Lunch - To Go!

Blogging Events are fun! I have participated in a few. I had big idea's for this one, but my photo focus skills were off, and then life events take over and quick trips to the US needed to be made.





Lindy of Toast fame got a great idea for an event. Home-Made Take Out food! She was nice enough to extend the deadline, she had life events of her own to deal with!
Although I don't work (formally), we love to picnic, and my son will be going to work this summer! I happen to think that wraps make a wonderful take along lunch! Filled with flavored mayo or pesto, this becomes a delicious and healthy lunch. Wrapped up in a flour tortilla or some rice paper, the sky is the limit!


Another way to make a take-along hand held lunch is to wrap a filling up in pastry! I just happened to have some puff-pastry in the fridge. NO, not my home made puff dough. The plumber was working on a major problem in our rent house and I needed to create something quick for the family while he was out of the kitchen. Turns out the plumber loves to cook as well, and he watched me put together this 'on the fly' creation!

I had some of my favorite Sacla red pepper mozzarella pesto spread.
I had some Mozzarella slices (new to the grocery store!). Ham & rocket leaves got thrown on for a bit of green. This got wrapped up packet style, scored and baked.

The puff pastry is a bit fragile, but it was wolfed down with three thumbs up! I hate to say, but there was none left for the plumber to sample when he got back after his lunch break!

Thinking of packing this to go? Let this cool before you place in a ziplock or better yet, a Tupperware container. This will be delicious room temp and I bet your friends will be asking you to make more to share next time!

My Angel Baby

Baby Angel Food Cake Pans......who would've thought they'd cause such commotion packed in a carry-on bag? I've told you before about the TSA guys, who love to search my bags.....I went ahead and bought the special locks so they could unlock and feel free to roam!

Having just returned from a quick trip to the US.....I did manage to get a little shopping done. I found these cute little cake pans and thought they'd be perfect for summer 'puddings'! You know the drill, fresh fruit, a little coulis splashed about. Along with some whipped cream added in for the cellulite factor. I bought 8 pans.



Since this was a quick trip, we did not take our normal (big) suitcases where I usually throw in a duffel bag or two just in case I buy too much. A couple of last minute purchases later and I had run out of room. The cake pans got thrown into the carry-on bag.




You have to really think ahead these days as to what goes in the carry-on bag. Gone are the days when I'd throw in a package of Italian Sausage to bring across the ocean, sausage might be in the dangerous category these days!
I remember one Thanksgiving, many-many years ago when my Dad was alive, he wanted to a Butterball Turkey for our Thanksgiving meal during his visit to France. Well, the rock-hard frozen Turkey in the carry-on bag got dropped. No squished toes, no broken tiles.....but good for a big laugh, we cooked up that bird and my dad was a happy man. (not that anything is wrong with a French bird!)

Ok, back to my cake molds, we were online in security, I had already been asked to remove my jean jacket, which I kept saying was a shirt and 'they really didn't want me to take off my shirt'!! Then I noticed that after I went through, the line had stopped. A group of men had formed around the x-ray of my bag. I just couldn't remember what could be causing such concern, then they called for 'BAG CHECK'. Yikes!
They opened my bag and immediately pulled out my cake molds, I explained that I was going to be cooking mini-angel food cakes for my son who was flying back from college. Then we started sharing angel food cake recipes!! During the next stop, I decided to tell security in advance that those weird looking things that they would be looking at were cake molds.....I sailed through this time.

All in all, the mold made it back, I found some ancient Cream of Tarter in my spice rack and my little bearded angel had cake!

Guess who is Home?

Home-baked twisted loaf and a healthy dinner of pork filet mignon and roasted fresh vegetables greet a jet lag'd young man!

His first year of college was a great success! And I'm a happy mom that my son is home for the summer!

Expect to see more posts from me!

Flower Class Memories!

In March, I hosted a Hands-On Wreath Making Class. What fun! Selfishly, I get to see how something is done, then I get to cook for an appreciative bunch.
There was a lot of creativity from the gals. Lunch was a little starter of shrimp and a terrific Green Goddess sauce, Baked Risotto and a sticky toffee 'pud' with homemade ice cream!!
Everyone took home a Spring Wreath. A great start to Spring!

The Profiterole Project

Way back when, in February of 1987, shortly after we started life in Paris, I took my first Cordon Bleu class. Did you know that the CB was located on 24, rue de Champ-de-Mars back then?

The menu was Bisque de Langoustines, Pintade aux Choux and Profiteroles Glaces with sauce Chocolat Chaud. The Bisque was a bit too complicated for me to tackle, back then. I didn't really appreciate a good Pintade, back than either! But I did indeed love a Profiterole dripping in a warmed Chocolate Sauce!

I bought my Phillips Ice Cream Maker a few weeks before, to make an Orange Sorbet I had sampled with a Chocolate Cake at the CB. This simple machine got more use, and it is still in service today, although I bought a Simac machine back in 2003, a machine I love!


My Choux pastry was a bit loose. I veered from my original CB
recipe. I made the water, butter and flour mix on the stove,
then brought the Kitchen Aid into service to incorporate the eggs.
Yep, I'll try this recipe again. Practice makes perfect!

Just another bit of trivia.....the last time I made this complete recipe was for the 'boss'. Before 'the old man' took over the yoke of the airplane. The recipe worked without a hitch and I thought I was a pretty good cook back then.

Join us for dessert?