tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41556155545170139202026-07-01T07:16:06.358-07:00Drool over this...Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.comBlogger487125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-86437988772458409782015-08-17T19:45:00.000-07:002015-08-17T19:45:23.431-07:00

Cherry Plum Crumb Tart, Cherry Plum Crumb Tart, Cherry Plum Crumb Tart...say that three times! I'm just about a week late on this one, but it came in handy when I needed to put something together Sunday morning for Sunday evening's Concert in the Park. I had to leave home by noon to make it to the Aloha Sunday polo match with my photography group, so I was up early and scrambling to get this

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-17829655440390054022015-07-14T08:48:00.000-07:002015-07-14T08:48:07.476-07:00

I was bad. I strayed a bit from the Apricot-Raspberry Tart we were supposed to make this week out of Baking Chez Moi. I couldn't help it. The Blueberry-Pecan Galette on the cover of this month's Bon Appétit was so enticing, with its rustic, free form shape and golden brown, sugar sprinkled crust. I strayed even more by using Thomas Keller's pâte sucrée from Bouchon Bakery, which he uses for

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-46887921632376599422015-07-07T11:44:00.003-07:002015-07-07T11:45:14.877-07:00

I'm late being late! I missed making and posting this Rhubarb Upside-Down Brown Sugar Cake on May 26, because I couldn't find any rhubarb. Periodically, we are granted a "rewind" where we can make up a recipe we missed. For some reason, I was thinking today was the day to post my rewind, but it was actually last Tuesday. When I stopped at the store on the way home from work last evening, I

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-8266064633728358762015-06-23T09:06:00.000-07:002015-06-24T07:44:57.094-07:00

If you haven't been to Coronado's Sunday Concerts in the Park, or experienced a festive Fourth of July on the island, you're definitely missing out! I am fortunate to have experienced both for several years and never grow tired of the community spirit and camaraderie.  Although I whine quite a bit about lugging everything to the park for our gourmet spread, and coming home to a disaster in

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-87796593226421281022015-06-15T11:45:00.003-07:002015-06-15T16:28:29.280-07:00

Simmer dried cherries in red wine until plump. Melt dark chocolate with butter. Mix in sugar, eggs, and flour. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently fold in drunken cherries. Toss in finely chopped chocolate. Pour luscious batter into pan and bake. Cool, chill, cut into squares. Serve with red wine. Fall in love. Go to bed. Sweet dreams. *** Tuesdays with Dorie is an

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-33679772415339769122015-04-19T08:24:00.000-07:002015-04-19T08:25:23.467-07:00

Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy. Very special, small batch productions are also released a few times a year out of the DeLauro home, overlooking Mission Bay, in sunny San Diego ;-) Holli's Limoncello I'm several days late in posting April's first Baking Chez Moi recipe, only because I wanted to make these luscious lemony cupcakes to share at

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-6160237275543161632015-03-23T23:59:00.000-07:002015-03-24T08:13:56.146-07:00

Now we're talking! A chewy brown sugar cookie base, covered by a layer of partially melted Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate, topped with boozy-caramelized Rice Krispies. Dorie's friend says they are Rice Krispies Treats born in France. Mine are Rice Krispies Treats tipsy on Tuaca. In Baking Chez Moi (p. 325), there is a gorgeous photo of one of these bars in a bowl, nestled up to

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-47892495265850708232015-03-10T00:01:00.000-07:002015-03-21T09:44:22.450-07:00

No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin.  And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-57810239715305638542015-02-24T12:16:00.001-08:002015-02-24T16:37:44.252-08:00

The second recipe of the month from Baking Chez Moi is a Pink Grapefruit Tart that can be found at Hugo & Victor Pâtisserie in Paris. Other than being petite, mine looks nothing like Hugues Pouget's tart. Dorie's version is a full size tart, with picture perfect pink and yellow grapefruit segments beautifully spiraled around the top of the tart. Mine looks nothing like Dorie's. My

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-22819107849189196772015-02-10T14:09:00.002-08:002015-02-10T14:16:29.387-08:00

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. - Charles M. Schulz Marquise au Chocolat is a rich, soft, velvety, heavenly, creamy, and incredible dark chocolate mousse that is frozen in a loaf pan, sliced, and traditionally served over creme anglaise. Of course, Dorie provides creative variations for add-ins, molding and garnishing, like adding

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-80384624270715133612015-01-27T00:30:00.000-08:002015-01-27T07:40:30.928-08:00

Brown Butter & Vanilla Bean Weekend Cake is the first recipe in Dorie Greenspan's Baking Chez Moi (p. 6), a 477-page cookbook filled with uncomplicated contemporary and specialty desserts from all over France. Baking Chez Moi is divided into seven sections: Simple Cakes; Fancy Cakes; Tarts & Galettes; Baby Cakes & Petite Pastries; Cookies & Bars; Fruit, Creams, Frozen

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-54380954131976364092015-01-13T00:30:00.000-08:002015-01-13T13:57:17.757-08:00

I'm glad I made these Granola Energy Bars and our second recipe for January, Brown Butter and Vanilla Bean Weekend Cake, a few weeks ago, or this post may have fallen by the wayside... Last week was irritating to say the least, with flooding in my bedroom, a backed up kitchen sink, and Trapper battling yet another health issue. Things settled down by Friday, and I had a great time

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-59733782337852273132014-12-26T10:20:00.002-08:002014-12-26T13:36:00.852-08:00

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...the day after. The temperature on our morning walk was 46 degrees! That's pretty nippy for these parts, and it may get even colder. The National Weather Service reported San Diego may experience a very cold weather system next week, with a mix of rain and snow levels down to as low as 2000 feet. I would love to take Trapper up to our local mountains

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-9243084993451478232014-11-28T17:57:00.000-08:002014-11-29T08:18:03.526-08:00

Yes, it's been a LONG time since I've done a blog post...four months tomorrow, to be exact. Sometimes, you just need a break, and I also needed some time to think about where I want to go and what I'm trying to accomplish with my blog these days! The answer: What it's always been - a creative outlet to share recipes, stories, photos, and a little bit of my life in Coronado! When I first

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-54153728081552109302014-07-29T20:34:00.001-07:002014-07-29T21:07:43.225-07:00

The culinary theme for Sunday's Concert in the Park with The Mighty Untouchables came down to a few choices: Food you wouldn't want to touch or eat with your fingers; a dish created by playing with your food; or finger food. I offered the group a choice between the second two... It was hot and muggy Sunday morning, with thunder, lightening and a massive 10-minute downpour. Southern California

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-63498859517780980382014-07-06T11:31:00.000-07:002014-07-06T11:43:51.431-07:00

When TN came to town, I wanted to show him a good time at his first Concert in the Park. Bon Appétit had just Facebooked a slideshow link to its Most Mouthwatering Cover Recipes Since 2012, so I used that as the inspiration for our theme. I opened the challenge to Cover Recipes from any cooking magazine, and also requested that everyone photograph their dish with an iPhone. We all had a

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-9784300124684979642014-06-18T07:54:00.000-07:002014-06-18T19:52:17.758-07:00

This past Saturday, I joined my Meetup group on a local photo hike. I enjoy going out on my own photo walks, but it is also fun to join an organized group like Southern California Photography and Hiking. It's a great opportunity to meet new friends with common interests, get out and explore a bit of the back country, and throw in exercise along the way. Many of this group's

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-42762454052416249202014-06-04T23:07:00.000-07:002014-06-04T23:10:21.103-07:00

One of these days, I'll make it to Italy, and France, and Spain, and all the fabulous places that inspire our Concert in the Park themes! In the meantime, I will accept the joy in reading about regional cuisines and attempting to replicate some of the recipes in my kitchen.  I'm successful most of the time (although I get frustrated tracking down ingredients), but sometimes I crash and burn

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-57239245066661276442014-05-02T00:30:00.000-07:002014-05-02T08:21:43.956-07:00

Pleasant surprise...this was much better than I expected! These days, it's usually Thursday morning when I consider participating in French Fridays with Dorie for the week. I check out the recipe over coffee and decide if it's something I can eat on my own or share, so it doesn't go to waste. This morning, I was all set to run to the store, grab a few cans of tuna and a baguette (I had

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-27913869737112825312014-04-25T11:03:00.000-07:002014-04-26T12:52:41.991-07:00

April is Happy Birthday Month in Coronado with friends Hillari, Pam, Julie, and Mary all celebrating another year with get-togethers and parties. Mine is coming up in June, and we usually celebrate it at Concert in the Park - I'll have to think of a good theme for the third concert of the 2014 summer season with Cool Fever. For Hillari's party, I did a test run on a new flavor for my

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-51507975888304717602014-04-04T04:05:00.000-07:002014-04-04T04:09:17.093-07:00

At this rate, I am too far behind in recipes to catch all the dedicated chefs in French Fridays with Dorie who are thundering down Around My French Table's home stretch, champing at the bit in anticipation of Dorie's next book. Baking Chez Moi, Recipes From My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere promises to explore the fascinating world of French desserts (scheduled to be

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-45586279705195513282014-03-27T20:16:00.000-07:002014-03-28T07:29:54.744-07:00

Cooking and blogging continue to be sporadic…lately, the mood strikes when I see something on one of the blogs I follow or in my Facebook newsfeed. I really wanted to Cook the Cover of Bon Appetit this month (Savory Short-Rib Beef Pies), but had just made Natchitoches Meat Pies and wasn't motivated enough to track down boneless beef short ribs after striking out at the local market. My

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-75968223646110061912014-03-13T14:17:00.003-07:002014-03-13T14:17:47.418-07:00

After my first visit to New Orleans a few years ago, my signed copy of Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking from Donald Link's Louisiana and My New Orleans, by John Besh, became two of my most cherished cookbooks. Every recipe I have tried from these books has been fabulous! The introduction to the recipe for Natchitoches Meat Pies says: Natchitoches, Louisiana is famous for its extravagant

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-9463841346926033122014-03-10T09:01:00.000-07:002014-03-10T19:58:30.833-07:00

Spring? Did we even have winter? I guess the rain storm that managed to drench me on two of our walks this past weekend, was San Diego's best attempt at winter. Trapper loved it! Newf + Rain = Happy Dog! It was 80-something today for Jim & Carmen's annual Time Change Party. Fabulous party, as always, and everyone is now itching for Concerts in the Park to get started. Today's party featured

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155615554517013920.post-33250375665382974792014-02-24T18:27:00.000-08:002014-02-25T16:50:21.293-08:00

Trapper and I are getting settled in our new place and I was able to spend part of Sunday testing out the kitchen. We absolutely love the sweeping views of the bay, skyline and Coronado Bay Bridge from the boardwalk, literally steps from our front door. Trapper takes his leash in his mouth and leads me on a walk, three or four times a day. We stroll along, taking in the sunrise over the bridge,

Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803758528703701500noreply@blogger.com0