Perfect Summer Treat

It has been a hot couple of days here and what better way to cool off, than with a cool treat? I want to share a very yummy treat with you that I made last week, when we visited some friends. What was for dessert you ask? Well, how does a Frozen Pink Cheesecake sound?

Once I saw it on the Green Kitchen Stories website, I knew I had to try it. It was very yummy and everyone enjoyed it very much.

Green Kitchen Stories is a also a great website with many wonderful vegetarian recipes, that you just have to check out and try. I will be trying a couple soon and post them here. You can find the full recipe and instructions here.

Have a marvelous Sunday everyone!

Beatrice

Brunch Ideas- Strata Recipe

Easter is approaching and what better way to celebrate Easter, than a big family brunch. Whether you are organizing a big Easter brunch or just having some friends over, this is a delicious brunch idea that I just had to share with you. It is really delicious and easy to make. Not only is it easy, but the great thing is that you can prepare it ahead of time before your guests are coming. You can prepare it the day before, the morning of, even hours or minutes before they start arriving. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Tomato, Oregano and Brie Strata

12 slices of challah or egg bread
6 slices of ham
4-5 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp dried oregano
3 plum tomatoes thinly sliced
1/4 tsp each of salt & pepper
8 oz Brie cheese, thinly sliced & rind removed
2 cups milk
4 eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (350 F if convection)

1. Trim crusts from bread.
2. Mix together mustard & half of oregano. Spread on 6 bread slices. Top with about 1 slice of ham & 4 slices of tomato each. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
3. Divide cheese evenly among bread slices. Top with remaining bread slices. Cut diagonally into quarters to make triangles. If I am feeding a gang, I only divide into halves and that way I have room in my baking dish to almost double the recipe. If you make the recipe as is and want to cut triangles in halves (easier to handle), then use a smaller baking dish (8x8).
4. Arrange triangles, longest side down, overlapping in rows in bottom of lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Strata can be well wrapped with plastic wrap & refrigerated for 12 hours.

Whisk together milk & eggs until well blended; pour evenly over triangles. Sprinkle with remaining oregano & Parmesan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden & puffed. Let stand for a few minutes. 

Bon Appetit! Don't forget the drinks. Mimosas sound great. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Chocolate mousse recipe

It is Friday and who isn't happy about that. Who doesn't love a beautiful spring Friday? People are looking forward to the weekend, putting up their feet, enjoying a nice meal, a tall glass of wine etc. 


I have a little treat for you on this Friday afternoon. If you have a sweet tooth, this is definitely for you. The ultimate chocolate mousse recipe. It is something sent from heaven. You have got to try it.

Ultimate Chocolate Mousse Recipe


6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 lg eggs, separated
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream, cold (35%)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Tip: * chill a bowl and heavy cream in the freezer, while you start making the rest *


Create a double boiler and melt the chocolate with the butter. Stir slowly until chocolate is melted and smooth. If the chocolate is not melting easily, add a lttle more butter.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Beat the egg yolks into the chocolate one at a time (using a whisk), mixing until smooth. Set aside.


In another bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy (mixer!!!). Add cream of tartar and beat until it has soft peaks. Add gradually the 1/4 cup sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Set aside.

* The bowl that you had in the freezer, you will use now to beat the heavy cream and beat it until it thickens. Add 2 tbsp of sugar and vanilla and beat until it has created soft peaks.


Put all the contents in a large bowl and stir with a spoon until completely mixed.

Pour in glasses and refrigerate for a couple of hours. (or not). Enjoy!

You should try it this weekend. Hope you a have nice day and a fabulous weekend ahead! 

Baby's first food & Honest Fare

Lately, I have been asked by several people, what do I feed my baby and what did I first start feeding him. We started off with banana, when he was around 6 months old, then purees and progressed to finger foods and ultimately now, what we eat.

I knew I wanted to make my own baby food, but wasn't sure what. A while ago, I came across a website that helped me out a lot with preparing baby food. Honest Fare is a great place not only to get baby food ideas, but also great recipes.

Gabrielle (the hostess of Honest Fare) has some wonderful recipes for baby food, like baked apple with cinnamon, apple and prunes, pea and mint puree, and zucchini with potato. Yum!

Not only do they sound delicious, but they are also easy to make.  Most importantly though, my baby loved each and every one of them.

Some people think that making baby food is really difficult to make and it takes a long time. It doesn't take that long. It took me about 3 hours (give or take) per week to make his purees. And I knew exactly what was going into his food. You can also put some of the food in the freezer to keep you going for a while.

The only thing that you might have to buy is a hand mixer. It will save your life with so many baby related foods. Thank you Gabrielle for these ideas. They were delicious.

I hope you will try them as well. Check out the baby food recipes at Honest Fare and more dinner ideas. Have a great day!

Marble Cake Recipe

It is always fun to have friends over on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Question is what to serve them. Well, cake and tea of course.  Today I chose to share my favorite marble cake recipe with you. It is really quick and easy to make and tastes delicious. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Marble Cake Recipe

300g flour
300g sugar
6 eggs
375g sour cream
150g butter (softened)
1 pkg vanilla sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp dark cocoa
lemon juice
pinch of salt

Separate the egg whites and yolks. Beat egg whites until foamy.
Add sugar and 2 tbsp lemon juice, and beat until fluffy.
To the mixture add egg yolks, vanilla sugar, butter (softened) and sour cream.
Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix gently.
Divide mixture evenly between two bowls. Add cocoa to the one bowl.
Butter your pans and alternate the two mixtures, one spoon at a time.
Using a wooden popsicle stick or knife, mix the two together, (by making figure eights to slightly mix, but not completely).

Cook at 375 for about 40-50 minutes. Check on it after 35 minutes and by inserting a knife to see if it is done. Enjoy!

Have a fabulous Sunday!

Potato and Leek Soup Recipe

This is a very quick, easy and delicious soup, that I make quite often. My baby loves it. He was going through a picky eating phase, but he never refused this soup.

I decided I would try one that didn't have too many ingredients and wasn't too complicated. I found a potato and leek soup on the Martha Stewart website, but this is my version of the soup. Hope you like it!

Potato and Leek Soup

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil
half an onion, cut into tiny bits
3-4 leeks, cut into 1 inch slices (use just the the white-ish parts, not the green parts)
5-6 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 L chicken or vegetable broth
a few leaves of parsley
2-3 bay leaves
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream

-Tie a little bundle of parsley and bay leaves in some cheesecloth, and set aside for the moment.
- Put the oil and butter in a pot, and on medium heat, saute the onions a little (don't let brown).
- Add the leeks into the pot, and cook for about 10 minutes, but do not let brown (reduce heat, if necessary).
- Add the potatoes, chicken/vegetable broth, and the bundle of parsley and bay leaves to the soup.
- Cook for 40- 50 minutes, at a medium boil.  You are done when the potatoes are soft.
- Use a hand mixer to blend it. You can also use a sieve or food mill.
- Mix in the milk and heavy cream.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Voila! That's it. You can serve it with croutons, baguette, biscuits. It tastes really good and looks pretty yummy, no?

Give it a shot. I hope you try it!

Wishing you a marvelous day and have a great weekend!

Ideal Sunday Breakfast - Simple Buttermilk Waffles

What makes a great breakfast, you ask? Well, waffles of course. We always have busy schedules and there are few days during the week, that we have time to sit with the whole family and enjoy some delicious waffles. But, there are fewer excuses on the weekends. Maple sugar season is coming up and who doesn't love maple syrup I ask. Everyone loves it, especially little fingers who are getting their first taste of fresh maple syrup. Not only that, but our little fingers also enjoyed some yummy waffles. So, I figured this would be a good post for a Sunday morning. Hope you enjoy it.

Before I post the recipe, I just wanted to add that if you don't have buttermilk, don't fret. You can make your own buttermilk in just a couple of minutes with items that you have at home.

Buttermilk Substitute Recipe

You will need:

- just under 1 cup of milk
- 1 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice

Put 1 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup. Add enough milk to fill it up to 1 cup. Let stand for 5-7 minutes. Use as much as you need for your baking needs.

Simple Buttermilk Waffles

3 cups (750mL) all- purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
3 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 eggs
3 cups buttermilk
3 tbsp melted butter

1.)  Grease your waffle iron.
2.)  Put the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir lightly.
3.)  In the middle of the flour mixture, crack the eggs and pour the buttermilk and melted butter over them. Stir gently until you have a lumpy batter.
4.)  Pour approximately 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter in your hot waffle iron and bake until golden and crisp.

You will get around 10-12 waffles. If you make half the portion you will get around 6-8 waffles.

Yummy yum yum! Enjoy!

P.S. These really are easy to make, so give them a shot. You might need/want to add a little bit more buttermilk than the recipe asks for. Good luck and please let me know if you make them and how they turned out!