Jambon en Honfleur

My  husband loves to eat ham.

We'd been leisurely walking side-by-side holding hands in the quaint, beautiful little town of Honfleur in northern France, until he saw this shop:

La Maison Du Jambon

(The Ham House)

His very lousy French translated those words just fine.

 

His eyes swirled around in his head and he sort of jittered the way Toad, of Wind in the Willows fame, did when he saw a shiny new motorcar.

I love France so much!

(And I love my ham-eating husband, too!)

Chicken Alfredo with a Twist

Quick, quick, hurry, hurry throw something together. Ever have that refrain rushing through your mind around mealtime? 

I'm here to help. Read the entire recipe before beginning, to get your ingredients gathered and the timing right.

Chicken Alfredo, Cherie Style:

Chicken breast, cut into smaller pieces so it will cook quicker (see photo above). Coat in flour, salt,  pepper, and dried thyme. Brown in butter and olive oil (medium - medium high heat) and cook almost through (lower the heat).

Toss some broccoli florets, and garlic on top before chicken is cooked through, add some water (1/3 - 1/2 cup or so, to keep things from scorching and to create steam), and a few squeezes of lemon juice (a teaspoon, if using bottled). Cover and steam until the broccoli is just about cooked the way you like it and the chicken registers 165 degrees or just under. Add cherry tomatoes, and let them heat for a couple of minutes, not to bursting, but warming them enough to turn their insides to liquid. Yum!

While the broccoli is steaming in the chicken, begin to boil pasta water in large pot (remember to add salt).

Once broccoli is steamed (this takes only minutes) drain excess water from pan, if there is any, add a container of whatever fresh Alfredo sauce you like - mine came from Whole Foods, so good - plus fresh cream, some glugs of white wine (1/4 - 1/2 cup), and season to taste. (I added some of my own dried thyme from the garden. Also, the wine is optional.) Heat through, simmering not boiling, so as not to break the cream. As soon as you have your sauce stirred in the pan with the chicken, cream, and wine, while it is simmering, drop your fresh pasta in the boiling water. This way everything will be heated and ready at the same time as fresh pasta takes but a few minutes to cook. (If you use dry pasta, begin the pasta sooner as it takes longer to cook.)

Plate the drained pasta, pile the chicken and sauce atop, garnish with whatever fresh herb you want (I had some fresh basil on hand.) Grated hard white cheese can be served on the side or grated on top before serving, or omitted altogether.

Enjoy this quick, impressive, one-dish meal full of protein, vegetables, dairy, herbs, and delicious pasta!

(After snapping this photo, I added more sauce to this serving before eating. Just so you know. Delicious!)

Joyful Art

One of the first things French people will tell you, when asked about Americans, is how Americans gobble their food. It drives them crazy.

The English will timidly ask, "Are the portions really as large as we hear?"

It's rather embarrassing.

It's something we moms and dads can do something about. First, by modeling mannerly eating habits and proper table etiquette, and secondly, by teaching them to our children, however long it may take. 

My children - and my husband - have heard me say time and time and time again, when pointing out etiquette at the dinner table, "If you ever eat with the President of the United States, you will be grateful to know these things." 

I have added the Queen of England to that statement, just in case.

Yes, eyes roll. But on more than one occasion of fine dining, I have been pleasantly surprised to see my Viking children using exquisite etiquette. Napkins and hands in laps (except in France, where hands are to be seen, a holdover from days of old when a weapon could be lurking beneath the tabletop), no elbows on the table when eating, correct utensils used in the correct order, politeness to the wait staff, bodily noises kept in check, enjoyment of food carefully eaten in small increments, please and thank-you's, consideration when passing food, inside voices used at all times. You get the idea. 

The kids - all adults now - enjoy these special occasions tremendously. A thing of beauty.

Find an etiquette book that covers table manners.

Read it.

Learn it.

Teach it.

You'll be doing the world an incredible lot of good.

Dining - whether a quick meal or a leisurely one - nourishes the spirit as well as the body in its joyful art.

Rhubarb Muffins

A friend gifted me with many stalks of rhubarb yesterday.

I enjoy rhubarb. Rhubarb pie, rhubarb sauce, rhubarb jelly, rhubarb crisp.

Today I tried a new-to-me recipe which I found in Simply in Season, by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. I love this cookbook as it has recipes categorized in, you guessed it, seasons. So convenient! The recipes are amazingly fresh, interesting, varied.

Not willing to forget this Rhubarb Muffin recipe - or where I found it - I am posting it here for posterity.

Perhaps you'll give it a go? It's easy. Slide some rhubarb stalks from your garden, or your friend's garden, or perhaps purchase a stash of freshly picked rhubarb from your farmers' market, dice up a bit, and make a batch of these nutty, fruity, fluffy, delicious muffins. 

You'll be glad you did.

Rhubarb Muffins

Yields 1 dozen

1 1/2 cups / 375 ml all-purpose flour

1 cup / 250 ml whole wheat flour 

(I had no whole wheat on hand so used only all-purpose. You can use all whole wheat if you prefer, or this ratio)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine thoroughly

1 cup / 250 ml buttermilk, sour milk, or plain yogurt (I used yogurt)

3/4 cup / 175 ml brown sugar 

1/2 cup / 125 ml oil

1 egg (beaten)

2 teaspoons vanilla

In a separate bowl, mix well. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened.

1 1/2 cups / 375 ml rhubarb (diced)

1/2 cups / 125 ml nuts (toasted and chopped; optional)

Stir in. Fill greased muffin tins two-thirds full.

(My muffin tins filled almost completely full. But it worked just fine! I baked two minutes longer.)

1/4 cup / 60 ml sugar

1 Tablespoon butter (melted)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon flour

Combine and sprinkle on top of batter. Bake in preheated oven at 375F / 190C until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. (If they last that long! My gang enjoyed these muffins warm.)

Credit: Marilyn Swartzentruber and Clatherine Klassen

Choices

Sometimes the difference between success and failure comes down to simply pausing.

Pausing in that space between impulse and action.

To wait out a craving, to just wait, to grab onto all the lessons learned which inform that the morning will be happier if an impulse is denied.

By my own free will.

My choice.

There is a difference between deprivation and choosing to rest in satisfaction rather than over indulge.

Freedom. I see it as freedom to rule my impulses.

Sometimes they get the better of me. But, if I win more than my impulses do, the results I need will come.

Eventually.

Last evening I won.

This morning I smile.

I am that much stronger.

French Croissants

Croissants on Sunday morning add aroma, taste, and happiness to our home. Three bakeries in town have good croissants, but they each lack a thing or two. One bakery adds too much salt, the other two haven't a crispy enough outer shell to suit us. We like a croissant that crunches and leaves little pieces all over your shirt if you don't catch them in your free hand.

Solution? Fresh home made croissants from an old french recipe which takes three days and is very simple.

It's one sure way to create smiling faces in the early morning hours!

Final rising near the wood stove. Works like a charm.

Brushed with milk.

One dozen crispy on the outside, soft on the inside croissants

Wish you were here!

Interested in giving it a go? Here's the recipe:

Croissants

Friday Night 

1 cup milk

2 tsp active dry yeast

2 ¼ cups flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of warm milk. Measure out 2 ¼ cups flour and add 2 Tbsp of this flour to the milk and yeast. Whisk until smooth, and then cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for about 20 minutes or until it doubles in size.

Meanwhile, mix the sugar and salt with the remaining 2 1/8 cups of flour. Prepare your mixer by putting on the dough hook attachment.

Next, transfer the raised dough of milk, yeast and flour to the mixing bowl. Warm the remaining ¾ cup of milk and add it to the bowl. Using dough hook (if your mixer has one) turn the mixer to medium and gradually add in dry ingredients of flour, sugar and salt. Reduce the speed to low and allow it to mix until the dough is sticky and soft. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (I lay a plate atop the plastic wrap covered bowl, too, to hold the plastic wrap in place.)

Saturday Morning

12 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature (I set the butter out the night before)
3 Tbsp flour

Using your hand and a plate or a clean surface (I use waxed paper), knead the flour into the softened butter until fully incorporated. Shape into a square.

Cover your work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the fridge and begin to roll it into a 6 inch x 15 inch rectangle. Place the square of butter on the top third of the rolled dough. Gently spread the butter to cover the top 2/3 of the rectangle of dough leaving a ½ inch border around the outside.

Fold the dough like a letter, folding the bottom 1/3 up first and then the top 1/3 down. Turn it counter clockwise so the open flap is to the right. It should look like a notebook.

Roll it out again to a 6 inch x 15 inch rectangle and fold again. Transfer to a baking pan (I use cookie sheet lined with parchment paper), cover lightly with plastic wrap (give dough room to expand) and put back in the fridge for about 6 hours. (I lay a towel atop the plastic wrap, too, to keep it in place.)

Saturday Afternoon 

Remove the dough from the fridge, place on a floured work surface. Roll out the dough and fold just like during the morning. Do this two times, wrap it again and refrigerate it overnight, (covered with plastic wrap and towel.)

Sunday Morning (You’re almost done!)

2 Tbsp milk for brushing

1 egg yolk + 1 Tbsp milk for glaze

Plan to start this process about 1 1/2  to 2 hours before you want to eat the croissants. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Working quickly, roll it out to a 16 inch circle. Cut the dough into quarters and each quarter into 3 triangles. (I use a pizza cutter - works great!)

To make each croissant, with both hands roll the wide base of triangle toward the corner. Transfer each one to a baking sheet. Brush with milk and then let them stand for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on room temperature. They should double in size.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Stir yolk and milk together and brush each croissant with the glaze. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (I switch tray positions halfway through). If they brown too quickly lay a piece of foil over the top during baking. Let them cool 20 minutes before serving.


Recipe from French Women Don't Get Fat, by Mireille Guiliano

Celebrating the Lamb of God Who Takes Away the Sins of the World

We combined Passover and Easter foods today for our Resurrection Sunday Dinner. What fun! And the taste was out of this world, thanks to my many helpers.

Rotisserie Leg of Lamb

Tom hit it out of the park with this lamb today. Last evening, I stuffed the cavities left from bone removal with fresh-from-my-garden sage, chives, and rosemary, plus garlic. I also tucked spears of rosemary and long chives under the outer strings. Into a kitchen trash bag went the meat. Cassie poured an entire bottle of red wine into the bag, onto the meat. While pulling the bag up and pressing the air out we were able to get the wine to draw up and around the meat pretty well. We left it that way all evening, then turned the meat to continue marinating while we slept. Smelled divine! This morning, Tom fired up the old grill, speared the meat, and let it turn, turn, turn over smoking wood chips and a pan of water to keep the lamb moist. Cassie is so right when she describes what she learned in culinary school: it's not the tools, it's the person using the tools that determines the outcome. Tom gets all Gold Stars and Thumbs Up today! He has 'the magic touch.'

Farm Fresh Eggs which we Deviled

Tom picked these flowers from our yard for our centerpiece! What a sweet man!

The view from my Easter Dinner. 

Italian rosemary flatbread for unleavened bread, a roll because we like them, lamb which represents the Passover lamb and Christ the Lamb of God, Cheroseth (apples, nuts, brown sugar, honey, and wine) symbolizing the mortar the Israelites used to build Egyptian buildings, eggs representing New Life because of Christ's resurrection, and radishes as 'bitter herbs' for the bitter time in Egypt (which we dipped in the little white cups of salt water which represents tears shed.) And asparagus, because it's yummy, plus four flavors of jams, jellies, and preserves including Prickly Pear Cactus Jelly from Sedona, Arizona!

Caroline's Famous Chocolate Cake topped this meal off in style! The pictures do not do it justice. It's moist and not too sweet, but oh, so chocolatey. The first photo is the frosting being prepared, the second, obviously, the finished cake, the third is Caroline's piece of cake. Wish you were here!

While the foods of Passover and Easter remind us of what we are celebrating - the most relevant, important event in all of history - it is our very living in the light of the truth of the Resurrection of Jesus, our Promised Messiah, that gives us Strength, Courage, Joy, Love, and Hope.

Christ is Risen, Hallelujah!

And Happy Resurrection Sunday to You!