Wow! It's hard to believe it's been so long since I've posted. 2016 was the year from Hell and it's taken me what feels like a long time to recover. But I guess in the grand scheme of things it wasn't that long at all. Nothing like a little spell of overwhelming and debilitating anxiety to help you reevaluate your life.
One of the things I've realized during this journey back to the light is that I need to be careful about what I eat. I've avoided eggs for years, but gluten, dairy, and soy are now on the "No" list. I also try to avoid sugar, but it creeps in there from time to time. I am hoping that I will one day be free of all these food sensitivities. I've been following Joette Calabrese's homeopathy blog and employ the Banerji Protocol she suggests for allergies. It can take a long time to clear, but I'm going for it. I'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, I've come up with a few choice treats that keep me satisfied. The carob banana smoothie is on the top of my list right now. It's simple, quick, and delicious...if you like carob. I happen to love carob. Some people say it tastes like chocolate. If you listen to them and expect chocolate, you're going to be disappointed. Carob tastes like...carob.
Carob Banana Smoothie
1 cup unsweetened flax milk or milk substitute of choice
1 frozen banana
2 TB carob powder
*Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth and creamy. Add more liquid if too thick. Sometimes I add a dash of ceylon cinnamon. Pour in a pint size mason jar and enjoy!
And while you're drinking it, maybe you'll wanna treat yourself to some good tunes. Moon Hooch is Josh's favorite band, so I got him tickets to their show in Seattle last month. The Accidentals opened up for them. I'd never heard them before. Wow...just wow! So talented and I love their story. Earthbound is the song Tuesday and I jam out to the most. Amen for good music!
Friday, April 27, 2018
Friday, January 8, 2016
Chicken Vegetable Soup with Ginger Meatballs
Have any of you ever seen "The Peanut Butter Solution"? I think it's been on my mind because of all the friends I've had going through cancer treatment recently. Not that it's about cancer, but it is about a boy losing his hair.
My husband had never heard of it, so I gave him the rundown of what I remember. "It's about a boy who gets so scared his hair falls out. Then he makes this peanut butter solution and paints it on this head, which makes his hair grow back overnight. Only problem is, it grows so fast you can actually see it growing and it won't stop. Then he gets kidnapped by some guy that uses the hair to make magical paint brushes that paint pictures you can walk into and explore." I paused to bask in his look of disbelief and added, "And I might have made some of that up, but that's how I remember it."
I laughed til I cried when I pulled it up on amazon and saw all the reviews for the movie. It's almost like there's a little support group for this flick. And yes, I remembered it correctly. And no, I'm not the only person who wasn't sure if they were making it up or not. One person actually thought it was a nightmare he had as a kid. He use to tell people about it until he came across someone who let him know that it was a movie. Other people were even accused of lying because there was no possible way a movie that bizarre could exist. Well folks...it does exist, and I watched it again the other night for the first time since I was about 7 years old. I still enjoyed it. Not sure I can say the same for the hubby, but at least he sat through it with me, poking fun at it all the while.
Okay...now that I got that out of my system...
Did you know that January is National Soup Month!? It's the perfect time of year to try out all those soup recipes you've clipped out of magazines, printed off the internet, and tucked into your "Try Something New" recipe box!
I got this recipe out of The Cancer Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz when I was doing some of the cooking for one of my friends that was going through chemo. She loved the soup and so do I! If I ever get to open my restaurant, this soup will certainly be on the menu. The link below will hopefully take you to her recipe page.
Chicken Vegetable Soup with Ginger Meatballs
I followed the recipe as instructed. The only change I made was to leave out the egg in the meatball mixture. They still held together fine. I also went with the spinach variation since I had some that needed to be used.
This really is a wonderful soup!
My husband had never heard of it, so I gave him the rundown of what I remember. "It's about a boy who gets so scared his hair falls out. Then he makes this peanut butter solution and paints it on this head, which makes his hair grow back overnight. Only problem is, it grows so fast you can actually see it growing and it won't stop. Then he gets kidnapped by some guy that uses the hair to make magical paint brushes that paint pictures you can walk into and explore." I paused to bask in his look of disbelief and added, "And I might have made some of that up, but that's how I remember it."
I laughed til I cried when I pulled it up on amazon and saw all the reviews for the movie. It's almost like there's a little support group for this flick. And yes, I remembered it correctly. And no, I'm not the only person who wasn't sure if they were making it up or not. One person actually thought it was a nightmare he had as a kid. He use to tell people about it until he came across someone who let him know that it was a movie. Other people were even accused of lying because there was no possible way a movie that bizarre could exist. Well folks...it does exist, and I watched it again the other night for the first time since I was about 7 years old. I still enjoyed it. Not sure I can say the same for the hubby, but at least he sat through it with me, poking fun at it all the while.
Okay...now that I got that out of my system...
Did you know that January is National Soup Month!? It's the perfect time of year to try out all those soup recipes you've clipped out of magazines, printed off the internet, and tucked into your "Try Something New" recipe box!
I got this recipe out of The Cancer Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz when I was doing some of the cooking for one of my friends that was going through chemo. She loved the soup and so do I! If I ever get to open my restaurant, this soup will certainly be on the menu. The link below will hopefully take you to her recipe page.
Chicken Vegetable Soup with Ginger Meatballs
I followed the recipe as instructed. The only change I made was to leave out the egg in the meatball mixture. They still held together fine. I also went with the spinach variation since I had some that needed to be used.
This really is a wonderful soup!
Sunday, December 27, 2015
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.
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!
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.
Friday, July 10, 2015
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
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
Friday, September 12, 2014
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.
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.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
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
*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.
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.
Friday, July 4, 2014
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.
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.
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