A Beautiful Fantastic Eton Mess | #FoodnFlix

Bella likes things "just so"; she likes order, and is terrified by the "unpredictability of nature and flora in particular". She has a routine and it both makes her nervous and sparks something curious inside her when that routine goes off-track. Her obsessive issues stem from being abandoned as a child, and subsequently raised by ducks. Okay, not really. She was raised by nuns.

In this month's Food 'n Flix pick, This Beautiful Fantastic, Bella's tidy little solitary world changes when her somewhat grumpy older neighbor Alfie starts hounding her about the "eco-apocalypse" of a garden that she's created between their houses.

Lime Fantasy Supreme | Gilmore Girls Coffee Klatch

Welcome to my first installment in the Gilmore Girls Coffee Klatch series! Last week, Chef Sarah Elizabeth announced that she was going to be hosting a coffee klatch each Wednesday from now through the release of the upcoming return of Rory and Lorelai in the 4-part Netflix event, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, on Black Friday! A Year in the Life will consist of 4 90-minute episodes, each of which taking place over the course of one season of the year.

Sarah put out an open invitation to join her in binge-watching Gilmore Girls in preparation. If you started watching last Wednesday, you have needed to watch least 2.35 episodes per day in order to be done by November 25th. So, my goal is to average it out to 3 a day (because my ocd-tendencies really frown on stopping mid-episode).

Merle's Cake with Pink Frosting inspired by The Walking Dead

It's FRIDAY - and that means only 2 more days until the mid-season premier of THE WALKING DEAD! It also means that we're 5 days into Dead Eats: Recipes Inspired by The Walking Dead, the event that I'm having far too much fun doing with Kim from Cravings of a Lunatic and Dionne from Try Anything Once Culinary. I just have 2 questions for you: 1)Are you as excited as we are? 2)Have you entered our giveaway for your chance to win seasons 1-5 of TWD on dvd yet?

Okay, on to today's recipe. Since it was inspired by something that happened in season 3, there are only spoilers in this post if you're way behind. This one is in memory of Merle. Oh, Merle, you were such an ignorant, hateful, spiteful asshole. And yet, there was something about you that I loved. I'm sure this has almost everything to do with Michael Rooker (the actor who played Merle), because he's pretty amazing. But it probably also had a lot to do with the fact that you're Daryl's brother, and you love him as much as I do...as the world does.

Tres Leches Cake (Pastel de Tres Leches or Three Milks Cake)

Aside from all the other goings on lately, we've been happily celebrating birthdays at our house, as well. My daughters was a couple of weeks ago and mine was a couple of days ago...and one of our universal favorite cakes is a Pastel de Tres Leches...or Three Milks cake.

I have tried countless recipes over the years...and while I've found one or two that I enjoyed...I was never completely satisfied. Lots of times we just ended up ordering one from a Mexican lady we know who has a killer recipe. That has all changed now. I will never get one from somebody else again...I will make them and sell them along with my other Mexican fare from now on!

Fluffy, Sweet & Dreamy Whipped Things for TFF

This week has flown by. I'm gonna tell you the truth...I don't really like going to work. It's not that I don't enjoy working, it's just that I enjoy working for myself...doing things I choose, when I choose. I know most people would...but I actually know some people who don't mind going to work for the man. I suppose it's just that I'm a free spirit...and I don't like to be caged. HA HA HA...okay, I'm making myself laugh now. I mean, it's totally true...but why am I telling you? Probably because it's been an insane week at work which means I haven't had much time to peruse all of your tasty blogs and really immerse myself in them. Luckily I had a few posts half done, so I finished them at the beginning of the week and "scheduled" them to post automatically (love this feature). But, I hadn't picked a Tyler recipe yet, and Friday was closing in. Fast. Too fast! So yesterday, which was actually my only day off this week I started flipping through some Tyler cookbooks and found a fairly quick recipe...that I had the ingredients for, bonus, so I started. But, as days off sometimes go, we decided to surprise the kids by hustling them into the car and going out to eat (Mexican, imagine that...Milanesa de Pollo Torta, yum!!) and to see a movie (UP!...so, so, so good-go see it now). So, I stopped mid-recipe and finished hours later...but it was okay, it's the kind of recipe that allows for such folly. Yes, sometimes I pretend I live in the days of Jane Austen. Strawberry-Lemon Puddings from Dinner at my Place p. 81 by Tyler Florence serves 4 2 c. strawberries, hulled & halved 1 Meyer lemon, juice only (personally, I think this fruit is made up..I've never been able to find one. I used 1/2 lemon, 1/2 orange) 2 Tbs. powdered sugar 1 pint heavy whipping cream 1 c. powdered sugar, plus 1 Tbs. for garnish 1/2 c. store-bought lemon curd although I'm pretty sure you could use homemade ;) 1 store-bought pound cake ditto on the homemade Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 Tbs. of powdered sugar in a small saucepan; place over medium heat. Cook and stir for 4 - 5 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. Remove 4 strawberry halves from saucepan and reserve for garnish. Whip heavy cream in a large mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Fold in the 1 c. powdered sugar and the lemon curd, a little at a time, until combined. Set aside in the refrigerator while you prepare the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. I actually used the toaster oven for this...it worked beautifully and I didn't have to use any gas or heat up the kitchen. Cut pound cake into 1/4" thick slices. Using an inverted 6 oz. ramekin, carefully cut out 8 rounds. (The rounds should fit snugly inside of ramekin itself). My pound cake wasn't big enough, so I put two slices together and cut with a jar the size of the ramekin. No need to worry about it being in 2 pieces, because you can't actually see them once it is assembled. Break the remaining scraps of pound cake into coarse crumbs and toast on a baking sheet in preheated oven or toaster oven for about 5 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. To assemble, start with a layer of lemon cream on the bottom of each of the ramekins, followed by a pound cake round. Next add some strawberries and lemon cream. Add another layer of cake. Drizzle the final cake layers with syrup from the strawberries. Top with a swirl of lemon cream. Sprinkle with toasted pound cake crumbs and garnish with a reserved strawberry half. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve! And there you have it...a lovely, fluffy, sweet and dreamy whipped thing for this Tyler Florence Friday. And believe me when I say that this was divine. I think I'll make this for a special occasion or a party next time, because it looks like a lot of work, but it's not a lot of work...and a taste makes you roll your eyes back into your head. So... Don't forget to head over to Tyler Florence Fridays to see what everybody else cooked up with Tyler today.