BERRIES FROM HEAVEN

HAPPY EASTER.  I wanted to give you my favorite Easter dessert recipe called "Heavenly Berries". A dessert made in heaven.   It's a scrumptious combination of meringue, creams and berries.  It looks and taste HEAVENLY.  So, there is no time to waste.  If you want it for easter you'll want to make the meringue soon, so the meringue and the cream mixture can marry and create some heavenly flavors.   I love recipes that can be made in advance.  Just pull them out of the frig and say "TA-DAH!"  I made this for my book group last week, it was a hit.

Don't let the lengthy instructions discourage you, It's simple,really.

                                                        Bon Appetite,  Peggy

Day 1
Make your meringue base.  Put it in the oven before you go to bed;  cook for 1 hour at 275.  Turn off oven and leave meringue in oven with door closed over night for 12 hours.

Recipe
6 egg whites. warmed to room temp
1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 sugar

Method
Heat oven to 275.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  If you don't have parchment paper, spray with Pam.  In a large bowl (Stand mixers work best), beat your warmed egg whites, cream of tarter and salt until almost stiff.  Beat in the sugar 1 Tbs. at a time, until they are very thick and glossy.  Remember, don't under beat.  Now you can choose if you want to make one big cloud of heaven or individual ones.  I used a pastry bag, but if you don't have one no worries.  Whatever method you use, you need to create  a "swimming Pool" effect in the middle so the cream can set inside.  Since a good meringue is the key to this recipe, here are some hints for a good meringue.  1. separate your eggs when they are cold.  2. don't allow any yolks to get into the meringue  3. make sure your egg whites are at room temp  4. oil or anything greasy is an enemy to meringue, so make sure all your utensils are free of any thing greasy.

Day 2 (filling)
The next morning make you filling,  fill your meringue base or bases then Refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Recipe
2 cups whipped cream (no cool whip allowed)
1 8oz cream cheese, softened to room temp (leave out overnight)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar (use 2 Tbs. of this sugar to sweeten the cream)
2 cups mini marshmallows

Method
In a chilled bowl (stand mixer works best) whip your cream, add vanilla and 2 Tbs, sugar.  In a separate bowl mix the rest of the sugar with the cream cheese at room temperature until smooth.  Fold the cream cheese mixture and marshmallows into the whipped cream.  Fill, cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

YOUR DONE!!
Almost.  just before serving pile on your berries.  My berry favorite berry sweetener is "the Lavender apples" Lavender Simple syrup.  It adds such a unique and wonderful flavor.  Along with

the simple syrup  I sweeten my berries with brown sugar.  Let them sit awhile on the counter so the sugar deslove.

MEET MILO

   

This is Milo our English Mastiff and Great Pyreneese mix puppy.  He is a love, a big (or going to be big) fur ball of mischief and fun.  Notice the chewed up paper on the floor, well that is just the half of it.   He'll make an excellent guard dog,  Pyrenees bark a little more than Mastiffs.  But don't be worried , Pyrenees are big teddy bears just  like the Mastiff

Henry working really hard!

Henry and I wanted to make Milo and Zeus some good healthy dog treats.  So they would have something to chew on, besides us!   Did you know puppies have little razor blades for teeth  ouch!!!   Try out this recipe on any dog, young and old.  They are so good we even eat them.

Healthy Dog Treats

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup corn meal

1/2 cup white flour

1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkins seeds

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. veg oil

1/4 cup molasses or honey

2 eggs slightly beaten

1/4 cup milk

pre-heat oven to 350

In a stand mixer combine  all the dry ingredients.  Combine oil, molasses, eggs and milk, add to the dry ingredients.  Dough should be firm, but more milk may need to be added.  Roll out and cut into shapes.  We happen to have a bone cookie cutter , but I'm almost positive your canine friends won't care much about the shape.  Bake for 20 min. then turn off the oven and let sit in the oven for 1 hour.  If you roll them very thin correct the coking time.  Your dog will thank you for the recipe :)

                                       Bon Appetite, Peggy and Henry

LEMON LAVENDER MACARONS

The french Macaron craze has hit America pretty hard the last couple of years. I loved eating them in France over 20 years ago.  But they just looked to delicate and hard to make.  I have to say the  best I've had are at the famous chocolate shop in paris called " La Masion du Chocolat".  A couple of months ago I even took a class on the art of making these delicious little treats.  The teacher was obsessed on how they looked, rather than the taste, I thought they were bland.    Then I meet this wonderful cook at the Salt lake farmers mkt.  We immediately connected.  Her family had imagrated from Croatia 15 years ago, and my mothers side of the family is from Croatia.  She shared some of her Macarons and they were delicious.  She said "they aren't perfect, but they taste good". I didn't make macarons for long time because I was afraid they wouldn't be perfect. Now I don't care if they are perfect, I just want them to taste great. They are a little delicate and take some thought and pre-planning. Just go for it, even if they flop, they'll still taste good!   
                       Bon Appetite,  Peggy

The only way to really ramp up the taste of macarons is through the fillings.  The Macarons it's self is pretty standard, you can add a bit of color and flavorings,but not much. So that being said, make your filling first.  In my Macaron I used a lemon curd that has been infused with lavender.  My favorite lemon curd recipe you'll find on my daughters blog www.rozlynnshomemadegoodness.blogspot.com her blog is also connected to mine.  I add 1 tsp. lavender then strain it at the end before the butter is added. All curds should be strained to eliminate any stray egg whites.       

Basic Macaron recipe

pre- heat oven 300

68 gram egg whites, covered and aged at room temp for 12-24 hours

34 grams sugar

75 grams blanched almonds

136 grams confectioners sugar

Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer, mix until frothy. Add sugar a little at a time, scraping down sides of bowl.  When sugar is incorporated turn mixer to med high and beat until stiff peaks form.  

Combine almonds and confectioners sugar in a food processor until you can not distinguish the almonds from the sugar.  

With a spatula incorporate half of the almond mixture into the egg whites.  This first half you mix slightly vigorously just until almonds are incorporated.  The second half of the almonds mixture should be incorporated gently using a folding technique.  Fold in just until all is combine, not too much.

Fit a large pastry bag with a #6 or #7 tip.  Pipe a 1 inch rounds on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Now, if you want to try to be perfect you can down load a pattern you put under your parchment. Let Macarons sit on the counter for about an hour so a shell can form.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden.

cool and fill.    

GOODBYE LOYAL FRIEND

   

Our Beautiful Brownie died yesterday on a beautiful sunny day.  Doing what he loved to do best, chase the car down the road. Brownie lived in "Doggie Disneyland" his short 4 years.  He loved roaming around the farm, hanging out with the chickens, trekking up the hills, and into the canyon looking for a nice deer carcass to drag down and munch on. He will be missed by his family, especially his best buddy Zeus.  See you in heaven Brownie, love you.

 IDLE ISLES

CANDY

     This little chocolate covered cream ball carries a big punch.  in the words of one recent convert "that candy is powerful". It's been the signature candy of a little candy shop ( Idle Isles) in Brigham City Utah for the past 93 years.  Simple to make, but yet sooo good.  I love this recipe becasue once the balls are frozen they can sit in the freezer for a couple of months.  Just melt your chocolate and toast your almonds.  Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family does.  Bon Appetite, Peggy

  Mix:

1 cup butter, softened

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 cups sifted powder sugar

1 lb. high quality dipping chocolate

1 lb toasted sliced almond, salted and finely chopped

     Combine butter, milk, vanilla and powder sugar.  mix well and refrigerate until firm enough to handle.  Roll into balls using about 1/2 tsp. per ball.  Freeze cream balls overnight.  Toast Almond and melt chocolate (in microwave).  Roll frozen balls in chocolate, then in almonds.  Refrigerate until ready to use.   Again once you have frozen the cream balls, they can stay in the freezer in a container for some time.  

Orange and Almond

Winter Salad

This salad is perfect while orange are plentiful and so delicious.  I've made this recipe for many years.  It came from an old "Lion House" cook Book.  The original recipe calls for a can of mandarin oranges.  Trust me, a fresh orange peeled and sliced is much, much better,  The recipe has only a few ingredients.  This allows you to add what you and your family like.  I made this tonight and added a salmon filet and  avocado.  In the words of my husband "It is delicious!".  Bon Appetite, Peggy


Dressing
1 tsp. orange zest
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 Tbs. good seasoning dry italian mix
2/3 cups veg oil
1 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake.


Candied Almond (don't skip this step, it really makes the salad pop!)
 6 oz slivered almonds
4 Tbs. sugar
in a skillet add almonds and sugar stir constantly over medium heat.  As the sugar melt, the sugar will coat the almonds.  Almonds will brown quickly so watch carefully.  


Salad
1 head red leaf lettuce, washed, dried and chilled.
( I add a couple of handfuls of spring mix)
1/2 med red onion thinly sliced.
2 oranges peeled and sliced

Combine
Toss salad with oranges and onions.  Add dressing and top with almonds. 

Add-ons 
jicama,  adds a nice crunch
Avocado
Fish or chicken.  Add a protein and make it a whole meal.