Foodie Friday: Low Carb Cheesecake

Once in a while a girl just needs something sweet, even if the sweetness is faux.

While I have baked sugar free cheesecakes in the past, sometimes I need faux sugar right this instant


So I buy a tiny sugar free cheesecake at Publix

and a box of blackberries. Then I enjoy my 4 net carb slice of sweetness. Naturally you will add carbs for the berries. I never do. As far as I'm concerned, fruit has fiber, and fiber means fewer carbs.


What You Need:

store bought sugar free/low carb cheesecake

blackberries

Options:

Crust -- Make your own low-carb crust by chopping (very fine) walnuts, pecans, macadamias and mixing them with Splenda, then pressing the nut mix around the chilled, firm cake.

• Heavy whipping cream--whipped with Splenda--is a low carb indulgence.
  
• Berries
  
• Sugar Free Chocolate syrup
  

You're welcome to add your foodie photos to The Foodie Friday Gallery.
Several people have asked how to add Foodie Friday's logo to a post. Click on the (above) photo, copy, and upload the picture to your post via Blogger's "add a photo" button, then add the host blog's address, http://www.designsbygollum.blogspot.com, to your post. This will help everyone navigate to all of the recipes and wonderful blogs who participate each week.

I hope everyone has a safe andHappy New Year! If you're new to Foodie Friday and need more info, here's an in-depth TUTORIAL. If you're participating in this week's recipe exchange, please add your recipe and permalink:

Paperwhites, Portmeirion, and Pastry

I love any kind of Christmas dish--edible or otherwise--but I specially love the ones that tell a story. The pattern is "A Christmas Story" by Portmeirion, and each plate is embellished with artist Susan Winget's inimitable flair as she illustrates "The Christmas Poem."

Bread and Butter plates (above)

10 1/2 dinner plates (above)

For the centerpiece, I added paperwhites and sheet moss to a much-loved footed tray.

I'm linking to Show and Tell Friday and Tablescape Thursday.

Tablescaping Notes:

Dishes: Portmeirion's "A Christmas Story"
Plaid napkins: Lennox
Glassware: Fostoria "Jamestown" and antique liqueur goblets
Flatware: Wild Rose and mysterious, mismatched pieces
Mercury glass votives: Ballard Designs (years ago)
Chargers: Horchow

Footed tray: local shop

Several people have asked how to add Foodie Friday's logo to a post. Click on the (above) photo, copy, and upload the picture to your post via Blogger's "add a photo" button, then add the host blog's address, http://www.designsbygollum.blogspot.com, to your post. This will help everyone navigate to all of the recipes and wonderful blogs who participate each week.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! If you're new to Foodie Friday and need more info, here's an in-depth TUTORIAL. If you're participating in this week's recipe exchange, please add your recipe and permalink:

Foodie Friday: A Winter Tablescape

Winter-white Ironstone heats up the dining room with texture and a touch of gold. Just like snowflakes, nothing matches in this tablescape, yet the elements somehow bind together.



While pristine white can be formal, it seems to work best in everyday settings. A whimsical garden gate tells your guests to expect the unexpected, and to have fun.

White pottery is crisp and peaceful--and it allows the food to be the star.

Mixed patterns in the dishes, glassware, and cutlery are united by white and gold. Crystal echos the ice just outside my door, but it takes on depth and dimension as candlelight casts a cozy glow, bouncing colors across the table.

Instead of a traditional centerpiece, a tureen serves as the focal point. Grocery store flowers can be pricey, but a single bunch of mums or daisies can be put to good use. Pottery creamers are perfect for mini-bouquets.
Clear votives add a bit of romance and make everything sparkle.

Winter White Slideshow

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

If you're new to Foodie Friday, here's a TUTORIAL. For those who wish to participate in this week's recipe exchange, please add your recipe and permalink:




For tablescaping inspiration, and to view hundreds of tabletop ideas, visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for her weekly event, Tablescape Thursday.

Tablescaping Notes

China: Gibson (Big Lots) and Baroque (American Atelier)

Chargers: Horchow

Tureen: Baroque (Replacements, Ltd)

Ecru Napkins: April Cornell

Bee Box: Horchow

Flatware: International Sterling "Wild Rose" mixed with stainless (Barbed Wire and Twig)

votives: Big Lots

White heart placecard holders: Amazon.com

Pitchers and crystal: wedding presents, garage sales, antique malls

Foodie Friday: Chickpea Soup

My mother was visiting, and we had fun pulling out the ironstone and zingy napkins.
I found the chickpea soup recipe in my dog-eared Marcella Hazan cookbook, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. You can find it at Stylish Cuisine.com.
My mother wasn't wild about the soup...so I kept tinkering. I added ham and lots of Tabasco. :-) And I cooked long-grain white rice. The guys arrived from the barn, chilled to the bone, and finished off the soup.

Mixing ironstone is too much fun.
I decided to make a figural bread--can you guess what it is? Hint: it has a curly tail.
Actually, I'd intended to shape mice bread--but I couldn't do it. Gradually the dough acquired a snout, and I thought, "Ah, a pig!" I added ears, and a curly tail. Then it morphed into my mother's dog. So I'm calling them Dogpigs.
The teeny one in front is a sort of ladybug. :-)
Bark or oink?

The sun came out just for an instant.


Then it faded...
Here's a closer look at the napkin.

Barbed wire flatware

If you're new to Foodie Friday, here's a TUTORIAL. For those who wish to participate in this week's recipe exchange, please add your recipe and permalink:

Christmas Cracker Tutorial Plus Another Give-away

I have a great fondness for all things British, and that includes their Christmas "crackers." These little foil-wrapped wonders are a tradition in the UK. When my friend Kathy was in London last spring, she sent me Easter "crackers," which I love dearly.

I've just about let the holidays slip up on me this year (but I have been writing, right?), so I decided to attempt homemade "crackers."

I saved paper towel rolls, bought wrapping paper, glue, ribbon, and candy. I even found lumps of coal, but they're candy.

Here's a tutorial:

Basically, cut the paper to fit the roll and leave a few inches on both sides. Tie one end, fill with trinkets and candy, and tie.

That's it!

This week's give-away is a darling Mariposa service tray (21" long X 12" wide).

Susan at Savoring Time in the Kitchen has won the Mariposa dish. Please send your email. Thanks to everyone who entered.
Please add your FF recipe and link: