Life is Still Sweet

Friday Random: Blame it on the a, a, a, a aaa alcohol.

2012-01-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

It is sweet! I feel like this a lot.

I sort of want to buy this sign, it's at Hobby Lobby. Is that dorky?

Don't answer I know it is. I've figured out that I'm not very hip.

You know why?

I don't think I like whip cream vodka.

I bought some to make something like this drink, but no champagne and a couple other ingredients. FYI whip cream curdles with alcohol. It's not pretty. I thought that was turning me off about the vodka.

Turns out I don't like it in anything. I've tried it, in lots of things.

Well not in this drink which I also thought I'd make, but I haven't because there's too many other liquors to buy and I don't want to spend any more money on alcohol that I won't drink. I'll just wait for someone to make it for me.

I think of whip cream vodka like I do these shoes:

They're spunky, with some practicality (as in they'll go with lot's of things), they aren't way too over the top, and for some dang reason I want them. BUT me teetering and towering around in those 5 inchers is almost laughable. They'd sit in my closet for years at a time and get worn (with great instability) once in a blue moon.

I may long for them to suite me, but they just don't.

It's not like it hasn't been fun, mixing up concoctions. Boozey endeavors.

I think I'll just wait for my Meyer lemon limoncello to be ready. I'll sip it, and dream of towering heals and how perhaps one day I'll be hip. Until then I'm ok with buying art from Hobby Lobby and making my own hootch.

Wednesday Raw: It's Ok

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

So this is just the second Wednesday Raw and already I'm telling myself "It's ok, next time."

I really didn't want this to be something to beat myself up about if I didn't have a good week. It's hard to not be so hard on myself, but that's something I'm still learning to do.

So, let's see how bad I did and then I'll tell you why I'm ok with it.

Last week was packed with all sorts of to do's. It's the last birthday of our great birthday month, and I'm really good about procrastinating.

I planned a little too much for myself last week and I thought I could handle eating raw one day too. Shoot, I even made a recipe ahead of time to be all prepared.

My raw day was also the day I decided to help out in my daughters class. No biggie, people eat raw all the time and leave their house. I had a nice breakfast under my belt - lots of fruit and some raw nuts, some tea and a glass of cashew milk.

I made a great (almost raw) soup from The 3-Day Cleanse book (great recipes by the way and a very good and gentle cleanse if you're looking for one).

Let's just say that the kindergardners and my daughter thought it looked disgusting, but it was yummy. Some carrots and apple rounded everything out. My lunch date with my daughter was awesome.

I left and ran many errands, then came home starving. That's when my raw day ended short.
I ate a turkey sandwich with cheese, a coke and I think I even had a slice of my yummy birthday cake my mom made me.

I was upset with myself and ready to head this one up as an epic fail, but I decided to be better to myself than that.

It was my birthday month too. I'm not going to feel bad about having a slice of my cake, or even falling off and having a coke. I'm pleased with even trying this out and have decided to just look forward and be excited for what's to come.

I also had another very healthy and delicious meal out of the soup the next day. I finished off the pepper soup with some kale chips the next day and felt even better about eating my slice of cake.

Anyone else over beating them selves up about their diet? Me too.

Feature Freak

2012-01-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know where all this is coming from - all of these thoughts about on going features.

Sometimes I think to slow the breaks down over here at Life Is Still Sweet.

Than other days I get non stop ideas, and pictures, and food to cook and share.

I guess I'll just go with this flow and new ideas and features.

This is the last feature post idea, I promise.

I'm going to call it Cooking the Books (I can only imagine the disappointment people will have when that Google search leads them here).

No, no accounting loop holes to learn here.

I'm talking cookbooks.

Many cookbooks are waiting for me. I love checking them out of the library. No long term commitments.

However, there are a couple that I cook from ALL THE TIME.

One of my favorites, that contains at least 3 recipes that I covet is Jamie Oliver's Happy Days With the Naked Chef.

It's one of his older books, but absolutely amazing on many levels.

The other night I was making his Parsnip and Bacon pasta from the book, I noticed how many more recipes I had marked to try. The little tags sticking out the top are ridiculous.

I make at least 3 recipes from this book constantly (I'm not even sure why I still pull it out when making this, I have it memorized). But I realized that there are so many more fantastic recipes waiting for me in this book. The mark of a really good cook book to me is how often you remake a recipe or how many times you pull it off your shelf even just for inspiration. By that measure, this book rates VERY high.

My goal is to cook at least 15 more recipes from this book (and share them all with you), and to start checking out some other books on my list and share those too.

I'm not going to make this a set weekly or monthly feature, but it will be recurring for sure.

I'll go into more about his book soon, but really it's simplicity in the recipes (like parsnips, bacon, pasta, and cheese) that makes this book brilliant.

What are you favorite cookbooks, or are there any you've been thinking about?

Friday Random: Get Out and Go

2012-01-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

So I had another thought for an ongoing feature post.

There's a lot of times I wish I had an excuse to share something very random, sometimes food related, on this little blog. A lot of times it doesn't fit in to my ramblings and I think it best to just let it go.

But, if I created a neat little home for all this randomness it would be ok. It would fit and make sense in all of it's nonsensical-ness.

This Friday I even have a theme to wrap it all together with a neat little bow.

Today is all about getting out (pretty much because I got to go on a little trip last weekend).

Let's talk about one of the hippest, cleanest, loveliest motel ever. The Motor Lodge is in Prescott AZ and if you ever get a chance to go there, you must.

Beer upon check in, fire places in the room, bikes for general use, absolutely gorgeous quirky decor, and fresh baked cookies upon check out. This place was perfectly perfect.

Notable places to eat in Prescott: Brown Bag Burger - great HUGE burgers with crispy creamy fries, Adirondak cafe - nothing over the top, just a nice simple breakfast, St. Michaels Hotel Coffee Shop (the little one next to the restaurant - it's just a room with a girl slinging good coffee and yummy pastries.

There were lot's of places I would have liked to eat given more time: Firehouse Kitchen, The Raven Cafe, and The Lone Spur Cafe for breakfast. Next time!

More on the go randomness:

What are your thoughts on this lid? I love mason jar drinking, but I'm not sure about that price (or the hot fingers factor).
This may be the cutest lunch bag ever!
These water bottles are really cool, and work really well.

Wednesday Raw: The first one

2012-01-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

Today is the first of a little feature I wanted to start here called Wednesday Raw.

Like a good little blogger I made some resolutions. I tried to make ones that didn't just last through January, but goals for the year.

One of them was to eat more RAW foods.

So here's what this this feature and my resolution is NOT:

This is NOT about a super restricted diet.
It is NOT about feeling like I failed if I missed a day.
It is NOT advice about what YOU should eat.

This is what Wednesday Raw IS about:

Me trying to amp up my diet with more whole nutrients and fresh foods. One of the best ways I saw to do this was a raw food day.
My plan is to do one day a week, high raw until dinner and maybe the whole day.
If I don't get in a full day, for sure I will squeeze in some raw meals through out the week.
Me learning more about raw foods, and having a place to keep me accountable and challenged.
Perhaps later it will be a place for others to link up their own raw food experiences.

My first Wednesday Raw day was pretty good. Here's how it went down:

Breakfast - Cherry, banana and cilantro smoothie (very yummy, but it made me very cold)
Green tea
Blueberries for snack
Lunch - Apple kale salad (with non raw crackers)
Super-addicting-I-had-to-have-some Trader Joe's chocolate almond butter smeared on rice cracker (not raw - obviously, but it had to be done)
Raw almonds and apple
Dinner - of huge pile of cooked green beans and a couple bites of chicken

I think it was an ok raw day for how little I had prepared for it. I think this next week I will think ahead and make sure I have enough items to eat on hand. This week I seemed to be searching for something raw and wasn't completely prepared for my day.

This salad will be had over and over.

If you are afraid of the raw kale, this is a great place to get over your fear. It's easy, satisfying and the kale softens into a beautiful grassy fresh taste. The apples are the perfect crunch and counter sweetness to the tangy vinegar.

All you need is a nice generous portion of kale, one apple diced, olive oil, honey, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and salt.

The dressing ratio is really personal. I like about 1 Tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoon honey and 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. I really like the flavor of the vinegar to come through, but you may prefer the taste of lemon in yours, or up the honey if you like things sweet.

Dress the salad and apples then sprinkle some salt over top. Then you massage with both hands. This breaks the kale down a bit. Your huge mountain of kale will shrink dramatically so keep that in mind.

I had this with some crackers and was sufficiently full after the whole bowl.

The first Wednesday is off to an ok start, but I'm ready for more. Do you have any ideas or recipes?
Are you eating more raw meals too? Are you eating a piece of chocolate cake now and are wishing I'd shut up about massaging kale?

Stuck on an Inspiration

2012-01-17T11:41:00.001-07:00

It's happened ever since I was little.

I quick picture would pop in my head. I'd snowball it into a painting, an image, or a craft.

It was there, in my thoughts, haunting me. I'd impulsively set to get it out of my head. Painting, glueing, sketching.

A lot of times my hands just couldn't duplicate what was going on up there. Other times it would be exactly what was running around in my mind.

I've learned to not get too upset that my skills aren't exactly up to the challenge of my imagination.

Recipes work the same way for me. Flavors dancing around in clear view. I jot them down in little books and pieces of paper.

Most get made. Only some exactly as they seem in my visions. Few are even better.

This recipe is one that's been flitting through my mind, and it turned out just as hoped.

Potato mushroom tacos weren't exactly some far out there, uber creative idea. They were simply a glimpse of what I wanted a veggie taco to be.

I wanted an earthy meaty taste so naturally mushrooms were in it. The potatoes seemed logical since they are filling and rich. The sauce is simply necessary to bring it all to a certain intensity I was going for.

Potato and Mushroom Tacos

serves 4-6

For the potato and mushroom filling

1 small container of Portabella mushrooms, cleaned chopped into small pieces

1/2 pound russet potatoes, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon butter

1/2 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

salt

In a large pot boil the cut potatoes just before they are finished cooking. They need to be a little undercooked. Drain and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450º.

In a large sauté pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of butter. Heat over medium heat and add the mushroom and onion. Sauté just until the mushrooms start to release liquid. Then add the garlic, cumin powder, chili powder and salt. Toss potatoes in the mushrooms then place on a baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven until the potatoes are cooked and crispy - about 10-13 minutes.

For the sauce

1 dried pasilla chili pod

1 dried chile arbol

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 jalapeno diced

2 teaspoons cumin powder

1/2 lime juiced

salt and pepper

In a small bowl add the chili's. Pour the hot water over the top and cover the bowl. Let them sit at least 15 minutes. In a food processor add the mayo, yogurt, jalapeno, and cumin powder. Drain the chili's (you could save the water to use in salsa or sauce. Sometimes there is a little grit on the bottom of the bowl, just don't use that). Tear apart the chiles and add to the processor. If you don't like things too hot throw out the seeds from the pods. Blend everything together until it's smooth. Add in lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.

To make tacos

Corn Tortillas Fried quickly in hot oil

cilantro

lettuce shredded

green onions

Layer the filling and garnishes on the soft tortilla, add spoonful of sauce over the top.

Whew, glad that's out and it didn't disappoint. Now it's time to get to some others.

Do you have any cooking inspirations or otherwise waiting to come to life?

It's Winter, I think

2012-01-11T09:54:00.001-07:00

It's winter, I think.

It's January and the stores are still selling scarfs and hats, but the other day at the zoo there were people wearing shorts.

It was hot.

I was hot.

I want hot cocoa, and slippers, cute sweaters and boots.

I want to bundle myself up and have nothing better to do but read a book under a blanket.

I want slow simmered stews and soups to warm up to.

I think I made something just right for both winter and unseasonably warm freak winters.

It's still a stew by definition. It's still comforting, slightly rich, and even warming. But it's a little brighter with the addition of lime and lemongrass.

It's a recipe that you could easily fidget with; adding different veggies, omitting meat if that's your thing, or serve it with some extra garnishes like peanuts and scallions.

Coconut Green Curry Beef Stew

serves 6-8

1 lb beef cut for stew (sometimes I just buy a chuck roast and cut it myself)

1 medium onion, diced

1 red pepper, but into 1 inch chunks

1 jalapeno, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 teaspoon lemon grass, grated (the stuff in the tube is pretty good too)*

1 handful cilantro, chopped
1 can coconut milk

2 Tablespoons green curry paste

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 Tablespoons Braggs liquid aminos (or tamara sauce)

1 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1-2 cups broth of your liking

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

3 cups chopped spinach

Preheat the oven to 250º. In a large heavy bottom pan heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Season the stew meat with salt and pepper. Brown the meat in separate batches if you need to as to not crowd them. I like to brown it very well to add some really good flavor. Add all the meat back to the pot, turn the heat down to medium and add the onion, red pepper, jalapeno and garlic. Stir and sauté for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile in a bowl mix together the coconut milk, green curry, and peanut butter. Add the cilantro, lemongrass, and coconut mixture to the pan. Stir in the tomato paste. Add just enough broth to cover the stew. Stir and put a lid on the pot and put it in the oven.

Bake for 2/12 or 3 hours until the beef is tender. Remove from the oven and stir in the spinach and garbanzo beans.

Serve over rice (actually I found I like this better NEXT to the rice so I could get a nice spoon of meat and broth, then a sweet bite of rice).

*If you cannot find lemongrass (or have everything on hand but and still want to make it) you can just add an entire half of a lime to the pot when you add the cilantro and coconut mixture. I tried it and loved it. Don't squeeze it, but slice a lime in half and through the whole thing in there.

It's nice to pretend it's frosty outside while eating this with all the windows open wide. I guess it just wouldn't be Arizona without citrus and flip flops in January.

***Next Wednesday get ready for a new feature - Wednesday Raw.

As part of my resolutions I decided to eat more raw foods. Wednesday sounded like a good day to document it all. Any good raw recipes I need to try?***

Plotting, Puttering, and Doodling My Year

2012-01-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

I've been wandering around contemplating the legitimacy or need of me making resolutions.

Yeah, I was way over thinking the thing.

Then I read something really cool in our local paper:

"Enough already with the guilt-ridden, I'm-so-fat, I'm-so-lazy, I-must-fix-my-life NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS. We're over it. They don't help. Get a grip! THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU. You're fine. Sure, pick a goal. Do it. You're capable. But NO MORE BEATING YOURSELF UP. The phrase is not 'Have a Guilty New Year.' Take a breath. SEE THE GOOD IN YOURSELF. If you must make a resolution, start with one of those you'll find on Page E2. Because the biggest word in 'Happy New Year should be HAPPY. " Diane Porter - The Arizona Republic

The resolutions on page E2 were all really great feel good type of things:

Pay for the person behind you in a drive-thru.
Take old towels to a vet or pet shelter
Notice someone
Write a fan letter
Write a manifesto (that sounds like It would make me instantly more important).

The list is very long with very fun and gratifying things like eating donuts.

This made me feel infinitely better and I went ahead and made some resolutions after feeling so good about not making any resolutions.

I loved this thought processes of thinking about your year ahead.

It's not about what you don't get done, because shoot by today most of us have already done a pretty crappy job with keeping up any 'typical resolution'.

But if you resolve to just make your year happy, you've got a long way to go and lots of things you can do.

I decided my Life Is Still Sweet goals are going to be less about the actual blog and more about why I have this blog. FOOD and sharing everything about food.

I even doodled my list because 2 drink recipes and one salad recipe I had wanted to post were just not working out. Some photo issues, some not so spectacular on the taste issues. BUT, it's not about making sure I slap something up, it's about the process. You may never see 2/3 of what I make or what I hope to put up, but it's not really about what the internet sees (sort of). It's about MY life and food.

You may not see every detail of the fish I'm going to eat more of, but more than likely since it's what I want, you'll see some more sea food recipes.

I used to check out cook books from the library and pour over them. This year I did that less, but I miss them and I have a list a mile long of ones I'd like to look over. I'll let you know about the good ones.

I have some really amazing friends who come from different cultural back grounds and have some chops in the kitchen. I want to cook with them and learn from them and they usually don't make fun of me when I whip out the camera and take pictures of my food, so I'll post them up here too.

My one little "diet" goal is to amp up my raw food intake. I felt the best this year during the week that I consciously cleansed my little insides and ate mostly raw for about 4-5 days. I'd like to delve into this and perhaps at least once a week stick to mostly raw. I'm hoping to whip up some creative recipes to keep this little challenge feeling less like a challenge.

There it is. It's not life changing, or something I'll feel guilty about if I don't make it to the library. It's about what I'm looking forward to.

Now if you'll excuse me, I feel like doodling my manifesto.

Reflecting

2011-12-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

Christmas has come and gone. The presents are all unwrapped, the tree has lost a little luster, and I'm still eating pie for breakfast while I can.

I used to think that New Years with all it's resolutions and recaps was just not for me. It was one of those things that went on without me caring.

I didn't rehash the years highlights or low-lights, I never cared to go out and ring in the year with a bang, and I rarely made resolutions because I figured it was just buying in to the hype and in a week it would be back to the same old.

I guess I'm getting older, maybe wiser, or just a sappy sucker but I've been reflecting, and plotting and thinking maybe I can stay up late and sip a little champagne.

Maybe it's because January is the month of birthdays around here, mine included. This month is starting to remind me of all the beginnings around here - wedding anniversary, the little lives I'm in charge of, and my own birthdays that I'm blessed to have stacking up.

Last year I did compose a list, a little set of goals for the blog and yet another list of things for my little self.

At first when I looked back on it I thought "oh crappy, I didn't really follow through on some things did I? How embarrassing." Then I realized that it's good to see just what I didn't do, to see why and to see where the year has taken me instead.

I didn't get the kids involved in a complete kitchen takeover. I was sad at first, then I realized that this is ok. I tried, and the more I tried the more they resisted. I realized that I made it too structured for them and that the 'every so often' moments that they WANT to join me in the kitchen are very precious. That I need to take them up on it more often as not to loose them entirely.

This year more than ever I realized that this blog is more about the kitchen as a spring board for the rest of my self. That this blog isn't a stress of something I must do, but yet a place I like to be.

There were surprising unexpected changes in my life that may have gotten in the way of plans here, or on my personal list. But the fact that I just let them happen has made me feel completely at ease and ready for the rest of what's going to come.

I'm still working out a few things for the New Years; do I want to make a new list for the blog or not? I'm tinkering with a drinky drink to share, and maybe a tasty appetizer. I'm still not one for the big blow out bash, but if you want to get all retrospective and munch on something delicious - I'm here for you.

Here's my favorite posts and recipes from this fabulous year:

I love this smoothie and have it often.

This ice cream is exceptional!

I didn't blog about it, but I think about this brunch I had with my friends often. We made a delicious chicken and waffle brunch and discussed The Help. I enjoyed myself thoroughly. It reminds me that life is really sweet and taking moments with people you enjoy makes it even better.

And I must say that this was indeed one of the most amazing things I ate all year.

Some other super notable recipes:

Jamie Oliver's chicken in milk recipe is simply life changing. If you haven't tried it yet I highly recommend adding this to your menu this week. It will change everything for you.
Cornflake, marshmallow, chocolate chip cookies. Everyone asks for these now. I can't stop making them. From Momofuku Milk Bar, but I saw them on Cozy Kitchen. Serious cookie indeed!

Are you a New Years junky? Resolutions, reflections, bubbly?

Very Merry!

2011-12-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

Letting My Heart Be Light

2011-12-22T15:18:00.003-07:00

Christmas is just 3 short days away. The kids have been home all week, going bonkers waiting. After realizing they aren't calming down anytime soon, I decided to join them.

I had plans. Plans to make something like a fruitcake. Thankfully Gluten Free Girl beat me to it. The 'it' that was exactly what was running through my head (I love it. I've been dreaming of something like this for months). I had plans to remove popcorn ceiling in the hallway. To paint a desk and give my blog a make-over.

Plans change.

This year it really hit me that this awe and wonder of the season only lasts for so long. I want to be around all of this excitement and drink in every last minute of their overwhelming eagerness for Christmas.

We've had lots of down time to drink hot chocolate, watch Elf, smother things with frosting and candy, plotting sugary treats with friends and take some walks when we just need some space.

I'm happy that they aren't just excited to tear open every last gift. Sure, they're kids and that's part of it. But they are so ready to see grandparents, and make gifts and cards, be a part of cookie making and eating, and wrap gifts to friends and families. It's the complete Christmas package that they want all RIGHT NOW!

I've decided to make my Christmas menu so that I'm a part of it all too. I don't think we've had the same Christmas menu ever. I always change it up, but I'm always in the kitchen after the gifts have been unwrapped. I'm always finishing up something (for hours), or getting started on something simmering for hours, or baking my life away.

This year it's all about noshing and making it ahead of time. We are blessed that we just stay at home Christmas day and everyone comes to us whenever they can. I'm also making it easier on guests. No set times for brunch or dinner, just come on over and you will be fed.

So here's the menu:

Breakfast

Butter Croissants (must be made in advance, baked as soon as we wake)
Potatoes (technique from the Gluten Free Girl - parboil, then put on hot pan in oven with onions)
Yogurt with fruit compote (I add 3 cardamon seeds and only cook for 40 minutes) ** Done!

All Day Noshing

Bread made from the famous Bread in 5 Minutes a Day - one loaf with dried figs (if you haven't gotten this book yet, give it to yourself for Christmas. I have the Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day - priceless!) **Done!
Cheese Spread with veggies **Grandma's bringing so DONE
Cheese board
Caesar Salad Deviled Eggs **** eggs already boiled!
Ham (Trader Joe's Spiral Sliced)
Wine
Eggnog Spritzers

All Day Desserts

Most things are so simple that they don't need to be made, just set out and the rest will be done by 5:00 Christmas Eve.

Except I keep reading new recipes and "pinning" up a storm. I want to make them all!

What are you eating? A big meal, brunch, or nothing but eggnog and cookies?

Solo

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Do you have secret stashes of sweets you hide from the kids? Maybe you've shoved the last bit of ice cream to the hidden recesses of the freezer?

Chips in your car? Snickers in the drawer of your desk?

Do you wait until everyone leaves the house to fry up bacon, or eat that slice of pie for breakfast?

I'm not sure if you listen to anything while you work, cook or fold clothes, but I do. I have a rotation of shows and podcasts that I like playing in the background. They vary in many ways; from something to feed my spirit, mindless entertainment, and talk of food.

One of the first food podcasts I listened to was Spilled Milk. I'm sure you've heard of the hosts? Do Orangette, and Hungry Monkey ring a bell? Yeah, good stuff for sure.

Their podcasts are fun and the recipes on the site are ones that I've kept in rotation. I'm not usually one to remake too many recipes, but this thai salad dressing is a constant. Almost addicting.

One show that had me thinking a lot was their episode on Spouseless Eating. What do I eat when no one is around?

Here's the breakdown of my solo eating after about a month of observation:

I will eat dessert for breakfast all too often if there's pie and I'm alone.
I eat a lot of scraps. I make entire meals out of kids scraps. I can't decide if this is a good thing (economically speaking), or just sad.
I eat leftovers - A LOT.
I drink more soda alone.
I find sweets to be perfectly acceptable meals when the kids nap.
I also can make entire meals out of one side dish. This is the most repetitive thing I eat. Sides.

So pretty much I sustain myself on sandwich crusts, leftover side dishes and dessert.

I thought it would be the best time to share one of my favorite sides ever. It's perfect to eat with a hearty meal next to some nice meat and potatoes and a guest, or a la carte - all alone.

Favorite Green Beans

serves 6 as a side

8 slices of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

3 cups fresh green beans, cleaned and trimmed

1/4 of a small onion, chopped

2 cups ground tomatoes in juice

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon cider vinegar

salt and pepper

In a large skillet with a lid cook bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan and reserve 1 tablespoon of the fat, discarding the rest. Add the green beans and chopped onion to the pan and saute for one minute over medium heat. Stir in the tomatoes and place a lid on the pan. Let the beans simmer slowly for 10 minutes. I like my beans done fairly well with just a hint of crisp to them. Some people like crisper green beans so test after about 7 minutes for your preference. Remove the lid and add the sugar and cider. Let simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Add the bacon back in and stir. Season with salt and pepper.

I was thinking about what my husband eats when I'm not there. I was going to ask, but I already know. He eats what I feed him or he calls the pizza joint down the street. No mystery there.

Now that I've revealed how I eat when I'm alone, I need some validation that I'm not the only one. What do you find yourself eating when no one is watching? Do you eat differently when your spouse is home? Are there certain things you eat only when your kids aren't looking?

The Leftovers

2011-12-12T13:42:00.001-07:00

I haven't been to a Christmas party since I quit my glamorous job at Starbucks.

I know it's news right, that I don't really leave my house much to attend raging parties.

But last night I went out. To a Christmas party. With other people. Hosted by the ever fabulous Anty T.

She's probably been to more recent Christmas parties. Or any other party for that matter.

Here's some lessons to live by from my evening out . . . to a party, with other people.

Eat dinner before you go to a cocktail party with people you don't know well. You may be shaking hands with lots of people, right after you ate salami and bread. Those people now think I always smell like salami.
When attending a cocktail party with people who go out way more than you, the said time of party is really not the actual time. You will be infinitely early even if you show up 15 minutes later than what the Evite says.
It's ok to be early so you can help out Anty T light votives so she can put on cute shoes.
Tights from 2 years ago don't stay up too well. Rather, they don't stay up at all. By the time you knock on the door the crotch of your tights will be to your knees.
There is no pretty and discreet way to pull up old tights. You just have to grin and bear it and hope they aren't sagging around your ankles by the time you leave.

Those drunken gummy bears you may have seen floating around the interwebs pack a wallop of booze. Perhaps practice eating one by yourself instead of nearly choking in front of people who don't know you.
You were the first to arrive, so you're probably not hip enough to be the last to leave. Your coat and purse will be underneath everyones. Maybe in a dark room where you can't find a light switch. Don't worry. It's there.
Now take your saggy tights home, throw them away, and make a cocktail for you and your husband - the sitter. It's Christmas after all, and you just survived a party.

Christmas Cocktail From Thanksgiving Leftovers

2 cups leftover cranberry relish or sauce

4 cups vodka

Steep the leftover cranberry goodness in vodka for about 3-4 days. Strain through a fine mesh sieve then again with a coffee filter in the sieve. Store in the freezer until you are ready to make a drink or give this away as a gift.

For each drink:

3/4 cup sparkling cranberry juice or regular cranberry juice

2 oz of cranberry vodka

splash of cointreau or any other citrus liqueur

quarter of a lime, on the rim, squeeze before drinking

ice

Fill each glass with ice and add the juice, vodka, liqueur and finish with a lime. Enjoy the season!

Floating Away On an Eggnog Stream

2011-12-08T14:05:00.001-07:00

For years now I've been saying I was going to make home made eggnog. First, there was the fact that I was the only one in the house who would drink it. Next, was the serious aversion I'd developed to the stuff. Working at Starbucks during 9 holidays or so and steaming buckets of eggnog does something to you. Then someone will burn a pitcher at least once a season and you never want to be in the same room as the stuff again.

Fortunately time has proven to heal this wound and I spawned a being that liked eggnog. The timing is perfect.

I knew the basic principles of eggnog; eggs, milk, spices, sugar. After much research I was also aware that many distinct opinions have been made about the raw vs cooked practices. I know everyone has their own thoughts and concerns and mine lie in the middle of the road with raw eggs. So does my recipe. It's sort of a choose your own ending type of drink.

I ended up with 3 different ways to drink one delicious eggnog.

I was looking for a few things for certain in my drink:

Rich flavor, but not too thick. I wanted it to be like a "milk punch".
Probably cooked so people wouldn't be too worried to try it.
Simple on the spice and easy on the sweet -just a thing I had in my head.

After that, I was ready for some exploring.

I made one drink with a little whip cream folded in to make it completely raw egg free. Then I whipped some of the egg whites left with some sugar for more of a traditional eggnog. And last I decided to try the traditional version with a bit of a kick with some booze.

First let's get the basic nog underway.

Eggnog

serves 6-7

3 cups whole milk

one cup heavy cream

3 egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

3 whole cloves

fresh grated nutmeg

In a sauce pan add the milk, cream, 3 cloves and a good amount of grated nutmeg. Let slowly heat but do not let it simmer.

In a large bowl, or in a stand mixer, beat together the yolks and sugar until light in color. Slowly temper in the warm cream mixture into the eggs. Pour the hot milk slowly with the mixer on until it's all mixed in. Add this back to the sauce pan and heat over medium. Constantly stir the eggnog so the eggs don't curdle. I used a thermometer and heated it until it reached 170º. It's not going to get as thick as custard or ice cream base, but I didn't want it too. Cool mix completely and chill in the refrigerator. You can strain out the cloves before you chill, but I left them in and it was perfect. Just make sure you remove all 3 before serving.

Serve chilled as is OR you can fold in whipped cream, or beaten sweet egg whites and a little kick of rum or bourbon. Garnish with a little more grated nutmeg to be fancy.

Here's my thoughts on my trials: The whip cream while it gave it a nice body was a little to . . . fatty. I didn't like how it sort of made my mouth feel waxy. That sounds terrible, but because the drink is chilled the fat is chilled and I sort of found it gross.

The whipped egg whites were dreamy. I know it's raw, but I've read a lot about it and I really don't feel like raw eggs are the end of the world. I simply beat the remaining egg whites (so that's 3) with 1/3 cup sugar. I beat this until they were glossy and stiff peaks. Then I folded some in gently. It gave the nog the same thick body and nice creamy topping, but with a much lighter taste. It was divine.

I was really surprised by my next findings as I typically like rum in everything. I felt like both the rum and the bourbon took away everything I loved about the eggnog.

So I'm filled to the brim with holiday cheer, eggnog, and have reached maximum dairy capacity.

Good thing tomorrow is Friday and I have the perfect sparkly drinky drink to start the weekend!

Happy eggnog swimming to you!

Psyched

2011-12-06T08:12:00.001-07:00

This always happens. All of a sudden it's December, Christmas trees sold on the corner, I'm scrambling to buy gifts, and plotting Christmas breakfast. I'm pulling out boxes of trinkets seen once a year, and untangling lights stored en masse as one giant ball.

I go with the flow, doing the holiday thing. Then, all of sudden it hits me and I feel light and lovely and cheery. Ready to sip eggnog and hum a Christmas tune.

It takes me a while to feel it. I'm definitely not that person hanging their Christmas lights the day after Thanksgiving.

But I'm no Grinch. I have a holiday heart. Sometimes it just takes the revelation that soon there will be Christmas cookies by the dozens to jump start it.

Actually most years all it takes is hanging all the ornaments on the tree. It's my daughters absolute favorite thing to, and it was mine too when I was her age.

The anticipation of putting up the tree was almost too much to bear. She was asking for days, and for days we always had something else we needed to get done. Finally we could put her off no more and we wrestled the tree in the house, bought some much needed new lights, and began unearthing all of the mismatched ornaments collected over time.

My mom fortunately bought my brother and I ornaments every year. Thankfully for her, my first Christmas tree with my own family was not totally naked. It was adorned with all sorts of lovelies with so many memories. From the misshapen ones I made, to the fun little snowman made out of a jingle bell.

I remember pulling out many of these same treasures when I was little, and finding just the perfect place on the tree for each one.

I've tried to make a little tradition out of it for my kids. Have the tree lit and ready for gussying up as soon as they get home from school. And I try and greet them with something festive to sip on while working.

The holidays are also the best time of year for fun drinky drinks. This week I'm all about the holiday beverages. This one is perfect for kids and whatever decorating task you may have. It's a raspberry peppermint float and it is delicious.

I had a bit of a hard time finding peppermint ice cream. I know Fresh and Easy sells it, but I wasn't planning a trip there any time soon so I went ahead and just did mine Cold Stone style. I crushed the heck out of some candy canes and then smooshed them in to some vanilla ice cream. The kids did say I didn't crush the candy enough, but I liked the rather large bits of candy as a second treat at the bottom of my glass. Feel free to just buy whatever peppermint ice cream you can find.

Raspberry Peppermint Floats

makes 4

2 cups frozen raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 bottle seltzer water

4 candy canes crushed

4 large scoops vanilla ice cream

candy canes for garnish

In a medium sauce pan heat the raspberries and sugar over medium low heat. Let simmer slowly for about 5 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the berries are broken up. Add the berries to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Pour this mixture through a fine mesh sieve to get out all the seeds (if you don't mind seeds you can skip this pain in the butt step). Chill the raspberry puree.

Mash the ice cream and candy canes together and store in the freezer until you are ready to assemble the drinks.

Get out 4 smaller glasses and in each glass add 1 tablespoon of the raspberry mixture. Pour in about 3/4 cup seltzer water to each glass and gently stir in the raspberry puree. Scoop one large scoop of peppermint ice cream to each glass and garnish with candy canes.

This ratio is a perfect, not overly sweet balance of fruity, minty, creamy and slightly fizzy mineral flavor. If you like your drinks on the sweeter side I'd suggest adding a tablespoon of simple syrup to each glass when you add the raspberry. That would also make the raspberry thinner and stir better, but it's a bit too sweet for me.

I hope your holidays are getting very merry! I'll be back with more to sip on to help make things merrier.

Oh, another thing I'm a bit psyched about besides cheery beverages. Look, it's me, on Tasty Kitchen. I was so excited I sort of screamed a bit when I saw it. And doesn't Laurie from Simply Scratch do a fantastic job of making everything look pretty? I really feel very honored that people tried it and liked it. It makes taking pictures of food and typing about it seem less silly.

Revealing Shopping Carts

2011-11-28T09:56:00.001-07:00

My Thanksgiving was a little off from what I had in mind. I got a nice whopping cold a few days before. Dinner was postponed because who wants to eat food made by someone with a drippy nose.

Then the ick spread to smaller people with a bonus of a stomach attack. It wasn't the prettiest of Thanksgivings. Needless to say, I was still thankful and full

I spent my actual Thanksgiving day grocery shopping in a cold medicine haze that made me overly reflective, a bit merry, crazy with the fancy squash and happy to be so blessed.

I realized you can tell a lot about ones Thanksgiving by checking out their shopping cart.

I may have been loopy from the medicine, but I had a great time wandering around. I slowly made my way through each isle, grabbing what I needed, carefully observing the actions of everyone and the contents of their wobbly carts.

First and foremost I wanted to scold anyone who added jarred gravy to their cart. No, just no. If you're already roasting a turkey you're in it to win it, so go for the easy pan drippings into delicious gravy.

Aside from the throngs of teens and husbands on their cell phones, lurking around the evaporated milk with bewildered faces, were the quick grabs- spices, heavy cream, butter, and donuts for breakfast.

I liked watching people scurry around, shopping for their day. Some carts were filled with lots of veggies. Perhaps those seeking super fresh, even all vegan eating. Others were catching up on lot's of prepackaged; canned cranberries, box stuffing, and Cool whip (I still love Cool Whip even though everything about it says I shouldn't).

From my quick inebriated observations I've found many people are willing to go pre-made on the dessert, but mostly home made for everything else. Me? I'll settle for pre-made pie dough, but get outta here with the frozen pie.

I saw lot's of things that could have appetizer potential - crudités, dips, bruschetta makings. This is new territory to me. My family threw out some canned olives pre-dinner and called it a day. However this year my mom ventured out into open waters and made some stuffed mushrooms. They were fantastic, but I killed a lot of my appetite in 2 bites.

My favorite cart study of the day was spied just as I pulled out. They were unloading their purchase into the trunk; lots of ice, a couple cases of beer and a few larger bottles of wine. Now that's a Thanksgiving shindig in the making. Do you think they even made it to the turkey?

Along with all this snooping, I picked up a daring new ingredient to me. A kabocha squash. I am quite fond of most squash and usually grab a few of the usuals during the fall season; butternut, acorn, pumpkin and a couple of spaghetti squash to torture the kids with. This one was funky and bumpy and very unfamiliar. I grabbed it thinking that I'd heard the name somewhere and I needed to branch out.

Branch out indeed. I love this kabocha squash. Close to butternut in consistency, a little sweeter than a pumpkin and very velvety. The color is rich and deep, something everyone suffering a cold needs - antioxidants.

I stole away with my better-late-than-never-Thankgiving-makings, and decided to turn the funky squash to soup for a nourishing thankful feast. It was perfect for my sickly day. It was spicy, rich and full of flavor. I think even frilly enough to be a starter to a different Thanksgiving feast, but simple enough to come together in my murky, sniffly state.

Kabocha Squash Soup

serves 4

Kabocha squash, halved and seeded

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup vegetable or chicken stock

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

1/4 small onion, peeled

2 dried chili arbol

salt

Preheat oven to 375º. In a large oven safe pan place the squash cut side down. Add 2 inches of water to the pan and roast in oven for 40-45 minutes or until easily poked with fork. Cool, remove skin and place flesh in colander over a bowl to drain any leftover water.

While the kabocha roasts, in a medium large sauce pan add heavy cream, stock, garlic, onion, and chili. Heat over very low heat and cover with lid. Steep the large ingredients, but don't let the liquid boil. After an hour strain out the garlic, onion and chili, and add back to the pan. Add 1/2 cup of the liquid to a food processor and add 2 cups of mashed, cooked Kabocha. Let the machine get the squash VERY smooth. Add the smoothed squash to the pan with the liquid. Heat to warm. Season with salt.

I served mine with a nice dollop of cranberry in the center. The nice tart acid is good with the rich smooth soup. I think this stuff would be amazing drizzled over the top, but I have yet to find any in my stores. I've reduced a bottle of POM down to a thick syrup with delicious results. You could also sprinkle some mexican crema or roasted pumpkin seeds over the top for individuality and spunk.

So, now I'm wanting to know how your Thanksgiving went. How do you fill your cart? Lots of veg? Cool whip? Canned cranberries? Mucho booze? Nyquil?

I certainly hope it was a good one!

Contemplative Eating and "Good Living"

2011-11-14T16:53:00.001-07:00

The people of Foodbuzz just keep coming with opportunities, and I have to say I didn't need to think twice before taking this one.

FAGE is holding a contest to win a trip to Greece. Is there anything more that I need to say? Keep reading to find out how you can enter to win a trip to Greece as well.

While the completely over the top beauty of Greece is very compelling, I think I would love to submerse my being into their philosophy of "good living".

I want to go to a country where meals are slow and plates are lingered over on in to the night.

I'm the first to admit that most of meals are eaten in haste. Sometimes at my computer to get work done. Some at the counter, sneaking bites while running from one end of the house to the next, trying to get all my chores finished.

Needless to say, this is probably not the unhealthiest manner in which to eat, but it doesn't really up the quality of anything either.

I've decided lately that it's important to eat at least two lunch meals during the week with the intent to eat purposefully. Slowly and contemplatively. No computer, no folding clothes or bites in between putting dishes away.

This is the time the most of the house is away and it would be great to sit and really enjoy the simplicity and deliciousness of a lunch.

Not only did I set myself up outside to revel in the sun and cool breeze, but I made a dish that had such interesting textures and contrasting flavors.

I used my favorite greens recipe with about twice the original amount of onions. Then I scooped it over a baked sweet potato and crumbled the bacon over top. It was perhaps one of my favorite meals of the year.

If bacon isn't your thing, some crumbled feta over the top would serve as a good salty substitute.

I really enjoyed slowing myself down and getting out of my usual rut of multitasking while eating.

I don't think contemplative meals need to be fancy, or over the top. A simple sandwich can be very interesting and full of different things to ponder - the texture of your bread, the crunch of a pickle or the creaminess of mayo. I find that getting away from all the distractions makes the food taste that much better.

I was even finding myself less stressed the rest of the day since I gave myself a little break, a good swim in my own thoughts, and a healthy dose of yummy food.

Want to get away too?

Go ahead, enjoy good living and give yourself a little break. You deserve it.

"As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway"

Still Sweet Essentials: Lick the Bowl Clean

2011-11-07T14:28:00.002-07:00

The Still Sweet Essentials is coming to an end. I'm ending with my favorite essential of all.

Something that will have you licking the bowl completely clean.

Have no fear, you won't even need a special appliance.

I have to say that many an event at my house has ended with a big bowl of ice cream. Yes, even with my dairy disadvantages, I will still make an exception for a small spoon of ice cream.

My ice cream maker is one special appliance purchase that I'm not at all sorry that I bought. I think it's paid for itself a million times over.

That being said, I sort of didn't want to post an essential that couldn't be essential in everyone's kitchen. So I made some of my regular extremely delicious ice cream with my machine, then I forgot I owned one and went rogue.

I went to the guru to check if it was feasible. Lebovitz says yes. So I decided to give it a try.



I really prefer to make my ice creams with a custard base. Lebovitz says that if you are attempting ice cream with out a machine that absolutely it must be custard base.

I'm not beyond sweetening up some milk and cream and letting it whirl away in my machine. But once you taste the difference between custard and philadelphia style ice cream the choice becomes clear.

I made 2 different flavors - vanilla in the machine and coffee without the machine.

I always start with 2 cups of whole milk and 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream. It's very rich, yes. I heat up the milk on the stove ever so slowly as not to scorch the milk. In one pan I added a vanilla bean, split with the caviar scrapped in to the milk. The second pot had 2 heaping Tablepsoons of my favorite instant espresso.

In the mixer went 4 egg yolks and 3/4 cup milk. Then whisked away until the yolks get light and the sugar mixes in. Then you make a giant mess while you slowly pour in the heated milk.

It is a process that is so worth switching hot milk in to an appropriate pouring container. Once all the milk is in the sugar yolk mixture and whirred up well, it goes back in to the pan. It will be all frothy and foamy and that's always the point where you wonder if it's all going to work out in the end.

That is what is so great about custard base ice cream making, it's a lot like making pudding, but not so fussy.



After more than a few minutes of stirring over medium low heat the froth disappears and it will thicken. It doesn't get as thick as say pudding, but it gets lovely and silky and hot. Don't wait too long or let things seriously bubble. Once it's hot and amazing pour it through a mesh sieve just incase any eggs decided to really heat up.

From here things need to cool down before any freezing will occur. I usually make my custard a day ahead.

Then the vanilla went in to the machine, and after it was all frozen up I stirred in some cookies that had met their end during a road trip in the bottom of the bag.

I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of my vanilla mashed cookie ice cream. It was gone as soon as it was made.

But wait, there's coffee.

David said to place the custard base in a larger surface container and then visit the freezer often.

After 45 minutes I took a whisk to the coffee custard and broke up the ice pieces. Honestly it only took 2 trips to the freezer to whip it into something amazing.

Really I couldn't tell the difference between my hand churned no machine ice cream and the one made in my cute little ice cream maker. I'm not sure if one would have the exact same results again and again, but hey I would definitely try and try again. Just so I could lick the bowl.



Want more ice cream? That's silly, who doesn't?

Now I want to know, if you had to choose one essential of your own, what would your kitchen have to have, special appliance or not?

Still Sweet Essentials: The Pie

2011-11-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

The pie is a comfort shrouded in many commandments; flakey crust, all butter, lard, rest the dough, cornstarch in the fruit.

No one wants to stray from Granny's recipe for fear of breaking her sweet little heart.

Is this really how one should view dessert? With steadfast rules and stipulations?

Making pie crust was my moms speciality. I remember when she showed me how to make crusts. It was a lesson in tradition, with no absolutes, and complete finesse. She made it look so easy.

The first time I set out to make my own crust I laid everything out in my tiny kitchen, newly married, trying to impress. It wasn't a complete disaster, but it didn't go as smoothly as one would well hope. It wasn't exactly to the standards that I'd learned to be in a pie, but it was still a pie gosh darn it.

I can't say after how many attempts that I found I could indeed make pie close to my mom, and perhaps a couple of times as good as my moms. I'm not even sure when I decided to stray a bit from what she had taught me. There was nothing broke, nothing to fix.

Most people are very fervent about their pie crusts. I know my mom had always used shortening (and with great results), I decided that butter was my way for years. Then I began tinkering with lard, and even some other recipes all together. I liked the different. I liked how different crusts seemed better suited to different fillings. All this breaking of rules and I don't even think I broke my grandmas heart.

While I'm gushing about breaking rules and branching out, it's not like there aren't steadfast techniques that guarantee a delicious crust no matter what recipe you use.

The first one is to work your fat into the flour mix quickly, as to keep it cool and not overwork your dough.

I prefer to use a wire pastry cutter. I don't know for sure why, but it just works. You could try using a food processor (I read that's the only reason Julia Child's owned one was to make dough). I'm terrible at using the processor for some reason I totally over work it and have to start over.

The next step is to add the binder. I've never made crust with eggs, but I'm willing to try. I do however like to mix things up and use sour cream (or more often plain yogurt). I have this thing in my head that this crust goes with sour fruits perfectly. It's a bit chewier, less flakey, but perfect in it's own way.

The trick to this is small amounts and chilled always helps too.

I usually work things in using my hands either on the counter or in a very large bowl. I usually stop adding the binder just when the crumbs come together easily.

All those pieces will come together in the end. Sometimes I chill the dough, and I think it's one of those rules, but more often I just roll it out and make it a pie as soon as possible.

This crust is stretchy and really easy to work with. Just a little flour on the mat and roller and it will roll out great.

Now gluten free is another beast all together.

I use two sheets of parchment and a small amount of any gluten free flour. I'm not extremely proficient and honestly there's still some cursing and fudging after it's in the pan.

Some days your crust will look like a magazine and others it will be rustic and yet beyond delicious.

I decided to break out and go mini with this pie. The crust on the right is this gluten free crust. I've made it three times now and each time I've been amazed at what a great recipe it is, and each time I feel like I need more practice.

Fillings are easy, and perfect for experimenting. Everyone has their favorites and it's easy to add flare. I prefer to add a little salt, some cornstarch and a nice bit of butter to every fruit filling.

I think some other rules to break or not to break are most helpful.

Turn the oven on at least 425º and place a cookie sheet in to preheat. Place the pie on the sheet and bake for 5 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350º or whatever your recipe states.
Always use a foil or pie crust shield. It will keep the crust from over browning and will ensure that adoring pie presentation.
Let it rest after baking. It's hard to resist cutting a giant slice straight from the oven, but a cooled pie is closer to perfect. Especially when fruit is involved, the juices will thicken (it's science or something).

I'll leave you with my 2 favorite recipes to break all the rules with.

Ole' Faithful
Makes 2 crusts - one pie with a top, or two bottom only pies
This is my moms recipe, and it's my 'go to'. You can try to fiddle around with different kinds of fats. I've listed my favorite combo.

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup lard
3/4 cups butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ice water (sometimes less)

Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter and lard until small pea size pieces form. Add the water small amounts at a time until the mixture forms a ball. Cut in half and chill for 2 hours. Roll out each crust on a floured surface. Use as directed for your pie recipe.

Favorite for Tart Fruits
Makes 2 crusts - one pie with a top, or two bottom only pies

1 cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 heaping teaspoons sour cream or plain yogurt

In a bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Cut in the butter breaking it up in to pea size pieces. Slowly add in the sour cream mixing it until completely combined. Cut in half and chill. Roll out and use as per your recipe.

Still Sweet Essentials:Drinks For Everyone

2011-10-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

I didn't get to this as soon as I thought I would. Does this perhaps mean that I'm not as organized as I thought? I do believe it does.

Halloween isn't as easy a holiday as it used to be, and that's all I'll say about my tardiness.

I may not be the most timely, but I certainly have things covered in the beverage department. Coffee? Check. Hootch? Yes please.

Don't fret. I am not completely insensitive to the needs of everyone. I do have drinks that can be served to all ages without ill effects of up all night caffeine, or substances only legal to those wandering the planet for some 21 odd years.

If there's anything I've learned by roaming the earth for at least 21 years, it's that assumptions shouldn't be made, and the Boy Scouts Motto is a good one.

Always be prepared! Don't assume that everyone likes a good stiff drink with dinner, or that no one you know has ever been through a 12 step program.

(I'm only partially joking and don't mean to offend. I've grown up dealing with this subject, and as serious as it is, sometimes you have to laugh to see how far you've come).

I'm not above buying a really good soda or brewing some good iced tea, but I do like to make the drink fit with the food.

I think I'm going to go ahead and say that I will add almost anything to sparkling water. The kids will drink a container full of way tart cranberry juice so long as it's fizzy.

To celebrate all that is fall I decided to make a cider style spritzer. I find that most spiced ciders are just way too spiced for me. It kills the crisp apple flavor, and that seems beyond the point. I made a slightly spiced simple syrup using pear nectar, and a few of my favorite spices. It gives the apple juice a little more interest, and a little bit more body with the pear nectar and bit of brown sugar.

Fizzy Spiced Pear Cider
makes 4 drinks but the ratio is easy to adapt

2 1/4 cups pear nectar (I really like this one)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 cardamon pods
2 whole cloves
4-6 whole peppercorns
4 cups apple juice
2 cups sparkling water
ice
apple or pear slices for garnish

In a small sauce pan over medium heat add the pear nectar, sugar, cardamon, cloves and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and turn down heat to low. Let sit over heat for about 1 hour, then remove from heat for another hour. Strain the liquid to remove the spices then chill. When you are ready to serve add ice to each glass. For each drink add one cup of apple juice, 1/2 cup of spiced pear syrup and top with 1/2 cup of sparkling water. Garnish with slices of fruit if you want to be frilly.

Sometimes I'll set out drinks like these and a bottle of something that guests could easily "spike" it with if they want. This particular drink is pretty lovely with a splash of gin, but more often than not guests leave things as is.

Some terrific things to serve with this cider:

How about a little brunch with these muffins.
A salad with these tenders neatly resting a top.
Or if you are in need of a super quick dinner for tonight before the candy raid, here ya go.

Some other non alcohol related drinks to serve:

I've found I like ginger ale with just about everything.
An Orange Julius is fun any time.
Another style of cider that I find just delicious.

So drink up, there's lots of options.

I'll be back later this week with more essentials - non-carbonated, nonalcoholic, but always good!

Still Sweet Essentials: Drinky Drinks - boozy stuff

2011-10-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Gone are the days of boxes of Franzia. As are little white houses, tree houses and disco parties. It had to end some time. I had to become a grown up and hence entertain like one.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with boxed wine, in fact I do believe most days I could easily sip on a tall glass of Franzia straight from the fridge. I think I just found that there was a huge world of drinks waiting for a party.

Still Sweet Essentials is about the my style of cooking and entertaining. Drinks are usually a must for entertaining, and while it would be nice to just mix up whatever drinks a guest wants from a full bar, that's not really what it's about.

I really like to pair drinks with the food being served, and I like to keep some money in my wallet after I have people over. The key to this is to find one drink of your fancy and mix it in advance, (enough for each guest to have 2).

Since I am a bit cheap, I tend to avoid mixed drinks with a long ingredient list of booze. I'm more of a juice with a bit of liquor gal.

Anty T, being the great traveler, told me about a delicious drink she had in Prague. It was a simple mix of vodka and apple juice. However, store bought juice just wasn't brining her back to the first time she drank it. The key was freshly juiced apples. The kind that's cloudy and crisp, not too sweet.

In fact, Anty T is coming tonight to do some work. I think I'll juice some apples, splash in some vodka, serve a nice little cheese tray and it won't feel like work at all. Not that one minute of our time together has ever felt like work. I suppose that's what happens in magic houses with fridges stocked with boxed zinfandel and front porches where big plans are made.

Apple Juice - Prague Style
makes 2 drinks

4 apples, washed then put through a juicer (about 3 cups of juice is what you need)
4 oz vodka
1/2 lemon

After you juice the apple divide between 2 glasses. Add ice, and 2 oz of vodka to each glass. Add a small squeeze of lemon to each glass and stir.

Here's some other drink ideas that are sure to please and won't break the bank:

Cheers to fall and easy to mix drinks!

Still Sweet Essentials: Drinky Drinks - Coffee

2011-10-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

Life Is Still Sweet is still whipping out some essentials. I have to say that I'm a huge fan of having fun drinks to entertain with. I've even decided that some drinks can have their own parties and be the complete center of attention.

This week it's all about drinky drinks. Will cover the spectrum; coffee (it's fair to say the ultimate obsession), non-alcoholic-but-still-special-sips, and something with a kick - a proper drank.

What fantastic timing when Foodbuzz offered to send me some Godiva Coffee to test out and whip up into recipes. I must say I'm a bit hesitant about flavored coffees (yes, snobby would be more appropriate).

I was sent a bag each of Pumpkin Spice, and Caramel Pecan Bark. I've made more than a few pots of each and it's really hard to say which is my favorite.

At first I found the flavoring to be very prominent (I think just because I wasn't used to it), but later I found it nice to have a little extra spice to my coffee. I think these two flavors pair beautifully with fall dishes. The pumpkin pie is going to be heaven with a slice of Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, and I really like the Caramel Pecan Bark with maple (hello pancakes).

I really wanted to make the best use of these flavors without losing them to other ingredients. Being that it's Arizona and still short weather I found myself going in the iced direction.

With both flavors and recipes I started off with making a stronger than usual pot of coffee, then making it into cubes. Godiva recommends 1.5 Tablespoons to every 6 oz of water. This was a little strong for me for regular sipping, but it made great iced coffee and coffee ice cubes. I froze 12 cubes of each flavor.

The Caramel Pecan Bark had me thinking about shakes and pies. I decided to blend it all into one delicious frozen treat.

Godiva Caramel Pecan Bark Frozen Coffee

6 ice cubes of Godiva Carmel Pecan Bark coffee
1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1 1/2 cup praline ice cream (I used Almond Dream ice cream)
1 Tablespoon Kahlua (optional)

Place all ingredients into a blender (starting with the liquid for easier blending). Whir it up until it's smooth. Serve and enjoy.

This was nice and rich, cold and nutty. I think I could serve this instead of pecan pie any day.

The next drink is simply one of my favorites - Pumpkin Spice Thai style iced coffee.

I made some cubes of the Pumpkin Spice brewing as per Godiva's recommendations. Then I made another pot reducing the coffee back to about 1 Tablespoon per 6 oz of water, but then I added the peel of half an orange to the coffee and then brewed. This makes for some amazing iced coffee. The citrus is perfect with the spice.

After it's done brewing simply refrigerate until cool. Then pour the chilled coffee over the coffee cubes and drizzle with sweetened condensed milk.

The presentation is pretty amazing, and it's a great brunch drink. You could make up some gluten free ricotta pumpkin fritters to serve with this and call it a party.

These two are seasonal flavors for a limited time only. If you go to the Godiva site you can get a coupon for $2 off your coffee and see other recipes using their flavored coffee.

***I was given free Godiva product, however all opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid by Godiva or Foodbuzz to share these opinions or recipes.****

Still Sweet Essentials: One Hit Wonder

2011-10-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

When I started brainstorming ideas for my Life Is Still Sweet Essentials (see here if you're lost), I started jotting down a lot of dishes that I made when I first started cooking. Most of these were so easy that I thought to scratch them off the list entirely.

That's when it hit me. My essential kitchen is one with a good stash of pleasing, quick, earthy recipes. Dishes that can be made over and over with little thought but big flavor. Something much like a one hit wonder.

I'm certain you are familiar with a one hit wonder right? Those songs that get stuck in your head after hearing them once. They are played quite often, you may complain, but you know your grooving while driving. Then as soon as the song swept in, it's gone and you're wondering just what is the artist doing now.

There's recipes out there that are certainly very near and dear to a one hit wonder, but perhaps shouldn't be so played out or discounted as quickly as acid wash jeans.

These are the dishes that you'd make if you lived in a 60's sitcom and your husband called to say he's bringing the boss to dinner.

This one is my favorite. I was completely obsessed with fettucini Alfredo when I was younger. I'd order it everywhere, and honestly there's only one place that I can remember how insanely delicious it was. It was in Vail Colorado and I think I may have actually licked the plate. It was complex yet seemed very minimal, perfect in richness and depth. I gave up finding a replica at any other restaurant.

When I got older I tried many an Alfredo recipe wondering just what I was missing. I tried all sorts of combinations and ingredients. Then I was listening to the Splendid Table and my ears heard the glorious advice of the simplicity that is the essence of perfect Alfredo.

It is nothing more than 4 ingredients, all coming together to reach a most perfect dish. Good pasta, good cream, good butter and yes - the best parmesan you can pay for.

Yes, you can turn out a tune like Alfredo any night in minutes and your guests will sing - I promise.

Fettucini Alfredo
This makes 2 very generiou portions

1/2 lb Fettucini, cooked to package just al dente
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons + Parmesan (the best your wallet will let you buy that day)
pepper is optional but I like it

While the pasta is cooking, in a sauce pan over low heat add the cream and the butter. Once it is heated gently stir in the 3 Tablespoons of grated parmesan. Once the pasta is drained, add it to a bowl or serving plate. Pour the sauce over top and toss the pasta until it is coated. Serve with more grated Parmesan over top.

This recipe will always comfort me, it's easy and quick, and can feed little or many with minor adjustments. A nice salad, a good wine and it's complete.

More ideas for recipes to ensure ease, but sure to get your guests grooving:

Gazpacho - Anty T makes a fantastic Gaspacho and it's the best for a party. It's funky, very chic, and even a tomato hater like me will love it. (I'll get her recipe soon, but for now try this)
Mac and Cheese - who doesn't love it, and it's actually really easy to make.
Soup - This one in particular has that great mix of ease and flair.

I have to say that this is my favorite essential one hit wonder recipe, and this is my favorite one hit wonder to hear on the radio. What's yours?

Still Sweet Essential: More With A Biscuit

2011-10-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Since the basics of a biscuit have been clearly defined, it's now time to take it to another level.

The humble biscuit is capable of taking on a lot of different flavors. Since they are so easy to whip together, why not use them to entertain your holiday crowd?

These amazing little bites are pumpkin thyme biscuits with cranberry chicken salad nestled in the middle. These would be perfect to pass around the day after Thanksgiving (adeptly using up leftovers). Or how about a bridal shower, baby shower or even a football game?

Not only are these not any more difficult to make than the original biscuit, but if you were to just buy your chicken salad not a soul would notice.

Thyme and Pumpkin Biscuit Bites with Cranberry Chicken Salad

Pumpkin Thyme Biscuits

2 cups flour
1/4 cup butter, cold cut in to smaller pieces
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup cold milk

Preheat oven to 400º. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and thyme. With a pastry cutter or forks cut in the butter until it is crumbly in pea size pieces. In a small bowl mix together the pumpkin and milk. Add milk slowly to the flour until it forms a nice dough. Using a small amount of flour to keep from sticking, press out into a disk 1/2 inch thick. Use a small round cutter to cut out biscuits. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the bottoms are slightly browned. Let cool then cut in half and add the chicken salad.

Cranberry Chicken Salad

2 cups cut up chicken breast (or turkey)
1 rib of celery chopped fine
2 Tablespoon finely copped onion
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon hot madras curry powder
cracked black pepper

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and gently mix together. Sometimes I find that I need to add a little more mayo, but I always start out smaller because I don't like it too goopy.

There's so many other flavor combinations for these - cheddar and chive, or southwest with green chiles and pepper jack.

I think a very fine and fancy sandwich to serve guests is a nice biscuit slathered with honey mustard and a slice of ham. Of course a biscuit breakfast sandwich would never be turned down either.

Are you searching to please with a gluten free biscuit? Here you go. Dare I say that these took me forever to nail down, but they are very good and would work with this chicken salad as well.

Some more flavor ideas for the basic biscuit:

Cracked black pepper with blackberry jam for a delightful brunch
Sage (these would make killer sandwiches)
Dried apricots (for a nice side to a roast chicken)
Cardamon sweet biscuits for a blueberry and strawberry shortcake

The door clearly open as wide as your imagination will take you in the world of biscuits. To be honest, once I managed to make the best biscuits scones were just the next logical move. Scones are nothing more than a biscuit made with cream and perhaps cut a bit different. Throw in some fun stuff, a little coating of cream and sugar across the top and you're ready for tea.

How do you like your biscuits?

Life Is Still Sweet Essentials: The Biscuit

2011-10-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

It started a few months ago as I was lingering around fashiony places that I honestly have no real business lingering around. I mean, I'm not really the most fashionable of persons. I know many fashionable people and I wouldn't necessarily consider myself on their team (or that they would really want me on their team is more likely). But, I know good fashion when I see it, and I'm not all that schleppy either.

Let's just say I like to dream of being effortlessly chic, and I like admiring those who are already there.

So, with some 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon in blogland, I saw this post (a delicious breakfast concoction I might add), then ended up on her blog and seeing this Q & A. Then wound up on her blog and then noticed this little feature she was doing at the time called 28 Days of Classy and Fabulous Things.

Clearly I had some time on my hands, or my laundry perhaps was left piled ever so high. I started thinking a lot about personal styles and how blogs can morph and become the pure form of what one's style actually is.

Then it led to some soul searching on the essence of what my kitchen style was. And thus a few weeks of "Life Is Still Sweet Essentials" was born.

Quite Continental's list is full of classics that underline her own style; red lips, pearls, calling cards, and my favorite - fresh flowers. It got me to thinking about just how influenced I was by kitchen basics.

These 'little black dresses' of the kitchen are my starting point for entertaining and just delicious ideas.

For the next few weeks I'm going to highlight these essentials. These are what makes Life is Still Sweet what it is if you were to boil it down on the stove for a few minutes into a concentrated syrup.

The first Still Sweet essential is biscuits. I have always loved a good biscuit. They are almost in a food category of their own. They can be used in so many different ways; from a side, to a carrier, to a sweet and a savory.

Good biscuits are really easy to make with minimal ingredients and just a little experience. It was after the first couple of times that I really felt what the dough should feel like and my biscuits became fluffy and light as air.

The Perfect Biscuit

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into smaller pieces
2 Tablespoon sugar (if you are making them for sweets like short cakes)
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup milk (sometimes less, not very often more)

Turn the oven on 400º to preheat.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar (if using), salt and baking powder.

I prefer to make my biscuits in a bowl rather than the food processor just because I tend to over do things in the processor. If you are more adept at using a processor, by all means.

Using a fork or pastry cutter, work the butter in to the flour mixture until there are small crumbly pieces about the size of a pea.

Next I like to dump the whole mess on a work surface. I like to feel how much liquid the dough is taking on. When I start adding liquid to the bowl I always add too much.

I make a small well in the center then start pouring the milk in small amounts. After each small amount I pour I bring the outside to the center and push down lightly. Once it all starts sticking really well I lightly fold over and sort of knead until it all comes together in one ball.

I'm not a fan of rolling pins for making my biscuits because I tend to over work the dough when I use them. I use my hands and flatten the dough into a disk about 3/4 - 1 inch thick. Then I get my handy biscuit cutter (sometimes I just use a glass) and start cutting out my biscuits. This recipe makes 6 big and fluffy biscuits with a 3 inch cutter.

Look at those beautiful edges with flecks of butter that will soon become fluffy air pockets. Now about 12 minutes in a 400º oven and they will puff and get slightly golden.

More often than not a biscuit needs little else than butter to be absolutely perfect.

But that's the beauty of a biscuit. It can be a shortcake one day, and then hearty and comforting with sausage gravy coating it the next.

This week I'll continue with the essential biscuit and some more ideas on easy ways to entertain and fancy things up.

For now I think I'll drool a little bit more and the trendy well dressed and ignore the dishes a little longer.

Sweet and Cheap

2011-10-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

Now that I've outlined my frugal kitchen tactics, who wants dessert?

"Is there anything sweet?" is a favorite family phrase around here. Most weeks I schedule at least one dessert recipe to try, or remake one of our favorites. But for the most part, sweets are contrived out of necessity to remedy that craving for a little sugar.

Most often there is something in the reserves to work with. It's all about how far you're willing to step outside of the box.

This little dessert is perhaps one of my favorites. I believe I saw this first from Giada, but a quick internet search isn't bringing much up.

It's simply ricotta cheese and sugar whipped in a food processor. Then balsamic vinegar reduced slightly in pan (a little sprinkle of sugar if you have a very sweet tooth), some sliced strawberries and a hint of cracked black pepper.

I love stretching things out beyond one meal. This ricotta was just leftover from making this tart, and the balsamic is a pantry staple. The berries are a summertime staple as well, and the greenery is what's available from my garden.

I think with desserts it's easy to get caught up in the spectacular, and recipes that have a long list of ingredients. I love those desserts, perhaps more for the tinkering and act of making them, but simple can really have a huge impact.

The key to minimal ingredients is huge flavor - balsamic and pepper in this dish, pineapple and mint, rich vanilla and good dark chocolate. All of these, and many more, can make quick and inexpensive desserts with very little ingredients.

Granitas are another cheap and very large impact dessert. Here's a few of my favorite:

Apple and tarragon
Blueberry and ginger
Coffee granita

Anything with minimal ingredients is obviously cheaper. I like browsing through the recipes from this show. I rarely catch it when it's on, but it has great ideas for putting together a simple meal with lots of flavor.

I'm also really upset that this show isn't on anymore. He had the greatest ideas for inexpensive delicious foods. I'm glad that at least his recipes are still up. But honestly I think he did a much better job then that Sandra with her cheap, and not so tasty, looking recipes.

What about you? What's your inexpensive sweet tooth fix? Or, better yet - what sweet would you pay any price for?

I'm Cheap and Full

2011-10-03T11:22:00.001-07:00

I've made references in the past about my frugal nature. This week I thought I would lay it all out there just how cheap I am, and how I still manage to eat beyond what my wallet indicates I should eat.

I've learned a lot through my budgeting ways. I'm not saying it was easy, or that I have it all mastered.

I've managed to carve out a plan of attack that works for our family and my snooty eating habits.

I'd like to say I'd be happy with frozen vegetables and hamburger helper, but I just can't do it.
I'm champagne taste on a beer budget and I've found I'm pretty inflexible about what I'll put in my mouth.

Discussion of finances is probably not so champagne, and may be uncouth, but I'm going in to that territory - laying it all out there.

I found some information about what the government says about family budgets. It's sort of sobering, a little sad, and makes me feel like I've actually won in the battle against the fiscal shortfalls.

According to the USDA to feed a family of 4 (this is just food at home mind you) on their "thrifty" level for a family with kids from ages 6-11 would cost $598.90 per month. At the "low cost" level - $779.40 per month, and at the "moderate" level $947.20 per month. (for a super detailed break down check out this publication)

I was a little shocked that they are just talking food on this plan. I have a $620 per month grocery budget. This budget is not solely for food, but also includes toiletries, any extras like snacks for school or sports, school supplies, and anything beyond needs like candles, hair doo dads, what have you.

So let's break this down:

The government says that a "thrifty" FOOD only budget for my size family would cost $718.68 (they said to add 20% for additional family members).
My budget for our family $620 per month including more than food.
Conclusion: I pay less than the "low cost" level, AND my family is larger, AND I buy more than food.

I have to say that certainly feels good to see, and we do not just eat hot dogs and Ramen (I mean we eat hot dogs sometimes because they are delish).

So what are some tricks to eating fancy with little pain to the budget?

Peasants eat good!
I find myself making a lot of foods that other cultures have been making for years under the heading of 'peasant food'. Things that you can stretch like soup, beans, casseroles, cheap cuts of meat stewed long and slow, making stock out of leftover cuts. These foods are comforting and not all lowly. The soup above is made from stock from the carcass of a rotisserie chicken, a can of beans (on sale 98 cents), chard, and cheese. It probably ends up costing 99 cents per serving.

Leftover remix!
I used to leave leftovers in the fridge until someone would notice them. Now I pull them all forward so if they want something behind them they must see them. If they aren't eaten first I try and work them in to something else. Recently I've used this soup as a sauce over chicken, leftover pasta into pasta pies (add a little egg and milk sort of like a frittata), or even adding a different side dish makes it new again.

Coupons aren't so bad!
I have a friend that is really good at couponing. Not crazy like those shows, but she knows how to work it out just right and we end up trading coupons to make life easy. I use a couple of sites to match up deals for the stores before I make my weekly menus. Weekly menus are a must too. If I end up going off reservation too much then I over spend.

My other favorite tip is to break things down to be used in a few different meals. Stretch things out as far as they'll go.

This sandwich has some ultra chic, seemingly out of budget ingredients: prosciutto, fig jam, goats milk gouda. However all of these ingredients were used in at least 2 other meals. The prosciutto came in a relatively inexpensive pack of meats that I used for the kids lunches, and another wine and cheese meal. The cheese is just good and made it's way in many of my snacks and a nice little layer on top of a frittata for dinner. Plus I got it on sale at Fresh and Easy (and one of their nifty coupons that I always use). Homemade foods are the best money savers and this fig jam saved me about $6 at the store.

I know that there are lot's of other tips, and many blogs out there dedicated to helping you out with your budget. I'm thankful for all of them and have much more to learn.

Thanks for eating well with me and making my food habits feel less like a restriction and more like a wonderful creative outlet.

Next up ........ dessert that won't empty your reserves.

Want more budget friendly recipes? Here ya go:

Chicken and Bean Soup
Grapefruit with Thyme
Lazy Tacos
Tomato Soup
Sweet Potato Bread Pudding
Lemon Yogurt Panna Cotta
Spicy Peanut Butter Popcorn
Fried Chickpeas

Cleaning My Guts

2011-09-29T10:41:00.002-07:00

It all started when we first watched this movie - Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. We realized that we hadn't been juicing like we used to. We hadn't even really been paying very close attention to our diets.

Not that we were fast fooding it up, but we weren't being as conscious as we would like. Then my husbands co-workers started a group juicing thing (which he wasn't really a part of).

Then I stumbled upon Shutter Beans post about her juicing cleanse. It was ever so timely and I decided that I needed to stop all this cleanse stuff from haunting me.

Here's where I found dairy to be so mean, and how I almost made it all the way through....
I really liked the theory and practical nature of The 3 day cleanse.

It's not super preachy, and realizes that this is actual a large test of will. I found it more practical for us to just juice ourselves since we already have a juicer.

The 3-Day Cleanse really advocates eating well and limiting calories 3 days before you juice, and bring your self out of the juice by eating equally healthy and simple foods 3 days out of juicing. We were very strict on ourselves for the 3 days prior.

This is the part that I liked A LOT. The recipes are about 95% raw, and all the recipes we tried were amazing. The roasted red pepper soup is on my menu again this week. The cold soba noodle salad is making a come back as well. The dressings are easy and full of flavor so it made eating a high raw diet for 3 days a cinch.

The juicing day was ok (oh, I highly recommend Shutterbean's version of pineapple, apple mint juice. In fact I can drink this everyday for the rest of my life). We did the "excavation" plan of the diet because this wasn't our first rodeo.

Here's where we didn't follow as planned. We noticed that for the 2 of us to juice we were flying through the produce. We are on a pretty limited and very strict budget, and we didn't calculate exactly how much this juicing thing would cost. We still needed to feed the kids as well. We thought it would be better to juice for one day and save some fruit and veg for slowly coming out of the fast then to be broke and have to eat Ramen.

I don't regret cutting it short at all. I felt great. We spent about 4.5 days eating very clean and mostly raw foods, and one day of letting our insides rest. We may not excavated everything in there, but that sounded gross anyways.

Another delicious finding along this gut cleaning was my favorite and easy to make milk alternative.

The book has a recipe for cashew milk that you drink during the juicing portion of the cleanse. I really enjoyed this part and made some changes to the recipe that makes it a bit more appealing for every day use. I'm loving how rich this milk is. It's not at all gritty and I can even drink it straight with cookies (something I've yet brought myself to do with rice milk or soy milk)

Cashew Nut Milk
keeps for 5 days in the fridge

2 cups raw cashews
4 cups water for soaking
6 cups filtered water
2 1/2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 Tablespoon honey or agave syrup
pinch of salt

In a large bowl soak the cashews in water for 4-8 hours (if you need it to be longer just change the water and leave them in the fridge). In a blender add the soaked and rinsed cashews, 6 cups water, coconut oil, honey, and salt. Blend on high speed for about 2 minutes.

Pour through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheese cloth, painters bag (they even sell nut milk making bags, but I just used a flour sack towel and it worked great). Make sure to squeeze all of the liquid out of the nut pulp.

Now all the extra nut pulp seemed a bit alarming to me. I think I'm just cheap, but it felt wrong to throw it out. Fortunately there's people out there who have already thought of things to do with this stuff. I tried this recipe for hummus and it was amazing. It tasted just like the usual hummus.

I dried it out and added to some granola. Next week I'll try adding it to some baked goods.

All in all it was a good experience and I plan on keeping at least one day a month open to mostly raw mostly juice. We'll see how that goes with the holidays, but for now I feel spic and span and ............ ready for pie.

***I was not payed or given any product for this review. I simply wanted to share my thoughts and happenings from following this plan. *****

Substitutes

2011-09-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

I just spent the last 5 days giving myself over to a veggietastic cleanse. I'll discuss more detail about it later, but it's left me once again facing the painfully obvious truth that dairy is not my friend.

This brought me back to all the ways in which dairy is substituted. I remember substitutes when I was in school, and it was horrifying. I lived in a small town and there was a very small well in which the school system had to dip in to for a substitute. That meant you got the same ones a lot. The worst of all of them was Mrs. Hatticheck.

She was like a cartoon or a fictional character. Her short squatty body resembled that of a Weeble toy, or more precisely the little old lady in the church in the movie 16 Candles. She wore polyester suite dresses (mainly the one in powder blue), her gray hair set just perfectly so, and her nude stocking always bunched near her ankles over her orthopedic looking shoes.

This next fact you are probably thinking I'm making up for drama, but I am not! She had like a mole on her upper lip and it sort of made like a slight hair lip, adding to her staunch and super mean ways. She never smiled and seemed as if she hated kids. It was a dreadful day when you walked in and your teacher had been replace by Mrs. Hatticheck.

But what was really disconcerting to me was when I would see Mrs. Hatticheck after school hours. Something that I was privy to more often than I would have liked. My mom was a teacher in the same school and after school let out I simply walked over to her classroom and waited for her day to end. This meant sometime running various inschool errands for her like getting her mail out of her box, making copies, giving this teacher this or that, and the list goes on.

On occasion I'd see Mrs. Hatticheck in the halls and while I would do almost anything to avoid eye contact, sometimes it would happen - she'd look up and grin and say hi in the sweetest old lady voice there was. It would really fluster me and I just wasn't sure how to respond.

Looking back she was probably just exerting some ancient schoolmarm technique for the classroom, to maintain and set authority (or something like that). In daily life she was just a tiny round old lady who had a family and maybe a cat or two, and perhaps liked to bake cakes not little kids (which was the leading theory among my class).

I decided to look at these dairy substitutes, and any other food substitutes, the same way I learned to see Mrs. Hatticheck. If compared to their originals; be it heavy cream, cream cheese, or your regular teacher, they of course will come across as different and even much inferior. However, when not set up as a comparison to the original but yet simply enjoyed as an entity on their own, they are delightful.

I realize that I am writing this just after a post about finding an exact substitute for pie crust with no exceptions. It's very contradictory I know. However even with such a perfect crust there is still going to be the slightest taste that is off from it's contemporary. I'm simply explaining that I'm going to try to embrace this "off" nature of my substitutes and not play the compare and contrast game until I'm blue in the face.

Being that dairy is out, but fall is creeping in I decided to make a dairy free version of pumpkin mousse. I used this recipe from Ellie Krieger (recipe here also without the video) that my mom and I love.

The tofu in this mousse really makes the pumpkin mousse more fruity and highlights the flavor of pumpkin. I also broke down and decided to try a cashew "whip cream" that I've been reading so much about. Even without a fancy blender (or leaving it long enough) the cream I made was delicious.

Pumpkin Mousse
makes 4 servings

1/2 package silken tofu (about 7 oz), drained
1/2 of a 15oz can pumpkin
zest of one orange
1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons molasses
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Place all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and turn on. Blend until everything is very smooth and creamy. Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Cashew Cream

1/2 cup raw cashews
1 cup water
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of Stevia or 1 teaspoon agave or honey

In a bowl soak the cashews in the water for 2-8 hours. Rinse the cashews and add them to a food processor (or blender). Add the coconut milk, vanilla and sweetener of choice. (if you have a Vitamix you can just add half a vanilla bean and let it rip). Blend everything until it is completely smooth. This may take time and you will have to stop your machine and scrape down the sides every now and then.

This dessert is perfect for almost fall days. It's spicy and creamy, but quick and easy.

I must say, it was a perfect substitute because I never once missed the real dairy. I was completely at ease eating every last bite.

Worth Fighting For

2011-09-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

Life can throw lots of things your way, and some times it's aim is a bit off.

This can leave you completely outside of yourself, diving to keep everything all together.

This week was a doozy of a balancing act, getting out of my comfort zone, and general human junk. When life gets like this, I have my faith to reach into and guide me. I'm not saying that is what everyone needs, this post isn't really about that (however I'm just saying I'd be a complete mess if it wasn't for Him).

But when life sends you trials and you do have dip into whatever well that gives you hope, and strength, and peace; you know you're in a fight for something worth it. It may be a job, a love, friendship, kids, education, or your own peace.

And I say that a beautiful and irresistible gluten free pie crust is worth fighting for. I've been trying and tinkering, and for the longest time settling. It just seemed like an impossible task.

Let me say there are some recipes out there that are good, decent, and very edible. But I am a crust person. I wanted to be able to serve a gluten free version of pie that could rival any with regular flour.

Whilst waiting for an oven I had dreams of roasting tomatoes. Not that I find myself craving a tomato, I just had this thought of a cheesy, sweet, and sharp parmesan bite of a tomato tart. I was led to some rather amazing recipes, and filed them for separate components and details. Ultimately a rustic tart is only as good as it's base, and I wanted it to be gluten free.

I decided to look elsewhere, to step outside of my comfort zone and dig into territory that may lead me exactly where I need to be.

I found gluten free pate brisee at the always beautiful and much revered Canelle et Vanille. If ever there was a virtual world of beauty, it would be found at Canelle and Vanille.

I was so wishing that I had just jumped in to the world of baking with a scale when I saw her recipe. Alas I'm still tittering on edge wondering why I'm not already in there swimming around. I made this recipe figuring it was largely about proportion, and fortunately had the forethought to write down my amounts.

For me, this gluten free crust is indeed heaven sent. I'm not sure what wonders were at work when I finally found it. I almost passed it by because even with years of high school french, when I saw the term pate brisee I thought 'too snooty, those silly french'. Those silly french indeed, because whatever you call it, it is flakey, buttery, rich, and could hold it's own with a regular flour competitor any day.

I plan on making a few apple pies with this recipe for fall. A little sugar and I learned that a pate brisee then becomes a pate sucre and would make an excellent crust for any pie, tart or whatever you could imagine stuffing in to it.

I stuffed this one with ricotta, provolone, and roasted cherry tomatoes. It was a perfect, not so alone, date night dinner.

Gluten Free Pate Brisee
Original recipe on Canelle et Vanille (I'm merely rewriting my standard cup measurements)

3/4 cup quinoa flour
2/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup cold water

Add all dry ingredients into the food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse into small pieces. Add the water and pulse until it comes together - it does not need to form a ball.

Form into a ball, then a disk and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Ricotta Roasted Tomato Tart
1 cup small grape tomatoes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper

1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup provolone
1/2 cup fresh parmesan + 2 Tablespoons
1 clove garlic minced
salt and pepper

1 egg, beaten with a small amount of water

Preheat oven to 400º. In an oven proof pan toss together the tomatoes, garlic, oil, oregano and salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes look a little sad and wrinkled. (you can do this step a day ahead).

In a food processor mix together the ricotta, provolone, 1/2 cup parmesan, garlic and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 450º. Roll out chilled pate brisee to about 1/4 inch thick circle. Add the ricotta mixture to the center leaving about 3 inches around the edge. Place the roasted tomatoes in the center on top of the ricotta.

Gently fold up the sides of the crust over the center. Brush the crust with beaten egg and then sprinkle the 2 Tablespoons of parmesan over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven 450º (I used a pizza stone and left the parchment paper underneath. You could use an upside down cookie sheet) for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 400º and bake for another 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

This was a exactly what I was looking for when I was dreaming about a tomato tart.

Life is rarely what I expect it to be, and that's fine. I've learned when to relax and let things happen, and when to dig my heals in and put up a fight. I'm glad these weeks don't come along very often, but I'm even more thankful that when they are over He's made me stronger and ready for the next battle.

A is for Avocado

2011-09-17T02:01:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hass Avocado Board featuring Hass Avocados for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I remember always loving avocados. It was one of the veggies (or fruits really) that I never had to be coaxed in to liking. They possessed properties all together opposite than anything else green; they're silky, smooth, and their flavor rivals lettuce any day.

Recently the good folks of Hass Avocados asked me to share some exciting avocado events with you. I couldn't have jumped at this chance sooner!

I consider a meal of nothing but chips and guacamole to be quite proper and around this house you better make a large bowl of guacamole. If ever you were bored with your guacamole recipe, check out all of these avocado recipes

Avocados, and all of their potential, make the football season even that much more exciting. Hass avocados has a treat for you. They are hosting a "Kick Off With Hass Avocados Recipe Contest".

You can enter your recipe for a chance at the grand prize-

For 4 people: round trip airfare, hotel accommodations, participation in a Rose Bowl Game® Welcome Reception, admission to the “behind-the-scene” Rose Bowl Parade® decorating site, sightseeing tour of Pasadena, admission to the Rose Bowl Game® on January 2. 2012 + more!

Make sure you enter Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest

As if that grand prize isn't enough they are also hosting a Hass Avocado Giveaway sweepstakes. Every week during the course of the campaign, a box of Fresh Hass Avocados will be given away to 1 lucky winner. You have 14 chances to win and oh the possibilities with a box of avocados!

Would you like to see my recipe submission? I was so excited and almost overwhelmed with possibilities. There's the sandwich my mom always made for my lunch, perhaps a salad, but this one was inspired by a little Cuban night with me and The Poet. Mojo sauce is the base for a lot of Cuban cooking and it's used as a marinade or a sauce on many dishes. I took these flavors, paired them with a creamy avocado and this dip was made.

Mojo Avocado Dip

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cumin powder

juice of one orange

juice of one lime

4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

2 avocados

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

In a small sauce pot add the olive oil. Heat over medium then add the garlic, oregano and cumin. Heat the garlic but do not let it get too brown. As soon as it is fragrent and slightly cooked add the juices from the lime and orange. Let simmer on low for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for at least one hour. Once the mojo is cooled, in a foor processor add the cheese, mojo sauce, avocados (peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks), and the cilantro. Pulse until everything is combined and add the salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe is rich, creamy and tangy from the mojo. It's perfect served with tortilla chips or fried plantains. You can bet The Poet and I will show you how to make fried plantains very soon.

If you were ever in need of some inspiration Hass has you covered. You can sign up and receive great game day ideas and tailgating tips and recipes

I know that many of you have some amazing avocado recipes to enter, I can't wait to see them.

You can find more information on Hass avocados and the sweepstakes on their Facebook page.

What's your favorite way to enjoy an avocado?

Back To School Kit and Sac Lunches

2011-09-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

PB&J in a tortilla (the kids favorite).

There was a nice breeze this morning, and when I was shopping today there were pumpkins everywhere. It's safe to say that fall has arrived.

I recently received a super cool back to school kit from the amazing people at Daily Buzz Mom's. I highly recommend adding them to your reader. Each day is a different topic, highlighting different peoples post on that topic. There's been some great posts and ideas.

I knew that Clorox and Britta were going to be in the package and almost forgot about the Glad tupperware that was in it too.

The water bottle was the much anticipated item of the box. The whole house was wondering just how good this thing would work.

I live in a city with terrible tasting drinking water. I don't know if you understand just how terrible I'm talking. We have little water stores and free standing water machines all over that make very good money because the municipal water tastes so bad. It's safe, but awful.

How did Britta fair with their filtered water bottle? I have to say it tries, but really our water is the pits. I did notice a slight change, and it made it palatable, but I'm still not filing up straight from the sink. Will I still use it? YES! We added our normal purchased reverse osmosis water and it makes it taste even better. We even have stores that we think taste better than others, so when we stop at ones we don't like as much this will be handy.

Another huge plus to this bottle is the kids drink way more water. They think it's fun and have been fighting over who takes it to school that day. I will buy another one so they each have their own. The mouth is wide enough for ice to fit, and I feel better knowing that if they run out of water and fill it with tap water it will be filtered again.

The Glad to go lunch containers are awesome. They come with a small little "dressing" container that snaps up under the lid. I haven't sent salad in it, but I did send soup with garnishes that I didn't want microwaved. I love these!

Now on to the clorox wipes. I intended to just send these off to school with them. The classrooms use them and I don't need to explain why (just think 25 kids and just how many of them actually wash hands after the restroom). However, at home I'm pretty hard core on the natural, from my kitchen cleaners. One of the kids has asthma and I just find them so much easier and less harsh.

I do however use bleach to clean up after I've been cooking chicken. I fill a sink with hot water, a small amount of bleach, then clean. It takes up time. These are awesome for that alone! I made something with chicken and of course a bit of jus de raw chicken ended up on the counter. I whipped out a wipe, cleaned it up and it was over in seconds. I think these are to stay.

Thank you Daily Buzz Mom's!

Since my kids went back to school so dang early I've been rounding up lunch ideas. It's about this time that I start to feel the burn out of packing a lunch and my goal this year is to keep up with it and keep it interesting.

The first one is simply your favorite home made mac and cheese recipe baked in a muffin tin. This was care of Grandma during my great oven void. These hold up rather well (her recipe doesn't even include egg). I simply heated them in the morning and added the to his thermos.

The next idea is just to change up the delivery system. In fact that's most of my ideas. I love these round breads from Oroweat and it makes the monotony of sandwich sort of disappear. The sides help too. Pickles are a change from the usual salty chip or cracker.

The top one reminds me of a wine tasting with cheese and crackers and good salami. My kids are big noshers so I thought it would be nice to have a lunch that felt like how we eat at home.

The next lunch is a simple wrap, but I find that just by changing something standard, like the mayo, it seems less boring. I often add things to flavor the mayo, or use dressing or dips. This one is a delicious dill and feta spread, but you can certainly make a larger amount and use it as a dip or dressing. This recipe is done more by ratio so it would be easy to double.

Dill and Feta Spread
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 Tablespoons fresh dill OR 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Spread on sandwiches, wraps, or use a dip for chips and veggies.

Thank you Daily Buzz Mom's for making the start of school so exciting.

I have some more lunch ideas to keep rolling out to you throughout the year.

Do you have any favorite lunches?

I was given the back to school kit products for free. I was not paid for my reviews and my opinions are honest and my own.

Tada - A Winner

2011-09-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

Ta Da! There it is. An oven. So simple, so white, and for the time being so clean. It's been wonderful. Someday soon after a little DIY craziness it will blend and be beautiful in our kitchen.

The moment everyone has been waiting for - the winner.

Emma is the winner by Random Number Generator. She suggested I make a tomato tart - this tomato tart to be specific. Congratulations Emma, I'll be emailing you with your winnings.

There were some very tempting and good ideas for what to make first - muffins (how I've missed making muffins) or a fall cake, brownies, and shepherd's pie. All of those sounds good (anyone have an exceptionally good shepherd's pie recipe)?

Want to know what I did end up making first? Shortbread cookies that have been in my freezer waiting. Not exactly what I had in mind, but I was very impatient and really wanted to bake something. It was merely a test to make sure the thing worked.

Now that I know it actually bakes, I've been whipping up things all day. First up, just in time for fall, and to use up odds in ends in my fridge - Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

The air was just cool enough this morning to do some planting and make me feel it may actually be fall. Oh, and I think I just heard thunder. YES! Fall is coming.

This recipe uses up some leftover pumpkin, which to me is just a give in this time of year. I also had a loaf of bread a bit past it's prime. I was so ready to bake something warm and spicy and comforting.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding
3-4 cups stale bread cut into large chunks
3 eggs
1/2 can pumpkin (7 oz or about 1 cup)
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons butter

In a large bowl mix together the eggs, pumpkin, half and half, milk, sugar, spice, vanilla and salt. Add the bread and press down so it is completely covered. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

Butter an 8 inch baking dish (or one that will hold the pudding and rest in another larger pan for a water bath). Pour the pudding mixture into the buttered dish. Sprinkle the top with pecans and brown sugar, and dot the top with butter.

Place the bread pudding pan into a larger pan and place in the oven. Pour hot water in the larger pan to surround the pudding. Bake covered for 35 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes. If the brown sugar is not melted turn the broiler on and broil until melted and bubbling.

I had to turn the broiler on to melt the top and I nearly burnt the entire thing. I guess it's safe to say I'm a little out of practice.

I'm now really excited for fall and all the holiday cooking on the horizon. I know not a leaf has dropped to the ground here, let alone the temperature. But I'm armed and ready with a new kitchen gadget.

As soon as I typed that last paragraph a cloud covered the sun and a couple sprinkles made their way to the ground. The house smells like roasted tomatoes (oh yes, I am making a tart Emma - but I had to make a couple changes, recipe to come).

I hope everyone is feeling as full as I am and is off to another amazing fall. Thank you for your recommendations! I'm going to try them all.

Anticipation (with a giveaway)

2011-09-06T12:36:00.001-07:00

I have been without an oven that bakes for almost the entire summer. I'm sure it was a blessing to our electric bill and I wouldn't have used it a ton anyways, but it has been missed.

I even have dough in my freezer that I made all the while forgetting that I didn't have an oven. Yeah, I made dough and went to preheat it, then realized I don't have a working oven. It happened more often then I care to admit.

I'm thinking that baking is more like a reflex to me.

The wait is over. It's T- minus 2 days and counting until my new oven is delivered. The anticipation is palpable.

It's just in time for my favorite cooking and eating season.Is it just me or does fall feel more like the new year? To me fall holds so much hope for what could be. All the slick new papers, pencils and pens. The relief of a cool breeze renewing your sanity.

I have plans for my new oven, big ones. I have had muffins on my mind for days and even dreamed of serving baked eggs and roasted tomatoes.

I have ideas stewing for different features here on this little blog, and most have been on hold for lack of an oven. There is so much waiting for me to do.

All this plotting and planning and waiting can make a girl hungry. I still need dessert. My ice cream maker and me have become quite close this summer.

I decided to make a light and refreshing ice cream that mimicked the flavors of something you may normally bake. I needed quick and simple and I found it. Key Lime Pie Ice Cream! It's not technically anything in it's name, but it tastes like a dreamy, rich and refreshing pie.

It's holding me over for 2 more days until the possibility of pie is real.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

2 cups limeade (like real juice, I used this)
zest and juice of 2 whole limes
1 cup sweetened condensed milk

Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into an ice cream maker and turn it on for about 20 minutes or according to the directions of your own machine. Freeze for another 3 hours and serve.

I thought about making a white chocolate ganache for this, but this is so refreshing and creamy on it's own that I left it as is.

So now I need your help. I need to know what I've been missing baking wise.

I want your suggestions on what the first thing I should bake with my new oven. There's a treat in all this for you.

Just leave me a comment on what you think I should bake first I will choose a winner (random number generator will) and the winner will receive a $15 gift certificate to the Layer Cake Shop to help glam up their own baking.

Contest ends Friday at 12:00 noon AZ time - Good Luck and happy baking.

Things I'm Sure Of

2011-09-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but there a couple of things I am most sure of - 115º in September is just wrong, butter makes everything better, and spray paint is so fun.

It's a long weekend coming up and I wanted to wish everyone a safe and fun one.

There are some other things I'm sure of for my weekend - come hell or high water I will get a new oven! I'm using Labor Day as an excuse to eat hot dogs because I don't know what it's really for. And I plan on getting caught up on movies and some old shows.

That reminds me of a few things I'm not sure of - Is it me or does Mad Men leave you with a lot of weird thoughts? I keep thinking lots of Grandpas were racists, womanizing, drunks, and I can't shake feeling one could get emphysema from just watching the show. Also, 24 - why is so much happening all at once and why are families keeping so many secrets? I think I have to stop watching both because it's unnerving.

Have a fun and happy weekend! What are all your plans?

Nothing Profound

2011-08-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here writing this post as an inanimate object in the middle of a dodge ball war. Three kids are screaming and running around and I just realized how oddly normal this is to me.

My days are spent finding routine and making sure everyone gets exactly what they need. There is nothing really profound to emptying and loading the same dishwasher over and over.

I have strung together words that I never thought I would; "Get off the table, you're naked!", "Don't lick things unless they are made to be licked." "Please stop touching your brothers food, do you want him to touch all of your food?". This has become normal to me.

I'm sure it's normal for a lot of parents, I realize I'm not treading new waters. I'm just saying there are days when I forget what it's like to live outside my house. I forget that when I leave my house the world is much bigger, and a lot more complicated.

This over simplification is sort of how I view this recipe. It's a basic comfort food - shrimp and grits. I've taken it and added what is just normal and everyday for around here. It's nothing radical, but it's my normal and makes me feel content.

I'm not even going to pretend I know a lot about grits. I live in a state where it's pretty hard to find regular non-instant grits. I have to say I just buy the instant, make them to the package directions and call it a day. I would love to really dive in and make some perfect and true southern grits. For your true south needs, I found a recipe from the Pioneer Woman that looks amazing. Or if you have a grandma to school me in how to make them just right, I'd gladly invite her for tea. So feel free to do your grits as you wish (I highly suggest pepper jack cheese for this recipe).

Southwest Shrimp and Grits

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 ears of corn, kernels removed and the cob scraped with a spoon
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon butter
salt
1 lb shrimp, cleaned and peeled

2 green onions diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half

1 lime, half for the juice the other half sliced into quarters for garnish

In a large pan heat oil and butter over medium high heat. Add the jalapeno and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the corn kernels and cumin powder and continue to cook for 3 minutes stirring often. Add a pinch of salt and remove the corn mixture and set aside.

Add the shrimp in the pan and sear each side for 30 seconds until lightly browned and near cooked. Turn off the heat and add the corn mixture back in. Stir together gently and squeeze the juice of half a lime over the top.

Spoon cheese grits on to a plate and a spoon full of shrimp mixture over top. Garnish with green onions, tomatoes and lim wedges.

In 2 seconds I'm going to push my mom authority and tell them to calm down and maybe I'll throw in a "No running in the house!" to make it cliche. None of this is surprising and tomorrow we'll do it all over again.

It may not be astonishing or worthy of a post, but it's my life humming and happy. It's what makes me feel so full.

Because I can

2011-08-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

I was planning on sharing a delicious quick dinner recipe with you today. I had it all planned out. Then I woke up, mowed the lawn, cleaned up the yard, spray painted everything in my path, and then sprayed myself with the hose because of the heat. All that work made me tired. It's so hot here and I'm done with it.

I can't make Halloween come soon enough (that's the day I give Arizona to finally cool down. Yes, it takes that long). So because I can, because it's my blog, I'm not posting that dinner until later.

Because much of the country had to sweat out such a scary weekend, and yes you can call it a hurricane. I think if there are trees hurling towards your home you can call it whatever the heck you want. If your house is danger of flooding, by all means call it a hurricane. All I did was complain about the heat, not worry about when the power lines would be fixed so who am I to tell you what to call your disasters.

Because most everyone I know in the line of Irene is safe and sound and not too damaged, I'm going to post about a cocktail that I didn't even make up.

Because this drink is divine and comes with a wonderfully written post about the simple over looked grape.

Because I can, I wish to tell you about how beautiful this blog is and how comforting and smooth that grape cocktail is.

Because you know you want to, I think you should sip on this while thinking about all you can do because you are here.

Because it's the end of summer and it will be gone and pumpkins and hot chocolate and cranberries are just around the corner, this drink is for you today.

Here's to everyone making it through Irene, and to me almost making it through the summer.

Tomorrow I will deliver a dinner - because I said would.

Notables: Eat Like a Kid

2011-08-25T05:55:00.000-07:00

These have been called many things; Muddy Buddies, Puppy Chow, Puppy Food. Whatever you call it these are so much fun to make. This is on my list of things I highly recommend you make before this summer is over.This recipe can be made almost entirely by kids (depending on age and height of microwave).

It's nearly perfect as far as food goes; gluten free, sweet, no oven required, fun to make, and a little addictive. It's also been a perfect little treat for the kids lunches - anything to make those lunches better.

Notables: The Perfect Shake

2011-08-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it is of the utmost importance to find the perfect shake, but it doesn't hurt anything one bit either. This The Kitchn post grabbed my attention. It's one thing to make a strawberry shake, but it's entirely different situation when you make a killer strawberry shake. When things are frozen they tend to lose some umf. In flavor and in sweetness. Getting that umf back without the use of a bunch of unholy unnatural ingredients is a triumph.

Photo from The Kitchn

If there is one thing to make you slow down and give a proper good bye to summer, this is it. I highly suggest you procure the last of the good strawberries for the year, some simple vanilla ice cream (the milk powder does a lot in this, it's worth it!), and a friend and make some killer strawberry milkshakes.

Notables: Getting Back A Mojo

2011-08-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Lately I've feel like my kitchen has been less a bustle of creativity and more like a whirl wind of come and go. I love tinkering and trying and whipping up things to share. Not that I haven't made some wonderful things, they just aren't my penned recipes and I usually don't post a lot about the cooking of others that I do.

This week, while I get back my mojo, set out a plan of attack for a new range, and gather some prep for other post ideas, I'm going to share the best and loveliest of other peoples food fare. The most notable recipes from everyone else this summer that I've made.

First up - home made fig newtons. There's nothing out there like a fig newton, and they're even better home made. I sort of mashed up 2 different recipes due to what I had on hand. I used the filling recipe from I Made That!. This filling is divine. The vanilla is a great perfume to the figs. I wanted to make these gluten free and so I decided to go to try Gluten Free Girl and The Chefs recipe for the dough. The dough is a little sweet (probably because her filling has port), but we managed to eat every last one just fine. These had a slight grit that seems imperative to newtons. These recipes came together magically and I'll be making another batch next fig season.

Is there anything out there that you think is a must try before the summer is over?

Conundrum

2011-08-18T17:50:00.002-07:00

Recently there was a series of unfortunate events that lead me to be without an oven. The repair guy had some terrible news; the cost to fix it is as much or more than a new one. None of this was what I wanted to hear. I don't want to buy a new range, I just want to cook.This malfunction still leaves me with the stove top, but what's a food blogger to do without an oven?

What does one do when their oven breaks and they bought a whole chicken with high hopes of roasting and eating a lovely chicken? You fire up the grill, get out a cleaver and go to town.

I didn't want to break apart the whole bird, I wanted something still very close to a roasted chicken. In that case, butterflying or spatchcocking a chicken is the perfect solution. It's not hard to do, and I highly recommend this for your Thanksgiving turkey too. It cooks very quickly, therefor is nice and juicy.

The bird -

a knife and a little muscle. Now you just remove the spine from the bird. I always feel a little Dexter like when I break apart a chicken. This is really something to just do and not think about it too much.

Squished bird-

The last step was to season the chicken. Now, I really love brining chickens for the grill, but I was sort of in a hurry so I just seasoned it with olive oil, salt, pepper and some herbs de provence. I heated up the grill for a few minutes then placed the bird skin side down over the hottest part of the grill.

For added measure and a greater surface area near the heat I placed my heavy cast iron skillet on top.

After a few minutes of browning the skin side, I flipped it over and browned the other side. Then, I moved the chicken to a cooler side of the grill and put the lid down. About 20 minutes later I got out the thermometer to check if it was up to temp. Thank goodness it was ready. I let it rest for a few minutes, then I was ready for my super solution solver meal.

I have high hopes of winning a range (I'm being hopelessly optimistic for a change), but until then me and my grill are getting along great.

My Favorite Snack Lately

2011-08-11T07:05:00.001-07:00

What's yours?

Winners

2011-08-08T14:18:00.001-07:00

And the winner is:

Number 9 -

I would love to go to Seattle. Ever since Reality Bites and Singles I've dreamed of being hip and living in Seattle. Oh well, I guess I can be not so hip and live and eat here in AZ. I will email you today Jamie and get you these spices post haste!

Since I do live in Arizona, and we don't do normal here, the kids started school TODAY. That's early right? Isn't only the beginning of August?
They both set out for the bus and the oldest even made sure she held his hand to cross the street. He's been told to make sure she's ok, and he's taking this job very seriously. Even though he did ask how long he has to sit with her, I know he's very much concerned.

Since it's such a big day, her starting Kindergarten, his new found role as "big brother, protector and keeper", I decided to make a special after school snack. The after school eating frenzy is something I never look forward to. It's a bottomless pit until dinner, with anything and everything being sucked in.Today I made them what is pretty much a glorified cheese crisp, with chunky guacamole. I roll them up and cut them on the bias to be fancy. But the real treat is the ginger peach italian soda. I love making 'soda' type drinks and knowing exactly what goes in to them.

I made a ginger simple syrup - 1 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 inch piece of ginger sliced into thin coins. Heated it until boiling, took it off the heat and let it steep in the fridge for an hour. Then I pureed 2 large peaches, one mango and some of the ginger slices in the simple syrup. Now, at this point I would usually just dump in the simple syrup, add the soda and call it good. However, sometimes refinement is a good thing. I pressed the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to get out all the skin and larger pulp.

Then I add all the simple syrup to the peach and mango mixture and stir it well. Then I add about 1/2 cup to each glass and then add 1 cup seltzer water and ice. It's so light and just perfectly sweet with a hint of ginger bite to it.

If you want, a little half and half over the top never hurts an Italian soda, but I love these left simple.I can't wait for them to get off the bus and tell me all about their day.

Getting Out There

2011-08-06T11:38:00.000-07:00

One night, when we were in college, Anty T and I were feeling restless. Not exactly sure what to do, tired of the same old, we decided to just drive. Drive to someplace with out a destination or purpose in mind. We flipped a coin to decide our direction, south it was. We filled up the tank, hopped on the freeway, turned up the radio and we were off. There was an absolute freedom and potential for anything. We ended up in Tucson, with no idea what to do. We stopped at the Hotel Congress to find not much going on. A cup of hot cocoa was determined to be a good enough end goal, got back in the car and drove home.

Maybe that story could have had more excitement, but it wasn't really necessary. I still remember how that night felt, just leaving with what was in my pockets.

Sometimes when I feel doubtful about starting something new I think about that night. That uncertainty and how good it felt. How complete I felt after getting home. How I took the chance and even if was just for a delicious and simple hot cocoa, it was worth it. I got to spend a couple of hours with one of my favorite people and have that memory forever.

I recently decided to venture out and put myself out there on the unknown road. I've mentioned a little bit about life outside of my world of food, and this is where all the change has lead to. I've made some internet homes for my other adventures and I'm just riding along waiting to see which direction they take me.

Peachy Photography has been something I just wasn't sure about starting, but I've been blessed with some clarity lately and I'm ready to give it a go. I really want to be able to give people some amazing portraits with a more affordable price tag. I want this to be fun and I want people to have fun. As long as that is happening I'll stay on that road.

It's Lucy Not Vera is where I will share all things furniture. I'll post things for sale, and things that I've refinished just for me. The story of the name is a long one that I'll post over there one of these days.

I'm blessed to have the opportunities given to me, and I want to be able to share them with everyone.

I also wanted to share one last recipe for the spice mix that you can win here. It's actually not so much of a recipe as it is a suggestion. The Park Hill Maple and Pepper spice mix is amazing. I have no doubts that you wouldn't find a million and one things to do with it, but one that should not be missed is it's ability to create the most amazing grilled sweet potatoes ever.

I simply coated the sliced sweet potatoes in olive oil, and little of the Park Hill spice and grilled them. As soon as they were finished I pulled them off the grill, added a little butter and sprinkled more of the mix over top. The kids proclaimed them the best sweet potatoes ever. Last night I grilled a pork loin with this same mix and it was great. I noticed another recipe on their site that is going on the list to try too. Don't forget to hurry over and enter to win yourself this custom spice set. Winner will be announced Monday afternoon.

Happy trails wherever they lead you! Have a great weekend.

Packin' It Up - Don't Forget the Kitchen

2011-08-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

There is nothing that I love more than eating out at some place new and amazing. That being said, it's sort of hard to do on a budget and with 3 kids. Traveling is my favorite excuse to eat out, but I'm extremely strategic about it. I want to make the most of my food adventure so only about 20% of my travel meals are at a restaurant. The rest is very tactical packing.

My mom and I used to take summer road trips with my Grandparents, and I'm so fortunate to learn some tricks from Great Depression survivors. Those old folks knew how to make it work. They had this very cool (super vintage, my mom still has this and I love it) little suitcase, that was like a little kitchen. It had an electric water kettle, some mugs, crackers, a little knife, napkins, plates, silverware and of course for the Limey - tea. This one little suit case, a trip to the nearest market for fresh stuff, a cooler, and a little ingenuity, made eating and traveling more then practical. Breakfasts were usually simple; cereal, or oatmeal (using the water kettle), or if my grandparents found exceptional pastries we would splurge on that. Lunch was where we would usually find some place worthy of our one meal a day allowance. Sure, this meant different things to my grandparents as it did to my me and my mom, but the theory was the same. For dinner; tea in the room with cheese and crackers, cookies, or maybe leftovers. I'm so glad I gleaned more from these trips than sitting in the back of a Caddie on windy roads makes me violently ill.

This was my kitchen in a suitcase (my suitcase isn't as cool). This was everything I needed to make some pretty above average motel room meals.

Here was some non-cooler items we packed to make our stay delicious and cheap:

Sandwich fixins - peanut butter and jelly, mayo and mustard for the turkey sandwich.
Oatmeal (this instant oatmeal was really good)
Hot sauce (for some the cheese crisp)
Grandmas home made cookies
Annie's Organic snacks
Chips
Paper towels
Via Iced Coffee because it's good

The cooler was packed with other necessities: milk, yogurt, fruit, cheese, juice boxes, grilled veggies, soup and these homemade power bars.

I've tweaked and added to this recipe with items that I usually have on hand. I've added chia seeds and a couple dates to bind things together. These are vanilla cherry and apricot pistachio. The kids are scared of them, but they are very good for a nice little pick me up.

I really feel like getting all this organized and packed made for a really easy vacation. I made us quesadillas with grilled veggies, soup, nachos, and sandwiches. Everything was quick, fresh and kept them full.

That left us open to the bounty of the legendary Vegas buffet. Now, I like to research, plot, and choose before hand for great places to eat. Yeah, I'm that person. This place just jumped out at me as we were wandering around wasting time before check in. It was sort of joke - "hey asian buffet in Vegas", but it was the kids favorite part of the entire trip. Buffet @ Asia and the pool are probably going to be the only thing they remember about Las Vegas.

Octopus, prawns, sushi, yakitori and noodles were the highlight of the buffet. The kids ate all they could eat and more. It was actually so much fun to watch them delight and want to try EVERYTHING on the buffet.

We also spied a little cupcake shop that I thought would be fun to pop in and try.

Now, this is not a review of Gigi's cupcakes at all. These were so much fun and were worth it just for a picture, but what's the big fat deal with cupcakes? They were cupcakes. The flavors were sort of fancy - orange cream, strawberry shortcake and the usual red velvet. But, it's a cupcake with loads of frosting, why is America so obsessed? (Cupcakes are my symbol for all of Las Vegas).

Other good ideas for road trip eating:

Pulled bbq pork or chicken (sandwiches or as nacho topping)
Pasta salads (non mayo based), very versatile
Fried handpies (one handed eating at its best)
Pre-made empanadas
Twice baked potatoes to heat up in the motel microwave

Don't forget to enter to win your own souvenir . I'll post another recipe for the spices this weekend. Happy road trips, don't forget the food.

Traveling Favorites

2011-08-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

This was a little run down casino off the strip that I was able to take a quick pic of on our trip to Vegas. I'm not exactly a Vegas person. Their logo is ridiculous to me and opulence doesn't intrigue me, but our dear cousins were there for a basketball tournament and we saw it as opportunity.

We saw it as a great change of scenery, a time to squish in a car together and soak up every second before school hits. I don't know if we will ever be that adventuresome cross country family, but for now the little trips are golden.

I do have some traveling tips for you later in the week, but today I wanted to share some other of my favorite traveling things.

Emma from Of Agates and Madeleines. Her site has amazing pictures of places I dream of traveling to. Beautiful landscapes and the food she comes across has me super jealous. I do believe I've read tales of chocolate, pies, southern fried chicken, chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Oh, and mullets, this one rocked.
If by plane is your preference, this post is up your alley.
Thermoses were my favorite thing growing up and traveling is one of the best reasons to use one.

Jerky recipe that I'm dying to try when I have an oven again.
I've always wanted a dreamy picnic basket to take somewhere overlooking an ocean. (I cannot find the link to where to get this picture so you'll have to just dream too).

Don't forget about the souvenir you could win. I have another idea for one of the spices. Chili powder is very versatile and I'm sure you will have no problem finding things to add it to, but I have a favorite one for you.

This is the kids favorite way to eat corn; boiled, smear of mayo, sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a dusting of chili powder. It is delicious.

Souvenirs: Savory Spice Shop Giveaway

2011-08-01T10:40:00.001-07:00

Summer is near the end and it's time to squeeze in any last minute trips you have planned. We got the chance to take a little vacation last week to vegas. It was nice to change sceneries, concentrate on the family and try new things.

One of the best things about vacations is the souvenirs. I loved when my parents would get back from a trip and open their suit case to unload treasures from whatever foreign place they visited.

A couple weeks ago Grandma took a trip to Colorado. We used to live there and she visits a good friend of hers who lives in the same little town we left. She brings me news of all my old teachers (she was a teacher and knew them well), how the town has changed, and goes on and on about how green it is. It makes me jealous, but only until she comes home and gives me my treat. Last year she found the best little spice shop. The Savory Spice Shop in Littleton CO. I have never been myself, but she tells me it's the best smelling shop in all of Colorado. From what she brings me, I have to agree. She has nothing but good things to say about this place from the owners readiness to help and give you a recipe, to the packaging.

This year I had Grandma pick up a little gift for you.

I gave her a little instruction (some of my favorites she picked for me) but let her choose some other goodies for you too. This is the wonderful package she brought home that I am going to give away to one of you.

This beautiful package contains 4 spices; 3 blends and one fantastic chili powder. There's Chimichurri Steak Dressing and Marinade, Medium Chili powder, Taco Seasoning, and Park Hill Maple and Spice Pepper. Not only are there some great bottled spices, but The Savory Spice Shop packaged it beautifully with extras - a star anise, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, nut meg and a little chile.

This week will be all about travel and food. Later in the week I'll also share with you some more of my recipes for using the spices in the package and some recipes from The Savory Spice Shop themselves. So pack your bags and get out your fork.

The first recipe I'll share is for the Chimichi Steak Dressing and Marinade. The bottle has a wonderful recipe on the side for the dressing and marinade and it is wonderful on steaks. The beginning of the year I was on this home made potato chip kick. I don't know where it came from or why I needed to make so many versions, but this spice made the best chip. The dried tomato adds such a great tang and the rest of the spices pair so great with potatoes.

The chip is dipped in a little home made ranch, but it's really not necessary. This chip is FULL of flavor.

Chimichurri Oven Chips

2 baking potatoes washed and sliced SUPER thin (preferably on a mandoline)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Savory Spice Shops Chimichurri Steak and Dressing Marinade

While slicing the potatoes add the finished slices to a bowl of cold water. Heat an oven to 450º prepare the upper rack. Drain the chips and dry them off. Toss with olive oil and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with half of the spice mixture. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the chips over and place back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes, watching to make sure they do not burn. I like to then turn on the broiler for 2 minutes just to crisp them up, but be sure to keep an eye them. Remove them from the oven and immediately add the remaining spice mix. Serve and enjoy.

Here's how to enter to win this little package: In the comments here, tell me what place you want to travel to just to eat.

Me - New York. I would love to try Momofuku and all the amazing street carts.

Contest ends Monday August 8 at 8:00 am. Contest open to those in US and Canada only (sorry any international folks). I will chose the winner by random number generator on Monday and announce the winner by noon. Good luck, and happy travels.

The End

2011-07-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you don't need a story, you just need to eat.

Ok, I'll tell you a quick story.

Once upon a time I had a friend with a fig tree. The fig tree was laden with ripe and juicy figs. She invited me to come and pick figs from the giant tree. I took the kids to 'the ranch' and let them run wild while I filled my bag to the brim with figs. I came home and unloaded the bounty, giddy with plans of jam and preserves. I noticed my stomach growling, yearning for some figs. I gathered some ingredients, turned on the grill and poured the wine. The perfect bruschetta was made. We ate, and were filled with delight. The fig tree made us the happiest family in all the land.

The End.

The ingredients are simple, and I love the idea of setting out most of the ingredients for people to create their own unique bruschettas. Grilling the pancetta around the figs was the absolute clincher. It adds such a nice smokey flavor to the fig. You could of course use bacon, but if you can, the pancetta adds such a great peppery flavor that shouldn't be missed.

Cut about 5 fresh figs in half length wise. Un-roll strips of pancetta and cut in half. Wrap the pancetta around the fig so the two ends meet on the flat inside. Heat grill to medium high and grill figs until the pancetta is cooked through, about 5 minutes each side. Slice some nice french bread and drizzle with olive oil. Toast on the grill.

Spread your desired amount of brie over the toast and drizzle honey on top of the brie.

Place a pancetta wrapped fig on top, and squish it just a bit.

Life is good, these are good. The End.

Weekend Slow Down

2011-07-17T20:45:00.001-07:00

There is nothing like weekend breakfasts. Slow, lingering, and perfect.

Breakfast may be one of my favorite things - EVER. If ever you aren't sure what to feed me, the answer is always breakfast. While a quick scramble of an egg and toast is great, weekend breakfast is unbeatable. Syrup dripping off of something hot off the griddle, bacon or sausage for a little salty rich treat, and a nice hot cup of coffee.

My kids are well aware of my affection for morning food and use it to their advantage. They know pancakes are a must once a week, and if they want waffles the request must be place the night before. Mark Bittman has the best recipe for yeast waffles known to man. I've even made a very delicious gluten free version based off his original.

This weekend I was reveling in the slowness of the day and wanted to make something a little different to top our waffles. I had a pint of blueberries waiting for attention and all I could think about was how beautiful a blueberry syrup would be over the top of waffles. The end result was not only beautiful, but delicious. Cardamon, and a little hint of lemon bring the volume up just enough. This syrup isn't over the top sweet either. Just the perfect complement to hot and buttery pancakes or waffles. I'm thinking vanilla ice cream could use a little of this too.

Blueberry Syrup

1 pint blueberries, rinsed
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cardamon
2 teaspoon lemon juice

Add blueberries, corn syrup, powdered sugar, butter, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and cardamon to a medium sauce pan. Heat over medium high heat until they start to boil. Turn to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If too much liquid evaporates add water one tablespoon at a time. After about 15 minutes the syrup will thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the other 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Cool slightly. Serve over pancakes or waffles. Store covered in the fridge for one week.

Maybe it's not true for everyone, but for me, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. It's one of the essential pieces to my weekend.

What do you eat that's reserved for the weekends?

Forget The Heat

2011-07-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream With Salted Caramel Sauce

It's the middle of July and the heat is for sure taking over. If you would like a little something to get your mind off the heat, and to remind you of fall, jump on over to the Cookin' Cowgirl. She is hosting a link up to all things pumpkin. Check it out!

Phase

2011-07-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

The other day in my mail box was an offer for a magazine. I had never heard of this magazine before and I opened the envelope to find out what I might me missing. I started to read the letter from the editor and saw the line "sometimes I still feel like I'm 25." The room sort of froze and I realized it was a magazine targeted for women 40 years and older. I don't know when this happened.

I must still think of myself as 25, or at least not almost 40 because that offer hit me like a bag of bricks. It's not like I think I'm old, or that I feel old. I just wonder when it happened. When did I enter this different phase? I've just gotten comfortable with being a grown up and now I'm like in the middle of being a grown up.

In all honesty I'm looking forward to this. I'm not staring down some sort of 30 something life crisis. Sure, I feel the need to dive in and get those things I really want in life no matter how silly it sounds. Tattoos - yes please. I was miss responsible when I was younger, placing tattoos in hidden spots. Now I know that I love them, even more then ever, and since I'm not vying for that CEO position - on my arms they go! Starting other business ventures, laying it all out there - what's there to lose? I feel like I'm entering this phase with a greater sense of self and a greater desire to just let it all go. I know that when I'm least in control, when I just tell God to take the wheel, the better off I am.

Different phases are not that bad when you know what you want. I like my food in different episodes too. Dinner is made so much better when I know it can be flipped into something equally memorable for lunch. Why are lunches so dreaded? Is it because of leftovers? Leftovers are nothing more than a mature version of dinner. Well, a little creativity never hurts when it comes to lunch.

This dinner comes together with very minimal effort and turns it into an irresistible lunch with just 5 more ingredients. I marinated a flank steak and some nice zucchini planks and then grilled them. We were eating in under 20 minutes and while the rice was cooking I made dressing for the salad for tomorrows lunch. The transition from dinner to lunch was easier than turning 30 . . . something.

Quick Marinated Flank Steak and Zucchini

1.5lb flank steak
2 coves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons onion chopped
1 teaspoon lemongrass (I used lemongrass paste, but you can bruise a whole lemongrass and add it to the marinade)
1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 inch ginger grated
2 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
fresh ground pepper
2 zucchini cut into long planks

Add all ingredients to a ziplock bag. Coat the entire flank steak with sauce and marinate in the fridge 2-8 hours. During the last 30 minutes add the zucchini to the marinade. Heat grill to high, oil the grates. Place flank steak on hottest part of the grill, then add the zucchini. Grill steak 3 minutes each side for medium rare. The zucchini cooks quick so keep your eye on them. Let the steak rest for 15 minutes off the grill then cut against the grain in to thin strips.

I start some rice when I add the zucchini planks and it's ready when the meat comes off the grill. Serve the zucchini and steak over rice.

The next day the left over steak is quickly turned in to an amazing salad with a zippy dressing.

Wasabi Lime Dressing

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
2 Tablespoons lime juice
scant 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
fresh ground pepper

salad garnishes
chopped green onion
chopped cilantro

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Add any lettuce or mixed greens you have and add sliced beef over the top. Add salad dressing and garnish with green onion and cilantro.

For a more portable lunch I dressed the salad and added it to a whole wheat flour tortilla to make a wrap.

What phase are you headed to? Retirement, college, new baby? What are you looking forward to most in this stage?

My New Hobby

2011-07-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I posted a 4th of July drink idea, strawberry purée in ginger ale. Since then I've been throwing all sorts of things into ginger ale.

original plan - strawberry purée

Pineapple, my favorite so far.

Peach. I used to make a ginger peach fizzy drink when I had my personal chef biz. This is a much quicker version.

The best part about the fruit bits is how you have a little something to bite on after your drink is gone. The fruit is all infused with ginger.

Next to try - blackberries.

It Started With Dinner and Ended With a Fiesta

2011-06-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

It rained this afternoon. I'm not sure there is anything that compares to a summer rain in the desert. They are sneaky, and mysterious, pouring rain out of no where. There are no ominous clouds growing and blowing in, getting dark and heavy. There may be a patch of gray, but nothing to denote weather. Desert rains sparkle and shine because the sun is always out, illuminating the giant drops from heaven.

It's not usually a sprinkle of rain, it's a drenching that makes kids run out and catch it in buckets. But they are fleeting and as soon as the parched land gets just a taste of rain, and the earth starts to smell awake, it stops. Desert rains are nothing short of magic.

This dinner reminds me of todays little afternoon shower. It was the night before grocery day and, as usual, I had to get creative with dinner. We were low on everything and as hot as it was, the natives were starving. I decided that I could throw something together out of the 2 ears of corn, salsa, yogurt, cheese and my usual pantry supply. For some reason I was just in the mood to make dough, and pizza is typically the one thing everyone will approve of.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much out of this meal. When I started I really thought I had a can of black beans and some other spices that I noticed were no where in sight half way in to my process. After dough is rising and three hungry faces are staring at you, you just have to go with it. After all was finished and I tasted the first bite, I was flooded with joy and ideas.

The pizza we ate was perfect as a base, heck it was delicious. I had to mix myself up a little pineapple rum cocktail to enjoy with my slice. I sat there chewing and dreaming of just how perfect this pizza was for just about anything on it. I was wondering when the next time guests would be at the house so I could have a little mexican pizza party. The base is simple: salsa - whatever you have on hand, whisked together with some sour cream (I used plain yogurt because I always use plain yogurt), corn sautéed with butter, garlic, and jalapeno, cheese - one pizza with cheddar jack, and one with cotija (I learned that cotija is good melted, but perfect cold), and green onions for good measure.

My mind rushed with toppings like home made refried beans, ground beef taco style, Trader Joes carne asada (some people can eat and entire box of donuts, some a tub of ice cream, me I can eat the entire package of carne asada), pickled jalapenos, cilantro, Mexican Crema, and oh what else? Next came drinks - sangria? rose wine? good ole cerveza? coke? Yes to all of them.

Before I knew it, my slice was gone, my drink was gone, and I had to wait for the magical party in my head. Just like the rain.

Mexican Pizza

Pizza dough (gluten free, or store bought. For this I used the recipe in Mark Bittmans book for pizza dough).
2 ears of corn (corn cut off from the cob)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced fine
1 tablespoon butter
2/3 cup salsa
1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
3 green onions chopped
2 cups cheese (cheddar or cheddar jack)

Extra Toppings
taco meat
refried beans
cilantro
cotija
mexican crema
carne asada
pickled jalapenos

Preheat oven to 450º. In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream and salsa, set aside. In a large sauce pan heat the butter and add the corn. After a couple minutes add the jalapeno and garlic and continue to sauté for another minutes. Set aside.

I rolled out the dough to make 2 pizzas because I like the crust thin. You can use as much as you like to make it your preferred thickness. Place one dough rolled out naked in the oven on a baking stone (or the under side of a cookie sheet works too) and bake it for 5 minutes. Remove the par baked dough from the oven and smear half the salsa sauce over the top. Add the green onions, corn and cheese. Place back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes until the top is bubbly and golden. Repeat with other piece of dough.

I think at first people see home made pizza is relatively daunting, but after you make one it's super easy and almost soothing.

I'm always happy for grand ideas that come out of no where. They're the desert rains that you just stand in and wait until it's all over. And you never know when the next one will appear.

Planning The 4th

2011-06-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it hit me that June is almost over. The first day of summer was this week, but summer is flashing by. I've been making a couple of check in my summer to do list, but I need to get serious, the first day of school is going to be here sooner then I think.

The 4th of July in Arizona doesn't seem like the event that it was when I lived in Colorado. Not that residents here don't love their country (oh, the painful irony). It's just so dang hot here that picnics, days on the lake, and parades are just ridiculous. That doesn't mean a little good noshings before we pile in the air conditioned car to see fireworks are out.

Last year my son was gone for a whole week during the 4th. This year he's here, and this year the Governor, with all her perplexing ways, decided fireworks were legal in this state of infinite kindling. I must admit I'm a little more excited for the fourth with all the white tents set up to sell explosives.

Fire extinguisher in tow, we will be barbecuing while sweating, and watching kids amazed by lights in the skies. Good thing I found the perfect drink for the day. I have this little idea posted on my Pinterest board. I told my husband about it, and he had this genius idea to puree the strawberries first (see, that's why I keep him around). Yesterday we had nothing better to do then sit on the couch, sip strawberry ginger ales, and look out at flowers wilting in the heat.

This drink is very festive for the fourth, and suitable for everyone. If you need a little jolt of alcohol to get you through I'm sure a shot of vodka or rum would taste great.

Strawberry Ginger ale
for 2 drinks

6 large strawberries, washed and hulled (about 3/4 cup)
1 Tablespoon sugar (unless your strawberries are nice and sweet)
Juice of half a lime
2 12 oz cans good ginger ale (I prefer Hansons or Reeds, something with a good ginger bite)

In a food processor add strawberries, sugar if using, and lime juice. Puree until smooth. If seeds bother you in your drink strain through a fine mesh sieve. Divide mixture between 2 glasses with ice (will be about 1/4 cup each). Pour ginger ale over the top and serve.

I'm still narrowing down the rest of our 4th menu. Any suggestions? I'm certain no matter what we eat, it will just be fun to be together, melting.

What's your typical 4th like?

2011-06-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

And the winner of a sweet little handmade is.......

deyoungsters said...
well, this *technically* isn't a blog, but a blog based off of a cooking show... I go repeatedly to Lucinda Scala Quinn's Mad Hungry blog! Her recipe for Enchiladas Salsa Verde is a favorite at our house!

Congrats Deyoung, I'll be contacting you about getting your gift.

Thank you everyone for telling me your food blog recipe of the moment. I tried this recipe for Southwest Corn Soup With Roasted Cheese Crisp off of the blog Hot off the Garlic Press (it was delicious by the way). It was recommended by another food blogger, Foodmuster. I served it for the fabulous Anty T, and it was perfect

Tessa from Cook Sew Grow recommended Smitten Kitchen's Blueberry Crumb Bars. I think my mom made these last summer, but I have posted these on my list of things to not let go by. My Year of Food (beautiful site by the way), said they've made 101 Cookbooks Winter Pasta more times than they can count, and if you check this recipe out I think you will be making it all the time too. It's beautiful and the ingredients are simple, yet sound so full of flavor. The kale in my garden was used up a couple weeks before this post and now I'm wishing for my garden more then ever.

Thank you so much everyone for your comments and recipes. I've found some more fantastic blogs to fill my reader, and recipes pinned on my board to try. I'll try this again very soon with another giveaway to sweeten the pot. Until then happy reading and eating!

Fathers Day Usual

2011-06-16T15:47:00.001-07:00

Every Fathers Day, Christmas, and probably birthday, I would buy my dad pistachios. I'd find new methods of delivery for the nuts; a glass in the shape of a boot, wrapped in paper like a tootsie roll, sometimes along side the also cliched tie.

I'm not exactly certain if he even likes pistachios to the degree at which I gave them. I know he liked to nibble on them when he was driving, but really did the man need bags of these every year?

I usually don't go straight to my own dad when I think of Fathers Day. Now I immediately think of my husband and how great of a father he is. This year I've been thinking a lot of my own father.

There's a lot to be said about forgiveness, and how far I've come, but I'll save that for more rambling on another site. For here I will send out my love by way of pistachio.

This year I thought about how my dad's life isn't exactly ordinary, and maybe I should up his usual pistachio plunder. Why not some pistachio ice cream?

My dad doesn't live close enough to enjoy this, but I certainly plan on making some for him the next time he is here. For now, I'll take a few creamy delicious bites and think of all the ways I love my dad.

This ice cream reminds me of him. How he could saddle a horse lickity split, or make the best peanut butter and butter sandwiches. He would teach you how to fish, then gut it and cook it on the fire. He would wake up super early and kill the coyote that killed your favorite turkey and be so excited to tell you all about it.

This ice cream is so rich and such great pistachio flavor that I know he would love it. I changed it slightly from Brown Eyed Baker. Just another fantastic recipe from the blog world.

The only change I made from Brown Eyed Baker is I reduced it to 4 yolks instead of 6. I used the same steeping method, oh and I heated all the milk and cream instead of leaving some cool in the bowl you pour it in to.

I hope this Fathers Day reminds you of all that is wonderful about your dad, and that you get a chance to tell him so.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway here by telling me something you made from a food blog.

Here A Blog, There A Blog, Where's Another Food Blog? And A Giveaway

2011-06-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

Blogs are for sure my guilty pleasure. I don't care to much for reality TV, at least not very many (why can I not turn my head away from Hoarders?). But blogs, with their pleasantly laid out voyeuristic indulgence, can suck me in completely. The internet is supposed be the place to guard yourself, to keep others at bay. How can I, slightly pessimistic, with a tad bit antisocial nature, plaster myself across this interweb? Blame it on the blog.

When I happened upon my first blog ever I was a bit baffled as to why one would post seemingly EVERYTHING about themselves to pretty much complete strangers. But as I continued on, I realized it was simply people sharing. Humans, with all of our flaws and idiocies, trying to connect and give the best of what we have. Finding and breathing substance in to even the littlest things we do. With that, I was enamored.

It was a human phenomenon that I found impossible to stay away from. I found myself stopping at artists blogs, design blogs, blogs about pretty vintage things, even my husbands nerdy tech blogs are sometimes pure enjoyment.

Then there is the food blog. I'm sure these are a giant cliche in our world now, but I find the content of the food blog reaching levels beyond those of the magazine. I know, I know I've waxed poetic many a time about food magazines, and that may never change. But seriously the food blog has become my go to for seeking out tested, tried and true recipes.

Today I'm going to share a couple recipes that I've tried recently that are from other food blogs. I want to hear what you've tried from a food blog recently. There's nothing more gratifying to the food blogger then to hear someone tried one of your recipes, and nothing more enticing then adding another food blog to your reader.

A couple months ago Maranda from Jolts and Jollies shared this sandwich recipe. I made it that day and I think I'm headed to the fridge to make another one today.

I snapped a quick cell phone pic to share with her before it was gone. My husband loves this sandwich, and honestly, what isn't there to love about it?

Another favorite is this carrot pudding that I changed up a little from A Cozy Kitchen. If you haven't been on the Cozy Kitchen, prepare yourself. They never cease to amaze with such interesting combos. Yeah, you need to try this pizza this summer.

This Mongolian beef recipe from Pink Bites, is one of only a handful of recipes that I make repeatedly.

So, to sweeten the deal to get you all to share what you've made from another blog, how about a little handmade treat? Leave me a comment telling me what you've made and from where. The link would be great, but I do understand if you don't have time to search for those things.

On Monday I will let the random number generator choose a winner. Then I'll whip you up a little something sweet for your kitchen. Something a little like this:

but a little bit more personalized to you along with a little something like this:

photo source: Jolts and Jollies

Just a little handmade love to show you how much I appreciate you for stopping off here on your own journey through blog land.

To sum it up:

I like blogs
I made stuff from food blogs
I want to know what you made from food blogs
I'll make you something
Contest ends monday at 10:00 am (Arizona time)

Good luck! And I'll be back this week with another recipe, from another blog for fathers day.

Sarah's Edible Spa: The Strawberry

2011-06-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

I love the summer for bringing me bushels and bushels of red, ripe and over the top delicious strawberries. Nothing on this planet can beat a perfect strawberry.

When I was little in Colorado we grew strawberries along this little hill just around the corner form the rhubarb. I don't remember gathering very many berries at one time, but I do remember picking them and eating them on my way from one place or another while playing.

Strawberry is my absolute favorite facial. That's it too. Just a strawberry.

In fact, I buy them in the winter. Those small cartons that are full of sub par strawberries, just to use on my face. After I get out of the shower I slice one in half, give a good squeeze and rub it all over my face. I think of all the things I pull out of the kitchen and slather on my face, the strawberry has the most noticeable and fantastic effect.

Strawberries are loaded with vitamin C - more so then the orange. Vitamin C does wonders as an antioxidant and keeps skin cells fresh. They also contain salicylic acid which can remove dead skin cells and help make pores smaller. I notice this the most. My skin will look much brighter, sort of shinier after I've used the strawberries for a few days in a row.

The other day I seemed to have missed my forehead when I was swiping some sun screen on. It was slightly burned, enough to sting. I got out a strawberry and rubbed it all over my face and immediately the sting was gone and I started to feel the inflammation go down. Strawberries contain a healthy dose of zinc which is good for cell repair and inflammation.

There's lots of other options besides just rubbing a berry all over your mug. You could make a soothing mask out of yogurt and mashed strawberries. I think a scrub with oatmeal, honey and strawberries would feel amazing too.

For the price and the ease, half a strawberry a day is a steal. I hope this works for you too, it's my favorite edible spa advice ever.

Foodbuzz 24x24: Helping To Heal With Food

2011-05-29T06:00:00.003-07:00

It's another Foodbuzz 24x24 event, and this time I've turned the tables. You may remember the lady sporting those fantastic onion goggles from another happening where she blew me away with our dollar store dining showdown. This time around she is the main event.

This is my friend Jamie. Not only does she make a fantastic goggle model, but she continually astounds me with her desire and drive to find a way to help out other humans. Ever since I've known her she's been willing to give her time and self to people that otherwise would be forgotten. In all honesty here, at times I would think the girl crazy. She would talk to just about anyone and I was always much more cautious and well, scared of talking to just about everyone.

She's graduated with a degree in sociology, a field that I believe most people wouldn't like to dip their toe in unless they either thought they would be getting paid good money, or have a heart like Jamie's. While she's pounding the pavement finding jobs she's also found a place dear to her heart to volunteer at. The Sojourner center is a local center that aides woman who have faced abuse. It's an amazing organization that not only provides refuge and shelter for women during such a trying time, but have many other programs to help women recreate their lives and begin to live again.

Recently Jamie has developed and signed up to teach some of the women a beginning cooking class. The class centers around preparing one meal that can easily be used for other meals during the week. I was so impressed with this idea. I think at times I take for granted the fact that someone took the time to teach me how to cook. Or that my husband encourages and appreciates not just the meals on the table, but the joy it gives me to tinker with food. I can see Jamie's class giving women a similar sense of self and control.

Teaching this class means that Jamie has to come up with almost all of the supplies and food out of her own pocket. Most of the women enter the facility having left everything behind. We decided to purchase a few basic supplies to help fill in what the center could supply and what some of the women may have. First stop - Sur La Table and Cost Plus world market.

Ok, so much of the stuff pictured is for drool purposes (I love the ceramic berry boxes at Sur La Table). Spatulas, whisks, measuring cups and spoons, wooden spoons, and hot mitts are essential for learning to cook. So are little boys playing with kitchen wares.

Eric is so useful for showing one exactly how to use a pizza peel.

With the essentials taken care of it was now time for Jamie to do a mock run through of one of her classes. Since her class couples basic cooking techniques and two for one meals, the plan for a couple of the classes is teach them how to break down larger cuts of meat to use for different dishes. The class she wanted to practice highlights pork loin, and she made a dish of roasted pork loin with potatoes and apples.

She began with a 4 lb pork loin and cut in half. Half of the loin was used in this recipe, and the other half she'll deal with later. She rubbed the loin with butter, salt and pepper and it was ready to roast. . . .

Almost ready. Next she diced 1 red onion, and quartered 6 new red potatoes. She heated up 4 Tablespoons of butter in the roasting pan in the preheated oven and then tossed the potatoes and onions in the butter with salt and pepper. Such a neat little technique. Of course we also had to test a little drinky drink I made (perhaps that will appear in a later post).

While we waited for the roast she demonstrated how to break the rest of the loin down into larger chops, and smaller breakfast chops. If you freeze the cut for about 20 minutes slicing becomes much easier especially for the smaller chops.

After the loin and potatoes roast for 20 minutes at 350º, she added four cored and cut apples to the pan. The whole thing roasted for another 40 minutes until the internal temperature of the loin was 140º. She took it out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes, then I was so hungry I took matters in to my own hands and started slicing up pieces for her mock class.

My house smelled amazing and we were ready to eat.

This meal was 5 ingredients, quick, affordable and there are plenty of leftovers. I think Jamie's class will be impressed.

I started dreaming of different ways to use the leftovers - Make a quick roasted potato salad by adding some mayo to the potatoes and serve it up along side a pan seared piece of loin. A quick hash in the morning of diced pork, apple potatoes and a nice little fried egg on top sound perfect.

The other cuts of meat are also ready and waiting to be used. I'm new to the idea of pork chops for breakfast but this simple recipe has me ready for the morning, and I'm all about trying out this strawberry breakfast chop for my next brunch.

Need an idea for those thick cut chops? My friend Maranda has it covered. The flavors are similar to the roast, but the addition of sharp cheddar sounds heavenly. I've also tried this recipe before and I loved how simple it was with such big flavor in the end.

I decided to whip up some recipe cards for Jamie to print and give to her class for writing down extra recipes. I thought perhaps it would make a nice little download here too.

Sojourner Card

Jamie has great menus planned for the rest of her class, and I'm so inspired by her actions. I think that taking something you love and using it to be of some help to other people is perhaps the best way to give. Food can be a bridge between so many places, whether it's connecting with friends, or giving someone a greater sense of self and power.

Thank you so much Foodbuzz for selecting my proposal. You have made it that much easier for someone to give and reach out to people. I'm so blessed to have this blog and friends and family that support me in all my life. Good luck Jamie with your class, and thank you for all your giving - you've taught me that sometimes that conversation with crazy makes all the difference.

Sipping Summer

2011-05-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

Two days left of school. Who's counting? The entire house. Everyone is so ready!

I love summer, restless heat and all. I decided to share a little drink to sip while you wait for for endless days, and lounging. I suppose it would have been perfect to post this for Cinco de Mayo, but around here margaritas are always nice.

When I was little I thought that would be the coolest thing about being an adult (at least when I was sitting at a restaurant). All those fruity drinks mixed up, some slushy, some bright, some adorned with umbrellas. Honestly, how can being adult be so bad with all these fabulous drink concoctions?

This margarita is smooth and refreshing, a bit more subdued than this kicked up version. I've found adding to cilantro to my drinks brings forth so many possibilities, just like summer.

Strawberry Cilantro Margarita

1/4 cup tequila (I prefer the silver or white)
2 Tablespoons orange liquer (triple sec, Cointreau)
1 cup hulled and sliced strawberries
2 Tablespoons sugar (or simple syrup if you have it)
juice of half a lime
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 cup ice

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Place liquid in the bottom of the blender and layer the rest of the ingredients over the top. Blend on high until smooth. Mix together the 1/2 teaspoons of salt and sugar and place on a plate. Rub the rim of a glass with lime and dip into the salt and sugar mixture. Pour drink into class and garnish with a piece of cilantro.

Here's to lazy days, tan lines, and keeping kids busy. Here's to being a kid and having the summer to look forward to every year. I hope that never ends!

I Need Something Sweet NOW

2011-05-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

I knew I'd be late with this one. I had big plans to have this up on Friday but as I finally get a chance to sit and put this up, it's already Saturday - afternoon.

The other day I was updating my recipe index page and it became very obvious that if sweets aren't my favorite things to eat, they are most assuredly my favorite thing to post about. I'm not surprised that "I need something sweet NOW" is a line I've murmured often. Summer is my favorite time of year for sweets because there are so many ideas for desserts that require no heat and minimal ingredients.

One of my all time favorite quick cookies is good any time of the year, but especially precious during the summer because the oven isn't called upon to heat up the entire house. These are all the flavors I crave rolled into one. I love that I can throw sugar, cocoa, butter, peanut butter and oatmeal into a pot, and minutes later there are cookies for a crowd.

I've had this home made strawberry milk sitting on my Pinterest for a couple months thinking that it was going to be a bit involved. It took minutes to throw some strawberries into a pot, then cool the juice for the next day. Stir in some milk and everyone is happy.

I don't always need a lot of drama for my sweet tooth, just something to get the job done. Fools are another of my favorite summertime sweet (berries mixed in some sweetened whipped cream). I'm also looking forward to sweetened ricotta with balsamic strawberries (sort of similar to this).

This year I'm also going to try lots of grilled fruit. What's you favorite quick summer sweet?

Easy Does Dinner

2011-05-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a rather busy around here, so much so that I almost didn't get around to posting more easy dishes. I don't want anyone to think that the busy just falls upon me. I'm a professional at creating my own hectic schedule.

I'm extremely proficient at a few things that tend to make the perfect illusion of a completely packed schedule.

I'm really good at procrastinating. I will put off end of the year teacher gifts, errands, and deadlines until I absolutely cannot ignore it any longer. I am trying harder to be a grown up and be proactive about things, but I can work more on that later.
I find way too many extra curricular things that I MUST get done. I can find completely ridiculous things to do for myself that don't really have anything to do with work, cleaning house, running errands, or any other adult responsibility. These things are events that I believe while making my life sometimes more rushed, make life feel more like life.
I make projects for myself before finishing any other projects that I created and still haven't finished. I've found that if I don't start the things running around my brain, I will never do them. However, I've got a lot running around my brain to start that a few things seem like they will never be finished.
I am great at thinking I have way more time than I do. Time is this concept that I don't seem to grasp. I need to buy timers because my idea of a few minutes is actually more like an hour.

These things tend to wreak havoc on dinner getting to the table. Sure, sometimes the projects from destructive list item #3 just happens to be dinner, but a lot of the time I'm running around flinging things into pots, or slapping something between two slices of bread at the last minute.

I've also hoarded a small arsenal of really quick, ultra flavorful, one pot dinners. Winter is great for those hearty one pot soups, or crock pots full of slow braised tender meat, but it is spring after all. Shrimp is a house favorite and is perfect for getting on the table quick. This dinner came together in 20 minutes and everyone said it tasted like a dinner that you could have spent hours making. The dill is merely just a flavor suggestion, and really any herbs you have on hand would be great.

I've become so fond of polenta because it's gluten free, pretty easy and very versatile. I made this polenta with chicken stock, a small amount of cream, and a touch of gorgonzola for a bit of zing. The family would normally balk at gorgonzola, but I don't think any of them knew what it was that they were tasting, they just knew it was yummy.

Dilly Shrimp and Polenta

1 lb shrimp cleaned with shell and tails removed
1 shallot, or 1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic minced
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped into small pieces

Polenta

2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup polenta
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons gorgonzola crumbled
salt and pepper

For the Polenta -
In a medium sauce pan bring the stock to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta and turn the heat to just barely a simmer. Stir often until the polenta is thick and creamy. Remove from heat and place a lid over to finish just before the shrimp is done.

Prep all of your ingredients for the shrimp because they cook quickly and you don't want them to over cook (plus, it just makes things go smoother). Heat 1 Tablespoon of the butter over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Saute for one minute then add the shrimp. Let cook about 2 minutes on one side then flip to cook on the other side.

While the shrimp cooks I finish the polenta. Stir in the butter, cream and gorgonzola. Sometimes I return it to the same warm burner (but leave the burner off) to heat a little more.

Turn the heat off under the shrimp and add the remaining tablespoon of butter, dill and lemon. Stir to coat the shrimp. Add the tomato and now you are ready. Spoon the polenta on to a plate then add the shrimp over top. Add a nice green salad to be healthy and enjoy.

I may have a long way to go to perfect the art of getting it all done, but I really think this is sort of how I run best. I'm not sure what I would do if I didn't place a few too many things to do in my day, or start one too projects. I'm blessed to have a family that goes along with my crazy ideas (and likes shrimp).

More quick and delicious meals:

Chicken and bean soup
Chicken Strips With Curry
Kinda Sorta Like a Taco

Tomorrow I'll be here with ideas for when you need something sweet FAST.

Hurry Up and Slow Down

2011-05-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

Summer break is about a week away. The time is almost here when I can sleep in and lay around under the AC. I can drink my morning tea nice and slow, and putter about the house starting a project here and finishing one up there. But before the lazy hot days it seems as if there is always a hustle. Just like in the beginning when pencils are fresh and shoes are still white. There's a rush of last visits, water days, preschool graduations and general over excitement for the beginning of no school.

I decided this would be a good week to highlight some of my easiest, quickest and most favorite dishes. These are even perfect in the middle of summer, when tearing yourself away from the pool or leisure time to make dinner is almost unbearable.

I'll start out with my current favorite lunch. I make enchiladas quite regularly and more often than not end up with some leftover tortillas and sauce. Inevitably there is never any filling left to make a tiny batch, and it's probably cruel and unusual to make only a couple of enchiladas anyways.

This simple lunch is really meant to be made when the house is rather empty and you are only making lunch for you, or perhaps if you are lucky enough to share your lunch hour with someone you love. Of course, this shouldn't deter you from making this for a crowd. I just have not perfected a way to cook the tortillas en mass with this method. If you're not in any hurry this week might I suggest making this enchilada sauce to use later.

Enchilada Egg Lunch

1-2 Corn tortillas
1 tablespoon of oil (or spray oil)
1/3 cup or less of enchilada sauce
1-2 eggs
cheese (cotija is my favorite here)
green onions
cilantro

In a small non-stick pan add or spray a very small amount of oil. Heat over medium high heat and add tortilla. Heat for 1 minute on one side then flip and heat for 30 seconds. Spoon a small amount of enchilada sauce on the tortilla then flip over and another spoon full. Flip over again to heat the sauce on the other side. Remove tortilla (repeat procedure if making another). Sprinkle small amount of cheese on the hot tortilla so it melts. Wipe out goo on the bottom and add another small amount of oil. Fry an egg to your liking (I really like over easy here). Slide egg on the top of the tortilla and garnish with chopped green onion and cilantro.

This lunch, while it takes only minutes to prepare, and uses up odds and ends, really tastes indulgent. I feel like my days are less rushed when I can sit and enjoy a small bit of time to eat something delicious.

The Pursuit of Perfection (or something close enough)

2011-05-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful mothers day. I really had fun watching the kids try so hard to give me everything I wanted.

Speaking of mothers, mine is at it again. Every now and then she gets an inclination to make the perfect version of . . . anything. It will start with something small, say a chocolate walnut coconut cookie, or maybe a shortbread with fruit, or coffee cake. Then she'll decide to make them at home. It may start with one recipe, then it will turn in to a project. It will be a massive pursuit of the perfect so and so (insert delicious item here). Now this is the tough part; we must try these different versions and help her decide the best way to make it perfect. I know, this trait is so hard to deal with.

Seriously she chooses things that of course have a perfect version, but even the worst is not too bad. Most recently she is perfecting mixed berry pie. We are on formula number 2 and I can without a doubt say I think the next one will be it. She has researched and the problem has been identified. Secretly I'm always a bit sad when she hits the final mark. I do like the lab work of perfecting baked goods.

I'm not exactly the apple that fell super close to the tree in this area. Most of the time I get mad if something doesn't work, and decide to try again at a much later date when the chance of me hurling a dessert across the room has passed. I admire this research and development aspect of her cooking and recently determined that some dishes are just much more worthy of this effort than others.

One such recipe is one that I found in Spring Entertaining From Cooks Illustrated. It's Easy Berry Cake with Lemon Whipped Cream. I made a gluten free version for Easter dinner and while it was pretty tasty, it just wasn't perfect. The philosophy behind this cake is light and not too sweet with a fresh whip cream that sends it over the top. I felt like mine was just not refined enough in the texture department.

This constant search for a perfect recipe is one of the reasons why I love Cooks Illustrated. I know that their recipes are tested, tasted, tested again and probably even again. I decided that I could make a much better gluten free version than my first attempt. So I rounded up some ideas that I've recently incorporated into my own gluten free cooking. Who knew that gums were the cause of the gritty texture? It's true, try it. This version is IT! I may never make another cake again. I'm in love with everything about this cake. It's easy, not overly sweet, and has such great texture.

Thank you mom for teaching me perseverance no matter what the situation. Thank you for giving me confidence, to not only try something once, but to aim for perfection. Thank you for teaching me that mistakes are merely lessons, not disappointments.

Gluten Free Summer Berry Cake
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated - Entertaining Spring, Easy Berry Cake with Lemon Whipped Cream

1 1/2 Tablespoon chia seeds
1 1/3 Tablespoons flax meal
3 Tablespoons boiling water
3/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup corn flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 Tablespoons
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups mixed berries, rinsed

In a small bowl mix together the chia seeds, flax meal and hot water. Stir until combined then set aside. Preheat oven to 350º, and grease a 9 inch springform pan . In a large bowl mix together the potato starch, corn flour, brown rice flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and egg white and mix until combined. Add in vanilla and and chia flax mixture and mix on medium until everything is combined.

With the mixer on low speed add 1/3 of the flour mixture. After about 1 minute add half of the buttermilk to the batter, then half of the remaining flour mix. Add the last of the buttermilk, then the last of the flour mixture each time slowly mixing until incorporated and scraping down the sides as needed. Fold in the berries and pour the batter into the prepped springform pan. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top. Bake covered with foil for 35 minutes then remove the foil and finish baking another 5-8 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes then run a spatula around the edges of the pan and release the pan. It takes some effort to remove the bottom. Next time I may try parchment paper. Serve after it cools with lemon whipped cream.

Lemon Whipped Cream
This is completely Cooks Illustrated recipe

1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus
1 teaspoon juice

Add all ingredients to a mixer and whip for 2-3 minutes until thick and stiff peaks.

This is the cake that I will remember, along with all of my mothers perfect versions of so many things. I hope my kids learn that errors are ok, and perfection is never entirely perfect, but taking many tastes along the way is what makes it worth it.

Have The Best

2011-05-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

I hope that everyone has a fantastic mothers day! To those with kids, to those celebrating their moms, and to all of those who have helped us moms out. This crack pie is a most delicious way to celebrate any day. Have a great weekend.

Very Appreciated

2011-05-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

It's teacher appreciate week, or maybe just day. I think they deserve a week, or even a whole month. Perhaps I'm a bit biased since my mother was a teacher. That is one tough job, and they don't get paid a whole lot to do it. I'm so blessed that my kids have had some really great teachers.

I wanted to make sure I did a little something this year for a couple of past teachers and my kids current teachers. A couple months ago I found that little site Pinterest. Oh how I love it. I've tried so many other site organizers, but this one speaks to my visual heart. Everything is in simple boards and there's always a picture, oh the images. Well, on my own 'cook this' board I have pinned the cutest cupcakes in jars. This of course flipped me back to the source of the ever fabulous The Kitchn. My teacher gift was found.

I was a pondering what sort of cupcake to jam into those jars when my wandering eyes found this recipe. Tiramisu cupcakes. Need I say more? I couldn't resist.

I baked, and plopped them into the jars and then whipped up the cutest little label for the top. I thought that perhaps you would like to tell a teacher, or friend, or mother, or cousin, or neighbor, etc, etc just how sweet they are. You can download these little labels that fit perfectly onto jam jars. You could fill your jar with just about anything; candy, sugar coated nuts, cookies.

Very Sweet Label

Who would you tell is so very sweet?

On The Side: Shaken Not Stirred

2011-04-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

This week I was fortuneate enough to be a 'featured member' on Tasty Kitchen. It has been the most fun. There's been all sorts of visitors, friend requests and new blogs to investigate.

Thank you all for stopping by, both new comers and old friends. I really appreciate the comments, the love, and people taking a look around. The world of food blogging is so very friendly and I love being here.

Since I did a drinky drink early this week I thought I'd share my favorite drink "tip".

It all started at a Starbucks, where I toiled over milk, espresso, mopped floors, did dishes, and drank lots of tea. After years and years of brewing and pouring Starbucks decided we needed these nifty shakers and shake the iced tea and iced coffee. I dutifully carried out Starbucks orders with little regard to why (it was best to not question every little thing, corporate ways can bring you down). Of course I continued to make my own tea the old school unshaken way, until one day someone else made me my tea, doing their green apron duty to shake the tea. It was a new day. The tea was brighter as if someone just brewed it. It almost sparkled.

We then conducted research. Blind taste tests of shaken vs unshaken. Hands down shaken won. If you think about it, many people aerate wine, why wouldn't other beverages benefit?

I don't know the exact science of this process and have found a couple sites discussing this delicious procedure. If anyone has a more scientific reason for why this works please share.

I've also done some home research and can boldly say that shaking makes your drink considerably better. Summer is around the corner and my cold brewed coffee ways are approaching. This method is tried and true and shaking each drink only makes it better. I've even tried this with instant coffee and it really bumps up the flavor making the 'instant' aspect unnoticeable.

There's no need for fancy shakers, I use a simple mason jar and a lid (that way I can just take the lid off and drink away). You just add your drink, sweetener (I do keep some simple syrup on hand in the fridge all summer), ice and shake it baby shake it.

That's all you need for oo7 style drinks that have a fresh and clean flavor do to the miracle of some sort of science.

Thanks again for all who've visited and all who have been here before. In the next couple of weeks I'll be having a little give away to say a little thank you for visiting my corner of food blog land. I hope you all will come back soon.

Kitchen Vacations

2011-04-25T12:39:00.001-07:00

There are only weeks left of school and everyone in the house is counting the days. The oldest is just done for the year and is looking forward to days of absolute nothing. My girl wants this year to be over just so next school year will start so she can ride the bus with her brother. Me, I just want a vacation.

I want to sleep in and wake to nothing but the sound of the baby ready to be set free. I want to shuffle around the house finding silly things to do because the heat is dang near oppressive. I want to smell sunscreen and heat on little peoples skin.

To be honest I would love a tropical vacation involving beach, sand, waves and drinks with little umbrellas. That sounds so high maintenance, but I've never had one of those. We're very practical with our vacations and are trying to save every penny. We try to keep them close yet fun for the kids, or if they are out of state it's usually like a family reunion. I know that soon we'll be blessed for such frivolous tropical fun, but I still like to dream.

What better way to dream of get away then with a nice creamy cool drinky drink in your hand. This drink screams little umbrella and lounge chairs. It's creamy and fruity with just a little kick of rum. You could leave out the rum for sure and still be left with an amazing drink.

Vacay In a Glass
Makes 2 drinks or one GENEROUS single serving

1 cup light coconut milk
2 cups fresh pineapple pieces (reserve one for garnish)
juice of one lime (reserve one small slice for garnish)
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 cup rum (more if you really are in need of a vacation)
1/2 Tablespoon sugar
2 cups ice

Add all ingredients to a blender starting with the coconut milk. Blend on high until the ice is completely crushed. Garnish with pineapple and lime if you wish and serve immediately.

This drink with the addition of a comfy lawn chair is almost as good as a beach. You won't even have to pack any bags, but you may have to do the dishes.

Jack Of All Passions

2011-04-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

I have recently diagnosed myself with something that I like to call professional ADD, and I'm finally ok with it. To put the symptoms of this in a nutshell if you were to ask me what I want to be when I grow up, my answer would be a list a mile long. Also, I don't necessarily need to be paid for doing most of these things. Just blissfully doing. . . EVERYTHING.

Once upon a time I was desperately searching for a career to define me. I was working at Starbucks and had just realized that what I was going to school for at that time (I think then it was surgical technician), really wasn't something I wanted to be stuck in. I was for sure stuck working at Starbucks. I was getting paid an overly decent amount to sling coffee, with benefits. We had a kid, a house, debt and I felt completely adrift at my job. Then out of the blue I had this ground breaking idea to start my own business as a personal chef. I wasn't trained in the kitchen professionally, but I had a lot of nutrition knowledge (also one of my many majors in college) and had been cooking for years. I leaped headfirst in to it and at first it was a dream come true. I had clients who wanted me on a regular basis, and I was overflowing with ideas for myself.

After six months of opening my business I was still working at Starbucks and found that owning your own business was at times a burden. I also learned that even people with a lot of money, don't really have money (or at least not to pay the girl that just came and cooked a weeks worth of food for you). A year in to this plan we were expecting our second child and I had decided to just keep one of my clients (Abuela, who always paid me and really needed me). I learned a lot about myself and my capacity to create something out of nothing. I learned how confrontation is not my strong suite and that sometimes it isn't always better to get paid for doing what you love.

There's been so many changes since that time, and I feel even more coming. I started working for a photographer who was actually a Starbucks survivor/coworker. He taught me the ropes of photo editing and sent me to many a seminar on making images look amazing. This recession has hit his business hard and recently he had to shut down his photography business. I'm sad because he helped me to find this new passion of photo editing and taking photos, but I know from my past that I can keep on adding to my list of doing things I love. I've been dolling up furniture I find that would otherwise be labeled as crap, and of course my little cooking blog here keeps me busy. I pick up money here and there and maybe I can work for other photographers as well, but really I just think that if I keep working on all the ideas that run around my head, I will be very full and no longer feel the need to keep searching to define myself by one thing. I will be driven by my passion for finding new things to love.

Passions are a funny thing that God gave us humans. It drives us to many places, perhaps even straight in to madness. One thing that I just can't get enough of is citrus, perhaps more specifically - lemons. I use them all the time to give a dish a good punch. I like them in muffins, and breads. Sometimes I'm a bit afraid that Life Is Still Sweet will be over run with lemons. I've even gone out in the freezing cold to wrap up my lemon tree.

Using lemons in a dish truly makes me happy. So did this Panna Cotta. I wasn't purposefully searching for low fat for this dessert. If I was completely honest here I would use all heavy cream if I had it in my fridge that day. Sadly I really wanted to make Panna Cotta and was left with whatever I usually have on hand - greek yogurt and milk. I will admit that after I made a typical high fat version later, yes, it is very satisfying. But this lemon yogurt Panna Cotta will surprise you and left me happy and full. Exactly what I wanted.

Lemon Yogurt Panna Cotta

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 Tablespoon cold water
2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
zest of one lemon
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup plain greek yogurt

In a small bowl sprinkle the gelatin over the top of the water. Place milk and sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat. Gently stir and heat until warm and near boiling. Whisk in the bloomed gelatin until dissolved. Add zest and lemon juice to yogurt in a large bowl. Stir in the warm milk mixture and whisk until completely mixed together. Pour into single serving containers (you could use tea cups or mugs if you don't have ramekins). Chill for at least 4 hours until completely set. Serve alone or with fresh fruit.

I'm so happy to have cooking as one of my MANY passions. I know I'm extremely blessed that I have been able to pursue these things that I love. This recession is hard and seeing other reinvent themselves gives me hope.

What are you passionate about? Books, writing, languages, grapes?

Season Of The Brunch

2011-04-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

It's here. Brunch season. As soon as Easter hits it's all about the brunch. Personally I could not be happier. Breakfast spread further in to my day is nothing short of pure joy. Lingering over coffee and pastries, eggs cooked ten thousand different ways, and an excuse to eat more bacon.

This year I thought I'd add something new to my brunch repertoire and share some exciting brunch finds for you. I've seen so many delicious ideas floating around out there I just had to share.

I was heavily influenced by a recipe I'd seen good ol' Martha make years ago. She broiled a grapefruit sprinkled with brown sugar and I have been waiting to try this for years. One day in my reader I saw an extremely wonderful post from Baking Beauties. Her lemon sugar really had me thinking and started the gears churning while remembering this crazy cool guy, and my take on an herby grapefruit cocktail. So after my own little game of six degrees of Kevin Bacon, I decided to try and one up Martha.

My little garden had some great looking thyme and I love how grapefruit can mingle so well with herbs. I must say that this was the happiest breakfast. These grapefruits are so simple yet really can bump up your brunch table. I like unexpected in my meal, yet not way too over the top. You could easily whip up some flavored sugars to keep in the pantry and treat yourself any day of the week. Oh, and the flavor possibilities and uses are endless here. You could use basil and sprinkle this over strawberries. Make lemon sugar for your iced tea, or even this thyme sugar for homemade lemonade. I have tried this technique with mint over pineapple and it was fantastic.

Broiled Thyme Grapefruits

1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoon fresh thyme
4 grapefruits

In a food processor pulse together the thyme and sugar until thoroughly combined. Preheat broiler and place rack on the highest setting. Slice each grapefruit in half and sprinkle with thyme sugar (you may want to check your grapefruits first to see how sweet they are and adjust the sugar to your tastes). Place under broiler and broil for 3 minutes watching constantly. The tops with brown slightly and the sugar will bubble. Serve immediately.

You can't beat a 3 ingredient brunch recipe and here's what I've been dreaming about for this brunch season:

Once again, these donut holes are for sure appearing on my Easter Spread
Maranda had me so inspired I made these once and I think everyone who loves to cook should give it a go.
I think the kids will love to make strawberry milk, and it's so pretty for Easter
I had clients that would request this sausage and red pepper quiche all the time. Did I tell you I had a personal chef business? Long story, we'll talk later.
Hello?
Can I make it look this pretty, please?

Welcome brunch season. I'm so glad you're here. What about you? Do you live for this time of year? What are your favorites?

Restaurant Ripoff

2011-04-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

This morning, as I was recovering from my P90X yoga torture, my little girl asked if we could go out for breakfast. With every bit of strength I had left I explained we were going to be eating our regular little breakfast at home. Then her polite asking turned to begging and my reply was still the same. Then she turned to the next line of reasoning when it comes to eating out - "Can Grandma take me out to lunch today?"

You see she comes by this love of restaurants genetically. My mom and I have always loved eating out. We have always been the type of family that eats most every meal at home. We love to cook. But the lure of the restaurant calls out to us. Especially those little mom and pops or new and innovative. It's safe to say that we love eating a meal we didn't cook, yet has the same love for ingredients and preparation we do.

I've also become quite the homebody. Now, don't confuse this with agoraphobia, I'm not that bad. But I love to be home. I enjoy my meals at my table with the buzz of my kids running around, not trying to be still while waiting ever so patiently as every small child does in a restaurant. I like my dishes and knowing how clean everything is or is not. I like the fact that my kids know that time and effort went into their food and didn't just appear.

Sometimes restaurants just have so much to offer. Something richer and tastier than what you would make. Fancier, and maybe even more thoughtful (yes even the food blogger offers up PB&J's). It's nice to bring this aspect of the restaurant to your own table. An appetizer before dinner, with not one, but two dipping sauces.

I had this appetizer not long ago at what is one of my favorite little places here in the valley. It was one of those absolutely hip without being annoying sort of restaurants. There were mixed drinks inspired from the classics, fresh ingredients, amazing wood fire ovens, and a good friend for great conversation. This appetizer is so full of flavor, yet really matches all the simplicity of eating at home.

Fried Fingerling Potatoes
1 1/2 lbs fingerling potatoes washed
2 sprigs rosemary
sea salt
oil for frying (vegetable or peanut oil)

For the Sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise (if you can make homemade it really tastes so divine)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 clove garlic finely minced
pepper

1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon sriracha hot sauce

In a small bowl mix together the mayonnaise, lemon zest, garlic and a pinch of black pepper. Set aside. In another small bowl stir together the ketchup and sriracha, taste and add more hot sauce if you like things extra spicy. Set both dips aside while you make the potatoes (these can be made ahead of time).

In a large pot add the potatoes and cover with water at least an inch above. Boil on high heat for 15 minutes. Check to see if they are almost cooked through. They do not need to be entirely cooked as you will be frying them. Drain and let cool.

In a large skillet add oil at least 2 inches deep (if you have a fryer now is the time to whip it out). Heat oil over medium high heat. Cut each fingerling in half length wise. Once your oil is hot enough (you can test this with the handle of a wooden spoon, if it bubbles around it you are ready). Add the 2 sprigs of rosemary to the oil and cook for 2 minutes until it is dark and looks crisp. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels (or paper bags work too). Add the potatoes to the oil in small batches, frying until golden on the outside. Drain on paper towels and immediately sprinkle with sea salt. Break up the fried rosemary over the top of the potatoes and serve with each dipping sauce.

I still love a good meal out, and I love how much my little girl likes to eat out. It reminds me of my mom and I, searching out the best place in town. It reminds me of how glorious a meal can be and how blessed we are to be able to eat this way.

Sarah's Edible Spa: Olive Oil

2011-03-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

Almost every kitchen has a bottle of olive oil. Even though America is a little late to the olive oil game I'm so glad that it's become so common and that even in such an unexpected state such as Arizona I can find local olive oil (some of the best I've ever tried).

I use olive oil daily. Not just for cooking, but whenever my hands are dry from doing dishes, or gardening I just grab the bottle of olive oil and they are saved. I use olive oil when I make batches of lotion or scrubs. People for centuries have been using olive oil for beauty products and I decided that I'd much rather rub this all over me than something with a list of ingredients miles long that I have no idea what they can do to you.

Olive oil is very high in antioxidants and vitamin E. Both are great for the skin and will help reduce the effects of cell damage. You may think that olive oil is too heavy for your skin or too greasy, but you may be surprised. A small amount goes a long way and even the oiliest of skin still needs hydration. One of my favorite ways to use olive oil for my skin is in an exfoliator recipe that I found in a magazine years ago. It has lemon juice which is great for removing oil and adding vitamin C, but can be irritating so I only use it once a week. The honey in this recipe is great for acne because of it's antibacterial properties. The salt gently scrubs dead skin away and the best part is the soothing olive oil. I usually use this at night and after I rinse it off I'm ready for bed, no night cream. My skin is nice and dewy in the morning.

Honey Olive Oil Scrub
enough for one use

1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt (or sugar)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. After cleansing face gently rub this mixture all over your face (be careful of your eyes). Rinse with warm water, then cool water. Pat skin dry.

When I was little hot oil treatments for your hair were all the thing. My mom bought me one for my birthday and I was in heaven with the scent of the oil and the way my body was like jello after a few minutes of someone rubbing my head. I don't even remember how my hair looked or felt after.

I use hot oil treatments for my daughter's hair about once a month. She has curly dry hair that is sort of a chore. These treatments have helped, but honestly it's just a nice and relaxing evening for both of us. I usually make a bit more oil and rub it into my own hair after hers is done. The method couldn't be easier and I love to add some sort of fresh herb for fragrance. I've used rosemary, lavender and basil and all are great.

To make the hot oil treatment I add about 1/2 cup olive to a plastic bag and add whatever herbs I have on hand. I heat up water almost to a boil and add it to a large bowl and weight down the the bag so it is submerged in the water. When I'm ready to use I cut a tiny corner off the baggy so I can use it to pour in her hair where I want and it comes out slow. I comb it through her hair and then let it sit for 20 minutes before shampooing it out.

Olive oil is my favorite homemade beauty ingredient and I'm always looking for new ways to use it. Do you have any good ideas?

Tea Party For A Cause

2011-03-22T10:26:00.001-07:00

I've said it before, but bloggers seem to be just the nicest folks. I've seen some amazing things the past couple of years that I've been browsing around blogs. I've seen people participating in virtual bake sales to help people with surgeries. Auctions of home made goods to help a family through a terrible accident. People making donations because a family lost everything but each other in a house fire. And this Christmas I saw people connecting in the comments of a blog giving, and some who really needed to be given to. That one restored my hope in humanity.

I think most people who have met me think I'm a pretty optimistic person, and those who really know me have seen the side that is entirely fed up with and down right cynical about the whole of society. I don't wear this part because I don't believe that it is productive or inspiring, but in all honesty I don't see a lot of good in people most of the time. I like to think that helping out our fellow man is a good reason to get up in the morning, but the truth is that isn't easy and doesn't always happen.

My husband has worked in an area where he sees exactly what human is capable of, and how much of the world walks around doing. It ain't pretty listening to 911 calls all day. I worked in retail long enough to know that a small and trivial thing, that should be viewed as a luxury, can send a person into a spiral of hate so deep that they pretty much will put a curse on you and everyone you know with out batting an eye.

If there's one thing that we've both learned while becoming very cynical, is that there needs to be a light in all the darkness. You cannot let the world turn you in to what you find so awful. That seeking out the sparks of good allows you to tolerate the times of gloom. I'm so thankful for these blogs. The times when I'm overwhelmed by the good in people. I don't believe giving is totally dead in people. It's unfortunate that I notice it most when it's needed most, like after Haiti or Japan, or someone goes through such terrible times. But after all, that is when it is needed most.

The giving nature of Foodbuzz is another reason why I love being a part of their community. Electrolux and Foodbuzz are teaming up to help fund Ovarian Cancer research. They are planning a Top 9 Takeover on Friday, it's all about the tea party. Every featured publisher that enters a tea party recipe Foodbuzz will donate $50 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. How generous is that?

If you want to help out you can hop on over to Kelly's Tea Party and play. When you play Electrolux will donate a dollar to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Everyone gets to give, and if you are looking for a great recipe for your own tea party, look no further.

I'm a huge tea lover. Every morning I start my day with a nice cup of tea with very little posh or party. Just a mug of good strong milky sweet tea. Some days it's nice to break out the dainty dishes and bake up something worthy of a nice little tea party. I made some gluten free lemon scones, with out gums. It was one of those perfect days, to have a bit of drizzle outside and nice steamy cup of tea and lemony cake at the kitchen table. It made me feel so blessed and down right happy with the world.
FYI - you could easily make regular scones using the recipe from Pioneer Woman's cookbook for maple scones, but just replace maple with lemon zest and add the candied lemon peels to the top. I've tried her recipe swapping out flavors and they are lovely.

Gluten Free Lemon Scones

Candied Lemon
1 lemon sliced very thin horizontally to form rings
1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar

Scones
1 1/2 Tablespoons flax meal
1 1/2 Tablespoons chia seeds
3 Tablespoons boiling water

3/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup corn flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup butter, cold cut into small pieces
zest of 2 lemons
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs

In a medium sauce pan add the sliced lemons and cover with water. Bring to boil and boil for 5 minutes, drain and remove the lemon slices to the side. Add the 1 cup fresh water and 2/3 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the sliced lemons to the sugar water and simmer gently for 40 minutes. The lemons will become tender and it will reduce and thicken slightly. Set aside to cool. (can be made ahead and left in the fridge. I leave the lemons in the sugar until I'm ready to use. I also like to use the leftover sugar gel and stir into my tea).

In a small bowl mix together the flax, chia seeds and boiling water. Set aside while you prepare the scones (it will get thick and pasty).

Preheat oven to 350º.
In a large bowl stir together sweet rice flour, corn flour, potato starch, brown rice flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or 2 forks until the butter is the size of peas. In a small bowl add the buttermilk and whisk in the 2 eggs and the flax and chia mix. Pour buttermilk mixture into the flour and mix well. The batter will be loose. Spoon onto greased cookie sheet into 3 inch wide and 2 inch thick circles. These will spread, but it's ok you can cut them to shape. Top each biscuit with one round of candied lemon. Bake for 20-26 minutes or until it starts to brown on the bottom. Cut into servings and serve while warm.

I tried to find Devon cream to go with these, but it's not easy to track down. If you have never had it I highly recommend at least once in your life trying it. Whole foods was out, but was also selling a tiny container for $7 - yikes. I did find this recipe for a mock devon cream that I'm going to try.

Thank you much for making this little place such a happy place. Thank you for listening and reading, for sharing and for participating. Thank you for changing the world with happy blogging land. Tell me, what would you make happy with bloggy goodness if you could?

******Post tea party find******
As with a lot of gluten free items I've found that these scones are best the day of. I felt I should warn you NOT to make these in advance. I tried them for tea the following afternoon and I had to put some serious heat on them. If anyone has any advice for gluten free leftovers please share!!