Chocolate Financier Cakes and Tea Parties

Growing up I adored a good tea party!  I used to make my little sisters dress up in frilly dresses and then invite neighborhood friends over and have fancy tea parties.  Ha...guess a lot of things don't change over the years : ) This love of tea parties evolved into me collecting mini tea sets until I was  teenager...when all was said and done I had over 30 mini tea sets!  I saved a few of my favorite sets for when I have a daughter (if I am so blessed)...maybe she will throw tea parties and invite her super cool mommy : ) 

My other encounter with tea parties was when I was a Senior in High School and living with 2 friends from school and 2 sweet old ladies who were also sisters.  Every afternoon at exactly 4pm we would gather around the round kitchen table and have tea and a snack.  I had decided I actually didn't like "real" tea at this point in my life - they would offer it to me every day and I would always say, "no thank you, I don't like drinking dirty water!"  Guess I preferred the make believe tea I would drink when I was younger instead.  : ) The 5 of us would chat about our days and we would listen to the old sisters tell stories from their childhoods.  I have fond memories of that year, and whenever I now drink "real" tea I think of the lovely Philbin and Hennessy sisters.

When we were in France we visited with my husband's distant relatives.  As soon as we arrived at their home we sat down to tea on their back porch overlooking their beautiful garden.  It was a damp and chilly day so the hot tea was so welcomed!  They served us a lovely loaf of sweet bread, I believe it was Brioche, with some amazing homemade fruit jam.  In that moment I am pretty sure I truly experienced what it was like to be French and live in France....certifiably the most "French" moment of our trip. : )

While we were in Paris I tried a few pastries that I had never heard of.  One of those was the Chocolate Financier cakes.  This cake was so moist, delicious, and simple that I had to try and replicate it when I got home.  I just threw a bridal shower tea for my friend and decided there was no better occasion to make these cakes then now!  They ended up being moist little brownie like bites with the texture of the ground almonds being an amazing combination of deliciousness!  

Tea Party Menu:  Fresh Crudites and hummus, ham/spinach/and piave cheese quiches, curried chicken sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, oat scones with assorted jams, fresh fruit salad, chocolate financier cakes, shortbread cookies, roasted peach lemonade, and assorted teas.

This may get confusing...hang in there : )

 I used my scale to make these and realized the non weighed measurements seemed very off to me...I am posting the original recipe and then my notes on the side of each ingredient.  For best results use a scale for this recipe.

Chocolate Financiers
adapted slightly from Chef Eddy Van Damme Blog

1 ½ Cups (5 oz) Sliced almonds or almond meal 

(if you use sliced almonds, make sure you end up with 1 1/2 cups of ground almonds)

1 Cup (8 oz)  Extra fine granulated sugar 
½ Cup minus 1 TBSP (2 oz) All purpose flour 
7 large (7 oz) Egg whites 
(I ended up only using 5 large eggs to get 7oz of egg whites)

½ teaspoon Salt (table not kosher)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Almond extract
1 ½ sticks (6 oz) Unsalted butter
(6 oz ended up being 2 sticks minus 1 TBS of butter for me- most sticks of butter from the grocery store say they are 4 oz each, but really they are not)

4 oz Bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips, 60% cacao 

Grease your mini muffin pans and set aside. (you can also make these in any form you like...regular muffin pans, some loaf pans, etc...just keep in mind the bake time will have to be adjusted accordingly)

If you are using sliced almonds instead of almond meal - Place the sliced almonds with the sugar and flour in a food processor and process until the almonds are finer than cornmeal and then transfer to a bowl. Mix the almond meal (or ground up almonds), flour, and sugar together in a large bowl until combined.  

Add the egg whites, salt, vanilla and almond extract and mix together using a rubber spatula.

Cut the chocolate into small pieces, or just leave as if if you are using chocolate chips, and combine with the butter. Melt over barely simmering water (double boiler), the bowl not touching the water. Remove from heat when ¾ of the chocolate is melted.  Stir until all the chocolate is melted and add to the above, stir until combined.

Fill the mini muffin tins ¾ full and bake in a 350⁰F (180⁰C) oven until the center of the financier cakes bounce back when lightly pressed with a finger. About 12-15 minutes for the mini muffin pans. For other sizes bake until the center of the cakes bounce back when pressed.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan.  

I just ate the last one yesterday, so I know for a fact 4 days later they still taste amazing!

This recipe may be confusing, but it is so worth it in the end!  I see myself making them again soon!

Let's all work to bring back the lovely tradition of afternoon tea.  

Then invite a friend over for tea and these financier cakes.

Eat your heart out,

Dagny

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 

- Colossians 3:12-14 

Being Content and Beef Tacos!

Let's be real folks.  Its time for my quarterly free therapy session.  Let's do this.

Do you ever feel like you are not good enough?  

Not kind enough, not happy enough, not fit enough, not positive enough?  

Ug...that's been me recently.  I have been stuck in this rut of feeling so inadequate at everything in my life.  My faith, my family, my job, my home, my ministry, my friends...the list is never ending!  

Thing is, I am fully aware of all these feelings in my life, and I am fully aware that I am not doing a good job handling and coming to terms with them.  I find myself ragging on myself for not being more content with my life, for not being positive and optimistic, for not being able to handle it all, for not being the best version of myself.  

CONTENT.  This word is my arch nemesis in life.  I struggle with it so dang much!  I wish I could be easy going and relaxed, and sit down and enjoy the company at my house instead of being made uneasy by all the dishes in the sink and my messy kitchen.  I am 100% a Martha who has always wanted to be a Mary...Mary always seemed so peaceful and content with her life where as Martha was uneasy and a busy bee all the time.  I don't know if I struggle with being content because I am a competitive person competing against myself, or because my insane Type-A slightly OCD personality is off the charts cray cray.

If you could see the browsing history from my computer recently you would laugh...

Google Searches:
"How to be an easy going person"
"How to have an optimistic perspective on life"
"How to be content"
"How to be better at everything in your life"
"How to loose 5 pounds by being a part time vegetarian"
"How to kill time at work when you have no work"
"How to make a green smoothie that doesn't taste like dirt"
"How to throw a tea party for adults"
"How to build authentic community"

Breathe.  Remember to breathe.

Stop trying to juggling all the balls at once while you ride a unicycle and whistle.
"Have courage and be kind"
 Be grateful by counting your blessings. Be content by being grateful.

 I recently heard this quote on the radio and it really resonated with me:

"I always thought people wanted me to be perfect so I could help them. If I reached out for help myself , I had reasoned, I would lose my perceived usefulness. But the truth is, all I have to offer anyone else is a life surrendered to Christ so that His beauty and grace shines through my brokenness. The greatest gift we can give each other is a willingness to share our imperfection and accept each other just the way we are. There is freedom in such a gift." - Shelia Walsh

Praying that I become more accepting of myself and others.  Praying that I find goodness and kindness in all situations and people that surround me.  Praying that I allow "His beauty and grace to shine through my brokenness".

Prayers that you find peace and contentment in your life, and with whatever you are struggling with.

Then...I go and make these tacos that I can find no fault with.  YES!  I got it right!  Gold star for me! 

Growing up we used the "Old El Paso" seasoning mix whenever we had tacos for dinner.  After college I just started throwing in random Mexican spices combos instead, but the flavor was always lacking.  I finally decided to look up an actual recipe for tacos and yum, so glad I did!  I love having people over and entertaining, and tacos is a great small or large group meal - I make the meat and have everyone else bring the accouterments.  Another way to cut down on the cost is to supplement the beef with black beans...at the end of the day you essentially have thick chili but a fatter wallet - you decide which one you prefer : )

Taco meat is also a great leftover to have on hand in the refrigerator.  It makes a quick and healthy lunch or dinner when you throw it on top of lettuce.  You can also make a huge batch of this and freeze it for later meals if you want.  

Beef Tacos

1 TBS oil (your choice, I usually use olive or coconut oil)
1 large onion, diced
1 large jalapeno, diced small
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 clove garlic, minced
1 TBS chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, or you could use turkey or chicken
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
1/2 of a 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with juice

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onion and jalapeno, season with salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes.  Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and cook 1 minute.  Add meat, breaking it up and stirring it together, cook until no longer pink.  Add tomatoes and beans and simmer until thickened 10-12 minutes.  Add more Salt and Pepper if it needs it.

Serve over lettuce for a salad or fill warm tortillas and top with  you favorite toppings.

Make these tacos for dinner.  

Sit down with your family and enjoy them...the tacos and the family : )  

Ignore the dishes in the sink for 30 more minutes and relax with your loved ones!

Eat your heart out,

Dagny

Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins

Summer is here.  At least I think it is...can't really tell since we have had so much rain down here in Texas!  Monsoons everywhere!  Good news is my lemon tree is budding!!!!  Next recipe might have lemons in it : )

Warmer weather can only mean one thing!  Chocolate and banana smoothies all the time!!  Yeah Baby!  Super grateful for my awesome Vitamix my sister and Mom bought us for our wedding - love that thing!

Okay...so turns out that smoothies can get old really fast...so I decided to skip my daily smoothie and opted for veggies and hummus...then 1 hour later all I was craving was chocolate and bananas!  I am obsessed I tell you, straight up addicted!  I decided to switch it up a bit and made dark chocolate banana muffins instead...one way or another I was going to get my chocolate/banana fix :)

These were super simple muffins and they were so delicious and moist!  Winner winner chicken dinner...actually winner winner muffins for dinner! : )  This recipe has sugar in it, but you can probably swap honey/maple syrup for it if you want...I am going to try to do it next time with 1/4 cup honey instead of the 2/3 cup sugar.

Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins
yields 12 muffins
Adapted slightly from here

• 1 cup mashed ripe or over ripe bananas
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup canola oil, or melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1-1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (semi sweet or dark)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees...or in my case with my gas oven 350 degrees
2. In a large mixing bowl, use the back of a fork to mash the banana until only very small lumps remain. Add the vanilla and the egg and use the fork to whisk the mixture together until completely combined. Add the oil and milk and stir to combine. Add the sugars and stir again.
3. Using a spatula, stir in the cocoa powder, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix until the cocoa is completely incorporated. Stir in the salt and baking soda, then gently fold in the flour, until just combined.
4. Divide the batter among 12 paper-lined muffin cups, about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Bake for 15-17 minutes, rotating once, until the muffin tops look set, and a cake-tester inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, before removing and cooling completely on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room-temperature.

Share these muffins with someone who is cranky...chances are they are just hungry : )

Eat your heart out,

Dagny

Italy vs. France in a showdown...who wins? Part deux

Welcome to France!

The land where everyone walks around with a Baguette tucked under their armpit.
The land where Baguette is part of every meal...seriously every meal.
The land of delicious cheese.
The land of abundant pastry of the highest quality.
The land of "be sure to bring your fat pants because our food is really that good!"

We loved France!  In a food battle they would beat out Italy...sorry to all the Italian Fans out there...but in our books France take the cake...or should I say Baguette? : )

We stayed at the Best Western in the Latin district close to Notre Dame and the Odeon station.  Great location - close to a lot of restaurants and sights.  The hotel was cozy and the employees were very kind - we would stay there again.

The Smiths Bakery, Paris

As soon as we arrived in Paris we checked into the hotel and then wandered around looking for some pastry...I wasn't kidding when I said eating was the main mission of this trip for me...poor Andrew had to stop at every bakery we passed while I admired their displays and treats.

The first place we decided to try was called "The Smiths Bakery" - totally not a French name, but it looked really delicious so we decided to try it out.  Total bliss, utter and complete bliss.  Everything we tried from this place was a winner!  We went back twice in our 3 days stay there.

 This Palmier was so good!  It had a dark nutty taste to it almost like caramel or burnt butter - best one I have ever eaten!

 Super Moist Praline cake...really it was a cupcake without a wrapper - but it was delicious

They had a gelato cart in front of the bakery, it looked so good but we never got around 

to trying it...next time!

Le Bistrot Mazarin, Paris

After we walked off the calories from our Pastry we stumbled upon this place - it was packed, but the servers were very friendly and even stopped us from ordering the lining of cows stomach stew...that was close...

 Sauteed Leeks with a balsamic dressing topped with a deep fried soft boiled egg...very yummy!

 Roast Chicken in a cider sauce with French Fries

Boulangerie Carton, Paris

The next morning we were tempted to return to the Smiths Bakery, but instead we tried a place next to it that lots of people were going in and out of

 Andrew got a Pain au chocolat...of course...

Delicious and simple egg quiche.  They serve them room temperature in a lovely flaky pastry....speaking of eggs, I noticed at the grocery stores they keep the eggs on a shelf near cereal and not cold in a refrigerator...super awesome!

This is us on an awesome Blue Bike Tour of the city!  Great tour to get an overview of the city - definitely do it if you are in Paris!

The lovely Notre Dame

Lots of options for grab an go sandwiches on baguettes...this one was delicious!  Some sort of paprika chicken with butter...so yummy!

Bar a Fruits: Saint Michael area

After the bike tour we stopped and got this super refreshing fresh fruit and sorbet treat.  It was so light and delicious with lots of weird fruits including some gooseberries and fresh coconut slices.

Mass at Notre Dame, such a beautiful Church!

After our best day of the whole trip, a romantic walk along the Seine river...this dude was awkwardly following us along the river and I kept glancing behind me just to make sure he wasn't about to mug us...third time I turned around he was urinating on the wall...haha super weird.

Le Montebello, Paris

We decided to try this place out because they had Beef Bourguignon on the menu...we loved it!

Fresh greens with a creamy balsamic dressing and avocado

Oh yes, escargot...we tried it, he loved it...I was indifferent, but it is so pretty looking

Yes!  Beef Bourguignon was so delicious!  
They served it with mashed potatoes and mashed carrots - perfection!

Then we wandered around and found a whole street with tons of walk up Crepe places...
so divinely amazing!

Such an art!

I think this one was sea salt and caramel...not too sure what we ordered, all that matters was that we ate it and it was good!

Artisan Boulanger Patissier

Lovely chocolate financier cake made with ground up almonds, such a simple
but scrumptious little cake

At Versailles

Smashed almond croissant we ate at Versailles, it was so good!

RADISHES EVERYWHERE at a market in Louviers

La Tanneria, Louviers

Our last meal in France was Italian...haha...go figure.  It was also better then the Italian food we ate in Italy!  What are the odds!

Amazing fresh salad with sliced avocados, hearts of palm, grilled corn, pureed roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, and fresh melon - so refreshing.

Pizza with perfectly crunchy and thin crust.

Fruit de Mer Pizza, "Seafood Pizza"

Au revoir dear France, we will return to eat more of your delightful food one day.

France: 1     Italy: 0

If you want to get an idea for what France is like please watch the Flight of the Conchords video : )