Hot Baked Chocolate Croissants the Simple Way!

When having breakfast in Paris, there is nothing like a freshly baked hot, flaky chocolate croissant. Even though I have tried to bring croissants home and warm them, there is something special about the taste when they are just baked and come out of the oven. Layers of flaky dough and gooey chocolate make fresh croissants memorable treats. When I found the frozen croissants at Trader Joe's, I purchased some to try. You let them rise overnight on the counter and bake them off in the morning. After brushing with the suggested egg wash, I let them bake for exactly 25 minutes. The aroma was intoxicating. The baked pastry was airy, filled with the perfect amount of chocolate, and just divine. Breakfast was served on vintage hotel china and silver, easily grabbed from the stocked cupboard in the dining room With the perfect European strong cup of coffee, with a beautiful thick foamy layer of crema, ( made in a Jura Capresso machine) , and a little fresh fruit mixed with mint, these croissants transported us back to breakfast in Paris. I highly recommend stocking your freezer with several boxes of these delectable delights. Hat's off to Trader Joes for bringing us a little part of Paris!

Tess, Narva Lee, and Elizabeth

Yesterday, I was at home, working on our Romancing the Home Entertaining book that is coming out this fall. Part of the book is a collection of tried and true recipes gathered together from family and friends. Since my best friend, Lynda, is helping me with it, and we have cooked together and shared recipes for over 30 years, it's not surprising that her mom's, my mom's, and my mother in law's recipes show up quite often. They never really met each other, yet they are tied together now forever through this cookbook. I am determined to get a good picture of Lynda's mom, Tess's, Strawberry Tart for the cookbook, as it is a recipe that is used often. We have adapted it to all different types of berries, but today I am using the original version, Tess's version, Strawberry. Tess made a pie, but Lynda and I like to make it into a tart. As I am making the tart, I reflect on these women and their influence on our lives. Still hard to believe, but they all passed away within 6 weeks of each other. But they are still with us everyday as we prepare their food. Try Tess's Strawberry Tart - it's a great summer dessert with the fresh berries readily available. Plan on seeing the entire book, Romancing the Home Entertains, in the store just in time for the holiday season. It's going to be a great gift for friends !

Tess's Strawberry Tart

Crust:

3 T. powdered sugar

1 stick butter, at room temperature

1 c. flour

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix the sugar, butter and flour together by hand until mixture resembles crumbs. Pat into a pie or tart pan with fingers, patting up sides as well. Bake 25 to 35 minutes until lightly browned. Take out and cool in pan.

Filling:

1 qt. Strawberries, cleaned and hulled

Glaze:

1 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. water

2 1/2 T. cornstarch

1 small pkg. strawberry Jello

Artfully arrange strawberries in cooled crust. Cook water, sugar, and cornstarch over medium heat until clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the Jello, stirring to combine.

Pour the glaze over the strawberries in the crust and refrigerate until set. Remove the sides of the tart pan before serving.

Note: Any combination of fruits and flavors of jello can be used for this recipe. Raspberries and blueberries are delicious. Artfully arranging the fruit is a very important part of making a beautiful tart.

Beast Bling

We are just back from the wedding and from the gift show in Atlanta. So it's time to get back into my normal routine and start blogging again. Excited by the home trends shown in Atlanta, we couldn't wait for some of the new merchandise to start arriving. Animals prints and a lot of bling, that's the direction for fall. Bringing back cow rugs and lots of jewelry, we set a table blending the two trends. A black and white cow rug anchors the settings. Vintage gold rimmed dinner plates are set on capiz shell chargers. Sea shells embellish the table and remind us that we are still in summer. Rhinestone bracelets, used as napkin rings, add to the exotic table setting. We call it Beast Bling!

Getting Married in Grand Style

This weekend, Jessica, daughter of Katha, one of the Romancing the Home girls, got married. The wedding was at the University Club in Chicago, a grand old Chicago landmark. Cocktails were in the library, and the wedding and dinner and dancing were in the Cathedral Room. Yellow roses, purple stock, hydrangeas, orchids, and peonies filled the room with color. Jessica's bouquet was created to enhance her beautiful gown, trumpet style with a rhinestone ivory sash and layers of chiffon flounces. Since the cocktails were in the library, we created a place card table using parchment covered books with the wedding invitation and wedding vows. Antique books were folded accordion style to hold the table assignment cards. Small bouquets of flowers and votives embellished the table. It was a glorious night, with an awesome band, and the City of Chicago just happened to celebrate with us with a spectacular fireworks display on the lake front. As guests watched the fireworks display from the Cathedral room , one couldn't help thinking how lucky we were to be at this beautiful occasion.

The Stuff America is Made Of

It's been 2 weeks since I have blogged. I have been desperately working on the Romancing the Home Entertaining book that's being published this fall. But it's the last day of the month, so I thought I would take a few moments for my blog. The Fourth of July in Lake Bluff is truly the stuff America is made of- parades, block parties, and cook-outs.Our friends, Jill and Barry are coming over Friday night to attend the big block party with us, so I thought we would start with appetizers on the porch. So I'm sharing with you my front porch all decked out for the big weekend. Vintage Americana pillows invite one to "sit a spell" on the porch and drink a little lemonade. The clematis are amazing this year- bright blue and huge,so I had to use them on the red silk napkins. And of course I can't have a table without a little bling, so I add the rhinestone boxes. Vintage American flags are draped on the railing to show our patriotic spirit! Staffordshire blue and white china show historical scenes from American battles for freedom. The weather is glorius, 70 degrees, sunny and a light breeze. It's so great to be living in small town America, and being able to celebrate and have our freedom! Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Summer Entertaining

Summer entertaining is usually a more casual affair. We have just recieved some great baguette trays and bread boards that are fun to use to display food. Cheeses, dips, roasted vegetables look great on the big board, while little appetizers arranged down the baguette board are displayed in an interesting way. Jan Barboglio has just come out with a great container for sangria- a hand blown jar with an iron crown stopper. Her mercury glass bowls are awesome for hummus, salsas, or guacamole and can be chilled in the refrigerator. But the most grand piece is a stunning large candle holder - 34.5 inches high. the large glass vases are great for flower arrangements or just a simple pillar candle. Vines or garlands could be wrapped around the beautiful rope iron arms. The other new piece from Jan is a great iron and cement display platter- so organic and a statement piece.

New Entertaining Book Coming in the Fall!

Susan Snodgrass makes the most beautiful fairies in the world. While many of her creations are elaborate, my favorite one is called "The Jar Lady". It's almost like she has been captured in a canning jar, like children catch lightening bugs in summer. Using them as inspiration, a table is set in the fern garden for a tea party with children. This is part of an upcoming book that we are publishing this fall called "Romancing the Home Entertains". It is a 390 page book full of color photos of parties and tablesettings, along with suggested menus and recipes.