April 2011
37 posts
Felix eating from his kitty condo
Felix loves being inside his kitty condo. When I placed the food bowl right in front of it, this is what he did.
Disney Shaped Butter Cookies
I made these cookies for my niece Emma. Every time I talk to her on the phone, she asks me for these cookies. I hope you enjoy them Emma!
I made Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
…And then Chip & Dale.
Minnie Mouse has different colors of flowers in her hair.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2...
Spring Flowers Spritz Cookies
In addition to the Disney Cookies, I made these spring flower spritz butter cookies to ship to my brother, sister in law and the rest of her family. I have to admit that these took a little longer than I anticipated, and I accidentally baked them at 375F instead of the instructed 350F. No wonder some were a little burnt :(.
The inspiration for these cookies are spring flowers that are blooming...
Four (or Five) Course Dinner
For Marc’s parents’ last night in Richmond, I have made a four-course dinner (five-course if you count the cheese course).
Almond Berry Tartlets
I cheated a bit on this recipe, as I used store-bought shortbread tartlet shells and almond pie filling.
Ingredients:
1 box of shortbread tartlet shells (mine was Private Selection from Kroger)
1/2 can of Solo Almond Cake & Pastry filling
1/4 cup raspberries
1/4 cup blueberries
2 tablespoons seedless strawberry jam
Directions:
1. Put 1/2 tablespoon of Almond filling in each tartlet...
Risotto Florentine
I cheated on this one. I made a box of Lundberg Organic Risotto Florentine.
Green Beans Almondine
Ingredients:
1 lb Green beans, rinsed
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions:
1. In a medium pan, sautee green beans in olive oil
2. Once slightly cooked (about 5 minutes), add vegetable broth. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes.
3. Top with sliced almonds and serve.
Pesto Mushroom Chicken
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
4 tablespoons Pesto sauce
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Flatten chicken to 1/4 inch. Rub chicken breasts with salt & pepper. Marinade in buttermilk for at least one hour.
...
Simple Spring Salad
This salad is slightly sweet and definitely nutty!
Ingredients:
2 cups watercress
1/2 cup strawberries, diced to 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup candied walnut pieces
4 tbsp feta cheese
2 tbsp raspberry or balsamic vinaigrette
Directions:
1. Cut large stems off watercress, leaving the leafy parts
2. Toss all ingredients together and serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.
Roasted Garlic Onion & Mushroom Tart Appetizer
Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3 oz package)
3 tablespoons Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Onion Jam
1/2 cup blue cheese (or Feta, Goat Cheese, Brie or any)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (the more flavorful, the better - e.g. baby portabella, cremini)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. On a lightly floured surface, using a slightly floured rolling pin, roll out a...
Cheese Course
German Butterkase and another sharp cheese we don’t know the name of. La Palzanella Croccantini Original crackers. Courtesy of Marc’s dad.
I added tomato and artichoke bruschetta topping.
Blueberry, Chocolate Chip & Cranberry Scones
Marc’s parents are visiting us from South Carolina, so I am making scones for breakfast. I made the standard batter and divided it in three: Marc’s mom likes blueberries, his dad is more of a chocolate chip guy and I added a cranberry version.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled
1/3...
Disney Cookie Cutters from EBay
When my niece, Emma, turned 3, I wanted to bake a bunch of Disney-shaped butter cookies for her. She just had her first Disneyland trip and was very taken with the characters. However, I found it hard to find Disney cookie cutters in the U.S. So I searched on EBay and found these from Japan.
These cookie cutters cut the outline of these characters and come with a “stamp” to create...
