Meme: 6 Quirky Things I Do

October 27, 2008 | Filed Under Memes | 13 Comments 

  

Mikky of My Finds has tagged me for a meme called 6 Quirky Things I Do.

Here are the guidelines to the meme:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you - that’s me.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the blogger’s blogs letting them know they have been tagged.

 

Hmmm… Let me see…  I’ve done several similar memes, which you can find here, but I’ll try to come up with some more quirky things for you.  

1-  I like to face my dollar bills according to its color — black side or green side.  

2-  I prefer to use only black ink pens.

3-  I’ve started talking to the birds.  In the morning, I wish them good morning.  

4-  I can’t get rid of my books (except for school books). 

5- I like to eat french fries with ketchup and mayo.  

6-  I still like to watch Little House on the Prarie and it still makes me teary-eyed.  

I tag anyone interested in participating in this meme.  Please let me know that you’re doing it, so that I can read it.  Thanks Mikky for the tag!

Paz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Monday #146: Le Pain Quotidien

October 26, 2008 | Filed Under About New York, The House in Marrakesh, Fellow Bloggers, Other NY Photos, New York Monday | 18 Comments 

I’m back — THANKS!

October 20, 2008 | Filed Under Mischief Mari, Cha no ma-ri, Fellow Bloggers, Biscuits/Cookies, Baking | 34 Comments 

New York Monday #145: Four Buildings and a Tower

October 19, 2008 | Filed Under New York Monday | 10 Comments 

A Pudding for Paz

October 13, 2008 | Filed Under Puddings, Guest Bloggers, Baking | 12 Comments 

 Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict surprised me with this special post on her blog in August.  She has kindly allowed me to repost it here.  Thanks again, Jasmine!  

All these special recipes by my awesome guest bloggers and well wishes from everyone has definitely made me feel much better.  I’ve actually returned to work and expect to be blogging soon.

Paz

 

Originally posted at Confessions of a Cardamom Addict, August 3, 2008

 2008 © Confessions of a Cardamom Addict - All Rights Reserved.

 

If you’ve ever wanted to visit New York City, but can’t afford the time or the fare, there are a number of sites you can visit to aid your armchair travels. One such site is a bit of a travelogue disguised as a foodblog run by our most lovely Paz of The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz.

Each Monday she posts a photo of her fair city — a sort of everyman’s photojournal of The Big Apple. Yes, there are some shots of touristy targets like The Russian Tea Room, Grant’s Tomb and carriage rides; foodie obsessions like pizza, markets and cafés, and of course everyday images of architecture, wildlife and people.

Anyway, Paz isn’t feeling the greatest, taking some recuperation time and is taking a bit of a blogging break. Right now a number of her bloggy friends are helping out and guest starring on her site until she’s up for more cooking and photography.

I can’t remember exactly when we discovered each others blogs, but our sites are roughly the same age (about a month apart) and she was one of my first bloggy friends. We’ve laughed and snarked at one another over this and that and she electronically knocked me on my plumptious behind when she gave me a flying tackle of a return hug.

As much as I’d like to be in NYC to cheer her up in person, I can’t get away–besides, I’m sure all the laughing we’d do wouldn’t be good for the sutures

So instead I offer here a comforting little seasonal pudding for a comfy recovery. A cherry dulce de leche croissant pudding based on Nigella’s Caramel Croissant Pudding, as seen in Nigella Express.

I’d gone to the good farmer’s market and picked up a punnet of the sweetest and juiciest cherries. Even though I like fresh cherries, there’s something about having them in a simple baked dish–pies, studded in breads or unfussed cakes. When set in the smokey custard, some juices release, leaving a burgundy streak, but some–those that are sunk in the pudding and cocooned in sweetened eggy goodness–still burst when bitten. It’s quite nice.

My version was thrown together in much the same way most of my bread puddings are put together. I had about half a dozen mini croissants in my fridge, along with a stress-releasing, sadness-fighting, comfort-inducing jar of dulce de leche.

I’m pretty much a purist when it comes to the custard part of my bread puddings–vanilla, please. I don’t normally go for flavourings, but right now caramelly goo and fruit are my choco-substitutes, so Nigella’s version that incorporates caramel made me sit up…Oh and I suppose I could have made this into a greedily portioned single serving, but I decided to break it up into four ramekins.

Cherry Dulce de Leche Croissant Pudding
adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Caramel Croissant Pudding found in Nigella Express

6 mini butter croissants
2 bulging tablespoons of dulce de leche
125ml milk (don’t bother with 1% or skim milk)
50ml heavy cream
2 well-beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
pitted sweet cherries.
water from a freshly boiled kettle.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

Tear the croissants and scatter the pieces into a butter a baking dish (or dishes). Scatter some of the cherries over top.

Heat the dulce de leche in a small pan. When it’s loose and drippy, add the milk, cream and vanilla.

Temper the eggs with some of the heated sweetened milk, stiring the eggs constantly so they don’t scramble. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and heat on a low flame, stirring constantly. Let it thicken until it coats the back of the spoon.

Pour over top the cherries and broken croissants, top with more cherries. Put the dish(es) in a roasting tin and fill the tin with hot water until it comes to the half-way point of the baking dish(es). Pop into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the custard has just set.


cheers!
jasmine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Monday #144: Tea & Toast with a Friend

October 12, 2008 | Filed Under Saltshaker, Fellow Bloggers, New York Monday | 14 Comments 

Deep Dish Plum Pie (Italian Plums)

October 6, 2008 | Filed Under The Heart of a Seed, Plums, Guest Bloggers, Fruits, Pies, Fellow Bloggers, Baking | 24 Comments 

Please help me welcome this week’s guest blogger, Amy of The Heart of a Seed.  Welcome, Amy!  I’m glad you’re here!

Paz

 

First, I want to thank our darling Paz for asking me to share this recipe on her cooking show ~ I mean~ cooking blog.  

I am a little nervous, but~ I promise you ~ you will love this pie. It is my all time favorite desert.

O.K.~ this is one of the many recipes that I have learned from my Mother-in-Law, Delma. I am married to her youngest child, Philip.   From the moment she and I met, we were kindred spirits, how lucky am I?  Delma (Mom) is 90 years old now. She is no longer in the kitchen cooking like she used too, but, all the incredible meals that she has prepared in the past are forever locked in my heart. Yes~ my heart, well you have heard people say, "the secret ingredient is love", that describes Delma’s style of cooking perfectly.She would put so much care into each meal that she prepared for her family. Carefully picking out the prettiest broccoli, hand picking one green bean at a time, never just grabbing  a handful & hoping for the best.

She & I have had many a happy shopping trip over the years, moving at our own speed, delighting in beautiful vegetables and feeling great victory in finding a bargain. We have also been known to spend quite a bit of time in our daily phone calls, talking about the beautiful broccoli or the wonderful smelling peaches that we had just bought.

When her oldest grandson was getting married, she sat down and over a course of a few weeks, carefully wrote down some of her best recipes in a blank cookbook that you can find in a stationary store. Once the gift was given, her oldest son Mike, had the wisdom to make copies of it for the rest of us.~ I own many cookbooks, I can sit for hours and read them like a novel. But~ her’s is the one that I use the most. In it you find the recipe for Hermit Cake, that you bake around Thanksgiving, then wrap in wax paper & foil, then put in a tin and hide away till Christmas, allowing the cake to mellow. Curried Cauliflower, Squash Casserole and so much more, all tried & true, all delicious. But~ the best part are the memories that she writes at the bottom of almost every page. Where she got the recipe or this was John’s, (her husband) favorite, I always made it for his birthday or we had this when we all got together at Amy’s for Easter…..

I could go on for hours, describing all the beautiful things that I have learned from my Mother-in-Law, she gardened, she was an incredible seamstress, sewing a great deal of her own clothes. Everything done very carefully, with joy and alot of love.

(and I told Paz, I would try not to get to mushy,but~ she said, "get as mushy as you want")

So~ here is the recipe~

 

2008 © Amy Sullivan - All Rights Reserved

~Deep Dish Plum Pie~

5-6  cups pitted, sliced  Italian Prune Plums
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. tapioca (quick)
3/4 tsp. allspice
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. butter

~Pie Crust~

1 cup flour
1 stick of butter
1/4 tsp. salt
3-4 Tbsp. ice water

Place plums in 10×6x2 baking dish or 8×8
Combine sugar, salt, tapioca & allspice. Sprinkle over plums.
Shake the dish to distribute over plums.
Dot top with butter. Cover with unbaked pastry.
Trim 2" larger than dish. Turn under and flute.
Bake in a 450 degree oven, for 30-40 min. Till bubbly & browned.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream~

~ Italian Prune Plum season is usually at the end of Aug., into Sept. So, when you see them get them & enjoy this yummy desert. My birthday is in Sept. ~ I choose this pie over cake every time.

Thank you ~ Amy~

 

2008 © Amy Sullivan - All Rights Reserved

 

2008 © Amy Sullivan - All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Monday #143: Morning Glory

October 5, 2008 | Filed Under New York Monday | 16 Comments