European Tour 2013!

We've been traveling!
London~Amsterdam~Germany~Switzerland and lastly..my dream city..Paris!

Arriving in London, we hit the ground running. I loved every bit of it. From the London Eye, to taking the traditional afternoon tea to walking our legs off through the city! But, one of my favorite memories of London would have to be watching the "Trooping the Colour" ceremony rehearsal. The Queen's birthday is officially celebrated by the ceremony on a Saturday in June. I just love pomp and circumstance.
 St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey were just beautiful.
 This is a city to which I would love to make a return visit some day.
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This amazing dessert followed an equally amazing dinner. They brought us homemade bread served with three different butters. The Chicken Butter was the standout. I wish we could have brought some home! You would think after salad, steak, potatoes & carrots, we wouldn't have room for another bite! Okay, moving on. Every bite of this dessert was wonderful, the Burnt Orange ice cream was particularly good. 
By the way, this meal was followed by a long walk!

Buckingham Palace..I could hardly believe we were standing right in front of the beautiful  royal home. A little bummed they won't open for public tours until July.   

This gorgeous cake can be had for the low starting price of 900 pounds. As of today, that would be $1,373.00 in the United States. Fortnum & Mason (founded in 1707) is a "must visit. With a beautiful grocery store, candy shop, tea room etc., it is a feast for the eyes. The Queen herself actually visited the store last year!

Ah..the picturesque city of Heidelberg. This view is from the patio balcony of Heidelberg Castle in Germany. Walking through the quaint Old town below made for a memorable evening. We stopped off at one of the little restaurants right before closing for some authentic apple strudel and coffee. 
After all, it's all about the sweets..right?

These sweet little treats can be found at Merzenich Bakery in Cologne, Germany.

Beautiful~inside & out!

Driving through the fairytale~ish Black Forest, we stopped at Adolf Herr's family business, House of Black Forest Clocks. What a treat! This very kind family gave me one of the hand carved wooden Christmas trees..plus Mr. Herr signed the back. Lunch was pretty delicious too.

This was the cake of the day!

We're in Switzerland! 
We reached the top of Mt. Pilatus by way of a thrilling ride up the world's steepest cogwheel train! 

We were rewarded with amazing views of the Swiss Alps. You do have to go on a day with good weather for clear views..so thankful we could!  p.s. they have good hot chocolate at the summit. :o)

Getting back down the mountain was truly as exciting as going up! A big cable car first, then transferring to a private gondola, makes for a scenic and romantic trip.

After all this excitement, it's time for a little sugar! This is one of the best caramel coffees I've ever tasted! If you want to try one, stop here @ Heini's in Lion's Square. They have yummy desserts too.

 Hubby rented a boat to take out on Lake Lucerne this afternoon. A romantic walk on the Chapel Bridge in the evening was the icing on the cake to end an incredible day.

Don't leave Switzerland without sampling some of their decadently delicious chocolate. 
We bought way too much. We do not regret it. Neither do our Moms. :o)
I've included a link to Laderach  just so you can see the supremely delicious candies. Unfortunately, they do not ship to the U.S. I hope they'll one day open up a shop at least in New York...to which I'll respond with..Road Trip!

Disneyland Paris. If you're a Disney nut like myself, you just gotta do it! We visited both the parks in one day. We have to say the Rock-n-Roller Coaster was way better here than in Orlando..whoo hoo!
    

I tried my first crepe here in the parks. Yum-o!

The "piece de resistance"...Laduree!

Such beautiful macarons.

What a beautiful little tea room. We had a table seat looking out to the sidewalk on the Champs Elysees! I made a trip upstairs to see the beautiful dining rooms as well. But the best part was actually sitting in one of Laduree's cafe seats and eating the most amazing pistachio ice cream and macarons ever. 

Of course we had to get a few more delicious treats for the road. The line was loonngg..but I loved it as I was able to get lots more photos. Oops..could it be one too many?

I got to see so many sweets being boxed up in pretty little packages..one of them was mine!

Eiffel Tower by day or by night..breathtaking!
The light show was awesome on our first night in Paris. 
Taking an elevator up the next day for spectacular views and even another trip back for
 some shots from the ground.

I made this collage from some of the various sites we visited in Paris.

THE END..
but not really, because..
WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS!
Sorry..had to say it!
Wishing You All a Sweet Day From
SUGARTOWN SWEETS!
Thanks for stopping by!

Strawberry Shortcake Marshmallows!

All I have to say is Wow! These are amazing! 

I only wanted a taste so I could describe them for my post. So..I take a bite, and I could barely stop myself..from eating the entire thing. Really, they are that good. My favorite cookbook ( for 3 years running) is Eileen Talanian's Marshmallows~Homemade Gourmet Treats. These Strawberry Marshmallows are a slight variation of her recipe. Down here in Georgia, we are just about at the end of our strawberry season, so I am taking advantage and using delicious, fresh berries. You can also use frozen unsweetened berries.

 Rinse, hull and slice a 16 ounce container of strawberries.

Puree the strawberries. I used my NutriBullet. You can also use a blender or food processor. 

For the *bloom*, stir the unflavored gelatin into the puree. Make sure you get all the lumps out.

 Combine base ingredients in a heavy 6 quart saucepan.

Instead of water, I used this yummy Berry Boost. 

Mmm..intense berry scent!

 These gave off some serious steam..

Once candy reaches 236.5 degrees, remove thermometer, take pan off heat and stir in the bloom.

Slowly pour mixture into mixer (fitted with wire whisk) on low speed. 

Then turn to high mixing a total of 10 minutes.

So lovely.

Strawberry Marshmallows Recipe  

(adapted from Eileen Talanian's recipe)

Bloom

4 tablespoons unflavored gelatin

1 1/4 cups pureed strawberries

Base

1/2 cup Bolthouse Farms Berry Boost Smoothie

2/3 cup pureed strawberries

1 1/4 cups light corn syrup

2 cups granulated sugar

pinch salt

Prepare a pan with non stick cooking spray. Wipe out excess with a paper towel.

Prepare bloom by stirring unflavored gelatin into pureed berries, making sure to leave no lumps. Set aside.

Place a pastry brush in a cup of warm water.

 (You will use this to wash down sides of pan and dissolve any sugar crystals later) 

Clip a candy thermometer on pan making sure it doesn't touch the bottom.

 Combine all base ingredients in a heavy 6 quart saucepan on medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon till mixture comes to a boil. With pastry brush, wash down any crystals that have formed on the sides of pan. Do not stir once you've done this. Continue boiling until mixture reaches 236.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove thermometer, take pan off heat and stir in bloom. Slowly pour hot mixture into mixer fitted with wire whisk on low speed. Turn mixer on high speed and mix for 10 minutes.

Pour marshmallow batter into prepared pan and let cure @ least 4 hours to overnight. 

See photo below.

To turn these delicious marshmallows into a decadent dessert, top with whipped cream, fresh strawberries and pureed strawberries. You won't be sorry!

Wishing You a Sweet & Delicious Day From

SUGARTOWN SWEETS!

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Let me know what you think with a comment below.  :o)

Brown Rim Cookies

~Cookies for My Mom~

I love Mother's Day! To me it's a pretty pink and green kind of day..and of course we can't forget the sweets. I made some for my awesome Momma! God has blessed me with several wonderful Moms in my life. My own..I love you Mom! My daughter Stephanie (best daughter ever!). Sisters Donna, Kim, Chrissy and Sherri. My mother-in-law Faye. My Aunt Anna Maye. I love you all! Two of the sweetest and most beautiful grandmothers ever are already in Heaven..Grandma, who made many a sweets in her day. And MeMaw, my Mom's Mom. She made lots of sugary treats as Mom was growing up. I wanted to bring her back a little taste of the "good old days". Yay! She liked them. Mission Accomplished! They're nostalgic and tasty sans the cute.

 But, I made cute last Mother's day with these and these!

 I snapped this photo from my homemade cookbook. My sweet baby sister Sherri has put together several family recipe cookbooks for us over the years. She's awesome like that.

In mixer bowl, combine Crisco, salt..

..and vanilla. Beat these three ingredients together.

Add sugar and eggs mixing thoroughly. I just love the pretty yellow color..

 After you've mixed in the flour, grease a baking sheet. I used butter flavored Crisco.

Mom says Memaw really flattened out these little cookies! 

I don't know how long this recipe has been around..but at least since the 1940s!

 Thanks for the memories MeMaw!

Happy Mother's Day 

From

SUGARTOWN SWEETS!