Cake Pops!

Don´t you just love cake, but hate the calories? Well, how about just a cake pop?---Still the same culinary pleasure, just not soo many calories!

My fellow caterer Jill had a birthday party to cook for recently and asked me to make her these cake pops. The Pops looked really good when I had them done, but Jill really made them pop(please forgive the pun) when she put this display together.

A Fun Freebie!

Remember when I told you all about a new software program I was testing? Well, today I got an email with some new ideas and of course I would like to share them with you!

Here is an example of what I whipped up in just minutes this morning! There is so much you can do, make a greeting card for Valentines Day or a page in your digital scrapbook to name just 2 ideas!

The Freebie contains 2 Quick Pages--so hurry up and get your Freebie today! Courtesy of mymemories .

Here is the link to the first Freebie--come back next week to enjoy the next! 

http://www.mymemories.com/store/share_the_memories_kit_1

Sunday Morning means Pancakes!

Recently Marchel a book club friend of mine shared her "healthy homemade pancake mix recipe" with me. Oh am I glad she did. My doctors say I should stay away from wheat products and this recipe I can use spelt flour, so of course I was happy! Plus it is so easy to whip up on a Sunday Morning and far more economical, so perfect in every way.

Marchel´s Healthy Homemade Pancake Mix

4 cups spelt flour

2 cups corn, gluten free, bran, vollkorn, rye, or spelt flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 T Salt

4 pkgs baking powder which is app. 16 Teaspoons

1 box powederd milk

Mix and store in an airtight container

To make a batch of pancakes

1 1/2 cups mix

2 T oil

1 egg

and enough water to get the right consistency 

Enjoy this weeks entry for New Recipe Sunday---the newest Blog party!!!

Happy Pink Saturday Everyone!

Don´t you just love Beverly for hosting this wonderful blog party over at How Sweet the Sound?

I am always on the look out for something pink!

Today´s entry is a series of pictures from my afternoon visit to TJ Maxx!

Valentine´s Day Decorations

Pink Baskets for Easter

This poster would hang in my dream bakery

Now who says rinsing and chopping can not be pink!

Happy Weekend Everyone! Be sure to stop by tomorrow for New Recipe Sunday!

a mediterranean evening

Welcome to this weeks Tablescape Thursday!

A big thanks goes out to Between Naps on the Porch for hosting this blog party ever week!

I have been telling you all about the big dinner party we hosted for my husbands office, well last Thursday the many hours of planning, shopping, and cooking were finally over and the moment was upon us! Wow, several times during that day I was in total panic mode, but..... all turned out more than perfect and a good time was had by all! We are all looking forward to the next dinner!

The window sill served as the bar! See that ice cooler? It comes from the Downtowner Motel in Pontiac! A small but quaint hotel that was owned and run by my family.

Jill, a fellow caterer and friend lent me the table runner! She also helped me fine tune the menue!Thanks Jill!

Are the flowers not absolutely beautiful? My florist here in Kleinmachnow really came through for me, as she always does! If you live in the Berlin Germany area, the name of the florist is Pflanzen Höhne!

Have a wonderful day everyone and be sure to stop by on Sunday for New Recipe Sunday!-- my new blog party!

One very big, beautiful pink rose

As with any dinner party we host, I always need flowers on the table. I make sure my florist knows what kind of vase I am using, what the color scheme is and she always comes through for me---I am in awe every time time!

Happy Pink Saturday! I wish everyone a wonderful weekend and a happy week!

And if you still need more pink---please stop over at How Sweet the Sound!

Biscotti di Prato

Wow, is it that time again, already? Yep sure is--it is Sunday- aka New Recipe Sunday? What have you all been cooking up this past week. On Thursday we hosted a dinner for my husbands department.Thankfully all turned out and everyone went home happy! It is after parties like this that I wish I had a housekeeper like Audrey Hepburn had in Guess who´s coming to Dinner, but no such luck!!! So, on Friday when my husband came home from work, he worked the first shift and I took over the second shift after my "day job"!!!!

The recipe I would like to share with you today is one of the deserts I made for this event.  I found this recipe in one of my many cookbooks!!!

 Biscotti di Prato

Ingredients:

200 grams almond slivers

zest from one lemon

3 eggs

250 grams sugar

3 Tablespoons vanilla sugar

app. 400 grams flour

1/2 pkg baking powder(about 3tsp)

1 Tablespoon butter

pinch of salt

Directions

1. Roast the almonds slivers and let cool

2. Preheat the oven to 175°C and grease the cooking sheet

In a large bowl, mix the 3 egg yolks with 250 grams sugar and 3 Tablespoons vanilla sugar. Beat 3 egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Fold into the egg yolk mixture.

3. Add the lemon zest and the roasted almond slivers to the the batter and mix. Mix 400 grams flour with the baking powder and sift. Add to the batter and mix well. You might have to add some flour.

4. Form the dough into 2 cm think Rolls and place on the greased baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes, till the biscotti is light brown.  Immediately after taking out of the oven, slice the biscotti into 1 cm thick pieces. Let cool and then place in an airtight container.

This was the Desert Display! Cake Pops on top with strawberries and grapes and Biscotti di Prato on the bottom!!!

Have a wonderful Sunday and please come join us here for New Recipe Sunday!

Photography-one of my many passions

Happy Sunday Everyone. One of my many hobbies is photography---I am by far not a professional---still have sooooooooooo much to learn! One of my FB Friends from the embassy started a group on facebook called the Camera Clicks Photo Club and our first assignment is a self portrait. Wow, no easy task---so many ideas which one to choose? This morning I decorated some cupcakes-put on my baking apron and took my first ever self portrait!

London Broil

Greetings and welcome to my blog party entitled New Recipe Sunday. A place where you can blog about a new recipe you have tried. Please do share the recipe with us, pictures of course and your take on the recipe!

I look forward to sharing with you  the recipes I  will be trying---my taste testers will be for the most part my family and of course our friends!

This week we ha ve been trying to eat of our freezer---the freezer was getting full time to make room! So I pulled out a london broil that I had. I found a recipe on about.com .  I  chose this recipe as I have all the ingredients on hand and do not have to make a run to the grocery store.

London Broil Recipe as found on About.com

Ingredients:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves crushed garlic

1 tsp dried rosemary

2 lb boneless top round , app. 2 inches thick

freshly ground pepper 

salt as needed

Prep:

Whisk together the rosemary, oil, vinegar, and garlic. With a fork poke both sides of the beef. Marinate the beef  overnite.

Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry, salt generously and rub in the fresh ground pepper on both sides of the beef. Broil for app 6-7 minutes per side for medium rare.

 Transfer to plate and cover with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes. To serve, cut against the grain in to very thin slices. Serve hot and topped off with its own juices.

Cranberry Vineagar!

Next week I am hosting a dinner for  my husband´s department We are having an italien/mediterranean themed evening! (Will post more aboutt his in the coming days). Today,  for Foodie Friday I would like to share with you on of the party favors.

Cranberry Vinegar

Ingredients:

3/4 cup white vinegar

3/4 cup water

3/4 sugar

1pkg of fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cinnamon stick

Directions:

Bring all ingredients to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the cranberries burst. Let cool completely and then strain through a sieve into the bottle or jars of your choice. This vinegar needs to be chilled until you are ready to use.

Recipe found at www.cdkitchen.com

Happy Cooking Everyone!

http://www.designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

a touch of Gold

Hello Everyone! I realize that Christmas is over, but I thought to share just one more holiday tablescape with you. While visiting my mother in law over the holidays, I found some beautiful stemware in her china cabinet along with some gold bowls and napkin rings. Of course an idea came to mind for a festive and table! Upon returning to Berlin with the treasures in hand I set out to create the following tablescape.

Hope Everyone is having a happy day. Be sure to stop and join my new blog party called 

"New Recipe Sunday"

and as always make sure to take a moment and check out more wonderful tablescapes at 

Between Naps on the Porch

I am also participating in following blog parties:

the Girl Creative

made by you monday

German Championship in cycling in my town!

This weekend we have a live sports event---and the cool thing---all I have to do is look out my living room window and watch the action. Here are a few pictures I took this morning. Unfortunately it is raining off and on so I did not spend a lot of time out there!