Lemon Cream & Strawberry Crepes

I love crepes.

Making crepes has taught me so much. I've learned technique...how my stove cooks...how long to let the pan heat...the sound the butter makes when the pan is ready for the batter...how to swirl, flip, and slide it on to a plate. I've learned to embrace my crashed crepes...you know, usually the first of the batch that tear, fold, crash into a mess in the pan. 

You don't rush crepes. You practice crepes.

Once you get in a rhythm, crepe making is peaceful. It's rather methodical. I find that I look for reasons to make crepes. 

This particular crepe recipe is filled with something sweet. 

I use the La Bonne Femme Master Crepe Recipe for these, but you can use your favorite store bought or tried and true recipe. I found the filling recipe on Pinterest (Love Bakes Good Cakes).

Here's what you need for this super easy, ultra delicious recipe:

1/2 cup lemon curd

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 pint strawberries- chopped

Here's how to make it:

Make crepes according to La Bonne Femme (or favorite) recipe. Beat curd and cream on high for 3-5 minutes.

Oh my! I heart lemon curd!!! It was actually the filling in our wedding cake.

So- then you spread the lemon cream mixture along the bottom of the crepe. Top with strawberries.

Then just roll them up, drizzle a little more cream, top with strawberries, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Voilà! Lemon-Strawberry-Crepey Goodness!!!

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

Greek Quinoa Salad- Quick. Easy. Greek.

I love Greek Food!

Olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta...a little tang, a little spice, a little creamy from the olive oil or yogurt...it's just delightful!

On one particularly sunny day, I made this Greek Quinoa Salad. It was light, refreshing...and very Greek!

Oh look- its our Uncorked wine glass in the background!
Uncorked is an event supporting our local symphony and opera.
The Hubs and I attended Uncorked last year. Mason and I used to go to the opera,
so it was a nice way to remember and honor her.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. I love all of the fresh herbs and produce in this dish. It would be perfect on a hot day!

Lemons!

So here is what you need:

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup diced tomatoes (I used halved cherry tomatoes)

1 cup diced cucumber (peeled and seeded)

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 tsp fresh chopped mint

1 tsp fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp fresh dill

juice of 2 lemons (3-4 Tbsp)

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

coarse salt and fresh black pepper to taste

*I added cooked shrimp to mine to increase the protein.

What you need to do:

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Allow to cool.

Mix everything together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours for flavors to mesh.

That's it! Really- that is it. 

You will be amazed by the wonderful flavor in this dish. And all you do is cut, cook, cool, mix!

Look at all of that fresh goodness!!!

There you have it. Quick, Easy, Greek.

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

Spring Brunch!

Not only was this beautiful, but it was easy and so, very delicious!

We had this Pre-Easter Brunch last week when all the grocery stores had bunches of fresh asparagus. Hooray! 

These pretty green veggies match tangy Gruyere perfectly! We served this tart with fresh herb crepes, creme fraiche (actually we used sour cream, because it is what we had on hand), and caviar.

My stars- this was delicious!

Asparagus - Gruyere Tart

(I adapted this one from the Hip Foodie Mom blog.)

Here's what you need:

1 sheet of puff pastry

1 bunch thick stock asparagus

Dijon (or Honey Dijon) mustard

1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere

good olive oil or truffle oil

balsamic vinegar

freshly ground sea salt and pepper

Here's what you do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out the puff pastry on parchment and lightly score a 1" boarder around the edge. Prick the puff pastry, then bake for 15 minutes.

Brush Dijon or Honey-Dijon mustard on the puff pastry (except the boarder). 

Sprinkle Gruyere on top of the mustard.

Place asparagus over the cheese alternating tips and ends.

Brush asparagus with oil.

I used this wonderful white truffle oil from Olive Chattanooga.

Sprinkle with freshly ground sea salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool; then drizzle with good balsamic vinegar.

Fresh Herb Crepes with Creme Fraiche and Caviar

(I used my tried and true La Bonne Femme Cookbook for the crepe recipe. I just added herbs to the Master Crepe Recipe in cookbook.)

Here's what you need:

3/4 cup 2% or whole milk

1/2 cup water

2 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp melted butter

pinch of salt

mix of fresh chopped herbs (whatever you have on hand)

extra butter for the pan

caviar (your favorite)

creme fraiche or sour cream

Here's what you do:

Place the first 6 ingredients in a blender to combine. Scrap side once and finish blending.

Pour through a sieve to remove any lumps and store in fridge for 1 hour to overnight.

Add the herbs to the batter and gently stir until just combined.

Heat pan over medium heat. Add butter and then a scant 1/4 cup to the pan, turning pan until well spread across the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until edges are dry and slightly golden. Flip and continue cooking for 30 seconds. Remove to a plate and keep warm.

Get the creme fraiche (or sour cream) and caviar ready!

Now it's time to serve this delectable brunch!!!!

Using a pizza cutter, slice the asparagus tart into small rectangular servings. 

Fold the crepes into small triangles, top with creme fraiche, and caviar.

We served ours with a very dry Blanc De Blanc- delicious!

This was so flavorful! And easy!

It was so delicious. I think we will have to make it again soon.

Happy Brunching!

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

Easter Decor and Rossinis!

This is a fun one! 

I had a great time looking through Pinterest for decorating ideas. 

Here's a little recap of our Easter celebration:

I filled a vase with jelly beans and then used wooded kabob skewers at differing heights for the bunny peeps.

I used carrots in a vase to help prop up these blue hydrangeas.

I kept the carrot theme by wrapping green utensils in orange napkins. 

Party favors included little Lindt bunnies, plastic eggs filled with candy...

...these little nests with Cadbury milk chocolate eggs in them. I found the nests at Hobby Lobby.

You know that Christmas Crack candy I make...I made a slight adjustment for Easter: white chocolate, pink, yellow, and blue candy melts...and of course, sprinkles!

Now for the traditional Easter Rossinis!

This is Ina Garten's recipe:

What you need:

1 pint strawberries (hulled)

2 1/2 Tbsp simple syrup

1 tsp Grand Marnier

1 (750ml) bottle Prosecco (chilled)

What you do...

Puree strawberries in a blender.

Strain strawberry puree to remove seeds.

Add simple syrup and Grand Marnier, and marinate in fridge for 1 hour up to 24 hours.

When you add the Prosecco a chemical reaction occurs and it will bubble over quickly. Therefore, I use my large sangria pitcher. I pour strawberry mix in first, then add the Prosecco slowly. Stir and then serve.

I love celebrating Easter. Spring is a beautiful time of rebirth and renewal, but it is the original Resurrection Day that gives such hope to me.

I saw this video on Facebook recently, and it is moving. It reminded me again, why we celebrate.

The Lord is Risen!

He is Risen Indeed!

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

A Wee Green Quiche for St. Patrick's Day!

Asparagus, Spring Onion, & Feta- Hooray for Spring!

This quiche recipe was in the March 2016 issue of Southern Living. As an avid Bruncher, I decided this was a must try.

I made 1 modification- I purchased a frozen deep dish pie crust, rather than using a refrigerated pie crust in a spring form pan. As a result, you might want to lower the amount of mixtures inside as it wasn't quite deep enough to hold all of the ingredients. 

While all of the egg mix couldn't fit in, it did not lack in delicious flavor!

Here's what you need:

Frozen Deep Dish pie crust

2 Tbsp butter

2 cups thinly sliced spring onions

1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tsp kosher salt, divided

3/4 tsp black pepper, divided

1 cup heavy cream

8 large eggs

2 Tbsp thinly sliced chives

2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided

What to do:

Bake frozen pie crust according to package directions.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter over medium-high . Add onions and cook (stirring occasionally) until tender and lightly brown (about 10 mins). Stir in asparagus; sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Remove from heat and cool 5 mins.

Whisk together cream, eggs, chives, parsley, nutmeg, and remaining 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Place half of the onion mixture in the pie crust.

Sprinkle with 1/4 cup feta.

Spoon half of cream mixture over feta.

Repeat layers once and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup feta.

* (If you are using a 14.1 oz refrigerated pie crust in a spring form pan, this should fit. If you are using a frozen deep dish pie crust like I did, all of this won't fit. Reducing the cream mixture ingredients slightly will help with this. We did, and it still tasted great!)

Bake until set, about 1 hour. Cool on baking rack for 20 minutes before serving.

I highly recommend serving this with a sweet cantaloupe. We did and the flavors were perfect together. The tartness of the asparagus and feta with the sweet, creamy of the melon...it was fantastic!

We have reheated this quiche for another quick breakfast since this brunch and it was just as wonderful as the first tasting.

So- here is a Wee Green Quiche for your St. Patrick's Day celebration!

Also- I found this little video about St. Patrick. It gives a brief history about the real man, and some of the myths surrounding him. 

Enjoy!

Sláinte! = Cheers! (in Irish Gaelic)

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

Our Disney Fantasy Food & Drink Adventure!

It is usually very good for me to get somewhere warm and sunny during the winter.

To escape the wintertime blues we planned our cruise on the Disney Fantasy to get some much needed sun, sea, and sand at the end of February.

Be sure to try the Drink of the Day- we loved these Key Lime Margaritas!

Let's talk about the Food!

Dinner on the Disney Fantasy rotates between three restaurants: Royal Court, Enchanted Garden, and Animator's Palate.

This particular sailing included a Star Wars Day at sea complete with droids, storm troopers, and sand people. 

Star Wars Day at sea also included a special menu with nods to the different lands of Star Wars series.

 Of course the food and World Class Service of Disney are absolutely unparalleled. 

Shrimp with caviar on a cucumber salad.

Portabella Steak with sticky rice.

Pork medallions with potato cake and chorizo.

This macaroon duo was the Hubs favorite dessert!

Scallops with sundried tomato cous cous.

This beautiful fish fillet was covered in fennel and placed on a creamy dill dressing.

Appetizer trio: spicy shrimp, salmon pate', and thinly sliced chilled duck.

Dessert trio with a small sponge cake, creme brulee, and cheesecake.

The blue lighting gave the feel of being in ocean with Crush and Nemo at Animator's Palate. This dish was amazing: herb crusted pork chop on a sundried tomato risotto.

Chateaubriand

I highly recommend the wine tasting. With 3 whites and 3 reds, we received quite an education, and were able to taste a very diverse selection.  

Our favorite bars on ship? 

Without a doubt Meridian and Ooh La La.

Meridian is aft (the back of the ship) and has panoramic windows...or you can enjoy the sunset outside.

We also opted for the Champagne Brunch at Remy.

There is an additional charge for this, but it is simply a dinning experience!

Yes- I had my picture taken by the sign...We named our cat after this famous rat chef.

Lobster and shrimp wrapped in mango.

Y'all...this is a perfectly poached egg, wrapped in breadcrumbs, and placed in a corn soup. It is one of the most wonderful things I have ever eaten! Sigh...

Slightly poached salmon with wasabi and seafood bisque.

Chicken with crab cakes and hollandaise sauce.

Hazelnut creme with hazelnut ice cream.

A crystal Chef Remy welcomes guests.

Chef Remy can be seen in the wine room mirror.

Several Remys in the fabric of our chairs.

Truly a beautiful dinning experience!!!

Of course we can't leave out Castaway Cay (pronounces Key), Disney's private island in the Bahamas. 

We have cruised with Disney before, this is only the second time we have been to this island when it was sunny. It was a bit windy this particular day, but My Stars- it was beautiful!

While on the island, we were provided a BBQ lunch. I opted for many of the fresh salads and piece of grilled Mahi.

On our last night, we returned to Ooh La La, the ship's French-inspired Champagne Bar.

The Elderbubble (drink on the right) is a delicious choice.

I've gotta be honest...it is somewhat difficult to readjust now that we are home. After 7 days of rest and relaxation, its back to cooking dinner and making my own bed again! Haha!

Well- as Mickey says: See ya Real Soon Disney Fantasy!

 La Bonne Vie Y'all!