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Plum & Coconut Spoon Bread

July 19, 2012 By + 42 Comments

Plum & Coconut Spoon Bread

 Has everyone been enjoying their sweet summer corn?  The corn here in Maryland has been a little hit and miss this year.  Actually, I’ve had some ears that have been down right wonky!  So for this month’s Improv Cooking Challenge, I am opting to bake with cornmeal!  Kristen, from The Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker has challenged us to use corn and butter as the key ingredients in our recipes.  And I’ve decided to put a slightly exotic spin on the traditional spoon bread by adding . . . . . [Read more...]

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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...]

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Baked French Toast

December 4, 2011 By + 63 Comments

Welcome to another beautiful Baked Sunday Morning!

Baked French Toast | From My Sweet Heart

I’ve been feeling bad that I have missed a couple of weekends with this awesome group because I really enjoy meeting the new people who are just as fanatical about cooking from this wonderful cookbook as I am!  It’s a great book – Baked Explorations – by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.  Fortunately, for me, it was a pretty easy assignment and I welcomed this after a rather difficult week.  And there really is nothing more comforting to me than a warm, chewy, sweet french toast.  I kept pretty true to the original recipe, making just a few changes to accommodate my fridge and pantry.  Here are a few more pictures with the changes that I made…….. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Baked Sunday Mornings, Breakfast/Brunch, Savory Sweet Tagged With: ,

Autumn Fruit Chutney

November 10, 2011 By + 30 Comments

“THY BOUNTY SHINES IN AUTUMN UNCONFINED AND SPREADS A COMMON FEAST FOR ALL THAT LIVE.”  James Thomson

Autumn Fruit Chutney | From My Sweet Heart

There is a different kind of simplicity that I search for in the fall.  While in spring and summer, I am content to eat some strawberries off the vine, or a fresh peach flavorful all on it’s own; in autumn I look for more comfort.  For a blending and melding of fruits and flavors.  And warmth!  And this union of fruits and spices does not need to be complex.   Crisp apples, pears and cranberries melt together with the warmth of cinnamon and brown sugar and curry.  This chutney takes little time and effort to make, but seems to simmer for the longest hour of my life!  And I could almost be content with the lovely scent which begins to waft through my kitchen.  This fall fruit chutney was created to…… [Read more...]

Filed Under: Apples, Fruity & Fun, Pears, Savory Sweet Tagged With: , , ,

Orange Nutmeg Popovers

November 5, 2011 By + 26 Comments

“MY UNCLE ORDERED POPOVERS FROM THE RESTAURANT’S BILL OF FARE.  AND, WHEN THEY WERE SERVED, HE REGARDED THEM WITH A PENETRATING STARE.  AND THEN HE SPOKE GREAT WORDS OF WISDOM AS HE SAT THERE ON THAT CHAIR:  TO EAT THESE THINGS, SAID MY UNCLE, YOU MUST EXERCISE GREAT CARE.  YOU MAY SWALLOW DOWN WHAT’S SOLID BUT YOU MUST SPIT OUT THE AIR! ”  Dr. Seuss

Orange Nutmeg Popovers | From My Sweet Heart

The thing which makes popovers so easy to create is that it only requires 5 basic ingredients and they are all combined in a blender!  I haven’t  popovers in some time.  I recall a restaurant chain when I lived in Boston, called The Proud Popover.  While my memory about this is vague, I do remember that the popover was the canvas for a host of fillings from savory to sweet.  And it’s what you add to your 5 basic elements that determines this.  Today, I chose to add orange zest, freshly grated nutmeg and freshly cracked black pepper!  There is such a subtle hint of sweetness and rather a warmth and heat which permeates each sumptuous bite of this oddly formed, egg-like bread!  I served these orange nutmeg popovers with….. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Breakfast/Brunch, Savory Sweet, Sweet and Savory Offerings Tagged With: , , ,

Wild Blueberry Oatmeal in Warm Maple Cream

September 18, 2011 By + 34 Comments

“YOU HAVE TO EAT OATMEAL OR YOU’LL DRY UP.  ANYBODY KNOWS THAT.”  Kay Thompson, author of ‘Eloise’.

Wild Blueberry Oatmeal in Warm Maple Cream | From My Sweet Heart

Growing up in New England, and especially in the winters, my dad would very often make me oatmeal for breakfast.  To some, this may have seemed like the dreaded, dreary breakfast.  I think oatmeal has a bad rap of being a sticky, clumpy, heavy gruel.  But I have always loved it! Dad always served it with milk and maple syrup.  And I remember secretly wishing that he would be distracted while making it, because I was sure to find a lump or two in my bowl.  And I loved finding the sweet, unexpected texture of those lumps!

I still love oatmeal and eat it all year round.  And who says oatmeal can’t be sophisticated?!  So I’ve tried to elevate it a little bit from it’s rustic form; while still giving a wink and a nod to my dad, who I miss with all my heart.  A friend gave me this recipe some time ago telling me how she tweaked it from when it was given to her.  And I did my own tweaking to get it to my personal liking.  Here are the basics, but I hope you will feel free to tweak away……. [Read more...]

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