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Celine's Cuisine

Cool Guys....Wordpress here I am

I have been using Blogger for 2 years now, it was nice at the beginning but lately I felt frustrated by the not that friendly user system they offer, it was taken me hours and days to get answers to my questions, and when you are not a " computer" person you need easy stuff.. not complicated. My husband raved about Wordpress telling me that it would be perfect for my blog.After some thoughts and great reviews I decided to switch to Wordpress today, my new Blog is http://celinescuisine.wordpress.com/, check their cool picture and Story Wordpress Our Story

Make Sunday, Crepes Day!

Sometimes routines are good. I do not have really routines when I cook for my family. I have a Menu for each week and I make my Shopping list before going to the grocery shop and Farmer's Market, but if I see beautiful Artichokes, Spinach, cauliflower, Organic meat, fresh eggs I may end up buying them to add up into my menu!
But since we moved to our new house I instored a Crepes Day! This is so great, easy, delicious and fun!
Every Sunday morning I make the Crepes batter, then put the batter in the fridge, and then around 5-6 pm I am starting to cook them.
The smell of Crepes in the pan ... is so yummy and addictive! No need to call everybody to have them ready to eat they asking about the crepes as soon as they smell them.Then everyone can fill them up with what they want it can be sweet or Savory or both! Crepes are so versatiles. My husband like them with sugar, my kids with Nutella, I prefer mine folded into squares stuffed with Gruyere... and then the last one with sugar and cherries or any fruits ...
I know when kids are all grown up, they will remember Sunday as Crepes day
We have them with hot cocoa, or Cafe au Lait. My husband is the one crazy about Crepes I never make enough, he can eat 10 in a row and not getting any pound!

French Crepes
3 eggs
1-1/4 C. flour shifted
2-1/4 C. milk
2 Tbsp. melted butter, plus more to cook the crepes in
1 tsp. salt
Preheat a pan (Crepe pan or an 8 inch non-stick pan) over medium heat. Mix eggs and a cup of the milk. Add in dry ingredients. Mix quickly. Add in the rest of the milk and melted butter; combine well. You can use also a blender. This is a very thin batter, not like pancakes. Set aside for at least 20 minutes
Put a generous bit of butter (I cut the end of a butter stick and roll it into my hot pan.) Once it is melted, pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan. Let the Crepe cook for about one minute until golden, then flip and cook on other side about one minute . Can it be more simple that that?
Put butter in the pan each time you cook another crepes..

How do you like your crepes?

Falafel

When I was living in New York city I worked in the Village. One of my favorite place in the entire world, Everyday on my way to work, I passed by a little middle Estearn restaurant called Mamnou's Falafel
the smell in front of the restaurant was very exotic. a friend of mine told me about this place and raved about their Falafel. Falafel??? I had no clue what it was… and actually I never stopped and eat at that restaurant, What a shame! Today some 15 years later I was craving for the smell I loved so much…
The actual origins of falafel are not certain; according to the Hebrew-language paper, Ynetnews, "A possible theory suggests falafel was invented some 1000 years ago by the Egyptian Copts, who brought it with them to the rest of the Middle East."[3] Originally made with fava beans in Egypt, the dish later migrated northwards, where chickpeas were introduced instead.[2] The chickpea was used as a food item in the Levant before 4000 BC.[4]

I found a great Recipe on the New York Times

The classic recipe calls for Pita or flat bread, I used Flour Tortilla ( hey I live in Southern California! i stuffed it with , lettuce, fresh parsley, lamb sausage cut in small pieces and as a sauce I mixed TJ's Greek Style yogurt, grated fresh garlic and their famous Organic Creamy blue cheese dressing!
Results? the smell in my kitchen was not the same as I am dreaming about, but when I put my nose just above them I could smell something great. The discovery of Falafel was worth it, it is very nutritious, exotic, and light and really good and tasty calling for a little Escapade in New York or Middle Eastern....

ARV IDYLL

I can hear you asking in front of your computer" What's that???Arv Idyll I can't even say it. Is is a new recipe from Celine's Cuisine?
No I am not going to share a recipe today only some thoughts about my Ikea's China...

When it comes to china, plates, bowls, glasses and any accessories for my Kitchen this is hard to resist from Ikea’s Stores. I try not going to much because every time I go, I pick things I am not even sure I need but I love Ikea and the Scandinavian Atmosphere. Once, I stepped into their stire I am like Alice in Wonderland, I do not know if this is the smell of their Swedish meatballs or their Cramberries.....In my former life I am sure I lived in Sweeden, on a little island, surrounded by trees, wood , living in a small little white cottage. Everything inside is white too, the wooden floor, the table....Yes I love the Scandinavian Way of life ( the Good way because some people think that they drink and smoke too much) , a respect for the earth and nature, a simple, natural life, they ride bikes, they eat healthy, they have cozy homes for harsh winters, I like their decoration the old and the new style. And of my favorite Blog is still chez Larsson that I consult on a daily basis.


Today I wanted to share with you my daily China: Cream and Dark Blue, prefect for my little cottage... Bowls, Plates and soup plates.. so lovely on my wooden kitchen table with candles, linen napkins, raffia caraffe....
My pictures may look not warm and even little austere but my table setting is always warm and even funny ( forks placed on the wrong side...something is alays missing...). Our meals are always fun and active we play " I spy" with the kids while eating, we play spelling names, we play with colors and shapes of food...
We do not use plastic plates or fork and not paper napkin... never even for pinic I bring sometimes heavy stuff but lately I noticed Bamboo picnic plates and forks..another post soon!

What is your Daily China?




My Daily China ARV IDYLL at Ikea

What's for Lunch?

Vegetable Fish Tuna cakes



I know , here in the States people have really a big meal at dinner time and that's it.In France we have 2 big meals 1 for lunch ( it takes 2 hours between the starter, main, the dessert the Expresso and reading the newspaper or smoking a cigarette), and for diner: soup, main , and dessert.
But we do not eat between meals " on ne grignote pas entre les repas", this is why we need to eat our lunch. For lunch here in the States people eat salads, sandwich... what ever they can eat and working at the same time... or driving at the same time.
We sticked with the French tradition and if sometimes we have sandwich or salad at lunch usually I use Leftovers for a complete meal. Monday my kids did not have school and I needed something quick and good for them. It as noon. Nothing was done and I had no idea about the menu! I opened my fridge, and my pantry : Zuchinis, sweet potatoes, eggs and Tuna! Voila I decided to make healthy Vegetable Tuna Fish cakes.
I grated all the vegetables and when they were cooked I added my Tuna.
Then I mixed with eggs and little of Rice flour.... the result was beautiful and declicious. My kids who never had it before were telling me " C'est bon" my son emptied his plate in 5 minutes.

My Zuchinis, swet potatoes and tuna Fish cakes
Ingredients



2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 red Onion, finely chopped
4 Organic Sweet Potatoes peeled and grated
6 small Organic Zuchinis peeled and grated
2 tins Tuna, drained
Fresh Parsley, shredded
Salt & Pepper
Rice Flour
25g Butter
1 egg







Method



In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and gently fry the garlic, onion for 2-3 minutes, add zuchini and sweet potatoes. Pour un a large bowl and set aside
Add the tuna , to the bowl and mix well. Season well with salt & pepper. Mix everything with one egg.
Take a rounded tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball in your hands. Flatten into a 'cake' and roll in the Rice Flour to coat. Repeat with remaining mixture.
Take the frying pan and melt the butter. Fry the fishcakes for a couple of minutes on each side until golden.

Recipe approved and tested by kids!

My new kitchen, my new home-office, my new life

My Home-Office


My Kitchen with my kids art display

One month ago we found a lovely house for rent, in the same City we have been living for 3 years already! It was love at the first-sight. As soon as I opened the beautiful Hacienda-wooden style front door I entered a dream house with huge windows, high ceiling, 3 fireplaces, beautiful wooden floor, an amazing garden with luxuriant trees and plants and a beautiful swimming pool ideal to cool off during the very hot Summer we can’t tolerate in the Inland Valley anymore, now the kids are getting older and they learn swimming.
We are almost settled and it is always a pleasure to live every second in this house. We all love it!
I have my Home office right in the Family room near the kitchen, when I open the French Door nearby I have a view on the garden and I can hear the birds singing, the water of the water pool… I LOVE it!
This should be the best place to work, write my new recipes, write new columns in local magazines and promote my business… stay tuned and I tell you more about it soon!