0 FULL BREAKFAST

• Full breakfast is originally common in Britain and Ireland. But it can be preferred by Americans too. The full breakfast is traditionally served at breakfast time, but it is also popular at other times, usually replacing lunch. Rarely is it now served every day of the week, reserved instead for the weekend or on vacation in hotels

• Continental usually means coffee, tea, rolls, butter and jam. Full breakfast means the addition of juice, eggs and possibly some kind of meat. Breakfast may begin with orange juice, cereals, stewed or fresh fruits but the heart of the Full breakfast is bacon and eggs. They are variously accompanied by sausages, grilled tomato, mushrooms, tea, toast and marmalade. A cup of tea is a popular and traditional drink with breakfast, though coffee is also served.

0 CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

Continental Breakfast Items

A continental breakfast typically includes fruit and several types of baked goods, including sweet and savory options. It also includes a few different types of beverages.

Fruit

Whole apples, fresh fruit salad, oranges, and/or bananas may be eaten at continental breakfast.

Baked Goods

Bagels are a very popular continental breakfast item. Mini bagels are often preferable to the full size option. Small bagels are a good choice when there are several items available for guests to sample. If you serve bagels, be sure to include a few different types of cream cheese and/or jelly.

It's also a good idea to include a few types of sweets on your continental breakfast spread. Many people enjoy doughnuts and muffins, and these items can be a great way to round out a selection of bagels and fruit. As with bagels, you can go with full size options or miniature muffins and doughnuts.

WHAT IS BREAKFAST?


When we search on Internet we see some definitions like these:

• an early morning meal; the first meal of the day (usually in the morning)

• Breakfast is the first meal of the day. The word is a compound of "break" and "fast," referring to the conclusion of fasting since the previous day's last meal. Breakfast meals vary widely in different cultures around the world but often include a carbohydrate such as cereal or rice, fruit and/or vegetable, protein, sometimes a dairy product, and a drink.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakfast
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

0 CARROT BUNDT CAKE - CAKE BUNDT

I have always been a big fan of carrot cakes (be they Swiss, American, Swedish, etc..., you name it!), but growing up as I child I very rarely got to eat that delicious speciality as my family didn't like that treat. And until now, at home, I never made any as "supposedly" my boyfriend doesn't like them...

Well, the other day, I was able to prove him that he did like carrot cake and that his aversion to this baked good was based on stupid preconceptions. Never had I seen a carrot cake hater GOOBLE a carrot cake with such enthusiasm LOL!

You see, with the arrival of spring, I had been craving carrot cake more than usual as I have been seeing it everywhere lately. Magazines, blogs, sites, stores, all present their own version. After seeing countless pictures of carrot cakes and having been deprived of that goodie for so long, it was impossible not to cave in. I HAD to bake a carrot cake no matter if I was going to be the only one eating it...

So, I looked a round and found a recipe that would both fulfill my carrot cake and Bundt cake (remember, I am also a Bundt cake amateur) cravings. Nicole Weston's blog "Baking Bites" offered the solution: a delightful "Carrot Bundt Cake" with icing.

This "Carrot Bundt Cake" is without a doubt very delicious and is a lot fluffier than classic carrot cakes baked in sheet cake pans. It is incredibly moist, super tender without being chokingly compact, heavy or annoyingly wet. It also has a wonderful buttery taste and is perfectly spicy. Not forgetting that the orange flavored icing adds some extra oomph to it. A well-balanced and lipsmackingly luscious cake that will disappear fast!

~ Carrot Bundt Cake ~
Recipe taken from the blog "Baking Bites" (USA) and slightly adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Makes 1 cake/serves 12-14.

Ingredients for the "Bundt Cake":
2 1/2 Cups All purpose flour
2 Tsp Baking soda
1/2 Tsp Sea salt
2 1/2 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Ground allspice
1/4 Tsp Freshly ground nutmeg
2 1/2 Cups Sugar
3 Large eggs
2/3 Cup Unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 Cup Orange juice (fresh, if possible)
zest of one organic orange
1 Tsp Pure vanilla extract
3 Cups Shredded carrots (from about 4 large carrots)
1 Cup Raisins
Ingredients for the "Orange Glaze":
1 Tbsp Unsalted butter, very soft
2 Tbsp Orange juice
A few drops orange extract
1 Cup Powdered sugar
Food coloring

Method for the "Bundt Cake":

1. Preheat oven to 180° C (350° F). Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, whisk together sugar, eggs, butter, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla until smooth.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir until almost combined. Stir in shredded carrots, followed by raisins (Batter should have carrots and raisins evenly distributed and no dry streaks of flour remaining).
5. Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
6. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool (cake will be dark on the outside from the caramelization of sugar against the pan; don’t worry if it looks a bit darker than you’d expect) completely before frosting.
Method for the "Orange Glaze":
1. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Add in a few drops more orange juice in the event that the frosting is too thick to pour easily.
2. Scrape glaze into a plastic bag and snip off the corner. Drizzle over finished cake (it is best to have the cake on a serving platter or on a wire cooling rack, where the excess can drip off if it runs down the sides of the cake) as desired.

Remarks:
You can replace the raisins by any other dry fruit or nut of your choice.
This cake can be left plain, but I find that the icing is a great addition.

Serving suggestions:
Serve this cake with whipped cream and a cup of coffee or tea.

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~ Cake Bundt Aux Carottes ~

Recette tirée du blog "Baking Bites" (USA) et légèrement adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Pour 1 cake/pour 12-14 personnes.

Ingrédients pour le "Cake":
320g de Farine blanche
2 CC de Bicarbonate de soude
1/2 CC de sel de mer
2 1/2 CC de Cannelle en poudre
1/2 CC de Poivre de la Jamaïque en poudre
1/4 CC de Noix de muscade en poudre
525g de Sucre cristallisé
3 Gros oeufs
160g de Beurre non-salé, fondu et à température ambiante
120ml de Jus d'orange (frais si possible) Le zest d'une orange bio
1 CC d'Extrait de vanille naturelle
315g de Carottes rapées finement (~4 grosses carottes)
158g de Raisins secs
Ingrédients pour le "Glaçage A l'Orange":
15g de Beurre non-salé, très mou
30g de Jus d'orange
Quelques gouttes d'extrait d'orange
120g de Sucre en poudre
Colorant alimentaire

Méthode pour le "Cake":
1. Préchauffer le four à 180° C. Beurrer et fariner le moule à Bundt (25cm de diamètre).
2. Dans un bol moyen, mélanger la farine, la bicarbonate, le sel et les épices.
3. Dans le bol d'un robot de cuisine, battre ensemble le sucre, les oeufs, le beurre fondu, le jus d'orange, le zest et la vanille afin d'obtenir un mélange homogène.
4. Incorporer les ingrédients secs au mélange et mélanger. Ajouter les carottes et les raisins secs (les raisins et la carotte doivent être bien distribués dans la pâte).
5. Verser la pâte dans le moule et cuire pendant 45-50 minutes, jusqu'à ce que la pointe d'un couteau enfoncée dans le cake en resorte sèche.
6. Faire refroidir le cake dans le moule pendant 10 minutes puis le démouler sur une grille afin qu'il refroidisse complètement avant de le glacer.
Méthode pour le "Glaçage A l'Orange":
1. Mélanger tous les ingrédients afin d'obtenir un glaçage homogène. Si le glaçage est trop sec, ajoutez un peu de jus d'orange.
2. Glacer le cake.

Remarques:
Si vous n'avez pas de moule à gâteau Bundt, alors un moule à Kougelhopf fera l'affaire.
Vous pouvez remplacer les raisins par d'autres fruits secs ou des noix.
Ce cake peut être servi sans glaçage bien que je pense que ça serait dommage car le glaçage se marie parfaitement au cake et ajoute une touche gourmande.

Serving suggestions:

Servez ce cake avec de la crème chantilly et une tasse de café ou de thé.

0 KIRMIZI BIBER - TURKISH CHILI FLAKES

Today, I am once again going to talk about another fabulous goodie that my friend Jessica (from Maryland) brought me back from her trip to Istanbul...

"Kirmizi Biber" are Turkish red pepper flakes (this name is also used to describe whole chili peppers). It is one of the most useful and popular spices in Turkish cooking. The flavor of this fine blend of chilli peppers ranges from mild and sweet (the version I have) to fiercely hot. The peppers are rubbed with olive oil and gently roasted until dark red giving it an unmistakable as well as unique flavour and aroma.

Try sprinkling "Kimzi Biber" over your dips (hummus, baba ganoush, tzatziki, etc...), sauces (tomato sauces), soups (hot yoghurt soup, tahini and chickpea soup, etc...), stews, vegetables (imam biyaldi, baked potatoes, etc...), salads, pasta (Italian or Turkish like Manti ravioli), cheese (halloumi, feta, fresh cheese), seafood (scallops, any fish, etc...), grilled meat (kebabs, steaks, etc...) or in your sandwiches (Turkish fish sandwich). It's unique smoky sweetness will enhance any dish with it's irresistibly round flavor. It is without doubt a very convenient condiment to have in the kitchen!

0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #252

This week, Nikita Cat at "Meowsings Of an opiniated Pussycat" (USA) are happy to announce that they are hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #252...

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in her blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact her via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.

Fridolin is still doing very well.
It seems that what the healer did had a positive effect on him...
He is very active, full of energy, extremely talkative, hungry and fit like a baby kitty.

HAPPY EASTER!

0 ROSE & HONEY MADELEINES

"She sent out for one of those short, plump little cakes called petites madeleines, which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted scallop of a pilgrim's shell. And soon, mechanically, weary after a dull day with the prospect of a depressing morrow, I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid, and the crumbs with it, touched my palate than a shudder ran through my whole body, and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary changes that were taking place…at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory…"

- Except taken from Marcel Proust's "In Search Of Lost Time" -

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although I have never been a big fan of industrially produced Madeleines which are very popular here in Switzerland (especially with the kids when I was at primary school in the 80's), that French little cookie-sized cake has always made me fantasize...

There is definitely something magical to that lovely and elegant treat. Whether it has something to do with it's cute shell shape or it's size, Madeleines will not leave you indifferent. They definitely have an attractive aspect and a winning pedigree!

The origin of those tiny sponge cakes is not clear. Some think that they may have been named for a 19th century pastry cook, Madeleine Paulmier, but others believe that Madeleine Paulmier was a cook in the 18th century for Stanislaw Leszczynski, whose son-in-law, Louis XV of France, named them for her. In any case, Madeleines are most famous outside France for their association with Marcel Proust's novel "À La Recherche du Temps Perdu (In Search of Lost Time)", in which the narrator experiences an awakening upon tasting a madeleine dipped in tea...

Well, after having finaly bought a Madeleine pan, I thought that it was about time for me to stop dreaming about them and start experimenting with them. So, on Monday, I made the Génoise-style batter and waited for the next day to bravely get out my mould in order to bake my first batch of close to perfect Madeleines.

After some researching on the net, I decided to make Claudia Flemming's recipe which I freely adapted according to my cravings for spring-like flavors. Originally, her Madeleines are made with chestnut honey, but since I had none I used a normal type of runny honey. And as I wanted to add an extra dimension to them, I ground a few dried rosebuds that I added to the pastry.

Those "Rose & Honey Madeleines" are very easy to make and taste so good. Texture-wise they are very moist, tender on the inside and slighty crispy on the outside. Taste-wise they have an extremely exhalirating and delicate flowery fragrance as well as a divinely sweet and pungent honey flavor. To die for and a perfect addition to your Easter table!

~ Rose & Honey Madeleines ~
Recipe taken from Claudia Fleming's "The Last Course" and adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Yields 2 dozen madeleines.

Ingredients:
12 Tbsp (180g/1.5 sticks) Unsalted butter, plus additional softened butter for the moulds
4 Large eggs
1/2 Cup Granulated sugar
2 Tbsp Firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 Cup Runny honey (strong flavored)
1 Cup All purpose flour
1/2 Cup Cake flour
2 Tsp Baking powder
1/4 Tsp Sea salt
2 Dried rosebuds, ground
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Method:

1. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue to let the butter cook until some of the white milk solids fall to the bottom of the skillet and turn a rich hazelnut brown, about 5 minutes. Strain the browned butter through a fine sieve into a small bowl.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, both sugars, and honey until pale and foamy, 2-3 minutes.
3. Sift both flours, the baking powder, ground rosebuds and salt over the egg mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently fold in. Fold in the browned butter. Cover the batter and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 200° c (400° F). Liberally butter the madeleine molds. Spoon or pipe the batter evenly into the molds. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown.
5. Transfer the pans to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes then unmold the cakes and let them cool completely on the rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Remarks:
I recommend that you butter the pans, then dust them with flour and put them in the freezer for a short while before you pipe the batter in the moulds.

Serving suggestions:
Eat those Madeleines whenever you feel like it and don't forget to accompany them with a good cup of tea.

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~ Madeleines Au Miel Et A La Rose ~
Recette tirée du livre "The Last Course" de Claudia Fleming et adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Pour 2 douzaines de madeleines.

Ingrédients:
180g de Beurre non-salé, plus un peu de beurre ramolli pour beurrer les moules
4 Gros oeufs
105g de Sucre cristallisé
2 CS de Sucre brun clair
60g de Miel (au goût prononcé)
127.5g de Farine blanche
64g de Farine à gâteau
2 CC de Poudre à lever
1/4 CC de Sel de mer
2 Boutons de roses séchées, réduits en poudre
Sucre en poudre pour saupoudrer

Méthode:
1. Dans une petite poêle faire fondre le beurre à température moyenne. Continuer à cuire le beurre pendant 5 minutes jusqu'à ce que le lactose se teinte (couleur noisette) et tombe au fond de la poêle. Filtrer le beurre et réserver.
2. Dans le bol d'un robot, battre (avec le fouet pendant 2-3 minutes) les oeufs, les sucres et le miel jusqu'à obtention d'une mousse pâle.
3. Tamiser les farines avec la poudre à lever, la poudre de boutons de roses et le sel et ajouter à la mixture aux oeufs. Incorporer délicatement avec une spatule et laisser reposer au frigo pendant tout une nuit (ou 8 heures au moins).
4. Péchauffer le four à 200° C. Beurrer généreusement les moules à madeleines. Les remplir avec la pâte à l'aide d'une cuillèere ou d'une poche à douille. Cuire 5-7 minutes, jusqu'à ce que les madeleines soient dorées.
5. Transférer le moule sur une grille et laisser refroidir pendant 5 minutes avant de les démouler et de les faire refroidir complètement. Saupoudrer avec du sucre glace.

Remarques:
Je vous recommande de bien beurrer les moules et de les saupoudrer avec de la farine, puis de les mettre un petit moment au congélateur avant de les remplir.

Idées de présentation:
Mangez-les à toutes heures de la journée et n'oubliez pas de les accompagner d'une bonne tasse de thé.