Mozzarella Caprese Rolls

I have actually surprised my own self creating this wonderful fresh mozzarella rolls, with fresh sliced Roma tomatoes, black olives, sun-dried tomato slices, and fresh basil leaves. All these ingredients were on-hand in the fridge at my daughter's...actually, the fresh basil, I snipped off the basil plant.

They were so easy to put together; fresh, colorful, and super delicious! You never know...really, what you can create just from your own ingredients if you are like me, having fresh cheese, vegetables, and of course condiments that are just waiting for some creative hand to liven them up. Giving it a new name, as well...not knowing if there's actually a name for it out there, so you just re-name your creation...that's why I mentioned that I surprised myself!


Seriously, having the freshest ingredients, and special cheese, which we love so much in my family; you can't really go wrong. Imported black olives, or calamata pitted olives, and I just love, sun-dried tomatoes to use in salads, and pasta dishes.
I will show you step-by step how I made this; just glancing at the photo on the package of the cheese to give me an idea

So this is the surprise...BEL GIOIOSO
UNWRAP & ROLL, Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

Just look how easy...unwrap the roll...remove the
plastic, and start filling it with your favorite filling that compliments the cheese.

My choice was the idea of a Caprese with the mozzarella cheese...except I 'kicked it up a notch' by adding more complimentary ingredients that would go well with the fresh tomato slices.
black pitted olives could be optional...you can add capers, or even roasted pepper slices.

These are the sun-dried tomatoes I use...excellent quality, and I just love that it's julienned already.

I used about 1 cup of the sun-dried tomatoes,  maybe slightly more, and boiled them in small amount of water for 5 minutes to soften them a little more. (don't boil them longer, or they will lose their flavor and get too soft)

I placed them on a plate and poured abt. 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and stirred them around the get them saturated.

You can use the oil to drizzle on the flat portion of the roll, or skip that part. Sprinkle some sea salt on it, and freshly ground pepper.

 I used the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to drizzle before rolling it, but you can omit this step.







Wrap the roll tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2hrs or longer. Carefully remove wrap and slice with a sharp knife. Use a spatula to serve the pieces on a small plate as an appetizer, and serve with crunchy bread...totally amazing, and super delicious!



Strawberry Cake...for Father's Day!

Notice something different?...a pink cake...and it's for Father's Day!...just can't stop having 'Lucy' moments, since I agreed to guest post for my friend Ping, and Veronica. It just seemed to have rubbed off on me. Now, I'm enlisted in the 'Lucy Club'

Why a 'pink' cake for Father's Day?...wouldn't it be more appropriate to make a cake with perhaps 'blueberries' that would signify that it's for  a male?...actually, not really Having a strawberry cake is OK, but why go overboard for the pink frosting?...well, I have an explanation for that, as well!

Linking to:
Hearth and Soul Blog Hop @ Swathi's Zesty South Indian Kitchen

OK, I must admit that I got a little carried away with the cake. I had 2 containers of beautiful ripe strawberries, and I just had to do something with them, so I decided to make a cake (last minute)...like a few hours before we were going to eat lunch.

The cake was an absolute success to celebrate Father's Day for my son, and my ex-hubby! They never even notice that it was all PINK, but my little granddaughter sure did. Pink is her favorite color, so it was a double celebration!

Strawberry Cake
my doctored up creation

1 box of strawberry or yellow cake mix
1- 3oz. box of strawberry JELL-O
1/2 cup canola, or vegetable oil
1 cup of plain water
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups mashed strawberries
1 Tbsp sugar

It's a lot easier than you think. Just one box of strawberry cake mix, or yellow cake mix,

For the strawberries: cut the berries in 1/3 pieces, place them in a medium bowl, and add the 1 Tbsp sugar...mash with mashed potato masher, and let it sit for about 20 minutes. It will be juicy and slightly chunky.

In a large mixing bowl, add the cake mix, 1/2 of the 3-oz. JELL-O the eggs, oil, water. Beat on slow speed with electric mixer, until combined, then on high speed for about 3 minute, till creamy, and fluffy.

After mixing the ingredients, pour in the mashed strawberries.

 Gently fold in the mashed strawberries.

Pour into a sprayed and floured 9 inch spring form pan, or 2- 9 inch round pans. (my pan I used only has the bottom removable.
For spring-form pan, bake at 350 degrees F. for 45-50 minutes, for the 2 round 9 inch pans, about 30-35 minutes.

Let it cool on a wire rack, and frost with strawberry cream cheese frosting:

1- 8 oz. pkg Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temp.
1 stick=4 oz, (113.4 g,) unsalted butter, at room temp.
3 cups powder (icing) sugar
1 teaspoon of the strawberry JELL-O
1 teaspoon plain water

With an electric mixer, mix all ingredients together, till combined, and beat until light, and fluffy, on high speed. Spread it on the cake, when cake is cool, and decorate with additional strawberries if you like. Let the cake set in the fridge for about 2hrs before serving! It is yumm, and delish...and no-one will suspect that it's a "doctored-up" cake...let it be YOUR SECRET! 


I finally received the special addition of the Bon Appetit for the Giveaway, and will announce the winner for my next post!

So, for my continuing photos....just wanted to share some S. Florida photos. The mango tree has already been trimmed down...it is at least 50yrs old.

The glorious mango tree...mangoes getting nice, and ripe!

He loves bougainvilleas!

French Toast filled with Blackberries...Friends!

I was so inspired by another food blogger who posted a berry stuffed French Toast...as usual, I have been mentioning lately and actually following through that I would like to make it also, and link it back to the blogger who inspired me...but my memory "failed" me...can't remember who it was because I did not receive a reply, or having the person comment back on my blog. I feel so weird about this, because now, I actually made the French Toast...not the same way, but being inspired with the use of the berries.

My second inspiration came from my friend Mari, @Mari's Cakes...all the way from the Dominican Republic. She was inspired from my previous post from the Father's Day breakfast we had out at Howley's...again, the French Toast, and the home fries. She wrote to me in e-mail, that she made it, and even included photo of it...I was so hungry this morning, so right after reading her e-mail, I wrote her back, that I'm inspired as well, to make the plain French Toast, and the home fries, since I have everything on hand. I used the medium sized red potatoes, and left the skins on....mmm...so good! Thanks for the inspiration Mari, and to all my food blogger friends who constantly inspire me with your delicious, and amazing dishes, and desserts. I just wish I could make a different dish and dessert every day!

French Toast Filled with Blackberries
my own recipe

2-4 slices of thick white or bread of your choice (I used oatmeal bread)
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
dash of salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. vegetable, or canola oil

For the macerated fruit, and syrup

1 pint of berries of your choice-divided
(I used blackberries)
1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with 3/4 cups water
1 Tbsp. sugar
Grated lemon, and also juice of 1 lemon

In a medium bowl, whisk, eggs with milk, add dash of salt, and sugar, and transfer to a lasagne pan, or another dish, about 9x13, to dip bread into it on both sides. Let the egg mixture soak up the milk and egg mixture.

This is the "misen plaz"=set up for my plain French Toast, in my 2n'd recipe, with the home fries on the side.
Same procedure, as in the first one

This method is for the plain French Toast

Heat butter, and oil, on medium high heat, and cook on the first side for a few minutes, until it gets golden brown as in the photo. Turn heat down to medium, flip over, and cook and the other side same way, until nice golden, and crispy on the edges.

(Don't use butter alone, and make sure you don't use too much oil, either. Follow the recipe, and it will end up like this, otherwise it will get too soggy, if too much oil, or butter is used.)

In a medium saucepan, add the cornstarch mixture, and the sugar. Heat to dissolve, and add half portion of the fruit, stir and let the fruit get softened. Add the grated lemon, and the juice, cook until sauce get to a somewhat thick consistency.

Do not discard the sauce, just spoon out the fruit. You will need the sauce to make the syrup for the French Toast.

Follow the same method for cooking the French Toast, as in the plain one, but just cook only one side, until golden. With a slotted spoon, spoon the fruit on the French Toast while it's still in the pan. Carefully place second slice on it, gently pat it down, and carefully flip over to the other side to cook until golden.

With a slotted spatula, carefully place on a cutting board, and with a sharp knife, cut in half. Just look at the gorgeous golden color, and how fluffy it is!

This is how it's going to look like when you carefully slice it in half. Just look at the beautiful fruit oozing out.Carefull place the French Toast on a serving dish, and drizzle the berry syrup on it.
Yummm!!!

If you don't wish to use Maple syrup, you can use organic Agave syrup in place of it.

Add about 1/4 cup of real Maple syrup into the pan with the berry sauce, and heat up together until it gets to a boil,

Pour the syrup into an espresso cup, or a tiny pitcher,  sprinkle with powdered sugar, and drizzle on the desired amount









I must confess this was the best French Toast I have ever tasted in my life...seriously! I was so thrilled to share this with you! I will be posting my home fries recipe on my next post. Have a wonderful weekend, my friends, Hugs!

I  want to share with you, the e-mail I received from my sweet and talented professional cake baker friend, Mari. You must visit her blog, her cakes, and decorations are to "die for"...so beautiful...talk about inspiration, if she doesn't inspire you, than I don't know who will, and to be perfectly honest, every food blogger is certainly inspiring. All work so hard to keep up the food blog, the cooking, baking...the most difficult is the "staging" of the food, the lighting, and last, but not least the photographing...and oh, yes, the posting, uploading your photos. A lot of work goes in to all that, and we all deserve appreciation!


I just wanted for you to see....your pictures were inspiring.

I did a breakfast lunch today. I had to have french toast and home fried potatoes!

have a great afternoon.

Mari
Mari's Cakes & Vivir en la Gracia de Dios

I haven't had the chance to post the recipes, as of yet, for the French Toast, and the
home fries, but will post tomorrow morning!
 My schedule with the house and dog-watching, and the back-and-forth trip to my place every day, does interfere somewhat in keeping up with my blog.

Chocolate Eclair Cake, and Father's Day!

I realize that I should have uploaded Part 3 of my blueberry creation, and after that was a blackberry creation...just wanted to take a little brake from all the berries, and concentrate on this super yummy dessert that inspired me from Lizzy's blog...That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!! 
I mentioned to her that I cannot get the Whip it whip cream stabilizer, although I did want to make this dessert desperately. She is such a wonderful and caring friend, she sent me a couple packets of the product that I was supposed to receive it by Saturday so I can make this for Father's Day. Unfortunately, I had to make drastic measures to find a different route of make stabilizer for whipped cream, other than the gelatin method.

 Stabilizer Whipped Cream
source: Rose Levy Beranbaum
 
For 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, use 2 Tbsp of powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and add 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and simmer for just a few seconds, until liquid is thickened. Scrape into a small bowl, and cool completely to room temperature. Now, add the vanilla, and stir. When you are ready to whip your cream, beat 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream, until it starts to thicken, and add in a slow stream, the cornstarch mixture, and whip until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised.

I followed Lizzy's exact recipe...the only difference was, that for the whipped cream I substituted corn starch, powder sugar, diluted with heavy whipped cream (not whipped) and when cooled, added to the custard.
So if I can inspire you with this amazing delight that truly looks like an eclair cake, and also reminds you of Napoleons, but really...just think! perfect summer dessert...a NO-BAKE...without the excessive heat in the kitchen.
I have never made a custard without eggs, or pudding powder...the custard in these layers are from pure heavy cream, butter, pure vanilla, delicately layered with...of all things, graham cracker cookies!

 I just went downstairs to check my mail, since I saw the mail truck pull up, and wouldn't you know?...Yeayy! I got my Dr. Oetker Whip it ...stabilizer for Whipping Cream:D I am so, so, happy that I have such nice and generous friend. Thank you so much Lizzy!... so gracious and kind to help me out, but I already made it from my homemade "scratch" stabilizer, so I will use it next time. I'm telling you this dessert looks like you "slaved away" for hours making this droolworthy dessert, with the decadent chocolate smooth as silk, ooey, gooey topping, and the cream is heavenly.
I could not wait for six hours to cool off, I made space in the freezer and chilled it for nearly an hour. So, if you want to try this dessert, click on the recipe.. and I guarantee you will stay on to browse for more of her amazing dishes, and fabulous desserts!

So on Father's Day, breakfast, my son Joe took us out for a casual, and fun breakfast, right in the nearby area called, Howley's
in West Palm Beach. The eatery is very popular, and has been for decades. It is another 50's style so cool and casual, original building, still with the same counter, and 50's soda fountain stools, and booths.

 So laid back and such a relaxing place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...and certainly affordable prices.

Really interesting artwork displayed inside. The cool artwork of the skinny lady w/the blue hair is for sale for
$350.00

Sophia opted for the French Toast...really so fluffy...yumm!








 

 I ordered the omelet, with tomatoes, mushroom, onions,and bacon, with home fried potatoes. (3 of us shared the potatoes, so much!)