Layered Dip

Seven, six, five...layers! I usually call this seven-layer dip out of habit, but after I make it and tally the layers it can be another number. It is delicious and a crowd pleaser:

In a glass baking dish (8x8, 9x9, 9x13...)

Layer 1: one can of refried beans
Layer 2: salsa (I use Pace Mild Salsa or the sauce packets from those taco dinner kits)
Layer 3: guacamole (3 avocados, juice from half a lemon or lime, garlic salt to taste, mash and stir in a bowl before layering)
Layer 4: sour cream
Layer 5: grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Layer 6: thinly sliced scallions
Layer 7: sliced olives

Serve with tortilla chips. Tostitos scoop chips or Garden of Eatin' Blue Corn Tortilla Chips are excellent!

Strawberry Tart

I saw this in a cooking magazine, but never wrote down the recipe. It looked easy and beautiful, so I thought I would make it as an impromptu dessert. I mixed my strawberries with some sugar, corn starch and lemon zest. It balanced really well with some vanilla whipped cream I made. I would definitely make this again because it is so pretty and also because it tasted great!

crêpes

A great sweet or savory meal is crêpes. Crêpes are made from a batter similar to pancake batter, but they are extremely thin. They are loaded with goodies and folded to make a warm meal. They are easy, inexpenisve and taste great.

I keep buckwheat flour in my freezer for my savory crêpes. And, I always have flour, butter, milk and eggs to make sweet crêpes. In this picture I have ingredients to make sweet crêpes for dessert. I grated lemon zest for lemon, sugar and rum crêpes. After I cook the crêpe I sprinkle sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice onto the crêpe. Then, after a few minutes the sugar melts and I add some rum. I carefully ignite the rum which creates a neat blue flame! When the flame dies I fold the crêpe and present it to its lucky recipient. In this picture I also have blueberry jam and a chocolate ganache for other dessert crêpes.

When I make savory crêpes I have tried many combinations: turkey, spinach and cheese. turkey, sun-dried tomato and cheese, mushroom, ham and cheese... but my favorite at home and in France is always ham and cheese. It is simple, salty and a perfect combination.

Crêpes are from Bretagne, the north-west region of France. My husband's parents live here and have taken us to local crêperies. It is traditional to drink hard cider with crêpes. It is hard to beat crêpes from that region and I am lucky to go back soon. I hope anyone reading this can either try a recipe at home or travel to try the real thing.

Gallina De Madre: Mother Hen Toasts

Once again, Tyler Florence inspired me to create a delicious dish. This dish is a tapas dish from Spain called Gallina de Madre. It is called this because you place the ham in the shape of a nest to hold the egg. My variations on his recipe were that I used prosciutto and only the egg yolk. It reminded me of the French dish Croque Madame because I used toast, a Béchamel sauce, ham and a softly cooked egg. I love making new and beautiful food that is rustic and tastes amazing! I will definitely make this again as an appetizer or breakfast dish.

Cooking Club

Since the Cooking Club kickoff we have had 2 more meetings. The second event was Swedish cooking which included Swedish meatballs, lingonberry sauce, mashed potatoes, spritz cookies and a special bean dish. The third event was Greek. We enjoyed a meatball soup with an egg and lemon sauce, a Greek salad loaded with vegetables, feta cheese and Greek olives and baklava for dessert! It was delicious. It will be fun to see what is next!

Thanksgiving appetizers

This Thanksgiving I prepared the entire meal. So, I kept my appetizers simple. I made small, open sandwiches with cream cheese and pumpernickel bread. I topped some with smoked salmon, shallots and capers. I topped the others with a soft salami and sliced cornichon. My other appetizer was deviled eggs. This is more of a tradition at my family's holidays. I make them by mixing the yolks with some mayonaisse, mustard, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper and then I sprinkle paprika on top. To drink, we had a homemade mulled wine made with Merlot, a berry juice, spices and oranges. Finally, I bought some olives at the store and my friend brought a cheese and fruit plate. We almost didn't need the turkey dinner!

Cooking Club

What's cooking? A cooking club! That's what's cooking! I have kicked off the first cooking club event for the friends I have made here in New Jersey. We made onion tarts, lemon madeleines and a smoked salmon and asapargus salad. Everyone did an amazing job helping and cooking! I am really looking forward to future events. We hope to do this once a month. I will just need to remember my camera.