We are celebrating the return of the Olympics with sunflowers by using sunflower seeds in our baking. This is the recipe for our sunflower seed baguette. Sunflowers from the Miyagi area of Japan are featured at the Olympics. The organizers said that after the earthquake and tsunami, the parents planted sunflowers on a hillside in Miyagi in memory of their children who died, and every year now the hill becomes covered with sunflowers.
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FINNISH COOKIES
These Finnish cookies are made with browned butter, toasted pecans and maple syrup, and then rolled in powdered sugar. There are a number of similar cookies, such as Snowballs, Mexican wedding cookies, and Russian Tea cakes. Tony’s mother is half Finnish and she remembers her Finnish Grandmother making them when she was a child, so she has always called them Finnish cookies. They are a family tradition, and we make them every year at celebrations. Over the years we have made a few changes to her Grandmother’s version, though. This version is made with pecans and maple syrup, ingredients that are native to America, so maybe we should probably call them American cookies at this point, but we are not going to mess with tradition that much.
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GROWING HERBS
Growing herbs is a way to grow plants with many uses. With limited space and restricted water, we want to grow plants to pull double duty. Creating a garden that is beautiful and useful is easier than you think. With the right choices, you could have a garden that produces edible flowers and plants, attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, and is easy to plant and grow, requiring less water, and rarely has insect problems.
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SANTA CRUZ FOREST FIRE
Last year, a forest fire in northern Santa Cruz county, the CZU lightning complex fire, burned 86,000 acres. It was stopped as it reached the University of California, Santa Cruz campus north of Santa Cruz, where we live. As we are again in fire season, we felt it would be a good time to post a few photos we took of the area that was devistated by the fire last year.
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PAIN A L’ANCIENNE FRENCH BREAD
This recipe for Pain a l’Ancienne French bread is our master recipe for French bread, baguettes, ciabatta and pizza. It’s an easy, foolproof recipe that makes a bread that rivals the bread we found in Paris and the pizza in Italy.
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STRASBOURG FARMER’S MARKET
We were able to catch a farmer’s market while visiting Strasbourg, France. A farmer’s market is a great place to get a feel for the local town, check out the food and talk to local people.
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EDIBLE FLOWERS
Many of the plants in our garden produce edible flowers. We espcially like the herbs that produce flowers, because they taste like the herb. The herbs with delicate white flowers look great in a salad or added to other dishes or even drinks. Herbs are also easy to grow, drought tolerant, and attract hummingbirds and butterflies as well as being beneficial to honey bees.
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FIG STAR BREAD IN ITALY
We love the look of this fig star bread. We first saw the star shaped bread in Italy. A soft sweet bread that looks very festive, but is actually very easy to make. The bread is made from a basic sweet bread dough, and for this version we used fig jam and fresh figs.
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FRENCH VANILLA ICE CREAM
French vanilla ice cream. Christmas came early and Santa just left me a Whynter ice cream maker. Wow! We made one batch of ice cream in it and I immediately got rid of all the previous ice cream makers we had hanging out in the garage never being used. No messing with ice and rock salt or freezing the inner container. But best of all, it made the most incredible French vanilla ice cream I have ever had. Better than anything we had found in France. I was stunned.
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THE BEST CINNAMON ROLLS EVER
We love cinnamon rolls, and are always searching for ways to improve on them. This recipe is both easy and OMG delicious! These are by far the best cinnamon rolls we have ever had. The secret is using all the best ingredients and letting them rest overnight, which improves the flavor. It also makes them really easy to make.
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WALNUT BREAD
This is our master recipe for whole wheat sandwich bread. It’s an easy, foolproof recipe that makes an incredibly good bread. The key is in using a whole kernel, stone ground, artisan flour for the whole wheat flour portion. It’s worth the trouble of seeking out something really special.
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BOURBON PECAN ICE CREAM
Bourbon pecan ice cream, made with maple syrup. My new favorite flavor.
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CASSOULET IN PARIS
The cassoulet at Au Pied de Cochon – the perfect Parisian brasserie – was one of the highlights of visiting Paris. On this particular trip, we were there in the winter, so the restaurant was serving le Cassoulet Toulousain. This means it is in the style of the way it is made in Toulouse, which is a classic. It is made with pork shoulder, duck confit, garlic sausage and topped with bread crumbs. With some research, I was able to recreate the recipe at home.
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SPICES – STOCKING UP THE PANTRY
Fall is the time to fill up the spice cabinet, just before the holiday baking season. Ordering spices in bulk from a spice dealer will give you a great price and the best quality. This will make a huge difference in your holiday baking.
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VIETNAMESE CANH SOUP
The Vietnamese Canh soup is similar to Italian Wedding soup, so Tony added orzo for the pasta, and Brussels sprouts as one of the vegetables.
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