Lavender Week Wrap-Up with the Novel Bakers

For the final day of Lavender Week with the Novel Bakers

I'm going to take you from Breakfast/Tea, then skip to the

evening meal, and throw in a few options for dessert

at the end. 

I hope you enjoy!

I made quick, Strawberry-Blueberry and 

Lavender Infused refrigerator jam as an accompaniment

to the warm homemade biscuits

for our tea . . .

The jam is fresh, made with strawberries and blueberries

from the garden, I like that you can control the amount

of sweetener. We prefer ours not too sweet ~

and it cooks up in just a few minutes.

~*~*~*~*~



And for dinner, I just had to make this luscious

Grilled Chicken Breast with a lovely and different

Lavender-Honey Marinade, which my friend Monique 
recently posted on her blog.
(Click to Link.)

Oh my. 
Do yourself a favor. Make THIS!

It's a winner. I followed Monique's variation on

the original recipe exactly and I wouldn't change

a thing about it. It's heavenly.

The light sauce goes really well with the tiny potatoes,

as Monique served it. And because the garden is

prolific with cucumbers right now, I sliced a few and

anointed them with a drizzle of the vinaigrette style

sauce as well. Borage blossoms compliment cucumbers

very nicely, as they have a very mild cuke-like taste.

Yummy! A keeper that I'll definitely make again.

~*~*~*~*~

On to the dessert (or two...)

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream, infused with Lavender

essence.

It is one of the EASIEST ice cream recipes I know of.

 Condensed milk, heavy cream (warmed with

a bit of lavender, then strained and chilled.)

Put that mix in your ice cream maker to begin the freezing process, 
then about 10 to 15 minutes before the ice cream is

solidified, add the chunks of fresh strawberries

along with a splash of vanilla, and continue with

the freezing process.

I like to offer a drizzle of Lavender Syrup at the table so

anyone who wants it can add a bit to bump up the

lavender flavor.

I happen to like it just as it is. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

If you don't want to serve the Lavender Palmiers (pictured above

with the ice cream), you might like to substitute these

lavender cookies:

Delicate, and gently flavored with lavender ~

I think it's best to make these when the lavender blossoms

are at their peak.

Fresh blossoms are milder, and texturally more appealing than

dried flowers in this recipe.

If you look closely, maybe you can see . . .

~ the tiny specks of green in the cookies ~ this recipe

includes a small amount of minced lavender leaves to

the cookie dough.

Not overwhelming at all, just a faint nuance of

lavender ~ I think these would be so pretty served

at a summer tea or bridal or baby shower.


~*~*~*~*~

I had much fun with the topic of lavender, it pushed

me to try recipes I probably would not have otherwise,

and we were pleasantly surprised at my house at what

a versatile herb lavender is.

Sending out a big THANK YOU to our organizer, Jain @ a quiet life blog,

and my companion Novel Bakers, Mary @ Home is Where the Boat Is.

Michael @ Rattlebridge Farm and our special guest this week ~

Pam @ Sidewalk Shoes, it was fun having you join in Pam!

And a big thank you to my followers, whether

you comment or not ~ I appreciate the time you take

to come see what's going on here on my blog.


xo ~mari

Lavender Week with the Novel Bakers ~ A Bonus Post . . .

Since we at the Novel Bakers are posting about Lavender this week, I thought I would share two older posts that I did some time ago using lavender.


The first is the Lavender Blossom Martini you can find the original post HERE.




~*~*~*~*~

And then one of my ALL-TIME favorite recipes  for homemade ice cream ~ Lavender-Blueberry, which the Novel Baker organizer ~ Jain @ a quiet life blog introduced us to a few years ago. 
Oh my, it's a fabulous recipe and I'm quite sure you'll love it too.
You can add less lavender if you're not sure you'll like it, or add more if you know you love it!  
Lavender-Blueberry Ice Cream





See you back here Wednesday with some all new (for me) Lavender Recipes with the Novel Bakers.



Happy Tuesday, friends!
xo~mari

Lavender Week with the Novel Bakers!

Welcome to Lavender Week with the Novel Bakers. This week we have a special guest joining us:
Pam from Sidewalk Shoes!

~*~*~*~*~

We'll be posting about Lavender on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of this week, I hope you'll enjoy what we have to share.

Here is one of the books that inspired us:

(click the image to learn more)

The first recipe I made was from the book~

"Grilled Lavender Honey Breast of Chicken"

Of course, as is my way, I had to tweak it a bit.

I didn't have boneless chicken breast halves with skin,

so I cubed the boneless chicken and marinated in the delicious citrus

and lavender honey glaze, 

then skewered the chicken chunks, ribbon-candy style with

prosciutto, and grilled the skewers. 

If you don't care for the look of charred skewers, of course you'll
plan ahead and soak them in water before loading the ingredients.  :)

We really enjoyed the flavor the marinade added;

 made with vinegar, lavender honey, fresh lemon zest and juice

along with fresh lime juice and finely ground culinary Provence

lavender buds, a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

I served it as an appetizer course and it quickly disappeared.

I would definitely make this one again, either this way or

as the original recipe suggests~ boneless chicken breasts

with skin-on as a main course.

It was declared a winner.
Thumbs up!

~*~*~*~*~

We're still harvesting our blueberries, so

in keeping with the Lavender theme, I served

the skewers with Blueberry-Lavender Spritzers ~

you can serve them as the recipe suggests spiked with vodka,

but I found they were equally delicious sans the vodka. The

choice is yours.

I think the combination of blueberries and lavender is absolutely

heavenly ~ whether in this luscious Lavender-Blueberry Ice Cream,
(from many, many posts ago), or in this delightful liquid concoction.

It is an easy one to make ahead. First you make the blueberry-lavender

simple syrup (can make it up to a week ahead and keep it in

the refrigerator.)

When you're ready to make the drinks, just put ice cubes in the glasses,

add some of the blueberry-lavender simple syrup, then 

pour the remaining ingredients over.

Garnish with a stem of lavender, a sprig of lemon verbena (or lemon balm)

and a slice of lime.

For an added treat, freeze some blueberries and float them in

the drinks.

Such a refreshing beverage on a hot day!

~*~*~*~*~

Not feeling in the blueberry mood? 

Then you might want to try this recipe from Elise

@ Simply Recipes (I love her blog!)

Lavender Lemonade

I first tasted this at a local restaurant about 10 years ago. It's been a favorite ever since.






Note:
I'll have all of the recipes I share during Lavender Week posted on my recipe blog on Friday. (I'll share the links on Friday.)
A few tips about lavender~ 
Thought to have first been cultivated in the Mediterranean regions, lavender is easy to grow, and grows in poor soil where other plants may fail.
Lavender's uses include: 
Landscaping, crafts, floral decor, culinary, personal care, including therapeutic applications.
Both the flowers and the foliage of lavender are intensely aromatic and the flowers range in color from blue, very dark purple, pink, white and yellow depending upon the variety.
English lavender and Provence lavender are the two types most usually used in cooking.
A little lavender goes a long way in recipes, so it's best to start with a light touch, adding more if you like a more pronounced flavor and aroma.

~*~*~*~*~
Please come along and see the treats the Novel Bakers have in store for you during Lavender Week!
Click on the links below:
Home is Where The Boat Is
Rattlebridge Farm
A Quiet Life
Sidewalk Shoes


Thank you for stopping by today, friends.
Please come back on Wednesday, we have lots more to share!

Baked Blueberry French Toast with Blueberry Syrup

Perfect for Mother's Day Brunch!

Everybody I've served this to loves this recipe.
If you like blueberries, this is the one for you ~
it is similar to stuffed french toast as little cream cheese cubes and fresh berries are layered between the cubes of  French bread then the egg-milk custard mixture is poured over all.



It's assembled the night or day before you intend to serve it then refrigerated overnight  and baked the next morning when you're ready.

You can make the Blueberry Syrup a few days ahead if desired, or serve with your favorite syrup.
You'll find the printable recipe over on my recipe blog ... Click HERE.
Please join us for FOODIE FRIDAY (click) where you'll find dozens of fabulous recipes each week!

Happy Mother's Day weekend everyone!

xo~m.

Quick and Easy Italian Plum Cake (You can use other fruit, too.)

This just proves, once again that delicious recipes need not be complicated! I believe the original recipe may have been from Martha Stewart but I found this one, said to be an adaptation by a reader, on chowhound.chow.com  where it was first published in 2005, and has been  popular ever since.

;
No need to arrange the fruit, unless you want to. :) The sugar sprinkle adds a pretty sparkle and a delicate  crispy crunch.
You mix the simple batter in one bowl with a spatula, pour into a greased & floured cake pan, press the fruit slightly into the batter, sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and bake.


We just harvested the last of the Italian Plums from our tree, so that was my fruit of choice. The good news is that you can use other fruits too:
Plums, Apricots, Berries, Peaches, Nectarines, Pears,  Cherries, or a combination would all work in this recipe. You can use frozen berries as well, don't thaw.
The sugar sprinkle adds a pretty sparkle and a delicate  crispy crunch.
We've eaten it for breakfast, as a snack, and dessert ~ it doesn't last long around here!


So easy to put together that I made two one afternoon one to keep and one to give.

If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, it's over on my recipe blog ~ click here.

Thank you for stopping by!  Blessings ~ mari