For those of you who may not yet know,
I've moved to a new Cyber Home!
Tales From The Labyrinth continues
~HERE~
www.lealabyrinth.com
Please come and join me!
I look forward
to sharing more adventures
and wondrous discoveries
with you along the path!
Homemade chocolate chip cookies...
fresh squeezed lemonade...
and faerie-god-daughters...
to share them with...
Ahhhhh...
My piece...
my slice of heaven arrived...
via Don Bosco...
Tell me...
what could be better
than a Brazillian desert
for breakfast???
Velvet
delicous amazement
on your tongue...
with a swig of the best latte imaginable?
Made by a barista trained by the master of all coffee...
Pudim and latte
fast dissapearing,
disolving into the early morning...
Thank you Emily and Don Bosco...
for this little slice of pudim heaven...
woof!
My pal Emily
sent me these mouth watering pictures
of her first creation
of a Brazilian desert called Pudim...
First...
the ingredients...
the alchemy...
The caramel...
ready for the oven...
cooling on the rack...
(disclaimer: no torture was involved)
remember...
this was the FIRST Pudim attempt...
a little slippage was involved...
Debate...
Want air-bubbles vs. No air bubbles
This Pudim has no air bubbles!!!
And so... Emily carries forth her family's tradition
with a golden ring to prove it!
from the side...
All cleaned up and ready to eat...
WAIT!!!
Where is MY piece?????
Photos by Emily.
For Pudim recipes, give the internet a search.
Some Pudim recipes swear by using only egg yolks
and strive for NO air bubbles,
like Emily...
while others, like in the link below,
use yolks & whites and want air bubbles!
the Glitter Life Blog:
Brazilian Pudding (Pudim de Leite Condesado)
Thank you Emily!
Woof!!!
The ingredients below are an approximation... I tend to do these kind of recipes by taste...
Ingredients:
-8 to 10 lemons squeezed into juice.
- 1/4 to 1/3 Cup of Agave Nectar.
-1 Cup of water to add to Agave Nectar to make a sweet syrup.
-2 quarts of water for first pitcher, additional 2 quarts for second pitcher.
-1/4 Cup of pesticide free- mint leaves, nasturtiums, lavender buds, rose petals, honeysuckle, salvia, and other known edible flowers.
Edible Flower List
Directions:
5.) Juice the lemons as thoroughly as you can.
2.) Stir agave and 1 Cup of water until diluted, add to lemon juice.
3.) Add HALF of this mixture to a quart pitcher
3.) Add 1 quart of water to pitcher and more to taste (I like my lemonade light on sweetness and lemons, allowing the flavor of the flowers to really come forward).
4.) Add 1/8 Cup of mint and flowers to each 2 quart pitcher.
5.) Refrigerate at least an hour (also refrigerate the extra lemon juice with agave syrup or make up another pitcher, as one pitcher doesn't last long!).
6.) Serve over ice and enjoy!!!
If... you are vegetarian... you may want to skip this post...
And if... like me, you are on the fence of vegetariansm, or a meat afficianado, or know my dear husband and his escapades.... please read on...
My husband, raised as a reformed Jew, says pork is his favorite meat... One of his favorite childhood memories is having a ham cooked by his mother, after the Friday night Shabat service...
So Spain was heaven for him...
Every Museo de Jamon was his equivalent to my finding an art supply store or unique clothing boutique...
So in love is he with the Spanish style of ham... that upon our return... an order to "La Tienda" arrived and soon found its way into our kitchen...
and the ceremony of unpacking the jamon, commenced...
with great delight....
and anticipation...
as well as ideas for all sorts of recipes.... including....
the need for a stand for the jamon
which sparked a project in my husband's wood shop...
with his son...
creating their own "holder de jamon..."
even utilizing a "Gaudi inspired catenary" approach
to the end that held the joint...
Voila!!!
or should I say, Olé...???
The jamon was ready to serve up
in what was to be MANY jamon inspired meals...
down to the bone, which found its way into a soup pot...
for one of the most delicious soups we've ever concocted from scratch...
We had so much enjoyment from this gift of food...
And the truth for me is...
if I had to prepare my own meat from start to finish... i.e. from birth to death... I would be a
complete vegetarian... but for now, meat is still a staple in my
life... and I am grateful to the animals and farmers and butchers that
provide me with this form of sustainence that is so on the edge for me...
We have something really special in Santa Rosa...
Worth Our Weight...
A culinary institute that has apprenticeships geared towards young people and young adults who need a little extra assistance to get a start in the world... these are youth who have had to overcome extraordinary challenges in their young lives... WOW provides them with a training program in the art of cooking and serving that gives them the experience of what it is like to learn how to work, have responsibilities, how to be part of a community, learning skills that will carry them in to life no matter what they decide to do...
Just this past Christmas, WOW provided over 500 meals for families who had no means of having a Christmas meal.... Many adults in our community donated items and their time to WOW, as these lovely ladies in the pic below!
Everyone needs to eat... to be able to learn how to cook, to serve others, and to eat together at a community table which sets in motion a whole new way of living for these young people, taking these skills and lessons and setting a foundation of stability for the years to come.
The amazing Evelyn Cheatem (second from the left in the pic above), who I love dearly, is the mastermind of this incredible program. Her devotion to young people and our community is incredible. She is an inspiration and has a heart that gives from the depths of her being...
Students in the apprentiship program are taken on field trips to learn about the organic nature of food, cooking with produce grown locally. Evelyn says that within two weeks, kids loose their taste for fast food, especially when they make and eat food that is fresh and delicious...
Stopping by for Friday or Saturday Lunch, or Sunday Brunch is a must to taste the delicious food that WOW creates... When stoping by for a meal, Evelyn has introduced the community table. At their lovely restaurant and cooking facility, you can sit privately, or at a large table with others. The menu changes regularly with the seasons and what is available from our local farmers. Payment is by donation. WOW also does catering!
Thank you Evelyn for being of service to our community 365 days of the year! You and WOW are treasures that we so appreciate!
Worth Our Weight is located at 1021 Hahman Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95405 Phone: 707-544-1200
website: Click Here
There is nothing better than sun~ripened tomatoes...
fresh from the vine...
~ cut into strips...
~ 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced...
~ 1 Cup plus two tablespon best-quality olive oil...
and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper...
(I actually use fusilli pasta, as I think it holds the sauce better)
1. Combine tomatoes, Brie, basil, garlic, 1 Cup olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt adn the pepper in a alrge serving bowl. Prepare at least 2 hours before serving and set aside, covered, at room tempature... The hot pasta melts the Brie cheese and dissoves into the olive oil for a truly incredible sauce that only enhances the garden fresh basil and tomatoes! Yummmm!!!! Enjoy!!! Linguine With Tomatoes And Basil From The Silver Palate Cookbook
2. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and remaining salt. Add the pasta and boil until tender but still firm, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Drain pasta and immediately toss with the tomato sauce. Serve at once, passing pepper mill, and grated Parmesan cheese if you like.
Here's the recipe without pictures....
by Julee Rosso & Selia Lukins
with Michael McLaughlin
1. Combine tomatoes, Brie, basil, garlic, 1 Cup
olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt adn the pepper in a alrge serving bowl.
Prepare at least 2 hours before serving and set aside, covered, at room
tempature.
2. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon
olive oil and remaining salt. Add the pasta and boil until tender but
still firm, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Drain pasta and immediately toss with the tomatoe sauce. Serve at
once, passing peppermill, and grated Parmesean cheese if you like.
One of my favorite holiday traditions
is to make gingerbread houses...
Owner-Chef Duskie
Estes, of Zazu and Bovolo restaurants in Sonoma County, along with her two girls, puts on three consecutive Sundays of wonderful gingerbread making afternoons at the Bovolo restaurant in Healdsburg, CA. We went yesterday and there are two more Sundays (Dec 9 & 16) of house making coming up if you want to make a reservation!
I took my two faerie-god-daughters and their mom and my friend Lynnette (who changed out of her garden designing duds) to spend the afternoon in frosting, every candy imaginable, all shapes and sizes of cereal and cookies, cinnamon sticks, and hot cider (mochas for us "older-kids") and hot-delicious, slices of Bovolo's famous pizza...
we had four houses to bring home to our homes,
bringing cheer to the long nights ahead!!!
But one of the great things about joining Duskie and her girls is that she has everything all ready for you!!! And... it is a time of coming together as a community of kids and grownups and sharing inspiration and ideas and a whole lot of fun...
Gingerbread House Recipe
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