One of my fondest and dearest memories of childhood was my mom putting my brother and I in front of the TV to watch Julia Child. As mom would need the time to cook herself, or do a myriad of other things around the house... we were almost always glued to the TV watching cooking shows. I have since held a small glimmer in my heart for Julia, and I do still watch her shows on PBS. As for the movie that was released in 2009 starring one of my favorite actress's Meryl Streep as Julia, and sweet little Amy Adams, oh my. I own the movie and have watched it I know more than 20 times and tears have been shed. Oh yes, genuine tears.. I LOVE this movie!

 Anyhow.. I was able to be apart of a class hosted at my local Whole Foods over the weekend that was created around Julia's recipes and French technique in motion.
Here is a run down of the menu:
Petit Chaussons au Roquefort ( pastry turnovers with blue cheese)
Coq au Vin (chicken in red wine with bacon)
Oignons Glaces a Brun (brown-braised onions with an herb bouquet for flavor)
Champignons Sautes au Beurre (sauteed mushrooms)
Gratin Dauphinois (scalloped potatoes with milk and cheese)
La Tarte des Demoiselles Tatin (upside-down apple tart)
... and a choice of red or white wine, French of course! {can someone say "oui oui"}

 I was not able to take as many photo's as I would have liked to, mind you... we had alot to cook and then endulge in. The aroma alone was tantalizing beyond measure, and the class was small so you were able to move around freely, take in everything with ease. As far as what Whole Foods offers with the classes, I will definitely return soon! I found this photo below online and it so reflected what my set would be like if ever I hosted any type of cooking show ( ummm, hello dreamer)
I love how Julia must have come up with such wonderful improv ideas to make everything work together for what she desired to convey to her audience. So, that is my short and sweet take on the class. Got to run, Julie and Julia has been placed in the DVD player by my husband, he sure knows how to make this girl smile!

-Stephanie

A Little Afternoon French Press from Edible Joy {Stephanie Taylor} on Vimeo.

Finally started on producing our own video's for Edible Joy. This is our first so be patient! So very excited for the one's on the "to-do" list. My husband is a fast learner and did an awesome first job!!

This my friend is about a deeply cherished experience  I like to call "table time". Personally I have defined it a little something like this.. "any amount of time spent at an actual table with food, fork, and faces".

Being somewhat of a blooming food connoisseur, one of the most valuable aspects of all things edible is flavor. The flavor one experiences can either make or break your palette. Learning to use a variety of spices, salts, pepper, sugar's and essence's is vital to how a dish or a drink will present itself.

If you know me personally, you would know that wether it is cooked, baked, braised, shaken or stirred.. it has to be the most natural and organic way possible. I am a huge advocate for using local or fresh ( non- GMO) products in all that I create. With spices I have a strong preference to them in the purest form. The spices and blends available at the grocer almost always have ingredients that I cannot pronounce (chemical based) and MSG.  So in saying that, I was delighted to find The Savory Spice Shop in SouthEnd. They have spices from all over the world, as well as non-GMO and gluten free! Their spices are ground fresh weekly, organized by type, sold by the jar or by weight so you can try as many as you would like!

On a personal note, being an INFJ myself.. I took note of how the staff gave me my own personal space to enjoy shopping and tasting, all the while being super friendly and informative in a non obtrusive way. I readily admit I am always "still learning"... but the journey in that is super exciting, and having this shop close to home will greatly benefit my efforts. I grabbed a few items on this trip and plan to use or at least try every single spice in one way or another by the end of the year.

Here's to a flavorful 2013!

It is indeed that time of year where Chocolate is consumed in lavish amounts. So as it is, it is definelty on my mind and I wanted to indulge this weekend as an early Valentine treat. With a fridge full of berries we chose to just dip, roll, and toss them all in!

A friend had first introduced me to Callebaut chocolate while making the most amazing chocolate ice cream from the Jeni's Splendid cookbook.

Callebaut is sold at our local Earth Fare in small bricks. I chose the Belgian milk bar for this indulgence.

A few personal tips when melting your chocolate and using fresh fruits:

- always go low and slow by placing a glass bowl in a pot with a slow boil... stir as it melts, you do not want to overheat and burn your chocolate. that would be sheer tragedy!

- although dipping the strawberries is ok to tackle slowly , when using more delicate berries as raspberry... dip quickly and remove to keep the berry in tact

So, yeah. That is about it... I think I need to make this short and sweet... I hear little berries calling my name! {smiles}

 STEPHANIE'S FAVORITE FOUR: FEBRUARY


Are you one that nearly faints when your eyes fall upon that “got to have” shoe in the window, or handbag made of the most splendid leather? Or maybe you give no mind to maxing out any and all credit cards to have the closet girl’s dream of? In the same way, I myself experience some of the same excitement and feelings when it comes to culinary consumerism. Here are just a few of my most recent favorite find’s!

1. Oh the simplicity of a pine box to tote a pie around is just lovely to me. Made of chemical free-raw pine and handcrafted in Chicago. PIEBOX offers it up, classic or deep dish fit.
In my opinion a well made pie is art. From the buttery flaky crust to the warm filling that comes roaring out while in the oven…oh my!
Check them out at www.piebox.com

2. Cheese Please! Beehive Cheese “Ipanema” is an Irish style cow’s milk (cheddar)
hand-rubbed with Sierra Nevada cultured butter and Crio Bru cocoa beans from the Domincan Republic.
Sold exclusively at Whole Foods (where I first experienced it) and online.
Beehive explains it as being rich and creamy with notes of dark chocolate and ripe summer strawberries.
I am not personally sure about the note of strawberries.. but I am sure this would be a crowd pleaser! Hello? Coffee, cheese and pure cocoa? Sign me up!
Check them out at www.beehivecheese.com or at our local Whole Foods

3. Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz. What in the world to say? If you do not prefer red’s you may just have a change of mind on this one! It is like having every berry in your palette going for a swim! I personally love this with my homemade Berry Crumble Tart’s, but it is ever so versatile in pairing. Not only is it super fabo, you can most likely find it for under $10. That my friend is something to shout about!

4. A baker’s staple, French Rolling Pin. Also known as a “rod” style rolling pin without the handles. If you love the feel of working with your dough a French pin is the way to go. It is my favorite style of rolling pin and is easy on your hands and wrist. A little more technique required, but all in all… quite simple. You can find this style rolling pin online, specialty kitchen storefronts, and in random antique stores. The one photographed, you can find here: www.herriotgrace.com