Catching Up
It looks like I took a little blog break there. I’m back today, and have a few minor tidbits to share. First off, this is the same beautiful magnolia/tulip tree that I shared with you a couple of weeks ago. It’s downtown, and likely the next time I walk around the area, it will be bare. We’re having rain again, after a very dry period, which is welcome, but I imagine will knock down most of these blooms.
Saturday morning, Maya had an appointment to get her hair done. I dropped her off and then walked around our little downtown for awhile. I like to explore, and went down a little alleyway that I have never visited before. Imagine my surprise when I came across a harp store! I had no idea we had a harp store around here. I had no idea that there was enough demand for harps to keep such a store in business. Color me thrilled, though I will never need their services, as I do not play harp and do not really have room for one either.
Usually when I walk downtown in the morning, Mulder is with me. This time, he was with Ted, who was taking him for a bath so he could look handsome for Ted’s brother’s birthday later that day. So I was on my own, and had a chance to stop in a local bakery. Ever since my trip to France last year, I have been intrigued by the bread and croissants at this place, and wondered how they might compare. So I stopped in and ordered a croissant, after being assured that they had some lovely jam that I could eat with it. In case you have forgotten the croissants that I had in France, here is a reminder.
I should have known something was going to go wrong when I asked for some jam, and was offered a little serving of grape jelly. No raspberry, no orange, no strawberry. Just grape. No butter was offered either. Nevertheless, I persisted, and gave the croissant a try. My review? It was good. It was much better than I would find at my local grocery store. But it was too bready, and the beautiful lacquer that I found on the French croissants was lacking. Sigh. So I won’t have any problem resisting that temptation going forward.
I’m going to have more trouble resisting the amazing cheese straws that I made for the birthday party. There they are standing up in the glass behind the amazing charcuterie plate on the appetizer table. If you are a fan of cheez-its, these are similar, just homemade without all of that processing. So good. Copying and pasting the recipe from Smitten Kitchen here, so I can’t lose it. I could get in some serious trouble with these, they were, as my MIL would say, “More-ish”.
Cheese Straws
Adapted from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces
3/4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon half-and-half (I used cream, because I had it on hand; suspect milk would work just as well)1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a food processor, combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and red pepper in five 5-second pulses until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the half-and-half and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.
3. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife (or a pizza or pastry wheel; both worked great), cut the dough into thin 8-inch strips, each 1/4- to 1/3-inch wide (dipping the knife in flour after every few inches ensures a clean cut). Gently transfer the strips to an ungreased cookie sheet (though I lined mine with parchment), leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. The dough may sag or may break occasionally in the transfer, but don’t be concerned — just do your best. The straws can be any length, from 2 to 10 inches.
4. Bake the straws on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.
5. Serve at room temperature. Cheese straws will keep in the refrigerator, in a sealed container, for two days. They will not last an hour at a party.
Smitten Kitchen
And here we have a little bonus photo, because it’s always nice to have a picture of Mulder. This is from our walk in our favorite local park on Friday morning. We had planned to go visit my cousin in Sacramento, but the weather forecast was for rain and wind, so we stayed closer to home. It didn’t really rain much here, I think we could have gone, though she said it was pretty windy there. I am a big baby and don’t really like driving on freeways in the rain, because people drive like idiots. Our local mountain did get some beautiful snow, though none down at our level. I tried to take some pictures, but they didn’t come out all that well. Instead, look at this beautiful photo, found on a local news page.
By the way, today’s ‘to do’ list again includes ‘no chips’, because last week I went without any ‘to do’ lists, just forged ahead through my days. Guess what, I bought chips almost every day. I also did zero yoga. Clearly I need the accountability of a list. So here I am, back on the wagon.
24 Comments
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie
Welcome back from your blogging break! I’ve been off the wagon myself recently so you’re in good company…back to it.
J
Back to it indeed. I’ll tell you, a week (more like 10 days) without yoga was definitely a bad idea. My back is pissed off.
nance
Charming, charming photo of Mulder. Every time I see him, I have an irresistible urge to hug him. Love the photos of the magnolia and birthday spread, too. I’m also charmed by your MIL’s term “more-ish.” Is it a Her Thing, or is it regional, or what?
I’ve been a horribly lazy blogger. Or non-blogger. It’s not as if I don’t have the time. February is all but over. Sigh.
J
Nance, I thought More-Ish was a her thing, but then a couple of years ago I had a British blog friend say it about something. I think it’s British. My MIL grew up in Guyana, which was a British colony at the time, and she lived in England for a bit, and has a lot of family there.
That Mulder is definitely a charming guy. He wants you to come hug him. I’ll buy wine.
Elisabeth
Mulder is so gorgeous.
The harp store. I laughed out loud. WHO IS PLAYING ALL THESE HARPS?!
And your food in France = drool-worthy. Oh Paris, how I love you and all your culinary delights…
J
Thanks Elisabeth! Mulder is indeed gorgeous, thank you for noticing.
Regarding the harp store, it’s actually much bigger than my picture shows. What’s the story? Are there no other harp stores in our area? I’m kinda curious.
Oh Paris, indeed. We spent a week in the South of France as well, which had some lovely meals, but not like Paris. Paris was more consistent.
Nicole MacPherson
Well, this was just lovely to read! Mulder is so sweet and my goodness, that tree! What a feast for the eyes (she says as she looks out at the pile of snow and ice outside).
J
Nicole, I absolutely adore tulip trees. They’re so lush. There’s one in our neighborhood that is right up against the wall of the house, and they keep it very small and trimmed. It looks like art to me.
NGS
Mulder is just such a handsome fellow. I wouldn’t be able to resist snuggling with him 24/7.
I LOVE that you have a harp store. I suspect that most of their business is online, as it is for most musical-instrument based establishments (this is information from my husband who buys and sells stringed instruments with astonishing regularity), but having a brick-and-mortar store is such a feather in any business’s cap.
J
NGS, interesting about the online aspect. I hadn’t considered that.
Ally Bean
Mulder is adorable. I haven’t had cheese straws in years. I went through a phase with them– and now I’m thinking I should repeat that phase.
J
Ally, it’s a good phase to be in!
Margaret
Mulder is a beautiful dog and no one does croissants like the Parisians. Most American ones seem to be too bready. I know people who play the harp but not many of them. There used to be a harp store in the downtown of my city; I wonder if it’s still there.
J
Margaret, I can’t decide whether I’m disappointed or relieved that the croissants here are not as good as in France. The one in my picture was from the most amazing boulangerie in Southern France, the hillside town of Mougins, specifically. So so good. I think I’m going to say relieved.
Suzanne
Aww, Mulder is such a handsome fella!
What magic is it that the French possess that makes croissants in France so much better than those anywhere else? Also now I am craving a croissant.
J
Suzanne, I wonder too…is it the ingredients? Or the know how? Sadly, don’t know if you can get a truly wonderful croissant, if you’re not in Europe at least. Sigh.
Sarah
Cheese straws!! Yes– I haven’t even THOUGHT of these in forever and now I must make them.
J
Sarah, I’m not sure I had ever had them before…but they’re delicious!
Jenny
Ha, yes a harp store would be unexpected. I mean how many people are going to walk in and buy a harp?
The food for your party looks so pretty! And I can imagine those cheese straws are addictive.
Mulder… what a beauty!
J
Thanks Jenny, I kind of wonder, do we have the only one in our area? I live about 30 minutes from San Francisco, we do have a symphony here, perhaps there is enough demand?
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
Mmm, there is nothing like French pastries. I am glad I didn’t know about my gluten intolerance when I went to France for the first time in 2008! I ate to my heart’s delight! On future trips, I had to avoid the delicious breads/pastries but at least I could still eat macarons which are my favorite dessert!
Mulder is so handsome. He looks like he is posing in that photo!!
The spread for the party you hosted looks amazing!! I love snacky foods like that!
J
Lisa, I wonder why your comments always need to be approved, no matter how many times you come here? Strange. Thank you for persevering. My husband has health issues that mean he has to be low carb, and enjoyed his trips to France (at least the food part) much more before he knew about them!
Snacks foods are indeed the best. This was a big party, for us, about 20 people. So there were appetizers (this table), and later, a full buffet lunch of Indian food. So, so good.
Zazzy
I’m afraid if I could get really good croissants I would go broke and eat nothing but that flaky goodness. I’d need a dog to clean up the crumbs.I think I’m a bit in love with Mulder, perhaps you could rent him out?
San
I’ve been hopelessly behind on blog reading…this is the first blog post that I can comment on. Haha.
The magnolia trees here have started blossoming, too and they’re so pretty. And I’d like one of these perfect croissants, please 🙂