Wednesday, October 31, 2012

 
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RISE….RISE….RISE

I had the pleasure of eating at a lovely place called RISE in Dallas, Texas.
My sister, Helena, knows I love ambiance and good food that is well presented. We went there for a treat. It is a unique SOUFFLE restaurant and you leave feeling you have had a wonderful meal and feel light and satisfied.
The place is run by a lovely lady, called Hedda. Hedda comes from France and has combined her love of cooking and antiques to create a setting that is charming and rises to any occasion.
Good soufflés. made with the best organic ingredients, fresh herbs and clever and balanced cooking flavors and style are a delight
The restaurant has little bits and pieces you can buy, bric a brac arranged with a light feminine touch, environmentally created articles, natural linens, recycled glass for drinking glasses and plates and a collection of French antiques you want to go home with
One  visit is not enough. It is place you feel at home in and have the urge to return.

They have a beautiful book you can buy there and try out the great recipes

Try to make a soufflé and remember to serve it immediately, with a little side dish, a good wine and appreciative diners

Cheese soufflés: 50g butter, 25grms breadcrumbs, 50grm flour, 1 teaspoon mustard powder, 300ml milk, 4 eggs .100 grams grated goats or cheddar cheese. Warm the oven to 200 C (400 F).
Melt butter in a double boiler. Add flour, breadcrumbs, mustard and remove from the heat Add milk and mix . Return to heat and stir  until it is thick. Cool in a bowl of ice cold water under the  pot. Crack and separate the eggs, Whisk the whites stiff. Mix the yellows into the sauce add the goats or cheddar cheese. Stir in the stiff whites.  Place in little ramekins that have been lightly buttered. Place in the oven and bake until the soufflé has risen……serve immediately.

Chocolate, individual little soufflés for dessert.

200 grams dark chocolate.150 grams butter, cut into cubes.
6 eggs. 175 grams sugar. 125 grams flour.   You can use brown sugar and a mix of brown and white flour..
Warm oven to 180c.

Melt chocolate and butter  in double boiler. Beat eggs with sugar. Add flour, fold in chocolate mixture.
Divide into little pots and bake 10 minutes. Serve with cream, custard or a little ice cream.  Decorate with a few mint leaves, or dust with icing sugar. Makes an elegant dessert.

You can create soufflés with fresh pears, strawberries, and even coffee soufflés. I  picked up  ideas for soufflés from CUISINE MINCEUR by Michel GUERARD  1976. His ideas of cooking and baking are wonderful

Have a great week and love and light Rona


Saturday, October 27, 2012

 
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Saturday, October 13, 2012

 
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THANKSGIVING


THANKSGIVING…………

Another year has flown by and here we are planning Family Get Togethers and meals, gifts and fun. I always advise people to plan ahead and have time to be with the guests and family. Do not go overboard and have so much to do, that you end up exhausted. We live in a world where we can plan ahead, freeze some items and store carefully in the refrigerator.

Plan the areas you will use, tables, chairs, outdoor furniture, umbrellas and plates, glasses, cutlery and cloths . Buy a few seasonal pot plants that can serve as décor and then be planted into the garden afterwards. Buy all the goodies, candies, throw away dishes, gift wrappings, bows, cards and gifts now. Have abundant extras like a few toothbrushes, toothpaste and shampoos, shower caps and sun tan items for stay over guests. You need to check the First Aid Kit for minor scratches and injuries.

Make sure the cameras  are ready...................


Look at my  Sane and Sensible article of November 21, 2009 for lots of recipes and ideas.

VEGETABLES TRAY FOR THANKSGIVING.
This can be made two days ahead.

Buy beets, sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, cauliflower, onions, garlic eggplants. potatoes zucchinis,pumpkin and mushrooms. For flavors use parsley, rosemary, basil, tarragon and mint leaves. Where possible use fresh vegetables and herbs.

I wash the vegetables. The hard ones like beets, sweet potatoes and potatoes are steamed for five to eight minutes and then prepared for baking. Garlic are cut in half and sprinkled with olive oil for baking. The onions are peeled and baked whole Pumpkin, egg plant and zucchinis are sliced carefully and mushrooms are placed in a   separate dish, spiced and sprinkled with olive oil and a little juice of onions and garlic.
Arrange all the vegetables on a large baking tray that has   been wiped with olive oil. Sprinkle the rosemary on the potatoes, a little cinnamon on the sweet potatoes and pumpkin, some tarragon on the zucchinis and  use salt and pepper, vegetable salt and sprinkled dried onions on the other vegetables. The cauliflower can be steamed and then put on the tray with a little grated cheese and  chopped almonds.  
Bake in a medium oven for forty minutes, but baste with the olive oil a few times.  Cool and refrigerate. You can warm these up to serve on Thanks giving day.


FABULOUS SALAD WITH BEANS, ZUCCHINI AND FETA CHEESE.

 Buy three cups of green   beans and cut up into  finger size pieces. Steam over water with a tea bag in it. Cut the zucchinis into angles pieces and steam as well Place these into an oven dish and cover with chopped parsley and some mint leaves. Sprinkle over a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil and mixed herbs. Grate a cup of Feta cheese over this and serve in  a large bowl.  You can add one or two nasturtium flowers as décor or a few chopped hazel nuts.

COOKED SWEET POTATOES AND SLICES OF CHEESE AND BREAD STICKS.

Cook five sweet potatoes and cut into finger shaped pieces. Cool Arrange on  a flat platter. Buy a hard yellow cheese and arrange pieces of even sizes in rows with alternating bread sticks. Serve with a dressing of half a cup of orange juice and half a cup of techina, blended with a little honey and pour over and serve.

MUSHROOMS BAKED WITH BABY ONIONS AND GARLIC.

Prepare wiped mushrooms, about thirty button mushrooms. You can use a variety of mixed mushrooms as well. Place them in an oiled oven dish. Peel ten to fifteen baby onions and add them Use garlic cut in half and a few slices of kohlrabi. Mix in some chopped parsley and grated ginger. Add salt and pepper according to taste and sprinkle olive oil over all the vegetables. Cover and bake for twenty five minutes in a medium oven. Check and if the vegetables are soft, uncover and let it stand for a few minutes in the oven.
Serve this on a bed of mashed potatoes with lots of chopped parsley as décor. For a quick way, just split two French loaves and fill with the mushroom  mix

It all works as long as you remain smiling and relaxed
 Have a  HAPPY THANKSGIVING………………………………………………

LOVE AND LIGHT  

RONA

THANKSGIVING

 


"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but also the parent of others."
Cicero.

Monday, October 8, 2012

 
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   QUICK AND EASY LUNCH SALADS

BEETS...BEETROOT

  Use three  raw beets, peel and grate them .  Grate three carrots, one kohlrabi and one peeled apple or a pear.  Add spinach leaves, a few walnuts and almonds. These can be crushed. Make a dressing of the juice of two oranges, a tablespoon of techina and a two teaspoons  tablespoon of  honey, two teaspoons of olive oil and slat and pepper.  I add one or two tablespoons of sultanas  If you prefer an easy sweet  dressing, use pomegranate juice with olive oil and a little parsley.
I serve this with cottage cheese on the  side for a dairy meal or just good hummus with a meat meal.



BEETROOT AND BAKED POTATOES.

 Cook three beets and bake four potatoes.  Peel the beets and slice into cubes. Dice the potatoes, You can leave the skins on.  Saute two thinly sliced onions and two  crushed garlic cloves in a little olive oil, two teaspoons of pine nuts and   a teaspoon of mustard seeds, salt and pepper.  Then mix the beets and potatoes in with the sauteed vegetables and add a thin dressing of olive oil and   techina.

BEETROOT, PEAS AND CAULIFLOWER.

Cook three beets, Cool and remove skins.   Steam two cups of cauliflower, a cup of peas, a cup of chopped kale and one small onion.  Mix with the beets.  Add salt, pepper and  a little olive oil and natural apple cider vinegar.  Mix gently and serve with a sprinkling of sunflower seeds on top


BEETS AND COOKED APPLES AND WALNUTS

Cook three beets, Cool and peel.  Cube them .Peel three apples and cube them Steam them for five minutes  .     Mix  the cooked apples and beets and add ten chopped walnuts, and a dressing of two teaspoons honey, a dash of cinnamon, two teaspoons of olive oil and  a little lemon juice.   This is lovely served on a bed of lettuce leaves  with sprouts arranged all over  it in a large shallow salad bowl.




Make sure you eat a mix of colors in vegetables. Add cranberries, nuts, sesame seeds   and raisins , dried cut up figs and apricots. .     Enjoy   Love and light  Rona  Kruger    .
 
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 THINKING AHEAD TO COLDER WEATHER

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND THINKING AHEAD TO COLDER DAYS.

I wish you a good year, time to dream and time to enjoy each day. We have all had a week end of eating and drinking, enjoying cakes ,cookies and candies. Now back to the regular routine.
We suddenly have the weather change and feel the need for a good soup, perhaps a warm bowl of food, a casserole and hot meals .

Here are a few ideas to create winter ideas, for colder evenings.
Firstly reorganize your grocery cupboard. Prepare grains and soup ingredients. Do not rely on packaged soups, Do your own.
There are brown and orange lentils, whole-wheat rice, wild rice, barley, all kinds of beans, wheat, oats, soya products, dried green peas, dried mushrooms, garbanzo, chickpeas pastas and noodles.

You do not have to invest in large quantities. Better to buy for two to three weeks at a time. I take the dry goods and place them in air tight containers. I wash them well , when I use them and many need to be soaked overnight or for a few hours.

Create a collection of containers that are suitable for freezing. Not every kind of plastic is good for the freezer. Go into a reliable store and find medium size containers for cooked soups, beans and vegetarian dishes.

I buy small quantities of herbs and spices. Try to use as many fesh products as you can. Use frozen products when you haven’t enough time to create meals with fresh ingredients. I like to have peas and beans in the freezer.

BASIC VEGETABLE SOUPS.

You need a large pot and a variety of vegetables. Go for yellow, greens and sweet potatoes, white potatoes and grains and beans. If you want to use lentils, beans, wheat and barley, wash and soak for a little while. Use fresh parsley, carrots, pumpkin, onions, garlic, dill and good greens like zucchinis, celery and cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Simply wash well and cut up, place in the pot of water, add vegetable salt and pepper. You can add a dash of curry, sweet paprika and a few herbs. Cook on a medium flame and let it boil for a few minutes, lower flame and let if cook until the vegetables are soft. Do not store until the soup is cool.
Freeze soups in medium size containers and thaw before warming up. There is an added advantage when reheating soups, just re energize them by cutting up a carrot, onion and a few grated carrots . Jus drop these into the pot. Looks great and tastes good. This is also when you can add a cup of peas or cut up beans from the freezer.

Serve soup in bowls, with cooked rice, a whole-wheat bread or slices of toast. Enjoy Love and light Rona