FLOUR

     'Tis the season of graduations and weddings; a time that includes many parties and gatherings.  I'm highlighting an oldie, but goodie as an addition to your trays of sweet treats.  Specifically I'm referring to Cream Puffs..  
     Cream Puffs are made from Pate a Choux, ("pat a shoe") a light pastry dough.  They are usually filled with a sweetened cream filling that has been nestled inside.  I first became aware of Cream Puffs when I learned that my grandmother made them and they were one of my dad's favorites.  I already knew that she made the tastiest peanut butter cookies. (To this day they remain the best I have ever eaten.)  But she only made Cream Puffs for special occasions, like holidays and birthdays.  So their occasional appearance, coupled with their taste, really made them appealing.  When my sister, brother and I decided to host an anniversary party for my parents when I was a young teen, guess who made the treats for the guests?
     I was leery at first because I doubted whether I could make pastry with a French background.  But Pate a Choux is not difficult.  (By the way, Pate a Choux is also used in making eclairs.  Yummy!)  Below is the recipe I followed this time.  There are several available online on in your favorite cookbook.  This one comes from Betty Crocker's Old-Fashioned Cookbook, copyright 1990 by General Mills, Inc., Minneapolis, MN.

The finished product

CREAM PUFFS

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat water and butter to rolling boil in 2 1/2-quart saucepan.  Stir in flour.  Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat.  Beat in eggs, all at once; continue beating until smooth.  (I did this by hand the first time with a wooden spoon.  I have read other recipes that said the eggs could be incorporated with a mixer.) 

When I made these Cream Puffs, I began stirring in the eggs with a wooden spoon and switched to a whisk.

 
Drop dough by scant 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  (The first time I made these I just used two spoons.  Naturally those Cream Puffs were not all the same size.  Using a 1/4 cup measure would ensure a uniform size.)

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and golden.  Cool on wire rack away from draft.  Cut off tops; pull out any filaments of soft dough.  Fill puffs with your choice of fillings.  Replace tops; dust with powdered sugar.  Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 4 hours.  

     The recipe gives instructions on how to make three different whipped cream fillings for your cream puffs.  Since the Sweetened Whipped Cream is the closest to what my grandmother used to make I will give that one.  For the Cream Puffs I made for this post, I used instant lemon pudding.     10 to 12 Cream Puffs


Sweetened Whipped Cream:  Beat 1 cup whipping cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in chilled bowl until stiff.  Enough filling for 6 puffs.

    

& FLOWER

         I have had good luck with my orchids lately.   

Actually this photo of my pink phalaenopsis has been in bloom for a couple of months.  Usually about the end of February or the first of March those familiar buds begin to appear and open.

I have another phalaenopsis with this stunning purple hue that has already been in bloom three months.  It will last until temperatures climb into the 80s and beyond.

Then the last photo of this orange beauty is a cattleya orchid that I was lucky enough to find at a local garden center.  It has only recently opened in the last three weeks.  

     I am happy that I have been able to raise these orchids in our home and consider them a product of luck more than anything else.  The type of light they receive, amount of water, and their growing medium are important in their growth process. We have good south and north facing windows for their light.  They are watered every week to 10 days.  I do not give them more than a half cup of water at a time.  I also do not let them sit in water.  I have learned orchids do not like wet feet.  I have seen the green leaves and stems yellow or fade with too much water.  I have tried different growing mediums from regular home and garden soil to an actual orchid mix.  If you choose the potting soil (which I use), just remember not to over water.  The orchid mix is lighter and more loose than potting soil.  I  will place all three of these outside on my front porch when the blooms are gone and there is no more chance of cool night time temperatures.  They do very well on my porch until about mid-October.