Pecan Pie sans eggs

Okay...so Grimes finally released her Art Angels album and guess what! She put the demo version of Realiti on the CD! (It's not on the album though. Sorry vinyl fans). I finally have it at my finger tips so I can jam out in my car while I drive to town to get ingredients to try out new recipes and whatnot! WooHoo!

I prefer the demo to the album edit, but they're both really good. Before I ever heard the album version, I came across this one playing on KEXP. I knew Grimes had polished up Realiti, so I thought maybe this was it. Well, it's not. It's Natalie Prass. I think it's killer though. To add to her street cred, Natalie grew up in Va Beach, which is the last place I lived in VA.

Now on to why I'm really here...
My mother gave us a book for Xmas called "Dream It. List It. Do It!" with Lia Steakley. It's based off a social networking website (43Things.com) that no longer exists. People would go and list between 21 and 43 goals they would like to accomplish from simple to difficult to bizarre. The theory is that limiting your life to 43 goals forces you to make choices, but making more than 20 goals gives you enough variety to keep you moving. It sounded interesting, so I figured why not; I'm making a list!

I'll only name a few of my 43 even though I'm sure you can guess what at least one of them is. Yep! You're right...it's write! I made it a goal to write at least one uninterrupted hour daily. I also decided to make a goal of writing a "This I Believe" essay so I could tackle two goals at once. Hey...I'm all about multitasking.

A few other goals are:
Build a house with hidden rooms and secret passageways
Do something fun with my daughter every day
Have a cooking competition with friends
Perform music for one uninterrupted hour daily

And the most difficult...yes, even more difficult than building a house with secret passageways:
Live each day as if it were my last, but learn each day as if I'll live forever

Which brings me to this recipe. Pecan pie is my absolute favorite pie on this planet. If it's gonna be my last day, I want something delicious to eat. If I'm gonna live forever, it needs not be complete garbage. I found out I'm allergic to eggs, so for me, eggs are garbage. I feel great since I quit eating them! I'm so thankful I came across an egg-free recipe so I could have a slice of my favorite pie this holiday season!

I got this from www.godairyfree.org  I was pretty close to the recipe listed on the site. I used ghee though and made my own pie crust.



Pecan Pie sans eggs:

1/2 C unbleached cane sugar
1 C dark corn syrup
4 T ghee
2 T ground flax meal
1 T all-purpose flour
6 to 7 T hot water
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 pinch sea salt
2 C broken pecans (broken into small pieces)
Whole pecan halves for the top of the pie
1  9" uncooked pie shell

* Combine sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes.

* Melt ghee into mixture.

* Set aside to cool

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees

* While oven is preheating, in a small bowl combine flax, flour, and water. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes to get gummy. This is your egg substitute.

*Once sugar/corn syrup mix is cool, whisk in flax mix egg substitute, sea salt, and vanilla.

* Fill pie shell with broken pecans.

* Pour syrup mixture over pecans until it's just below the rim.

* Arrange pecan halves on top starting around the outside and working inward in a circle.

* Place on a cookie sheet and place in the oven on the next to lowest possible rack setting. You can put foil over the cookie sheet before placing the pie on it for extra protection and easier cleanup if you'd like.

* Reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until pecans are nicely toasted but not burnt.

I was very happy with this pie. It was even better that I could have just one piece and walk away satisfied. It's no secret that I've eaten half a pecan pie in one sitting on more than one occasion, which is why I only make it once a year. That didn't happen this year, and it wasn't because it didn't taste good. I think the flax gives it more body so you feel full.

Oatmeal Lemon Cream Pies

It's summer! What a perfect time to post a lemon cookie recipe! Well...now that the heat wave is finally gone and I can use my oven again. Perfect timing too because my lemon-loving neighbor is coming home from vacation tomorrow and it's his birthday.

I like to celebrate life and birth. I appreciate the people in my life. I think that's why I remember so many birthdays. I'm glad ya'll are here with me! Life certainly has it's challenges, but it really helps to have a good circle of people around you. It also helps to let them know you're happy they're in this with you. Gratitude...

Which reminds me...I let this kid in front of me in line at the grocery store today because he had less stuff, and I ended up paying the difference for his bill because he was short like $1.43. He didn't say thank you. If he did, I didn't hear it. Not that I did it for a "thank you," but still. Manners, people! Always say thank you when someone gives you a skip and pays for the rest of your stuff! Accepting what people offer you continues to encourage kindness, but so does showing appreciation.

Anyway...I pulled from three different recipes and added some of my own jazz to come up with this creamy, lemony, oatmeal sandwich cookie-ish thing. It's pretty good. It has a nice subtle lemon flavor. I like that. Maybe you will too. Hopefully my neighbor does since it's his birthday and all. He will certainly let me know if he doesn't. But he'll say "thanks" either way. I'm sure of it.

Oatmeal Lemon Cream Pies

Ingredients:

Cookies:
1 and 1/4 cups unsalted butter (room temp)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 drops organic lemon essential oil
zest of 2 large lemons
1 TB honey
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats

Cream Filling:
1 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
1 8oz pkg cream cheese (room temp)
2 drops organic lemon essential oil
1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar

First off...yes, it is okay to ingest some types of pure essential oils, and lemon happens to be one of them. You have to be very careful with the quantity though because essential oils are very strong. One drop is equal to 2 tsp of the corresponding dried herb. Feel free to substitute with lemon extract. One tsp for each drop should do it. You might need to add more depending on your taste.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Cream butter and sugars together until light and creamy. Add egg, vanilla, lemon oil, lemon zest, and honey. Mix well, scraping down sides as necessary. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the quick oats and combine.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Measure out 1 Tb of dough, shape into a disc, and place on cookie sheet. Place dough discs about 1 inch apart because they spread when cooking.

Bake for 10 minutes, until cookies are light golden. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling: With a hand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add lemon oil and beat a minute more. Scrape down sides and add powdered sugar. Beat until smooth.

Spread filling on flat side of cookie and place another cookie on the other side of the filling (flat side down) to make a sandwich.

Keep these refrigerated. Take them out 15 minutes or so before you want to eat them. Enjoy!

PS.

I love this song! I can't find it anywhere to purchase, so I have to keep listening to it on youtube, which is unfortunate.
Grimes: REALiTi

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm thinking about my dad today, so I have to post something by Everything, a band my dad did sound for when they were on the college circuit. They have so many good songs, but this was the only one I could find a link for, so it will have to do. "Hooch" by Everything

My dad loved chocolate, so as recipe posts go, I guess it's time to write down some chocolate chip cookie deliciousness. I've had many a bad chocolate chip cookie in my day. I can't even begin to tell you how many recipes I've tried, looking for the perfect one. Low and behold, I purchased a baking sheet from Nordic Ware and on the back of the cover paper attached to it was the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. The only changes I made was the type of flour and the sea salt (I omit it).

This is one of those situations that further proves my point; you never know where you will find the perfect recipe.

The batter needs to be refrigerated for at least an hour before baking, so keep that in mind when figuring your prep time. This makes about 80 cookies at 1 T of batter per cookie, so feel free to half the recipe. Or double it. They're that good.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 C whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 C light brown sugar
3/4 C granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
2 tsp vanilla extract
20 oz semisweet chocolate chips (I prefer to use the mini ones)

* In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

* In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, to sugar mix and combine.

* Add dry ingredients to the sugar mix and stir until just combined. Add chocolate chips and incorporate by hand.

* Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. Can be refrigerated up to 48 hours before baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cover baking sheet with parchment paper and measure batter w/ T, shape into cookie form, and place on baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for about 15 min or until golden brown. I bake a little longer for my husband because he likes crunchy cookies.

Zucchini Bread

I recently received a request for my zucchini bread recipe, so I figured now was the perfect time to post it and get some post-garden bitching done. Don't get me wrong though; I am very grateful for the wonderful food the soil in my yard produced.

This was my second year of gardening, and I still haven't learned that I only need to plant one zucchini seed for all of my zucchini needs. I guess I just got a little nervous because my garden didn't do so well last year, so I planted three zucchini seeds.

Wow! There was an entire month where we ate zucchini for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Aside from that, I was also able to fill an entire freezer shelf with shredded zucchini, make a double batch of zucchini relish, cook up a nice zucchini crusted pizza, and bake four loaves of zucchini bread plus muffins. Oh! I also gave some away and guess what! It's still growing!

So without further Ado:

Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 C all purpose flour plus a little extra
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 ground clove
1/4 ground ginger
1/4 nutmeg
2 C granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 C oil (I use safflower)
3 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
2 C shredded zucchini
1 C chopped walnuts
1 C chopped dates

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

* Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Set aside.

*Combine sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla in a large bowl.

* In med bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, clove, ginger, and nutmeg.

* Place walnuts and dates in a separate bowl and dust with a little all purpose flour.

* Add flour mix to sugar mix and combine. Add shredded zucchini, walnuts, and dates and combine.

* Separate into 2 greased and floured loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Lumpia

Occasionally I come across something on Facebook that pleasantly surprises me, like my new love, Sylvan Esso. Wow! I've bought two copies of their CD and two tickets to their Seattle show this August.

My favorite song on their self-titled album is "Could I Be," but I couldn't find a good quality recording to link, so I settled for my second favorite song, which is "Play It Right".

I also occasionally happen across a recipe that brings what was beginning to feel like a life-long search, to an end. In this case, it's lumpia. For those of you who don't know, lumpia is a Filipino egg roll consisting mainly of meat.

When I lived in Portsmouth, Virginia I fell in love with this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Lee's Garden because of their "skinny" egg rolls. They just called them egg rolls, but they weren't like any egg roll I'd ever had. I didn't even like egg rolls until I had these.

Sadly, after years of bliss, Lee's Garden closed. A year later I moved to Naples, FL (possibly out of disappointment) and finally, after living there for four years, I found The Golden Leaf. Their egg rolls weren't quite as good as Lee's Garden, but after four years of risky egg roll endeavors, it was close enough for me.

Then, after a year of driving 30 minutes across town in hot-ass Florida several times a month just for egg rolls, they stopped making them. Why!? Dear God, Why!?

Lucky for me, I'm not afraid to voice my disappointment, which is a nice way of saying I'm a complainer; a food snob; a picky bitch. In the middle of one of my egg-roll-shitty-restaurant rants to my mother, she informed me that her roommate made pretty good "skinny" egg rolls. I demanded to speak to him at once!

The recipe wasn't perfect, but it was damn close. I made a few changes here and there, and after about the third batch, I had it. Lee's Garden, baby! My search was over. Of all places to find a near-perfect recipe, I did not expect to locate it over the phone from a guy living 1000 miles away that was down on his luck.

This recipe is something you can totally play around with. Sometimes I grind shrimp to put in with the ground pork, which adds a really nice flavor. It probably sounds weird, but I smell the batch before I roll it. Once I really like the smell, I know it's properly seasoned. I tend to just throw things together and then estimate the seasoning. What I have here is about as exact as I could get it.

Lumpia
1 lb ground pork
1 1/2 to 2 C carrots (grated and chopped)
1/2 to 1 C cabbage (finely shredded)
1/2 to 1 bundle green onions (sliced very thin)
pinch of ground ginger or 1/2 tsp minced fresh
1 clove minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste (I use 1tsp salt and a dash of pepper)
1 1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 T white sherry
1/4 tsp fish sauce
1 package lumpia wrappers
1 egg (beaten)
vegetable oil for frying (I use safflower oil)

*Mix pork, carrots, cabbage, onions, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, soy sauce, fish sauce and sherry in a large bowl.

*Put 1 T of mix on edge of lumpia wrapper, spread it out along the edge, and tightly roll it half way, fold sides in and continue tightly rolling until there is about 1/2" to 1" left of the wrapper. Rub egg on the end so it will seal and complete rolling.

*Heat oil to between 325 and 350 degrees. Deep fry it in hot oil for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towel so it can cool. You can fry these ahead of time and then warm them in the oven before serving.

*Please note that the temperature of the oil is important. If the oil is too cool, they will be very greasy. If the oil is too hot, they will overcook on the outside and be under cooked on the inside. Use a deep fry thermometer to be sure the temperature is accurate.

*Sweet chili sauce is a great dipping sauce for these, as is Duck sauce. Or just eat them plain.

Even though they're at their best when they're fresh, I usually triple my batch and freeze them in bundles of five so I can have them whenever. It's worth the effort to have something super quick and delicious to snatch out of the freezer and cook for dinner. I usually thaw them before I fry them but have cooked 'em up while frozen as well.

This is certainly one of those Little-Red-Hen recipes.
"Who will help me make the lumpia mix?"
"Not I," barked the dog.
"Who will help me roll the lumpia?"
"Not I," purred the cat.
"Who will help me cook the lumpia?"
"Not I," quacked the duck.
"Who will help me eat the lumpia?"
"We will!" said the dog, cat, and duck.

This recipe is easy but tedious. I usually give it to people when I share my lumpia with them in hopes that they will one day make some for me. It has yet to happen. But maybe you'll make some for me. Please?

After rolling about the 50th one, my back starts to hurt. My husband no longer volunteers me to make these since I made him help one time. But if you're up for it, they are sooooo good! And if you're nice to me, maybe I'll put you on my lumpia list.

Cheese Biscuits

I heard this song on the radio the other day. It had been so long since it graced my ears. I was quite pleased to hear it again. It made me think of my daughter (as if I ever stop). Even though it's a love song about a wayward girlfriend, it's still relevant 'cause no matter what, I still love her and I still worry about her.

Nothing In This World by The Kinks

Which leads me to the oh so soothing and comfortable cheese biscuit. Stressful day? Have another biscuit. I adapted this recipe from something I came across online years ago. I made these a part of the menu at Food and Thought when I worked there. I've been stopped on the street in Florida by people wanting to rave about these cheese biscuits. For real.

These are a super quick and easy drop biscuits. There is no rolling out dough and cutting little rounds. All you have to do is mix the ingredients (barely) and drop batter by the spoonful on a baking sheet and cook 'em. Yay simplicity! I appreciate all things simple, especially these days.

Cheese Biscuits

2 C all purpose unbleached white flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp dry mustard (optional)
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 T palm shortening
1 C whole milk
1 C shredded cheese (I use cheddar)
1/2 C unsalted butter (melted), reserve 2 T

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a medium to large size bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and seasonings. Add the shortening and stir to break it up until it has lumps about the size of peas (you can use your fingers). Add milk, cheese, and all but 2 T of the melted butter. Stir until just combined. Do not over mix as it will make for tough biscuits.

Drop by the spoonful onto a baking pan. How big of a spoon? I measure about 2 T per biscuit, plop 'em down, and push on them a little to shape them how I want. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the reserved 2 T of melted butter.

Bake at 450 degrees for about 11 minutes.

They are done when they're golden brown on top.

These go great with meatloaf, soup, roast beef...I could keep going here but you get my point.

Enjoy!

Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I have an excruciating headache that started yesterday and has managed to hold tight despite water, acupuncture pins, massage, hot shower, rest, and as a last resort, ibprofen. However, I love this song so much I still have the volume turned up. It's one of those tunes that gives me chills. I heard it the other day on kexp of course.

Dancer by Fairchild

Maybe you'll like it too. And maybe...just maybe, you'll like this sweet potato recipe as well. I got it from a friend and adapted it to my taste. Feel free to do the same. But just so ya know, I've never had any complaints and people are always happy to take any leftovers home, so you might want to try my version first before you go altering the ego.

Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 C pure maple syrup, divided
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 T balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

In a large bowl add sweet potatoes, 2 T of the maple syrup, 2 T of the olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Mix to evenly coat the potatoes and arrange in a single layer on a sheet tray. Roast until caramelized, golden brown and soft. This will take 20-30 min. Be sure to check them after 15 min and stir.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-low heat, add the remaining 2 T of olive oil and the sliced shallots and saute until they start to caramelize. This will take about 5 min. Add the remaining 2 T maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. Lower heat and cook until golden brown and caramelized, about 5 more min. Add water, 1 T at a time if the pan becomes dry. It should be a sticky sauce to mix with the potatoes.

Once the sweet potatoes are done roasting, add them to the caramelized shallots. Salt and pepper to taste (I don't ever add more) and transfer to a serving dish.

It's a pretty amazing concoction if I say so myself. And I do. I admit when I don't like something I've made, and I brag when I love it. It's official. I'm bragging.