Let’s join with the French this week in the celebration of Bastille Day! And why not do it with enjoyment of some French Food! Check here on The Grain Bin this week for treats from across the Atlantic. Make Bastille a week of French Food.

Why not start your week with a simple but delicious summer combination. Fruit, Cheese, and Baguette Tray. With a nice glass of wine. Don’t make it complicated. Choose some fruit that is easy to eat. Cherries, grapes, melon and/or strawberries. These are so easy to wash/clean and put out on your tray. Add some cheese. Choose a soft cheese like Brie, a hard sharp cheese like Cheddar or Gruyere, and a pungent blue or gorgonzola. Leave them in large pieces with implements for guests or cut them up as you want. Some picks might be supplied for eating.

For the wine, please make it a favorite of yours. If there are enough guests, you may want more than one variety. If the gathering is more intimate, choose a favorite and go with that.

And finally – That wonderful French Baguette. Baked in your own oven. It’s available from Sturdiwheat and is as easy as the rest of this simple service. You can’t do better than this bread for your guests. And it is so easy to make. As with most Sturdiwheat products.  Just add water.  You will be an artisan baker with everyone enjoying this very special treat without having to travel to France. You might have guests just tear off pieces of the bread, or you could slice it in diagonal pieces to be enjoyed with the fruit and cheese. You might put out some unsalted butter for those who desire it. Your choice.

You can form these loaves so easily and bake them just before serving. Or you can bake it early and serve at room temperature. But think about it – that smell of fresh bread in the oven for your guests. What an added indulgence!

Enjoy the tray – Sip a favorite wine – and savor this warm, delicious baguette. It makes me hungry!

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Quiche Lorraine and Sturdiwheat Baguette Slices.  Perfect! 

Easy Easy Easy.  Eating should be a joy and preparation should be pleasant!  The Sturdiwheat Baguette mix couldn’t be easier.  Just add water and you have that perfect baguette.

The Quiche Lorraine?  Bacon, Swiss Cheese, Onion, Milk, Eggs, Salt, Pepper, Cayenne.  And you may make your own crust or use a prepared crust from the supermarket.  Try this recipe for  Quiche Lorraine. If you want to free yourself up in the morning, mix the custard the night before. Bake in a tart pan or regular pie pan.

Serve for brunch, lunch or dinner.  For brunch and lunch, serve with Sturdiwheat Baguettes served with your favorite spreads – Orange marmalade, fresh strawberry preserves, peach marmalade, or whatever you have on hand.

For a light and delicious dinner serve with a nice fresh salad laced with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, (or your favorite French vinaigrette) and fresh warm Sturdiwheat baguettes and butter.  So quick.  So easy.  So delicious. So you.

Sturdiwheat.  Light on the effort / Heavy on the compliments.

Brunch, Lunch, or Dinner entree. Chicken, Mushroom, Seafood. Take your pick.

For these entrees, put a small amount of filling on a crêpe. Roll it or fold it. Place them in a baking dish with a small amount of sauce over the top. They are ready to warm for your entree. Again, Sturdiwheat has made the crêpes a breeze. And they are so good. For any recipe you find on the Internet, simply use the easy mix from Sturdiwheat for the crêpes part of the recipe.

For chicken recipes, make it simple by using a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. For the seafood, make it easy by selecting cooked shrimp or crab (or both). Google found so many recipes.  Search for your preferred ingredients. It only involves making a bit of sauce for the filling and the top and that’s it.  Include your salad with a light vinaigrette or green vegetable like asparagus or broccoli and this is going to be a hit.

Sturdiwheat – Helping to make you the chef in your kitchen.

Some Google recipe results: Chanticleer Chicken and Mushroom Seafood Seafood Mushroom Or easily find your own.

Enjoy your success with this great make-ahead entree.  And if you want to serve some bread with this entree, don’t forget that perfect and authentic French baguette from Strudiwheat.  Yum.

So many French foods and so little time to get through them.  But the Crêpe is so versatile.  Pancakes and flat bread are part of every culture and are used for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Don’t fret if you are unfamiliar with making crêpes.  Sturdiwheat has taken the mystery out of it with a perfect mix.  Short on time?  Just add water to Sturdiwheat Crêpe Mix, take out a frying pan and you will have your crepes in no time.  Then the breakfast fun starts. 

For breakfast, mix some fresh strawberries or blueberries with a bit of sugar and let it sit for 30 minutes.  Make the crêpes.  Put a bit of the sugared fruit on a crêpe and roll it, or fold it into quarters.  Top with some powdered sugar, whipped cream, sour cream, yogurt, or crème fresh, and garnish with a couple of blueberries or strawberries. 

Or place a bit of whipped cream, sour cream, or yogurt inside the crepe before folding.  Top with your favorite preserves or syrup and enjoy.  Or simply roll and top with butter and syrup. 

Or – Be creative and enjoy.  Lemon Curd.  Bananas.  Cherries.  Chocolate.  Raspberries.  Cooked apples and cinnamon.  Orange.  Marmalade.  Peaches.  Again, as with all of your cooking – Keep it simple.  Use what you have in the house.  Sturdiwheat has started the great European breakfast for you with the perfect crêpe mix.  And they are so yummy.  Order this time-saving and easy mix today.  And celebrate with the French this week for Bastille Day.

Bon Appétit!

Sturdiwheat – Easily your friend in the kitchen. 

I know we think of French Onion Soup when we connect soup and France.  But it is summer.  Why not try a cold soup that is often attributed to the French.  Vichyssoise is actually a soup created by a French chef from the Ritz-Carlton in New York in the early 20th century.  The ingredients are leeks, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock.  Here is Chef Diat’s recipe from the Ritz-Carlton.  There are many variations on that soup today.

Chef Diat based his recipe on his childhood memories of his mother’s chilled Leek and Potato Soup.  Here is a recipe from Julia Child for that Leek and Potato Soup.  Either one will be a true delight on a hot summer day in mid-July. 

Now – to really enjoy that soup, don’t forget the baguette.  Is any soup truly complete without bread?  Sturdiwheat has it! Just add water.  Easy.  Healthy.  Natural. There is nothing better than the aroma of that fresh bread baking in your home.  And you can be that Master Baker with this baguette mix from Sturdiwheat.  Go for it.  You won’t be disappointed.  And the French will think you are one of them!  How’s that for a bonus!