If heaven on earth existed ... in my mouth ... it would be this.  The land of milk and honey.  Sinfully sweet and smelling of roses.  I encountered this delightful desert during a dinner at a trendy Indian restaurant, Nirvana Beverly Hills, with other bloggers ... so they didn't mind at all when I whipped out my phone at the dinner table to tweet that I was having some sort of delicious Oh-My-Gawd experience.    It was like falling in love for the first time and I wanted to proclaim it to the World.  You must be thinking that I'm over-reacting to a simple meal.  I admit, it could have been the sensual atmosphere of Nirvana which is candle-lit and oozing not-so-subtle hints of Kama Sutra with their artwork and menu descriptions.  Appetizers are called "Foreplay."  Entrees ... "Loss of Innocence."  And dessert ... "Sensuous Pleasures, Sin committed, but quickly forgotten."  Whoa.  I have to remember, this is Beverly Hills.

But I do believe that even if I wasn't under the glittery influence of LA, upon savoring this treat I still would have closed my eyes, left the earth and had a moment.  The taste of sweet roses ... not the scent of a flower, but it's flavor.  By the time I regained my senses the menus had already been lifted from the table and I didn't know my new lover's name.  I tweeted that I was having a sweet honey and rose flavored dessert.  Someone immediately responded, "you must be having Gulab Jamun."

I tried saying that out loud, but it sounded like I was trying to speak with a mouthful.  (Try it.  Right now.  Go ahead.  Say ... Guuuulaaaab Jaaamuuun.  See?)   So I just made a mental note of the roses and honey.  Later when I went to post about it again, in my insecurity of the language, I described them as honey rose donut holes.  Big mistake.  HUGE!  My Middle Eastern friends quivered at the comparison.  "Gulab Jamun are not donut holes!" they proclaimed.  But ... uhm ... they certainly look like donut holes?  Fancy rose scented ones at that!  Wikipedia describes them as waffle balls.   I once called them O.M.G. balls.  That didn't quite sound right either.  So let's just learn how to pronounce it correctly.  According to MacMillan Dictionary, it's /ɡʊˌlɑːb ˈjɑːmən/.

And here's how to make them ...

Start with some honey, powdered milk, and roses.

I actually used the roses to make tea.  Nirvana did give me a recipe for making rose water at home (posted below).  But I found it at my local grocer in the spice section as a natural gourmet flavoring ... or perfume?

The dry milk I was a little iffy about.  One of my chef friends suggested using  all whole ingredients (i.e. nothing powdered or dried).  So I looked up other recipes online for gulab jamun and all used powdered milk.  So I decided to stick to the recipe.  Doesn't look appetizing ... but works like a charm!

Add a little baking powder ...

As if the powdered milk wasn't enough ... add to that 2 1/2 cups of heavy cream.  Yeah ... these donuts ...I mean .... gulab jamun, are rich and creamy little cakes.

Mix together with a wooden spoon.  It gets a little sticky.

I was unprepared to have my photo taken ... against the only wall in my kitchen that is unpainted and undecorated.  Hair tossed in a clip and 70's ring-T on.  Ew.  At least the apron is flirty.  I'm actually standing on a stool to gain some leverage on this counter island for mixing.  Increasing my height by 8 inches also helps me channel my inner Julia Child.  But I digress ... back to the recipe ...

Cover your hands in flour and roll dough into 1 inch balls.

Confession: here's where I went wrong the first time around.

I'm a runner, so I don't cook/eat/prepare fried foods.  Ever.  I don't have a deep fryer.  I'm also the kind of cook that sometimes just throws from the hip and says, "let's try it!" without properly researching.

Google is at my fingertips.  I should have looked up "heating" and "boiling points" of oil.

But instead I followed the advice of Julia Child, "The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a 'What the hell?' attitude."

So, "what the heck!"  Let's pour some oil in a pan and turn the temperature up to high!   (By the way, I don't recommend this!)

And the first one goes in ...

(See ... that oil doesn't look hot, does it?)

Pop!  Crack!  Sizzle ...

Insta-Burn!

This happened in all of 3 seconds.  Seriously.  The recipe calls for them to reach a "rich mahogany color."  But somehow I don't think this fits that description.  Especially since it happened so fast that I doubt the inside cooked.  So ... we turned the heat to medium and waited a bit.  Learn from my mistake.

After the oil was at a sufficient "cook-instead-of-burn" temperature , we started getting some golden brown results.  PS ... my whole house now smells like fried gulab jamun from the burn experiment.

Meanwhile ...

The syrup is being made.

This is similar to a simple syrup used in drink making ... only with rose water and honey.  Bring sugar and water to a boil, then add 2 tablespoons of rose water.  I also added two tablespoons of honey after it cooled.

Pour the sugar water over the gulab jamun and let it soak in.

Gulab Jamun

Rose-Flavored Cakes in Sugar Syrup

from the kitchen of Nirvana Beverly Hills

Makes 25-30 Balls

The Sugar Syrup:

2 pounds sugar

2 quarts plus 1 pint water

2 tablespoons rose water***

The Dough:

3 cups dry milk

1 cup flour

3 tablespoons baking powder

2 ½ cups heavy cream

3 pints of oil for deep frying

Make the sugar syrup first: In a heavy saucepan bring the sugar and water to a boil, then let it thicken by cooking over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add the rose water and keep the syrup warm at a low simmer.

In a large bowl mix the ingredients for the dough thoroughly to make a still batter. Let mixture sit for 10-15 minutes to set. Take a pinch of dough a little smaller than a golf ball and roll it between your palms to round it into a neat ball.

Repeat with the rest of the dough.

In a wok or heavy skillet, heat the oil over high heat until a haze begins to form, just before it begins to smoke. Carefully add the balls until the surface is covered. (If necessary cook the balls in more than one batch.) With a large spoon, start turning the balls just as they begin to take on color. After about 3 minutes, turn the heat down to medium-low, and continue to turn the balls until they acquire a rich mahogany color.

When the sweetmeats have achieved a luscious, deep color, turn the heat up to high for 2-3 minutes to add still more color and to firm the crust. Drain onto paper towels.

When drained, put the balls into a large bowl and pour the sugar syrup over them. Let them rest until the syrup reaches room temperature. They can now be eaten – but they will taste even better if allowed to “tighten” until the next day.

NOTE: Gulab Jamun will keep a week or more, stored in the refrigerator.

***How to make Rose Water:

5 large roses

2 quarts cool (not iced) water

Wash roses thoroughly in cold water. Pick off all the petals, reserving a few for garnish; put the remainder in a large ceramic jar. Pour the cool water over them and set them aside in a dark place (away from any sunshine) for at least 4 hours. Strain the rose water and discard petals.

--Rachelle

a.k.a. @TravelBlggr

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Rachelle with the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento and Mt Vesuvius in the background.

The Amalfi Coast is often described as breathtaking.  Now, having been there, I could argue that it's not the scenery that takes your breath away, but the insane way that Italians drive while ignoring any form of lane boundaries and taking cliff-side curves at high speeds.  It's enough to turn your hair white.

I arrived in Naples by plane and Sorrento by bus ... and I have to say ... next time, I'll go by boat.  I'll skip the chaos of Alitalia and the "oh-my-gawd-this-bus-is-going-to-tip-off-this-cliff" moments.  In Italy, there really are no road rules. The bigger your vehicle, the more people will get out of your way.  Unless you're in the smallest of vehicles, in which case you'd be a cuckoo kamikaze ridin a Vespa at top speed weaving in and out of

Which way to go?

traffic defying the laws of physic the whole time.  At least the other tourists would get out of your way as they gasped, "are you insane?"  Personally, I'd feel safer arriving to the Amalfi Coast by boat.  But then again, I wouldn't have such fun stories to tell.  After all, it's not an adventure unless your risking your life, right?  So it's no wonder they serve limoncello in Sorrento ... at the end of the ride there you need a little something hard and sweet to calm your nerves.  And I'm not talking about Italian men.  Well, maybe.  Okay, just a little.

Soooo, back to transportation and Italian men.

Stepping out of the airport in Naples and walking to find the bus that would take our group to Sorrento, there was a man whose frame I swear was chiseled right out of a  Roman God statue mold.  Tall and tan, jet black hair slicked back in true Soprano's style with a little curly cue brushing his forehead. He had on a tight pair of designer jeans, white "wife beater" tank top, a gold chain with (you guessed it) a gigantic hunk-of-a gold cross, Italian leather shoes (of course) and big girlie-like Prada sunglasses. This man was our bus driver. Oh lord, help me.  The stereotype in flesh and blood.  I giggled and then hoped that no one noticed.

Grand Entrance

The ride to Sorrento from Naples is about an hour and well worth the car sickness.  I think this little seaside town gets overshadowed by some of the more popular destinations like Naples, Pompeii and Positano.  Sorrento is small and can easily be walked through in a day.  It's full of shops peddling handmade linens and Italian leather goods with little family owned restaurants piping the scents of fresh lemon, basil and seafood to lure you in for a leisurely Italian lunch.

Just a short uphill drive (literally ... and somewhat like an extended version San Fran's Lombard Street) you'll find my other two favorite Italian towns, Santa Agata and Massa Lubrense.  This is where my second adventure began.  First, my goal was to survive hurling while being driven around the Amalfi Coast ... and I don't get car sick.  The second test of my sense of adventure was the entrance to our bed & breakfast.  I have it pictured here, because I know you'd think I was exaggerating.  It was a dirt pathway leading to an unfinished building under construction.  Seriously.  Are you looking at the picture?  The cab had already driven off in a cloud of dust and I'm surrounded by olive groves so there is no where else to go but down this road.

Balcony & View

When you've traveled all day, when you've had nothing to eat but airport food, when you're feeling grimy and craving a clean shower, when you can still taste the vomit in the back of your throat from fear that your life was going to end in a tour bus rolling down a cliff side into the Mediterranean ... this is not the entrance you envision schlepping your luggage through.

I gulped.  Then I tilted my head to the side and said, "for real?!" Then I chuckled.  Then I laughed so hard I wheezed, couldn't breathe, and my gasps for air turned into snorting through my nose ... I do this when things go wrong when traveling.  I'm fun that way.  I put on my best zen-like yoda face and pulled my luggage through the dirt.  Wheels on the bottom of the bag didn't matter since they weren't built for bumpy back roadin.  I deliriously smiled from ear-to-ear thinking, "this is either going to be really interesting or I'm going to have to pick some olives from these trees for dinner."  Thankfully, the house at the end of this dusty road was spectacular!   Italian tile tubs, big kitchen, and a balcony with a view of the coast. Aaaaah.  I like happy surprises.  Pass the limoncello now please.

Other delightful surprises I found in Santa Agata?  Well, for starters, they produce one of the most divine white wines that have ever touched my lips, Mustilli, made with the Falanghina varietal grape.  And I was even more amused that they use a glass cork.  Nifty.

Just down the road a bit from Santa Agata is Massa Lubrense.  This town has a special place in my heart for the 8 course family made Italian meal we enjoyed for about $30 Euros per person.  Two of  the most memorable meals in my life took place at Lo Stuzzichino and Fattoria Terra Nova.  I had the pleasure of celebrating a friend's birthday on this occasion and this particular year ended in a zero so it was a special one.  Lucky for us, he speaks Italian and is major foodie, so we went on quite the gastronomic ride.  He recreates these same mouth-gasmic dishes at his B&B in the States, The Adora Inn.

John with Stuzzichino Chef

.  I may be of French descent, but I  have to give the Italians credit for really knowing how to make dinner a slow food event.  First they start with a antipasto, then pasta, then fish, then beef, then more antipasto, then a cheese plate, then desert, THEN salad, and then ... the limoncello.  Limoncello is actually just one of a variety of after dinner liquors they serve.  Among the choices, I remember one called "rocket" that was a lettuce liquor.  Radicchio.  It was delish.  But I'll stick to making limoncello at home since I'm not too confident in what would happen if I stuck a bunch of lettuce in a liter of vodka.

So, next time you're driving home from a long day and you've done the equivalent of schlepping heavy baggage down bumpy dirt roads ... and then traffic is bumper-to-bumper... and the guy in the lane to the left of you is picking his nose ... and you glance up in the rear view mirror and notice the lady behind you putting on mascara while driving ... and some annoying song that you've heard 100 times is playing on every radio station available ... just think, "I could be in Italy right now and the traffic would be 10 times worse.  Though, there would be the decedents of Roman gods driving vespas shirtless weaving in and out of traffic passing you by as they said, 'ciaoooo bellaaaa.'" And after that thought you get even more ticked.  You let out a sigh.  Then, go home and make some limoncello.

Let us begin ...

The recipe came from a kitchen towel I found at the open air market in Sorrento.  I have it posted at the end in both Italian and in English.

You'll need to peel approximately 8 lemons.  I found it easiest to use a bar tool called a channel knife since it gives you nice long strips of lemon peel.  Still haven't figured out yet how bar tenders get the little curly cue thing with it ... but I tried.  Aim the peel at the opening of the container so that it will catch the oils released.  Be warned ... your hands and nails will be sticky and yellow, but they'll smell citrus clean!

Add your lemon peels to glass containers that can be hermetically sealed.

Okay.  Now imagine me at the liquor store looking at the 50 different options there are for vodka.  Not only are there a bajillion different brand names, but vodka is now available in every flavor under the rainbow!  You name it, they've got it.  Pear vodka. Chocolate vodka.  Raspberry Vodka.  Espresso vodka.  I called at least 2 or 3 of my guy friends (being a little stereotypical there ... as if guys know more about vodka then women, eh?) and asked for some advice on brands and they were all nodding their heads (yes, I could see this over the phone.  Or sense it anyway) that brand does indeed matter.  Apparently the *cheap* stuff will give you a headache.  Not in my life have I ever had enough vodka to analyze the morning after effects.  But what I DID want to experiment with was flavor.  Will the citrus flavored vodka create a limoncello with more zing than a regular plain vodka?  That is the question.  This all of a sudden felt like a 7th grade science fair exhibit sans the 3 paneled poster board, and, well, obviously that I wouldn't be testing vodka in 7th grade.

I labeled each container appropriately so we'd know for sure which is which.   And then I realized my insatiable curiosity created us wonderful reason to plan a  limoncello tasting!

Let the "games" begin.  On this side of the ring we have Absolut Citron.  Smells citrus-y.  Looks clear.

And our next contender is just plain Absolut.  Plain, but strong.  Puts hair on your chest.  That's why I'm adding lemon and sugar because I don't need hair on my chest.

Pour them separately into the appropriately marked containers with lemon peels.

Now ... the not so fun part.  You've got to let it marinate for a couple of days.  What to do while you wait?  Drink wine.

Seal the containers tightly and let it sit in a cool dry place for a minimum of 4 days.  The longer you wait, the stronger the lemon flavor.  Some recipes call for letting it sit for up to 3 months.  I wasn't that patient this time.  On the 4th day ... we made limoncello!  This is where it gets just a little messy ... so stand at your sink.  You want to strain the peels out of the liquid, so we poured them through a fine strainer into a large bowl, and then poured the lemon infused vodka back into their appropriate container and added the sweet simple syrup.  Look how yellow that vodka turned in just 4 days!

Chill.  Serve. Drink.

Pour into fancy bottles and give away as gifts.  Enjoy.

In Italian & English ...

Limoncello

Ingredienti

un litro d' acqua
un litro d' alcool
un chilo di zucchero
otto limoni

Prendere degli 8 limoni solo le bucce tagliandole sottili e mettendole in infusione dentro l' alcool.  Il tuuto in un barattolo ermeticamente chiuso.

Aspettate quattro giorni ed unite l' infuso d' alcool con lo sciroppo che avrete preparato con un Kg di zucchero in un litro d' acqua tiepida.  Mescolate e lasciate riposare il tutto una decina di mimuti, filtrate ed imbottigliate.  Si Serve molto freddo.

Lemon Cello

I guess I've gotten to the point now, after creating many a recipe (and screwing up a few dishes to boot) where I can take a peak in my fridge, throw together some ingredients and make something good.  Of course, one can never go wrong with bourbon.  It just sounds good.  Even better with a slow southern drawl ... go ahead and try it ... I'll wait ...

buuuuuuh bon.

That's right brath-ah's and sist-ah's ... this is my sweet tooth revival.

This got me thinkin about a good old southern accent.  I used to work with a girl from Alabama that could insult you seven different ways to Sunday, but her tone would have you tricked into thinking she just invited you to her house for coffee.  And then there are guys out there like Matthew Maconahay, that even without his devilish good looks could talk a girl he just met into doin somethin she woudn't wanna write home about.  Just sayin.

Out of sheer curiosity, I Googled "southern drawl" and this is what I found ...

They actually label it "Southern American English" or SAE.  It's characterized by R-dropping, use of the circumfix -in' (as in hootin' and hollerin'), and my favorite ... "yonder."   They also describe gliding vowels as a diphthong.   My thought was, "ah whaaaht?  A dip-a-thong?" I'm just gonna leave that alone.  But we'll make today's post fun by writing in an SAE accent.  It will sound sweeter.  And will probably make you hungry.  Play along with me now y'all and read it aloud.

The weekend of the Kentucky Derby, some friends-o-mine were makin mint juleps an had a gigantic bottle of whiskey on hand.  It was so enormous, that, despite the fact there were at least 10 people at their derby party garage sale coolin off with a mighty minty drink ... I'm sure they'll be plenty left that'll last until next year's derby.  I didn't think they'd mind (or even notice!)  if I stole their normal sized bottle of Jim Beam for some recipe experimentation.

On to the experiment ...

Grab y'all some peaches and a big ole loaf a bread and start layerin it all in a large bakin dish or pie pan. (This reminds me of my former boss and friend that would say "pah" instead of "pie."  She said I pronounced it "pye" instead of the proper "pah."   I do admit though, the way she said "pah" sounded like it had less calories and tasted better than pie.   Potato ... potahto ... )

Then whip togethah about a dozen eggs, a cup of milk, a cap of vanilla, some sug-ah ...

And a splash of bourbon ...

okay ... maybe a little more than a splash ...

Pour the whisked whiskey egg-y mixture over the bread and make sure all the dry ingredients get good and soaked.  You can even make this ahead of time, cover it, and let it sit in the fridge to allow the bread to absorb every last drop of the egg-y mixture.

If you are pressed for time, press the bread down with your finger.  *wink*

Sprinkle with some brown sugar.  Oh, wait ... I meant brown "shug-ah" ...

Bake at 350 for 55 minutes ... let cool ... then serve!

Several friends had texted, Facebooked and tweeted me about entering the Paula Deen recipe contest, and this is one dish that could definitely get better with cream cheese!

See how I made it in the video at the top of the post.

Bourbon Peach Bread Pudding

from Inn The Kitchen

Ingredients

Who would have thought I would find a little French flair in the Midwest?  This fun twist on French toast comes to us from Harbour Ridge Inn located in Osage Beach,  Missouri.   The innkeeper, Sue,  likes to cook with wine and liquors ... and I couldn't agree with her more!  I mean, is there really ever a better morning than one served with Grand Marnier or Chambord?  Well, let me rephrase that.  Drinking it straight up would be a rude awakening.  Coffee is my preferred sin.  But either of these liquors baked into some yummy custard goodness where you get just a hint of citrus or raspberry flavor is a great way to add a smile to your lips when you start the day.

And actually, it's not far off from what was the original recipe for French toast in the 1600's.  According to the Oxford English Dictionary,  back then it was made with day old bread, wine, orange juice and sugar.  Mmm.

So let us begin ...

BAKED CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST

from the Inn at Harbour Ridge, Osage Beach MO

(Serves 6 or more)

12 slices cinnamon swirl or cinnamon raisin bread (Pepperidge Farm)

1/4 cup butter or margarine

9 eggs

1 quart milk, whole milk preferred

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

1 TBS Grand Marnier or Chambord

Warmed preserves to compliment liquor

1) Grease 13 by 9 by 2 baking dish.  Then add six slices of bread.

2) Butter remaining bread and place with butter side up over bread in pan.

3) In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and add milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla.  Mix well and pour over bread. Let stand overnight.

4) Place the dish of French toast in a larger baking pan to form a water bath. Pour boiling water into larger pan to a depth of 1".  Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

5) Serve with preserves, whipped cream and your favorite coffee.

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Looking to get lucky this Wednesday ...

Where is YOUR mind going with that?  I'm talking about St. Patrick's Day!  If you're the type that pulls out your green sweater and flips through your iPod to find some Celtic music to get into the spirit of things (eh uhm ... I'm not describing myself at all), then this recipe's for you.

Irish Scones.

If you want to be fancy schmancy, you could even pronounce them the way the Irish do, as "SKONS" instead of "SKOANS."  But it's more likely that your family would just look at you kind of funny and think you haven't had enough coffee quite yet.

I researched to see exactly *what* makes them Irish and to be honest I couldn't find anything definite other than the added ingredient of raisins and serving with strawberry jam and whipped cream. It's debatable where scones historically came from, but most agree it was Scotland. Just don't tell the Irish!  If you're interested in reading more about the history of this morning treat or other foods, check out the cutely named website,  The Nibble.

Scones are made with really basic baking ingredients.  I would liken them to a sweet biscuit.  Here's what you'll need ...

Add your dry ingredients to a large bowl and blend together with a whisk ...

The recipe calls for "bread soda" in addition to baking soda.  I coudn't find any at my local supermarket, so I omitted the bread soda from this batch of scones and they turned out just fine!

Add the butter in whole and "chop" it in.  You can do this best with a pastry blender.  If you don't have one, don't sweat it. You can usually find one at your local supermarket.  And who doesn't love a reason to buy a fun new kitchen gadget?

The curved wires of the pastry blender help blend in the butter ... plus it's a good stress relief exercise.  :o)

At this point, it was still a little powdery and not sticky enough to form a dough, so I added about 3 more tablespoons of butter then the recipe called for.

That did the trick!  Now I've got nice clumpy breadcrumbs.

Add a handful of raisins.  Looks like I added about 3 handfuls of raisins.  What can I say, I like my chewy bits.  I'm the type of girl that whips her spoon around to dig all the "cookie" bits out of cookies and cream ice cream and leaves a puddle of melted dairy in the bottom of the bowl.  I know I'm not the only one ... you know who you are!

Pour in enough buttermilk to bind, about a 1/2 cup.  The recipe's measurement was "enough milk" ... so I had a whole cup on hand. Buttermilk is one of those baking wonders.  If you've never baked with it before and now find yourself with a half a carton left in the fridge after making this recipe, click here for a fabulous orange muffin recipe where you can use your left over buttermilk.

Mix together with a wooden spoon.  You can also use your hands ...

... just remember to flour them up!  OOPS!  Guess I got a little zealous with my baking and dove right in without thinking.

Okay, now that my hands are nice and powdering with some all purpose flour ...

mold the dough into a disk ...

You could cut it like a pizza and make scone "wedges" which are a popular way to cut them as I did with the blueberry scones.  However, we wanted to make it a little more fun.  I asked the photographer for a glass ... he could only offer a pint ...

Well, at least it's keeping in the spirit of St. Patrick's day!

Bake your scones at 375 for about 10 to 15 minutes depending on your oven.  They should rise up just a tad.

We were baking enough for an army so I could bring them with me to the Daytime studio to share, so I found it easier to use parchment paper for easy clean up and disposable baking sheets instead of my baking stone.

If you haven't met already, I'm going to introduce you to your new best friend in the kitchen.  A carton of whipping cream.

Do you usually by the canned stuff?  If so, then you're going to squeal with delight at how easy it is to make whipped cream.  Just works out your forearm muscles a little.  And trust me, this little carton can do more than just make your coffee blonde.

With nothing but a whisk and a sprinkle of sugar you can whip it into the softest, creamiest whipped cream you've ever had in your existence.  No more squirt stuff.

Now, I really love my scones with a cup of tea.  But since my friends Jim & Beth only had English tea cups, we thought that would be sacrilige.

They've lived across the pond and swore to me that Guinness for breakfast is not just acceptable, but normal.  So, here's a toast to a real Irish breakfast for St. Patrick's Day.  Cheers!

Theresa's Iron Horse Irish Scones

from the Iron Horse Inn, Granbury, TX USA

Ingredients

12 oz all purpose flour

3 tbs butter

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp bread soda

3 tbs sugar

Handful of raisins

Buttermilk to bind

Directions

1) Combine flour, baking and bread soda’s.

2) Chop butter into flour and work with fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add raisins and enough buttermilk to bind the mixture into a workable dough.

3) Form a ball and knead a couple of times.  Roll out to ½ inch thickness.  Cut with cookie cutter (or a glass) and place on baking sheet.

4) Bake in oven at 375 for 10 -12 minutes. Cool for a short time until they are warm.  Serve with strawberry preserve and whipped cream.

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During busy weeks, sometimes my breakfast is fast and on the go.  I'll tear open a highly processed carbohydrate in a foil wrapper, and, if I plan well,  it will at least accompany an apple or banana.

But this is a much better way to enjoy fruit in the morning. It's kind of like a smoothie, except this is meant for a leisurely morning savored slowly, seated at a breakfast table and sipped with a spoon instead of a straw.

At the Bloomsbury Inn, this is the first course in a three part breakfast.  Yes, their morning includes an appetizer, entree and dessert.  Isn't that divine?  Though this is the first course, it could certainly be dessert for me.

Kathleen, Innkeeper at the Bloomsbury, said that she finds it to be a challenge to find new, exciting, unique fruit options.  (I need to send her a link to my hot pink fruit breakfast!  That one wasn't just unique, it was funky!) Her cold fruit soup recipe is definitely a fun and different way of adding fruit to your morning meal.

Let's get started with cooking.  Or in this case, I should say mixing.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with how simple this is to put together.

Notice that I picked "fat free" yogurt, "light" whipped cream and "lite" peaches and placed them right next to the "heavy" whipping cream.

Ha!

The recipe Kathleen gave me leaves the option open for choosing the fruit.  From berries to mango and even honeydew.  But I decided to have a peachy morning since it's the state fruit for South Carolina.

Unfortunately, peaches are not in season at the moment, so I used canned.  But you better believe I'm going to try this recipe again in the spring with some fresh peaches.

Next the sugar ... or how my Carolina relatives would say ... "shugah."

Next, a couple of dollops of yogurt.  The recipe calls for 6 ounces.  I had a big 'ole tub of it ... but figured that 6 ounces was equivalent to about 6 spoonfuls.  If you use vanilla bean yogurt, the extract is optional and probably not necessary unless you want a stronger vanilla flavor.

A dash of cinnamon.

Blend. Chill.

Serve and enjoy!

Bloomsbury Cold Fruit Soup

from the Bloomsbury Inn, Camden South Carolina

Total preparation time: 15 minutes, plus chilling time
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

2 cups fruit (peach, cantaloupe, honeydew, mango…any one of these works well…fresh is better, but canned or frozen will work when well drained)

½ cup sugar (sugar to taste depending upon natural sweetness of fruit)

1  (6 oz) vanilla bean yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract if you use plain yogurt (extract flavor based upon fruit:  vanilla, cinnamon, rum)

¼ cup heavy cream (add cream to determine consistency desired)

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

If you are using fresh fruit, carefully clean, peal, and place in the blender.  Add all remaining ingredient and blend until smooth. Chill for at least 8 hours.  Garish with whipping cream, candied/sweet-flavored nuts, fresh mint or whole fruit slices.  Serve very cold.

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If you ever wanted dessert for breakfast, and felt a little guilty popping a single Dove's Promise's Dark Chocolate piece to melt on your tongue with your morning coffee ... then I have wicked solution for you.  A muffin.  Because even though it's chocolate, the fact that it's a muffin still makes it breakfast.  And since the stores are filled with pink hearts, chocolates and forget-me-not's, I thought this treat would make the perfect cupid's arrow  ... either for your Valentine's heart or your own.

I have a full list of ingredients and directions at the end of the post ... but the main stars of this event are ripe red raspberries, dark chocolate chips and pink muffin cups to make them cute and girlie.

Sift together your flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.  Then sift the cocoa.

I should have sifted the sugar in with the flour ... but making these snow topped cocoa mountains was more fun.  I like to play with my food.

Add the brown sugar, then whisk/stir it all together.

Next start adding your wet ingredients.  Whisk your eggs together in a separate bowl.

Milk.

Chocolate chips.

Might I add that I almost had to run out to the store to buy another bag as Jim, the photographer, could not stop eating these.  What makes that even funnier is that he doesn't like sweets!  Liar.  These are bittersweet ... so I give him that credit at least.

My recommendation ... get an extra bag of chocolate and an extra package of raspberries for munching.

Here's a few facts that will take away the guilt ... raspberries are loaded with vitamin C ... chocolate is full of antioxidants and polyphenols ... eggs and milk give you protein and calcium.  Ignore the sugar and flour. They don't exist except to carry this wholesome nutrition into your body.  (wink)

Mix in the chocolate chips before the raspberries.  They're a little tougher, so you can really mix them in well.

Raspberries are fragile, so be careful when folding them in.  These were fresh, but I might even recommend freezing them for an hour so that they hold up better to mixing.

Serve on a platter for breakfast ...

Or as a single tasty treat with coffee or tea ...

Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

(recipe modified from Inn at The Park's Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe Below)

2 Cups all purpose flour
2/3 Cup cocoa
1/3 Cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 Cup milk
1/2 Cup melted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 package of chocolate chips
1 package of fresh raspberries

1) Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin pan or line with paper cups.

2) In a large bowl, whisk or sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3) Beat eggs in a separate bowl, then add all wet ingredients to flour/cocoa mixture.

4) Fold in chocolate chips. Next add the raspberries and spoon batter into muffin cups.

5) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool then dust with confectioners sugar and serve.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

from the Inn At The Park Bed & Breakfast, Louisville, Kentucky

2 Cups all purpose flour

1/3 Cup packed light brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 Cup milk

1/2 Cup melted butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 package of chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin pan or line with paper cups.

2) In a large bowl, whisk or sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3) Beat eggs in a separate bowl, then add all wet ingredients until well blended..

4) Fold in chocolate chips. Next add walnuts and spoon batter into muffin cups.

5) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.

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French Toast was probably my favorite breakfast growing up and recently I've been receiving lots of different variations of this popular morning food.  Some with different fruits and spices, some stuffed, some layered, the classic single slice and family casserole style.  It made me wonder, why do we call it "French" toast anyway?  I know it's not really French, or is it?

Wikipedia's etymology says the earliest use of the term was in 1660 and was bread fried with wine, orange juice and sugar.  I'll have to give that recipe a try!  After doing a little more digging through Google, I discovered in French it is actually called "pain perdu" which translates into "lost bread."  It was a popular recipe in many countries, not just France, as a way of making stale bread palatable.  The English call it "gyspy bread" and I think I'd like to adopt that term from now on ... sounds like breakfast with an adventurous edge!

While there are many different adaptations, the basics remain the same.  A simple batter of eggs and milk.  And I like to add a dash of vanilla, the way my Mom always made it.

This recipe comes from Diane Kenniston Hill Inn Bed & Breakfast in Maine. She likes to make her French Toast with shell or heart shaped homemade biscuits.  In lieu of biscuits I used some Texas sized bread.

Here's what you'll need:

The basics ... milk, eggs, bread, butter

Add to that a dash of vanilla, some sugar, walnuts, strawberries, and maple syrup.

You can do this same recipe with whole slices of bread instead of heart shapes.  Or, if you're like me, next time you walk through the baking section of your store and see all the cookie molds you'll dream of French Toast in the shape of flowers, butterflies, kittens, birds, musical notes and the State of California.  (That last one was random, I know)

If' you're going to make it into a shape, cut your bread first ...

Then add the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla to a large bowl and mix well.

Pour mixed batter into a shallow bowl for dipping.

Then start layering into a 13x9 inch baking dish.

Slice your strawberries and layer on top of the bread.  Isn't this starting to look like a lovely Valentine's Day breakfast?

Next, put a layer of bread on top of the strawberries, sort of like a sandwich.

I poured the extra batter over top to fully soak them in eggy goodness.

Sprinkle with walnuts and add a dab of butter to the top of each toast.

Bake at 325 for about half an hour.

And you'll have plenty of left over crust to make bread pudding ... or feed the ducks.

When they're finished, slice around the edge of the hearts with a knife and serve individually with strawberries and maple syrup.

Doesn't it look like it's sticking it's tongue out?

That is, if French Toast could sass back and actually had a  tongue.

Mmm.  Delish.

Heart Shaped Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

I'm so glad I finished all of my holiday shopping ... ah em ... I wouldn't say "early" ... but at least it's now Christmas Eve and I'm able to spend the day relaxing at home, baking and getting ready for family and friends tomorrow.

This recipe is perfect for enjoying with a cup of hot chocolate and warming up on a cold day.  And, oddly enough, it actually comes from a bed & breakfast in the warm tropical island of Key West, the Grand Guest House.  If you'd like to warm up even more on this cold winter morning, transport yourself to Key West with these two awesome videos by Vanessa ... Grand Guest House Video, and Scott's Sunset ...

On with the bread!

I love to bake.  It's one thing I actually do pretty well.  It also gives me a chance to use my clay baking stoneware which makes me feel more down to earth/natural/eco-friendly in a really weird way.  Especially since the only organic thing I used in this recipe was Cinnamon.  But I digress.  Must have too much Baileys in my hot chocolate this morning.

Here's what you'll need to make a Spiced Apple Walnut Bread ...

Let the butter soften to room temperature and then slice up to make for easy blending.

Add the flour ...

Some cinnamon ... well ... actually ... A  LOT of cinnamon ...

"Mt" Cinnamon ... they don't call it "spiced" bread for nothin!

Little free plug for Arm & Hammer.  Really ... do they have any competition?

Must be nice.  Don't notice any other baking soda's at the grocery store.

Pinch of salt.

Tangent: Now, when I made the breakfast pizza, I asked my boyfriend to pick up a wad of pizza dough from our local pizzeria and he looked at me like I had two heads.  A couple of nights ago, I asked him to put a dollop of sour cream on my chili and, again, he looked at me like I had two heads.

A pinch, a dollop and a wad are all perfectly acceptable units of measure to me.

Pour in the applesauce ...

"Technically" the directions say to pulse this all in a food processor.  My food processor is only big enough to make a small bowl of pesto ... definitely not big enough for bread dough!  Don't know how that changes things.  Maybe it wont rise or be as fluffy.  Still tasted pretty darn good though.

Blend ... breathe in the scent of cinnamon and apples ... Mmm ...

Scrape the bowl to make sure you get all the chunky bits ...

Add the walnuts ...

Blend again ...

Lick the beater, the spoon, the spatula, the bowl, your fingers ...

Dress up your bread pan with some oil, flour and sugar.  A bit more than a pinch, more like a dollop.  Except sugar really doesn't dollop ... so it's more like a large sprinkling.  Again, an acceptable unit of measure.

Another free plug for Dixie Crystals.  See ... this is why I usually pour out all the ingredients in dishes first!  But I was feeling a little lazy today.

Tangent: I had a cat named Dixie Crystals once.  A pretty white Siamese with blue eyes.  I was working in marketing for agriculture at the time and had a meeting with some sugar farmers.  She was a little kitten they had on the farm that jumped in my lap at the meeting, so they thought I should take her home.  My apartment at the time didn't allow me to keep her, so my parents adopted her.  After climbing curtains, bookcases, tv stands, and human legs ... she's been re-named Punky.  I shall start my own brand of sugar one day with a cool cat logo and call it Punky in her honor.

On with the bread ...

Make sure your pan is well sugared ... it creates nice sweet crispy bits on the crust.

Once your bread pan/stone is nice and sugared-up, fill it with your batter and bake at 375 for an hour.

Yes, that is a polka-dot apron and knee-high striped socks that you see on the left.  I guess I was just having a "Punky" kind of a day ... not normal for me at all.  I'm usually more of a conservative kinda gal.

Mmm ... warm, butter-meltin, spiced applesauce walnut bread.

Spiced Applesauce Nut Bread

from the Grand Guest House, Key West

Ingredients

1/2 cup safflower oil OR 1 stick unsalted butter

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 1/4  cups applesauce

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup walnuts

Directions

1) Place rack in center of the oven and preheat to 375.  Grease and sugar 6 1/4 cup (1.5 L) loaf pan.

2) Process all ingredients in food processor for 5 seconds.  Scrape work bowl and pulse to combine 1 or two times.  Do not over process.

3) Transfer to prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.  Leave in pan for 5 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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This week my family is coming over for Christmas brunch, and even me ... traveling breakfast girl ... is feeling the self-imposed pressure of making a holiday brunch that is memorable and delicious.

I had a hankerin this week to try out some holiday pancakes, and I have some great pancake recipes from innkeepers, but I really wanted to try a gingerbread pancake.  I've even been on the hunt for a gingerbread man pancake mold ... but I've only found cookie cutters. Thanks to the Google Gods I did find eons of gingerbread pancake recipes.  So many I didn't know which one to try.  Some with raisins, some with currants, some with cocoa.  I just wanted a basic gingerbread pancake, is that too much to ask!

I just eenie-meenie-minnie-mowed and clicked through on one of the first listings that came up.  I found one on CDKitchen.com and gave it a whirl (with a couple of modifications/additions later ... please take note).

Here's what you'll need!  I have the full list of ingredients at the bottom of the post.  I later added an additional cup of flour, teaspoon of ginger and 1/4 cup of sugar.

Start with adding your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

Next, add your wet ingredients to another bowl and whisk together.

During one of my health nut kicks a couple of years ago I had a nasty introduction to molasses.  You see, I thought it was syrup.  I was going to be healthy and low cal by adding that to my pancakes.  And I drenched my sweet little pancakes in the black, rust-flavored tar.  Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh.

My boyfriend was a champ.  He didn't complain. Ate them all.  Me ... I made some toast instead.

Molasses on milk.

My new art project.

Blend together.  Starting to look like chocolate milk, huh?   Don't drink it though.

Pour wet batter into your large  dry ingredients bowl with the flour, spices, etc.

You may have to scrape the bottom of the bowl a bit.  Molasses doesn't play nice with others.

Blend.

Well bah-humbug.  The batter was runny.  I dipped my finger in and took a taste. This was a no make-up-work-in-my-pajamas day, so I have no photographic evidence of the finger-licking.  But I'll tell you that it tasted like molasses.  Ugh. Now I'm feelin a bit scroogey.

I followed the recipe EXACTLY!   To a T!    (indecently, where does the phrase "to a T" actually come from?)

Anyway, it was a runny, molasses flavored mess.

So, I added a little more love that it needed.

An extra cup of flour.  That helped with the consistency.

Now to put molasses in its place and tweak the flavor.  I added an additional tsp of ginger and a 1/4 cup of sugar.

Mmm.  That helped a whole lot!  Dipped my finger again and now the flavor is more like a gingerbread cookie.  It's ready to go be made into round cake perfection.

A little butter.

A little batter.

A little bubbly.

Flip.

Now that's a leave-for-santa worthy pancake.  I could eat it like a cookie.  But instead of eating with my fingers I'll fancy it up with a bit of butter, maple syrup and festive star fruit.  And of course, a fork and knife.  Still in my pajamas though.

Enjoy!

Gingerbread Pancakes

Ingredients

2 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg, beaten

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

1) Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  (Flour, spices, sugar, baking soda and powder)

2) In a separate bowl, beat the egg  then add and mix together the milk, molasses and oil.

3) Add wet mixture to dry mixture and blend until combined.  Using a ladle or measuring cup, scoop 1/4 cup of batter onto  a hot greased griddle or skillet. You can use non-stick spray or butter. (I prefer butter for flavor)

4) Turn when bubbles form on the surface and the edges are golden brown.

5) Serve with butter, syrup and festive starfruit.

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