Winter Wonderland

No, this isn't the mountains in Colorado! It's a parking lot in Michigan! Yesterday the snow was hanging thick on the trees and the sky was blue. Everything looked like it was covered with thick buttercream frosting. While I was driving I saw these pine trees and I had to stop and take some pictures. Because it was by a parking lot, I was able to eliminate houses, wires, signs, and other distractions from the shots.

Rolls from "Rue Tatin"

Over vacation I enjoyed reading Susan Loomis's "On Rue Tatin." I enjoy this kind of book - travel (France), decorating (an old house), and food (recipes) - three of the clever things I love! I felt like I had escaped to France for a few days as I read it. I have the corners of several pages marked with recipes to try. A few days ago I tried "The Rolls that Brought us Together" which the author made and gave to her neighbors which helped her to make friends.

I love making yeast bread, but hate all the kneading, so I wanted to simplify the process of making these rolls. I also adapted the ingredients so it made only a dozen rolls. I tried one batch in the food processor (too messy!) and one batch in the bread machine (wonderful and easy!). These rolls bake up into little puffy pillows that melt in your mouth. Here's how I made them:

Rolls from "Rue Tatin"

1/2 cup milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/4 cups flour

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Scald the milk. Add the butter and stir until melted.

2. Put flour, sugar, and salt into the bread maker. Add the milk mixture, and then the egg. Put the yeast in the yeast dispenser. Set the bread machine for the dough cycle and press start.

3. The dough should be kneaded and will rise during the dough cycle. (I found that at the end of the 2.5 hours of the cycle that the dough needed to rise another hour so I just left it in the bread machine. Not sure if this recipe needs longer to rise or if my yeast is just old.)

4. Remove dough from the machine onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a circle of about 16 inches. Cut the dough with a knife into 12 pieces. Roll each triangle up starting at the wide end to form crescents.

5. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet (I used an airbake cookie sheet) with the tips tucked underneath so they don't unroll while baking. Cover with a towel, and let rise for another 1 - 2 hours, until almost doubled.

6. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 10 - 12 minutes. Remove and eat while warm!

Meals with a View

While I was contemplating my favorite meals of the year, I started thinking about a couple more meals where the food was good, but the view was amazing! So I wanted to add them to my end of the year list.


This was taken from the rooftop restaurant of the sixth story of a department store in Haarlem, Netherlands. We ate breakfast here. We had this stunning view of the rooftops and the Grote Kerke cathedral. The clouds reflected the storms in the distance and changed the colors of the scene in every picture I took. (You can see more of the pictures here.)


I also had a wonderful dinner buffet at the Monterrey Aquarium at the end of the Apple Distinguished Educator institute in July. We were able to sit next to the jellyfish and sharks as we ate - and I did feel a wee bit guilty eating seafood while they were swimming nearby. I was a tad bit tired as I had had only a few hours sleep because we worked into the early hours of the morning completing a 24 hour project. So I probably didn't appreciate the food as much as I should have. Still, it was an memorable meal (and this picture does not do the setting justice)!

Snow Day Tea

Well, today would have been a snow day if we had had school. We only got 4 or 5 inches here, but it was thick wet heavy snow that is sticking to the trees like frosting. My snowblower is back from the shop, so it only took a half hour to clear the drive and walk. (Click on the Flickr badge on the right to see more pictures.)

My friends Andrea and Alana gave me a "Snow Day Kit" complete with slippers, tea, and biscotti. Even though it wasn't a technical snow day, I decided to treat myself after the blowing and shoveling was done. The tea is Tea forte Winter Spice and comes in a cute pyramid shape in a yellow box and has a little leaf on top, so it is like opening a present. The biscotti is Nonni's and was dipped in chocolate. Perfect!

Best Meal of the Year 2007 - the winner

First Place - 'T Oud Kanthuys
Brugge, Belgium

This restaurant is away from the main square near a canal and by the fountain where they water the horses. Below is the view from our table where we enjoyed watching the horses clip-clopping by.

Here is the Menu - I had the special for 19.95 Euro.

Appetizer - Cheese Croquettes which were crispy and yummy. (I was not fond of the salad dressings that I had in Europe. There never was a choice. )

Entree was this delicious salmon in a yummy sauce.

And dessert - creme brulee. Rick had the apple cake in background.

Check back - I'm going to tell you about 2 "meals with a view" that you don't want to miss!

So what was your best meal of the year? Let me know in the comments!

Best Meal of the Year 2007 - the runners up

A number of years ago on New Year's Eve, my friends Sally and Scott started this tradition between us where we tell (in drooling detail) about our most memorable meals of the year. Since they moved away a few years ago, we have continued the tradition via phone and email. This year I had a number of great choices, all from our trip to Europe during the summer. Each one combined a unique location with delicious food. So today I will reveal my number 3 and 2 top meals, and tomorrow I will share number 1. I'd love to have any readers out there join in the fun and tell about your best food of the year.

Third Place - Handmade Truffles from Pralinette
Brugge, Belgium


Now, I know this technically is not a meal. However I must confess that we skipped lunch to make up for the chocolates that we consumed while in Belgium. So I guess that counts as a meal, right? We sampled the sweets at many locations, but came back to Pralinette to stock up with boxes to take home. I loved the different combinations of chocolates and the things they rolled them in, but my favorite was one rolled in a toasted coconut.

Second Place - De Lachende Javan (The Laughing Javan)
Haarlem, Netherlands



I had never had Indonesian food before, so it was a unique treat to have a rijsstafel (rice table) meal. This restaurant was recommended by Rick Steves, and we met another pair of Americans in there with his guidebook in hand. The meal consisted of 14 plates of food that were set on a warmer. They included peanut satay, and many other flavors of meat and vegetables that were new and fun. A great meal, followed by an organ recital in the old cathedral - an awesome evening!

Stay tuned for Meal Number 1 tomorrow. And join in the fun by sharing your best meal in the comments!

Sweet and Salty Snack Mix

Here's an addicting snack to enjoy for your New Year's celebrations. The recipe is based on this recipe from David Lebovitz. I like to use more glaze and less cayenne than his original recipe. Do include the cayenne, even if it is just a touch - it adds an interesting flavor in the back of your throat as you're nibbling!

Sweet and Salty Snack Mix

2 cups Pecans (other nut combinations will work, but the pecans are delicious)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne (add more or less to adjust the level of heat)

3 tablespoons maple syrup

3 cups pretzel twists

1/2 cup sesame honey sticks

1) Cover a baking pan with high sides with foil (for easy clean up). Spread the nuts on the pan and toast in a 350F degree oven for 10 minutes, stirring once.

2) Melt the butter over low heat. Remove from heat and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, and maple sugar. Mix to combine.

3) Put the nuts in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt. (If the nuts are salted, you can omit this step. And do mix in a bowl rather than the baking pan because you will get better glaze coverage.) Add the pretzels. Pour the butter mix over top and stir until the nuts and pretzels are coated.

4) Spread the mixture back in the pan, and return to the oven. Bake for 5 minutes. Then add the the sesame sticks and stir. (The sesame sticks tend to absorb all the glaze, so do not add them at the beginning.) Bake for another 5 - 7 minutes - watch carefully so that the pecans do not burn.

5) Remove from the oven and cool. Store in an airtight container.

By the way, one of my favorite cookbooks is David Lebovitz's ice cream cookbook called The Perfect Scoop! You can check it out here: