The Garden On Mother's Day

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It's been a long time since I last posted, probably the longest since I started this blog six years ago.  A new Sous Chef named Madison has taken more of my time and energy than I remember a new puppy required,  Add to that the fact that this house then decided it also needed some TLC.

It started with the new roof last summer together with some renovations in the kitchen, a new water heater, plus a new garage door opener.  All this happening while building a new apartment worthy of Madame Mere which, as you know, was a nightmare..  Then we had the two frozen pipes in the winter resulting in extensive repairs to the newly finished apartment.  The death of our beloved Sous Chef, Lucy, took a big toll on the family.  It was the worst experience I have ever gone through, but getting a new puppy right away was the best cure for our broken hearts.  She arrived  two months to the day that Lucy passed away.

Spring surprised us with the need to replace two of the three air conditioning units.  As if that weren't enough, when we turned on the sprinkler system in the garden, guess what?! No dice.  Probably as a result of having to move the pipes on the side of the house due to the rock path we had to build to backstop the water  from the heavy rains we got this Spring.  The maintenance and upkeep of an older house is never ending.

The garden suffered quite a bit this past winter due to the cold weather.  Some of our most beautiful southern plants don't do frost very well,   That includes the Confederate jasmine, gardenias and the hydrangeas macrophylla which bloom on last year's growth.  The poor gardenias which made such a great show a couple of summers ago and were toast last year are now toast crumbs.  They will need to be replaced.  My pride and joy, the Moonlight hydrangea came back and then got hit by the late frost as well.  I am holding my breath and hoping for the best but I seriously don't think it will bloom this year.  I was really looking forward to showing it off to MM.

Every year I swear I will not buy another plant.  Every year I break that promise and buy more than I can chew  For me, plants are the new shoes.

I could not resist the hydrangeas  Mathilda Gutges when I saw them at the garden center. This compact shrub bears attractive deep green leaves and large, rounded flower heads of deep pink in neutral soil, and intense violet-blue in acidic soil.  Our soil is acidic so in order to keep the beautiful lavender color, we decided to plant the pink in the whiskey barrel out back and the deep blues under the trees. 

The clematis put on quite a show and I am proud to say I now have a stress free garden around the mailbox. It's called KISS.(Keep it Simple Stupid) No more hauling a bucket of water up the hill in the middle of the summer sounds like a good idea to me.  It only took me three years to figure that one out.

We have many azaleas out back and they also put on quite a show in April.  This one, though, is my pride and joy although the photo doesn't do it justice.  It was a pitiful shrub when we bought the house but with some pruning and fertilizing  over the last three years it finally decided to join the parade.

The first of the David Austin roses, Winchester Cathedral.

The first of the David Austin Heritage rose.

I can't remember the name of this peony.  I planted it last Fall and it only gave us one bloom...but what a bloom!

The rest of the peonies are ready to burst out, right in Madame Mere's little garden.  Her apartment is to the right with a spectacular view of the garden.

And here they are the next day!

The tried and true, Sarah Bernhard.  She never fails me.

Bowl Of Beauty.

This little fellow was in the rose garden of my home in Connecticut.  When I moved to New York City.  I gave it to MM and it sat for years in the courtyard of her townhouse in Florida.  Who would have thought the three of us would reunite in a small town in Georgia!

Angelonia in front of MM's big window.

The dahlia garden (work in process!)

Geraniums for the deck.

Pots of fresh herbs on the deck.

The obligatory ferns by the front door of a true Southern home!

Winchester Cathedral bushes in the front garden

My feeble attempt at container gardening

Another new addition, the fox tail fern

But none of this would have been possible without the help of my garden crew, always by my side.

 Some of us work a little harder than others....

Keeping up a big garden like this is a lot of work, but I will have to say I rather enjoy it.  It beats getting up on a treadmill and lifting weights. It's funny,  people nowadays pay to exercise and pay again to have some one else do their yard work. Go figure.  Never mind the expense of buying the right shoes and the proper attire to get smelly and sweaty. I remember when I was young and only the very wealthy in this country could afford a full time gardener.  My father cut the grass, albeit in a small tractor, and he and my mother did all the weeding, planting and maintenance of our garden in Connecticut.  There was no Roundup in those days and a weed free lawn or flower bed meant you had to get on your hands and knees and pull.  If you had kids living at home between the ages of eight and sixteen, you had extra help for cheap.  It was called an allowance.  It paid for ice cream and movies. Extra work paid for dates.  Come Fall, you would hire a couple of kids from the neighborhood to help with the leaves.  People were thinner in those days and life was good.   We did not have a drug or a fat problem in this country like the one we have today. 

  Now that the garden is back in shape and I am a few pounds lighter, I will have more time to concentrate on cooking.  That is, unless something else falls apart...AGAIN.

Mommy And Me Crab Cakes

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This was one of the very first recipes I posted five years ago.  It is as good today as it was then.  The only difference is we are five years older and the price of crab meat has gone from $16 per pound to $21.  We now live together, we fight and we laugh and she still calls me Mommy. 

If you want a special yet easy recipe to make for your Mom, this is a good bet!

 Have a nice Mother's Day.

My favorite kitchen mate is my daughter, Christina. She will be great cook one of these days. Whenever we get together, we gravitate towards the kitchen; like this afternoon, when she decided to show off my crab cake recipe with a few additions of her own. The ingredients are the same, except she gives it a final dredge in Panko and fries them in sesame oil. I loved it...but what I love the most about my 36 year old daughter is that after all these years and in spite of her independence, she still calls me Mommy. (May 2009)

Ingredients

1 lb lump crab meat

2 TB red or white onion

1 Egg

2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

2 TB Mayonnaise

1 tsp.lemon juice

1 TB mustard

1 TBS melted butter

1 tsp. Parsley Flakes

1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

Panko for dredging

Crisco or Sesame oil for frying

Combine all ingredients except for crab meat. Gently fold in crab meat. Shape into 8 cakes. Pass through Panko. Pat well. Fry in regular or sesame oil. Serve with tartar sauce.

Tartar Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

2-3 tsps. relish

Serves 4

Cook's Note: Make sure you get good crab meat, such as Alaska King crab in lump. Otherwise, you will have mediocre crab cakes and will blame the recipe. The quality of the crab meat is 90% of making good crab cakes. Serve with a salad and a dry white or rose for lunch.

All photos Lindaraxa

A Red Carnation For Mother's Day

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Mother's Day is celebrated throughout the world in many ways and on many different days.  The holiday was started in Grafton, West Virginia in 1907 by Anna Jarvis  as a tribute to her mother, Ann Maria Reese Jarvis who founded The Mothers Day Work Clubs to improve health and sanitary conditions.  The clubs also treated, fed and clothed wounded soldiers during the U. S Civil War.

She grew disenchanted after the commercialization of the holiday and actively campaigned against it.  According to her New York Times obituary, Jarvis became embittered because too many people sent their mothers a printed greeting card. As she said,

A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment.

—Anna Jarvis.

She never married and had no children.

In Pre Castro Cuba we had what I thought was a  beautiful tradition.  Everyone got dressed and went to church wearing a carnation in honor of one's mother.  Red if your mother was alive,  white if she had passed away.  Better than a printed card no?

In honor of my favorite Madame Mere,  tomorrow I will be proud to wear a red carnation. 

Salmon Rilletes

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 A few of you asked for the recipe for the salmon rilletes.  It is from the famous New York restaurant Le Bernardin and can be found in Eric Rippert's cookbook On The Line which you can buy here .

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 pound skinless salmon fillet (preferably wild), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 ounces smoked salmon, cut into 1/4" pieces
• 1/2 cup (or more) mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon (or more) fresh lemon juice
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1 baguette, thinly sliced, toasted

Preparation

• Bring wine and shallot to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low; add salmon. Gently poach until salmon is barely opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Strain poaching liquid through a fine-mesh sieve; set aside shallot and discard liquid. Place salmon and shallot in a large bowl; cover and chill until completely cooled.
• Add smoked salmon, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, chives, and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice to salmon and shallot. Gently mix just to combine (salmon will break up a little, but do not overmix or a paste will form). Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more mayonnaise and lemon juice, if desired. DO AHEAD: Rillettes can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
   
• Serve rillettes cold with toasted slices of baguette.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/09/salmon-rillettes#ixzz2SMloo2ru

A Mother's Day Menu... Navarin Printaniere

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Navarin Printanier, a most delectable lamb stew with its carrots, onions, turnips, potatoes, peas, and green beans, is presumably done in the spring when all the vegetables are young and tender. But as it can be made any time of the year, it is not a seasonal dish any more thanks to deep freezing. The written recipe is long as each detail is important if the navarin is to taste like a French masterpiece. But none of the steps is difficult and everything except the addition of the green vegetables at the very end may be made ready in the morning although I prefer to do it the day before. The stew can then be finished in 10 to 15 minutes just before dinner time.

With the stew serve hot French bread, and a red Beaujolais or Bordeaux wine, a chilled rose, or a fairly full-bodied, dry, chilled white wine such as a Macon, Hermitage, or one of the lesser Burgundies.

Navarin Printanier is one of Madame Mere's most favorite recipes.  That and anything shrimp. I have been making Julia Child's recipe for her ever since I can remember.  It is always met with a big smile.

As with all long recipes, read it through to the end before you start. I have adapted the recipe format to make it simpler for you.

Here is a menu that I think works particularly well on this occasion or for a Spring lunch.

Mother's Day Or Spring Lunch Menu

Le Bernardin Salmon Rilletes

Navarin Printanier

Savannah Sponge Cake With Berries And Madeira

or

Strawberries With A Sabayon Sauce

Other Mother's Day Menus here. here and here.

Julia Child's Navarin Printanier

For 6 people
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.


3 lbs. Lamb stew meat
2 to 4 Tb rendered fresh pork fat or cooking oil

A 10- to 12-inch skillet
A fireproof covered casserole large enough to hold the meat, and all the vegetables to come

Cut the lamb into 2-inch cubes and dry with paper towels. The meat will not brown if it is damp. Brown a few pieces at a time in hot fat or oil in the skillet. As they are browned, place them in the casserole.

1 Tb granulated sugar

Sprinkle the lamb in the casserole with sugar and toss over moderately high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until the sugar has caramelized. This will give a fine amber color to the sauce.

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 Tb flour

Toss the meat with the salt and pepper, then with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle level of preheated oven for 4 to 5 minutes more. This browns the flour evenly and coats the lamb with a light crust. Remove casserole and turn oven down to 350 degrees.

 2 to 3 cups brown lamb- or beef-stock or canned beef bouillon

3/4 lb. ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped (1 cup of pulp), page 505; or 3 Tb tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

1/4 tsp thyme or rosemary

1 bay leaf

Pour out the fat; add 2 cups of stock or bouillon to the saute skillet. Bring to the boil and scrape up coagulated saute juices. The pour the liquid into the casserole. Bring to the simmer for a few seconds shaking and stirring to mix liquid and flour. Add the tomatoes or tomato paste and the other ingredients. Bring to the simmer for 1 minute, then add more stock if necessary; meat should be almost covered by liquid.

Put the lid on the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven; regulate heat so casserole simmers slowly and regularly for 1 hour. Then pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a bowl. Rinse out the casserole. Remove any loose bones and return the lamb to the casserole. Skim the fat off the sauce in the bowl, correct seasoning, and pour sauce back into casserole. Then add the vegetables which have been prepared as follows:

6 to 12 peeled "boiling" potatoes

6 peeled carrots

6 peeled turnips

12 to 18 peeled white onions about 1 inch in diameter

While the lamb is simmering, trim the potatoes into ovals 1 1/2 inches long, and cover with cold water until ready to use. Quarter the carrots and turnips, cut them into 1 1/2 inch lengths, and, if you have the patience, trim the edges to round them slightly. Pierce a cross in the root ends of the onions so they will cook evenly.

Press the vegetables into the casserole around and between the pieces of lamb. Baste with the sauce. Bring to the simmer on top of the stove, cover and return to the oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers slowly and steadily for about an hour longer or until the meat and vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven, tilt casserole, and skim off fat. Taste sauce again, and correct seasoning.

1 cup shelled green peas

1/4 lb. or about 1 cup green beans cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 quarts boiling water

1 1/2 Tb salt

While the casserole is in the oven, drop the peas and beans into the boiling salted water and boil rapidly, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are almost tender. Immediately drain in a colander. Run cold water over them for 2 to 3 minutes to stop the cooking and to set the color. Put aside until ready to use.

(*) May be prepared ahead to this point. Set casserole aside, cover askew. Bring to the simmer on top of the stove before proceeding with recipe.

Shortly before serving, place the peas and beans in the casserole on top of the other ingredients and baste with the bubbling sauce. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes or until the green vegetables are tender.

Serve the navarin from its casserole or arrange it on a very hot platter.



VARIATIONS

The preceeding navarin is a model for other stews. You may, for instance, omit the green beans, peas, and potatoes, and add navy beans or lentils simmered in salt water until almost tender, or canned kidney beans, then finish them off for half an hour with the lamb.



Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck with permission from Alfred A. Knopf. All rights reserved.

Mother's Day Lunch, Retro Style

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Why not surprise Mom this year with something she hasn't had in a long time.  Everything in this menu can be made the day before.

Oh, and if you want to be REALLY nice,  why not invite those of her friends whose children won't be around to take them out to lunch.  Just saying.....

Mother's Day Lunch 2012 

Whiskey Sours

Chicken Liver Mousse Canapes

Shrimp Newburg in Puff Pastry Cups

Tomato Aspic

Strawberry And Mixed Green Salad With Poppy Seed Dressing

Lemon Meringue Pie

Table setting Carolyne Roehm

A Simple Menu For Mother's Day... Tropical Fruit, Shrimp And Avocado Salad

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If you are a mother, a grandmother and a daughter...guess what? You still have to entertain up!  Sorry girls, you all know this is true.  No matter what, if you have a mother, you still have to entertain her.  So what I do is simple.  Choose a menu where I can make most things the day before; have everyone up for brunch, feed them, and take off the rest of the day.  That way I don't feel too cheated out of a free ride.  

With my mother, I don't even have to ask.  For her it's always shrimp; so when I saw this salad,  that was it.  This and quiche, something new she has been asking for recently,  is a simple menu and can be prepared ahead.  A no fuss dessert and I'm off the hook!

Florida mangoes are not out yet but the Dominican Republic ones that are coming in are quite good, if you buy them at a good store.  Pineapple and papaya can be bought already cut up in the supermarket.  If you make the salad ahead, don't add the avocados until right before you serve it.  Shrimp can be grilled the night before and saved in the refrigerator.  Bring to room temperature before you add to the rest of the salad.

I have played around quite a bit with this recipe, reducing some amounts but leaving all the ingredients.  In this case, I want more shrimp and less fruit, but you can adapt the range to your liking.

The quiche can be made the day before and the Affogato, well, that just takes a minute to prepare. 

Mother's Day Menu

Bloody Mary's

Julia's Quiche Lorraine

Tropical Fruit, Shrimp and Avocado Salad (Follows)

Chocolate Gelato Affogato

Tropical Fruit,  Shrimp and Avocado Salad

 YIELD: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 pineapple, diced

1 large ripe papaya, diced

1 ripe mango, diced

1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 roasted yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

1 -2 poblano chiles, cut into 1/4-inch strips

1 -2 jalapeño peppers, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup sherry wine vinegar

30 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 ripe avocados, cut into wedges

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Combine onions, pineapple, and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine olive oil and vinegar; toss with fruit mixture.  (Adapt fruit mix, peppers and dressing to your liking)

Grill shrimp 3 minutes on each side or until opaque, and immediately toss into the salad. Gently stir in avocado. Season to taste with black pepper.

Adapted from Coastal Living
Photo Karri Hosborg 

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Tell Me You Love Me With Magnolia's Red Velvet Cupcakes

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I must admit that what first drew me to this recipe was the frosting.  Most of the recipes I've seen use a cream cheese frosting and that to me is heresy.  Also. when I first read that  buttermilk and  vinegar were in the mix, I new I was on the right track.  Red Velvet Cake is as Southern as it gets and buttermilk and vinegar in the batter...bingo!

If you haven't heard of Magnolia Bakery in New York City let me clue you in...The Hermes/Manolo Blanick of cupcakes, with prices to match!

I understand that their Red Velvet Cake is one of the most popular at the bakery. Half of the customers love it because they haven't eaten it since their grandmother made it.  The folks at Epicurious have already made the adjustments needed for cupcakes at the bottom, so I have chosen to post the original recipe, which is for the cake, as is.  Who knows, we may want to make a cake one of these days and now we have both.

Well, that does it, Coconut Cupcakes and Red Velvet Cupcakes, what more can I ask for Mother's Day?!

By the way, if you want last year's Mother's Day Brunch menu, you will find it here!


Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

6 tablespoons red food coloring

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 recipe Creamy Vanilla Frosting


Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour three 9- by 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.

To make the cake: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting between the layers, then ice the top and sides of the cake with Creamy Vanilla Frosting .

Red Velvet Cupcakes

This recipe also makes 2 dozen cupcakes. Use 2 muffin pans, each with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups, and line each cup with a paper liner. (There's no need to grease the cups.) Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and bake the cupcakes, switching positions of the pans halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack before icing. To ice, mound about 1/4 cup of frosting on top of each cupcake and use an icing spatula to make a swirl on top. If desired, decorate with colored sprinkles.

Creamy Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium-size saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk until smooth. Place over medium heat and, stirring constantly, cook until the mixture becomes very thick and begins to bubble, 10-15 minutes. Cover with waxed paper placed directly on the surface and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, on the medium high speed of an electric mixer, beat the butter for 3 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating continuously for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat well.

Add the cooled milk mixture, and continue to beat on the medium high speed for 5 minutes, until very smooth and noticeably whiter in color. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes (no less and no longer—set a timer!). Use immediately.

Photo Flickr jamieanne

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Say You Are Sorry With Blueberry Muffins..Thank You, Jordan Marsh

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Whenever I want to get back in my Mother's good graces, I cook her something she really likes. I know... what is a woman like me, a mother and grandmother, doing coddling up to her mother at my age? Well, if you have to ask the question, you don't know about mothers, particularly Cuban mothers.

The art of the guilt trip is something that is practiced and perfected and passed on from mother to daughter and from generation to generation. I have never mastered the skill... believe me, I have always wanted to.... it works sooo well...but I guess I'm just missing THE gene. Or maybe I hated it so much over the years I refused to work "the magic" on my daughter. As a matter of fact, often without realizing it, SHE works it on Me. I guess the gene can skip a generation.

Primarily "the guilt trip" only works on girls...boys get off scott free, they just get handled by Dad, and dads are not guilt trip oriented since they don't have the gene either. Sometimes, they too can be the recipients of the "guilt trip"! (How do you think Mom got all her jewelry!) If you think Jewish mothers have a monopoly on this art, and it IS an art, don't bet on it until you meet a Cuban mother, particularly a Catholic one..

Anyway, today I did something that got me "the guilt trip", big time. I must admit I deserved it...maybe just a little...so on the way home all I could think of was how to do damage control.. and then I remembered the blueberries in the refrigerator and her favorite muffins, Jordan Marsh's Blueberry Muffins.

For those of you too young to remember, Jordan Marsh and Burdine's were THE department stores here in Miami. Two or three times a year in the 1950s we came to Miami to shop and load up on goodies to take back home to Havana. Both of these stores had really nice restaurants, but Jordan Marsh was famous for its blueberry muffins.

Jordan Marsh was a Boston-based department store founded in 1841 by Eben Jordan and Benjamin L. Marsh. With the rise of retail conglomerates, Jordan Marsh became part of Allied Stores (1931) and then Federated Department Stores (1988), a move that renamed all stores, including the flagship store in Boston, Macy's. The Jordan Marsh flagship store was home to the legendary Enchanted Village, an elaborate holiday display which, at times, spanned an entire floor of the store in addition to its windows. Perhaps even more legendary were Jordan Marsh's bakeries. Infamous, however, were the blueberry muffins. A December 2004 Boston Globe article put it best: "For decades, any decent downtown shopping trip ended at Jordan Marsh, where the promise of a sugar-crusted blueberry muffin could make annoying children angelic."

The store closed a while back but the recipe has been passed around from generation to generation, just like "the guilt trip". Bingo!...that must have been what reminded me of it... It is my Mother's favorite muffin recipe and one that makes her smile, forgive and, hopefully, forget!
(don't bet on the latter...)



Ingredients:

- 1/2 c. butter
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 2 c. flour
- 1/2 c. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 pint (2 cups) blueberries
Pinch of salt


Instructions:


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Grease and flour a 12 cup muffin tin

Cream together shortening, and sugar.

Add baking powder and eggs and mix well.

Add flour, milk and vanilla, mix well. Add a pinch of salt.

Add blueberries - mash 1/4 a little before you add and the rest add whole

Wait 10 min., and mix again (you get bigger muffins this way)*

Fill the muffin cups to the top of the pan.

Sprinkle some sugar on top of each muffin.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 5 minutes.

Drop the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Cool and remove from pan.



*this is my trick, not JM's
Last time I made 3/15/17 I baked at 450 for 10 minutes and 30 minutes at 350. If you like a crunchier top, this is it!

It's Mother's Day!

Pin It Happy Mother's Day! I hope you have someone wonderful cooking for you today. Next week, my children have invited me to come visit them in Atlanta. Can't wait to see my granddaughter, Taylor Rose! My posts will be a little sporadic over the next few days, but I will be back full force on May 18th. In the meantime, I am leaving you three great posts which will appear over the next couple of days. Have a wonderful Mother's Day and thank you for subscribing to my blog. The purple vanda orchid on the left belongs to a neighbor here in Miami. It is in full bloom today!

African Violets Make Inexpensive Centerpieces for Mother's Day

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African violets are out in full force at most major markets and grocery stores. I just picked up these for $2.99 each. They make beautiful centerpieces and last quite a while. If you are having a large gathering and a buffet table, use them as centerpieces aranged in baskets of 3 or more with the names of the mothers in the party. If it's a small dinner or luncheon, set one on top of each mother's plate or, if you want to splurge, with a place card on top of each of your guest's plate. It's an inexpensive way to be generous. If instead you are a guest for Mother's Day, bring one to your hostess. It's a nice touch. Make sure you keep some for yourself!

Mother's Day Brunch Menu

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Remember the time when your kids were still little but old enough to cook you breakfast in bed for Mother's Day? I sure do. The first thing you'd hear from the kitchen was, "It's my turn, it's my turn...Move! let ME do it...Daddy!!!" Finally, after what seemed like a week, the breakfast tray would appear,loaded up with heart shaped pancakes, a rose in a bud vase, and lots of "I love you, Mom"... "You're the best mommy in the whole wide world" cards. (Years later, the breakfast tray disappeared and you got cards with "Mom Rocks!!" or " 'Yo Dude, Happy Mother's Day!). Even though at the time I found the whole experience excruciating, what with having to sit in bed and hear my kitchen turned upside down, now I kind of miss it. It now falls on me to do the honors for my Mom and my aunts since my children live in another state and have families of their own. The way I get around it is to have a brunch where I can prepare a warm main dish the day before, together with easy to prepare or store bought side dishes. It is probably the only time of the year where I do as little as possible, so I can have some time to relax. With brunch, everybody is gone by 2:00p.m and the rest of the day is yours. Besides, brunch is also an inexpensive way to entertain or celebrate an event. In this case, you get extra brownie points from the Moms for hosting the day.

Tips

At this time of the year, it's beautiful to have things outside. If you have a yard, a porch, a deck or a balcony, set things out there. Easy to clean up afterwards too. Mimosas are easy and inexpensive drinks to have and appropriate at that time of the day. Those who don't want to get happy, can always have just the juice. Don't knock yourself out or your wallet getting a "good" Champagne. Go for something less expensive... nobody will be able to tell the difference, and they'll get the headache, not you. If you make them with freshly squeezed orange juice, you'll hit a homerun.

The fruit bowl can be anything you like, or better yet, what's good, available and on sale. Melons are great at this time of the year, both cantaloupe and honeydew; strawberries have good prices; grapes and blueberries add color. Those are my choices because they are easy to serve and look the part. Do the melon balls and clean the strawberries the night before, and early that morning, mix in the rest. Add a little Grand Marnier or orange juice, a couple of Tbs. of sugar and lots of mint. Serve in a pretty bowl and you have another dish.

Get some smoked salmon at Costco and serve with different bagels, cream cheese, red onions, capers and lemon. If you have kids at the party switch to a ham which will leave you plenty of leftovers and there's a recipe on the blog. You can make it the day before or you can go to Honey Baked Ham and buy one. Do bake some biscuits!

For your table centerpiece, get some African violets for $2.99 at your local markets, or splurge on some tulips, but get lots of them. That's it! Bring on the Moms!

Mother's Day Brunch Menu

Mimosas
Seasonal Fruit Bowl
Spinach and Pancetta Strata
Smoked Salmon, with Cream Cheese, Red Onions and Capers
Onion, Pumpernickel & Plain Bagels
OR
Baked Ham and Biscuits
Coffee & Chocolate Mints

Spinach and Pancetta Strata

Strata in Italian means layers. I made this for my granddaughter's christening brunch and everybody loved it. Take out of fridge about an hour before you cook or it will take forever in the oven.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (10-ounce) box chopped frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed Italian bread, from a 1-pound loaf
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
3 cups whole milk
10 large eggs

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a bowl. Add the onion to the pan drippings in the same skillet and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and garlic. Saute over medium-low heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, nutmeg, and the cooked pancetta.

Place half of the bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the bread, then top with half of the spinach mixture. Repeat layering.

Whisk the milk, eggs, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over the strata. Chill the strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake strata uncovered until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

The Best Home Biscuits

Pin It Whether you are having a brunch or just doing something nice for your mother, these are great and easy to make. Make sure you use White Lily flour for best results.

Ingredients

2 Cup White Lily Flour*
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Sugar
1 Cup cold Buttermilk
8 TB. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat Oven to 475

Combine solids, combine wets and blend.Using 1/4 measuring cup, scoop batter into oven tray (Spray tray with Pam) Brush with melted butter and bake 12-14 min.

Note

White Lily flour is the best flour to make biscuits. Not all flours are created equal. Southern bleached all-purpose flours are made from the soft winter wheat that grows well in the warmer southern climate while northern all-purpose flours are made from the hard spring wheats that grow in the colder climate. Strains of soft winter wheat have less protein than the hard spring wheat and therefore southern all-purpose flours are better-suited for quick breads such as biscuits, cakes and muffins. For an in-depth and well researched article on biscuits, go to the following blog You can also find an even quicker recipe for biscuits in back of the White Lily Self-Rising Four package. No excuses!

Mimosas

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The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia on the origins of Mimosas

Mimosa IBA Official Cocktail

Type: Wine cocktail
Primary alcohol: Champagne
Served stirred
Standard garnish grenadine, cherries
Standard drinkware Champagne flute
IBA specified ingredients† three parts champagne
two parts orange juice

Preparation Ensure both ingredients are well chilled, then mix together into the glass. Serve cold.
A Mimosa is a cocktail-like drink composed of three parts champagne or other sparkling wine and two parts thoroughly chilled orange juice. It is traditionally served in a tall champagne flute with a morning brunch or to guests at weddings.

The origins of the mimosa are somewhat murky. Allegedly, the drink was invented at the Paris Ritz in 1925, although it bears a striking similarity to another cocktail, the Buck's Fizz, which was introduced in England in 1921, and named after the club in which it was first served. The Buck's Fizz is also traditionally made with champagne and orange juice, although grenadine is sometimes added as well. The name introduced in 1925 comes from the flowers of the mimosa plant, which are yellow and appear slightly frothy from a distance. In Britain, the mixture of orange juice and champagne is still referred to as a Buck's Fizz, while the term mimosa is used in the United States and in most of Europe.

While most bartenders agree that the mimosa should be served in a chilled champagne flute, the exact proportions of the drink are often debated. Some recipes call for a measurement of three parts champagne to one part orange juice, while others prefer a half and half ratio. Both ingredients should be chilled, and some bartenders also serve the drink over ice. Others hotly contest the use of ice, arguing that it dilutes the drink unfavorably. Mimosas are usually served without a garnish, although a twist of orange peel might be considered appropriate.

While a mimosa is traditionally served with champagne, sparkling wines can also be used. For guests who do not wish to consume alcohol, sparkling waters such as Perrier are also acceptable, although you may wish to use coded glasses so that inadvertent consumption of the wrong drink is avoided. In either case, the drink should still be served in a champagne flute so that the bubbles will last longer.