Category: Tasty Recipes

in appreciation…

Diana, Princess of Wales Hybrid Tea Rose
This is the first bloom on my newly planted Princess Di rosebush, here elegant buds swirl into large, ivory-colored blooms with a soft pink blush and sweet, tea-rose scent. Meant to be a clear reflection of the Princess’ warmth and radiance. A tall and stately plant, the pink blush becomes more pronounced as days go by.
This Rose for a Cause is one of the most popular roses by Jackson & Perkins, continuing the Princess’ legacy of giving: 10% of net sales goes to The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. They have donated over $682,172 to The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund in support of humanitarian causes.
I want to express my appreciation to fellow bloggers who recognized Taste With The Eyes this month.
Thank you to Carol of Paris Breakfasts for including a photograph from my Afternoon Tea on her adorable “Tiny Teapots” post. 
And to Simona of Briciole for caring to know “six random things” about me…and for teaching me Italian words I can use in the kitchen.
To Amy of Familia Bencomo for the i-love-you-this-much Award, you are so kind.
To Cynthia of Tastes Like Home for the YUMMY BLOG AWARD, much appreciated, means so much to me coming from you!
Giz and Psychgrad from Equal Opportunity Kitchen the E for Excellent Award, I am grateful for this honor!
For me, half of the fun of this food blog is the cooking, photographing, posting and sharing my adventures with food and hearing what you think of them, the other half is reading and enjoying and celebrating your blogs and your successes in the kitchen and beyond. 



Finally, I want to thank every reader for stopping by, and Anonymous (you know who you are, even if I don’t), and the readers who may not post a comment, nor have a blog, you are all sincerely appreciated. Thank you.
Now let’s eat!

Caramelized Apples in Puff Pastry Shell

Caramelized Apples Flambéd with Cognac,
In a Puff Pastry Shell with Crème Fraîche


This is a great dessert especially for those of us who are not advanced bakers.
Pepperidge Farm even tells us which side of the pastry is up. haha

Bake the Puff Pastry shells at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Use a fork to remove the T O P.

Melt butter and brown sugar, cook the apples until soft.
Add a pinch of salt.

This is also a great dessert for those of us who like to light our food on fire.
Add Cognac (or Calvados) to the pan to flambé.
For tips on flambéing, go here.

Ladle the warm apples and sauce into the shell and finish with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Six Ingredients, Fancy Dessert:
  • apples
  • brown sugar
  • butter
  • puff pastry shells
  • cognac or calvados
  • crème fraîche

Spaghetti, Roasted Eggplant Cream Sauce

I vacillated over posting this recipe. It is not elegant. But I keep craving it. It is smokey, eggplanty, creamy, lemony, tangy, garlicky, unique…

Peter of Kalofagas and Marie of Proud Italian Cook this month both posted some awesome eggplant recipes. Fresh eggplant. Ooh eggplant, yes!
And you may recall I have a wonderful Croatian butcher, he carries some interesting side products, one of them is Roasted Eggplant in a jar from Bulgaria. On a recent visit to the butcher shop, a jar came home with me.

I heated a generous amount of olive oil in a sauce pan, added lots of shaved garlic and red pepper flakes and cooked until fragrant. Then add the drained-and-chopped roasted eggplant.

Finished the sauce with a hearty scoop of creme fraiche, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, lots of chopped parsley, salt and pepper then tossed it with spaghetti. (Topping it with Parmesan cheese would be a good idea, too).
OK, there it is. It might be even better with fresh roasted eggplant. That is why I hesitated with this post. But then I thought, no, this eggplant-in-a-jar recipe really is that good.
Aubergine Lovers: I would love to hear what you think…

Memorial Day


New to my garden this year, with petals the color of a warm Texas sunset, is the Laura Bush Floribunda Rose. Generous clusters of dusky orange buds burst open into ruffled, cinnamon-orange blooms with yellow centers.

Jackson & Perkins Nursery representatives worked closely with Mrs. Bush to designate this beautiful rose the Laura Bush Rose. The rose is launched as part of the First Ladies Rose Series and it joins roses named for First Ladies: The apricot colored Nancy Reagan, the coral-pink-and-ivory Barbara Bush and the recently debuted, coral and orange Lady Bird Johnson.

I would like to take a moment to commemorate the U.S. men and women who have died in military service and to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day weekend.

Fried Oyster Taco, Ají Amarillo Crema

Panko crusted Hama Hama Oysters from the Hood Canal in Washington State, quickly fried in canola oil served on a handmade corn tortilla with napa cabbage, sliced serrano chile, cilantro, ají amarillo crema, and a squeeze of lime.

One of life’s small pleasures is a fresh homemade tortilla. Buy tortilla masa from the refrigerated section. Knead the masa until it is soft and pliable, then form a ball. Place the masa ball between plastic wrap on the tortilla press, then firmly close the press. Lay dough on a hot heavy skillet for about 30 seconds per side.

For a change from the now ubiquitous chipotle cream sauce try making a sauce with chiles from Peru. Ají amarillo is one of my favorites, it is a lovely yellow color, quite hot but with a slightly fruity extraordinary flavor. You can buy ají amarillo paste in a jar (middle right). Mix the paste with Crema Mexicana or sour cream. I find it in the Peruvian section at my local supermercado.

¡Feliz  Cinco De Mayo!