A wee bit more asparagus…really, you will soon be missing it when the lovely, fresh local spears are gone and the long hauled, pithy ones return.
Plate to Page 2012 Somerset
Plate to Page Writing and Photograpy Workshop
Meare Court Farm, Somerset UK
Three days in Somerset with the Plate to Page team and participants, left me brimming with renewed inspiration, knowledge, resources and friendships. The workshop, run by Meeta, Ilva, Jamie & Jeanne provided a wealth of information. To learn from women,who not only continually strive to master their crafts, but have also chosen to teach, share and mentor, was a gift… not to mention a lot of fun!
An idyllic setting, located just outside of Taunton in Somerset, provided an inspiring undertone for writing and photography. A large stone house accommodated fourteen lovely women and one brave man! Sharing rooms and bathrooms evoked an immediate feeling of community. After one first quiet meal, the ice broke and friendships quickly ensued.
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Weiß Spargel…
White Asparagus, Hollandaise & Lox
find it at Biscuits and Bobbins
As we continue with our Spargelzeit (asparagus season), you will be seeing many asparagus recipes. For those of you who may not be asparagus fans, I’ll try to sneak in a few other things… like chocolate chunk cookies with cranberries 🙂
Please join me today over at Biscuits and Bobbins where I will be guest blogging and sharing my recipe for white asparagus, hollandaise and lox. Blog pal, Jodi, a former pastry chef and major asparagus lover has been waxing idealisitically to me over her memories of the joy of living in Germany during white asparagus time (it’s big here in Germany, like, really big….) Since I can’t invite her over ( the commute from Atlanta, Georgia would make her just a bit late for supper) This is the virtual dish I prepared for her. Guten Appetit Jodi!
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chocolate chunk cookies with cranberries
Happy Mother’s Day!
And for those who are going through the teen years…These cookies will help get you through.
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Buckwheat Crepes, Asparagus, Proscuitto,Gouda & Mornay
I’m coming through this time with what I had planned. Wonders never cease. And this time of year it seems the asparagus never cease! As I mentioned, we’ve got sweet little huts all over the village with green and white asparagus and strawberries. In addition to the prolific stands, like three in a two block radius… brimming with freshness, we have loads of crisp spears and red fruits at the market four days a week! Today I’d like to feature…
Buckwheat Crepes, Asparagus, Mushrooms, Gouda, Proscuitto & Mornay
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Ultimate Spring Strawberry Short Cake…. Grande
O and I share the same age for two weeks out of the year from April 8th to 22nd. The rest of the time he is officially older. We’ve got a ram, a bull and a crab in our household. That’s an interesting image I hadn’t thought of until just now. We have a deep respect for one another and have learned to love and appreciate the unique qualities we each possess. I’m choosing not to elaborate here… might divulge too much. To this audience and possibly to myself. So moving on…
O is more of a fruit lover than chocolate lover… but still croons over a delicate chocolate mousse and he wasn’t turning his fork over at the recent appearance of that outrageous classic chocolate cake, so it all works in the end. For his birthday cake, I started with the idea of a white cake and strawberries, but I don’t fancy say a yellow or vanilla cake.
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Turkey Kebabs & Glass Noodle Salad… you heard me right.
I know what you are thinking… what is it with this chick and the glass noodles? People, I could eat these everyday. I think I must have been Vietnamese in a past life. Or Thai. My palette extends pretty far and wide but I find that when I’m trying to eat healthy, I could add cilantro and/or mint, basil, ginger and garlic and a squirt of fish sauce to just about everything. And I’m thinking the thai chili sauce isn’t so bad either. And I would rather not hear anything contradictory to that warm fuzzy feeling I have about it.
But first, the turkey kebabs…
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Chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream, chocolate ganache… Movita style
First thing… can you please go vote for me at Movita’s place! Then I’ll explain…
And remember this isn’t about the best cake- it’s a popularity contest people. So just vote for me ok!!! Although, there are some pretty slick jobbies over there. But trust me, if you could sink your teeth into this chocolate cake, I guarantee it would rock your world.
I ran across movitabeaucoup this winter and must say, I was moved by her wit, charm and clever contests. I’m not usually one to participate in this sort of thing, a contest, but this time I decided I’d give it a go. Clueless where to start, I began trying to decide fruity or chocolaty. I thought and thought about what to bake. Despite the flood of ideas, just one, and only one, failed to surface and I procrastinated a bit. Then sweet Movita posted a chocolate cake she made for her mother’s birthday. So call me unoriginal or brilliant but I decided if this was the cake she baked for her mother… someone should bake it for her. And we were all very happy with that decision, despite another 3# on the scale! It was incredible. The first words out of my almost 14yr old daughter, Chloe, was foodgasm. I was proud and scared in the same moment.
I had so much fun making it. I had a new box of Valrhona chocolate baking powder and a new bottle of vanilla… which I do not take for granted anymore as it isn’t easy to come by in Hamburg. We see a lot of recipes calling for a packet of vanilla sugar.
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Glazed Carrots, Apples and Horseradish
One of my favorite magazines in Germany besides my monthly Food and Travel is Landlust. Beautiful photographs from the countryside, fresh recipes and for me a chance to read German. Like giving a boy girly mags to learn how to read… oh that’s bad isn’t. Sexist too? Sorry. I will say though, my German exels in reading and translating recipes.
This month’s issue displayed gorgeous young vegetables, cooked simply, with interesting combinations and ingredients. I’m pleased it was the carrots with horseradish that stood out above the others. Eaten last night with a simple grilled steak and steamed broccoli, these carrots gave our meal a little umph! Sweet and salty with a little bite.
Carrots, apples & horseradish {Print Recipe}
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Atlanta Botanical Gardens… orchids
The first week of April and we spent an afternoon in shorts and flip flops walking around the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Now that we are in our coats and barely out of our winter boots again, it’s like a dream I look back on Waaaa…
Soon Hamburg, soon.
I loved the gardens and look forward to more time in them next trip. It was only our second day and we were still a bit tired. The gardens were also followed by a morning visiting the Picasso to Warhol exhibit at the High Museum. I loved this outdoor installation despite not being able to walk up to it and touch it.
Wendy's Place 
