Straight from Provence, a great recipe

When my blogger friend, Barbara, posted her Clafoutis Provencal, I knew we would love it.  I also knew that if I were to make this while in our travel trailer, I would have to make some adjustments.  Our little kitchen is small and so is the oven.  In fact, this was only the second time we attempted to bake in it.  It works just fine.

Also missing was my mandolin for slicing the zucchini, but with a careful attempt, we actually got them sliced thin enough.  The overwhelming surprise of this recipe was the smell coming out of the oven.  It was so breathtakingly delicious, I could hardly wait for dinner.

This is definitely a recipe that I will make often in the future.  It is a perfect vegetable dish to serve with any type of entree.  Barbara, thank you so much for sharing this fantastic recipe from your kitchen.  I wish we could have enjoyed it together.

Please visit Barbara and her blog, Cuisine de Provence and copy this recipe. 

Schnitzel and the Trout meets Wives with Knives

Almost five years ago, I met Cathy from Wives with Knives.  I did not literally meet her, but we connected as we were both starting blogs and sometimes the technology was a little overwhelming.  We helped each other and consoled each other.  Not only did we read each others blogs, we started emailing each other.  In a true sense, we really got to know each other. 

I contacted Cathy this last winter and told her that we were planning a trip to Oregon when we arrived in Montana for the summer.  An invitation to meet was graciously extended by Cathy.  The Trout and I looked forward to this day for a long time.  We were invited to lunch at Cathy's.  You can imagine how the excitement escalated from there.

When Cathy opened the door, I hugged my long-time friend.  We had some good laughs, some good conversations about how much we all love to travel to France.

This absolutely gorgeous table, outside in the beautiful Oregon sunshine is what greeted us for lunch.  For Cathy's delicious Northwest version of Salad Nicoise, please go to her blog here.

Everything was prepared to perfection.  The fresh mint in the couscous was especially special for me.  I loved it.  We had no problem eating our plates clean.  What a beautiful treat, Cathy.

And you ask if there was dessert?  The Oregon local marionberry in a pie shell that was so flaky.

And that is Tillamook Vanilla Bean ice cream on top.  Two scoops...do you see that?  I did not feel guilty at all eating this wonderful ice cream.

Thank you, Cathy.  We are looking forward to meeting you again someday soon. 

The very best Corned Beef ever

Those of you who have been blogging as long as I have, know only too well the friendships that develop with other bloggers.  Sometimes you are fortunate to actually meet a blogger and sometimes you just get to know each other through our mutual writings.  Often I am asked why I blog by people who do not read blogs.  I give a simple explanation, but they just don't get it.  You have to be part of this community to understand the camaraderie that develops through writing and sharing ideas and recipes.

One blogger I  befriended some time ago is Ann, who writes Thibeault's Table.  Ann lives in British Columbia, writes a blog and still works full time.  Everyone of her recipes that I have tried have proved to be perfect.  She also always takes the time to answer questions about her baking or recipes.

So when Ann posted that she roasted/baked her corned beef and would never prepare it any other way again, I knew I had to try it.  Yes, once again, Ann was right on.

I had a 3 pound corned beef with an envelope of pickling spices enclosed in the packing.  I rinsed the corned beef and placed it on heavy duty tinfoil.  I sprinkled the pickling spices on top and lots of freshly ground pepper (per Ann's suggestion).  I wrapped it tightly and then placed this package on top of another sheet of tinfoil.  Again, I wrapped it tightly and for a third time, placed it on a sheet of tinfoil.  I sealed it tightly, placed the package in a roasting pain, set the oven to 250 degrees F and started my timer.  Ann suggested 6 hours of slow roasting.

As typical, I got a little anxious and opted for 5 hours.  Certainly, the corned beef tasted beautiful, but another hour would certainly enhance the quality of this beef.  Glazing was not necessary, because the flavor was perfect.   I also roasted some carrots and rutabagas alongside in another roaster and boiled some cabbage on the stove top.   This meal was perfect.  I am planning to picking up at least one more Corned beef and will prepare this again soon.  And yes, this time I am going for the 6 hour slow roast.  The meat was tender, but firm, not much shrinkage as usual and now I can hardly wait to enjoy Reubens with the remainder.

Thank you, Ann.  And in case I have not told you before, I would eat in your kitchen any day.

A great wine and an apology

I sheepishly start this post with an apology.  A BIG apology to blogger friend, Diana.  I met Diana last September in Montana.  The Trout had just had surgery and could not be at the meeting.  Diana and her husband gave me the most beautiful bottle of King Estate, Pinot Gris, right out of Eugene, Oregon.  Since the Trout was still restricted on diet and his taste buds were non-functioning after surgery, we brought the bottle all the way to Florida.

I remember we had fish and  the Trout opened this bottle of wine.  It was about 2 weeks before MY surgery in December.  I remember drinking it and enjoying it.  I also remembered several weeks later that I did not even acknowledge to Diana that we had enjoyed it.  Guilt, guilt, guilt.  I kept telling myself that I have to contact her and tell her we did enjoy it. sigh..

Problem solved last week when we stopped into Sam's Club and there it was.  Diana and Pete, tonight we had flounder and shrimp, our favorite salad with Pacific Rim Dressing, and King Estate Pinot Gris.  Loved it.  Really, really loved it.

It was slightly spritzy, nice and smooth, drinkable now and very food friendly.  I can see where this could be an every day wine with chicken or fish, or just for a bottle shared together or with friends.  I hope someday we can make our way to Oregon and visit King Estate.  Thank you again for your kindness.  (blush)