Postcard from the Garden

~ A drizzly Spring day in the garden ~
"Carding Mill" English rose bred by David Austin (UK)
(This rose was named after Carding Mill  "an extremely beautiful valley  in the Long Mynd just to the west of the David Austin  nursery in Shropshire", UK.)

Fresh Lemon Cake with Berry Glaze

A redux post from a couple of years ago . . . It was a special tea party.
I decided to share it again as it is a favorite dessert around here, and I am making this same cake today. 


You can choose almost any fruit topping, (or leave it off entirely), I like the combination of the lemon cake with strawberry topping and that's the way I usually make it.



My mom began making it back in the 1970's, when it was originally called "French Lemon Cake" ~ I'm not sure why "French"... perhaps because it is only one layer?



It's one of those that you can put together VERY quickly as it is mixed in the food processor.



After it is baked sweetened lemon juice is drizzled over the top, intensifying the luscious lemon flavor.



It can be served plain, and it's very good that way ~ but I usually dress it up a bit by adding a thick Strawberry glaze, made with melted Strawberry jam, and then I pipe on, or serve the cake slices with slightly sweetened whipped cream.



So simple to make, but so good!






If you'd like the recipe, a printable copy is available  HERE on my recipe blog.



Click the link below to see all the wonderful recipes for this weeks Foodie Friday hosted by Rattlebridge Farm!

Click HERE.


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Thank you for stopping by for a visit today.
xo~mari

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.

Chile Colorado

One of my favored ways of using my homemade Red Chile Sauce is in Chile Colorado.  Chile Colorado is made with chunks of beef, red chili sauce and just a few other simple ingredients.  Unadulterated, pure form of the dish we know in the United States as Chili.
You can use stew meat cubes from the market, or cut  your own from Chuck Steak or any of the less expensive cuts of beef; those which benefit from a long, slow cooking time.
The method is much the same for making beef stew. (I usually make mine in a pressure cooker, but you can make it in a traditional pot on the stovetop as well.)
Here's the method:
Heat a little vegetable oil in a heavy pot until quite hot, season the meat cubes with salt and pepper and brown in batches (don't crowd or the meat won't brown properly.) Turn occasionally so the cubes of meat are evenly browned on all sides.  Remove the browned meat to a large plate or platter and repeat until all the meat is browned.
Add a large white or yellow onion (diced) to the pan, and cook until translucent, you may add a minced clove of garlic (or two) at the end of cooking time. Place the meat back in the pot, add some of the red chili sauce (a cup or three, depending upon how much meat you have), and add enough water or beef broth to just cover the meat.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to barely a simmer and place lid on pan (slightly askew so steam can escape), and slowly simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beef is almost fall-apart tender. Add more liquid if during the cooking time if it is evaporating too quickly.
At the finish you want enough chili 'gravy' to generously coat the meat, with some extra to serve with rice and tortillas, if desired.


I truly like this better than chile con carne!

I usually serve this with sliced avocados, a few slices of lime, rice and beans; and any other condiments you like.
I always offer pinto beans from the pressure cooker, cookedwith just a chopped onion, a little garlic, salt and pepper and water, cook until tender.


Hope you enjoy!

Homemade Mexican Red Chili Sauce

If you make enchiladas, tamales, or any  Mexican or Tex-Mex style dish that requires red chili sauce, I urge you to bypass the canned stuff and make your own sauce from scratch.
It goes together very quickly, with just a couple of ingredients  and is far tastier than canned, plus you can adjust the level of heat according the the chilies you use.
(Most well stocked grocery stores carry dried peppers in the Mexican food/ingredient  section.)
The method is much easier than you might imagine:
- Simply rinse the peppers, remove the seeds and stems (discard.)    - Lightly toast the peppers in a dry skillet to bring out their flavor.
- Remove from skillet and place in a small sauce pot with water, bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Allow to soak for 10 minutes.
- Puree the softened pepper in a blender with some of the soaking water (or plain water if the soaking water seems bitter)
- Add 1 large clove of garlic, 2 whole cloves, 2 pepper corns, 1 or 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, and salt.  Continue to blend until sauce is smooth.
- Pour the sauce through a sieve into a skillet, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Stir and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Taste for seasonings.
Use immediately in your favorite recipe or cool and store in a glass container then refrigerate or freeze.





Elise, over at Simply Recipes has a wonderful step-by-step pictorial, with the type of chilies to select as well as the recipe.
Next up,  I'll show you one of my favorite ways of using this Red Chili Sauce.

Thank you for stopping by, and for any comments you would care to share!  Have a wonderful week.

xo ~mari  :o)

Chocolate Chip Scones with Strawberries

When the first of the season organic strawberries arrived in the market a couple of weeks ago I just had to bring some home.
Bright red and surprisingly sweet for early season strawberries, they needed very little sugar when I sliced and macerated them in their own juice.
After eating our fair share of the ruby beauties right out of the carton, I put some aside to serve on split Chocolate Chip Scones with a little dollop of slightly sweetened vanilla-sugar whipped cream.
The chocolate Chip Scones are also divine served warm, either plain or with a pat of butter or a dollop of thickened cream.
This recipe is a very good one if you decide to give  them a try.  I hope you enjoy.
Have a beautiful day everyone!
Come join us at Foodie Friday!! 
Click Here.


xo~m.

French Bread ~ Two Ways

I'm going to share two ways of making this bread  the recipe is the same in both cases, but the loaves are just finished differently. (I made a mistake the first time I made it, but we still loved the bread!)
The recipe makes one large loaf, or two medium size baguettes,  and you can use a bread machine for mixing the dough and for the first rise.





This the bread cooling when the recipe is made the way it was intended to be made ~ resulting in a nice  crispy-chewy crust with body.  
The interior texture is fairly fine, unlike a rustic sourdough;  no big holes so you can use it as a base for sandwiches and tartines, etc.
For the crispy crust version, egg-white wash is brushed on during the last few minutes of baking.

And below is my "mistake" version:






 I brushed the egg wash on the bread when I placed it in the hot oven. This way the crust is softer ~  perfect for when you don't want a pronounced crunchy crust. 
Kids and anyone with a dental issue would probably  prefer the bread made this way.  :0)
Either way, there is not much that can top the aroma (and taste) of freshly baked bread!
If you would like a copy of the recipe; you can find it HERE.


Coming next:
I'll share a couple of yummy ways I like to use French bread when it's a day or two old.