Chocolate overload

So instead of making the lime yogurt cake last night, I opted for the vegan-friendly sorbet. I didn't know it was possible...for something to have too much chocolate, but this sorbet comes close.  Unfortunately, the ice cream maker bowl wasn't frozen enough for the sorbet to materialize after dinner, so my first "real" taste test wasn't until this morning. WOW! it is Intense! I decided I should have a bowl tonight to confirm my initial thoughts that it needs to be toned down the next time I make it....considering it had 3 1/2 chocolate bars in it + cocoa + sugar. If you ever need a serious chocolate fix this should be your go to treat!

Chocolate Sorbet from Smitten Kitchen

theveganstoner.com

While I haven't been sticking to my vegan diet very strictly these past couple of months, I'm always looking for ways to keep animal products out of my diet and incorporate more fruits, veggies and legumes. Another vegan friend told me about the blog, the Vegan Stoner, and they do a fabulous job of describing simple and cheap recipes. Even if you're not vegan, you"ll definitely want to check out this blog!

I'm having some friends over to dinner tonight, two of which are vegan. I'm excited to experiment with some new recipes. In fact, Smitten Kitchen has a lime yogurt cake with blackberry sauce that I might try to veganize, or I may break out my ice cream maker that I found at goodwill last year and have probably only used 3 times! A sorbet sounds perfect for a summer night.

Smitten Kitchen's lime yogurt cake

Vegan Blogs...a running list

I've stumbled across a few great blogs while searching for Vegan recipes...take a peek if you're looking for a more plant-based diet!

Website

Website

Website

Website

POST PUNK KITCHEN

http://www.theppk.com/

Pumpkin Pancakes Vegan Style

Day 2 of my Vegan Adventure....

I've had some Organic Pumpkin from TJ's in my cupboard the past few months and thought I should finally put it to use. After a little google search I cam across Vegan Housewives, and a recipe for pumpkin pancakes.

After tasting the first few, I decided to add a bit more pumpkin, spices and sugar. I think next time I try them I'll add some cooked oatmeal and oat flour as well. I could really taste the whole wheat flour which I'm not used to quite yet. 

Some inspiration for keeping on the diet, "This is not a diet. This is a way of life. A way to enjoy food. A way to feel healthy, clean, energized and pure. It's time to reclaim your mind and body. If you feel like you are 'giving up' your favorite foods, keep in mind that you're not giving up anything. You are simply empowering yourself to make educated, controlled choices about what you will and won't put into your body."

What I made this weekend

It was another beautiful weekend here in San Diego. I broke out the barbie and made sweet potato fries both Saturday and Sunday nights! So good! I especially love the charred, crispy ones :) I also got a craving for some oatmeal cookies. Not sure if this was because I wanted to procrastinate to keep from doing homework or if I was just reminiscent of the days when my Mom packed our lunches, which typically included two homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Oatmeal also helps lower cholesterol and mine has been notoriously high in the past...most likely from familial, genetic causes. Once, I got so sick of eating oatmeal that I fasted from it for at least two years...just the thought of it would make me sick. But now that I've discovered Coaches Oats, I eat it almost every morning with a scoop of peanut butter and honey. I stumbled across the bag at Costco here in SD...never seen it in Bremerton/Seattle. Anyway, I tried the recipe on the back of the bag and the cookies turned out pretty good...a little more hearty than when you just use the old fashioned, quick cook oats by Quaker.

After an insightful church experience this weekend (more on that later), I stopped by the Point Loma library to get my first San Diego County library card! I forgot how much I love the library! I needed some resources for a lesson I'm teaching in class tomorrow night...an inductive lesson on ecosystems...fun times :) I picked up a few over-sized (and extremely heavy) coffee table like picture books of different biomes - rainforest, coral reef, deserts, Yosemite. But then, of course, I had to peruse through the science section and stumbled across, The Invisible Kingdom, a book on microbes and their amazingness :) as wells as Packing for Mars, by Mary Roach. I loved her book Stiff, so I'm hoping this one is just as entertaining. 

It's now, officially Monday morning. I definitely got side-tracked during my homework because a moth kept flying around my head while I was sitting on my bed and I decided that I have moths...clothes moths...and that I need to launder ALL of my clothes, bedding and fabric in order to rid myself of the pests. I found a couple of holes in some shirts and sweaters in the closet awhile back...GROSS! So I threw everything out and separated it into piles to wash and dry clean and then vacuumed out the closet and wiped it down. I then noticed how dirty my white curtains had become and so took those down and wiped out around the window, then vacuumed the blinds and decided that wasn't enough and so I took those down and tried to wash them in the tub...not going to happen, so they are sitting outside on the patio waiting to be hosed down in the morning! Despite the chaotic state of my room and mind, I was able to finish my lesson planning and write this blog entry...maybe I am more of a night person than I realize??? nah :) I can't wait to get up and finish cleaning in the morning so I better get some rest! 

What I made this weekend

My classmate and good friend Erica, decided to throw a little concert this past weekend to benefit Airshine Music, which currently includes piano and choir instruction. She is hoping to expand the programs and open a school this summer with numerous teachers...percussion, violin, etc. I admire her courage to dream big and  was excited to attend the concert to hear her play and support the cause. There were probably around 15 or so of us sitting around her red piano in the courtyard of her building listening to her play ABBA, Chopin, Debussy, and a Disney favorite...to name a few. The evening was titled Blackout Shuffle and was inspired by the blackout that we experienced in San Diego back in September. Instead of sitting around the television and radio, Erica was able to play and sing for her neighbors. There was electricity this time, but the stars and the moon came out as well to make the perfect combo.

She asked a few of us to volunteer to make baked goodies for a raffle, and of course I was excited to make a special treat. It had been awhile since I made my friend, Cristy's, favorite coconut cake...maybe not since a bridal shower??? Anyway, it is the most simple, delicious treat ever...if you like coconut that is!

Cristy's Coconut Cake:

The best part about this recipe is that you use a boxed cake mix...so easy!

Follow instructions on box to make the Vanilla cake batter

Add 2t of coconut extract to cake mix

Bake 2 8-inch rounds according to the Vanilla boxed cake instructions (a tip here...I always grease the inside of the cake pans and then flour them so the cake doesn't stick)

At this point, let the cake rounds cool and then I recommend freezing them (wrap them in some sort of cling-wrap or ziploc bag). It is easier to frost a frozen cake :)

For the frosting, mix together:

2 sticks butter (room temp)

2 8oz. pkgs cream cheese (room temp)

Additional coconut extract (to taste)

Approximately 3c of powdered sugar

Once your cakes are nice and cool (or frozen) frost the cake in between layers and all around...don't be shy, there is A LOT of frosting so pile it on thick!

And the final decorative touch! Toast some coconut in the oven until perfectly brown and sprinkle on top!

 YUM!

If you don't enjoy this cake right away, I would stick it in the fridge to keep it fresh.

Well, I didn't win my cake during the raffle, but I did win the GRAND PRIZE! Lucky me :) I walked away with a gift basket that included a history of Jazz book (I love jazz...I even took a class at UW on the history of jazz!), a music CD and an iPod shuffle (that matches my car!) I felt pretty blessed, not just by the gift, but to be able to enjoy a night of music under the stars!  A perfect end to the weekend.

Fisher Fair Scones

Fisher Fair Scones...a classic Walker family tradition and let's be honest, my sole reason for attending the county fair. The fair has always been an important family tradition. Some of my earliest memories from my childhood include going to the Kitsap County Fair.

First off, we had to enter something into the fair to get free admission. One year, I entered placemats, another peanut butter cookies and surprisingly, one year I won a Grand Prize ribbon for my vegetable figure (in case you're having trouble picturing it, imagine a Mr. Potato Head like guy made solely out of veggies)...must not have been much competition in that category!

My mom also used to bake brownies to serve at the Young Life BBQ Beef Booth. This was another favorite of mine, because I would get to "taste" some of the brownie batter and any scraps of the finished product that didn't find their way into plastic bags to sell. YUM! The YL Booth was our chosen lunch spot due to the delish sandwiches and corn on the cob. My mouth is watering just thinking about that meal :)

Then we always made our way to the livestock. When your Mom grew up on a Dairy Farm it is a must to visit the Holsteins. I enjoyed the cows, but LOVED the horses. I remember being jealous of all the girls showing off their 4-H horses. I think I typically ended a visit with a request to move out into the country so that we could raise horses.

Finally, our trip was not complete without a trip to the Fisher Fair Scone trailer. What goes on in that trailer is pure magic! I don't know how they do it in such a small space, but the cutest little Grandpas and Grandmas bake up the most incredibly delicious, melt in your mouth scones slathered with butter and homemade raspberry jam. They are most perfectly browned on top and bottom, while being warm and soft inside. Every, year I would savor one, two, maybe even 3 scones...depending on how many days I made it to the fair. One year I remember buying a whole dozen to share with family over the next few days.

There really is nothing more comforting than a hot, fresh out of the oven scone. One day this past week, I went to bed in a somewhat sour mood and woke up thinking that the only way to brighten my day would be to fix up a batch of Fisher Fair Scones...and it's true, they never fail me.

While you can buy the Scone Mix at stores in the Northwest, I haven't seen them down here in California. The recipe below is one that I found online and tweaked a bit. It's a pretty accurate replica of the original! Enjoy!

When life hands you lemons...make lemon bars!

I'm a little embarrassed to say, but yes, this is the second time this week that I have made lemon bars. However, the second time was more social in nature because I was able to teach my friend Jen, over at The Arizona Russums, a thing or two about baking :)

First of all, I grew up loving my Aunt Pam's lemon bars. Occasionally, she would bring them to family gatherings and I would always over-indulge. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've specifically requested them for parties/gatherings. Her lemon bars had the perfect ratio of shortbread crust to lemony goodness.

Recently, I tried Ina Garten's lemon bar recipe. I typically love anything that Ina makes, but her lemon bars fell short. The lemony goodness (I don't really know what else to call it...the topping?) was too thick and gooey, almost like the filling in a lemon jelly donut. So I went to one of my most visited cooking blogs, Smitten Kitchen for help and I was not disappointed. She too, had tried Ina's recipe and also wasn't a huge fan of the proportions. Lucky for me, she had posted her revisions which decreased the amount of topping to an almost 1:1 ratio. You can find the recipe over at her blog or down below with a few of my added tips.

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Lemon Bars
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

These are bold and tart lemon bars, ones I feel are best in smaller doses than Ina Garten suggests. I’ve made a few changes to the recipe–increased the salt in the crust, reduced the sugar in the lemon filling and an encouragement to grease your pan, as mine were all but cemented into their non-stick pan. For those of you who like the 1:1 crust to lemon layer ratio, use the second option (Smitten Kitchen alterations).

For the crust: 
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the full-size lemon layer: 

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

[Or] for a thinner lemon layer: (this is the topping that I prefer)

4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (3 to 4 lemons)
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup flour

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into the greased baking sheet (I greased the baking sheet and then lined with parchment paper to ensure sticking was not a problem), building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the lemon layer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes (I baked the thinner topping for 20 min), or about five minutes beyond the point where the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into rectangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

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The stars of this dessert are the fresh California lemons...I have a few leftover, but think I'm going to freeze the juice to use at a later date :)

While Jen's lemon tree wasn't quite producing fruit, this orange tree was in full bloom!

Bargain Shopping

So...I've had quite a bit of extra time on my hands this past week and Kukui and I both like a good deal. We went out to AMVETS (supports Veterans) and Goodwill. I was scanning the books for a Ina or Giada cookbook find, but found some teaching books instead and thought that was a pretty good deal since I'm going back to school to become one...well a better one :)

They had two copies of the book every new teacher gets when they have their very first classroom...The First Days of School and then another on classroom management and one on teaching science as inquiry. I have a feeling they might be a bit more practical than the $110 textbook I just bought for class called "Educational Psychology." I hope I'm wrong...

But I hit the jackpot at Goodwill. In the car on the way to Goodwill from AMVETS I said to Kukui, "You know, I should have looked for an ice cream maker at AMVETS, maybe they'll have one at Goodwill." I have ALWAYS wanted an ice cream maker...who doesn't want to be able to make their very own funky flavors of creamy frozen deliciousness, especially now that I live in California! Plus, it'll be a lot cheaper than the stuff you get at molly moons or other fancy ice creameries. So I bee-lined it to the electronics and there in all it's fabulous red glory was a

brand-spankin'-new-looking

Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt - Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker...yes that is it's full title!

Perfect timing for the new addition (did I mention it was only $12.99), because I had some over-ripe plums that needed a purpose. So the next day I threw the plums in the blender with a little sugar and lemon and wah lah...the perfect summer heat remedy! I'm really excited to try out the pistachio recipe as well as the mexican chocolate. But it was a simple start to what I think will be a long-lasting and fruitful relationship. My housemates disagree and think the hype will fade after 5 or so uses...only time will tell!

baking

It's fall and the perfect time to cozy up on the weekend with some homemade treats.

Last Sunday, after Alicia's wedding I stayed with my friends Rachel and Mike and we enjoyed a lazy morning and baked some yummy pumpkin cookies with orange flavored cranberries and chocolate chips. They were cakey and delish!

This morning I woke up early...my body is adjusted to school time and so I stayed in bed as long as my will would let me, but finally got up to make some oatmeal pancakes. I've ordered oatmeal pancakes before while out for brunch, but had never attempted to make them myself. I found this recipe online from smitten kitchen. It was a huge success and we enjoyed the slightly sweet and hearty pancakes with pumpkin spice lattes. Just the fuel I need for my training run today!

maple scones and blueberries

Maple scones and blueberries don't sound like a good mix, but I wanted to mention two yummy treats I've made recently.

Today I made these Maple Oat Scones from Sweet Amandine. She tweaked a recipe found in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook so you know they are not the healthiest scones...a lb of butter and 4 eggs...seriously. They will have to be a special treat, not a daily ritual. I'm going to bring them camping this weekend for the Coldplay at the Gorge (that way I won't be tempted to eat them all myself).

A few weeks ago I made yummy blueberry bars from a recipe found in Gourmet. It was basically a crumble topping split in half. Half pressed down in the bottom for a crust (which had a little crunch to it) and half sprinkled on top of 3 cups of blueberries mixed with a jar of blueberry preserves. They were so good! I'll see if I can find the recipe and post it to the blog.

flare

happy Fancy Free Flare!

compliments of sarah and whole foods!

lemony goodness

drizzled with a lemon glaze

Thursday night Rach came over and we made lemon ricotta cookies (again, from Giada's Kitchen) and unsuccessfully attempted to make kettle corn. The cookbook describes the cookies texture/consistency as that of the tops of muffins - that caught my attention because I love to eat just the tops of muffins! And I was interested in how the whole-milk ricotta cheese would taste and how it would change the texture. The cookies also have a lemon glaze drizzled over the top, but I didn't make that until the next day...and to be honest they taste just as good with or without it.

key ingredient - fresh lemon

The cookies have a stick of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 2 eggs, 15oz of ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, flour, baking powder, salt...and the glaze is powdered sugar with lemon juice and zest.

They are light, cakey and stinkin' good! (but of course you know I'm obsessed with lemon!)
I'm excited for my next baking adventures - Malia photocopied some bar recipes fromt the July edition of Gourmet. Get excited!

a dollop

This past Christmas, Luke and Kendra gifted me the cookbook, Giada's Kitchen, by Giada De Laurentiis. Now that it's spring and I'm growing fresh vegetables I was inspired to pick out a few recipes to cook this week. First, I have to show off my fresh lettuce that I picked and washed today for a cantaloupe and proscuitto salad tomorrow evening...

In tonight's dinner I used fresh rosemary from the garden. I fixed the Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary. I cooked the garlic, carrot and onion in butter and then added cannellini beans, broth, and tomatoes. The soup was seasoned with red pepper flakes and rosemary. After I let it simmer for 30 minutes I pureed the soup and topped the bowls with a dollop of homemade whip cream with lemon zest.

Malia came home and helped with the Broiled Zucchini and Potatoes with Parmesan Crust. We sauteed the zucchini and (semi-boiled) potatoes in butter with garlic, thyme and rosemary. After about 12 minutes the vegetables were sprinkled with fresh parmesan cheese and broiled for a few minutes.

The dinner was delicious...my favorite was the way the whip cream melted into the soup and the lemon aftertaste. The flavors were perfect...nothing was too overwhelming, a perfect combination for the taste buds!

so lucky

My amazing friends and helpers!

I am so lucky, fortunate, blessed...however you want to say it...with amazing friends! Tonight could have been a disaster, but was prevented by good friends. I was frustrated trying to make shortbread tarts look good and of course taste good. First batch of dough was an A+, but received an F for getting out of the pan. Second batch of dough got a C- because I tried to use salted sweet cream butter...not very good for shortbread taste. I didn't even try baking that batch. Third batch received an A for dough and A for getting out of the pan because I used paper cups! easy! Back to the friend part...I was so frustrated I threw a tart on the ground shattering it into flakey crumbs! watch out...baking is serious business. But then Meg went to the store with me, Malia and Meg made the cream cheese filling, while I mixed dough (batch #2), then Brian went with us back to the store for more butter...and everyone stayed up to see the third batch through to completion. Now it's 12am and I have 86 shortbread tart shells sitting up stairs and 4.5 hours of sleep ahead of me. Let's hope those shells don't flake out on me overnight...

The final product...Meg helped put them together at the banquet...mine are the small ones - second row and last row. They were so adorable and delicious. We received so many compliments on the look and taste! I'm thinking of a bakery...called lemon...