Apple Fig and Brie Phyllo Bundles

For the other three recipe ideas for a romantic dinner for two click here.

Here's a perfect little crispy, luscious bite to serve with cocktails or a glass of Prosecco before dinner.

Makes about 1 dozen

Peel and dice 

1 large apple

Add the apples to a saute pan along with

2 tbsp butter

pinch salt

1/4 tsp five spice powder

juice of half a lemon

Toss together over medium heat until the apples begin to soften but are still firm. Add:

1/2 cup chopped dry figs

Cook only for a minute or two more, remove from heat and allow to cool thoroughly.

1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 pkg frozen phyllo pastry
6-8 ounces brie cheese

Cut the pastry sheets into about 4x6 rectangles. Use four of these per hors d'ouevre. Lay one sheet of phyllo flat, brush with a little butter and repeat until you have a stack of 4 layers. Place a tablespoon of the fig apple mixture along with a small square of cheese at the center of short side of the rectangle, near the edge. Fold the sides in toward the middle, meeting almost at the center, almost covering the filling, then roll up like a spring roll. Place the bundles, seem side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until they are evenly golden brown. Cool for a few minutes before serving.

A Strawberry Cake Valentine

I have a Valentine for YOU!

This cake...

And this card...

It makes me SO happy that you come here to share my cake adventures with me!

I love hearing about your cake adventures too.

You guys make me smile! :0)

This is my Valentine's Day cake.
I make it for my family every year, and they love it!

It starts with a white cake mix...super easy!

Pureed strawberries and cream cheese make it delicious.

And I bake it in heart shaped pans to make it cute.

Strawberry Cake

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 (3 oz.) box of strawberry instant gelatin
• 1/2 cup pureed strawberries (frozen or fresh)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil
• 4 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of 2 heart shaped cake pans with wax paper, and spray the sides with cooking oil.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add water and oil; mix on medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add strawberries and beat until blended. Pour into pans and bake for approx. 25 minutes.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 1/2 cup pureed strawberries (frozen or fresh)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Beat in strawberries and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth. Spread on cooled cake.

This frosting is very soft (and so yummy!), so expect your cake to be

gloriously messy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 
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Lemon Sour Cream Pastry Turnovers

 

I've been making this particular pastry since I was 14 years old and there's a good reason why. This is one of the most tender and flaky butter pastry recipes I have ever tried and the secret is the sour cream that is used to bring the dough together and give the pastry an exceptionally rich taste. 

I use this pastry in savory dishes as well and it is fantastic for making pastry wrapped salmon, chicken and seafood dishes. In this recipe, I have used it along with some homemade lemon curd to make these simple but amazing lemon turnovers which I again shared with the folks at my office. I can't count how many post-Christmas diets that I have shattered there in the last few weeks...but they seem to be quite forgiving so far. ;)

Lemon Curd

In a mall saucepan combine:

6 lightly beaten egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

zest of two lemons, finely minced

1/2 cup butter cut into small pieces

Cook slowly over medium low heat for about 10 minutes stirring constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and stir in the butter a few pieces at a time until completely smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and chill completely in the fridge.

 

Sour Cream Pastry 

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups very cold butter
1 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream

Cut butter into the flour and salt with a food processor or pastry blender until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Small pieces of butter should still be visible in the mix. Stir in the sour cream to form a dough. Form dough into two rectangles, wrap in plastic and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut into 4 inch squares. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of lemon curd into the center of each pastry square and fold over. Press the edges down firmly with the tips of your fingers to seal. Place the turnovers on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and bake for 20-25 minutes until light golden brown. Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding

Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding

Do you always have over ripe bananas sitting on your counter top waiting to be transformed into something to show you didn't waste your money in the first place by buying them? This is a constant reality at our house for sure and most get made into endless loaves of banana bread and banana muffins. Yesterday, with a big bunch of brown speckled bananas begging to be used up, I tried this idea for a twist on our very popular Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe by substituting mashed bananas for the pureed cooked dates. It was a big success to say the least and the 8 teenagers that showed up for lunch made short work of them. 

For a fancier presentation idea, I made some of these in mini silicone muffin pans which worked particularly well because the puddings are so easy to remove from the silicone pans. I plated three of them on a single serving plate which you might think is a little bit of a large portion...but then again, you haven't tried them yet. ;)

Makes about 18 little puddings when baked in muffin tins. These also freeze quite well and can be thawed and reheated in the microwave before serving.

Cream together:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat in, one at a time, beating well after each addition:

• 2 extra large eggs

Add in and beat well:

• 3 tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp golden syrup (or substitute dark corn syrup)

Sift together:

• 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture in three equal portions mixing until smooth after each addition.

Mix together:

• 2 cups pureed banana
• 1 tsp baking soda

Add this mixture immediately to the batter and mix until smooth.

Pour batter into well greased and floured muffin tins and bake for about 18 - 20 minutes at 350 degrees F until the center is just firm. Serve warm with Toffee Sauce.

Toffee Sauce

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Bring to a slow rolling boil for about 2 min before serving over the baked puddings.

Chicken Thyme and Lentil Soup

Chicken Thyme and Lentil Soup

Good Monday morning, got any leftover chicken from your Sunday dinner. This very simple but very tasty soup will make good use of it. Leftover turkey is also just as good.

Chicken Thyme and Lentil Soup

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Chicken Thyme and Lentil Soup - a hearty yet healthy soup that makes the most of leftover roast chicken.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: About 1 hour
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups diced carrots
• 1 cup diced parnsip
• 1 medium red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• large pinch salt
• 6-8 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 4-6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup green lentils green lentils
• 2 - 3 cups diced fully cooked chicken, grilled or roasted

Cooking Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, parsnip, salt and pepper and saute together until the onions begin to soften.
2. Add the chicken stock, thyme, bay leaves and lentils.
3. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are almost cooked.
4. Add the cooked chicken and taste, seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.
5. Simmer for only an additional 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Scones

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Scones

LOVE SCONES? Check out these photos on our Facebook Page

These mega scones are big enough to share with a friend but you probably won't be in the giving mood once you taste one of these beauties. Wake your family up to the smell of warm chocolate deliciousness this weekend.

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Scones

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Warm double chocolate scones are sure to make anyone's weekend brunch a hit.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Total time: Aproximately 40 minutes
Yield: 8 large or 16 small scones
Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butter, very cold and cut in cubes
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

Instructions

1. I start these in my food processor because it is so fast but they can be made just as easily in a large bowl by cutting the butter in with a pastry blender or even 2 knifes held between the fingers.
2. In a food processor combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and baking powder. Pulse in the cold butter. Pulse process until this mixture resembles a coarse meal. It is very important that pea sized pieces of butter remain in this mixture.
3. Remove to a large bowl and toss in the chocolate chips.
4. Mix together the lemon juice, vanilla and milk. Pour this over the surface of the dry mixture. Toss all together gently with a fork only enough to form a dough ball. It is important that you work this dough as little as possible or the finished scones will be too dense and heavy.
5. Roll to 1 inch thickness and cut out scones with biscuit cutter or in triangles with a sharp knife and place on parchment lined baking sheet.
6. If desired you can brush the tops of the scones with an egg wash of 1 egg beaten together with 1 tbsp water. You can sprinkle the tops with sugar if desired but this is, of course, optional but is shown in the photo.
7. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your biscuit cutter. This recipe makes 8 large scones.
8. To make 16 smaller scones make smaller triangles or use a small biscuit cutter and bake for only about 15 - 20 minutes.

R2D2 Star Wars Birthday Cake

Something very exciting and a little scary happened here last week...

My daughter became a teenager!

Gladly, she did not morph overnight into a self-absorbed, constantly texting drama queen.

But I really wasn't worried about that...

I sometimes think that God sent me the easy child first, so that I would have more children!

Our oldest child, Brynn, is unique and wonderful in so many ways.

Her loves are:

Star Wars,

sewing,

reading non-stop,

making origami animals,

and her two pet snakes.

For her birthday, she requested a cake with R2D2 on the top.

So, I made this buttercream transfer!
This decorating technique involves piping buttercream frosting on to a template,
then transferring it to your cake.

Cute little droid, isn't he?

Do you have a Star Wars fan in your family?
You can find my R2D2 template (made by my graphic designer hubby) here.

And my step-by-step tutorial on how to make a buttercream transfer is here. 

May the Force be with you!

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