I had my friends Devi and Rose over last week for a little celebration lunch for our friend Rose’s birthday. On a warm September Friday afternoon I thought I would keep our lunch on the lighter side and made veggie sandwiches, soup, and salad. Devi brought fresh cut fruit and fresh figs from her garden, and since my friend Rose is the queen of baking 😋👑🍪 she was assigned to bring dessert. For our humble lunch Rose brought not just one sweet treat but two! A delectable apple crisp and biscotti. Continue reading Apple Crisp
Category Archives: Sweet Treats
Apple Galette
My friend Rose makes a delicious apple galette that is always a huge hit 😋. Crispy on the edges, soft and flaky in the center, with a delectable apple and currant filling, this gallette tastes amazing. Rose has shared her recipe for her apple galette so many times and I have tried making it multiple times, but it never turned out as good as hers 😞. Continue reading Apple Galette
Blackberry Port Ice Cream
A decadent ice cream with juicy sweet summertime blackberries and good quality deep dark fragrant port. The fragrance of port is especially wonderful in this fruity ice cream.
Jam Bars
These delectable bars are perfect to use up a few summertime fruit jams. With a flaky buttery crust, a fruity jammy middle, and a crumbly topping, these bars taste so good that one can never stop with just one piece. My friend Rose made these jam bars and dropped them off one afternoon and I have to say on a lazy summer afternoon they were the perfect sweet treat with a cup of tea. I have to admit when I first saw the recipe it looked pretty intimidating, but when I got around to actually making the bars the recipe was surprisingly very easy to follow. Give it a try! Continue reading Jam Bars
Rose Petal Ice Cream
Rose petal ice cream is an exotic flavor that will transport you to the bazars of the Middle East with every spoonful. For the ice cream to get that strong rose floral scent and a dreamy mauve color it helps to use dark colored fragrant rose petals. I find the best fragrance and deep intense rose colors are on my David Austin English roses. In this recipe I used petals from Wise Portia and Bishop’s Castle. Continue reading Rose Petal Ice Cream
Hey Gorgeous. You are a Beautiful Breakfast Bowl!
Rani made this amazingly gorgeous breakfast bowl one Sunday morning and all of us gave her this look of “Excuse me, where is our gorgeous breakfast bowl?” This yogurt breakfast bowl looked positively amazing! So many vibrant colors – red, white and blue, nutty granola, peanut butter, juicy berries, honey, and even edible flowers were in this bowl. Is this the perfect cool breakfast on a hot summer day or what? Continue reading Hey Gorgeous. You are a Beautiful Breakfast Bowl!
Dark Chocolate Brandy Cardamom Ice Cream
Dark chocolate, cardamom, brandy, cream and honey – combine all these ingredients and what you have is a delicious ice cream spiked with a touch of brandy. Naturally, this ice cream is not meant for kids, however of you are looking for an adult ice cream that takes care of after dinner drinks and dessert all in one – then this decadent dark chocolate and cardamom brandy ice cream is the one. Continue reading Dark Chocolate Brandy Cardamom Ice Cream
Basbousa. Middle Eastern Semolina Cake
Happy Thursday! If you have been following the news or know anyone who is of Islamic faith then you know that Ramadan has been observed by Muslims all over the world for the last 4 weeks. During the annual observance of Ramadan Muslims fast for one month, which involves not eating or drinking between sunrise and sunset. This is meant to allow people to devote themselves further to their faith with the goal of ultimately becoming closer to God. The annual fast during Ramadan is an integral part of the Islamic faith.
This year Ramadan took place from mid-May to mid-June (ending on June 15th this year). The last day of Ramadan is known as the “festival of breaking the fast” and it is called Eid al-Fitr, this marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. On Eid as it is known Muslims gather together at the mosque for a prayer before spending the day with family and friends with a large feast and wishing one another ‘Eid Mubarak’ or ‘Blessed Eid’. Which brings me to this Middle Eastern dessert called basbousa that is usually made for celebratory occassions. Continue reading Basbousa. Middle Eastern Semolina Cake
Georgina’s Rose Petal Jam
Roses are blooming everywhere around town including my garden. When we have this many roses all blooming at once I think of my friend Georgina’s rose petal jam. Every summer my friend Georgina will gift me a couple jars of her homemade rose petal jam made with rose petals from the spring flush of rose blooms. This jam is just out of this world delicious 😋. Our eldest daughter Sri absolutely loves, loves, loves, Georgina’s rose petal jam. Georgina has been dropping off a jar or two of her rose petal jelly every summer for almost 10 years now, and Sri just got hooked on it. As a routine every summer Sri would look in the refrigerator and ask me, “Mom, where is Georgina Aunty’s Rose Petal Jelly?” As if it is a guarantee that it will be there in the summer time. Sri has been having this jam ever since she was in Middle School (she graduated college now). Georgina has been making her Rose Petal Jam for that many years. Continue reading Georgina’s Rose Petal Jam
Carrot Ginger Tea Cake with Lime Glaze
Here I was waiting at the dentist’s office for my kids to get done with their appointment and as is typical of me I picked up a few magazines in the waiting room to occupy my time. Funny thing about these magazines, even though I subscribe to a few of the same magazines at home, somehow when I read them at the doctor’s office, the articles seem more interesting – go figure 🤔. This recipe for carrot ginger tea cake is from Sunset Magazine, and is one of those magazines that I do subscribe to and get a nice crisp issue mailed to me at home. I know I went through the issue when I received it, and I know I must have seen this carrot cake recipe, but not until I saw it at the doctor’s office did it look enticing enough for me to want to make it. I came home and promptly looked for that issue and found the recipe. Continue reading Carrot Ginger Tea Cake with Lime Glaze
