navarin printanier: French Fridays with Dorie

It's a quieter week.  Last post involved little Sadie's cast.  Thanks for the well wishes...and FYI, I'm the Nana, not the Mama!  This weekend is really quiet for me...babies are at the beach, and I'm on dog watch in Austin. But before they left, I made the navarin printanier.  

Served up with yummy buttermilk bread for dipping.  I didn't have any peas in the freezer, but I did have fresh snow peas that I shelled (took an hour - but it worked!)

I had 3 different colors of carrots in my veggie delivery this week!  

Orange, yellow and ... let's call it Barbie Pink!!

Browned lamb cooked with pan grilled veggies (and the rest of the ingredients), and voila, cook it all and you get Lamb Stew (aka navarin printanier)

Babies made it to the beach - and Sadie got her cast off right before the drive down.  

Of course this is big.  It means no sand in the cast!!

Another great recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table.  Yes, I'd make it again.  I also would like to try it with beef.  To see what others did this week with this recipe, you can visit French Fridays with Dorie.  

Lemon Loaf Cake - Tuesdays with Dorie

I've been busy.  Not that you could tell from my blog.  It was a quiet blog because:

Little Sadie broke her wrist.  This is her coming home from getting cast #2 on Friday.  

Which is why I didn't post this:

Sardine Rillettes.  I have to confess I like sardines.  This is a great recipe for someone who likes sardines.  I wonder if canned salmon would work with this?

I also made this:

Breaking news:  Pizza Rustica crust works great with strawberry pie.  I made this pie when Sadie got her first cast on Monday....and her other favorites:  chicken salad and matzo ball soup. This is a strawberry glazed pie, the filling recipe is from my really old Joy of Cooking (bought in 1970).  

I'll post the recipe later.

But on to this week's recipe:  Lemon Loaf Cake

Nothing wrong with a little Lemon Loaf Cake and espresso for a late afternoon snack. Even if it is 6 points plus per slice (with 14 slices per loaf).

Whisking until foamy but not thickened.  A simple recipe to put together.

Slick trick:  Rest sifter on a plate to catch flour & baking powder mix in between siftings.  

Sifting into the batter is quick and easy.

Lemon Loaf Cake waiting to be sliced and served.  I left it plain.  It was tasty.

It wasn't all bad news this week.  Dolly dog got her favorite toy, Lobster, back.  I had left it at the beach house and youngest daughter went there this week and brought Lobster home.

Would I make this recipe again?  Probably.  Mainly because it's so easy and tasty. To see what others did with this recipe this week, you can visit Tuesdays with Dorie.  Our hosts have posted the recipe on their blogs:  Truc of Treats and Michelle of The Beauty of Life.

asparagus with bits of bacon - French Fridays with Dorie

I missed you all last Friday (and the crab and grapefruit salad) - but I was here:  this is the view from our room at The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan, Puerto Rico.  It was a great 5 days on the beach, a sister trip!  I met my sister from Chicago there.  But, I am back and ready for asparagus with bits of bacon!

And how beautiful is this dish?  I will make this again, and again, and again....

So, what was I thinking when the only organic asparagus was "thin" not "thick" like Dorie specified?  My Y peeler was useless...to the rescue, the Chefn peeler I rarely use because it's so clunky.  But it was the only way to peel very thin asparagus.  Hooray for junk drawers!

At least I had "thick" bacon.

And my pink Himalayan salt looked so pretty in the pan of water I had to capture a photo.

Finding a big enough saucepan to "boil" the asparagus in, that was a treat.  Third pan out of the pantry  (dig, dig, dig) worked well.  

And, I got to use the Oxo herb spinner to dry the onions.  I must admit I've never "washed" chopped onions before, let alone dried them.  The herb spinner worked pretty well.

Onions and bits of bacon waiting to go back into the bacon grease; lemon juice and olive oil waiting to dress up the asparagus.  I didn't have any walnut or macadamia nut oil.  The olive oil worked well.

Guess which grandkid ate the most asparagus with bits of bacon?  It was Sadie, the youngest one (20 months).  After plowing through the asparagus, Sadie decided to try on some of her cousin Shelby's hand-me-downs that showed up at the house this week.  Happy Easter and Passover to all!

Another great recipe from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.  To see what others did with the recipe this week, you can visit French Fridays with Dorie.

Pizza Rustica - Tuesdays with Dorie

Yes, this recipe is wonderful.  But I think the star is

THE DOUGH!  What a great sweet dough.  I close my eyes and see strawberry pie....

But I digress....back to the recipe.  Lots of yummy cheese (I used Parmesan and provolone instead of Romano and mozzarella) and what's not to love about prosciutto?

Ready to go into the oven.  I think the parsley was important for both flavor and color.

And speaking of color, the wildflowers in Central Texas are beautiful this year.  The flower arrangement awaits the Pizza Rustica!

I was not too sure about this recipe.  I was delighted with how the sweet dough and salty filling came together.  It was a nice dinner with a side salad and sliced fruit.  I will make this again.  It is worth the 14 points plus value (Weight Watchers).

I did have one problem, but it was an user error.  I misread the cooking time and the middle was not done.  However, we all scarfed down the edges while I put the pie back in the oven to finish cooking.  I should have waited until it "puffed up," not just felt done without soft spots.

Yes, another great recipe from Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan.  To see what others did with the recipe this week visit Tuesdays with Dorie.  Also, this week's hosts have reproduced the recipe on their blogs, Capital Region Dining and The Place They Call Home.