Experience the World as You Choose

"Once in a while it really hits people that they don't have to experience the world in the way they have been told to."

-- Alan Keightley

Experience the world as you choose. I choose bakery goods - because - YUM! 

(I simply liked the spirit of this quote and wanted to share.)

 

Monday Morsel: More Erma Bombeck

“I am not a glutton - I am an explorer of food” ― Erma Bombeck

How many of you miss Erma Bombeck as much as I do?

Bruiser Approved Book for Lil' Bakers

This Little Bunny Can Bake by Janet Stein takes you on a little culinary school adventure as you join Bunny at Chef George's School of Dessertology. I mean, if the book includes a word like "dessertology" can it really go wrong? This book's illustrations are joyful little peeks into a group of different animals as they determine which baking rules are the right ones for them to follow. Of course, Bunny, as the main character, is awesome and will not disappoint. In addition, there are real dessert recipes to follow for the extra-adventurous.

 

Bruiser approved. He loves it.  He totally appreciates other animals, especially ones who would bake him tasty treats. Because, honestly, Bruiser is a more picky eater than the little Bakery Travelers I know.

Monday Morsel: Robert Redford

Health food may be good for the conscience but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better.

Robert Redford

3rd Stop: Algeria

Tamina: Algerian Toasted Semolina and Honey Sweet.

What You Need and What You Do: Check-out the recipe at http://dessert.food.com/recipe/tamina-algerian-toasted-semolina-honey-sweet-373143. I followed the advice of one of the reviewers at food.com in regards what to do if all you have access to is a fine semolina flour, as opposed to a medium or coarse ground semolina which the recipe suggests (as is the case in these parts). Therefore, I added some farina to this mix and then proceeded with caution as I never made anything quite like this before. The directions were very easy to follow, however, and I did adjust the butter and honey as needed, just as is recommended.  Please note the Harry Potter-like scar on the butter (in the photo below)! That was just a bonus!

This is a small dish. In Algeria, it is made to celebrate the birth of a baby. It is served on one plate, traditionally, and everyone gets a spoon to dig in! To get an idea how small this portion is, I used the top of a small espresso glass to make the circle designs. For a much better and far more skilled photo of a finished version, please consult the website I offer above. That photo is simply pretty. Mine is well...I'll call it rustic.

  My cinnamon shaker went a little overboard at first (observe the right side of the Tamina).

Review: As I toasted the semolina and farina, I must tell you the aroma wasn't that enticing. I think this is due to the fact that it was a new scent for me. Then, with butter and honey, I felt as though I were creating sand, as in the sand from a beach because that's pretty much what the mixture resembled. But, fingers crossed, I continued. So glad I did! Tamina is super-easy to make and extremely yummy.

The Bakery Traveler World Tour continues...next stop is Andorra.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Challenge: My Enchanting Recipe

Oh my, are these good cookies! Mini-Bakery Travelers really like them!

Enchanting Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are enchanting for three reasons. First, they are wonderfully easy to make. Second, they taste divine. Third, they have a little enchanting Grand Marnier in them.

What You Need:

1/2 cup butter (room temp)
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 egg
1 pkg (18.5 oz) yellow cake mix
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsps Grand Marnier Liqueur
1 (12 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

What You Do:

1.  Cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy

2.  Beat in egg, vanilla, and Grand Marnier

3.  Add cake mix slowly making sure batter is getting smooth

4.  Stir in chocolate chips

5.  Drop by approx. 1 hearty Tbsp on ungreased cookie sheet

6.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Enjoy my enchanting photo of them:

This recipe is my contribution to The Chocolate Chip Cookie Challenge (CCC):

http://www.52kitchenadventures.com/2012/07/15/chocolate-chip-cookie-challenge/

Monday Morsel: Trifle! Treacle!

Trifle!

Treacle!

Both trifle and treacle are traditionally English. Since I'm winding up my mini-excursion to England, I feel it mandatory to mention them. Trifle recipes vary in colors, textures, and flavors. Choices abound which is why I didn't include a specific link to any specific trifle recipe. I liked them all! Treacle is a sugar syrup and recipes that include treacle include puddings, tarts, puddings and more tarts. Again, way too many to list or suggest. I'd love them all. Perhaps you have a trifle or treacle recipe you insist is the best...?

I leave you with a lovely photo of  a Treacle Pudding:

2nd Stop: Albania

Bakery Item: Albanian Walnut Cake with Lemon Glaze

What You Need and What You Do: Everything you need to know to follow this recipe is right here:  http://www.food.com/recipe/albanian-walnut-cake-with-lemon-glaze-134667

I followed this recipe exactly as it was written at the link above and it turned out light, moist, and I have a feeling, very traditional for an Albanian treat. One mini-bakery traveler called it “delicious!”  This basically means your most reluctant eaters might enjoy this one! 

 

The Bakery Traveler World Tour continues...next stop is Algeria.

Bruiser Approved Book for Lil’ Bakers

Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jane Dyer

“OPEN-MINDED means, I’ve never seen cookies like that before, but, uh, sure, I’ll try one.” Each page addresses a life/vocabulary lesson in relation to cookies. Easy to follow and beautifully illustrated with children interacting with animals and...of course, cookies. 

Monday Morsel: England's New MasterChef 2012

Meet Shelina Permalloo. The newspapers in England are trying to make it seem like Nigella Lawson better look-out as there is a new "domestic goddess" in the country and her name is Shelina Permaloo. She's 29, unpretentious, loves mangoes and is the winner of BBC1's 2012 MasterChef. I think I'd like her.

Her website has just a very few recipes as of now. She looks like quite a promising novice. Here is a refreshing "dessert" drink recipe she created for her mum:

http://shelinapermalloo.com/recipes/belle-mare/

A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose Is a Rose

A little rose water goes a long way. I purchased a bottle of four fluid ounces (as this was the only size available) as I embarked on my Bakery Traveler World Tour. I do believe this amount is equal to purchasing, um, like a gallon container of salsa from Costco for a recipe that only requires maybe a cup. By the way, above is a picture of a Lincoln rose, from my hubby's garden.

What to do with the rest of my rose water before I forget completely that I even own it?

Here are the top five edible suggestions I found (in other words suggestions that appeal to me the most...there’s actually so much one can do with rose water - it’s a bit overwhelming, but a lot like, “who knew?" unless, of course, you already knew!):

1.  Add a couple teaspoons to about two quarts of lemonade.

2.  Add a half teaspoon to your cup of green tea.

3.  Make Raspberry Scones with Rose Water Glaze (recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/raspberry-scones-with-rose-water-glaze-173903)

4.  Try Oranges in Sweet Rose Water (recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/oranges-in-sweet-rose-water-113200)

5.  Check-out the brilliant www.yummly.com and their collection of desserts with rose water in them at http://www.yummly.com/recipes/rosewater-dessert.

One final photo of this little trooper Lincoln rose. I call this rose a "trooper" as it's mighty hot in these parts still, and yet, look - blooming away!

1st Stop: Afghanistan

BTWT
1st Stop: Afghanistan

Bakery Item: Sheer Yakh (Afghan Ice Cream)

What You Need:                                                         

Vanilla Ice Cream
Rose Water (chill in the fridge prior to using)
Pistachios (unsalted and finely chopped)

What You Do:

Pour ½ tsp. of rose water over 1-2 scoops of vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle the pistachios on top. Give it a try.

Review:

At first I thought I had proper ingredients to make some kind of edible perfume! After de-shelling the pistachios, I noticed they had a lovely, faint, baked sweetbread scent. Then, I took a whiff of the rose water. Well, I mean, c’mon! It was like smelling a bouquet of roses and I was quite hesitant to even sample this liquid on ice cream. Isn’t vanilla ice cream pretty perfect on its own? Then, there was the vanilla in the ice cream. Vanilla is a common “note” used in many perfumes. If I combine these three ingredients, I’ll have an edible perfume.

So, I gave it a try. ACTUALLY - it wasn’t perfume-y at all. The rose water is absolutely subtle and makes the dessert an elegant, fresh delicacy and I would recommend this to you if you're OK with having roses in your food. Now, so my review doesn't seem completely one-sided, I have included what my fellow Bakery Travelers who were with me during this 1st stop of the Bakery Traveler World Tour (BTWT) had to say:

 

Bakery Traveler Hubby: "Refreshing, but not that great."

 

Mini Bakery Travelers (aka my kids): "You added a WATER to ice cream?! So not trying it!"

(I found this recipe online at www.afghan-web.com)

The Bakery Traveler World Tour continues...next stop is Albania.