Pink Saturday & Chocolate With Francois

It's not often that I have two blogging events on the same day! Today's one of those days. Both of these events deserve their own post. However, this blogger saved Chocolate With Francois until the last minute and after a long week at work didn't have the energy for two posts.

First we have Pink Saturday! Today I am featuring a beautiful pink flower from my garden. I have seen these called "Dinner Plate Hibiscus". This description is so fitting, these flowers are the size of dinner plates.

Now we're switching from beautiful pink flowers to delicious chocolate treats. This month's Chocolate With Francois creation is Chocolate Beignets. I love beignets but I have never made them. They're actually on my Top 50.

Since these need to be eaten right away, I decided to make 1/4 of the recipe. I had a little trouble with my math skills and ended up making the yeast mixture three times before I got it right. I know my division was accurate but the batter was way too thick. There was no way you could dip anything into the mixture. I added more beer until it was the consistency of a batter to be used for frying. I didn't feel like my ganache set up like it should but that could have been because of the heat and humidity. Once the ganache is set you roll the balls in egg, dip them in bread crumbs and then in the batter. This seemed more like something you would do for a main dish than a dessert but I assume it's to help keep the chocolate together while frying in the oil. The recipe called for a creme anglaise as a dipping sauce. It was already getting late so I skipped the creme anglaise.

Finally after an hour in the freezer, time to fry them. A couple of mine, exploded in the oil, maybe I didn't get enough bread crumbs around the chocolate? I had quite a bit of leftover batter. I put it in the fridge and am hoping to thin it down just a bit and make onion rings tomorrow night.

The verdict...I liked them but I didn't love them. They didn't really taste like a traditional beignet.This recipe is the pick of Julie from Always Leave Room for Dessert. If you want to give these a try, you'll find the recipe on her blog. Stop by Chocolate With Francois and see what the other members had to say!

Potato, Leek and Fennel Soup

Time is running out to enter my giveaway. The winner will be chosen on Sunday. Good luck!!!

Have you cooked with fennel? Except for a slaw we made in the cooking classes I took earlier this year, I've never cooked with fennel. I am fascinated by the anise flavor and the fronds. Did you know the tops were called fronds? I didn't until I did some research on fennel. I couldn't pass up the beautiful fennel and leeks at the farmer's market. One of things I love most about cooking is finding recipes for ingredients I haven't used before. Of course, I turned to the internet and found this recipe on Epicurious for Potato, Leek and Fennel Soup.

If you like potato soup, you'll love this soup. It's a kicked up version of potato soup. The fennel gives it a great flavor. It doesn't have a strong anise flavor, just enough to enhance the taste. I used russet potatoes, added garlic and shallots. Besides the flavor, I love that this soup is creamy without any cream!

Potato, Leek and Fennel Soup
Adapted from Epicurious

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only)
2 cups sliced fennel bulb, fronds reserved for garnish
2 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
1/2 shallot, minced
4 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
2 pounds potatoes peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks, fennel, garlic, shallots and sauté until leeks are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add broth and potatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer soup until potatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes. Working in batches, purée soup in blender. Return to same pot. Rewarm soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with reserved fennel fronds and serve.

I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum. Also, this is my entry for Souper Sunday's, hosted by Deb at Kahaki Kitchen.

In My Garden

Doggie Treats for Copper

I am having a giveaway, go here to enter! Good luck!

Tim and Michael went kayaking on the Niobrara River a couple of weekends ago. Copper always misses Tim when he's gone. To help him feel a little better, I decided to make doggie treats. Despite the 95 degree heat and humidity of 60 plus percent, I baked these. Copper thanked me by beeing a good dog for the rest of the weekend.





Copper loves peanut butter. It's what we use when we give him his heartworm medicine, so I knew he'd love these treats. My first inclination was to roll this dough out much thinner than it should be. These are different than cookies, there's nothing in them to make them rise. They pretty much bake in the same shape as when you put them in the oven.






Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

½ cups water
½ cup oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
½ cup cornmeal
½ cup oats

Blend wet ingredients together. Whisk dry ingredients together and mix into wet mixture to form a ball of dough. Roll out and shape. Put onto a non-stick cookie tray or lightly greased one. Cook 20 minutes at 400 F. Turn off oven and allow the biscuits to cool in oven until crisp and hard. Store in airtight container.

I am linking this to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table and Tasty Tuesday's.

Toasted Almond Lemon Bars - Sweet Melissa Sunday's

I am having a giveaway, you can enter here!!

Although I don't make them often, Lemon Bars are one of my favorite desserts. I love anything made with lemon.

The crust for this recipe goes together easily. I did feel like the crust was pretty sticky and soft. Maybe that was because it was hot and humid? Concerned about the crust being so soft it would spread, I put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking. It turned out perfectly. This crust is delicious. As I scraped out the inside of the food processor, I tasted the batter. I could have eaten this by the spoonful. I made a 1/2 recipe. It worked beautifully in a 9" square pan. The filling is really runny but it sets up nicely.

I try to share the sweet treats I make. My taste tester, Tim ate one, make that two bars. I said "How about taking these to work tomorrow?" "Can't we keep them here? Michael and I will eat them this weekend." My guess if you make these you won't want to share them either. These are delicious! The almond crust gives them a nice hint of nutty flavor, a great contrast with the lemon.

You can find the recipe on Rebecca of the Indecisive Baker's blog. Rebecca, thanks for choosing a fabulous recipe! The links to all of the other SMS baker's are here!

Pink Saturday & A Giveaway!!!

I love pink glassware. My husband's mother gave me these beautiful pink candlesticks. I found the Depression Glass Pink Sunflower plate at a flea market last Fall. I love that pattern and am in search of more pieces!

For the details on my giveaway, go here!!! The winner will be chosen on August 1st. Good luck and thanks for entering!!!

Happy Pink Saturday!! I am linking this to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound!

A Giveaway!!! & Peanut Butter Parfaits

Are you familiar with CSN Stores? I wasn't until a few months ago. CSN Stores has EVERYTHING, from dining room furniture to cookware. Do you like to shop? I LOVE to shop! Browsing and deciding what to buy is one of my favorite things. My mother used to call it window shopping!! As a reader of my blog, you're going to get the chance to shop!!! CSN stores is giving one of my readers (in the USA or Canada) a promo code good for $50.00 in merchandise from their stores.

How to enter is simple!! Sign up to be a follower of my blog and leave me a comment! If you're already a follower, just leave me a comment and you're entered. Also, I'd love to hear what you like to shop for or your favorite place to shop. I will be picking a winner on August 1st. Good luck and thanks for reading my blog!!!

Now for this week's Foodie Friday recipe...Peanut Butter Parfaits. One of the fun things about baking cakes to decorate is you always have leftover cake tops. It’s fun to come up with creative uses for them. Cake Pops are a fun creation to make with cake tops. My final cake for the Fondant and Gum Paste class I took last month, was a Peanut Butter Cake. No recipe for this cake, just a yellow cake mix with a 1/2 cup of peanut butter added. It’s moist and delicious.

I decided to make Peanut Butter Parfaits with my leftover cake. Parfaits are so fun and a smaller (much less caloric) version of a trifle. As I was riffling through my glasses, I realized I don’t own parfait glasses. I know I’ve passed them up numerous times at Goodwill, thinking oh one more set of glasses, I don’t need them. How about stemless wine glasses?

Peanut Butter Parfaits

Peanut Butter Cake
Vanilla Instant Pudding
½ cup peanut butter

Whisk ½ cup of peanut butter, gradually whisk in 2 cups of milk. When smooth, whisk in the instant pudding mix. Chill 10 – 15 minutes. Layer the pudding and cake, finishing with a layer of pudding. Drizzle the top with chocolate sauce.

These parfaits were a quick and easy dessert.





I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.