Travel Tuesday

Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World
Orlando, Florida.

Recipe: Chicken Potpie

I made this over the weekend. It was good ol' fashioned comfort food at it's best.

I loved it! Enjoy.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, cut into medium dice
• 1 large carrot, cut into medium dice
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups cooked chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 pound total)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 large egg yolk

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add onion and carrot and cook until onion softens, about 6 minutes. Add flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is pale golden, has a slightly nutty aroma, and is the texture of cooked oatmeal, about 5 minutes.
2. Whisking constantly, add broth. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Reduce to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Divide mixture among four 12-ounce baking dishes; refrigerate until room temperature, about 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll pastry to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 4 equal squares, 1 inch larger than dishes; with the tip of a sharp knife, cut vents into pastry. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water; top potpies with pastry and brush with egg wash. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Bake until pastry is deep golden and juices are bubbling, about 35 minutes.

From Everyday Food, October 2009

Guest Post: Door Belles and Sleigh Belles

Check out my wish list contribution on Travel Belles!

Friday Favorites!

I apologize for the delay in posting this week's Friday Favorites but I'm afraid that the day just got away from me. Nevertheless, I hope you all have an amazing weekend! I'm planning on baking, hanging out with friends & family and seeing Tangled! As a HUGE Disney nut (I did name my dog Minnie after all) I am excited to see this new version of the Disney princess. My twitter bud @NEMapleQtee and I were chatting about Beauty & The Beast. That has to be my all time favorite Disney movie & princess. What's yours?

Friday Favorites:

• Firstly I love, love love this post that my friend Jen wrote on her blog. And by the comments from so many other women, sounds like if we all band together we can change people perceptions, and as I learned from her post even my own.


• I really enjoy reading Kayla's weekend posts and seeing her lovely photos!


• How beautiful are Nicole's Thanksgiving day photos?


• Minnie's friend Billy is adorable!


• I really enjoyed Kasia's post on my cupcake guru Cat!


• Brook posted a photo of an amazing kitchen. I'm in love with that blue colour!


• Em has some great gift ideas that will be sure to charm any hostess!


• It's an older post but I love it! In fact I love the whole Just Saying no to children series that my friend Lindsey blogged about. It's something that I am very passionate about, since I really think that more people need to recognize and accept people's life decisions and not judge them.

Have a great weekend!

Recipe: Carrot Cake Cookies

Do I really need to provide an introduction or list the reasons why these cookies are so amazing! Three words: Carrot Cake Cookies. And yes, they are THAT good. When cookies and icing are combined you can never go wrong.

Ingredients

Makes 18

FOR THE FILLING:

• 2 ounces bar cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

FOR THE COOKIES:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed, finely grated, peeled carrots
• 1/3 cup dried currants

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Make filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar and lemon juice; beat until combined. Cover; chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make cookies: In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugars, and egg yolk. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir until combined. Mix in oats, carrots, and currants.
3. Drop dough by level tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake until edges are crisp, rotating baking sheets halfway through, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
4. Turn half the cookies over, bottom side up; dollop each with about 1 teaspoon chilled cream-cheese filling. Top with remaining cookies, pressing gently to spread filling to edges. Serve immediately.

From Everyday Food, November 2004

The Dinner Party: Menu

As I blogged earlier on in the week, our first Holiday Dinner Party of the season was a huge success (if I can say so myself). Below please find the menu & photos for what I served. Thanks again to all our lovely guests. Dessert recipe to come tomorrow!


Brandied Ham

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 1 1/2 cups packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup brandy or bourbon
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• 1 bone-in half ham (about 6 pounds), fully cooked

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, brandy, and mustard. Bring to a boil over medium; cook until glaze is thick and syrupy, 3 minutes. (To store, refrigerate, up to 2 days. Reheat before using.)
2. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Using a sharp knife, cut off hard rind from ham (if any); score the fat in a diamond pattern. Place ham, cut side down, in a roasting pan or on a rimmed baking sheet and cover tightly with foil. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part reads 145, 1 1/2 hours.
3. Brush ham generously with glaze, making sure to coat all exposed areas. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake, uncovered, until glaze is sticky and ham is browned, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Leek Gratin

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 8 medium leeks, white and light-green parts only
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375. Halve leeks lengthwise, leaving halves attached at root, and rinse well, shaking off water.
2. In a large skillet, combine cream and leeks; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high; reduce to a medium simmer, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and simmer until leeks are tender, 15 minutes. Transfer leeks and sauce to a shallow 2-quart baking dish. (To store, cover and refrigerate, up to 1 day.)
3. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until golden and bubbling, about 35 minutes. Let gratin rest 10 minutes before serving.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for sheets
• 1 medium acorn squash, cut into 1-inch wedges
• 1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled and halved lengthwise (quartered if large)
• 1/2 pound shallots, halved
• 1 head garlic, cloves broken apart and left unpeeled
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 sprigs thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush two large rimmed baking sheets with oil. In a large bowl, toss all vegetables with oil and season with salt and pepper. Divide vegetables between baking sheets. Top with thyme and roast until golden and tender, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating sheets and tossing vegetables halfway through. (To store, transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, cover with foil, and refrigerate, up to 1 day.)

Spinach & Gruyere Souffle

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking dish
• 1/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 5 cups (5 ounces) packed spinach, trimmed and washed
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 large eggs, separated, plus 2 large egg whites

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a round 1-quart tall-sided baking dish and dust with breadcrumbs; set aside. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons water over medium-high. Add spinach and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a strainer to cool; press to release liquid.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium until bubbling. Add flour and whisk until a paste forms. Continue to cook until pale blond in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisking, gradually add milk. Cook, whisking, until lumps are gone and mixture is thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted; season with salt and pepper. Transfer souffle base to a large bowl.
3. In a food processor, pulse spinach and egg yolks until coarsely pureed. Add 1/4 cup souffle base; pulse until blended. Stir spinach mixture into remaining souffle base. (To store, press plastic wrap against surface and keep at room temperature, up to 4 hours.)
4. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 4 egg whites and pinch of salt on medium-high until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat), about 3 minutes. In 2 additions, gently fold egg whites into souffle base. Pour batter into prepared dish and bake until souffle is tall, browned, and firm to the touch, about 35 minutes. (Avoid opening oven during first 25 minutes of baking.) Serve immediately.

From Everyday Food, December 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Proust Q & A

My wonderful Twitter & Blogging friend Susan runs a regular feature on her blog called the Proust Q & A. Through this guest post series she features different bloggers, photographers & writers. I am truly honored she chose me for the most recent Q & A.

I cannot thank Susan enough for her constant support and wise words of wisdom. Even though we have not met I consider her a dear friend & and my home decor guru. ;)

Check out my post & Susan's wonderful blog here!

Travel Tuesday

Wroclaw, Poland.

This bridge was covered in padlocks with initials of those who professed their love for one another by writing on the lock, locking it to the bridge and throwing the key into the river below.

How romantic is that?

Weekly Minnie

The Dinner Party

I am pleased to say the dinner party was a huge success! Over the next couple of days I will be featuring the recipes I used for the menu for the first Holiday Dinner Party of the season.

I look forward to your comments & feedback. I want to hear about your dinner parties. Any tips and tricks you can offer?

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday y'all! Hope you are having a wonderful day. I am so excited for this weekend because it's my first dinner party of the Holiday season! Almost every year we have friends over on the weekends leading up to Christmas. This year is no exception! I will be sharing my recipes and photos next week of the menu I have planned. I'm also going to see Harry Potter on Sunday which I am so looking forward to. I've read all the books so I'm interested in seeing how the final book translates into film. What are you up to this weekend?

I made the Roasted Vegetable Lasagna shown above a couple weeks ago. It makes a lovely chilly November weekend supper.

This week's Friday Favorites are a mix of my favorite posts of the week. Enjoy!

Friday Favorites:

• My friend Steph recently baked these "Half-Baked" cupcakes. YUM!
• My Adopt A Blogger Buddy Grace recently reviewed an amazing resturant in Colorado. Check out her lovely photos!
• I absolutely love reading Em's site Hip Hip Gin Gin everyday. It's so pretty and she has the best posts!
• My friend Lindsey recently wrote an excellent article and recipe on BitchBuzz all about canned food (pros and cons)
• Twitter friend A Suburban Princess recently published her OWN BOOK! How cool is that?
• Julie over at Brown Eyed Belle posted her Christmas Wish List, which I loved!
• Fellow Travel Belle, Krista recalls her travels in Switzerland
• Susan's photos of the Alsace wine route are amazing!
• Kasia's post on reason to celebrate really struck a cord with me.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Italian Food Challenge

A couple weeks ago, my blogging buddy extraordinaire Grace and I decided to do an Italian Food Challenge as part of our Adopt A Blogger partnership!

I should let you know that I am not Italian. I didn't really grow up on authentic Italian cuisine & culture but more North American dried pasta and jarred pasta sauce. I'm complaining I had an amazing "foodie" childhood, just stating the facts. When I moved out on my own we did do the jarred pasta sauce until I came into my own in the kitchen (more to come on this in future posts). Hard to believe, but I wasn't always enthusiastic to be in the kitchen!

Italy also holds a special place in my heart. We took a trip to Rome & Tuscany last year, which was absolutely amazing. You can read all about it over at The Travel Belles.

I digress, so Grace and I decided to do an Italian food challenge. Check out Grace's blogs (mainly the food one), but one thing you should know is Grace is Italian American. Like FULL ON Italian having family recipes dating back generations etc. I learned this later on, only after proposing the challenge. So I had to think really hard as to what dish I would challenge Grace on.

I knew I would be going up against a really wonderful recipe. Probably one that has been developed and enhanced over the years. I came to the conclusion that no matter what recipe I come up with it won't beat out Graces'. So I decided to adapt a Martha Stewart recipe I had seen awhile ago. This spaghetti recipe has a unique twist on the traditional meatball. Turkey! Honestly, I try and adapt most recipes to incorporate ground turkey when possible. It is so healthy and extremely versatile. Let me know your thoughts! I want to hear from you!

I also encourage you to head over to Grace (Full) Plate and let her know what you think! About the food and our challenge.

Spaghetti With Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 pound spaghetti

Directions

1. Make the sauce: In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and cook about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, oregano, and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, covered, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Make the meatballs: In a large bowl, whisk together egg, milk, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with a fork. Stir in onion, breadcrumbs, cheese, and parsley. Add turkey, and mix until combined. Form mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls.
3. Add meatballs to skillet, and spoon sauce over to coat. Place over medium heat until meatballs are just cooked through, about 8 minutes.
4. Cook spaghetti until al dente according to package instructions, about 12 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to skillet, and toss gently with the sauce. Serve with more cheese.

From Everyday Food, March/April 2003

Wordless Wednesday

Recipe Sneak Peek

Anyone want to take a guess who made this cake famous?
Recipe to come tomorrow!

Travel Tuesday

Natural History Museum
London, England.

Weekly Minnie

Have a great week!

Recipe: White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I made these delicious cookies on the weekend. Jammed packed with raisins, coconut, walnuts and of course chocolate, they will quickly become a favorite of any sweet tooth in your house!

Ingredients

Makes about 4 dozen

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups good-quality white chocolate chunks
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 4 ounces)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs one at a time until combined. Stir in vanilla.
2. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Gradually stir into butter mixture until combined. Stir in oats, chocolate, coconut, raisins, and walnuts.
3. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake cookies until golden, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Source: Martha Stewart Cookies

The Royal Winter Agricultural Fair

Every year growing up we always visited The Royal Winter Agricultural Fair in Toronto. This year was no exception.

I love the fact that within a few miles of Canada's most metropolitan city there are cows, sheep and the infamous butter sculptures.

Enjoy these photos I took on our most recent trip.

Friday Favorites & A Challenge!

This was a hard week to pick only a handful of posts to feature for Friday Favorites! I am constantly in awe of the amazing bloggers and sites within the community. I think you all need to give yourselves a pat on the back.

Also, (thanks to a great idea from Grace of Small Hands, Big Ideas) I wanted to announce a very exciting addition to A White Picket Fence; a guest post challenge! A lot of the time we fall into blogging ruts where we tend to post about the same thing whether it be travel, food, photography etc. So what I am proposing that once a month I will do a guest post challenge with a blogger who would like to participate. We will both decide on a topic and write about it for each other's site. We will then cross-promote the challenge and hopefully inspire others to do the same.

I am looking for willing & able participants, so please let me know if you are interested! I think it will be a lot of fun and hopefully spark ideas & conversations!

This weeks Friday Favorites:

• My AMAZING baker blogger buddy Lindsey recently made these Ghirardelli Almond Brownies!




• My Adopt a Blogger "Parent" Grace recapped her experience so far




• This most recent post on The Travel Belles by Karen Regn will have you re-planning your next trip to Paris to include her wonderful recommendations.




• I have had the pleasure of getting to know Forest Collins through Twitter. She is so sweet and kind-hearted. I loved this guest post she did for Love In The City of Lights.




• Tuula's post on 17 ideas for an afternoon in Paris had me planning my trip for next Fall already!




• Monica of Nervouschef.com had me salavating for the fine food of Vancouver.
  

Again, I look forward to hearing your feedback about the Guest Post Challenge!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Recipe: Cheddar Cheese & Sage Biscuits

Growing up I spent summers in the south. So every now and then I get a craving for a biscuit. I decided to make these this weekend to accompany a vegetable lasagna. They are wonderful. Extremely tasty, light and flaky.

Try them today, they are super easy to make!

Ingredients

Makes about 16

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3 cups grated cheddar cheese (9 ounces)
• 2/3 cup thinly sliced fresh sage
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and paprika. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until the mixtrure resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cheese and sage. Pour in the buttermilk, and stir with a fork until mixture just comes together to form a sticky dough. On a lightly floured work surface, with lightly floured hands, pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round.
2. Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out the biscuits as close together as possible. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
3. In a small bowl, stir together egg and cream. Lightly brush top of each biscuit with egg wash. Bake, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Martha Stewart Living