They baked much faster than the time in this recipe, so check them super early

Delicious!  Lowfat!  YUM!

CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL RECIPE

Keep in mind I made several changes and you can find them

behind the cut, so click below to see mine…

Changes I made to the recipe are as follows:

• 2 1/2 cups flour– I used half whole wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose
• 1/2 cup sugar– I used organic sucanat
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoonbaking powder plus
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon– I used 1/4 tsp heaped
• 1/4 cup coconut– I used unsweetened
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup milk- I used a little more milk due to the ww pastry flour
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoonsvanilla
• 3 medium mashed bananas– I used 3 fresh ripe + an extra frozen banana
• 1 cup chopped  pecans
• 2 cups  frozen blueberries- I used 1 cup frozen blueberries and 1 cup frozen raspberries

It will be here sooner than we think, and I’m planning on baking a 3D lamb cake for Easter

]]> http://angelninascottage.com/2010/02/25/banana-blueberry-raspberry-and-pecan-bread/feed/ 4 Angelnina bread tulip2 http://angelninascottage.com/2010/02/24/tom-douglas-five-spice-roast-chicken/ http://angelninascottage.com/2010/02/24/tom-douglas-five-spice-roast-chicken/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:55:46 +0000 angelnina http://angelninascottage.com/?p=2299 ]]>

This may very well be my favorite roasted chicken.   Make this one for company–they will love you!  The first time I ate Five-Spice Roast Chicken was at my son’s apartment about a year ago.  It was moist and very flavorful.   I was so impressed that I wanted to make it myself.

Prepare the five-spice paste a day ahead and allow your chicken to sit in the fridge overnight.  It’s worth the wait.

Five -Spice Roast Chicken

Five-Spice Paste

3 star anise

1/2 dried chipotle chile

1/2 cinnamon stick broken into 1/2″ pieces

2 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp whole cloves

1/4 tsp hulled cardamom seeds

1 tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1/4 c firmly packed light brown sugar

1 Tbsp Kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 3 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil

For the Chicken

1 whole chicken 3-31/2 lbs

1/4 orange cut into wedges, plus extra orange wedges for garnish

3 star anise

Kosher salt

2 Tbsp unsalted butter or bacon fat, melted

To make the 5 spice paste:

put star anise, chile, cinnamon, fennel, cloves, and cardamom in a small pan over medium heat and toast for a few minutes until aromatic, shaking the pan.  Let cool, then grind the toasted pieces in a clean coffee or spice grinder/mill.  Transfer the ground spices to a small bowl.   Add the ginger, garlic, brown sugar, salt and pepper.  Gradually add the oil, stirring with a wooden spoon to make a smooth paste.

Rinse chicken and dry completely with paper towels.  With your hands, rub the paste all over the skin of the chicken.  Set the chicken on a rack over a baking pan and place it uncovered in the fridge overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place the quarter orange and star anise in the cavity of the chicken.  Season with Kosher salt and place on a roasting pan.  Line the pan with aluminum foil because paste will drip and burn.  Using a bulb baster rather than a brush so as not to disturb the spice crust, baste the chicken with the melted butter or the bacon fat, and put in oven to roast..  Baste chicken with fat collecting at bottom every 20 minutes.  The chicken is done when an instant read thermometer inserted  in the thickest part of the thigh reads 175 degrees, and the juices run clear about 1 1/4 hours.  Remove chicken from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes before carving.

Cut up chicken into 10 pieces, pile on a platter and garnish with extra orange wedges.

I served this with Tom Douglas’

Baby Bok Choy w/ Garlic Oil

1/2 orange cut into wedges

4 unpeeled fresh ginger coins

1 1/2 lbs baby bok choy sliced in half, or left whole if small

3 Tbsp vegetable or peanut oil

3 cloves garlic, thinky sliced

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Set up steamer, such as a large saucepan or wok with a Chinese bamboo steamer set over it.  Put 2 cups water, the orange, and the ginger in the bottom of the steamer basket, cover, and steam until tender, 6-8 minutes.

A minute or two before the bok choy is tender, heat the oil in a saute pan over medium high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the garlic and toast until light golden brown.  Remove from heat.

Arrange the bok choy on a platter, cut sides up.  Drizzle first with the hot garlic oil, then with the soy sauce.

Aromatic Steamed Rice

2 cups Japanese short-grain rice
1 stalk lemongrass
2 cups cold water
3 1/8-inch-thick coins of unpeeled fresh ginger, smashed with the side of a knife
3 star anise
Zest from 1 scrubbed orange (preferably large, wide strips cut with a vegetable peeler)

• Place raw rice in a fine-mesh strainer. Rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain well.
• Smash the lemongrass stalk with the back of a knife; slice it thinly crosswise. Wrap it in a small piece of cheesecloth and tie in a bundle with kitchen twine.
• In a medium pot, combine the rice and water. Add the cheesecloth bundle to the pot, scatter the ginger, star anise, and zest over the top and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer gently until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the lemongrass and other aromatics, fluff the rice with a fork and serve hot.

My son, Sean, and his fiancee Olivia,  married on December 17th.  Sean’s father and I couldn’t be happier!

It was a small ceremony downtown Seattle.  After the ceremony, the family gathered for a formal dinner at Pomodoro’s, and then we partied at Magnolia’s Mulleady’s where the newlyweds held their reception.

I volunteered to make the cupcake tower for the reception.  I had a few weeks notice and went crazy trying to figure out how to put this idea together.   The couple requested the “Day of the Dead”  pair be the cake topper–needless to say, it is was a unique idea, and I have to say, I really liked the idea of thumbing our noses at tradition.

I made close to 100 cupcakes.  I also piped 80 butter cream roses for the tops of the chocolate cupcakes.

I cheated and used a mix for the chocolate, but I added buttermilk and changed a few things around to make them my own.  The ivory butter cream is homemade.  I used an edible pixie dust to make them glitter under the lights.

I also baked lemon cupcakes–from scratch this time!– and a batch of Hummingbird cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  The mini-cake topper is also a Hummingbird Cake.

I used putty to hold the giant pink martini glasses in place with the layers of depression glass and crystal in between.

Olivia and my mother made molded chocolates and placed them in little cellophane bags with ribbon and a photo of the bride and groom, to give out for wedding favors.  We hung them from a little Christmas tree.  So adorable.

The night flew by and soon the newlyweds flew off to California to enjoy a honeymoon in the sun.

If you would like to read about my cupcake baking adventures please click below–you can find the recipes here too…

Lemon Cream Cupcakes

Hummingbird Cake

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

The Cupcake Tower

When Sean and Olivia told me they had decided to get married in December (keeping in mind, it was December when they told me!)  I actually thought a small wedding could be fairly simple.  I offered to bake the cupcakes and create a cupcake tower for them.  I mean, how hard can it be to bake a hundred cupcakes?  I bake all the time, hell, I can bake with one eye closed.  I was so excited, I was pre-baking “sample” cupcakes.   By the time the wedding rolled around we were all so sick of cupcakes we didn’t want to look at a cupcake.
Anyhoo, back to the story.  I was throwing out all kinds of ideas to Olivia–who is no Bride-Zilla–not by a long shot.  She was pretty laid back and told me not to worry,  just some cupcakes.

After looking through countless web site images of cupcakes, not to mention my twenty or so books on cupcakes, I decided to pull out my old Wilton tips and attempt a few butter cream roses.  Oh, yes!  I loved how the few I piped looked and that was that–roses it will be!  Simple!  Right?

Um, maybe a few are simple, but a hundred?  Not so much.

To make matters worse, my arthritis decided it was a good time to really kick in and make it nearly impossible to pipe.  To say I started to freak out at this point , would be an understatement.
“I’m going to ruin the wedding!”   I shouted as Mark  stood by trying to convince me that the roses look perfect to him.

“Are you blind?”  I was serious.  “We only have one child and I’m ruining his wedding day!”

I cried myself to sleep that night.  What?  Are you going to tell me you’ve never cried over a baking project?  Oh, no?  Was it for your only child’s wedding?  I thought not!

The next morning, I awakened to pain free fingers and started piping the roses–in pink and aqua.  The roses started out crisp and pointy and slowly digressed to rounded and not so crisp and pointy as time marched on–at a seemingly high speed.  I was ready to purchase pre-made roses by the time I had piped out the first 25.  Instead, I took breaks and finally finished the necessary roses with extras to spare.

I looked at store bought cupcake towers, but they didn’t hold many cupcakes.  I didn’t have time to order anything and I really didn’t want cardboard.  I ended up using Olivia’s grandmother’s bowl–a bowl she cherishes because she really loves and misses her grandma.  I also used a depression blue glass plate I have and a  crystal platter that belongs to my grandmother.  I stacked the over sized pink martini glasses in between for pillars.

I found an adorable mini-cake pan set to bake the wedding cake top.

For added décor, I added fresh cut flowers, Jordan almonds, and some strawberry molded candies I made to place around the table.

Yes, I also worried about transporting the cupcakes to the reception and I created a lot of drama around that issue as well.  I also worried about what dress I would wear, what shoes I should wear, what my husband should wear, if I made enough cupcakes,  if I made too many cupcakes, my aching back, my makeup, my nails, my son, Olivia, and the price of tea in China.

In the end, the wedding and reception were simply beautiful.  Our son has a wife and we have a lovely daughter-in-law, and I’m hooked on baking cupcakes 

All of the lovely photos were taken by Luce Bella Photography.  Shari is a very talented artist and we are grateful for the beautiful moments she captured!

The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th photos were shot  by yours truly

Angelnina’s Cottage Photography

]]> http://angelninascottage.com/2010/02/24/love-and-marriage-and-cupcakes/feed/ 8 Angelnina olivia.sean-342-2 dinner_edited-1 cakeropper2 butter cream roses cupcakenametag cupcakestowerb weddinfavor feet olivia.sean-799 cupcaketowera http://angelninascottage.com/2010/01/30/bornfree/ http://angelninascottage.com/2010/01/30/bornfree/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:04:16 +0000 angelnina http://angelninascottage.com/?p=2273 ]]> Mark  built a “free range” area for the birds to roam within a confined area outside of their pen.  This morning he decided to let them run completely free.

I was greeted by these curious faces on my back patio.

“Got corn?”

Mark is a bit stressed out–over protective if you will–and twice has said, “Well I should lock them up now.”  I’ve talked him down a few times and they are still roaming free.   He is acting like the father of teenage daughters right now

Life with Mark.

Life with chickens.

PS.  My oven broke down!  Yes, I’m sad.  Times are tough right now, so I bought a little Cuisinart convection counter oven at Costco–I look forward to posting some of the cool things that have come out of it!  Plus, I save on my power bill.

Hey Sean!  Guess what?

I set out to find great deals on mandarins/clementines, pears, Meyer lemons, and other winter fruits.  I still have a list of more canning to complete this winter.

Although it is not a “winter” choice,  I had dried culinary lavender flowers leftover from this past summer.   While visiting Lavender Hills Farm in Marysville, Washington, I picked up a small amount of culinary lavender to bake in a cake.  I never got around to baking the lavender pound cake , but I did try my hand at some lavender wine jelly.  I’m very happy with the results!

ABOVE: Clockwise from left-  Lavender Chardonnay Jelly, Mandarin Jam, Cranberry Orange Conserve

My entire house smelled like lavender as the dried flowers steeped in hot water.  I had a free aromatherapy session as I cooked.

The recipe called for food coloring, but the pink color was so pretty, that after adding one small drop of purple food coloring, I stopped and decided to back off.

For recipes and more photos, please click below…

Lavender Chardonnay Jelly

I love this lavender jelly spread very thin over a fresh cheese on a crostini cracker.  The pink color looks lovely over the white fresh cheese and would be perfect at an afternoon tea on a delicate scone.

¼ cup dried lavender flowers
2 ½ cups water
4 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup chardonnay
1 drop purple liquid food coloring
½ bottle or 1 packet liquid pectin

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in lavender leaves, remove from heat, and let steep for 15 minutes.

Pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer or a layer of cheesecloth, reserving the liquid. Measure 2 cups of the liquid and return to the saucepan.

Return to the stove and stir in sugar, chardonnay, and drop food coloring.   Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Add pectin, return to a full boil, and continue boiling for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam.

Ladle lavender jelly into sterilized jars to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe tops of jars and screw on sterilized lids. Process in a boiling water bath according to your canner’s instructions.

Yield: about 3 half-pints

Cranberry Orange Conserve

Fresh cranberries, dried golden raisins, walnuts, and oranges.

Cranberry Orange Conserve

Undeniably my favorite thing to serve beside a roasted chicken or turkey!  If you eat this you’ll never want to open a plain can of cranberry sauce again!

1 orange (unpeeled), seeded and finely chopped (Approx. 3/4 c to 1 cup)
2 c water
4 c cranberries
1/2 c raisins (i use golden)
3 c granulated sugar
1/2 c chopped nuts (I use walnuts)

Combine orange and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, partially cover, and boil until peel is tender, about 5 minutes. Add cranberries, raisins, and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Return to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Boil hard until mixture thickens, 10-15 minutes. Stir in nuts and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and test gel.

Skim foam and pack into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process 15 minutes in BWB.

MANDARIN JAM

Can be found here,  at The Traveler’s Lunchbox, and it is a favorite of mine!  I made this after the boxes of clementines went on sale at the market.  Nothing better than slathering on a spoonful of this on toast, scones, biscuits, cornbread, you name it!

Yesterday I drove into downtown Edmonds for my dreaded monthly eyebrow waxing.   I also had my brows tinted–which is something I’ve never done before.   I left feeling very self conscious about my too dark brows, but life goes on so I persevered.

Afterward, I met my friend, “E”  for lunch.  We had a wonderful meal at Provinces–yummy Chinese food.

After lunch we drove to the ferry park on the waterfront.   E and I are taking a beginner’s knitting course together and she had missed a class, so I was going to show her what I had learned.   We decided to walk to the little coffee shop next door and grab a mocha to drink while we knitted. I   was teasing E about drinking coffee–I don’t think I’ve ever seen her order coffee in the 14 years I’ve known her.   I was joking that she was going to be too wired to cast on the yarn.  I  reminded her we were going to have a pasta making day at my house, when I looked out the window and saw what appeared to be a man and woman in heavy makeup–followed by a crew of camera men and giant microphones.

“Hey, what’s with the camera crew following those people?   They must be actors or models….HOLY SHIT  it’s the Take Home Chef guy!”

Yes, my friends, I may be the only person in my town who recognized the famous chef, well, me, E, and the barista!   We all immediately ran out of the shop and stood there staring across the street.   E realized they were heading toward the ferry park, but I was so star struck, I was standing there with my mouth hanging open, and repeating “Oh my God, Oh my God!”



I’ve eaten a few poached pears in my life, but none like the one I ate in Napa Valley while on vacation with my husband.

The hotel we stayed in offered brunch every morning, and it was there where I discovered the beauty of fruit mixed in wine.

This is a simple recipe.   Play with it.

Next time, I will experiment with cloves.

I used a Merlot for the red wine.

Pears Poached in Red Wine

Adapted from “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman

Time: Overnight , largely unattended.

A light simple and classic dessert.  Use not-quite-fully-ripe Bosc Pears if at all possible.

4 Bosc pears, ripe but not mushy

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups red wine (I used Merlot)

3/4 cup sugar

1 lemon, sliced

1 cinnamon stick

1-  Peel pears;  use a melon baller to remove the core from the blossom end, leave the stem on.  (I did not, I halved the pears and removed the cores.  I preferred halves to wholes.)

2-  In a medium saucepan. Bring water, wine, and sugar to a boil.  Turn heat to med-low and add the lemon slices, cinnamon stick, and pears.  Cover pan, simmer until pears are very tender, at least 20 minutes.

3- Remove pears to a bowl and continue to cook the sauce, over med-high heat until it reduces by half and becomes syrupy.  Strain syrup over pears and refrigerate overnight.

4- Serve chilled pears whole, with little of the syrup poured over them.

These would be excellent for the holiday table.

]]> http://angelninascottage.com/2009/11/19/pears-poached-in-red-wine/feed/ 7 Angelnina pp4 ppdone http://angelninascottage.com/2009/11/18/julia-childs-poulet-au-porto-roast-chicken-steeped-with-port-wine-cream-and-mushrooms/ http://angelninascottage.com/2009/11/18/julia-childs-poulet-au-porto-roast-chicken-steeped-with-port-wine-cream-and-mushrooms/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:00:29 +0000 angelnina http://angelninascottage.com/?p=2148 ]]>

I love it when I prepare a meal and people rave over the results.

Julia Child wrote , “It is the kind of dish to do when you are entertaining  a few good, food-loving friends whom you can receive in your kitchen.”

…and Julia should know!

I wasn’t prepared to photograph the ignited cognac, but trust me, it adds a bit of excitement to the room.

Poulet au Porto

(Roast Chicken Steeped with Port Wine, Cream, and Mushrooms)

PRINT RECIPE

Adapted from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume One”, by Julia Child

WINE SUGGESTIONS

Serve very good, chilled, white Burgundy such as a Meursault or Montrachet, or an excellent, chateau-bottled white Graves.

For 4 people

A 3- 4 lb., ready-to-cook, roasting or frying chicken

The original recipe calls for roasting the chicken according to the instructions in her book, but I really like to butterfly and pan roast my chickens.  I learned to do this from a Wolfgang Puck  recipe for “Pan Roasted Chicken with Port and Whole Grain Mustard”.   You may roast your chicken any way you choose, but I find butterflying and pan roasting gives me a crispy crust and a very moist chicken.  Plus, it cooks much faster!

I followed these instructions for my pan roasted chicken:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold the chicken over high heat. Add a few Tablespoons of clarified butter ( or oil and butter ) and swirl it in the skillet.  Carefully place the chicken skin side down in the skillet. Sear the chicken, undisturbed, while reducing the heat little by little to medium, until its skin has turned golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully turn the chicken skin side up.

Put the skillet into the oven and cook until the chicken is deep golden brown and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, 20- 30 minutes, depending on its size. When the chicken is done, remove it to a carving board and let it rest at room temperature while completing the sauce.

1 lb. fresh mushrooms (I mixed white and crimini)

Meanwhile, trim and wash the mushrooms. Quarter them if large, leave them whole if small.

In a  2 1/2-quart enameled or stainless steel saucepan-

1/4 cup water

1/2 Tb butter

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

Bring the water to boil in the saucepan with the butter, lemon, and salt. Toss in the mushrooms, cover, and boil slowly for 8 minutes. Pour out the cooking liquid and reserve.

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 Tb cornstarch blended with 1 Tb of the cream

Salt and pepper

Pour the cream and the cornstarch mixture into the mushrooms. Simmer for 2 minutes. Correct seasoning, and set aside.

1/2 Tb minced shallots

1/3 cup medium-dry port

The reserved mushroom cooking liquid

The mushrooms in cream

Salt and pepper

Drops of lemon juice

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan. Stir in the shallots and cook slowly for 1 minute. Add the port and the mushroom juice, and boil down rapidly, scraping up coagulated roasting juices, until liquid has reduced to about 1/4 cup. Add the mushrooms and cream and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the liquid to thicken slightly. Correct seasoning and add lemon juice to taste.

A fireproof casserole or a chafing dish

1 Tb butter

1/8 tsp salt

Smear the inside of the casserole or chafing dish with butter. Rapidly carve the chicken into serving pieces. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and arrange in the casserole or chafing dish.

1/4 cognac  (I bought one of those tiny bottles at the liquor store)

Set over moderate heat or an alcohol flame until you hear the chicken begin to sizzle. Then pour the cognac over it. Avert your face, and ignite the cognac with a lighted match. Shake the casserole slowly until the flames have subsided. The pour in the mushroom mixture, tilting the casserole and basting the chicken. Cover and steep for 5 minutes without allowing the sauce to boil. Serve.

(*) Chicken may remain in its casserole over barely simmering water or in the turned-off hot oven with its door ajar, for 10 to 15 minutes, but the sooner it is served, the better it will be.

Julia Child  recommends serving this chicken with

“Pommes De Terre Sautees” (Potatoes Sauteed in Butter) and peas

and so I did!

These are quite satisfying.  Cooking the potatoes in clarified butter made them extra flavorful!

I’m not sure I cut them up the the book advised, but I we all enjoyed them anyhow.

I will make these again and again.

Dessert was served hot out of the oven.  One of my favorite cakes.  You can get the recipe by clicking on the link below the photo.

The Upside Down Pear Cake baked while we ate, and I pulled it out and served it nice and warm.

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I’ve made these little heart shaped Coeur a la Creme desserts before, and this time I think I enjoyed them even more.  I changed up the Raspberry Sauce by eliminating the raspberry jam Ina Garten calls for in her recipe.  I just wanted to enjoy more of the pure taste of the raspberries without the over sweet taste of the jam.

I made 6 mini hearts and 1 large heart.

I’m told you can make these in colanders if you don’t have the molds, but my favorites are the mini coeur a la creme molds.  Just enough for a generous single serving per person and you don’t have to scoop into the larger heart and give each guest a scoop of dessert on a plate.  These make such a pretty presentation.

Above: Coeur a la Creme Mold

Cream and cheese mixture wrapped in cheese cloth.

Simply line your mold with cheesecloth, pour in the cream mixture, set on a plate and place in your fridge overnight.

Pour a pool of raspberry sauce on a plate,  gently lift out your molded cream and carefully place it in the center.

In the past I’ve poured chocolate over the top and decorated with several fresh raspberries.

This dessert has the texture of mousse.  The flavor is reminiscent of cheesecake and vanilla bean ice cream.

A very elegant dessert, yet simple to make!

Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce
Adapted from Ina Garten’s “Barefoot in Paris”

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1  1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2  1/2 cups cold heavy cream
2  teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4  teaspoon grated lemon zest
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
fresh raspberries–I had to use frozen

Place the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the beater and bowl with a rubber spatula and change the beater for the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla bean seeds and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.

Line a 7-inch sieve OR Coeur a la Creme molds with cheesecloth or paper towels so the ends drape over the sides and suspend it over a bowl, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the sieve and the bottom of the bowl for the liquid to drain. Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, fold the ends over the top, and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, discard the liquid, unmold the cream onto a plate, and drizzle Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce around the base–I like to place the cream into a pool of the sauce. Serve with raspberries and extra sauce.

Raspberry and Grand Marnier (OR Cointreau) Sauce:

10 ounces frozen raspberries, defrosted
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)– I used Cointreau because that is what I had

Once the raspberries are defrosted, puree them in a blender or food processor. Add the sugar and blend until smooth. At this point, strain raspberries through a sieve/cheese cloth to remove the seeds.   Chill for at least 4 hours.

]]> http://angelninascottage.com/2009/11/12/coeur-a-la-creme-with-raspberry-and-grand-marnier-sauce/feed/ 12 Angelnina coeurA coeurbite2 coermold coeur coeur4 http://angelninascottage.com/2009/11/10/day-of-the-dead-festival-in-seattle-2009/ http://angelninascottage.com/2009/11/10/day-of-the-dead-festival-in-seattle-2009/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:15:19 +0000 angelnina http://angelninascottage.com/?p=2101 ]]>

“The ”Day of the Dead” (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls’ Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans  living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st, and 2nd in connection with the Catholic  holiday of  All Saints Day which occurs on November 1st and All Soul’s Daywhich occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.” (Wikipedia)

I am in love with this celebration.  I love the colors, the music, the dancing, the makeup, the food, the costumes, the decorations, the art–the ART !

As much as I whine about longing to live on a farm in the country, I feel blessed to live so close to Seattle.  I have learned more about different cultures by attending the free festivals, than I had ever known before.

Many more photos plus a wonderful Youtube video behind the cut…

The singers, musicians, and dancers–amazing talent!

I apologize for the quality of the photos.  I was taking these in crowds and poor lighting, but I really wanted to share the images to give an idea of how beautiful and entertaining this festival is.  It’s at Seattle Center House every year, and it’s free!

These are the sugar skulls children decorate at the festival–so colorful!

They drew quite a crowd!

One of the very moving altars displaying victims of domestic violence.

This is actually a photograph.  I’ll never complain about my sore feet again!