Cranberry Blessed Bars Better Than Starbucks

One of the best tastes of the Christmas and Hanukkah holiday seasons is the arrival of the coveted Cranberry Bliss Bars at Starbucks. The cost of a tiny triangle puts the kibosh on any idea of ordering a decent family-size serving. With that challenge in mind, I set out to recreate this delicious bar at an affordable price. I knew I was on the right track when I found a 5 pound Flintstones size bag of dried cranberries on sale for $5 at Costco, of course! Yes, I bought 2 bags.

The Starbucks version relies on a cream cheese base, which I think is impractical for adding to kids lunch boxes, since it requires refrigeration. The recipe below borrows from the familiar Magic Layer Cookies of old, and they are delicious. They look similar to the Starbucks version by using white chocolate chips both whole and melted. Easy. Tasty. Timeless.

Cranberry Blessed Bars

Preheat Oven 350 bake 20-25 minutes makes 24 or fewer if cut larger.
Must: line pan with parchment paper in order to cut into bars!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers about 28
1 stick melted butter
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts (can eliminate if needed)
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk

Topping:

For decorating when cooled out of oven
1/4 cup white chocolate chips melted in a baggie inside a bowl then clip a corner to stream out.

Substitutes:

Can add 1 cup of coconut. Can remove nuts.


Method:

Place parchment paper in a 9 X 13 pan. Spray with non-stick oil.
Melt butter in a pan and add the crushed graham crackers. Mix and move that mixture to the 9 X 13 pan. Sprinkle cranberries, walnuts, and white chips on top of graham crackers. Pour entire can of sweetened condensed milk over all.

Bake in preheated oven 20 - 25 minutes or less if it starts to brown. You don't want it to brown that is too much caramelization.

Remove from oven and cool. When cool removed from pan in one piece using the parchment paper. Then decorate the top using the melted white chips by streaming from the cut baggie. Alternatively, you can melt the chips in a bowl and drizzle by using a fork. You want a small stream affect as seen in this photo.

Cut 4 rows across and 6 down using a sharp serrated knife or 3 across and 6 down for larger serving. I used a bread knife. OR to mimick the Starbucks version cut the larger bars into triangles. The design part you can control!

Bon appetit!

When in Verona: Marry Christmas: Just Like Romeo & Juliet

Ready to start the holidays celebrating peace on earth good will towards men and women?

Listen to this brief 4 minute recording to lighten your heart, as we prepare for this special season of love and kindness:

From National Public Radio, The World, November 2019

Letters to Juliet click below:

Brief Radio Interview Dr. Donna Blanchard Curin and others

Where the magic happens.

Letters coming and going.

Thanksgiving Here, There and NOT Everywhere

My first visit to Ireland was during Thanksgiving, and I celebrated the occasion with my son over a delicious Italian feast at a small restaurant called Kitty's Kaboodle on Merrion Row. It was near the famous O'Donoghue's Bar. Turkey was not on the menu. Thanksgiving isn't celebrated on the Emerald Isle or most of the world outside North America. We used the occasion to make hand traced turkeys to decorate the paper tablecloth the aged photo is included below.

Despite the important role pilgrims have in our feast history, Americans probably owe credit for the Thanksgiving celebration to our neighbors to the north. Canadians have been celebrating their Thanksgiving feast since the 1500s. Rooted in a religious harvest influenced by early French settlers, the holiday, held on the second Monday of October, was made an official public holiday in 1957. Unlike our Eve of Black Friday celebration, shopping is not part of the Canadian tradition.

For Canadians, the meal is quite similar to the state-side version with turkey or ham and plentiful harvest vegetables. The tradition allows folks to celebrate the Thanksgiving meal on any of the three weekend days in contrast to our single day focus. A distinct addition to the Canadian menu is the inclusion of maple syrup in their recipes. YUM! EY?

Your family may not be ready for a maple syrup glaze on your turkey, so try incorporating my pumpkin maple bread with maple topping. This bread can be made a few days before Thanksgiving just refrigerate it. This is perfect dessert to serve to people who are not fond of traditional pumpkin pie. It is delicious and attractive as shown below!

Most people bake sweet breads in a 9 X 5 pan, but I use a 12 X 4 pan shown below. These pans are hard to find in stores, but Amazon can deliver this to you quickly. The larger pan produces slices for a perfect size serving unlike the smaller pan that I cut slices in half. And, you get more slices! You will love this pan! I keep the baking time the same for both pans, but check the bread 10 minutes before the end time in case the larger pan bakes faster.

Pumpkin Maple Bread (one loaf)

READ RECIPE FIRST

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes. Done when toothpick inserted in middle is dry.

Ingredients:

Streusel for top before baking:
1/2 stick of butter at room temp (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Bread:
1 can 15 ounces pure pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup (100% Canadian preferred, Vermont good)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola preferred)

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup milk at room temp

Glaze for when bread comes out of oven:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup

Method:
Mix the streusel with a fork keeping it lumpy cut in butter like pie crust mix. If it blends too much put in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. It should look like a crumb as in photo. Set aside.

In a bowl blend first 6 ingredients with a hand-held mixer until blended. In another bowl whisk flour and 5 ingredients.

Add dry ingredients to the liquid by alternating the additon of the milk.

Prepared bread pan by adding a sheet of parchment paper and spray with nonstick oil.

Add mixture to pan. Sprinkle the streusel to the top of the mixture. Move to preheated oven.

Bake 1 hour 15 minutes.

While baking, make the maple glaze and sprinkle on top of the hot bread. Cool bread in pan 30 minutes. Lift out and cool completely before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers. Keeps for days.

Use pure maple syrup.

Add maple glaze to top when hot out of oven. Gorgeous!!

Purchase the 12 X 4 pan on Amazon here priced for 2 pans. 

This handprint now cuddles his 7 month old daughter. Paper tablecloth from
 Kitty's Kaboodle 2001. Happy Turkey Day Everyone!

Julia Child Inspired 45 Minute Soup

When I woke up to a chilly 16 degrees yesterday here in Chiberia, my second thought was let's make soup! In Julia Child's first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking the very first recipe was Potato Leek soup (page 37). With an abundance of fall potatoes in my possession, I had the 3 main ingredients stocked in the fridge.

Most soup recipes, including Julia's, are written to serve 4-6 people. I think for most people the thought of eating soup for 3-4 days does not sound appealing. I have adapted parts of Julia's recipe, and I reduced the amount to make this soup a one-time meal for 2, or a starter to serve 4 (not the 2 quarts that Julia's recipe makes).

Potato and Leek Soup

Serves 2 as a meal / 4 as a starter

Ingredients:

1/2 leek chopped and rinsed in a bowl
2 large potatoes or 4 smaller peeled and diced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cups whole milk heated for 2 minutes in microwave
2 cups hot tap water

Salt and pepper before serving per taste and 1 Tablespoon butter if you like

Method:

In a heavy pot lightly heat olive oil with a medium flame. Add chopped cleaned leek and stir for 2 minutes. While this is cooking, heat the milk for 2 minutes in the microwave just to remove the chill. Add the chopped potatoes to the oil and leek in the pot for one minute.  Do not brown the potatoes, just absorb some of the flavor of the leeks. Add the warmed milk to the pot. Add the hot water from the tap. Stir and halfway cover the pot and let the potatoes cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. With an immersion hand-held blender, turn off the heat and blend the contents of the soup. If you miss not using cream in the recipe feel free to lop one Tablespoon of butter to the soup at this point for the added fat content and flavor.

Let the blended contents cook for 25 minutes under low heat. Add salt and pepper before serving, Sprinkle herbs like fresh parsley or chives on top.

Bon appetit!

Julia Child's First Recipe in her First Cookbook Page 37.

YIKES!

Soup's On in only 45 minutes!

Lovely Leek & Potato Soup.

Barcelona: Saffron, Picasso, Paella

Barcelona is a food-lovers destination. This sea-side city known for flamenco dancing, Gaudi's LaSagrada Familia (started in 1882 and due to be completed in 2026), Picasso, and paella is a bucket-list destination. The Mediterranean location, rich historical sites, and amazing restaurants along with easy transportation and budget-friendly hotel accommodations make it an economical destination, too. Just be sure to book a hotel within walking distance to La Rambla the famous boulevard that intersects the center point for restaurants, fresh food markets, shopping and the sea. It is a perfect area to use as a launching point to experience all Barcelona has to offer.

Most of the world's production of saffron hails from Iran. Saffron is an essential ingredient in many Mediterranean recipes. Known as the most expensive spice in the universe, due to the light weight and labor intense production process, saffron threads are harvested by hand from the crocus plant. Saffron can be found in many Mediterranean countries. When I purchased some Iranian saffron powder at a very reasonable price in Verona, Italy, my host snapped back that she only purchased Italian saffron. Touche!

However, with the U.S. trade embargo with Iran, cooks purchasing saffron in the USA are likely buying saffron grown in Spain. Check your packaging, and you will find it is excellent! Saffron as shown below from Whole Foods, can be purchased as threads, coupe, or powder with threads being the highest quality. If you cook often with saffron, consider purchasing it at Costco at the link below for the best price and guaranteed freshness. This large quantity can be divided up for gifts. You will be popular for sure!

Saffron purchased at Whole Foods.

Place threads in bowl with hot water 5-15 minutes before adding to your recipe.

Recipes often recommend that you prepare the threads of saffron by placing in a bowl with a bit of boiling water to extract the flavors. Another method used in Barcelona, is to carefully wrap your saffron threads using aluminum foil as a handle and heat gently over the open flame of your stove to create a smokey flavor. This requires some skill, as I have completely burned my threads attempting this. Just be aware. And, of course, Julia Child included two big pinches of saffron in her Bouillabaisse recipe. I can imagine her hunting down her favorite source of saffron in the Provence markets.

Given the high price of this fragrant spice, you use very little in recipes. For example, when cooking rice, it is recommended that you use 1-4 threads for 1 cup of dried rice. It can also be added to risotto, paella, soups or stews to ramp up the flavor and color.


Donna's Recipe Rice with Saffron (double as needed) serves 2-3

1 cup rice (always even if instant rice be sure to wash under cold water until water runs clear)
1 Tablespoon butter
3-4 threads of saffron
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence (optional but wonderful)

Method:

While rinsing your rice, boil a kettle of water. Place the saffron threads in a small bowl with about 1/4 cup of boiling water until the water turns yellow/orange.

When you see the saffron is ready (5-15 minutes), melt butter in a covered pan at medium heat, add drained rice and allow the rice to cook lightly in butter for 2 minutes. Add herbs de Provence. Stir. Add the saffron and colored water to a measuring cup and add additional boiling water from the kettle to measure 1 3/4 cups total. Gently add the boiling water to the rice. Stir, cover the pot, reduce heat to LOW. Keep covered and do not lift lid. Set timer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, raise lid, and fluff rice. Easy and gorgeous!

Before closing lid.

Magic after 20 minutes ready to fluff.

Plated with subtle herbs de Provence and SAFFRON threads!

Purchase the very best saffron at Costco see this link:

Costco Saffron

One Perfect Fruit Tart - No Egg, No Roll, No Worries

Julia Child made a famous peach tart that required a few more steps and ingredients. I am certain even she would be impressed with the easy, fewer, yet authentic ingredients in this perfect tart recipe.

Fall blesses us with an abundance of fruit options. For a quick, delicious, gorgeous dessert, you can't go wrong with a fruit tart. Grab some peaches, plums, apricots, or apples and follow the instructions below. You do not have to peel stone fruit, but you will need firm, not soft fruit for ease of slicing.

You can see this lovely tart in the photo below. The dough base begins on the stove top, the 3 sliced peaches are baked in the oven at the same time as the tart shell, and the gloss added on top of the fruit  at the end is Bonne Maman French made jelly! A French import, their preserves are fruit, sugar, lemon juice and pectin - that is it. You can download a $1 coupon from their website making it a great deal, too. Click here for their website: Bonne Maman Preserves

This tart is easy, tasty, and professional looking.

Bon Appetit!

My Fresh Peach Tart

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Ingredients tart dough shell:

1 and 1/2 sticks butter
1 ounce vegetable oil

3 ounces water
1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Fruit:
In this photo 3 large, firm, unpeeled peaches were used. If using a larger pan select 4 peaches, or use plums, apricots, etc. You will need double the amount when using a smaller stone fruit size. If using apples, peel first. Cut fruit in half and then slice in thin slices, and place on cookie sheet covered in parchment or a silicone pad. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes at the same time the dough is cooking. If they look like they are drying out, remove at 30 minutes. You don't flip the fruit over during baking as the top side of the fruit will be placed down on the dough.

Topping:
1/2 - 3/4 jar of Bonne Maman fruit preserves either peaches, apricot, berry or flavor of your choice, and heat it slightly in saucepan to spreading consistency.

Method:

In a saucepan, heat butter, oil, water, sugar and vanilla until melted. See below. Then add the flour and salt. Combine in saucepan until it forms a ball. Remove from heat and cool until OK to handle. Place ball in center of removable bottom tart pan and press into place. This one is 9.5 inches, but the dough will be enough for a larger pan. Before baking, "dock" the dough by pricking it with a fork to prevent it from rising. Bake for 40 minutes it will not be completely brown. That is the complete baking cycle.

Remove dough and fruit from oven, and cool about 15 minutes or until fruit can be handled. Place the fruit top side down on the tart beginning with outer circle.

Spread heated preserves on top of fruit and let it cool and set before serving. That's it! Serve as is or with a scoop of ice cream.

Invest in a nonstick removable bottom tart pan this is 9.5 inches or larger will do.

Melt butter add liquid ingredients.

Add dry ingredients still to cook the flour a minute before removing from heat.

Press ball of dough into the tart pan. Dock by making fork prints to avoid dough rising during baking.

Slice 3-4 peaches with the skin on. Don't use soft peaches or fruit only firm. 

Use Bonne Maman Peach Preserves or a flavor you like for topping after assembling the fruit on top of cooked dough.

Ireland: Spuds and Stars (of the Michelin Variety)

I am the odd bird that cannot sleep on an airplane. Even as a passenger on a first class Cathay Pacific flight in a pod the size of a small apartment complete with a cozy bed, toasty pajamas, and unlimited Johnnie Walker Blue, I arrived in Hong Kong 16 hours later looking and feeling like a cargo-hold stowaway.

On my first trip to Ireland in 2001, I arrived in a similar catatonic state as I drove with my son towards Waterford on the wrong side of the road in a manual transmission car. Yes, that means shifting with your left hand and foot. I recall very little of that harrowing experience, but I remember in specific detail the very first meal I ate in a village pub on the outskirts of Wicklow.

The lunch special was beef and potatoes and the platter arrived piping hot smothered in dark, delicious gravy and beef. Next to the mound of whipped mashed potatoes was a stack of roasted potatoes. Apparently in this land famous for spuds serving multiple styles of their favorite root vegetable was not unusual. It also explained my mother's habit of serving mashed potatoes along with rice when she made beef chop suey!

Back then, Ireland did not have a reputation for great cuisine. Even Starbucks did not arrive in Ireland until 2005, so finding a thimble of espresso was a challenge. Over the years, with the global trend towards slow food and the farm-to-table movement, this land of shamrocks and grass-fed beef has emerged as a hub of gastronomic delight.

With this transition, the country has wisely taken their assets on the road by growing their food export segment. In 2017, Ireland became the first EU country to sell beef to China and their exportation of dairy and beef recently exceeded 100 million euros. Cathay Pacific launched seasonal service four times weekly between Dublin and Hong Kong last year. Beyond this expanding global demand in the Irish agri-food sector, visitors can now experience excellent cuisine throughout the island.

Since the 1990s, the number of Michelin-rated restaurants in Ireland grew from 6 to 16, with the restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin being the highest rated and longest tenured on the list. Open for lunch and dinner the prices are modest compared to other 2-star rated restaurants around the world. You can see for yourself at the link below. Interestingly, the word potato is not on this menu. 

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud

Another export item, Irish cheese is on par with the some of the very best French cheese. Ireland produces more mozzarella cheese than Italy. In Dublin, Sheridans Cheesemongers has an amazing selection from local farmers as well as special international producers. They will cryo-pack your selection of hard cheeses for safe and TSA approved international travel to the USA. This tiny cheese emporium is a must see stop while touring Dublin or visiting their larger country shop in County Meath.

Sheridans Cheesemongers

Ireland is a quick overnight flight from the USA, and you can launch to the European mainland easily from the international airport in Dublin. The next time you head to Paris, London, Rome or Copenhagen add a few days in this amazing country to savor the memorable meals and more.

Starbucks finally landed in Ireland in 2005

This Old House Swapped for That New Condo

I told people it was a downgrade of home style for an upgrade in lifestyle. After twenty years in the same home, I began prepping, purging and packing decades of memories and dragging them down the road to a modest condo within walking distance to not one, but two Starbucks. Check. Check. 

Not unlike that last move, I approached this enormous task by myself, mom solo, despite having four grown children with lives and homes of their own. I won't lie - it was a challenge. Like my lovely white French lilac tree, I, too, aged over the last two decades, and the preparing to move process was. . . interesting. The painter showed up without paint. The handyman showed up and asked to borrow a screwdriver. Without missing a beat, I quickly shot back, "Phillips head or flat head?"  You laugh. I cried. 

My experience has shown me that workers of a certain younger age consider people of a certain older age, like me, completely oblivious to the home repair and remodel world. Clearly, they are unaware that we were bred on the world of PBS's, This Old House long before the capital letters HGTV evolved into a proper noun. My people, baby boomers, are defined by the Pew Research Center as the nearly 80 million Americans, representing 26% of the population born between 1946 and 1964. I proudly rank in the upper percentile. 

We are the focused group who intently studied the episodes of Bob Vila refinishing aged oak floors and restoring kitchens and baths. Along the way, we gleaned the nuances between wax versus polyurethane and satin versus eggshell, as we grew weary over the plethora of baseboard options (by the way, you can’t go wrong with the ubiquitous 5.25-inch primed colonial, always primed). As a result, members of the baby boomer generation are well versed in the world of home restoration. 

This trend is not only my impression obsession. Researchers from the Kennedy School at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) published a report titled, Improving America’s Housing 2017, Demographic Change and the Remodeling Outlook.  The study related a prediction that homeowner improvement spending will increase 2% annually over the next decade to a staggering $25 billion by 2025. 

The authors suggested that homeowners 55 years and older will generate 50% of all the home improvement spending. The report pointed out that the 55 and older demographic was growing in both size of population and market share of remodeling. The researchers attributed some of the demand due to aging in place. This trend was in contrast compared to previous generations. I would have liked to ask them: Did they or did they not watch Bob Vila?

For added validation, I investigated the 10-year price performance of the stock of Home Depot. On January 2, 2009, the stock closed at $24.13, and on January 2, 2019, the stock closed at $172.41. I did the math using the handy calculator on the HD website. The stock price with reinvested dividends increased +800% during that 10-year period. There appears to be a correlation with the data on remodeling trends. 

Before embarking on my road ahead, I made a calculated self-assessment to consider if I was really ready for radical change. Having moved twice during my childhood and several times as an adult, this property represented my longest layover. I would never again assemble my coveted farm sink, barn door, French door, and spa bathroom as an ensemble in my more modest, miniature estate.

The outdoor green space that I lovingly tended for two decades was on the site of a former golf course where my father treaded 60 years ago. I have told my children that from my window I could imagine grandpa on the 9^thhole in my patch of tall evergreens digging for his wide-left tee shot. In the quiet breeze, I could almost hear him declaring a Mulligan. 

It’s in that same plot that I planted tiny blue snowdrop bulbs which I legally, or perhaps not, brought home from Ireland at the turn of this century. They popped up each spring simulating little blue stickie notes reminding me that Ireland was calling me back. Melancholy can be a paralyzing emotion. Then, I splashed myself with a dose of reality: Walking distance to not one, but two Starbucks!

The universe has a way of keeping things real. Thankfully, finding my next suitable perch was surprisingly seamless. Devoid of lists of hopes and dreams my younger self required in earlier home purchases, my current list had one subject: needs. My new home checked my few boxes. 

As luck would have it, I located my new home in a nearby village of winding streets. Naturally, on my way to see it, I made a wrong turn. After a few twists and turns, I found myself adrift on a charming little street named Sheridan Avenue. The Sheridans are my great-grandfather’s family from County Cavan, Ireland, that I tracked down and connected with in 2005. 

I took that ordinary street sign as extraordinary divine and directional intervention, as if to say I was heading down the right path. After a few grateful breaths and a duly programmed GPS, I took this road less travelled, and the rest is my new history.

Realistically, that doesn't mean I won't revisit the repair and remodeling cycle that so absorbed my previous homes. In fact, I've already lined up my next project to modify this old condo into my newish condo. After all, life has taught me that it is not mine until I knock down a wall. Or two. 

Keep in mind now, if you are a member of the demographic cohort identified in the Harvard study, you are likely to find yourself in the good company of younger, skilled tradespeople sometime over the next decade. 

They will politely enter your home and introduce themselves as Chase or Morgan or a similar sounding hip name you won’t find listed in your baby boomer high school year book. Resist the urge to ask them to spell it. Nevertheless, when your correct response to a home repair query is met by a surprised look, be sure to follow it up, as I do, with, "What else do you have for me?"

 

My Old House Farm Sink, Island with Wine Fridge, etc.

My Old House Barn Door, Spa Bath, etc.

My Newish Condo Starbucks Just Beyond the Trees

Annotation Links:

Pew Research

Harvard Study

Home Depot

Bali: Where Jack Nicholson, David Bowie and Sting eat, pray, love

Everyone should experience Bali at least once in their lifetime. Located a smidgen south of the equator, it is considered by many to be the perfect island experience with consistent tropical weather. During these hot summer days, tropical paradise is probably not front of mind, but it is the perfect time to plan your winter escape. Despite the long, long flight, Bali is an easy add-on destination to all Asian and Australian cities. Once you arrive, housing, food, and spa treatments are very affordable. (Well. . . cheap!)

Tourism is Bali's primary industry, especially when the island was featured in the book and movie, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert in 2006.

Who can forget Jack Nicholson carrying around a thermos full of Kopi Luwak, the coveted coffee of Bali in the movie, The Bucket List? Kopi Luwak is the world's most expensive coffee harvested by hand from a process that includes native ferrel cats. Here is the master at work from the movie:

Bucket List Kopi Luwak 1 min YouTube video

Sting heralded praises for Bali in his rendition of Fields of Gold (OK, even if some say it is Barley!) And, of all the places in the world, David Bowie requested Bali as the site for his eternal rest. For many, Bali is heaven on earth.

Beyond the ecological perfection, the majority of the people follow Hinduism which contributes to the appealing spiritual nature of the population. It is understandable that people like chef Heinz Von Holzen, who arrived from Switzerland to head the opening of the Hyatt Nusa Dua several decades ago, never left. Today, he owns the popular Bumbu Bali restaurants, cooking school, and boutique hotel compound in the province's capital city.

It was an honor to participate in his full day Balinese cooking experience. Beginning with a full breakfast spread of local favorites, the day only improved. This was hands-on tropical paradise for cooks of all levels. Classes are offered twice a week, limited to 12 people, and the fee is only $60! You can see for yourself here: Bumbu Bali Cooking Classes

Chef Heinz Class (courtesy CL)

Balinese Chicken with Spice (courtesy CL)

Chef Heinz has written several cookbooks including this one I picked up in 2012. His earlier and later books focused on Balinese cooking and spices, and they can be purchased on Amazon for under $15. If a trip to Bali isn't in your immediate travel plans, you can certainly transport your friends and family via your culinary explorations!



Here is the link to purchase from Amazon Chef Heinz cookbooks to purchase

Chef Heinz one of several cookbooks

When you make it to paradise in person, here are some suggestions.

Rather than rent a car, you can hire local drivers. They know the island well, so it is both transportation and guided tours. Your hotel can suggest one for you. The cost for an entire day is less than $100.

Of course there is the Kopi Luwak! Here is the link to learn more and to arrange a tour of a coffee facility with a sample tasting. It is a MUST DO! This plantation is located in the city of Ubud, where Eat, Pray, Love was filmed: Kopi Luwak Plantation Tour Bali Pulina

The world-famous John Hardy jewelry is also headquartered Ubud. There is a compound that includes workers and their families. You must reserve a visit in advance as the compound is secured. You may be able to join the workers for lunch if you ask ahead of time. Some jewelry is availble for purchase that is only sold here. This is the link to learn more:John Hardy Ubud Bali Eat & Shop

John Hardy Ubud Compound (courtesy CL)

You can't go wrong staying at the luxurious Grand Hyatt Nusa Dua where the G-8 stayed during President O'Bama's administration: Hyatt Nusa Dua This ocean side resort even offers private dining options on the beach at sunset.

Hyatt Nusa Dua (courtesy CL)

If not this winter, summer, or fall,  be sure to save this information for planning the perfect paradise trip to Bali.

Packing a Passport? Head to McDonald's

McDonald's purchased my first passport in 1998, when I traveled to Paris to work with the team supporting the World Cup credential office. France won the Cup and that trip launched my interest in travel, food, and cooking. During the past three decades of meandering around the world, I always stop at a McDonald's to sample unique menu options and to compare the replication of my favorite items. And, you should, too!

Last week, McDonald's introduced a promotion that customers could sample an international menu item. As an added incentive, payment could be made with any single piece of foreign currency. With a hand full of coins, I ordered the chicken sandwich shown below. It was a menu item from Australia, and I paid for it with a 10 cent Canadian coin. This photo nearly looks fake, but I assure you it was taken with my iPhone in my car. Authentic, gorgeous, and delicious.

As you plan your summer travels, consider some of these stops along your international trails.

The closest I have been to Australia was Bali, populated with more Australian tourists than Balinese locals. In Bali, you must order the McDonald's Mango Smoothie. Here is the menu link you will see it listed at the end: Mango Smoothie

If McDonald's plans to introduce International items to the USA, I will petition for adding Himalayan Tea Latte, which is offered hot or cold in Singapore. I have tried with some success to replicate with recipes online after paying $9 for cardamom pods. I am a desperate fan of this tea as seen in this photo topped with a lotus flower swirl. It is amazing and worth the trip as shown in this link and photo below:Himalayan Tea

McDonald's Hong Kong was my technology challenge as it was the first city to offer the now ubiquitous lobby on-screen ordering system. The food was great and the hip urban decor fit this local setting as you can see below.

You have likely seen in the movie Pulp Fiction, the name of the Quarter Pounder with Cheese transfers to something more luxurious in French. My menu choices below from a stop last fall near Nice, included a child's Happy Meal (seniors are the 2nd most frequent purchasers of McD HMs) that came with a tiny ice cream cone and a French story book that became a souvenir for my granddaughters. Their French fries a/k/a Pommes Frites are served with a traditional white mayo-based sauce shown below next to my American traditional ketchup.

Despite the occasional bad press McDonald's garners, the company is iconic in representing the USA around the world. McDonald's Corporation trains more workers than our military, and its introduction of the Ronald McDonald Houses serving families of sick and injured children make it a company we should be proud to call our own when we travel. A visit inside a foreign location will surprise you with some unique menu offerings as well as a familiar taste of home.

Bon Appetit!

Hot Himalayan Tea Latte in Singapore.

One day international menu my choice was this Australia Chicken Sandwich.

Hong Kong ordering kiosk 2016.

Hong Kong hip decor.

France Happy Meal includes tiny ice cream cone.

France Pommes Frites

Pommes-Frites Sauce on right.

Not My Father's Tea: Hot, Iced, and Colorful

Despite my penchant for coffee, it was not served in my home growing up. Tea was the only hot beverage on tap. My father left each morning with a thermos filled with strong, unsweetened Lipton under his arm.

Scottish grocery merchant Thomas Lipton is credited with bringing his custom blended leaves to the U.S. in the early 1900s, produced from his plantation in Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka. His claim to fame was transforming the common loose leaf tea (shown in the photo below that I purchased in Hong Kong) to convenient mass produced tea bags. Brilliant!

Today, we have a plethora of options beyond Lipton, and it is helpful to know about the various distinctions to consider when preparing a batch for your summer festivities.

One of my favorite tea brands TWG has amazing retail and restaurant destinations in Singapore and Hong Kong. Since they are now in Canada, you can follow them on Facebook to track when they will be arriving in the USA. Click here to follow: TWG Facebook page

Another option is TeaGschwendner a German firm with a shop in Chicago and their tea is shown in the photo below. You can purchase via their online store by clicking this link: Order TeaGsch here

In Asia, tea is king. Beyond savoring as a beverage, various teas provide medicinal benefits. Try not to add sweetener, but avoid adding milk as it changes the medicinal benefits completely. However, when in Hong Kong, black tea is served with sweetened milk (and sometimes from a nylon stocking), but that's another blog post!

Tea is known as camellia sinensis, and it can be broken down into 6 delicious categories:

1. Green Tea is not fermented, and it has the most authentic taste of harvested tea. It can produce yellow or green color tea. Some of the health benefits include protection of the immune system, cholesterol reduction, and anti-aging. 
2. White Tea is slightly fermented producing a light yellow, delicate, sweet liquid. Some benefits are lower blood pressure, reduced inflammation, and improved skin complexion. 
3. Yellow Tea is lightly fermented producing a yellowish green liquid. Some benefits include detoxification, antibacterial, and antioxidants. 
4. Wulong Tea is semi-fermented producing a golden brown color and a rich, sweet aftertaste. Some benefits include aiding in digestion, strengthening the immune system, and helping reduce weight.
5. Red Tea also known as Black Tea, Darjeeling or Ceylon is highly fermented producing a reddish brown liquid that is smooth and sweet. Some benefits claimed are helping to prevent Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, lowering blood sugar, and preventing coronary disease.
6. Black Tea also known as Pu-er, is post-fermented tea that is dark, rich, strong, and smooth tasting. It is known to help reduce blood pressure, lower blood sugar, and help to prevent Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. 

Given all the proclaimed health benefits of tea, this is a great summer time beverage to explore in your grocery aisle, purchase online, and order at your favorite tea or coffee shop. You can serve these colorful options hot, cold, and even to your dad!

TWG Jasmine tea, Lipton loose leaf, TeaGschwendner, and expanding Rose bud Pu-er tea purchased in Singapore.

Tricky: Rice Crispy Treats

Three ingredients, no bake, no gluten, no trouble? These crunchy, perfectly sweetened chunks of nostalgia are my go-to treats for family members avoiding gluten. Topped with a dash of rainbow sprinkles, my grandchildren look at me like the star-worthy chef that I wish I was. . .

Imagine then my disappointment when I found myself up-to-my-elbows in stickiness, as I was throwing together a quick batch last week.

Since I wanted to capture this familiar recipe for this blog, I attacked the recipe on the back of the generic box of cereal with the finesse of a seasoned inspector. The recipe cannot be easier, as listed below, and I've made hundreds of batches over the years. However, I am sharing the things NOT to do when making these All-American favorites.

Here are some useful tips:

• Never make these treats with children! The butter and melted marshmallows are extremely hot and could burn even adult cooks.
• Use a stainless steel, not too heavy, pot to melt the butter and assemble ingredients so you can lift the pot to scoop the mixture to the dish you plan to cool it in.
• Do not use a cup to move the combined ingredients to the cooling dish. See my disastrous attempt in the picture below.
• Always mix these sticky ingredients with a rubber spatula, not a wooden spoon, and use wax paper or parchment paper to protect your hands when pressing into cooling dish.
• Do not refrigerate bars when cooling at room temp for 15 minutes before cutting into bars. After they are cut bars can be refrigerated overnight as they have butter in them. 
• Always cut the bars using a serrated edge knife - a steak knife works perfectly.

Despite these warnings - these treats are loved by everyone!!

Read entire recipe and instructions first.

Rice Crispy Treats (makes 12 large bars)

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
2 packages of miniature marshmallows (20 ounces total - a staple I purchase at the Dollar Tree store)
1 box 12 ounces of generic or name brand Rice Crispy cereal


Method:

In a large stainless steel pot melt the butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows constantly stir until melted. Remove from heat and add the box of cereal. Quickly transfer the mixture to a 9 X 13 inch pan or serving dish sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Scoop the hot mixture with the spatula and use a piece of wax paper or parchment paper to press the hot mixture into the pan. At this point top with colored sprinkles if you want.

Cool at room temp 15 minutes or longer. Cut into bars as shown in photo.

Enjoy!

Do not scoop with coffee cup! Yep, showing off my Starbucks mug I purchased  in Cannes, France!

Cool in pan at room temp before cutting.

Cut into bars using a serrated knife - DELISH!

Free! Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Cooks of a certain age remember the fake news story well. Years ago, there was a rumor that a customer at the restaurant in Neiman Marcus (serves wonderful food if you haven't been) enjoyed their chocolate chip cookies so much that she asked the chef for the recipe. When her monthly account statement arrived in the mail, she was charged $250. Well, it was not a true story, but it was so ridiculous it spread quickly.

Today, in part to dispel the rumor, the NM website publishes the recipe. You can read if for yourself at the link below (you can shop there, too!).

When Julia Child was living in Paris in the 1950s, and in the 1960s when she stayed at her home in Provence, she traveled with her favorite baking chocolate chips from the USA! They were the one ingredient that she could not find a French equivalent substitution. This recipe from NM showcases the lovely pellets of gooey, rich chocolate that Julia loved!

The cookies are delicious because of the higher content of brown sugar and the addition of powder espresso or instant coffee. As I've said before, chocolate and coffee are a perfect marriage. Baking cookies is an easy and memorable activity to do with children of any age.

One trick I recommend is to double the recipe. Bake half and refrigerate the other half of the dough in plastic wrap overnight. You can get the shape of a log by placing the plastic wrapped dough log in an empty paper towel roll sliced open as seen in the photo below. It forms a perfect shape. . . like the refrigerator cookies people purchase, but better.

The next morning, while the oven is preheating, you can easily slice the cookies and place on the cookie sheet. Even if you prepare the dough and let the children cut the cookies it will make them feel like they are baking. You can also freeze the log just defrost overnight in refrigerator when ready to bake. See my notes at the end of the recipe for changes I made to the original NM recipe here.

Yum!

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the link below)

Ingredients for 2 dozen. Double for 2 batches.

1/2 cup butter softened (one stick)
1 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon each baking powder, baking soda, and salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder (I use instant decaf coffee)
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

Beat butter and sugars till smooth using mixer. Add egg and vanilla. Add coffee powder. The NM recipe adds dry coffee with the chips. Since espresso powder was made to be rehydrated I tested, and it blends into dough better when added to the liquid portion. Mix dry ingredients. Add to liquid. Turn off mixer and add chocolate chips by hand. Form cookies using a soup spoon for consistent shape as shown in photo.

Bake at 300 for 20 minutes. This is lower temperature than most chocolate chip cookie recipes. Cooks perfectly, but cool on silicone sheet or in pan. Moving them immediately they will fall apart.

A few tips: Let cookies cool on the silicone sheet or pan before removing. Very gooey at first. I use 1/2 chips and 1/2 chopped baking chocolate one 3.5 ounce bar (50 - 65% cocoa) as these cookies have so much sugar the combo of semisweet and dark chocolate is perfect. I also use 1/2 all purpose flour and 1/2 ground oatmeal (by grinding old fashion oatmeal in my mini Cuisinart). Always testing for perfection!


Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies Website

Cooling on mat before eating - using chips and chopped bar leaves speckles of chocolate in every bite!

Dough ribbon stage includes dry coffee before flour

Add flour and dry ingredients

Add chocolate by hand

Make log using paper towel roll for cutting cookies

Ready to refrigerate

Ready to bake 300 for 20 minutes

Cookie log slice and bake YEP using the $1 bench scraper from this post click link:
Julia Child Must Have $1 Kitchen Tool