delightful delicacies

A new year, A new blogging space

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:12:00 +0000

For the last month or two I have been writing and moving a few recipes over to Closing the Gap, a little blog I started a couple years ago as a personal project for myself to "close the gap" between where I was as a photographer and where I wanted to be, creatively and technically. I didn't post much over the two years I was conscious of it. However, lately it has become more than just photographs and I think will continue to expand as I have a long road ahead of me before I become who I want to be, in so many more aspects than just photography.

Join me..

......

I will not be writing here anymore, and a few recipes will be moved over to the new space periodically, likely (hopefully) as new posts. I love a new clean space.

Wishing you..

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 20:49:00 +0000

It may be a little late coming, but I hope your Holidays have been lovely, filled with family, friends, good food, and even better memories.

Here's to a wonderful new year!

gifts: a local guide

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:30:00 +0000

This last guide is a list of a few favorite things from local companies and artisans here in Utah. This doesn't even represent the tip of the iceberg of talent here in Utah. If you're not in town, you can still get your hands on a lot of these lovelies as many can be ordered online. The beauty of a connected world.

1 - Barely Buzzed cheese from Beehive Cheese, their most popular cheese for a reason.
2 - Handmade granola from Nova Granola, all the good stuff for my favorite meal of the day.
3 - Clifford Farm Honey; beautiful honey coming from the beehive state.
4 - Bee Pollen from Jones Bees, to add to smoothies, salads, or getting fancy with homemade truffles and caramels, among other things. I love Sarah Britton's post about bee pollen.

5 - Wood and support beam A Table from C.G. Sparks; this company has flawless furniture designs.

6 - Fruit Prints from Sycamore Street Press, for a kitchen wall.

7 - A CSA share to a local farm, I especially like the idea of this flower share from Copper Moose Farm.

8 - Utah Truffles, I like them best from the freezer, anyone else?

9 - Gardener Soap from Beehive Soap, even though I'm a failure at gardening, I still get my hands dirty.

For other beautiful handmade furniture look up Ivory Bill and Patrick Davis Design.

Nova Granola is giving my readers 10% off an order! Enter NOVA10 at checkout to get your discount.

Order here.

gifts : a guide for littles

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Since I have been spending a lot of my time doing baby and toddler things rather than actual cooking, I thought I would share a gift guide of my favorite kid stuff alongside my food related wish list this year. A few we own and love, and the others we dream to.

When searching out children's toys I am drawn to those that are simple, made with natural materials, promote creative play, and are beautiful (at least to me). I know I've chosen well when my children fall in love with them instantly and forever (well, three years and counting..).

“The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things.” Plato

1 - Wooden toy camera from Twig Creative; cheese!
2 - Handmade Wooden Boats by Schoolhouse Electric and Supply Co.; perfect for bath time

3 - Winnie the pooh screen printed pillows from Atsuyo et Akiko; Tigger is little's favorite

4 - Baltic Amber Teething Necklace; parents swear by the natural anti-inflamatory properties of amber for teething. My littlest isn't teething quite yet but when she does, we'll be ready.

5 - Stockmar beeswax crayons; I might keep these crayons for myself to color..

6 - Home Cozy Home coloring poster by roxy marj; also love the correlating pillow.

7 - *** Wooden Brainbow from Little Sapling Toys; endless fun, ha! got that?

8 - Beeswax birthday candles from Herriott Grace; obviously these aren't for playing with but for birthdays, and other special occasions. They smell wonderful and burn beautifully.

9 - Moulin Roty baking set to go along with..
10 - Camden Rose wooden toy kitchen; because it's important to indoctrinate them while they're young.

I was recently introduced to Kimber, founder of Little Sapling Toys and loved their philosophy behind the beautiful wooden toys they create. She says,"We design modern toys to help young children develop critical thinking, creativity, fine and gross motor skills, and communication. We strive to create safe toys that are personal, with design that appeals to kids and adults. Our line of toys is hand crafted in Sheboygan, WI out of high quality FSC certified hardwoods. We plant a tree for each toy sold."

*** Little Sapling Toys has graciously given my readers a 10% off any order from their shop! Enter the code: DELIGHTFUL10 at checkout for your discount.

Also, Twig Creative has a deal going on over at Brickyard Buffalo for their wooden toy cameras, (not including the stunning zebra wood camera pictured above). Brickyard Buffalo has other great deals on superhero capes, armelle jewelry, and freshly picked moccasins too, among other things.. but only for another day or two.

/////

Friday I am sharing my last gift guide for the holidays, featuring local fare and artistry. Share the Utah love.

gifts : a guide

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Here's a little selection of some beautiful and practical things I've fallen in love with. Have you decided what to get for your favorite cook yet?

1 - Falcon enamelware
2 - Hand carved measuring spoons by Alder + Co.
3 - An Everlasting Meal by Tamar E. Adler
4 - Waterproof Waxed Canvas lunchbag from Kaufmann Mercantile
5 - Japanese Cast Iron scissors from Mjölk
6 - The market backpack from Brookefarm General Store
7 - Neëst linen kitchen towels
8 - A cheese board, servingboard or cutting board from Red Onion Woodworks
9 - Ambatalia linen bento tote from Anaise
10 - Something living and green, like a box of succulents/herbs or their favorite citrus tree.
image credit: succulents; citrus

above. below. and a little between.

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:00:00 +0000

As we transition from celebrating Thanksgiving to Christmas and Autumn to Winter, I thought I'd share a few pictures of the quick but beautiful transition we saw outside in the last few weeks. Though all the snow has since melted, and the weather has been surprisingly warm, I miss the color and crunching leaves. Autumn in Utah is far too short of a season..

See more above/below posts here.

All photos taken with iphone, edited with vscocam
Are you on instagram? follow me!

giving thanks: no bake pumpkin pie

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 18:22:00 +0000

A few things I am especially grateful for this year..

Two beautiful, healthy, and happy children.
Four seasons to celebrate and eat.
Acquaintances who have become dear friends.
Learning more every year I attempt and fail at a garden.
Knowing that children go through common developmental stages, (it's not actual craziness).
Having the strength and ability to bear and birth my children the way I wanted.
Trials I have suffered and fought through, altering who I am.
A loving and selfless husband who makes me laugh every day.
Relations who are the best sort of people.
Music to run, cook, bake, and dance to.
A true gospel.
coconut oil, my other religion.
Thoroughly celebrating Thanksgiving before decorating for Christmas.
Dessert.

It's about the little things too.

I was developing a raw vegan pumpkin frosting recipe when I realized I had created the perfect filling for a no bake pumpkin pie I could enjoy this Thanksgiving. Plus it can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes (not including chill time) which makes it my new favorite pie with two kids to take care of.

Find the recipe for no bake pumpkin pie on my new blog.

on earth are shining we: apple molasses cookies

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:26:00 +0000

I first heard of Waldorf education when I was expecting my oldest, more than three years ago (can we talk about how that seems impossible? Wasn't she born yesterday?!) The depth of it all didn't really make an impression on me as I was drawn more to the beauty and design of their natural, earth based toys. It has only been in the last few months that I've really looked into the details and methods of it, only scratching the surface really, and have adopted some of the approaches that a Waldorf home embraces.

I could spend a long time explaining all I've read and learned, what I agree with and what I don't, even what I found reminiscent of our faith, but you'd be better off learning about Waldorf from others who say it much better than I. So to keep it simple, I love the humanistic and holistic approach of Waldorf education, especially for my little ones. I also love that it is so conscious of the earth and its rhythms (read: the seasons and times), that it is simple, spiritual, and beautiful. It wasn't surprising how well I was drawn to it, I love anything with a natural approach, to movement, food, home, and now parenting and education.

We decided our first Waldorf celebration would be a Martinmas lantern walk. We made lanterns, talked about the changing season and changing light, and how even though it is darker we can share light and warmth with others through kindness and good deeds. Then we lit our lanterns and delivered some cookies to neighbors to (in essence) warm their hearts. When my little one came back and told me she loved sharing her light with others and that her heart felt warm, I knew it was a celebration we would keep. Though we don't really need any more excuses to feed our neighbors..

Is your home a Waldorf home?
more about Waldorf education here and here.

Here are the cookies we shared with our friends, a work in progress for the last four years. It's an apple molasses cookie that is just the way I like cookies to be, sweet, bold, spicy, a little crispy on the outside with a soft and chewy heart. The only requirement with these cookies is that you share.

Find the recipe for apple molasses cookies on my new blog.

heartwarming : roasted tomato soup

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:00:00 +0000

"Moments are the molecules that make up eternity." Neal A. Maxwell

all photos taken by my lovely sister.

Friends, my most recent days, hours and minutes have been filled with ordinary day to day life-with-a-newborn-and-a-preschooler tasks, and I have been trying to savor every moment, which seems almost impossible because they fly by so quickly. It has been a number of weeks since I gave birth to my second daughter and I love seeing how different she is from my oldest, how much my oldest loves her (when she found out I was in labor she began jumping up and down saying how excited she was that baby sister was on her way), and I love how instantly her needs and smiles have become a beloved part of our family's rhythms.

I can't say everything has been sunshine and butterflies, I am still sleep deprived, worry that big sister will suffocate her with too much love, and I have suspicions that she has the same dairy aversion her sister had, possibly worse. We have faced some struggles that were mountains to climb, but climb we did (we are still climbing!).

Something that disappeared close to the time of her arrival was my motivation to create and enjoy food. Gratefully it has slowly returned over the past couple weeks, just in time for my favorite eating time of year. This week we had the first freeze of the season. Many nearby even got a dusting of snow (!) I don't think I will ever be ready for signs of winter's arrival. I know I wouldn't be able to endure it without first experiencing the brilliance of fall, some good soup recipes, and sweet moments that warm you up from the inside. (and of course I can't forget the holidays too, so excited!)

This is a recipe I shared last year on the Jacob's Cove blog. I wanted to share it here because I have been using it a lot with the green tomatoes I picked from the vine before it got cold, and let ripen in a basket on our kitchen table. Our indoor ripened tomatoes had thicker skins but they were just as delicious as their summer ripened relatives in this roasted soup.

Find the recipe for ROASTED TOMATO SOUP on the new blog.

lately..

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 04:41:00 +0000

we have been eating the fruits of summer.

hope you've been enjoying yours.

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:30:00 +0000

flip flops.
sunglasses.
sunscreen.
pool passes.
short road trip.
a bright striped swimsuit to cover a very large belly.

We were ready for summer sun weeks ago, this week we're making it official;

and we took the frozen lemonade to go.

frozen lemonade seeped with rosemary
2 cups water
2 cups sugar *
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice, strained
Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cover and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add the sliced lemon and rosemary. Cover and let stand for about 8 minutes. Remove the rosemary, cover again, and let stand for 5 more minutes. Strain the mixture, removing the lemon slices and any other solids, and stir in the lemon juice. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.
At this point you can transfer the syrup to a separate bottle (I put mine in a liter bottle I got from Ikea), and store in the refrigerator for a couple hours (until cold) or up to a few days.
To make the frozen lemonade, fill a blender 3/4 with ice. Add lemonade syrup to a little below ice level. Blend until smooth, pour into individual glasses, garnish with a twig of rosemary, enjoy!

*You can use a little less sugar, and it will still make a lovely lemonade.

nesting

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Fri, 11 May 2012 03:37:00 +0000

I have been spending my time knitting, sewing, cleaning, gardening, and planning. Oh, the planning. I am grateful for days when it seems my energy has no end, but it usually follows with a day that is slow and recuperative. There is a list that I am continually adding to, and happily for my nesting heart, I am just as often eliminating things done. Though as much as I'm able to accomplish, there are still things on my list to do, and the laundry seems to stay in a constant state of undone-ness. This is a universal thing though, right?

Those little seedlings never grew, and after a conversation with a garden therapist (aka the nursery owner I happened to ask) I gave up on them and planted my summer seeds directly in fertile soil. After a couple weeks and daily morning visits they are indeed growing, though I am not sure if they are growing fast enough for any real harvest.

Details seem to be nowhere near ideal, but ready or not summer will come.

the seeds

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:58:00 +0000

"The seeds begin abstract as their species,

remote as the name on the sack

they are carried home in: Fayette Seed Company

Corner of Vine and Rose. But the sower

going forth to sow sets foot

into time to come, the seeds falling

on his own place. He has prepared a way

for his life to come to him, if it will.

Like a tree, he has given roots

to the earth, and stands free."

Wendell Berry

I planted seedlings a couple weeks ago. Watermelon, tomatoes, flowers, berries, and lettuce outside. The only thing that has shown any sign of life is the lettuce, which is thriving well enough (meaning it's growing). As for everything else, I guess I will take Emerson's advice and adopt nature's pace with patience. Though with all this waiting I hope those little seeds know, I have big plans for Mother's Day weekend.

living without: cashew cream

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 20:08:00 +0000

When I first started this little blog I wanted to share my favorite recipes with people. Along the way I started posting fewer recipes that I actually used, and tried to come up with unusual dishes, things that I would make once, post about, and never eat again. Eventually I came back around, sharing more of my favorites, and fewer of the one time use recipes. Part of it was because I was discovering so many new favorites, which is a necessity when branching out on a new diet. Sometimes I think I use my blog more than anyone else. It has become my own personal recipe file, and I know what to post about next when I go looking for a recipe on my blog and it's not there.

This cashew cream recipe isn't much of a recipe (cashews and water) but we use it a lot when in need of cream and almond milk isn't thick enough. We've had it with an extra bit of sweetener to go over fresh berries and summer fruit, mixed in soups or sauces, mixed with almond milk for a thicker cream over my morning muesli, granola or stewed oats, in my peanut butter banana shakes, to thicken hot chocolate, or as a cream substitute in ice creams and other desserts and frostings. Omit the sweetener and vanilla if you want to use it for more savory purposes like soup.

Reduce the water content when you want it to be thicker, almost like a pastry cream or cheese (maybe try ravioli?), and increase the amount of water when you want it to be more like a milk. Another thing I have heard about cashew cream, but have yet to try, is that it reduces beautifully when you need an even thicker cream. I have had inklings of making crème fraîche and yogurt out of this; someday.

cashew cream

1 cup cashews, soaked overnight
just enough water to cover cashews
pinch of salt
drizzle of maple syrup or other sweetener
lithe bit of vanilla, optional

After the cashews have soaked overnight, rinse them and cover again with water, letting them soak another 2 - 4 hours (I like them to be really soft).

Rinse and place in blender with barely enough water to cover. Blend until smooth (I use the whole juice button on my blendtec).

If you want, or if your blender didn't do a good enough job at blending the cashews until they were completely soft, strain. This makes about 2 cups of cream.

Use in recipes where you would use cream.

notes:

One last note, if you're curious, there is some debate as to whether cashews are actually a "raw" food. The process commonly used to extract the nut from the shell utilizes heat, killing the beneficial enzymes. To learn more about raw foodism and why the enzymes are so important to raw foodists, these articles may be helpful: 1, 2, 3.

More living without posts here.

happy spring!

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 22:08:00 +0000

I feel the same way each year around the same time. A slump begins in late January/early February and seeps into March, but halfway through the month I start to get more energy, I feel more inspired, and I am more and more excited for warmer weather. In the past week I started to actually prepare things (using my hands and getting them dirty, yay!) for this year's garden. We prepped the garden beds (with a lot of help from my husband and toddler), we planted our little seedlings, and will plant flowers this weekend, a worthy activity for the first days of spring. This will mark my second year as a legit gardener (meaning growing things I actually eat) and though I still feel clueless, I can't wait. The past couple days have also included walks in the sun with sandals on and bare legs, drawing on the sidewalk with colored chalk, and the years first skinned knees and elbows.

I read in a book once about a girl who celebrated her birthday in March. She thought of it as the gateway to summer, when the sun becomes warmer on your skin and everyone is drawn outdoors. I feel the same way come March, I am already making summer plans. This year, it will be filled with tomatoes, huckleberries, strawberries, a couple watermelons, some of my favorite flowers that I pray will not die on me, and welcoming another little one into our family. I love summer babies. I can already imagine the sleepless nights that will be a little sweeter with a new life to hold and fragrance from the blooms under our window filling our room with every summer breeze. Assuming my brown thumb doesn't take over, I did make sure to purchase hardy plants this year.

What plans are you making? Spring is here!

I made a cake like this a number of years ago for Easter. Since then I have made it every other spring, it seems the perfect time for bright flavors and sweet treats.

coconut and lemon cake

2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter or coconut oil, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup lemon juice

Butter 2 cake pans, line bottoms with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs then vanilla extract, mixing until smooth. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk. At the very last, add the lemon juice. Pour half of the mixture in one cake pan, the other half in the second.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

white chocolate and lemon curd frosting

7 ounces white baking chocolate (chopped up)
1/3 c. heavy cream or coconut cream
Over a double boiler, melt white chocolate and cream together until melted and smooth, stirring often.
Let cool completely.

While it cools, whip 1 cup whipping cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Cream together:
1 cup butter or coconut oil
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

lemon curd, optional
coconut shards

Combine cooled white chocolate mixture, whipped cream, and creamed butter/coconut oil, sugar and vanilla on high until fluffy. Layer the cakes with a layer of lemon curd and frosting between the two layers, and coconut shards on top. You can toast the coconut shards if you like, it adds beautiful texture and gives the coconut a little crunch.

notes:
Extra frosting keeps well in the refrigerator.
Do not combine the lemon curd with the frosting, it will cause the frosting to curdle. Though it doesn't affect the taste, it will affect the texture.
Feel free to replace everything lemon with other citrus, lime, orange, grapefruit, etc.

conscientious cookies

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I am supportive of putting your money and time towards people and businesses you believe in, and veering away from those who don't uphold your standards. It is a big reason we love local food and choose it over big agriculture farm foods. I have even researched companies I buy stock from in the past to make sure I am investing in good companies.

For the record, I am pro-life, and before you ask what that has to do with cookies, let me explain. When I was craving girl scout cookies, a comment from a friend about the relationship between the Girl Scout Organization and Planned Parenthood caused me to research a little more about who supports this pro-abortion group (or as a commenter clarified, pro-choice) that seems to differ from my beliefs. I discovered that not only has the Girls Scout Organization supported Planned Parenthood, but so does my husband's employer, where he volunteers, my previous employer of about 6 years, our gas station, bank, even Whole Foods to name a few; all companies/organizations we support and love.

So it caused me to wonder, do you research what your purchases are indirectly supporting? Does my shopping at Whole Foods, or buying a few boxes of thin mints from some neighborhood girls make me a hypocrite? If there's a local food provider or artisan who is pro-abortion and atheist (I am also pro God), I would probably still buy food from them (so long as they aren't vehemently opposing my beliefs), but would rather support and encourage them in their efforts of creating and providing good real food. Building good relationships between people and communities seems more important to me than voicing my opinion about my standards in a confrontational way. There has to be a better way to share what you believe in. I also went as far as researching where the money for those little cookies go, and most (aside the money paid to the bakers themselves) of the profits are said to go back to the troops and area I am buying from, according to the girl scout website.

Though it doesn't necessarily justify my buying girl scout cookies if I want to "make a stand for what I believe", we will keep getting good gas for our cars, my husband will keep his job to support us, we will still volunteer and give to the organizations we love and believe in, and we will probably keep buying girls scout cookies every once in a while because we like them, despite their ties with a group that offers abortions. Even with the numerous recipes available to make tasty versions at home, like this one.

What do you think?

side note: In sharing this post I don't want to offend my friend, or anyone else not buying girl scout cookies/gas/health food/whatever it may be for similar reasons (there are endless things to boycott and protest). Truly, I was grateful for her brave comment and it caused me to make a more informed choice, which I hope to do more often than not.
I also don't want to offend anyone who supports Planned Parenthood, or any other group that supports and encourages abortion. I may not be completely supportive of abortion, but I am also not completely against it. People have a right to choose, a great benefit to life.

post update: Thank you to everyone who has commented! I am grateful for the conversation that is happening. I especially love the personal stories that are about you, real people, being directly affected in a positive way by a supposed "big bad business".

I didn't really mean to come across like I was completely against PP, I have read wonderful things about the organization and keep learning more. Also, I am not entirely anti-choice, there are situations where I think abortion is necessary. And though I don't agree with abortion in general, I do believe in good health care for everyone.

Also, a friend and I were chatting about researching companies and whether not it is actually effective to boycott every group you have something against. It's not. If you really wanted to get down to it, you could protest anything and everything. For this reason, I stopped researching companies I invested in a number of years ago (something I could have mentioned). I just wasn't willing to put in the time, and who knows what information you receive is really viable? I would rather spend my energy elsewhere, emphasizing the good than pinpoint every company that had a little bad in it. I myself am not perfect.

whole wheat peanut butter cookie sandwiches

2/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup evaporated cane sugar
1 large egg or egg replacer for 1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup oatmeal, processed a little until coarse
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup chopped peanuts, optional

Cream coconut oil, pb, sugar, egg or replacer and vanilla together. Combine flour, oatmeal, baking powder and salt separately, then add slowly to the wet mixture until combined, then add the peanuts at the end. Gather and form dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and flatten slightly. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to soften.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll out cookie dough until an 1/8 inch thick, cut into circles. Bake 13 - 15 min in preheated oven. Cool on a wire rack.

I used a narrow neck jar band to cut out my cookies, so if you are making smaller cookies, reduce your cooking time, baking until golden around the edges.

peanut butter filling
adapted from sheena in the little red house

1/3 cup powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons coconut oil, liquid
drop or two of vanilla extract
hearty pinch of kosher salt (if peanut butter is not salted)
1 teaspoon of milk (any kind), if needed

Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.

Combine the powdered sugar, peanut butter, coconut oil, vanilla and salt, mix well. If the frosting is too thick, add milk a very little bit at a time (a little goes a long way). Stir well after each addition until you get to the frosting consistency you prefer. Chill the frosting until it thickens up a little, then smear between two cookies to make a peanut butter cookie sandwich. This is enough for just a little bit of filling, feel free to double the recipe if you like more.

Store these cookies in airtight bags or individually wrapped in the fridge or freezer as the filling becomes soft at room temperature.

Here are a couple articles that recently stirred up opposition toward the Girl Scout's affiliation with Planned Parenthood if you want to learn a little more. The Washington Times, and Deseret News (for locals).

something savory

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:47:00 +0000

I love breakfast. There are my favorite (and habitual) morning dishes that frequent our table, stewed and soaked grains sweetened with maple syrup paired with crunchy nuts and seeds and bursts of fresh fruit. We can't seem to get enough pancakes on the weekend, though admittedly they'd probably be waffles if we had an iron. Then there are husband's green smoothies that energize and awaken my body with a slice of golden toast smeared with coconut butter. But every now and again I want something hearty, rustic, a little pastoral and entirely savory. This often happens on lazy saturday mornings, for sunday brunch, but mostly on wednesdays. Makes sense, right?

This omelet is an example of those mornings.

The mushrooms in this omelet were grown in my kitchen with a back to the roots mushroom kit.

mushroom and kale omelet

butter (try this garlic chive compound butter)
a few eggs
pinch of salt, pepper
zest of a lemon
kale, chiffonade
mushrooms, chopped into bite size pieces
romano cheese, grated

Combine the eggs in a bowl or measuring cup, whisk with a pinch of salt and lemon zest until just combined (omit salt if using compound butter).

In a fry pan over medium low to medium heat melt a Tablespoon of butter, add the eggs and let cook for a minute or so until the sides of the omelet begin to look dry. Sprinkle the mushrooms, kale, and cheese on top of the omelet and heat until the omelet is cooked through. Serve with toast and oj, and have a great day.

note on the cheese: Pecorino Romano is typically a sheep's milk cheese, which is easier on cow milk sensitive systems. We love it and use it as a parmesan substitution. Feel free to use parmesan or another favorite cheese in this omelet.

sweets for the sweet

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Another sweet for your valentine. These little profiteroles (aka cream puffs) are a bit of a mess to eat, especially when the ice cream has melted a little and the sauce is a generous helping, but gracious how I adore them.

Recipe for Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Profiteroles on my new blog.

Happy Valentine's day.

back and forth

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:53:00 +0000

A couple months ago, we started to introduce dairy back into our diets. After being dairy free for over two years we decided to start with cheese and yogurt since all I've read says those tend to be easiest on dairy sensitive systems, next up is raw milk. Things have been going well and the little one even had her first legitimate ice cream cone from an ice cream parlor. Of course it had to be bluebell, loyal to my texan roots.

Though my little toddler has had the time of her life eating string cheese and ice cream every so often, my body has not taken to eating dairy as flawlessly. It's possible that this dairy free business will become a permanent thing and I'm alright with that, especially when I have so many decadent dairy free indulgences to splurge on. This festive Valentine's day dessert is presented in two versions, a dairy version and a raw vegan version for those living without.

I will be demonstrating the dairy version of this recipe saturday morning on Fox 13 news here in SLC. If you're awake around 8, be sure to watch me and my little belly (p.s. I'm pregnant). But then you're probably always awake and watching the news at 8AM on Saturday morning... right?

raspberry mille feuille

3 sheets phyllo pastry dough
1 - 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, liquid
sugar, to dust

whipped raspberry cream, recipes below

heart shaped cookie cutter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

Lay out the phyllo dough on a cutting board. Cut out as many heart shapes as you can, in groups of three. Cover the cut out hearts with saran wrap and a damp towel while you work.

On a parchment lined cookie sheet, lay out hearts 1/4 inch close together. Brush with coconut oil, sprinkle with sugar, then top with another heart shaped phyllo sheet. Again brush more oil/butter on the top of the heart and sprinkle with sugar. Lay one last heart shaped phyllo sheet on top and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in preheated oven for about 5 minutes, watch them closely so they don't burn.

When they are toasted and golden, transfer them to a cooling rack and cool completely.

To assemble mille feuille, take a heart crisp and dallop with some raspberry cream. Put another heart crisp on top, and spoon another dallop of raspberry cream on top. Top with a third heart crisp, spoon a small dallop of cream on top, and garnish with a fresh raspberry. you can add an additional garnish chopped pistachios or grated chocolate.

raspberry whipped cream

1/2 cup whipping cream
2 Tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 Tablespoons frozen raspberries, thawed

Prepare raspberry cream by whipping the cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners' sugar and a drop of vanilla extract until well mixed. With a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold in the raspberries until well incorporated.

raspberry cashew cream

1/2 cup cashews, soaked 2 - 8 hours (overnight)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup water or dairy free milk
2 Tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or agave
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2/3 cup coconut oil, liquid

2 Tablespoons frozen raspberries, thawed

In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients save the coconut oil. Blend until very fine and thick. While the blender is running, slowly pour the coconut oil in a constant stream until it's completely incorporated. Taste the cream and adjust sweetener to preference.

Transfer to a bowl or container, fold in the raspberries by hand, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, until set.

Whip it a little to fluff it up before assembling mille feuille.

notes:

To make it easier and reduce dough waste, oil and sugar the phyllo sheets when they are whole, and after the third layer cut into small squares.

In one of the layers of the phyllo dough, you can sprinkle a pistachio (or other nut), sugar, and spice mixture.

p.s. the first photograph is the dairy version, the two others are the raw cashew cream version, if you were curious.

Here;s the video clip of me on a local news station demonstrating the dessert. I failed to mention the dairy free version, and to actually show it but you get the idea..

harvest treasures: red raspberry ice cream

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:10:00 +0000

Back in October of last year, my little family and I went on our annual raspberry picking venture. We recently discovered frozen raspberries in our freezer that reminded me of fall's harvest and the warm sun that ended our berry picking exploit short because it got so hot, those were the days... Then I began to dream of ice cream, tarts and other sweet things I could make with the frozen berries, and realized I had better move quickly before my husband swiped them and put them into a green smoothie. It seems like he has been trying anything and everything lately. Can I admit that pea smoothies are not a favorite?

Though they'd undoubtedly be delicious in a normal green smoothie, let's make ice cream instead.

This recipe is a repeat from a post I shared last year on my dear friend Becky's blog, The Vintage Mixer. It is based off of the chocolate fudge ice cream I created from Melissa's raw fudge recipe. I had been asked if the base of the recipe could be made into other ice cream flavors, particularly fruit. The answer is yes, and very well I might add.

red raspberry ice cream

1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, packed
1 cup agave nectar or 3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight and rinsed (optional)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coconut cream or whole cream
2 cups almond milk or whole milk

In a high speed blender or food processor, blend the raspberries, agave, coconut oil, cashews and vanilla extract together until smooth. In a steady stream, add the coconut cream and almond milk, blending until well mixed. You can strain the mixture at this point if you want to remove the seeds. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, or alternatively freeze in a shallow pan, stirring every 45 minutes until frozen.

Serve with fresh or frozen raspberries or my personal favorite, swirls of a raw chocolate sauce (equal parts agave and cacao powder).

notes:

If you don't have/care for agave or honey, make a sugar syrup using a 1 to 1 ratio of water and sugar, bringing to a boil for a few minutes and then allowing to cool before use.
Try substituting the raspberries with other berries like ripe strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc.
The cashews are optional, they just add a little more creamy texture to the ice cream.

above. below.

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:40:00 +0000

Chinese New Year edition.

winter's cake

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:58:00 +0000

Typically around this time of year, lawns are covered with layers of past snowstorms, each melted a little and refrozen during the cold nights, then given a fresh powdering of new snow not many days following. Instead, this winter I have seen more blue skies, frosty windows, and green-ish brown grass than any other January I can remember. It has been a strange winter, although I have been secretly grateful for the fair weather as we lost part of our roof in a freak windstorm not too long ago..

Even though we've only had enough snowstorms to count on one hand, it hasn't stopped me from enjoying the winter meals we habit around this time of year, roasted vegetables, creamy soups, crusty breads, boxes and boxes of citrus, and stick to your bones desserts. I'm sure the majority of you out there are planning meals with health and a low calorie count in mind, but for us January is when we nestle into the rhythm of winter, a slow pace, hearty meals that sustain us through the cold days, and quiet early evenings with a good book in hand or favorite movie to watch, with or without forecast snow. Admittedly, there may be a green smoothie in there every now and again.

Not much other than root vegetables and hot house plants are in season right now, but if you take a bundled walk around your backyard or neighborhood, you will likely find a rose bush or two adorned with these blush berries called rose hips. I'm sure if you ask, your neighbor wouldn't mind you taking a few (though they may question your sanity). They can be picked as early as after the first frost October/November and as late as the spring. Don't take them all though, as birds rely on them through the winter, or so I read.

The berries themselves are full of seeds which are surrounded by these irritating little fibers, but the flesh is tart and tasty, reminding me of hawthorn berries aka chinese haw or even gogi berries. The juice makes for an awesome syrup or jelly.

I also have to mention that I attended the Altitude Design Summit as a caterer for one of their kick-off dinners last week. I teamed up with Lindsey Johnson of Cafe Johnsonia and we made a delicious vegetarian dinner at the Viking Cooking School in Salt Lake City hosted by Alt (nickname for the conference). Becky Rosenthal came and was a huge help as well. A few pictures of the dinner can be seen here. The dinner was tiring but super fun, and the rest of the conference was amazing. I met so many interesting and inspirational people, came away with a sense of work to do and visions to fulfill, and can I just say I couldn't get over how great all the keynote speakers were? Pilar Guzman, Deborah Needleman, Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, Ben Silbermann, and Gretchen Rubin. Incredible, incredible people.

You need to go to it next year, trust me; but eat this cake first.

rosehip syrup

1/2 pound of rosehips, rinsed and ends pinched off
4 cups water, warm
1 - 2 cups natural sugar

While you are preparing the rosehips, boil 1 cup of water.

Place all the trimmed and cleaned rosehips in a blender or food processor with 1 cup of warm water and blend until fine. Add to the boiling water and bring the whole mixture to a boil. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat and let the mixture sit for fifteen minutes.

Pour the mixture into a cheesecloth or tea towel inside a sieve, set on top of a bowl or measuring cup. Leave the mixture until all the liquid is strained out (do not squeeze). Combine the strained rosehip pulp with another 2 cups of water in the pan, stir a little, and strain again this time squeezing until there is no more liquid.

Discard the pulp and combine the strained juice with the sugar in a clean saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, let boil for a bit (you can use a candy thermometer if you want to reach a certain temperature to assure syrup consistency), and then preserve as you would other syrups or jams. You can serve it over puddings, ice creams, mix it with mineral water or alcohol for a nice spritzer, your morning muesli, or in a vinaigrette for a salad of citrus and avocados.

spiced rose hip and olive oil cake

1 cup spelt flour

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup rosehip syrup

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of 1 lemon, optional

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 3/4 cup water

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Butter and line a 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper.

Sift together flours, spices, baking powder and salt. In another bowl combine the syrup, olive oil, vanilla and lemon zest.

Into the syrup mixture, mix in half of the dry mixture, followed by half of the baking soda water, alternating until everything is incorporated and smooth but not overmixed. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

This cake is more like a sweet bread or muffin than a cake, not overly sweet. So serve it with honey butter, crème fraîche, or a tall glass of milk, almond is my favorite.

notes:

If you use a bundt pan, bake for about 30 minutes. If you use smaller cake pans, reduce your time a little more (I baked a 4" cake pan for 15 minutes). Follow the rule of thumb to remove from oven when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Don't have/want to make rosehip syrup? Substitute with maple syrup or honey and increase the zest.

You can substitute the spelt flour with whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose.

A Christmas Wish

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:56:00 +0000

Things have been quiet over here. Lack of a working computer made it impossible for me to update much of anything these last few weeks. But it came at the best time, we have been celebrating every day, making the moments merry and bright. I will be back, posting recipes and whatnot in the new year, but I wanted to share one of my favorite messages for the most magical of holidays.

"This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.

Christmas is a celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning—with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself unselfishly in the things that matter most."

From McCall's Magazine, Dec. 1959, quoted by President Howard W. Hunter here.

Merry Christmas friends, see you in the new year.

above. below.

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:33:00 +0000

in Helper, Utah.

more here.

have a wonderful weekend!
Maybe you will be coming to say hello at our Thanksgiving cooking class?
If so, see you tomorrow.

the recent past

noreply@blogger.com (jen) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:52:00 +0000

I ran a marathon (and have run very little since). We saw a lot of corn; in fields, in pits, in stalks, in underwear.. We picked pumpkins, watched the sunset, changing leaves, enjoyed a couple hayrides, and even had a halloween party. We've been having lots of soup, bundling up on our walks, and frequenting the indoor park more often than outdoors. We took a road trip, ate out, ate ice cream (!), ate cheese(!!!), decided hotel living was nice for a few days, stood under arches and at the edge of cliffs, then came home and had the season's first hot pot.

We've been having a grand ol' time. How have you been?

All but the last photo were taken with instagram.
look for me if you're on too : jenniferhoiyin