When my grandmother would bring one of her famous souffles to the dinner table everyone would ohhh and ahhh. When I was young I simply attributed this to the fancy french title. I thought to my (young) self: oh, we are dining like the Parisians tonight. How fancy, my younger self thought! When I was a bit older I would watch in fascination as this famed cheese souffle was assembled. The proper dish with the high sides was brought out of the cupboard and buttered, just so. The egg whites were whipped into beautiful soft peaks and then quickly, yet gently, folded into the egg mixture.  I remember as the souffle was baking no one was allowed near the oven. Opening the oven door just spelled trouble! If you dared to attempt this move, you could be sure a ‘scowl’ and ‘the look’ would be cast your way by my grandmother. This week for Sundays with Joy we took on the grapefruit souffle recipe. This week on Not Quite Gourmet, I quickly got over my fear of souffles and tackled this like a boss. Move over cheese souffle…a sweet souffle has moved to town.

A citrus sugar is created by zesting grapefruit and mixing it into sugar. This idea is mega fancy points! The souffle has the usual ingredients: sugar, butter and egg yolks. These are all mixed up with a bit of flour.

Milk and grapefruit juice are added into the mix. The egg whites were carefully whipped into soft peaks and gently folded in. At this point, I wondered why I have never gotten an extra mixing bowl for my KitchenAid. I could have saved myself countless washes from ‘The Great Cookie’ Project of 2012.

The whole thing gets baked in a warm water bath. The result? A perfect dish to bring to a dinner party!

What about the leftovers, you ask? Oh, I had to leave those for the 4 year old who had politely asked if I could leave the rest of it at his house. Of course, I said. My inner self did a happy dance! Many, many thanks to Joy the Baker!

From buds to blossoms in one week. Beautiful!

The kitchen and I are on speaking terms again. Tempeh stir fry.

Packages for Mom.

Grilled veggies atop salad greens.

Pesto magic. How-to coming soon!

I finally figured out how to properly hard boil eggs! I will be sharing this with you soon!

Saturday morning pancakes.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!!!

On the nights when you take a pause and ask yourself: Am I really doing all of these major things that a person does over many years and turning it into a reader’s digest condensed version over a few short months? The answer is yes and I am overjoyed. Talk about getting teary eyed? I do it daily. I am left with a deep feeling of gratitude.

On the nights when suddenly the sun is shining the last of its rays and you really want to get outside and mow the lawn for the first time this spring. Yet, the thermometer says it is 55…and I swear, it will snow any moment now. So cold. Instead I turned to the warm kitchen.

This meal is for those nights. Music gets turned on, a few ingredients are gathered from the fridge and pantry and the chopping begins. My shoulders finally relaxed. All that is left of this day is to pour a glass of wine and call this a super healthy dinner.

Happy Mother’s Day!

On the Rise Bakery made my heart sing and dance.

Checking out the new neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, back at home this beautiful thing was happening.

Right or left. East or west.

A little downtime in the kitchen is good for the soul.

When I was a kid and wanted a quick treat I would often make sugar free instant pudding from the box. You know the kind – pudding mix, add milk, whisk like mad for 5 minutes while it thickens up, pour into 4 little dishes and into the fridge they go to set up. Sometimes I have no patience for the set up time and I want a spoonful of soft set chocolate pudding with a dollop of cold, creamy cool whip now, not 30 minutes from now.

I have been putting myself in self-imposed time outs lately. My options have been to take a time out or have a major freak out. In this self imposed short time out I want to pamper myself silly – yet there is not enough time for that manicure or  pedicure while flipping through the latest Bon Appetite. I found a way to make a creamy, cool soft serve style frozen treat…without the cream or the need for an ice cream maker, in 5 minutes flat. Move over processed pudding in a box and hello healthier frozen treat! PS – You are welcome.

 Gather your ingredients:

For this recipe I used:

1/2 a frozen banana
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 heaping tablespoon of almond butter
A dash of cinnamon and lavender

Put all of the ingredients in a mini food processor and mix until smooth. You may want to dive right in to the soft serve version. But, if you have some patience on your side, go ahead and stick this into the freezer to firm up for at least a half hour. The result? Creamy, dreamy goodness that will take your cares away. Thanks for reading! Have a great week!

Something New.

Mr. Bear said hello.

Play.

Work. (New recipe coming at you soon!)

Thanks for reading, friends! Stay tuned…something delicious is coming your way!!!

My fingers worked quickly as they scurried around the mixing bowl, blending butter and flour. My mind was working equally as fast. I had been in overdrive, with a feeling of being in a highly caffeinated state. Yet, realizing no coffee had been consumed in hours. Jolted out of this reverie, I heard music…the sounds of Patty Griffin floated through the air. With my feet finally planted firmly on the ground, I turned out the buttermilk biscuit dough onto the counter. I thought of this recipe that was passed down in our family. I wondered how many times did my great aunts and grandmother turn out this same dough in their kitchens of yesterday? 

 Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Have you wondered where this tradition originated from? I have researched this recently. Confession: curiosity got the best of me.

Something old represents continuity.

Biscuit making is so therapeutic. Especially after a vigorous gym session that really wrecked me and had me feeling totally accomplished with the day.

Something new represents optimism for the future.
May I please cook in this new kitchen more often?!

The roasted balsamic strawberries were up next.

Something borrowed symbolizes borrowed happiness.
I borrowed a recipe from Baked Bree who helped me to understand how to roast strawberries. The splash of balsamic vinegar? So smart!

Something blue stands for purity, love and fidelity.

Please head to the kitchen and try this recipe today? It is an absolute perfect ending to any day.

Somehow I had a very busy week. I made a no knead pizza dough to start things off on the right foot. Dear Tracy from Shutterbean – thank you for making my week easier!

Add some grilled fixings – eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, red pepper and chicken sausage will do.

Staying hydrated is important! This pitcher of lemon water has a permanent home in my fridge now! (thanks to my CincyBff for this amazing and completely practical idea! This is what friends are for!)

Important words.

Dinner celebrations with friends.

The moon…so beautiful! Patty Griffin’s “Moon Song” was played, on repeat, this evening.

A little breakfast wrap to start the day. Fresh chives and sunny spring mornings just make everything better. Local 44 North Coffee from Deer Isle, Maine took this morning over the very top.

Important lists were created at this new-for-now spot. The Celtics game helped the situation.

Thanks for reading!

I stepped into my familiar kitchen. It was so good to be back after a little hiatus. I missed that space.  My mind was racing with all sorts of possibilities for this latest Sundays with Joy recipe: Chamomile Cupcakes with Honey Glaze from Joy the Baker. But I had to go and change all of that. I had been sleuthing all around town this past week for anything with lavender. One afternoon I found a lavender mocha coffee drink (French Kiss) while out on a spring walk. One spring evening I happened upon a lavender bourbon cocktail while out with my CincyBff. With lavender on my mind I knew just what to do.

The original cupcake recipe calls for chamomile tea. However, I spied my mortar and pestle, crushed a 1/2 teaspoon of dried lavender and into the mixer it went.

And what is the harm in adding in a bit of meyer lemon zest? Absolutely nothing, I thought to myself! So I added a 1/4 teaspoon of finely chopped zest to the batter.

I knew I was taking a few chances and risks as I slid the cupcakes into the oven to bake. They emerged, in one piece, and I exhaled a big sigh of relief.

Next was the glaze. I usually find myself with an abundance of glaze so I halved this recipe.  To the cream based glaze I added some lemon juice and zest. The honey and powdered sugar helped balance everything out.

I decked out a few cupcakes with extra zest and a sprinkle of lavender and started packaging them up. One went to my neighbor Mom. (These would make a lovely treat for mother’s day!) I had some fun creating food art with zest and created this gem below.

It was a special occasion, friends. A celebration of becoming engaged! I carefully boxed up the treats for later and headed out the door.

Sweet Z and I met for dinner at a new Thai restaurant in town. We feasted like a king and queen all the while being waited on by a former student of mine.  Small town living, friends. In the middle of dinner the waitress approached the table and she apologized to me. The apology was for ‘being a brat’ in band in middle school. To apologize, years later, for your behavior as a growing child takes courage. I was touched.

I wondered if I had made a few mistakes in taking a couple of risks with a seemingly delicious original recipe. Had I changed too much? Was I being obstinate and stubborn (much like that former student was on her ‘bad’ days)? The answer was no. The delicate lavender cake was a beautiful compliment to the honey lemon glaze. Sweet Z (a poet) called them exquisite!

“Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.”
Paul Tillich

A week filled with many moments…

I found this mural in Washington Park

And this is my new friend: meet Cincybebe

Meet my CincyBff! And many thanks to Kevin at Goodfella’s Bar for mixing us bourbon cocktails.

More Scenes. That mixed media print you see there is from Seth Barnes. Hans the dog, homebrewed beer and fantastic dinners. Many, many thanks dear friends!

Guy Fieri somehow ruined my otherwise pleasant grocery shopping experience at the Kroger.

It is so nice to see spring!