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Italian Lemon Milkshakes with Limoncello Cream

January 29, 2012 By + 36 Comments

Italian Lemon Milkshakes with Limoncello Cream | From My Sweet Heart

  • 2 cups of vanilla ice cream
  • 1 1/2 cups of lemon sorbet
  • 3/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
  • 2/3 cup of vanilla vodka
  • 1/2 cup of prosecco

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until thick and creamy.  For the limoncello whipped cream, place 1 cup of heavy cream, 3 TBSP confectioners sugar and 3 TBSP of limoncello in the bowl of your mixer.  Beat until soft peaks form.  Pour the milkshake into serving glasses, dollop with whipped cream and garnish with lemon zest and a berry. 

I wanted to share with you another of my thrifty finds.  I found these pretty, purple striped soda glasses at my local thrift store for 99 cents a piece!  They look like they are out of the 1960′s or 1970′s.  But they triggered something in my memory that was pleasant and I’m so happy I got them!

I always like to pair a cocktail recipe with a piece of music that I enjoy .  And in fitting with the Italian theme of this post, I decided to share a piece that can have me both trembling with goosebumps and reduced to tears in just a matter of minutes (especially when performed by Yo-Yo Ma!).  So please enjoy the music of the Italian conductor and composer Ennio Morricone.  Gabriel’s Oboe and the theme from Cinema Paradiso are performed by La Orchesta Sinfonietta di Roma.  Sip, close your eyes, and enjoy!

Filed Under: Dessert Drinks, My Thrifty Finds, Sodas & Shakes

Apple, Ham & Smoked Gouda Galettes

January 22, 2012 By + 47 Comments

“A HUNGRY STOMACH SELDOM SCORNS PLAIN FOOD.”  Horace

Apple Ham and Smoked Gouda Galettes | From My Sweet Heart

Have you ever been so busy that you forget to eat?  And then when you finally have a moment to realize that you are hungry, what you eat tastes so incredibly good.  Which leads you to wonder, was it really that good?  Or was I just really that hungry?!  I decided to try this humble, savory galette today.  It’s made in stages.  First the dough for the crust.  Then it chills.  Then you fill it.  Chill it some more.  And then bake it for a half an hour or so.  And in between I kept myself kind of busy.  So at 4pm when this apple and ham galette was finally ready..I realized that I hadn’t had anything but a cup of coffee today..and I was more than ready to eat it!  So simple yet flavorful.  A warm, flaky, tender crust, sprinkled with grated smoked gouda and just the right amount of pepper is filled with buttery apples, apricot jam, mustard and ham; lavished with an egg wash and a pinch of sea salt; and then baked to a golden perfection!  Yes…I was hungry…..but this was delicious! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Savory Sweet Tagged With: ,

Lemony Blue Heart Cupcakes

January 19, 2012 By + 86 Comments

It’s Kitchen Improv!!!

Lemony Blue Heart Cupcakes | From My Sweet Heart

Have you ever watched Chopped on The Food Network?  It’s one of my favorite shows!  How those chefs combine 4 totally obscure ingredients in the most cohesive way in 20 minutes is mind blowing to me!  And though I’d love the challenge, it would take me days to figure out how to put them all together!

Luckily for me, I’ve found a more reasonable, realistic, and fun version of this concept.  It’s called The Improv Cooking Challenge.  And it is hosted by Kristen from The Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker.  If Kristen is a harried homemaker, you would never know it.  She’s a wonderful chef, baker, blogger, mother, whose site is filled with amazing recipes for “family style cooking, frugal tips, and an occasional random post”.  And it is awesome!

The premise of The Improv Cooking Challenge is that each month we are given 2 ingredients to incorporate into a recipe of our choice.  I can do that!  This month, we were to utilize lemons and sour cream.  A fabulous combination!  Let me show you how I worked them into a scrumptious and lemony cupcake filled with a creamy lemon and blueberry filling.  Hopefully, I won’t be hearing Kristen say, “Chef Anne, you’ve been chopped!” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cupcake Heaven, Fruity, Kitchen Improv Tagged With: , , ,

Chocolate Hazelnut Tartlets

January 12, 2012 By + 59 Comments

“THE SWEET TOOTH IS A GLOBAL PHENOMENON, AND THERE ARE DELIGHTFUL NUGGETS TO BE FOUND EVERYWHERE.”  Mark Bittman

Chocolate Hazelnut Tartlets | From My Sweet Heart

Delightful nuggets, indeed!  I don’t know about you, but I always love having a ‘whole something’ all to myself.  Not a slice or a piece….but my own little dessert, no matter how small!  And I’ve become enamored with petite sweets.  Maybe it’s for that reason.  But when ‘indulging in moderation’, it’s nice to have a one or two bite dessert.  And I think they are also easier to eat and serve when entertaining.  I found this dessert in Yankee magazine.  And being a New England girl at heart, I just had to try it!  A delicate and buttery, hazelnut shell is filled with rich, chocolate ganache  and just a sweet hint of raspberry!  Check it out….. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Petite sweets, Tiny Tarts & Pies Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Starfruit with Ginger Thyme Syrup

January 6, 2012 By + 42 Comments

“FOR MY PART I KNOW NOTHING WITH ANY CERTAINTY, BUT THE SIGHT OF THE STARS MAKE ME DREAM.”  Vincent van Gogh

Starfruit with Ginger Thyme Syrup | From My Sweet Heart

You may find it ironic that I write a dessert blog when I tell you that I am a former Weight Watcher!  What I have learned over time, about myself, is that over eating was never about hunger.  And for me to lose weight was a matter of eating less and moving more.  And to maintain good weight and good health, I need to eat well, eat the right things, and indulge in moderation.  But my passion for baking rarely allows me to cut corners and I always try to use the best ingredients to achieve the best product.

This holds true, even as I work with fruit.  Sometimes I just like to play on the lighter side of sweet.  And this starfruit and ginger recipe is a perfect example.  You may use sugar or substitute with Splenda.  Both are equally good.  But this exotic fruit is quite stunning, and a special way to serve fruit as dessert.  If you have never had starfruit before,  then you are in for a treat. . . . . [Read more...]

Filed Under: Exotic, Fruity & Fun, Quick & Easy Tagged With: , , ,

Baked Explorations

January 3, 2012 By + 76 Comments

Baked Explorations | From My Sweet HeartA GREAT KITCHEN READ and a GIVEAWAY!!!

BAKED EXPLORATIONS

“Classic AMERICAN DESSERTS Reinvented”

Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

I really enjoy baking from this book.  Sometimes I am up for the challenge of certain recipes.  Other times I relish the simplicity of them. I loved and owned another book by these authors before I discovered Baked Sunday Mornings, the online group of wonderful people who bake every Sunday from this book. And I was so happy to have an excuse to purchase this book also.  I love it SO much, that I WANT TO GIVE YOU A COPY OF IT TOO!!!  Maybe when you receive this fabulous cookbook, you will consider joining in the fun of Baked Sunday Mornings, a creative and talented group of people who feel just as passionate about baking and about baking from this book in particular.  It’s a very laid back club that follows a schedule of recipes to be made and posted every  Sunday.  Participate when you can and share your finished product with the group.  But whether you decide to join this group or not, I am certain you will enjoy baking from this book.  To find out more about this book and how you may win a copy….read on…… [Read more...]

Filed Under: Great Kitchen Reads Tagged With:

Citrus Curd { and some quick desserts}

January 1, 2012 By + 50 Comments

“FOR LAST YEAR’S WORDS BELONG TO LAST YEAR’S LANGUAGE AND NEXT YEAR’S AWAIT ANOTHER VOICE.  AND TO MAKE AN END IS TO MAKE A BEGINNING.”  T.S. Eliot

Citrus Curd | From My Sweet Heart

Happy New Year!  I hope this is a great year for everyone!  In the past, I have made and tried to stick to resolutions which included exercising more and swearing less, raising my expectations and lowering my expectations, losing weight and finding joy, living with grace vs. putting myself first more often!  Oh yes….and take my vitamins!  But what worked for me last year and what I look forward to again this year…is to live simply. 

This year, I’ll start by getting back to basics again.  I love those very simple recipes that lend themselves to versatility.   Like lemon curd.  It’s been on my mind again lately since watching a cooking show where lemon curd was made for the whole purpose of dipping biscotti.  Who knew?  I’ve only dipped my biscotti in coffee or tea!  I’ve made Martha Stewart’s lemon curd recipe before and it is really good!  But Alex Guarnaschelli adds orange juice to her lemon curd.  And so I thought….why not go for the trifecta!  A combo of both recipes with the addition of lime!  And thus….citrus curd was born.  So go ahead and dip away or read on for more scrumptious recipes…… [Read more...]

Filed Under: Basics, Cute & Creamy, Petite sweets Tagged With: , , , ,