyed Plaid Shirt | Pinterest | Lacy Hall. 
This dress sort of encompasses several styles. A versatile piece, I think: Streetcar Dress in Black Plaid (with pockets) | trendvee.com.
— After looking at the ‘supoon’ and ‘clongs’ from the last ‘My Way‘ post, I checked out some of the other kitchen products they have available. Some really neat items like jots, onpots, teafus, levoons. I love this Scizza | Dreamfarm Products. 
— I saw that Bibi won the election in Israel. Yay! I am not that political of a person, but I like him because he’s dashing, charming, handsome, suave, and did I mention dashing? 😉
— I read an article that mentioned “fashionable food,” meaning certain food, dishes, etc., should (not just do) go in and out of style. This wasn’t referring to dining out. I thought this an odd concept. I mean, it’s one thing if you want to be “trendy” to sell things….but, common folk usually eat (or prepare for others) what is readily available to them, what is at the market during the time of their visit, and what they can afford (if they can afford to eat at all). The average person doesn’t live in a restaurant or test kitchen. They are not usually concerned if their meat and potatoes, beans on toast, Grandma’s prize dessert, or whatever, is “in style,” haha! Most people do not care that much about their clothing being in style, let alone their everyday (or even special occasion) food. It seemed like the article was targeted at your average person, but perhaps not. Perhaps it was more like people who struggle with dilemmas such as, “Should I take the Bentley or the Benz”? Or, more importantly, “Should I ask Jeeves or Parky to pull the car around when I make my decision between the Bentley and the Benz? lol 😀 Anyway…Here are Today’s Featured Recipes (fashionable or not, I couldn’t say…they just looked darn good to me!):
Breakfast Stuffed Peppers | eatwell101.com.
Fugazetta (Argentine Pizza) | Bourbon and Brown Sugar.
Lemon Meringue Pie with Poached Oranges and Basil | Great British Chefs.com.
Corned Beef and Cabbage Grilled Cheese | wellplated.com. Saw this last year and still thinking about it! Great St. Patrick’s Day leftovers idea.
Great tutorial: How to Ice a Cake | stylesweetca.com.
2-Minute Green Spaghetti Sauce
Shellfish Risotto | ciaoflorentina.com.
Have a fabulous day!
Guest Post: Apple Walnut Tart with Maple Custard from Baking A Moment | Hip Foodie Mom.
Well, it’s getting to be about that time. For those of you reading in the States, it’s countdown time to Turkey Day. I know those of you outside the States are probably wondering what all this fuss is about, lol. I see many of the blogs I read in the UK and other places are already on to Hanukkah and Christmas. I posted this gorgeous Apple-Walnut Tart on my previous blog, but missed re-posting it here. I thought it to be perfect for Thanksgiving, though, so here it is again. It does not contain wheat, if you have allergy issues.
As I have been thinking about rounding up recipes to post this past week, I was struck by something: I don’t really remember many of the family Thanksgivings I had growing up. I vaguely recall one or two. I think most of my memories are from the last few years. Perhaps sometimes you think you remember things based on what others tell you. And, maybe talking about traditional foods evokes certain memories that cannot necessarily be pinpointed to a certain occasion. There was a tradition of pasta at one point, but I cannot recall how it started. I think maybe I started it, as I’m the only one in the family so desperately attached to it. Then, a few years ago, I decided to go all out with the normal turkey and trimmings. Each subsequent year it was less and less of a production. I love to cook, but I was exhausting myself. I was so worn out from my job the last couple of years, that I actually supplemented the meal with restaurant food! So, this year, I am not giving myself all of that stress.
I had several years I spent with my “adopted family” versus my own. As our family food heritages were the same, much of the same types of dishes were prepared: sweet potato pie, cornbread dressing, collard and turnip greens, baked mac & cheese. My mom always made apple pie, too, in addition to the sweet potato. The times I spent with my friends’ families or my step family, the dishes were much different: pumpkin pie, white bread stuffing, green bean casserole.
I’ve tried to gather a few recipes to add to the more traditional ones you may already have. I wasn’t really seeking out the healthiest types of dishes (although some are on the healthy side). Most of the recipes are not that involved, as you probably have enough going on that day to add too much more to it, haha. I tried to list a recipe from each of the food blogs on my blogroll this time, but please do check their entire blog for more fab inspiration.
Appetizers
I think apps and desserts are my favorite part of any type of gathering. When I prepared a big family meal for the day, I found I had to make sure to have enough snacks out pre-turkey. Otherwise, people try to sneak some of the dressing, etc. while everything is still being prepared, haha.
Crock Pot Bourbon Glazed Kielbasa Bites
Goat Cheese and Cheddar Carrots Not a recipe, but take a look at the pic to see how to make it. SO adorable!
Thai Lime and Chili Cashews If you can’t have nuts, you might try the seasoning on roasted pumpkin or squash seeds. I made roasted seeds from the delicata squash I recently had with my own seasoning blend. I was going to use them for a salad, but they tasted so good warm…they were consumed quickly, lol!
Also, here are links to previous posts for:
Crab and Goat Cheese Guacamole
Homemade Cheese
Homemade Crackers
And, DIY serving tray/plate ideas for your cheese/fruit/nuts/olives, etc. from previous ‘My Way’ posts here and here.
The Bird
I always use a brine for my turkeys (cornish hens, etc.), but here’s something I’ve never tried:
Roasted Tea-Brined Turkey Breast
Dressing
Cornbread Dressing with Apples and Chorizo
Rolls & Savory Biscotti
Soft 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls You can use this as a base recipe for many shapes of rolls. I really like fan-tans.
Parmesan-Rosemary Biscotti
Veggies & Sides & Salads
Chilled Sweet and Sour Cucumber Noodles
Green Beans with Tomatoes and Feta
Roasted Butternut Squash with Black Garlic and Miso
Tennessee Honey Corn Pudding Whiskey is the secret ingredient!
Sticky Roast Chatenay Carrot Medley with Pomegranate Molasses
Rosemary Sweet Potato Stackers
One-Pan Spicy Rice
Roasted New Potatoes with Lemon and Thyme
Horseradish Mashed Potatoes Horseradish makes everything better. I could almost eat it by itself, I love it so much!
Previous links for:
Maple-Shallot Brussels Salad
And, if you make traditional sweet potatoes with marshmallows, don’t forget about the Homemade No-Corn Syrup Marshmallows recipe I recently posted.
Cranberry Sauce
Here’s a 2 for 1: Grab-n-Go Sweet Potato Cranberry Quinoa Power Bowl. Use the spicy cranberry sauce recipe for your Holiday meal, and then keep the cranberry love going with this energizing power bowl.
You can also use it for a leftover turkey waffle sandwich like the one I had at our Viva La Local Festival. I just can’t get away from thinking about that sandwich!
Desserts
As I said, sweet potato and apple pie have been the standing traditions in my family. I brought in the new tradition of mini or individual desserts. I have always loved any type of mini/petite dessert display. I love being able to sample a little bit of all kinds of tastes. It’s the same reason I’m fond of buffet-type meals.
Buttered Pecan Pots de Creme
Individual Pumpkin Ginger Cheesecakes
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Butter Cookies
Caneles
I cannot seem to link to videos properly, but check out Gemma’s 3 Bigger Bolder Holiday Pies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53SW4HAyxqU and if you have any desserts that are crying out to be a la mode, make sure to view Gemma’s popular No Ice Cream Machine Required, 2-Ingredient Ice Cream Base video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j70yTq2ysLQ. I first started watching Gemma’s vids after seeing a gorgeous ‘Naked Wedding Cake’ she made. The cake is ‘naked,’ as it has no icing (just powdered sugar), just FYI. I posted it on my previous blog, but I also missed re-posting it here. I am not great at cake decorating, so it’s right up my alley! She has new vids on Thursdays (and sometimes even more days of the week), and they are always so fun.
Drinks
Homemade Cranberry Liqueur Very versatile! You can use this for a host of things.
Funfetti Coffee Creamer After you’ve had your bubbly, here’s a fun funfetti way to perk up for football games and such.
Previous links for:
Rhubarb Shrub Sparkler
Sage and Peppercorn Old Fashioned
The Queen’s Cocktail
I hope you enjoy these recipes. If you don’t have the exact ingredients available (or cannot have some ingredients, for whatever reason), don’t let that stop you from creating your own version. You can use the recipe as a starting point to springboard your new ideas off of. You may be surprised at what you can come up with!
I have been posting a lot about food recently, but I can’t help it — it’s one of my favorite things! I need to decide what type of pasta sauce to prepare for a special occasion. I am trying to step away from my ever-beloved&favored red sauce. So, I thought I would create a reference post with some of my other faves (and some I hope to try) for anyone interested. And, I am posting a few Tucson restaurant pics, in case you stop by our fair town. Really, I could eat spaghetti with red sauce every day and not get tired of it. Just look at how yummy it is (even without the cheese):
From Caffe Milano, Tucson, Arizona.
I have jarred up the season’s juicy reds in preparation for the Tucson “winter,” but I need to forge ahead!
I could always do a traditional pesto, which I love.
Caffe Milano, Tucson, Arizona
I also like switching up the herbs/greens, nuts, cheese, and oil for it, too. And, sometimes I leave out the cheese or oil.
Mac and cheese can be a bit too casual unless I really spruce it up. I like this presentation of oozing, gooey cheese.
Bacon Mac and Cheese from Union Pub House, Tucson, Arizona
I am also partial to bleus like gorgonzola for a different spin.
This one was new to me: Buffalo wing sauce. I haven’t tried to re-create this yet. Perhaps it doesn’t scream of formality, but it still might be a contender. Many of us born in NY try to create as many dishes as we can around Buffalo wings. Can’t be bad.
From Elliot’s on Congress, Tucson, Arizona
I have to admit when I started thinking about ‘special occasion’ sauces, cream and butter came to mind an awful lot. I think I need to realize you can have delicious, fresh-tasting sauces that are ‘special’ without them, lol. But, C&B are so, SO good. Also, anything with wine, mushrooms, or olives puts it over the top for me.
Lamb Ravioli from Wildflower, Tucson, Arizona
Pappardelle ai Funghi, Tavolino Ristorante, Tucson, AZ
My new favorite this past couple of years has been a cilantro-lime cream sauce:
I saw a recipe for this a while back, and I absolutely love it. This pic I made a little differently than normal. I used actual cream vs. my usual lower fat milk and added chile for spiciness. I always add garlic, but I can’t remember if the original recipe called for it or not. I just infused the cream, then strained it. Normally, I leave all the herbs and bits in there. I thought it would be super rich, but the lime kind of cuts the heaviness. It was also the first time I used my own homemade pasta. *As a sidenote: I’ve started making a double batch of dough for dual usage. I used a whole/heirloom wheat blend for this pasta with beetroot powder & juice. After mixing, I use half for pasta and save the other half for tortillas. I just add salt and oil to the tortilla dough.*
Other sauces I’ve been enjoying recently are the spicy tahini I’ve previously posted about, and a soy-balsamic. Less frequently, but still high on my list are meat, root veggie, green veggie, any veggie, buerre noisette, and tomatillo based sauces. And, though I do not care for egg noodles, I love to make a stroganoff-type sauce with various others pastas. Back in the day, warm pasta salad with Italian salad dressing-type sauce was common for me. I haven’t had that in quite a while now, though.
Finally, here are a few interesting-looking recipes I would like to try. See what you think:
Creamy Avocado Pasta Same type of flavor base as the cilantro-lime with less sat fat.
Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce
Spicy Pumpkin Pasta I have made dishes similar to this one and the previous link, only with butternut squash (and without the meat). It looks interesting!
Kale Pasta Cream Sauce
Fusilli with Spinach Sauce (just added this site to my blogroll! Check it out for updates.)
Pasta with Kale in Lemon-Cashew Sauce
Herbal Pasta (very simple, but I think you could jazz it up)
Pasta with Purple Sprouting Broccoli (mmm…anchovies)
La Cashionista 
You must be logged in to post a comment.