Cauliflower Soup

Last week I hosted an Open House and a Wine/Beer Tasting and served this Cauliflower Soup. It was a huge hit! For the wine tasting folks, I added a handful of chopped Keen's Farmhouse Cheddar too! I did omit the spinach....just wasn't feeling it ;) Isn't that the great thing about recipes? You can do what you like to make them yours. This is also a perfect way to use up the traditional holiday veggie/dip plate! Substitute the parsnips for celery and even add some broccoli if you've got it!

Fried Proscuitto makes a lovely garnish for this soup. Cut slices of Proscuitto in strips and saute or broil until crispy. We loved the soup with white wine! Enjoy!

CAULIFLOWER SOUP

1 head cauliflower, cleaned and trimmed into ½ inch florets
1 diced carrot
½ medium onion, diced
1 stalk diced parsnip
3 small red or Yukon gold potatoes, diced
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
3 Tablespoons butter
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth
½ cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste

In large stock pot over medium heat, melt butter and sauté carrots, onions, parsnip and cauliflower until softened and slightly browned.

Add stock, and stir, scraping up all browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add potatoes and lower heat and simmer about 15-20 minutes. Add spinach, cook about 3 minutes and add heavy cream. Stir to combine and adjust seasonings to taste.

Remove from heat and serve.

Cinnamon Amaretti Cheesecake

I may be pumpkined out. It's hard for me to admit, but I believe I just have enough desire left for a pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Cinnamon on the other hand is something I never get tired of, so I created this quick little cheesecake. This has gotten rave reviews at my cooking classes and wine tasting! I hope you love it as well!

Cinnamon Amaretti Cheesecake

6 ounces Amaretti Cookies, crushed into crumbs
4 Tablespoons Butter, melted
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine in a small dish and press into a 9 inch springform pan.
Bake crust in a 350 degree, preheated oven for 12 minutes.

FILLING;
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
16 ounces Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, beat cheeses and sugar until smooth. Add cinnamon and vanilla, stir until combined. With your mixer on low, add eggs one at a time, waiting until each is incorporated before adding the next.
Pour filling into baked crust and bake 65 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool an hour. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

"Bon Voyage" Party Ideas and Menu

So, I know it's been a little while.....I thought you might enjoy seeing some photos from a recent "Bon Voyage" party I hosted for our 2 oldest daughters. The eldest is moving to Shanghai China and the middle daughter is moving to St Augustine Florida. I gathered some fun ideas from Pinterest and created a few of our own. I went with a "vintage world map" décor theme of pale blues, yellows and accents of green.

THE DECOR

I kept with the theme and cut and hand lettered a banner to hand across our dining room.



I simply cut the map into several equal triangle, wrote a letter on each and left 1 plain and punched 2 holes into the top of each. I then threaded jute through the hole and hung. I hung another full map above the dessert table and filled a huge blue glass vase with fresh sunflowers.



We placed small velum paper flags with "Bon Voyage" written in white ink and glued onto a wooden skewer. I used an assortment of tiny dishes and paper cups to be lively and fun as well as make sure I had enough small plates for everyone!

I also picked up some adorable "Airmail" style note cards and tied them in pairs of 2 with jute. (The idea WAS that each card would each have the girls new addresses on them and be ready mail, but hey...who knows their new addresses? Not my girls. So guests were able to take a packet home and I agreed to forward said addresses asap.)





THE DRINKS

Since this was mainly an outdoor party, I used my potting bench for outside drinks in buckets and set up a classic cocktail bar inside the dining room. A copper preserving pot and galvanized tub surrounded by wicker did the trick for the assorted craft beers and sodas and I included fun blue swirled straws!



We also had a cocktail bar set up for 2 drinks. The "Saint Augustine" and "Shanghai Tea". I found some super cute 6X8 inch chalkboards and wrote a recipe on each. I then included an ice bucket, lemon wedges, and assorted components for each drink. LOTS of fun!! Everyone got into the spirit and tried something new! I save several types of jars and wine bottles I like so I had fun putting the components into different bottles instead of just the same old thing! We didn't get straight on photos, but here I am making a (well deserved I might add) Saint Augustine!







THE TABLE

We had 28 guests, all family to wish the girls well. It's a bit of a challenge finding room for that many to sit together, so we set up 3 8 foot buffet tables in the yard. I covered the tables in 2 pale yellow curtain panels and 1 pale blue, flat, bed sheet instead of purchasing anything.



I used paper plates in a square style and wrapped the silverware in napkins and a piece of jute. We found some lovely bottles of Italian Barbera (Fuso is the brand) wine that paired well with our food and décor with a map label.



I tucked a few sprigs of statice flowers into Fentiman's Tonic Water bottles to brighten up the table and placed large world maps to cap off each end. The food was the main attraction however!


THE MENU

Appetizers;
Cheese Board
Baguette slices with pesto, tomatoes and feta
Fresh Radish Spread

Lemon Herbed Chicken
Seasoned Pork Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce (on the side)
Wild Rice with Grilled Vegetables
Redskin Potatoes with fresh herbs and butter
Baguettes & butter
Fresh Cantaloupe
Sliced Sweet & Sour Cucumbers
Asian Coleslaw
Kale Salad with Peaches and Parmigiano Reggiano
Traditional Caprese Salad

Desserts;
Peach & Blueberry Cobbler
Pots de crème; Chocolate or Vanilla Bean
Victoria Sponge Cakes with Jumbleberry Jam
Old Fashioned "Dirt" Cakes

I am happy to post the recipes late this week, or feel free to message me for something in particular! Michigan is so full of fresh fruits and vegetables that this menu was easy to prepare and delightful to eat even for a large group! Most of the recipes were prepared in advance to keep me sane :) We did all of the grilling while guests arrived and had pleny of time to visit and have a drink before the meal.








And to finish up the great party, we did family photos. It will be the last time we are all together for at least 11 months.....so we seized the day. And the little dogs.

Fun & Easy Flatbread Pizzas

We recently hosted a night of pizza at The Market and I think guests were a bit surprised when I didn't pull out traditional pepperoni laden pies. I love them too, but felt like I needed to create a little something interesting to get folks talking! I decided to make a couple different flatbread pizzas that showcased cheeses that really make tasty pizzas! The flatbread pizzas cook up quickly and are easy to make individual portions with a variety of toppings to serve a crowd as a main dish or appetizer.

I used the same crust recipe for each as it's super easy and always turns out great and crispy. This recipe also lasts in the refrigerator for about a week so you can have on hand for hungry teenagers or add to another meal as bread sticks or seasoned flatbread.

CRUST
1 cup hot tap water
1 pkg quick acting yeast (I use a Tablespoon of instant yeast)
1 tsp. salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/2-3 cups flour

In my KitchenAid mixer, I throw everything together with the dough hook on and allow to knead about 5 minutes until a smooth, somewhat sticky, dough has climbed up the dough hook and all flour is incorporated. I allow to rise about 15-30 minutes (that's the beauty of instant yeast) until doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Using a small amount of flour, roll your dough out to desired flatbread size about 1/3 of an inch thick. Mine measure about 4X12. Bake until dough is no longer shiny but not browned, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven and top being careful not to overfill or they lose the crispiness. Bake an additional 5+ minutes until dough is browned and cheeses are melted. You can also choose to bake flatbread a little longer and after topping, throw under the broiler to melt cheeses. I did this recently for a dish-to-pass and browned them at the host home, it turned out really well.

TRUFFLE BIANCO FLATBREAD: ( I loved the California Pizza Kitchen one SO much, I did a bit of a copycat on this)
1 ball fresh mozzarella, grated
1/4 lb. Dolce latta Gorgonzola, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Pinch of truffle salt per pizza
several fresh sage leaves

In a small saute pan, bring about 1/2 inch of olive oil to heat and fry sage leaves until crispy. Drain on paper towel and set aside. Top each cooked flatbread with a few tablespoons of fresh mozz, a few chunks of Gorgonzola, a good pinch of truffle salt and lay out 3-4 sage leaves on top depending on size.

CAMEMBERT, APPLE & MUSTARD FLATBREAD:
Whole Grain Mustard (I used Maille brand)
1 Apple, grated and juice squeezed out a bit (I used Honeycrisp)
1/2 lb. camembert or brie cheese, sliced into 1/4 thick slices, rind left on but could be removed
3 slices Proscuitto, sliced into ribbons

On cooked flatbread, spread a thin layer of mustard as evenly as possible but not too thick. Top with a thin layer of grated apples that you have gently squeezed the juice from, a few slices of Camembert or Brie cheese (they are the same thing) and a few ribbons of proscuitto. I like to put this one under the broiler to crisp up the proscuitto, so I bake the crusts a bit longer before topping.

I had a pizza with similar toppings in France and we all fell in love with it! A bit unusual, but definitely a favorite from our tasting :) Our favorite wine to pair with both pizzas was a White Bordeaux (100% Sauvignon Blanc) but the Sicilian red, Nero d'Avola was also great!

Enjoy!

A Smartpen adventure....

Lenawee Magazine Recipes; Truffles & Pumpkin Fondue

I hope you have enjoyed the article in Lenawee Magazine!  It was great fun working with Amie, Lad, Vicki and Sue for such a lovely photo spread.  Many thanks also go out to Sandy Heckerthorn, Linda Prochaska and John (my husband) for being such good sports and expert peelers, choppers and overall helping hands!  I couldn't have done it without you!

If you DIDN'T receive the Lenawee Magazine, feel free to give The Daily Telegram a call at 517.265.5111 and they can point you in the right direction!

The Pumpkin Fondue is simple, elegant and delicious.  It's hearty enough to serve as a side dish to your meal or as an appetizer.  If you are cooking for a smaller crowd, you can adjust the recipe by half as well.  You can see my original recipe post here with additional notes and photos of the assembly.

Pumpkin Fondue

1 5lb-ish PIE pumpkin (do not use jack o lantern type pumpkin)
1 lb. Cheese- 1/2 lb. Gruyere and 1/2 lb. Emmentaler
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups stock, vegetable, chicken or veal
a generous pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
10 1/4 inch thick baguette slices, toasted until dry and crispy
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
a pinch of Salt
Remainder of Baguette sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices for eating

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut top off pumpkin and clean out seeds. Sprinkle salt onto inside flesh of pumpkin.

Chop or grate cheeses and set aside. Bake baguette slices until crunchy and golden brown. Mix heavy cream, stock and nutmeg together.

Place pumpkin into shallow roasting dish and layer baguette slices, then cheese, then cream mixture into 2 layers inside pumpkin. You may have baguette slices left over.

Put pumpkin top back on. Rub exterior of pumpkin with olive oil. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and pumpkin is golden brown. Using 2 spatulas, remove from baking dish carefully and place on platter. Serve with additional baguette slices or as a side dish. You'll want to scoop up the roasted pumpkin flesh with all the cheese as you are serving or eating!


TRUFFLES 
 12 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate chopped into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean seeds

In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to just boiling.  Remove from heat, add chocolate and vanilla and stir until completely melted.

Allow to cool in refrigerator about an hour.  Using a teaspoon, melon baller or small scoop, create truffle balls, rolling gently in hands.  You'll want to work it quickly in your hands to avoid melting.

Finish by rolling in cocoa powder, raw sugar, colored sugar crystals, even coconut or crushed candy canes!  Use your imagination!    

For the magazine, I zested an orange and mixed the zest with about the same amount of raw sugar.  I let the mixture dry on parchment paper overnight then crushed it between my fingers and rolled just the top of the truffle in the orange/sugar.  

Place the truffles on a parchment lined baking and refrigerate an additional hour.  Then place in an airtight container, between layers or waxed/parchment paper in a cool place and they should last about 2 weeks.

NOTE: Bittersweet chocolate is between 65%-75% cacao.  The lower the number, the sweeter the chocolate.  Milk Chocolate will not firm up in this recipe, so I recommend using the bittersweet.  If you'd like the truffles sweeter, make sure to use the 65% bar and roll in a sugar.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we have!  Happy Holidays!

 

Pear Conserve

Photo Credits to Debra Pietrangelo-Thank you for sharing, you're so gifted!

 Downtown Tecumseh hosted my very favorite event last night; Holiday Open House.  Our downtown was decked out in white fairy lights, horse drawn carriages, burning barrels, carolers and more.  It's an extremely charming evening.

I apologize to my visitors for running out of recipe cards, so here you go!!  Pear Conserve; lovely on cheese, scones, ice cream or the Effie's Nutcakes we served it on.  It's a taste of Autumn and a great taste to kickoff your holiday season!

PEAR CONSERVE

2 ½ cups fresh pears, peeled, cored and chopped

½ cup water

3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (bottled if canning)

1.75 ounce package of pectin

1 ¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup raisins

1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large saucepan over high heat, combine water, pears and lemon juice to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in pectin, increase heat and bring back to a full boil, stirring constantly.  Stir in sugar and raisins.  Return to a boil and allow to boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.   Remove from heat and stir in pecans and cinnamon.  Ladle into a sterilized jar, wipe rim and attach lid.  Process in hot water bath for 15 minutes.  Yields 2 2/3 cups- approximately 2 half pints plus a little leftover to eat right away!

 

Resuming my previous life

The Cookbook "Seasons In My Kitchen" Winter Edition has finally went to the printers yesterday!!  Since this is small cookbook, a volume, if you will, I didn't have nearly the time invested as most writers, but WHEW!

Yesterday was a beautiful October day and I got to resume my previous life of snapping photos, cooking, playing with the pups.....it's the same life but I didn't have a project looming.  Very liberating for a few days!

I didn't take any photos of prepared foods......
I started a new novel.....
I visited with the neighbors.....
I hung up a really cute Halloween bat garland in my kitchen window.....
I enjoyed a beautiful bouquet from Whole Foods......
I planted tulip bulbs for next spring.....

Even though it's Friday, it's back to business!  I have Pup Trick or Treat arrangements to be made and biscuits to be baked!

A moment in time

Last week, a friend sent me a historical photograph of Tecumseh, Michigan. 

She thought I would be interested in seeing the building that we own which currently houses The Boulevard Market and our other businesses.  It's the building with the railroad sign in front of it.

 I had to share it with you!  I am entranced by the life depicted, the lamps glowing, the horse/carriages and early automobiles, also by our building's facade that no longer exists.

   

A snowy morning photo...

I just wanted to share a photo that I snapped from a snowy morning last week.  I'm not a photographer, I just can't seem to capture the magic.  I am always intrigued by folks that can find and capture wonderful photos.

I'm thankful everyday for auto settings...that whole aperture thing really confuses me!  So I have to share ONE amazing photo I took, no photo-shopping or editor.  (And the real beauty is that the snow has all melted!!) Enjoy!  Happy March 1st!

Being Innkeepers...our Inn On Evans

Nearly 3 years ago to the day, John and I decided to become Innkeepers.  It wasn't a decision made lightly, it was in the 5 year plan.  A faulty water heater on the 2nd floor of The Market that burst a pipe and allowed thousands of gallons of water to flow overnight bumped up our timeline.  That being said, I've never regretted our decision.  We've met some very interesting folks, become masters of accommodation and really only had one "problem" that couldn't be resolved.  I have an appreciation of urban apartments and historic districts, so I never expect those places to be perfect.  Much like our place, they have their quirks.  I'm not going to make it sound like all roses and sunshine....it can be really hard work to find the right staff for cleaning, managing reservations, billing etc.  but the joy that comes from being a part of someone's wedding, family holidays and more is wonderful!     

Our upper floor consists of 3 studio apartments that we furnished and transitioned  for overnight guests.  We modeled these around apartments we've stayed in in Europe (but with cable, Wi-Fi and air :))  Guests are given the security code for the main entrance, a free parking spot and my cell number or they stop into The Market for a quick check-in.  There is no "front desk" but extra "everything you may need" is stashed in linen closets in each apartment. 

Our Inn is unique for extended stays as we kept all of the kitchens intact.  You can scramble a few local eggs and stash beverages in the fridge!  You can drink your coffee/tea from a real mug and eat with real silverware!  All at your cafe table overlooking our small, charming city! 

New this year is a bevy of services which is fun!  Need a Champagne candlelight dinner with a private chef?  Spa services?  Fresh flowers?  A decorated room for a birthday/anniversary/wedding party?  Private wine tasting or cooking class?  We can do all that and more!  Our great staff members at The Market are wearing a couple hats now and it's really exciting!

Here's a few photos taken at last week's Open House;

 
The Inn On Evans is a bit unusual as you are more independent versus a full service hotel.  Being located in a historic downtown does give you the advantage of walking to the local bakery, coffee shop, restaurants as they are all located within a couple blocks.  Tecumseh has also installed an outdoor Art Trail which is very cool.  We like this when traveling.  It gives us a sense of community versus off the beaten path locations.

Everyday we learn more about keeping an Inn and making it more enjoyable for our guests.  We try to make it comfortable and relaxing, a place that we'd like to stay.  Come stay with us! 

You can find more information and photos at www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=3275742734433&id=1293391030&ref=notif&notif_t=feed_comment#!/pages/Inn-on-Evans/102696809562 

Empty Bowls

Is your bowl full?

I am always so grateful that my bowl is usually full...or at least never empty.

An "Empty Bowls" event was held today in our community of Tecumseh, Michigan.  Empty Bowls is an International grassroots movement to fight hunger.  Many artists, students and craftspeople created bowls (mainly pottery) and donated them to be sold for $10, $20 or $30 each.  Our local fine dining establishment, and bakery donated soup to fill these bowls once you have purchased said bowls and also donated use of their facility and staff.

You end up going home with a bowl (or 3) a lovely lunch under your belt, a sense of amazement and pride at all of the community that has participated in this event and a warmth that your community raised over $3500 to fight hunger.  What more could you possibly want out of a Monday?  

Since John and I didn't get there until nearly 2pm, I kept my soup until suppertime, washed my new bowl and Taa-daa!  Beautiful!

 

If you'd like more info about the "Empty Bowls" movement or to start your own event, you can find it here:
www.emptybowls.net

Local Art...

I feel like Tecumseh is quite fortunate for a small town, to have so many, many talented artists.  I made a decision a few years ago to only purchase original pieces of art.  I have mostly done that with just a few exceptions and it makes me happy EVERYDAY to see these works of art, to remember who I was at that point in time as well as who I was with and where I was...each piece is a story.

A few weeks ago we attended a street art fair and I sought out the artist that speaks to me through her work.  Her name is Pat Cooper.  I love impressionistic work, watercolors and pen and ink drawings.  I have 2 of Pat's pieces in my dining room and really wanted another "something" of hers.  Here is what I chose;

 Who does this resemble?  Hehehehe!  Pat said she would gladly create a custom batik of your pooch if you so desire! You can find her at www.patcooperstudios.com .  While this was not a custom piece, it looks so like Pierre it could have been!  How fun is doggie art?

This is a new watercolor piece for my kitchen titled "Breakfast".  I just adore the color scheme and the whisk! this makes me want to cook!

My greatest "thanks" to Pat for sharing her talent and bringing me joy every single day.  I can't think of a better legacy to leave this world. 

Enclosures

URL	MIME Type
Add enclosure link

Compose Edit HTML Preview

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link

 

 

 

 

Link