It's All About the Roses ~

It's a Darling Bakers Event ~ this time the theme is ROSES!

In my area of Oregon our roses begin their show in June, so cuttings were slim for our party. Only the very earliest have begun to bloom, so I cobbled the meager offerings from the garden ~ there will be more next month.

Once again, most of these recipes just sprang from my head ~ there are no formal recipes, just general directions, and lots of pictures! I hope you enjoy. :)

Let's start with cocktails ~ and a toast to our host

Jain, at Once in a blue Moon ~

Rose Martinis ~ Vodka, with Rose Water in place of Vermouth.

They are VERY good!

Next, I thought a refreshing soup would be welcome ~

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Chilled Mango Soup with a little yogurt, a dash of rose water andgarnished with rose petals and violas.

The rose petals are from climbing "Golden Showers".

Next month I'll highlight some of the roses from the garden.

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I'm an organic gardener ~ so the flowers are completely edible.

Our main course ~ Chicken Bundles

Boneless Chicken Breasts, topped with goat cheese mixed with Herbes de Provence and minced rose petals, then enclosed in Filo pastry then baked.

I served them on a pool of Lemon Beurre Blanc ~

And garnished each with a rosebud, a couple of blooms of the early Lavender, and a lemon slice.

The fragrance was heavenly!

Here's what the inside looks like.

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For dessert ~ I served Rose Hip tea ...

Along with Vanilla & Rose Scented Cupcakes ~baked in a Nordic Ware Sweetheart Rose Mini Bundt Pan

The rose is David Austin, old fashioned Mary Rosa. The earliest blooms are always smaller, the blooms increase in size as the season progresses.

Mary Rosas are incredibly prolific bloomers in my garden, giving an incredible show throughout the entire summer. The pink blossoms fill the air with the delightful scent of honey and almonds.

Interestingly Mary Rose (also his sister's name) was named after King Henry VIII's flagship of the same name, when it was recovered after sinking 400 years earlier.

It's been so warm here lately, I also served ...

Strawberry - Rose Frozen yogurt

Showered with rose petals to carry out the theme

I use the electric ice cream maker all year round for all sorts of frozen desserts, not only ice cream but sorbets, gelatos, custards, and often for frozen yogurt. I appreciate being able to control the quality of the ingredients ~ and custom flavors you can't find anywhere else. :)

I always keep the canister in the freezer so fresh, frozen treats can be enjoyed within minutes.

Helpful Tip~ get an extra canister, it really comes in handy if you want to serve two kinds of frozen desserts, and if you store it in the freezer there is no waiting for a canister to freeze.

Someone in my family has sugar issues, so this time I sweetened the frozen yogurt with Spenda, it turned out creamy and delicious.

Thank you for visiting me today ~ I only wish you could have been here in person to attend our little party. :) xo~m.

Cinco de Mayo ~ A Darling Baker's Event!

The Darling Bakers are celebrating Cinco de Mayo ~

and here's what's cooking at my house~

Let's start with dessert first, it's light and fat free, fresh Strawberry Granita.

A truly refreshing and a simple pleasure. (I subbed 1/2 Splenda for the sugar.)

For the main course ~ I found this FABULOUS recipe for grilled shrimp, served with an incredible Chipotle ~ Saffron Cream Salsa on line. Psst... If your experiences with salsas have been limited to the chunky vegetable or fruit varieties you're in for a real TREAT if you make this one.

Proclaimed excellent by my taste testers ~ I'll definitely make it again, it would be great on grilled fish or chicken, too.

The method is very simple; shrimp is marinated for a short time in lime juice, ancho chile powder, garlic and white pepper. Then grilled or broiled until just done.

I started the Chipotle-Cream-Saffron salsa ahead and kept it warm while grilling the shrimp. Very flavorful and simple to put together.

The photo is not the best, (that's what happens when I try to pull a "party" mid-week!) but you can get an idea of how it plates up.

I'll post the recipes on my recipe blog a little later.

I served the grilled shrimp with a favorite recipe from " Fine Cooking';

Arroz Verde (Green Rice.)

This is such a great way to incorporate green veggies into your meal.

I prepare it a bit differently than the instructions in the Fine Cooking recipe, adding the spinach and cilantro at the end of cooking time to retain the vibrant color.

Incidentally, if you don't happen to love cilantro, you can easily omit it here.

I've had this recipe is in my permanent recipe file for a couple of years and have made it numerous times, it's that good! I'll post the recipe over on my recipe blog a little later today.

Finally (what I consider the jewel of the meal), the Fresh Strawberry Granita ~ so pretty to look at, and absolutely bursting with fresh strawberry flavor.

I garnished each one with a little sprig of fresh mint ...

. . . and fresh tiny Alpine strawberry blossoms, both from the garden.

Thanks for joining me today ~

I hope if you try any of these recipes you like them as much as we do.

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Sending out good wishes and healing thoughts for our Darling Bakers

who are a little under the weather today. Get well soon, friends!

April in Paris ~ The Darling Bakers and Foodie Friday ~

Welcome to The Darling Bakers "April in Paris" event, in honor of our Darling Baker,

Cathy from Wives with Knives

~ who will be leaving for Paris shortly!

AND FOODIE FRIDAY ~

Hosted by our Darling Baker, Michael Lee West, on her delightful blog Designs By Gollum!

(Please click on the link to see Michael's post and the other Foodie Friday participants.)

The Darling Bakers decided to have a French Bistro menu at my house ~ please pull up a chair and enjoy!

For starters, (store bought) Pâté.

Served with the traditional cornichon pickles, and toasted baguette slices.

Next an amuse-bouche; a highly flavored French Onion Soup.

Followed by a take on the traditional salad Salade Tiède aux Oeuf; comprised of frisée, a warm poached egg, lardons (crisp bacon), and toasted croutons.

Instead of serving the egg on the croutons, I sprinkled them over, and used baby Spring greens.

For color, some fresh pansies, violas and snipped chives from the garden.

And for dessert ~ Crêpes à l'orange.

For a snack later, with coffee ~ a GIANT Eiffel Tower cookie to share. I bought the copper cookie cutter from Sur la Table some years ago as a decorative piece for my kitchen, but this seemed like the perfect time to use it.

I would like to thank, Jain (Once in a Blue Moon) for hosting our event!

And I would also like to wish Cathy Bon Voyage, and a wonderful and enjoyable, long visit to the City of Lights!

And thank YOU so very much, for stopping by!

xo~m.