Chocolate Croissants

dark chocolate

plump croissants

an egg

glistening 

fresh from the oven

pain au chocolat

There is something so perfect

 about

 making

 homemade chocolate croissants.

  I never knew that rolling out pastry dough

 could be so therapeutic.

 Placing each piece of dark chocolate

 in the middle

 of my triangular dough

 could not have made me happier.

 And

 the smells that filled my kitchen

 took me straight to Paris.

  I used Nigella Lawson's Pain au Chocolat

recipe

 and

 could not believe how simple it was.

  I bought my pastry dough at Whole Foods,

 let it defrost,

 broke apart my dark chocolate

 and

 cracked an egg to rub over each croissant.

  My favorite part was rolling the croissants

 and

 I loved knowing that inside

 was a surprise

 that would later

 ooze through each croissant.

  I finished the croissants at 9pm

 and 

enjoyed a delightful snack while studying

 but

 even better

 I slept soundly knowing that my morning breakfast

 would

 be

 Pain au Chocolat!!!

 The next time you are craving a chocolate croissant

 make your own

 ...

 you will love every moment.

 Bisous!!

butternut squash and extra sharp cheddar

fresh butternut squash and pine nuts

extra sharp cheddar cheese

rolling out pizza dough

the first slice

Flipping through the pages of Real Simple

 I immediately stopped at this recipe:

 Butternut Squash Flat Bread 

with 

Cheddar Cheese and Pine Nuts.

 I stopped

 because

 I thought it was interesting

 ... 

hmmm, I thought,

 could this be good?

 I love butternut squash

 and

 I can't say enough good things about extra sharp cheddar cheese

 so

 I made the decision

 ... 

Marc and I would make the pizza!!

 And

 were we surprised,

 it was incredible.

 The extra sharp cheddar and butternut squash

 made a perfect pair.

 The pizza was all together hearty and oozed with warmth. 

 Making pizza is one of my favorite things to do

 and

 I can't remember the last time I went out for pizza 

... 

I would much rather stay home,

 roll dough,

 grate cheese

 and 

devour homemade pizzas.

 If you are interested in the recipe go here

 ...

 you will not be disappointed

 Wishing you a lovely week!

 Bisous!

Fresh Color

a plethora of colorful berries

a closer look

arranged in a different way

soft orange

strawberry coconut

I love going to the Farmers' Market 

to 

admire 

all of the 

COLOR!!!

Enjoy your weekend

and 

thank you

for 

all of your sweet 

comments

and 

support!!

BISOUS!

Buttered Lattes and Cupcakes

I need to go back to

and

 grab a buttered latte

enjoy a cupcake

or two

(don't worry this was Marc's)

and 

make sure 

there

 is

 nothing left to take home

afternoon walks and chocolate scones

take a walk

and

smell the roses

 or

 admire a California Poppy

end your walk with ...

a cup of tea and chocolate scones

When you go for a walk

 do you take the time to smell the roses?

  Two weeks ago,

 Marc's family visited

 and 

we went on an afternoon walk.

 And, I noticed

 that they took the time to smell the roses.

So,

on Sunday,

 Marc and I took a Sunday stroll

 and

 stopped to smell the roses and admire them as well.

 My camera was in hand

 and I snapped away.

 My 50mm lens has quickly become one of my favorite lenses

 but

 I won't lie

 it took some getting used to.

 After our walk,

 we came home and enjoyed 

a cup of tea

 and 

 homemade chocolate scones.

Last week I found a yummy recipe

 that of course

 I altered

 and

 made fresh chocolate chip scones.

 The key ingredients were vanilla,

 orange juice

 and

 oddly a bit of heavy whipping cream.

 I used such a small amount of whipping cream

 that it ended up working with the orange juice.

 As for the dark chocolate,

 I crushed it with a rolling pin

 and

 covered my scones with dark chocolate chunks

 .... 

pure bliss. 

And, the perfect way to end a walk.

Wishing you a lovely day!!

Bisous

A Taste of Summer

a place to relax

grab a cup of coffee

admire

watch

enjoy

appreciate each bite

indulge

inspire

Summer is right around the corner

 and

 I am anxiously awaiting Summer's arrival.

 Last week,

 I "had to" make a trip up to College Avenue 

 to pick up a gift for my mom 

...

 her favorite perfume

 China Rain can only be purchased at Body Time

 so,

 I took the opportunity to grab dinner,

 dessert and coffee

 at

 Summer Kitchen bake shop .

Marc and I snagged seats at the counter.

 I love counter style seating

 because

 it is incredibly interactive and cozy.

 Marc ordered braised pork with creamy polenta and roasted cauliflower 

and

 I ordered a lemon marinated chicken sandwich with fresh fennel 

... 

we could not have been happier.

 We sat,

watched

 and 

chatted with the owner

Paul

who is also the head chef. 

 One of the other chefs

 delighted us with her stories 

of culinary school.

 

Afterwards,

 we each ordered cupcakes 

... 

I went with a Raspberry Cupcake

 and

 Marc chose a Lemon Meringue Cupcake

 and

 to wash it down

 we had two cups of slow dripped Blue Bottle Coffee.

 All in all,

 our meal was incredible.

 I loved the setting 

as it was perfectly suited for Summer. 

We chatted,

 laughed, 

and made friends with other customers.

 What is your favorite place to grab a bite to eat and why? 

I hope all of you have a lovely Monday 

and 

I am headed over to catch up on your blogs ... our internet is fixed.

BISOUS!!

sweet strawberries

the perfect duo

vanilla is key

all together lovely

all dressed up

a refreshing glass

cheers

Being that strawberries are in season

 I have found myself buying basket

 after

 basket

 of

 fresh, plump strawberries.

 So,

 being that I am in this routine

 I thought I would share with you two recipes that include these little jewels:

 strawberry water with lime

 and

 strawberries with fresh whipped cream.

Both recipes

...

 were introduced to me by my Mom 

... 

and it is quite true

Moms really do know what is best.

Strawberries and Fresh Whipped Cream

Ingredients

small carton of heavy whipping cream

fresh strawberries

sugar (you can adjust the amount depending on how sweet you want your whipped cream)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

hand mixer

1. pour a 1/2 cup of heavy cream into a bowl

2. add sugar ... the amount will vary depending on your sweet tooth, 

I add about a handful of sugar

3. whip your cream on the medium setting on your hand mixer, be careful not to whip for too long or you may end up with really thick butter, 

hey but that is ok too. 

4. Add vanilla when the cream is about half way done

5. mix until light and fluffy

6. Enjoy your whipped cream with your fresh strawberries

 ... 

I like to serve the strawberries and whipped cream in cute tea cups.

*whipped cream is incredibly simple and the taste and the texture is entirely up to you ...

so have fun with it 

and 

make some homemade whipped cream.

Strawberry Water with Lime

Ingredients

one basket of strawberries (about 1 cup)

a tablespoon of lime juice

sparkling water

water

ice cubes

sugar

1. place strawberries in a blender and blend 

2. add 1 cup of water

3. blend until smooth

4. add lime juice to your liking

5. add sugar ... again add as much as you would like it depends on how sweet you want your water

6.blend

7. add a cup of sparkling water 

and 

a couple of ice cubes

8. blend and enjoy

After a long run, 

I love drinking this water with dinner.

 It is all together refreshing and incredibly tasty.

Also, the winners of the giveaway are: Micaela, Lily from Big Bang and Homemade Grits 

...

Congrats!!!

please email me at writingldy@gmail.com with your addresses

 so 

I can send you your books!!!

Enjoy your Thursday!!

Bisous!

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

rhubarb

rhubarb with sugar

strawberries

oh sweet strawberries and rhubarb

canned

a present for my mom

Over the weekend I jammed away ...

  no

I did not pull out my banjo

 ...

instead ...

 I purchased several mason jars,

 a bunch of rhubarb and over 100 strawberries

 and 

whipped up Jam.

 I saw the recipe on Lovely Morning and immediately knew I had to JAM!!!

 I was a bit apprehensive at first

  only because the recipe seemed so simple 

...

 and

 I thought to myself

 ...

 surely making jam is a lot more difficult

 and if it is this simple 

...

 why the bleep haven't I been making jam???

 So,

 I chopped up my rhubarb,

 soaked it in sugar for an hour,

 stemmed my strawberries and crushed them,

 and

 then boiled my rhubarb and strawberries for over an hour 

.... and in the end

I had JAM!!!

 YES JAM!!!

 I canned it up

 (next time I will get smaller jars ... I ended up with only four jars ... really huge jars)

 and

 made a special jar for my mom for Mother's Day.

 So,

 the point of this little rant

 is to get all of you jamming

 .... 

you will not regret it

 and so far

 this is what I have created with my rhubarb jam:

a strawberry rhubarb panini with gruyère cheese

strawberry rhubarb crepes with dark chocolate and powdered sugar

strawberry rhubarb on sourdough bread with whipped butter

spoonfuls of rhubarb straight from the jar

and

strawberry rhubarb drizzled over vanilla ice cream

the combinations are endless!!!

I am still without internet

 and

 I promise my posts and visits to your blogs will be more frequent

 once the internet in my home is up and running

 ... but for now ...

 this will do.

 I miss all of your blogs and will announce the winners of the Giveaway

 on Wednesday. 

Happy Tuesday!

Bisous

For the Recipe you can find it over at Lovely Morning ...

hurry on and head over

you will love it!

ici

Ici

incredible flavors

oh so cute

homemade cones

oh gelato

I love gelato

This weekend I will be headed here

 ... ici ... 

which in French means here,

 yes ... here!!!

I stumbled upon this gelato shop four years ago with my aunt

 and for awhile I

 ... tucked the memory of my trip into my pocket.

However,

lately,

I've been making weekly visits ... it is just too good to pass up!!

 Ici is located on one of my favorite streets

 ...

 College Avenue in Berkeley.

...

College Avenue in a nutshell:

there is the most delightful bookstore

an old fashion soda fountain that serves incredible goodies

amazing cafes

sandwich shops

cheese shops

flower shops

and 

restaurants galore

Oh ...

 and last but not least

 Ici of course!!

Just around the corner from College Avenue is

 my dad's favorite breakfast spot Rick and Ann's

 ...

 we meet here almost every week

and

 their scones are incredible ... the last scone I had was a ginger scone ... oh my!!!

So,

the next time you are in the area

I am urging you to stop at Ici.

 Their gelato flavors are unique,

 all together amazing

 and

 simply wonderful.

There is usually a line but it is worth the wait

 ...

 and

 don't just get one scoop go for the gold and get three!!!! 

And,

 if you are wondering how to spend a day in Paris without going to France

 stop by Lauren's Blog

 ... I did a little post for her How to Series.

As for the Homemade Life Giveaway ...

 leave a comment including your favorite recipe by Saturday 

and

 you could win a copy of my current read

A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Bisous!