Saturday Brunch

This past Saturday I put together a brunch

to kick off my bible study/book club

We pick a book,

read a chapter or two,

then get together once a month to discuss

good times

We'll be reading

"So Long Insecurity, You've Been a Bad Friend to Us"

by

Beth Moore

Brunch Menu

Bacon, Eggs & Toast Cups

Biscuits & Gravy

Cinnamon  & Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

White Chocolate-Banana Creme Brulee Tarts

Cafe Au Lait Punch

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

6 slices white or whole wheat bread

12 slices bacon (cooked)

12 large eggs

Coarse salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven 375

Lightly butter a 12 cup muffin pan

With a rolling pin, flatten bread slices slightly & with a 4 1/4 inch cookie cutter

cut into 6 rounds

Cut each round in half, then press 2 halves into each muffin cup,

overlapping slightly, making sure the bread comes up to edge of each cup

(Use extra bread to bridge gaps)

Brush bread with remaining melted butter

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until almost crisp

(4 minutes, flipping once)

Lay 1 bacon slice in each bread cup

Crack an egg over each slice of bacon

Bake until egg whites aer just set 20-25 minutes

Run a small knife around the cups to loosen the toasts

Cafe au Lait Punch

This recipe came from the

Junior League of Baton Rouge, Louisiana

River Road Recipes IV

Warm Welcomes

Entertaining Menus from Our Home to Yours

Copyright 2004

Cafe Au Lait Punch

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark roast coffee  @ room temperature

1 liter ginger ale @ room temperature

1 liter club soda @ room temperature

2 cups half-n-half

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream

Directions

Combine the sugar, coffee, ginger ale, club soda

& half-n-half in a large punch bowl

Mix Well

Fold in the ice cream

White Chocolate-Banana Creme Brulee Tart

I got this recipe from Pillsbury

This is my 2nd time to make these

They are delicious

The key is to not over cook the pastry shells



Cinnamon & Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

This recipe came from

100 Perfect Pairings

small plates to enjoy the wines you love

by

Jill Silverman Hough

Cinnamon & Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 - 3 ounce cream cheese @ room temperature

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

12 slices cinnamon raisin bread

1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, salt

& cinnamon

(This can be prepared up to a day in advance storing covered in the refrigerator)

Set 2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture aside

Spread remaining cream cheese mixture evenly on 6 slices of bread

Top with the 6 remaining pieces of bread

Trim the crusts & cut sandwiches in quarters

Place the pecans on a plate

Spread the reserved cream cheese mixture along one edge of each of the sandwiches

Gently press into the nuts

[You can prepare the sandwiches up to 4 hours in advance & store in the refrigerator]

Server cold or at room temperature

{Pairs well with gewurtraminer}

Paula Deen's Biscuits & Gravy

Click here for the recipe

This was my 1st attempt

to make homemade biscuits

and sausage gravy

I used spicy sausage

&

about 2 cups of fat free half n half

instead of milk - then water

It turned out pretty darn good for my 1st try  

Food & Wine - October 2010 Issue

If you drink wine, then the October issue of Food & Wine

is a must read

They list so many wines to try under $20

The recipes all have wine pairings

Can't wait to try some of them 

Halloween Spirit

Aren't these cute?

the black kitty cat trick or treat bag

&

the man in the moon candles are from Pottery Barn Kids

I love this cute spooky boo pillow 

Stinky Cheese Risotto

I'm excited because

I'm going to a Risotto Technique class

tomorrow at Williams Sonoma

This past weekend, I made my first attempt @ risotto with

a recipe I received from Scardello's

(my new favorite cheese place ever)

The recipe Four Cheese Risotto is

 from a book

 called Risotto

by Judith Barrett

&

Norma Wasserman 

I bought these cheeses at Scardellos

Oma-Gorgonzola - Fontina - Parmesan

I do not know the name of the 1st cheese on the left

The recipe calls for Taleggio but they didn't have it

So they gave me Oma comparable

The cool thing about Scardello's is this

They will sell you exactly the amount you need

For instance, this recipe called for 1-2 oz of each cheese

So that is all I had to buy

My Four Cheese Risotto

Ingredients

5 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 T unsalted butter

2 T oil

1/2 cup finely minced onion

1 1/2 cup Arborio rice

1 to 2 oz gorgonzola - rine removed, cubed

1 to 2 oz fontina - rine removed, cubed

1 to 2 oz taleggio - rine removed, cubed

1 T chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Bring broth to a steady simmer in saucepan. 

Meanwhile, heat the butter & oil in a heavy 4 qt casserole over medium heat

Add the onion

Saute for 1 to 2 minutes until they begin to soften being careful not to brown

Add the rice to the onion

Using a wooden spoon, stir for 1 minute, making sure all grains are well coated

Add the wine and stir until it is almost completely absorbed

Begin to add the simmering broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently

Wait until each additional half cup is completely absorbed before adding the next

Reserve about 1/4 cup to add at the end

Stir frequently to prevent sticking

After about 18 minutes, when the rice is tender but still firm, add the reserved broth, cheese and parsley

Stir vigorously until the cheeses are melted and combined with the rice

Serve immediately

Did you notice that there are only 3 cheeses in this recipe???

 Not sure what that is about...

I figured it's just assumed that we all know that parmesan is a given

I was worried that my son wouldn't like it because of the stinky cheese,

but he did like it

It was delicious even though it was a little too al dente

I'm glad I made it before the class tomorrow

so now I can ask the right questions

Cupcake Wine Stopper

I saw this darling cuppa cake wine stopper

@ Steinmart about a month ago

I resisted the impulse to buy it

I was surprised

when it was still there

 on Saturday

it must be fate

it

was

meant

to

be

mine

It matches my new

vintage cuppa cake holder

perfectly

Placemats for All Occasions

I got these Fall placemats @ Kirkland's

about 3 years ago

I didn't really have a plan for them

Just loved the color and the detail

Who knew that they would start a holiday theme placemat collection

I bought these for $1 each @ Dollar Tree

&

a cut-out placemat theme was born

This year was the first year that I really started

decorating my breakfast table for each season

so when I saw these in pink

I had to get them

 $1 each @ Dollar Tree

but

I didn't stop there

I got these at World Market

for $3.99 each

I couldn't resist

Perfect for Easter

I used the pink tulips for Mother's Day

This is my 2nd favorite

I got these at Marshalls for $2.99 each

I used them for my black and white table

I also plan to use them for my Halloween table

I saved the best for last

I just got these at Pier One

for $1.95 each

I have to say these are my fav-o-rite

If you are new to my blog & do not know how I feel

about all things heart

Click here to read all about it

The hardest part is waiting until February to use these!

The only holiday not represented here is 4th of July

I got my eye out for a cute cut-out flag

Flop-Overs

I have never made popovers before

I found a recipe in a magazine

&

it seemed easy enough

As I started to mix the batter together,

I realized some things didn't make sense

I googled and discovered that the recipe

had left out some vital details

like

eggs should be room temperature

milk should be room temperature

it also said to stir the ingredients together

but to not overbeat

(I'm like, do I stir with a spoon or mix with beaters)

Needless to say

the popovers puffed up and looked awesome

but

they tasted very doughy

Now I am on a quest

to find

the

perfect

popover recipe

E

V

E

R