A Journey to Cake..

(yes even Kitty helped to blow out the candles)

So from start to finish, the request full fat Alfred tortellini was a hit, heavy cream, butter and all. I had to toss in some Broccoli just to pretend there was some balance.

But I must say, I played a fast one with my Vegan chocolate cake and butter cream frosting! Absolutely so rich and yummy, moist and high there was no outward trace of anything missing. I have to admit to using a traditional Bavarian cream filling though, a long hard search came up with no options in that department.
If you need a cake for any reason I urge you to use this one!
Based on Chef Chole's (the winner of Cupcake wars) Spooky Halloween
cake recipe
http://www.chefchloe.com/
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dark)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1 cup vegetable oil (I used corn)
¼ cup vinegar of any kind (I used apple cider)
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 2- 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. You can put a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of the greased pan to remove the finished cake easily.
2. Sift or whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the water, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and optional espresso powder until smooth and espresso is dissolved.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a whisk until combined.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the 2 prepared cake pans. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
5. Once the cakes are completely cooled, frost the tops of each layer with the orange frosting and then stack the cakes.

Vegan Chocolate Buttercream
( I halved this, due to the Bavarian cream filling)
2 C. Earth Balance Butter, room temperature (I used 2 sticks)
12 oz. Vegan Semi Sweet Chocolate, melted and cooled (3/4 of a bag)
3 T. Plain Soy Milk (I used almond)
2 t. Vanilla
5 C. Powdered Sugar (I used 2 cups)

Beat the butter in a stand mixer until fluffy for about 2 or 3 minutes. Slowly add melted chocolate with mixer on low. After chocolate and butter are well combined, add vanilla, milk and sugar. Beat at medium low until just combined. This makes enough to frost 2 8-9 inch cakes.

I followed this but added the chocolate at the end because I wanted to color some of it.


Bavarian Cream Filling
From Joepastry.com

1.5 ounces (3 tablespoons) cold water
2 1/4 teaspoons gelatin
4 large egg yolks
3 ounces (1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) sugar
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
Seeds from one vanilla bean
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, cold

Put the cold water in a small bowl, sprinkle on the gelatin and let it stand. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar.

Get a large bowl of ice water ready.

Put the half-and-half in a small saucepan, add the vanilla seeds and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to the boil, then slowly pour it into the egg mixture, whisking the whole time. Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and bring it just to the boil. When the custard starts to bubble, pour it through a fine mesh strainer into another bowl. Whisk in the gelatin and place the bowl in the ice water bath.

While the custard is cooling, whip the cream. Add the cold cream to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whip and whip to the soft peak stage. When the the custard has just started to thicken but is still liquid, fold in the whipped cream. Scrape the mixture into the appropriate mold and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours. It can be kept several days or frozen for up to three months.

I made the cake and filling the day before and the frosting when I got home from work. I could have done the whole cake the night before but I didn't have space in the fridge to seal it properly without damaging the frosting.

Enjoy this cake just because you are you! Its kind of proof you can have your cake and eat it too without going crazy. For me, making little tweeks here and there and taking out some of the ick makes me feel better about feeding my family and taking care of our bodies.

My knight

He rescued me from my foolishness as a teen and has been along for the crazy whirlwind of a ride ever since.
He has lost wars with me and conquered many more.
Handles my stress as his own and sits patiently when I need to melt, waiting and breathing for me.
Hears all calls and needs for help with an eagerness not known by many.
Gives himself away in the hope to make me whole again.
Never holds "it" against anyone almost to a fault.

Yes that is my Jeffrey. I take it for granted time and again. And over the past year as I have tried to push him away so that I had control over the pain, the loneliness and the hurt, he stood and waited for me to snap out of it. There is not much more I can say. Soft and squishy emotions are hard for me. I hide it well. Hence my "suck it up and move on" moto. But I can say I plan to celebrate his birthday, I am glad he hasn't "moved on", God knows I have given him many chances and "easy" outs.
I thank God for him each day.. God knew exactly what He had in store for me and knew who could handle the journey along side of me....

The week ahead

So I am back and life moves forth...
Here's the week in food:
Enchilada's
Cheese and Broc soup with salad
Jeff's Birthday dinner request- FULL FAT versions of Alfredo tortellini, chocolate cake with Bavarian cream filling and Buttercream frosting (after all this I will not be eating the rest of the week)
Homemade veggie burger and smokey onion rings
Taco casserole
Vegan Ruben wraps
Veggie curry

I came across this quote - "Learn to love prep work -Holding raw ingredients in your hands and throwing fresh veggies into pots. Watch in amazement as your fingers hold an onion and a bunch of greens and create magic"
Its true there is magic in food. It heals, mends, holds, makes friends, marriages, and grows us all.
I have never been an emotional eater, I am an emotional cooker but I must say aren't we all. Watch someone's face as the set out a home cooked meal for the first time or make their child birthday cake, or bring a meal to an ill friend or grieving family or a newly made family.... Emotional, yes, magic, yes!

As it Jeff's birthday week I wanted to make our sweet treat of the week in honor of him.
Iced Oatmeal Raisin cookies
2 Tbsp flaxseed meal
1 cup oat flour ( make your own by processing the oats in the FP)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp vegan margarine, softened (I use SmartBalance)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup applesauce or prune puree (I went with homemade applesauce)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries (I used currants)

Icing:
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

1. To make cookies: stir together flaxseed meal and 3 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk together oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. Beat margarine, brown sugar and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer (or a Kitchen Aid!) 1 to 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add applesauce, vanilla and flaxseed mixture, and beat until smooth. Stir in oat flour mixture with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add oats and dried fruit and stir to combine. Cover and chill for two hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray. Roll cookie dough into golf-ball sized rounds, and place dough balls 1.5 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (This recipe says it makes 24 cookies, but I only got about 16.) Flatten each cookie to 1/4 inch thickness with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in water. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies look dry on top and are just beginning to brown.

4. Meanwhile, prepare icing by whisking together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in small bowl until smooth; icing should be thick, but spreadable. Gently brush icing on hot cookies with pastry brush. Cool 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container.

I made the mix tonight and in the morning will pop them in the oven and send him off with fresh cookies....

Prayer

Have you ever been caught in the middle of a drought or a raging fire inside your heart and head? Have you ever noticed in the midst of the strongest cry that your tears have stopped as you have no more? Woken up in the middle of the night from the thud of your own heart beating so fast from the nightmare that rages in your head each day. Looked in the mirror and not recognized the person staring back at you as you've become numb to all around you?
What do you do with all of this, PRAY
Its not a secret to those close to me that the above is my life, and has been for some time. But to those looking in.... well, there you have it.
But I must say even with all of that, there is a strange peace and strength that I have always known, its been over the last 4 years that I have called that strength and peace by name, JESUS.
I am not on a soap box here or creating my own political ad, I am just sharing.
I have friends, loved ones, and people that I walk daily with fighting some difficult battles in their lives:
Sickness, Grief, Anger, Loneliness, Difficult pregnancies, Aches for conceiving, Empty marriages, Parting marriages, Job needs, Jealousy, Doubt and so much more. These pains are real to those that are carrying the burden and should be real to us that are not.
Prayer helps.... It gives answers, it gives HOPE, it can make some of the blackness turn to gray and even to white, it can heal and mend, it can give us strength.
I feel the need to place it on your heart that whatever your view or belief is that you find a moment and pray. It does not need to be a perfect script, most of my prayers just start with "Hey God..." He hears, and answers. Even when the answer at that moment makes no sense to us, minutes, days, or years later it will.
"Prayer For A Friend"
Casting Crowns

Lord, I lift my friend to You, I've done all that I know to do
I lift my friend to You
Complicated circumstances have clouded his view
Lord, I lift my friend up to You

I fear that I won't have the words that he needs to hear
I pray for Your wisdom, oh God, and a heart that's sincere
Lord, I lift my friend up to You

Lord, I lift my friend to You
My best friend in the world, I know he means much more to You
I want so much to help him, but this is something he has to do
And Lord, I lift my friend up to You

'cause there's a way that seems so right to him
But You know where that leads
He's becoming a puppet of the world, too blind to see the strings
Lord, I lift my friend up to You
My friend up to You

Lord, I lift my friend to You, I've done all that I know to do
I lift my friend to You

"there are Witches in the air...

Over the past few days, my little one has become a Halloween enthusiast. (well not really) She loves the light up pumpkin a co worker got me, has memorized "the spooky version of the wheels on the bus, wants to fall asleep to the 5 little pumpkin poem and is telling some odd stories with her imaginary friend dapper and wolves.....
So I saw this cute treat in a magazine and had to make them for her to take to her play group.
Witchy Pudding
"Jell-o" pudding cups in vanilla
Green food coloring
Chocolate wafers
Orange Frosting
Sugar cones

Take the pudding out of the cups and wash the cups. When dry, draw the witch face on the cups. Put a few drops of green color in the pudding and mix it up. Fill the cups back up. Place a wafer on the top of the pudding cup. (holds up the cone and acts as a seal for the pudding) squeeze some orange frosting on the wafer and top off with a cone.
You can wrap licorice around the hat or add other Halloween treats but I thought they were cute just as is.

Hope you all have kept your bellies happy. I am taking a break for about a week or so. Use this time to try out a new recipe, go to the library and check out a new cook book, share a meal with a friend or bake something unexpected for a neighbor.

We have a neighbor down the street, Mr Tom, whom Sophia adores....His wife past away from Cancer a few years back (instant bond) and I make a point, almost each week to walk him down some fresh cookies or homemade jelly or even soup. I just think how he would miss those treats that his wife would have made and love to see his smile when Phi hands him his goodies, what a lesson for Phi. We call it meals on stroller wheels, cause it usually get carted down in the basket of a stroller.

Sometimes, unexpected kindness and love can pull someone out of the deep hole they might have found themselves that day. There is so much power in love! Its just that simple. It weaves a life vest for those that need it. Just show up and love! It saves, heals and holds like no other.
(S, C, H, J, JA, L, A, JG ~ I can't even begin to explain how you stepped in at the right moment and gave me my very own life vest. God has used you and our friendship in such a way that I could never have imagined. Thank you for your love)

So worth it

I was looking for a way to use my apples in my homemade granola bars. I found this yummy bar recipe at 10:30 pm a few nights ago, well lesson learned READ THE WHOLE RECIPE BEFORE COOKING! or like me you'll be up for 3 hours making them. I ended up making the crust and the filling one night and Sophia helped me the next day with the topping which actually worked out better because our letter of the week at home is A, so I told her we were making A for Apple Pie bars. She loved it.

APPLE PIE BARSwww.RecipeGirl.com

CRUST:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

FILLING:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
12 Granny Smith apples (about 6 pounds)—peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup water, as necessary


TOPPING:
3 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled

My Thoughts(this topping recipe makes a ton, I tweeked it some to my taste and health preferences, but a standard crumb or strudel topping will work)1


. Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a 15-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. With an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. At low speed, beat in the flour, spices and salt until a soft dough forms. Press the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan and 1/2 inch up the side in an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and set. Let cool on a rack.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: In a very large, deep skillet melt the butter with the brown sugar. (If you don’t have a large skillet, divide between 2 skillets). Add the apples to the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook until the apples are caramelized and very tender and the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes longer; scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet and add up to 1/2 cup of water to the pan to prevent scorching. Let cool.

3. Prepare the topping: In a large bowl, mix the oats with the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Using fingers (wash your hands and take off your rings first!), squeeze the butter into the oats & sugar and crumble together until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press the mixture into clumps.

4. Assemble the bars: Spread the apple filling over the crust. Scatter the crumbs on top, pressing them lightly into an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the topping is golden; rotate the pan halfway through baking, and keep an eye on it to make sure the top isn’t getting too browned. Let cool completely on a rack before cutting into 2-inch bars.



I think I am going to try them again with a pumpkin squash filling, I am sure they'll be just as yummy.

Happy Bellies all

Random thoughts and more

I just love this picture of Phi grazing in the Apple Orchard. No cares, no worries no fears. Just on a mission for the perfect fruit, aren't we all?

(and) So another week is upon us, the air is crisp, cold and fragrant of all things fall. Within me, stirs an unsettled feeling of too many major moments all happening at once. So of course into the kitchen I sink. Most nights have consisted of me up till 10 or 11 cooking something, not because I need to or want to for that matter, but to help ease my fears, hurt, anger, guilt and sadness.
I've been praying for clarity and strength lately as I feel like I've been hanging out in the forest alone for way to long. Have you ever felt that way?
Well through this life, our day, other lives, the world, the seasons and everything else is still moving at lightening fast speeds. I have been trying to be aware of where my head and heart are each day and it seems to help steer the course of the day. On days when things are turned on edge, I retreat, On days or moments when they are good I rejoice and fit in with the masses.
During this time I have also been praying for others, for in the grand performance of it all, my life and hiccups do not measure up to those in the heat of the battle with sickness, grief, struggles, and need. Pray for someone today, they need it.

Now on to yummier notes of the meals this week:
San Marzano tomato sauce
Lettuce wraps and dumplings
Veggie Alpha soup
Mushroom and Veggie tartlets with bulgar salad
Enchilada bake
This weekend is another busy one of dinners with friends and a Halloween zoo adventure So Friday and Sat does not need to be planned.

In talking with a friend, I had this huge awakening, Sauce! It is so simple and yet scares so many people. If you make your own you cut down on fat and sugar too.
Here's one I just tryed (which by the way in the foodie blog world has been floating around as a must try, for me it was very close to what I typically make mine actually has a few more steps then this one but its a good starter)

Tomato Sauce

1 large can of whole peeled San Marzano (I usually us my own canned, but this kind of tomato was one of the reasons this recipe is being praised)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved not diced (my step mom shared this with me about 1 year ago and the flavor is wonderful when used this way)
Salt, Mint and Fresh garlic to taste
(my secret 1 whole potato)

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan (it fit just right in a 3-quart) over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Add the whole potato (It soaks up the moisture and thickens the sauce) Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add the seasonings to taste (you might find, as I did, that your tomatoes came salted and that you didn’t need to add more) and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.
SO SIMPLE Right?
There are so many versions of sauce there really is no wrong way, its a matter of taste and texture.

Make it easy on your self and make this x like 6 or more. Let it cool completely and package it in ziplocs or other freezer safe dinner sizes and you are ready with your own "jarred" sauce in no time.

So here's to another day, hour and minute, and the prayers and shoulders that caryy us through.
Keep your belly happy

An apple or 12 a day...

So with all those apples I have, I have been tossing them into everything.
Give it a try. Some of my best recipes have been on accident.
I added apples to my:
Squash soup
Potato soup
Made a yummy crock pot apple sauce (over night) it was joy to wake up to.
so it could be over REAL oatmeal.
Mixed the fresh sauce into my waffle batter
Melted butter and brown sugar mixed some applesauce in and had a great topping to ice cream or the above waffles
Tossed them in a salad
Thinly sliced on grilled cheese
Diced into my homemade veggie burgers

So you can guess what our meals will be some what centered around for the next little bit. But its fun trying to use them in new ways

Most of you that know me, know that long ago, as I was attending undergrad and grad school I was a make up artist. I still have a passion for it but in order to go the route I would have liked with it I really would need to move and that's not happening so.... The next best thing is staying in the loop. I get a lot of trade mags and have some pretty good friends still in the industry. (Katie O- I am soooo proud of you and your will, strength and trust, You are awesome at what you do. I will always have memories of us tracking to TO to go to the pro store.) But anyway a website that updates and test new products had been raving about Rimmel's (yes I know its drug store) 25 hour foundation. I have searched high and low for one that can go on at 6:00am and still look great at 10pm (my day) I was using a Chanel formula that I loved for the last 3 years. I gave this one a try and its really very nice. It may just become my new winter formula. Still love paint sticks for summer.

We've been out at a fall fest all day so this weeks meals will be up by Monday. I am trying out a new sauce recipe that apparently has been sweeping the cooking blogs.. Stay tuned and happy bellies

yummy updates

So last week I posted about a new flatbread pizza we were trying out.
Well it was a major hit. Its from the chef chole blog
http://www.chefchloe.com/blog/2-blog/37-flatbread-with-roasted-apple-butternut-squash-and-caramelized-onion.html
You may have to copy and paste the link.
It has inspired me to try other savory ideas on my pizza, esp with all of fall's yumminess around.

I used the left over squash to make soup.

My recipe is a take on The Joy of Cooking's version.
Butternut Squash Soup
1 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
1 diced apples
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups Veggie stock
Nutmeg
I tossed some shredded Asiago at the end to make it a bit richer
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

I popped this into a container to have on Saturday with a salad after our fall adventure.

and of course I've been working on those apples, we think we are into the 120's
Apple Muffins

Cream together:
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 Stick of butter
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Dry
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a few grates of nutmeg
3 cups peeled, cored, diced apples (around 3 apples)
Brown sugar for topping (around 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup almond milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. The batter will be very thick. At this point I added the almond milk Add the diced apples.

Butter & flour muffin tins or use paper liners. Fill muffin tins to the top. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Sidebar I made these at 9:30 last night and when they came out had Jeff try them. He had 4..... They were just so yummy. Easy and quick nice treat if you need to take something to someone.

MMMM, Tastes like Thanksgiving

This post piggy backs on the one that came before it (did that make sense?)
T-Day has been and will be one of my favorite days. I really could leave all the other days to everyone else but this one is just for me. For many reasons, the cooking the prep all makes me so comfy and happy and then the reason behind it. I have so much to be thankful for. Even in dark hours when I can't find a blue sky anywhere let alone a rainbow, I can reflect on so many parts of my life that I am thankful for.
With that, I made the Apple, Cheddar, Caramelized Onion Panninni's for dinner and before the 1st bite was even swallowed, Jeff and I both said this is Thanksgiving..
Something about that yummy sandwich, it smelled, tasted and recalled everything I love about that day.
If you make it let me know and enjoy
After dinner and 1 apple crumble we figure we are down 142lbs of apples..Maybe I'll keep a count down as we use em.. (I had planned on using more today but the day got away from me

Weekend Recovery

I left my picture cord at work sorry no pic, but I'll get one up soon

So our apple picking adventure was fun. We met up with wonderful friends and picked apples and raspberries till the kids could not be bothered...
Upon checking out I discover we picked 145 pounds of apples..... Yes 145 lbs of apples.
The funny things is it really doesn't look like that much. Its 4 Wegmans bags full and 1 of the giant Aldi bags. Needless to say they'll be some apple recipes in our near and distant future...
Speaking of recipes here's the week:
Apple, Cheddar and caramelized Onion Pannini's(I think I spell this wrong every time)
(Served with Green Chips)
Tomorrow we are bringing Phi with us to pick up our share at the farm and I found a cute little country mom & pop so that takes care of Monday
Tofu Parmish (because it never happened last week, too many left overs that needed to be used)
Butternut Squash, Apple and White Bean Flatbread (new recipe I'm trying out)
Potato Soup (Recipe below) (So happy so many of you tryed it out this weekend and loved it)
Homemade Veggie burgers (I'll post this sooo easy recipe later in the week)

So thats a heads up as to what the week will bring.

Something comforting to try Warm milk & honey
While at the farm I picked up some more local honey. When we came home Phi was out of sorts as rightfully so, a shorter then normal car nap after a long day of hard work. So we snuggled up on my bed with books and "stuffies" and a mug of milk & honey. I came to love this soothing mix when I was in my early 20's. It just seemed to wipe all the ick of the day away and somehow felt like home. Just warm up some milk on the stove and sweeten to your liking with honey. I imagine welcoming friends and guests into my B&B with a cup and a fresh muffin someday...


As for the Raspberries they became fresh muffins for breakfast

* 1 lemon
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 cup nonfat buttermilk, (no Buttermilk/No worries, juice 1 lemon into 1 cup of milk or Almondmilk)
* 1/3 cup canola oil
* 1 large egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 large (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemon in long strips. Combine the zest and sugar in a food processor; pulse until the zest is very finely chopped into the sugar. Add buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla and pulse until blended.
3. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in raspberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
4. Bake the muffins until the edges and tops are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm.


Enjoy the day and keep your belly happy

Meals, Maui & Momofuku.....

So the Meals this week are planned:
Maui Soup (Clean Eating recipe a great friend turned me on to, leftovers will be lunch for me for the week)See Below
Homemade Pizza
FLT's on Homemade bread with roasted green beans (Faux Bacon, L, T's)
Tofu parmish (just like chic parm but not, and I am serving it with Season Orzo rather then heavy sauce and pasta)
Taco's (we make open face salad, with black beans, corn, homemade salsa and gauc)
Pasta Broccoli
Veggie Barely soup (My secret is the recipe on the back of the quaker med barely box with a few tweeks, love this soup, I'll prob make it Friday night so when we come home from apple picking dinner will be within arms reach)

Maui
Over the summer I had lunch with a dear friend who brought some yummy soup. She had mentioned her whole fam loves the soup and its so easy to throw together, well bring it on, esp in Sept. I looked up the recipe and got to work.
I loved how simple it was, it almost remind me of what I call a fridge clean out soup, everything you have on hand. I loved that most of the cooking happened before the stock even goes in the pot and for the most it was done in 30 min. One thing I left out the basil and oreg and added cilantro, it just seemed to fit better and this recipe calls for the soup to be pureed. I started doing that and didn't like the look of smooshed black black beans so I opted out of that and left it. I served it with my famous homemade tortillas ( a girls gotta have a few secrets, sorry) and it was a hit. The recipe made enough for dinner and portions for my lunch.

and now on to MOMOFUKU!!!!?????

http://www.momofuku.com/milk-bar/

So I have been reading about this noodle bar and milk bar for a few months now and have been running across the name for a bit so I had to do some investigating, well turns out it is a fun foodie kind of NYC place (we will most certainly be heading there on our next big city adventure) with such things on their menu as the compost cookie, cereal and milk shake and the infamous crack pie! Yes crack pie, this is the recipe that I keep crossing which is funny because it is not even close to the clean eating, healthy body conscious foods that I have been immersed in.
Any way, I am just holding out to make this but can not bring myself to make it for just us, for fear I'll eat the whole thing.
Check this link out for more info on "crack"
http://almostbourdain.blogspot.com/2010/03/momofuku-milk-bars-crack-pie.html
the link gives more behind the pie and that sticker shocking price of $44 a pie! (only in NYC)

So we had a nice weekend, Sunday nights are comforting to me as a rest day but not so much as a back to work night. It does ease my mind that while I am down here typing and doodling away on the computer, my batch of dough for my homemade bread is rising, laundry is done, house is somewhat still clean from the cleaners this week. And Monday can come as it will if I want it to or not, so my choice is to embrace it, smile and go out and face it all.

Keep your belly happy!

Seriously addictive snacks and soup...

This past weekend was a bit chilly so what a better thing to whip up, soup.
Soup is so easy, quick and healthful, I really wonder why anyone would ever buy a can and don't get me wrong I love salt and the ease factor but there are just so many options when it comes to making your own

Here is one of our favorites
CHUNKY POTATO SOUP
3 cups diced potatoes
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped carrots (optional)
2 cups milk
3 cups water
3 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. fresh parsley
1 tbsp. fresh cilantro
1/3 cup ground Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp Mrs. Dash original
2 cubes of Veggie bouillon
2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Bring water to a boil, add fresh herbs and vegetables. Let boil for 5 minutes, add milk, butter, boil for 3 minutes more; add spices and seasonings, then add flour and cheese.
Stir very well so that the flour and cheese do not clump; continue stirring.
Serve when vegetables are tender and flavors are well blended.
Serve topped with cheddar cheese and add a few saltine crackers.

I served these with yummy green chips..

Its a fun way to eat lots of vitamins and yummy goodness.
Green Chips

Take a bunch of greens (kale, collard any heavy green)
Rip them up and lay them on a baking pan (love my Pamper chef bar stone)
mix together 1 Tablespoon of EVOO and 1 Tablespoon of Apple cider vinegar
Toss together, sprinkle salt or spike or any of your favorite spices..
Bake for about 10-15 min at 350 till crispy and chip like.

Sophia and Jeff love these (so do I).
And I just had to share as we had these with 3 different meals this week, Jeff looks at me (the 3rd time I put them down) and laughed. "What I" said, He shook his head and said "we just eat so differently then everyone else" I actted surprised but I really wasn't but I just keep thinking why not? Why can't we learn to love good, healthful and purposeful foods? We don't have to be that heavily reliant on medicines and the norm of bloat and yuck. Ok I'll jump down from my soap box. But really I hope I can help anyone who needs it. Please just ask if you have a Q.
On that note I'm off to enjoy the weekend and breathe a bit.

Kepp your belly happy

A small bit of the 5 bushels of apples we picked last year, we'll be headed out in about 2 weeks for this years stock pile.


I am lucky to live in an area where every season is wonderful in its own way. But for me nothing beats our Falls. Cider mills, unlimited varieties of squash, apple picking, hot caramel ciders, fire places on to get the chill out but not warm the house, crunchy leaves, animals out collecting their own harvest for the winter, Pumpkins, pies, soups, long sleeves no jackets, fun boots, windows open in the car, sun roof open and the heat on!!!! Many more blissful thoughts but it would cover the whole post.
So when I woke this morning to the stinging chill that fall can bring over night I loved every minute of it.
Jeff had to be home with "the cable guy" so I headed out to pick up our farm share. Oh how I love that ride and can understand why people live "in the country". There is just something about rolling green hills, corn fields, cows mooooooing, berry patches, old farm houses, ponds, road side stands and the list could go on.
Every time I take a drive like that I am reminded of why I am working... Someday we'll be in a great big ol'home in which I can cook and visit as the owner of a bed and breakfast and Jeff can putter around and complete the honey do now list....
I always get so much joy out of bringing it all home and laying it out, washing and prepping it, and just marveling in it all.
Brings me to a clear peaceful head space (which lately doesn't happen much).

Our farm was offering the last of the peaches at a really cheap price so I scooped up a dozen and decided peach cobbler for breakfast.....Yes that's right, Jeff said the same thing for breakfast and my reply, well, yeah, its part pancake, oatmeal, and fruit all rolled into 1 pan of oooey goooey yumminess!
(I had posted another cobbler recipe a while back but here's my
breakfast take on Peach Cobbler:
Enough ripe peaches (I have tried this with apples and it is as yummy) to fill an 8x8 baking pan or the like
2Tb light brown sugar
1/4 lime
1 cup of oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 flour
about an 1/8 of clove
A few good passes of grated nutmeg
1/2-1 t of good cinnamon
Butter and Flax oil

Cut the peaches, I like a good rustic dice, toss in the lime juice and coat with brown sugar, I tossed in about 1 t of corn starch just to help give me a nice think sauce. Mix all the dry ingredients, cut in butter about 1/2 to a whole stick depending on your own liking of butter (I use the real thing here, sorry).
Now for me at this point I wrapped it up and put it in the fridge, when I am ready to wake every one up, it will go in the oven tomorrow to scent the house about 15-20 minutes at 375. (I will drizzle a little flax oil over it before putting it in the oven.

For the rest of the week, I actually don't have anything planned as far as food, that will get done tomorrow. A CSA fridge clean out soup for sure, a loaded bowl and Paninni for sure
So enjoy a warm cup of coffee and a book, and keep your belly happy...

Back to work

Well we are back and in full swing at the moment, there is way too much to be done.

So I just wanted to post a link to a great site that I thought you may love as much as I do
http://thehealthseekerskitchen.blogspot.com/
Check it out and enjoy.

Oh and 1 question what keeps you going through craziness? I am finding myself doing a lot more zoning then focusing lately and would love to hear how everyone brings themselves back to center...

No don't throw that out

So I have this hallway cabinet that is over flowing with Tupperware, Glad ware, Zip lock ware and all the other ware's you can find at a store or at a Home party.
About 2-3 times a year Jeff gets something in him to clean it for me (aka, throw all my stuff out.....) So I always linger by the hall and say "No, No, I may use that, what if, Oh those are good for..." Well one of the many items is the infamous Tupperware Hamburger press. I have wonderful memories of my mom making homemade burgers with hers. I can clearly picture her sampling the raw mixture, (GROSSSS I know, but I take whatever memories can come) Anyway, when I first moved out on my own, somehow I got talked into selling Tupperware for like 6 months and of course what was my very first purchase? You guessed it, well I have used the thing maybe like half a dozen times in my 16 years of living on my own. Till now.. Go figure when I am fully vegetarian I learn to love a Hamburger press.

So you have to try these, whether you eat meat or not. They had such a great flavor to them you'd never miss any of the ... well I'll save my adjectives for another time.
Enjoy.
Here is the original recipe:
http://vegetableartist.blogspot.com/2009/09/eggplant-meatball-spagetti.html

She originally made meatballs, which I will do as well. But I broke out the Burger press and got to work. I made the patties and cooked them for about 20min at 400. Let them cool and packaged them up to freeze, I"ll reheat them just like any other veggies burger. I made them using the Italian spices she called for but next time I'll play a bit with different ones, like maybe cumin and curry..

I almost forgot, I wasn't sure if they would brown enough so instead of salt I used Tamari, which is a wheat free soy sauce. Worked well they got nice and brown in the oven.
Happy Bellies

China Food

What Sophia calls anything that may even look like Chinese, so its just kind of stuck. The Pics are of her helping, which she learned pretty quick from her dad that if you hang around while I cook you get plenty of samples and leave it up to her to help herself
I love when I have something at a Restaurant that I just can't get enough of. I go home and try and recreate it. SO today we have and ode to Mr. Chang, P.F that is...
I've made them many time for us and Jeff always stands by the bowl to "help"... We've had friend over for dinner and they have been gobbled up so without any wait,
The Lettuce Wrap

This is also dedicated to Chris, enjoy....
Pouring Sauce
1/4 sugar
1/2 warm water
2Tb Tamari
2Tb rice vinegar, I used apple cider vinegar too
2 Tb Ketchup
1 Tb Hot water
1Tb dijon (I used stone ground)
2 cloves garlic
Chicken Stir-fry I use the morning star chix strips
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed to 1/2″
1 – 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, minced to the size of corn kernals
1/2 cup mushrooms, minced to the size of corn kernals
1/2 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
6 large leaves of iceberg lettuce or nappa cabbage

Stir-fry sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Begin by making the pouring sauce. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water, then add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil. Mix well and throw in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
Combine 1 teaspoons hot water with dijon mustard and garlic and set this aside in small bowl.

Combine oils and add to wok or large frying pan. Heat oil over high heat until it glistens, about one minute. Add chicken and saute until cooked through, then remove from the pan and cool. Keep oil in the pan, keeping it hot over a low flame.

Prep the stir fry sauce by mixing soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar in a small bowl.

Take pan that you cooked the chicken in (with the still warming oil, riiiight?) and turn it up to medium-high heat. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, wait one minute, and then add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and the stir-fry sauce you prepared earlier. Stir-fry everything until the mushrooms have cooked, about four minutes, and remove to a serving dish.

Add mustard/garlic mixture to the pouring sauce, 1/2 a teaspoon at time to taste.

Serve stir-fry with iceberg lettuce or nappa cabbage leaf wraps and top with pouring sauce.

I have used both sauces to whip up other dishes too

Happy Bellies

Something yummmmmmy for your tummmmmmy

As promised here are a few of the weeks dinners
Southwest Loaded Bowl
Make enough brown rice or quinoa to fit your bunch. I love (http://www.lundberg.com/)
Lundberg brands. They are at Wegs so its not hard to find.
Prep the dressing
Juice of 1 lime and lemon
1Tb of Veganise (you'll never know the difference except in health factor)
1/4 c EVOO
1ts cumin
S & P to taste
(mix it all and let chill, to help really emulsify the oil zip it in a food processor)
Dice:
1 Tomato, Avocado,Cuke,1/2 a Zuke, some broc finely diced, about 2-4 ears of corn cut from the cob, 1/2 of a jalepeno,2 cloves of garlic, fresh cilantro 2 cups of spinach and the juice of 1 lime. Toss it all to coat and serve over a grain of your choice with the above dressing.

In honor of Mr. Food, oh its so good. With out the grain the dressing and the veggies make a great chunky fun salsa.
These loaded bowls have become a favorite around our house. A great way to use up the end of the weeks CSA veggies and so filling.

Eggplant parm
Serve with a pasta or Ravioli or on a GOOD sub roll as a sandwich. (Bread is another one of the things I never cheap out on and in fact there happens to be a great bakery by me which is known as the "Bread Store" by little miss and most times its actually cheaper in cost then the big stores).

Cut the Eggplant so you get nice small circles rather then the long way, Not sure why but it makes a difference. Have 3 bowls set up one with about 2 egss and a splash of milk and S & P, 1 with flour and 1 with Panko bread crumbs (the lesson, is in the breading, YOU MUST use the Panko crumbs not regular bread crumbs. They are a Japanese style crumb that is airy and lighter in texture and flavor). Begin by dipping in flour, then egg, then crumbs, let them sit for a minute or 2. Get a nice large pan hot coat with oil to fry. You'll fry them just a few minutes till each side gets brown.
(Use whatever red sauce you prefer, I make my own quick sauce by, sauteing some onion and garlic, add a large can of crushed tomatoes, some mint and basil to taste)
Put a small amount of sauce in the bottom of 9 x 13 pan place cooked eggplant on top, use a yummy melty cheese of choice (fontina or provolone)put a little bit more sauce on top and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes to get the cheese gooey.

Sweet Cinnamon Zuke bread

Preheat oven 325
sift
3 cups flour
1ts salt
1ts baking soda
1 Tb cinnamon
1/2 ts ginger
1/4 ts baking powder
wisk to combine

beat with electric mixer
6 eggs whites till foamy
then 1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini
2 ts vanilla

Add dry to wet mix just till blended pour into loaf pans that were sprayed, bake for about 1 hour or use clean knife test. Most times I smell the bread before its even done, I check it and what do you know...

Enjoy, happy bellies all

Everything rides on Hope on...

(That was Sophia is the NICU, after 12 days of wires they came off and she came home, HOPE)

Addison Road ... Everything Rides on Hope

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjqZPaiYiRs&feature=related

If everything comes down to love
Then just what am I afraid of
When I call out Your name
Something inside awakes in my soul
How quickly I forget I'm Yours

I'm not my own
I've been carried by You
All my life

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

When my life is like a storm
Rising waters all I want is the shore
You say I'll be ok
Make it through the rain
You are my shelter my from the storm

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

I am not my own
I've been carried by you all my life

Everything rides on hope now

Your love sets me free



Just needed to share,
When we have lost all and are down on our face and knees, it is the hardest thing to do but finding a glimmer of light, a warm hand, and hope can pick you up and carry you through.

For me hope is all I ever had.. In so many moments, and still do......

Hope that my mom never suffered the way I remembered to have, Hope that somebody somewhere would love me, Hope that I would make it on my own, Hope that he'll always look at me as the perfect women he thought he married rather then the big old mess hes found out he married, Hope that we would have a child, Hope that the child I was carrying would make it 12 ,18, 24, 30, 36 weeks (She made it 35), Hope that all those wires would come off of her sooner rather than later, Hope that I would take her home from the NICU, Hope for all of those that didn't take their child home from the NICU, Hope that the drugs I took to get her here didn't put her there, Hope that my father knows how much I love him and that he will always be that big strong man that carried me in a dancing costume over a flooded street just to get to a competition with a smile on his face, Hope that my step mom knows how much I think of her as a mom but struggle with calling anyone else mom since losing mine, Hope that the people in my life that have not let Jesus into their hearts do because I want to be in Heaven with them, Hope that I show my daughter all I can about Jesus and that she always has him in her heart as her savior so that I may walk with her in eternity, Hope that all this crazy stuff in the world is really just a big fat joke, Hope that my friends who walk with me daily really know how much they mean to me, HOPE..... What ever happens Hope can get us a better nights rest and a simple tomorrow, Hope can make us smile through the heavy cloud of tears, and Hope in Jesus can heal.

To Glaze or not to Glaze?

Not sure if I told you but we love breakfast around here. One of my best and early memories of our marriage was when Jeff would get up earlier then me and get a Huge breakfast going. Eggs, fruit, toast, COFFFFFFEEEEE! waffles or pancakes and any other fun thing he found in the fridge. Well Saturdays and Sundays are just not that lazy anymore (funny things happen after you turn 30) so we only do this every once in a while but lately with church now starting at 10, its been creeping back in to Sunday mornings. Instead of him cooking and I snoozing in bed, its Sophia and I, and I must say it is just as magical.
After berry picking and freezing I had so many berries that didn't meet "quality control" for one reason or another so I decide to make double berry muffins.
After I noticed that Jeff had eaten 5 in a matter of maybe 5 minutes I said are they good. Awesome was the response..
So enjoy
3/4c Almond milk or whatever you like
1/2 cup yogurt
1 egg or egg replacer mixxed
2 cups flour you can do half and half 1 wheat 1 white but not the whole thing wheat too heavy
about 1/4 cup honey
1/4 coconut flakes
3 Teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup raspberries 1/2 cup Blueberries

preheat to 400 spray or line muffin pans
blend milk, yogurt,egg in a small bowl. Sift dry ingredients in another. Make a well in the dry and pour in the wet, mix well. Fold in the berries and divide among the cups. bake 15 to 20 minutes depending on how you like yours.
Lemon glaze
when muffin are cool dip the tops into this yummy oozzzzey goodness
Juice of 1 lemon
about 1 cup powder sugar
a good squirt of vanilla
a teeny pinch of salt
mix and use.

All right, I just noticed its way toooo late for me so happy bellies all. I have a another loaded bowl and a simple eggplant parm for you which I'll post with in the week till then

Void that needs filling...

So for the past week its been nothing but prep around this house of mine. All in order to get ready for what's to come.
School that is, yep its back to it for us.
Sophia is officially potty trained. She only wear pull ups ("Sleeping panties") at night and is wearing "Big Girl Panties all the time now. She is getting used to asking other adults to use the potty and is pulling over her step stool to go almost completely on her own (wipe). Yay! Great job little one and I must say it wasn't that bad, her sense of humor got in the way sometimes like when she would have and accident and look at me and say "Again! Momma, I just too busy so I pee on the floor" which I respond, "REALLY!"
Fall, I've been canning up a storm here and the boiled and burnt pages of my 30 something year old Good Housekeeping cook book can prove it. Putting up beans, corn, berries, tomatoes and peaches anything just to have this wonderful veggie love in the middle of the winter! It really is so easy to do, a bit of prep but trust me sooooo worth it.
Over the next few weeks I'll start making bigger batches of dinners too, this way I can freeze them for crazy busy work nights. I try to double about 4 meals a week in September and October which helps so much come November through January.
Bedtime, not just for the little one, but us too which means DVR has been in use a bit more too. We are so not a TV family but go figure our 2 or 3 guilty TV pleasure shows are all on at like 10pm, not happening anymore.
Me I am in such an emotional overload moment that I have this odd void hanging around. This what if feeling always creeps in around this time of year but I feel it more so this year. I would pretty much have to say it has all to do with a variety of happenings that are very personal but pretty much can be summed up in this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T7AzuCQgGY
There's been lots of praying over here. And I know it is just a matter of fully trusting God and that he fully in control of my life and everyone else. That's always been a strong issue for me Control and trust.
Dear Father,
Allow me to be open and raw, let me breathe in your spirit and be filled with what you know I need. Give me the strength to be quiet and whole. Let me be your reflection and use me to show your mercy. Soften my heart and mold it to your will.
Use these moments of fear and sorrow to return life to others who need it more then me. Wrap your arms around those that need to be healed, save those that have fallen or have not yet seen your glory and grace. Carry us now as you have always carried us in past moments.
In the most precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen...

So all of that above is stewing in me and I am working through it.
I love how God brings us closer to those we pray for, so What's going on in your world and how can I pray for you?

Fun Link

Check this out...

http://kitchengardeners.org/world-kitchen-garden-day

As we went to the berry farm this weekend, I was just saying to the Mr. I love that Sophia knows where food comes from. That what is good for you is grown, fed and nurtured just like us. Funny how God made that work out, huh.

So celebrate by eating something that didn't come from a box.

I've always felt this way but this year having the CSA share makes me think at every meal, "Someone was loving on my food before it even got to my hands. And as I clean, cut and trim it all I also think how how many people need this very same food to survive. My brown leaves on a head of lettuce (that end up down the garbage disposal) are a families only meal for the day..

I vow to give back in this area much more then I ever have...How about you

Funk and Fun

Not much new this week
Our house is Getting the back to school jitters for sure. Most of our time lately has been spent just enjoying being home. Sophia and I have been loving slow days and I am very nervous about the upcoming change of pace. With that we have been going to the library and just hanging out together.Nothing beats cuddling over books or dance parties around here.
Lots of walks and spur of the moment zoo trips. I don't think I'll ever be able to say no to her when she wakes up from nap or the morning and says "Momma lets have a picnic at the zoo".
I am also in a little kitchen funk. In the early part of the week I made dinner to bring to a friend and 8 batches of cookies (about 40 dozen) for church. I loved doing it but after just needed a time out.
So as we started this weekend out with a trip to the berry patch to scoop up the last of the Red raspberries and Blue berries along with a giant CSA pick up I had no choice but to put on the boots and jump in the mud
In order to make room for all the goodies from the farm I needed to make a big pot of soup, you know the kind the cleans out the fridge: Here is the recipe
CSA Soup
(Warning loosely based on the Cabbage soup recipe from the silly soup diet, if your not looking for a diet soup add some fat!)
1 onion
1 Hungarian pepper, 1 green bell pepper
1 small can of diced tomatoes or 2 cups of fresh diced
2 carrots
1/2 head of cabbage
1 ear of corn removed from cob
Curry
Fresh cilantro, garlic
Lime
3 veggie bouillon cubes

Dice the onions and saute them in a bit of cooking spray
Clean up the peppers and dice them toss them in (give them a few minutes to cook down)
Take off the tough outer cabbage leaves and dice the head, toss it in
Clean, peel carrots, toss them in too (give it a few mins to cook)
add tomatoes, curry to taste, cilantro, diced garlic, squeeze 1 lime, add bouillon cubes.
Add about 12 cups water and corn, cook for about 2 hours or more.
The end result should be a clean tasting soup with a bit of mexicany zip. You may need to salt and pepper it depending on taste. Serve with home tortillas or some toasted pita and hummus.

There is no need to add rice or pasta here but by all means go ahead, add some beans to if you need. Your cooking to make your belly happy so have at it!

Also on the plan Sweet Potato and Cinnamon brownies ( I think I am secretly trying to find ways to make it ok to eat a brownie everyday and taking out some of the fat and changing them up is allowing me to do so)

SP & Cinny brownies
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon, ground
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 egg whites
Olive oil cooking spray
ICING
1/2 cup low-fat plain cream cheese
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1 tablespoon water {optional}
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare brownies: Combine flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a food processor, combine sweet potato, agave, oil and vanilla. Puree until combined and smooth.
3. Gradually mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients, until just combined; do not over-mix.
4. In a separate dry bowl, whisk egg whites until fluffy. Then, using a rubber spatula, gently fold egg whites into batter.
5. Lightly spray sides of baking pain {9 x 9 x 2-inch} with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and place into oven. Bake for about 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and allow brownies to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
6. While brownies are cooking or cooling, prepare icing: In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, agave, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Whisk until incorporated, adding 1 tablespoon water if mixture is hard to whisk. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
7. Loosen brownie and turn slab out onto a cutting board or platter. Cut into 16 pieces, wrap and refrigerate overnight.
8. To serve, divide icing evenly over each brownie and serve immediately. Leftovers may be kept refrigerated in a resealable container for up to 2 days.


Till next time, love on your food and each other and keep you bellies happy

To Market To Market

I ADORE FARMERS MARKETS....... Have I mentioned that before, mmm, yep probably did.
Today Phi and I went and let me tell you nothing is cuter then a 2 year walking around eating a huge tomato like an apple with juice and seeds dripping everywhere. No I didn't get a pick, ugggg. Anywho I picked up a bushel of Roma's that will get put up and turned into sauce this week, some beans that will be frozen and, I was supposed to get corn to put freeze but I forgot it so we'll go back during the week.
Oh and fresh local honey. Did you know that there is soooo much research out there that proves eating honey grown locally (within 3 hours of where you live) is the BEST immune system support you can give yourself. (NOT for babes under 1)
Check this link out
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/health-benefits-of-organic-locally-grown-raw-honey/

Yesterday was a hot one and Jeff has been working at a place that is even hotter inside which calls for some pretty crafty dinner needs on my part.
Refreshing and replenishing while being filling, not heavy and stuffing.
Here is my take on a loaded bowl. They make great main meals or small lunches or side dishes too.
Enjoy
The Loaded Bowl
3 c quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 c fresh chopped cilantro
2 avocados, pitted and peeled
fresh lemon juice, to prevent avocado from browning
salt and pepper
juice of 4 limes
zest of 1 lime

dressing
1/4c EVOO
1/4 c whie vinegar
2-3 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper

Directions
1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Cover and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add beans tomatoes, and cilantro. Toss to combine.
3. Dice avocado, drizzle with lemon juice, and set aside in fridge.
4. Add all dressing ingredients to a food processor or mini chopper. Pulse until garlic is blended and dressing appears creamy. Set aside in fridge.
5. Fluff quinoa with a fork and add bean mixture. Season with salt and pepper and add lime juice and zest. Toss to combine. Serve in bowls, topped with avocado and drizzled with dressing, dividing evenly.

Oh and those peaches became 20 jars of jam and jelly, about 6 dozen jars of peach butter, numerous cobblers and plenty to be had in our tummies.

Enjoy and keep you belly happy

Fusion Enchilada's

Give this a try it was pretty yummy (we excluded the beef, but you could really do it with anything that fits your fancy)
Clean Eating Enchilada's revamped with "refried" Beans

1/2 Small onion. diced

2 cloves Garlic, smashed

1 cup Frozen shelled edamame beans

1 tsp Cumin, ground

1 tsp Chili powder

2 tsp Fresh lime juice

Sea salt, to taste

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

FILLING

1 1/2 tsp Olive oil, divided

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 tsp Cumin, ground

8 oz Sirloin beef, thinly sliced

1 cup Corn kernels (frozen & thawed, canned or fresh)

1 Medium red bell pepper, finely diced

2 cups Baby spinach

1 1/2 cups All natural low-sodium tomato sauce, divided

Sea salt, to taste

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

8 Small whole wheat flour tortillas (about 6 to 8 inches in diameter)

1/2 cup Low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preparation

ONE Preheat oven to 425F

TWO Prepare "refried" edamame: Bring 2 cups water to a boil over high heat. Add onion, garlic & edamame, bring back to a boil & cook for 4 mins. Drain onion-bean mixture, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Pour bean mixture & reserved cooking liquid into a food processor & add cumin, chili powder & lime juice. Puree until almost smooth & season with salt & black pepper. Scrape into a bowl and set aside

THREE Prepare beef filling: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 tsp oil, garlic & cumin. Add beef & mix well to season

FOUR In a nonstick saute pan, heat remaining 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and saute for about 1 min, until lightly browned. Add corn, red pepper & Spinach, and mix well to combine. Add 1/4 cup tomato sauce and cook for 1 to 2 mins, until heated through. Season with salt & black pepper & remove from heat

FIVE Spread 1/2 cup remaining tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9 x 13 in baking dish and set aside

SIX Spread tortillas out in a single layer on a flat work surface. Scoop 2-3 tbsp edamame filling and spread in the center of each tortilla. Top with 2-3 tbsp beef mixture and roll tightly. Place enchiladas seam-side down on top of tomato sauce in baking dish. Cover with remaining tomato sauce, top with cheese and place dish in oven. Bake enchiladas until hot throughout and cheese is melted, about 8 mins.

SEVEN Remove from oven and serve immediately

Cobbler

(I am experimenting with my little point and shot camera, That came out pretty good huh?)



A lot of my ideas like most come from a magazine or a clip from a cooking show, or over hearing someone in the grocery store... I am a people watcher so over hearing comes with the territory but hey I would have never been inspired to make zucchini cakes if I hadn't heard someone else talking about them (Similar to Potato pancakes but with zukes)

Here is the peach Cobbler recipe I am going to tweek
http://fortheloveofskinny.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/easy-peasy-peach-cobbler/
by taking out the white sugar, adding in a bit more spice, some wheat germ and nuts for crunch and making it family style rather then single serves.

So here's the challenge for this week. Take a recipe that sounds good to you and use what you have or love to make it your own. Most of the time you can always add something or leave something and not hinder the results that much.

Let me know what you did I would love to hear.

Another week of summer

Oh my goodness I can not believe its been a week since I posted. Life is moving way too fast again. For me it goes in waves there is everything or nothing......
Last week was full of family time and friends. I think I am trying to rope in the last little sprinklings of summer.
On Saturday we headed up North to a local fair that we had never been to. I was so impressed (can you say that about a fair?) It was about 1/4 of the size we are used to, clean safe and friendly. The day could not have been more beautiful. Everyone was happy and had a wonderful day. Phi made it all day and slept in till 8:30 on Sunday, which kind of set us back for the day but, you need that every now and then.
Sunday was supposed to be busy as well but the rain and some icky tummies ended keeping everyone inside.
Our CSA share this week was just huge. I am trying to find some new recipes to make use of the 2 incredibly large heads of cabbage I have. Lots of lettuce, heirloom cukes, tomatoes, beets, carrots, onions, peppers, zukes, squash and this lovely smelling bushel of peaches.
It was calling to me from the minute we brought it in. Nothing like a ripe juicy peach shared with a 2 year old.
So we are all set to make some cobbler, jam and can some peaches for the winter.
I am really trying to stay a head of all the fruit and veggies this summer and freeze it all now so we have the same yummy goodness through the cold months.

Dinner this week looks like this:
Today is a fridge clean out, lots of fresh veggies tosses with some browned butter served over Polenta cakes, Fusion Enchilada's, Lemony Pesto Pasta, Medi Calzones, Loaded Bowls and Saturday is Date night. We are going to try a new restaurant and see Eat, Pray, Love ( I am really excited about the movie).

Other then that, things are slowing down here too. Bedtime is moving up again. I try to do 15 minutes each week the month of August so that by the time school starts we have all smoothly transitioned back to the early shift.

I have also been exploring lots of blogs lately, so many different formats and styles it is so neat to glimpse into them all. But they can also be a time waster so I have to be careful before you know it, I look at the clock and its 11pm and way too late for me.


Add a new twist on Cabbage, I think I may serve this along with the pasta
http://www.dailyunadventuresincooking.com/2010/07/creamy-baked-cabbage-recipe.html

Keep your belly happy and smile at someone today, you never know who needs it...

2 new favorite Blogs to follow

A view to ease the day. No matter how many times you see a sunset you never loose interest in the beauty



I was with a few friends today and we talked for about a minute on blogs. Everyone has one, huh? For me its a nice way to document life and share. I always used to use a few minutes of my planning time to decompress by checking into a list of blogs. I wanted to share 2 new ones I follow: enjoy and post your favorites too.


http://goop.com/
This is Gwyneth Paltrow's site. I really have a different view of her after wading through this. Its big with lots of stuff to digest but enjoy. She has some good cooking demo's too

http://wildethings.org/
Olivia Wilde is an actress, and an activist. I really like her take on life. She spends a lot of time giving back and trying to make things better then when she found them. She is Vegan but gives a nice explanation as to why http://wildethings.org/veganism. She has lots of yummy recipes that I am on my way to trying out.

Meal Plans

Having a plan always makes things go a it more smoothly. I always planned our meals out on Saturday and Sunday but now with Sophia and work (Sept-June) I feel its even more important.
Generally I pull from a few categories of food we love:
Mexican, Pasta, Salad, Soups, Sandwiches, Pizza, Breakfast, Asian and go from there.
We are pretty adventurous with our food as well and I add something new into the mix almost on a weekly basis. I also try to make the meals and ingredients carry over into each over. Saves on prep and cost (example if I make a side of boiled butter and Parsley spuds the left overs get cut up and used to make homefries for Breakfast for dinner night or if I have rice or Quinoa as a side its leftovers are used to stuff something)
So this week I challenge you to try it out lay out the week, clip your coupons, pull your recipes and set up the week. Let us know how it goes. I think it would be fun to share the ups and downs in the kitchen.

Tonight I am trying something new, Roasting corn in my broiler and using it to top of an Avocado Salad.

Keep your bellies happy and have fun with someone you love

Buns, BBQ, Better Skin, Bait & Big Brother

Wow lots to fill you in on today....
Have I told you how much we love going to Restoration Church? We prayed about checking it out and really were not sure where God was pointing us to in our walk. Well, it was here for sure. For so many reasons but on some what silly reason (which I didn't realize or think about until today) is Breakfast. We love weekend breakfasts and everyone in my house has a Cinnamon Bun weakness. Last night at about 9:30 I got this crazy need to make buns for the morning. Nothing like the smell of hot yummy buns to wake you up and get you ready for the day. Not the best choice in the healthy balanced breakfast dept. BUT....here's the recipe
Cinnamon Buns Very easy Just a lot of wait time
1 pack of active dry yeast
3/4 warm water
1/4 sugar
salt
1 room temp egg
2 1/2 cup bread flour (King Aurthor makes one, I have tried it with other kinds and its just not as soft and fluffy)
Cinnamon
Brown Sugar
Butter
Mix the yeast with the warm water let it sit till it gets creamy about 10-15 min,
The mix sugar,pinch of salt, egg and 1 cup flour together with the yeast mix. Once combined mix in the left over flour about 1/2 cup at a time till its all pulled together to make a good dough ball. Pull it out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 min cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for about 10 min more. Grease an 8x8 pan roll the dough out to a good rectangle. Smear with butter, sprinkle cinn and brown sug. to your liking and roll. Cut about every 2 inches, you should get 9-12 pieces place them in the pan with the cut side up. Bake about 20 min at 400. Cover with your favorite icing, I mix Powder sugar, almond milk, a pat of butter and a pinch of vanilla.

Another weakness in our house is BBQ sauce. I love to grill veggie and use it as a dip. This is something I no longer buy and make up as I go.
BBQ
A very skilled recipe!
A good squirt of Ketchup
Some Worchestershire sauce
Honey
Cumin
Chili powder
Minced Onion
S&P
Mix till your taste buds are happy.
(Cumin and Worchestershire add smokey flavors, Honey adds sweet, Chili adds heat, Onion adds kick.

Better Skin and Better Choices.
I am a product JUNKY!!!!! I need a 12 step program. It has gotten better with age, as I realize I don't need half the stuff I have. I really have gotten into the Kindlife Philosophy a(http://www.thekindlife.com/) and a while ago there was a post about
http://www.gabrielcosmeticsinc.com/. Well it just so happened I really did need a new moisturizer and eye cream (I have made a personal vow to not get wrinkles, hmmmm, do you think I'll keep it)I ordered from the site, which I thought was very reasonably priced for the quality of products. LOVE THEM, love them, love them. Since ordering the skin care I have tried the powder foundation and hair products for kids,
I have not been disappointed yet. Worth a peek and a sample if you are looking for a change.

and BIG BROTHER.
I am not a TV person. We own 1 TV that is 16 years old and the volume is almost gone, but that puppy still works I tell you. Anyway, about 5 years my friend asked me "do watch BB?" what was that I had never heard of it. So I had to check it out. It like a juicy summer beach read for me. Maybe because its on 3 nights a week and you don't have to wait long to get a fix? Not sure. Its some what of a reality game show. There is always a pretty good mix of people. They almost always have someone on with a good head of faith too. Well this year like all the rest I am hooked. There is this big Texan, Oil Rig salesman Lane, I just dig him for some reason...Hope he wins

Bait
We live very close to a nature walk/park. We love to go feed the squirrels and enjoy the outdoors. When we went on Saturday, to our surprise it was very her to find any animals at all. So we set out lots of bait and kept walking. It was so cute to hear Sophia ask "did they take the bait momma?" as we headed out of the park.
Love little adventures with my 2 favorite people.

Oh what a weekend. Here's to a good week for you and your belly

The 2 Hour Window....and More

Well this week has been busy as promised. Top it off with a surprise visit to the Pediatric dentist for the 1st time and you've got yourself a grand ol' time. I have been meaning to make Sophia an appointment for a while now and I had a few moments to make some phone calls this week, to my surprise when I called they told me they had a cancellation the very next morning. Off we went, typically Jeff is a part of all our firsts but this time he had and early morning commitment that he could not get out of. But Sophia did so well. I thought she would be a little out of the sorts with the whole experience but not at all. She never ceases to amaze me.
For most of you that know us well, my Jeffrey has an issue with work, he loves it. Truly loves to work, it is one of the things I admire about him and thank God for how well of a family provider he is, but sometimes when I just want him to play hookey its really tough. Over the last year I have been though some really high highs and equally low lows so he has come to humor my requests of a morning off here and there and has even taken time to head to Florida with me (yes, work comes too, but we are there together)
Today we met friends of ours up at Crystal Beach (I just love that Beach soooo much)
The kids played, we had some time, Sophia took and extra long nap and we capped the night off with a bike ride to DQ. It was a great day for sure to top it off the 2 hour window Jeff gave me to go to the beach turned into 4... (which means a longer work day tomorrow but so worth it.

So with the Beach day and an end to a crazy week, I did the unthinkable in my house..... I pulled out 'Not Dogs', boiled up some beets with butter and made a homemade Mac & Cheese ( I am working on 'coping' the Panera recipe and I am pretty close to it, when I have it I will be sure to share.
Enjoy the weekend

Get in the kitchen and love on your food

I just passed over and article that was all about the love you put in to your food. I think it was last season of Top Chef that Carla was on (she was recently featured in Clean Eating Mag), anyway she always said it didn't matter what happen because it was made with love. What it looked like or how it got there didn't matter.... I love that. One of the many reasons I love being home in the summer is just that, I have prep time and time to get involved in my food. In the end your meal and body will thank you for the extra time. In no way am I saying be a slave in your kitchen. Just use good stuff and you'll get good stuff back. Put love in and you'll get love out. Simple
Have you paid attention to what a ripe Avocado feels like, smells like...? How about melon (have you ever seen the little old lady in the store smelling it?) How about spices, take the time to feel, smell handle them, it means so much when you get in to it all. You are more likely to try things when your not scared and spending a little time getting to know your food helps.
I had some time tonight to get tomorrows dinner pretty much all prepped and as I sit down it feels so good. Besides NEEDING to be in my happy place for a bit, I had the chance to cut, dice, stew, mix and bake for tomorrow, which opens up so much more time as well. So I am turning in for the night already feeling good about the day ahead. How huge is that?
I Digress, speaking of happy places, where is yours and what do you do there, do you have one or ever thought about it? The pastor at church last week made a comment that if he was lost his wife would know to go to the beach to find him, Jeff leaned into me and said, "well that's easy, I would just check the kitchen" Yep, that's for sure. Some people stress eat, I stress cook. I spoke of it in a prior post. I just love that the kitchen asks nothing of me and expects nothing of me. I am really working on shelving issues that are not mine. I can do that in the kitchen. So for some that think my kitchen antics are a bit much, no its not that at all, its just life is a bit much.
Anywho....
Here was last nights dinner, which got rave reviews by the way.
Mexicali Chop
You can use your favorite store bought chip or make your own
My version:
Cut about 6-8 small corn tortilla's into strips, toss them in a large zip lock with a splash of oil, 1/2 tsp chili powder,1/4 sugar and salt. Shake them up and bake flat on a cookie sheet for about15min @350.
Mix your dressing:
1/2 c EVOO
2 minced cloves of garlic
2 cumin, ground coriander
1 tsp sugar
Salt,
lime juice
a good pinch of chopped cilantro
minced onion
Wisk it all up, I ran it through my mini food processor to blend it a bit better and let in chill in the fridge
The Salad
Romaine, tomatoes, avocado, celery, cukes, fresh or frozen corn, Pinto or black beans, Roasted red pep, red onion.
Layer it all in a really big bowl and serve.
(Sophia eats everything we do, I just deconstruct hers a bit more, instead of a salad she gets more of a spa style plate, with everything laid out to pick on. For me kids do better when they have a bit more choice so they can pick on the beans or corn or avocado's and get the pure flavor, for some the big mix of everything is a bit much)

Tonight
Zuke Fritters over Pasta
2 Shredded Zukes
1 egg beaten
flour (sorry but this one in by feel, but its about a good handful)
1 small onion diced finely
Garlic, S & P to taste.

Mix it up in a bowl, you what everything to bind but still be a bit sticky.
Take about 1/4 cup or again a good handful and press it to make a patty.
Fry them in a shallow pan of oil till each side is nice and golden.
I just used a small thin pasta (which almost looks like chopped up spaghetti, I forgot the name but it is actually listed as a soup pasta). I tossed in some Vegan Parmesan By Rice dream, it all came together nicely.

Happy cooking to all and to all a good night.

I am off to get a good nights sleep, we are headed to the dentist for the first time with Sophia tomorrow, wish me luck