Of Winds and Water

Red Quinoa Salad with Basil

2013-05-17T04:43:00.000-07:00

I'm seriously lacking in photos for this one, but it was just so tasty. So why not. Let's put it on the blog.

Red Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

1 c. uncooked red quinoa
1/2 large bell pepper
1 roma tomato
1/2 lime (juice and zest)
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs. red wine vinegar
1 tbs. sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

Instructions
1. Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package. Put in the fridge to cool.
2. Chop the pepper and tomato, toss with the quinoa. Add the lime juice and zest.
3. Mix up the remaining ingredients and toss with the quinoa.
4. Top with chopped basil leaves for garnish.

To make up for my lack of photos, please enjoy the following pics from my little brother's art show, which used reclaimed materials. I would really like to title this one "Jaws." I am not sure he would appreciate that.

And this is me with my brother and his truly delightful lady friend. Photobomb courtesy of our mutual friend.

And for funsies, here's a salad I made that was particularly pretty.

Okay, well that's all for now. If everything goes according to plan, I should be having a lovely trip down to North Carolina right about now.

Tomatillo Green Chili

2013-05-10T04:14:00.000-07:00

I love this perfectly paleo soup. In fact, the recipe comes from Paleo Comfort Foods. I tweaked quite a bit, mostly because I have so much salsa verde from last summer.

Actually, I used canned turkey, too. My family has been canning turkey for as long as I remember, so it's nothing new or weird to me. You can also use chicken breasts or turkey.

Start by sauteing an onion, a couple garlic cloves, a poblano pepper, and a couple de-veined and de-seeded jalapenos.

To that I added 2 pints (4 cups) of salsa verde.

And next, 1 quart (4 cups) cooked, shredded chicken or turkey breast. Plus spices.

Garnish with green onions and some cilantro.

Tomatillo Green Chili (adapted from this book)

Ingredients

1 onion
1 poblano pepper
2 jalapeno peppers, de-veined and de-seeded
2 garlic cloves
4 c. salsa verde
4 c. cooked, shredded turkey breast
broth, if needed
1 tbs cumin
salt and pepper

Instructions
1. Chop up the onions, peppers, and garlic. Saute them over medium heat with a high-heat oil (coconut oil preferred).
2. Add the salsa verde, turkey and spices.
3. If needed, add some chicken broth to thin the soup out a little bit.
4. Simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

This soup is a tangy green twist on traditional chili - very tasty.

Goals Summary

2013-05-03T04:47:00.000-07:00

Well. May. It’s here. There’s no turning back now.

A few short weeks ago, I picked out some goals for April.

Make barefoot sandals for my beach party. They are very lovely. Maybe I will even include a picture.
I'm teaching all my friends a dance routine. People, I am telling you right now: I have the best friends in the world.
I'm going to make seed bombs. Heck yes! Well, okay, I started them. Would you like to see a post on seed bomb making?
I'm going to start planting my garden! Yeah, I did nothing of the sort. I did buy a basil plant and a rosemary plant though.
I made it my personal goal for the lake by my house to melt. See the photo at the top of the post.
Wine bottling: done and done (I bottled two batches). This means that ALL of my wine is bottled, and I get to take a break until we start seeing some fruit come into season!
I was a bridesmaid in a wedding! Oh my gosh, what a fun night! And the decorations were really fabulous too.

What? Check out how much work I got done! Well, it's the little wins that matter, and I definitely won some little battles this month. I'm feeling pretty accomplished.

Here’s my secret: I pulled the plug on home internet mid-April. In a pinch, I can still use my phone, but I would say I’ve gained a couple hours EACH NIGHT in time I used to waste on social networking and a couple other sites. Now, I get home from work and there’s nothing to do but projects. And honestly, I think with summer right around the corner, I’m not going to regret my decision. We’ll see. (FYI, after the first year of “promo rate” was over, Charter doubled the price of internet in a mere six months. It was ludicrous. If they can afford to give me internet for half the “normal” rate for a year, then they’re clearly taking my checkbook for a ride. That’s in addition to the daily/weekly spam mail, spam phone calls, etc)

I don’t want to talk about May, but let’s talk about May. Right now my to-do list is so big I have to scroll down to see it all. That being said, I have no idea what to put on my goals list.

Survive. Actually, thrive. I know I’ll survive. It’s a matter of how well I’ll handle it.
Be realistic about stress. There are things to stress about, and there are things that aren’t worth stressing over.
Spend a night in the garden. Maybe plant some things. Enjoy the sunshine and the dirt.
I’ve got a budget that I haven’t been doing too well at. Goal for May: stay within ten percent of my budget. Better yet: under budget.
Blog once a week . It’s a little more difficult now that I don’t have internet at home, but since I can schedule my posts, it’s easy to get ahead and that’s how it’s done.

Okay, I feel like that’s a pretty worthy list. I know I said April would be a wild ride, but it’s nothing compared to May. Thank goodness for the support of friends and family. That nightly glass of wine is a big help too.

Let’s do this.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

2013-04-26T03:02:00.000-07:00

I've already blogged about a paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe, but these are completely different. The first recipe was made with coconut flour, this one is made with nut flours.

The first nut is the pecan. Food-processed to a flour-like consistency (I didn't process them nearly enough).

The next nut is the almond. I used almond flour that I had left over from making almond milk.

The real reason I wanted to try this recipe was because it has no sugar in it. It uses stevia (which I am still trying to get used to - it's got some bitterness). The chocolate also adds sweetness.

I hardly ever make cookies. I'm still trying to figure out how to forecast how much flattening paleo cookies do. Usually it's not much.

I do most of my blog food making on Sunday, because there's actually some decent light coming in for photography.

Baked for 12 minutes, it's hard to resist a cookie fresh out of the oven.

These cookies did not do any flattening.

These cookies were way crumbly. I think it would have helped if I'd processed the pecans more. Anyway, if you really want to try it, the recipe is here. I still haven't found any paleo dessert that I've liked more than the Double Chocolate Orange Torte, although if I feel like putting some effort into it, the Chocolate-Orange Cake Roll was really awesome too (and was even better using mint extract in place of the orange).

Paleo Pizza (with lots of cheese)

2013-04-19T03:47:00.000-07:00

I have finally found a paleo-friendly pizza crust recipe (albeit full of cheese, but most of them are). This crust is strong enough to hold in your hand like a regular pizza, and virtually carb-free.

Okay, stay with me on this one - this is going to be a stretch - but the crust is basically made out of mozzarella, cream cheese, eggs and ground up pork rinds.

Yes. Pork rinds.

I have never eaten a pork rind before. I was determined to try one before making this crust, but when I opened the bag, the smell was just too...vile. I couldn't do it. Luckily, there isn't much pork rind flavor in the final product. This pizza was delicious.

I tried putting the pork rinds in the food processor and I also tried just crushing them by hand. They started to clump up in the food processor, but since that creates a finer grain, that would be my final suggestion. Start out by mixing up eggs, cream cheese, mozzarella and spices.

Add the pork rinds last. The mixture gets thick and creamy. Spread it out over a very well-greased pan (I used liberal amounts of bacon grease).

Bake the crust for 20 minutes at 425*.

While that's in the oven, chop up your pizza toppings.

The more the merrier! After the crust comes out of the oven, top with pizza sauce (beware of store-bought pizza sauces, which are full of sugar). Then add meat and veggies.

And of course, more cheese never hurt anyone. Plus it helps hold the toppings together.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is bubbly, then let it stand for a few minutes before consuming.

Pork Rind Pizza Crust (I followed the recipe here pretty closely)

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 tbs dried oregano
1 tbs dried basil
1/2 tbs ground garlic
1 c. ground up pork rinds (about half a 1.75 oz bag)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425*F.

2. Mix up the cheeses, eggs, and spices. Add the ground pork rinds.

3. Heavily grease a 9x13 pan. Spread the dough out in the pan. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and let stand for a few minutes.

4. Top with pizza toppings of your choice. Bake for 10-12 more minutes until cheese is bubbly. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

The crust is surprisingly airy but strong enough to hold in your hand like a "normal" pizza. I am happy enough with this recipe to call it my go-to paleo pizza recipe. It has a ton of cheese in it, but it's definitely the best alternative I've tried so far. (previous attempts: Paleo Cauliflower Pizza Crust, "meatza" - made with a flattened chicken breast as the "crust." Apparently I never actually blogged about that one.)

Anyway, try this one out. Let me know if you like it. It's gluten-free, nut-free, coconut-free, etc, which makes it pretty friendly to a lot of different sensitivities.

Whiskey Gingers + Candied Ginger Root

2013-04-13T07:49:00.002-07:00

I have never liked ginger ale. But when I chanced upon the phrase "Whiskey Ginger," I felt a connection. What if, just what if, there was more to this story than just store-bought ginger ale? My local grocery has started stocking ginger root within the past year. It was time to add a new favorite drink to my repertoire.

Start with ginger. It's an oddly shaped, stringy root. Usually by the time they hit the store they've been well-cleaned (maybe even too well-cleaned...).

The recipe calls for 2 cups of fresh ginger. The root I bought was .75 lbs and ended up being just over 2 cups (skinned and sliced). A vegetable peeler worked really well to skin it, then I just sliced it with a knife. A mandolin would also be appropriate if you're looking for thin, uniform slices.

Bring two cups of sugar and one cup of water to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, add the sliced ginger. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let it cool a bit, then strain the ginger slices out of the syrup.

Rinse the ginger root slices in water, then pat dry. Toss them with sugar and lay them out on wax paper for about 24 hours (depending on slice thickness).

The candied ginger root is very strong, and I recommend nibbling a small piece at first so that you know what you're up against. It's spicy, sort of the way cinnamon candies can be hot and spicy.

On to the drink portion of this week's post!

The fun part.... Add 1 shot of whiskey and 2 (large) tablespoons of ginger syrup to a glass.

Add about one cup of club soda (sparkling water). Stir to combine. Garnish with a piece of candied ginger.

It tastes like summer...and almost makes up for the fact that all the snow here melted, and today it's all back again. This drink is good enough that I would drink it WITHOUT the whiskey. Then it's just homemade ginger ale - no HFCS, no aspartame, no chemicals. Just ginger, sugar, and sparkling water.

Candied Ginger Root + Whiskey Gingers (inspired by this)

Ingredients:

2 cups skinned, sliced ginger root (roughly .75 lbs whole ginger root)
2 cups + .5 cups sugar (I used raw, which made my syrup darker)
1 cup water
2 shots whiskey
2 cups sparkling water

Instructions:
1. Bring 1 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar to a boil. Just as it starts to boil, add the ginger root. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool.
2. Drain off the syrup and reserve for later. Rinse the ginger root in water then pat dry. Toss with half a cup of sugar until well-coated. Lay the candied ginger pieces out on waxed paper for 24 hours to dry.
3. Make the drinks: for each drink, use 2 large tablespoons of syrup, 1 shot of whiskey, and 1 cup of sparkling water.
4. Keep remaining syrup refrigerated.

This is the perfect drink for a hot summer day...or even a cold winter day when you need to be reminded of what summer is like.

April's Wild Ride

2013-04-05T04:42:00.000-07:00

Sometimes everything just seems to converge.

Last weekend, I was supposed to go dress shopping with my mom. She canceled because she ended up having to go to a funeral. Then my car crapped out. Then I discovered my credit card was missing. Then my neighbor went crazy - literally - and had to be taken away in an ambulance (she's very sweet and elderly). Charter double-charged me for a double-bill this month.

March! The only thing on my goals list for March was taxes. Also worth noting was the mad chicken-roasting and broth-making tips I bestowed upon the internet this month.

My taxes are done. That also required several hours of trying to use online help and finally contacting customer service on an e-file site I plan on never using again.

I know teacup pigs aren't really trendy anymore but I still want one.

One of my best friends amazingly had a free Saturday and went shopping with me - she even drove! My car was just low on coolant, as far as I can tell it's not leaking, which makes it a MUCH easier problem to handle. My credit card (you'll never believe this) was found in a gas station parking lot and brought to the cashier, who held it in their safe for a full week until I called them. That was the last place I remembered using the card, but I was pretty sure I couldn't have lost it there. My neighbor...well, still waiting to hear back on that one, but she's had episodes like this before (so I've heard).

I ordered 36 beach balls this week. They are the cheapest beach balls on the internet. I'm going to have a beach party.

Let's talk about April goals.

I want to make barefoot sandals for my beach party.
I'm teaching all my friends a dance routine.
I'm going to make seed bombs.
I'm going to start planting my garden!
This dang lake by my house is going to melt. It's my personal goal.
I don't think I bottled any wine all March. I think we can all agree that means I am more than behind on my wine bottling.
Oh yeah, just remembered I'm a bridesmaid in a wedding this month. That seems like something I probably shouldn't forget.

April is going to be a wild ride.

Buffalo Chicken Soup

2013-03-29T03:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, so now that I've roasted a chicken and made some awesome chicken broth, what to do with it? How about turn the world's best Super Bowl dip into a soup!? Brilliant.

I'm not suggesting you make this soup. I'm not even suggesting you read this recipe. This soup has so much hot sauce and so much chicken, you probably can't even handle it. If you need drama, go watch Gypsy Sisters (omg WHY).

For anyone who's still with me, start here: just like the buffalo chicken dip, add hot sauce and cream cheese to a saucepan over medium heat and whisk until the cream cheese is melted.

In a large pot, saute onion, pepper and celery. If you saved some chicken fat from broth-making, this would be a good place to use it. In fact, this would be a good use for all that celery after you put the leaves and heart in with the stock.

Okay, brace yourself for this one. If you roasted a chicken, put ALL of the chicken in the stock pot. Yup. We're putting an entire chicken into this soup.

Now would be a good time to add the hot sauce / cream cheese mixture. Oh, and the entire batch of broth that I just made. You can't even handle this!

Check. This. Soup. Out.

Now, there's a lot going on here already. I don't really think it needs the same level of cheese that the dip does. So you can toss a handful of shredded cheese in there if you want, or you can just use it as a garnish.

Serve with a gallon of water, and a few scoops of ice cream for the truly faint-hearted. Booyah.

Buffalo Chicken Soup
Ingredients:

12 oz hot sauce
8 oz cream cheese
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4-5 stalks of celery, chopped
3.5 cups of shredded chicken (about one chicken's worth - recipe here)
Chicken broth (recipe here)
Cheese and green onions for garnish

Instructions:
1. Whisk the hot sauce and cream cheese together over low heat until completely combined.
2. In a soup pot, saute onion, pepper and celery in chicken fat or coconut oil until onions are translucent.
3. Add chicken and hot sauce / cream cheese mixture to soup pot. Add chicken broth to desired soup consistency.
4. Simmer for 20 minutes. Serve garnished with cheese and green onions.

I don't want to say you can't handle it...but I'm pretty sure you can't handle it. At any rate, I like how this nicely ties up the last two posts on roasting chickens and making chicken broth. It's a great way to save money, be more eco-friendly, be healthier (I said healthiER, not healthy...), and use every bit of what you have.

Homemade Chicken Broth

2013-03-22T03:15:00.000-07:00

So last week, I covered roasting your own chicken. Easy peasy, right? Healthy and delicious. But we want to maximize our return on this chicken. This week, I'm going over what you can do with all the bones and leftovers.

Normally I like to separate the meat out while the chicken is still warm, because I like to make a soup du semaine to eat for lunch every day. If you're pulling meat off as needed, no worries. Just throw the bones in a freezer bag and keep adding them in as they become available. I usually get around 3.5 cups of meat from each bird.

Here's what a cleaned carcass looks like. You can see the wishbone sticking out in front. I know this is a little morbid, but if you eat chicken I think you should know where it comes from.

Everything goes in a pot. Bones, neck, organs, skin. All the leftover juices from roasting it. Add water until the carcass is nearly covered.

Best practice: Add an onion, a few carrots, and the celery leaves/heart leftover from cutting up celery.

I usually put it on the stove when I get home from work and let it simmer until near bedtime. So, around 4 hours. There should be no discernible carcass left by then.

I use a pair of tongs to pull out the big pieces, then strain what's left. The broth should have a decent layer of fat on it from the chicken and from the butter.

Let it cool, then refrigerate overnight. The fat all solidifies on top (you can use that for frying, or you can discard it). The broth underneath should be the consistency of jello. This is due to the gelatin in the bones. It's a little weird at first, but I promise it's a good thing. This is the mark of a good broth.

This broth can be used in any recipe that calls for chicken broth. You can dilute it with water or use it straight. You can add a few big spoonfuls of broth jello to a mug of hot water and drink it. As I've said before, bone broth is good for you. Especially if it's coming from free-range and/or grass-fed animals. Usually, I put all of the broth into my weekly soup for a serious flavor-boosted soup, like this split pea soup.

Rosemary Lemon Roast Chicken

2013-03-15T03:11:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been doing a near-weekly chicken roast. For a few hours of effort on Sunday, my weekday meals become super simple and really tasty.

Here's my reasoning: buying chicken in parts means you're buying a chicken that has been processed more. Roasting a whole chicken is easy and very customizable. And the best part is that you can use the inedible parts to make a delicious stock. So when I roast a chicken on Sunday, that means I can either do easy salads topped with chicken during the week, or I have the perfect base for a chicken soup (also very customizable!). A roast chicken can be done so many ways, with a variety of spices. In the summer, I recommend beer can chicken on the grill. This week, rosemary lemon chicken sounded perfect for salads. If I was going to make chicken tortilla soup with the meat, I'd swap out the rosemary for cilantro and the lemons for limes and follow the recipe below.

I've had a deep longing for fresh herbs lately. Last week I stuffed a pork tenderloin with last summer's frozen homemade basil pesto. This week I'm slathering rosemary lemon butter on a chicken, using dried rosemary from last summer's garden.

Zest a lemon or two and chop up some rosemary (you can use either fresh or dried rosemary, but remember that the fresh stuff is more potent).

Add it to some softened butter. Best practice: leave it on the counter to come up to room temp. In a pinch you can soften it in the microwave. Just don't melt it!

I won't blame you if you stop right here, toast some bread, and put a smear of the herbed butter on toast. Super fragrant! If the butter is unsalted, add some salt and pepper to the herbed butter. If you're using salted butter there's no need to add more salt.

Remove any organs / neck that came with the chicken. Wash the (thawed) chicken under cool water, inside and out. Place it in a baking dish (or 9x13 pan).

You don't have to do this, but I usually do: loosen the skin from the breast and put some of the butter between them. Or just slather the whole thing with the butter, including the extremities and crevices. If the bird is cold, the butter will harden up - in this case it is better to do small quantities of butter at a time.

Slice the lemons in half and juice them over the chicken. Best practice: use a lemon juicer so you don't have to worry about seeds. Here's the best shot I got of juicing with my right hand and taking a photo with my left hand...

Stuff the lemon halves and the remaining rosemary into the cavity.

Chop one large or two small onions into large chunks and tuck them in around the chicken, adding one or two chunks to the cavity. I put about half a cup of water in the pan just to make sure there is plenty of moisture available.

Roast at 400*, roughly 20 min per pound of bird, until a meat thermometer reads at least 170* in the thickest part of the meat. Check it every hour or half hour, and if (when) it starts to get too brown, cover it loosely in foil.

Rosemary Lemon Roast Chicken
Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, thawed
2 or 3 lemons*
1/2 cup fresh rosemary* (or 1/4 cup dried rosemary leaves. Use less if rosemary is ground)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1 large or 2 small onions

*Can also use cilantro and limes in place of rosemary and lemons to make a chicken more suitable for chicken tacos, chicken tortilla soup, buffalo chicken dip, etc.

Instructions:
1. Zest a lemon or two and chop up most of the rosemary. Add it to some softened butter. Add the pepper to the butter. If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt.
2. Remove any organs / neck that came with the chicken. Wash the (thawed) chicken under cool water, inside and out. Place it in a baking dish (or 9x13 pan).
3. Slather the chicken with the butter, including the extremities and crevices. If the bird is cold, the butter will harden up - in this case it is better to do small quantities of butter at a time.
4. Slice the lemons in half and juice them over the chicken. Best practice: use a lemon juicer so you don't have to worry about seeds. Stuff the lemon halves and the remaining rosemary into the cavity.
5. Chop one large or two small onions into large chunks and tuck them in around the chicken, adding one or two chunks to the cavity. I put about half a cup of water in the pan just to make sure there is plenty of moisture available.
6. Roast at 400*, roughly 20 min per pound of bird, until a meat thermometer reads 170* in the thickest part of the meat. Check it every hour or half hour, and if (when) it starts to get too brown, cover it loosely in foil.
7. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.

Next post will be on what to do with the inedible parts (neck, organs, carcass). In the meantime, enjoy rosemary lemon chicken on salads, in wraps, or served on its own with a side of rice pilaf or mixed vegetables.

This method - with lemons and rosemary - has been the most tender chicken I've ever done. Fall-off-the-bone (in fact, one of the wings fell off the bird while roasting!) tender dark meat; one of easiest birds I've ever disassembled.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

2013-03-10T07:04:00.001-07:00

I'm not a big fan of eating pork, but this pork tenderloin has just about changed my mind. Good cuts of pork now include bacon and tenderloin.

Take a pork tenderloin and butterfly it. Spread it out, cover it with plastic wrap, and use a mallet to pound it out to about 1/2" thick.

Spread about 1/4 c. basil pesto over the tenderloin.

Cover in 1/3 c. plain greek yogurt.

I diced up 1/4 each red and yellow bell peppers to stuff it with. You can also use things like onions, mushrooms, broccoli, etc. Be creative.

Roll it up (this might mean just folding it in half, depending on how big it is and how stuffed it is), and set it seam-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Cover in another 1/3 c. plain greek yogurt. I was trying to use up the rest of the yogurt so mine are extra smothered.

They don't look particularly appetizing yet, but wait til they come out of the oven. Tenderloins usually come in a two-pack. The recipe amounts here are for one tenderloin, although I did make both of them at the same time. Bake on 375*F for 30 - 40 minutes until a meat thermometer reaches 140* in the thickest part of the meat.

Slice into 1.5" thick slices and serve!

The pesto is really yummy and reminds me of spring. It smells so fresh, even though it's been in my freezer since last fall. For those of you that froze pesto cubes, I used two cubes for each tenderloin.

A New Month

2013-03-01T04:08:00.000-08:00

I am extremely grateful to have an easy post this week – I have been too busy to cook anything interesting, which means I’m definitely too busy to write a blog post about a recipe.

February’s goals and results:

Shedd Aquarium! Done and done. What a great trip!
Super Bowl! I love social get-togethers. Not everyone could make it or stay the whole night but we had a really great time and the food was fantastic.
Bottle wine. For the first time ever, I bottled it all by myself. I’m ridiculously proud of myself for that. I also started a new batch.
Candied citrus peel! Check out this recipe! Soooo tasty.
Taxes. Did not happen. The end of February snuck up on me (I thought I had one more weekend! Since when does February end on the 28^th? Kidding. But I ran out of time).

So basically I did all the fun stuff and ignored the boring stuff. But that puts taxes at the top of March’s list:

Taxes

In fact, taxes is the ONLY thing on March’s list. Yeah, that’s happening. I’ve got a thousand other things to do in March (namely, I’m working on a huge fundraiser and project that is having 3, yes THREE, events in March. Always on the weekend).

On a whim, I approached my favorite food blogger about donating a cookbook for my fundraiser’s silent auction. I expect she gets requests like this all the time and thought I probably wouldn’t hear back. Within hours, the publishing company was asking for my address and said a signed copy would ship out same-day! WHAT?! So that is probably my favorite moment from this month. I’m still slightly in shock that I have this fabulous cookbook sitting on my shelf, and I’m a little sad that I have to give it away. But it’s for a great cause, so I’m just happy to have another awesome item to contribute.

I watched a movie this month in which a child questioned why adults hate birthdays. The answer made me realize why I had such a hard time with my birthday this year:

Getting old sucks. Most people don't accomplish what they'd hope to and they realize that they are most likely not going to. They end up living these quiet lives of denial, and brushing birthdays under the rug just becomes a part of that.

I feel like time is slipping away and I’m not realizing my dreams. I have a grand plan and timeline for my life goals, but no changes in the immediate future, so I feel pretty stagnant right now. As another January ticks by, I feel like living my dream becomes less realistic. I’m still in the same place I was a year ago. I wonder if I’m doing enough, but I also wonder if I have time to take on more. And that was probably my saddest moment this month.

Onward and upward.

Sliders

2013-02-22T04:31:00.000-08:00

I bought some teeny tiny bread! And decided to make sliders a new way.

So I mixed up one pound of burger up with one small onion and a small handful of basil.

Using my hands, I pressed it into a pan in a rectangular shape and baked it on 350* for 15-20 minutes (until cooked through).

Sprinkle on some cheddar, slice into teeny tiny bread-sized pieces.

Add a pickle, add whatever you want on a tiny slider.

Miniature is fun!

Kelp Noodle Stirfry

2013-02-15T03:40:00.000-08:00

The ingredient of the month is....
Kelp noodles!

Reportedly another 'superfood' (of the "I feed my goats kelp, and I drink their milk all the time and I never get sick!" variety), kelp noodles are cheap, macro-nutritionally pretty neutral, and taste-free. Admittedly pretty strange, I'm pretty sure you could enjoy this stirfry with or without the kelp noodles. I really didn't mind them at all.

Cook some hamburger and set aside. Using the same pan, saute onion, mushroom, dis-armed jalapeno and garlic.

When the onions begin to look translucent, add in broccoli. Rinse the kelp noodles.

Soak the kelp noodles in 50% lemon juice and 50% water (no need to be exact). This softens them so they aren't oddly crunchy. Make sure to keep the kelp noodles and your cooking wine separate. You don't want to grab the wrong glass.

Add the spices and (mostly drained) kelp noodles to the stirfry, along with the precooked burger. Saute for 3-5 minutes longer. Serve it up.

Kelp Noodle Stirfry
Ingredients:

1 lb burger
1 sm onion
2 jalapenos, deseeded
4 oz mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
coconut oil
1 small broccoli head
1/2 package kelp noodles
lemon juice
2 tbs fish sauce
2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Cook the burger. While the burger is cooking, rinse the kelp noodles. Put them in a small bowl and add half lemon juice and half water, to cover.
2. Set the burger aside. In the same pan, saute chopped onion, jalapenos, mushrooms and garlic in coconut oil. When onions are translucent, add the chopped broccoli.
3. Add the (mostly drained) kelp noodles, fish sauce, basil and S&P. Saute for 3 - 5 more minutes, then serve.

Candied Orange Peel

2013-02-08T05:42:00.000-08:00

So citrus. It's in season. I've been trying all sorts of tangelos and blood oranges and other round, orange fruits. There are so many more uses for the peel than just compost. The peel contains flavorful oils, which can be used for homemade orange cleaners or starting fires (Kyle saved some peels last winter for taking camping). Or, you can eat them! Candied orange peels are a little bit like gummy orange candy, but without all the chemicals. These candies have three ingredients: citrus peel, water, and sugar.

Start by peeling some delicious oranges. I lightly sliced the peel into quarters (without cutting into the flesh) and peeled it off. Then I cut each peel quarter in half. Once you have your peels, use a sharp knife to cut off as much of the bitter pith as possible. Ideally, you want to be able to see the pores of the orange (you can sort of see them in the photo below).

Gently place the orange peels in a medium saucepan. Cover them with water and bring to a boil. Let the water boil for five minutes, then drain the peels. Cover them with brand new cold water and repeat twice, so that in the end they've been boiled and drained 3 times. This is especially important for the peels of sour citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit) because it removes any sourness or bitterness.

Now bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil. Add 1.5 cups of sugar. Bring it up to about 230 degrees (using a candy thermometer) then add the orange peels back in. Let them boil for about five minutes. Don't stir them, just swirl the pan a bit to keep them from sticking together. Stirring invites the possibility of crystallizing the sugar. Drain! If you can, use a cooling rack with paper towels underneath it. I do not have a cooling rack.

Let them drip dry for about 30 minutes. Put a cup of sugar in a plastic container or bag, and add the peels to it. Gently toss so that each peel gets coated. Spread them out on a sheet of wax paper and let them dry out for a few hours.

Finally get some good light in the kitchen and have a little photo shoot.

Candied Orange Peel (inspired by the Oct/Nov 2012 issue of Organic Gardening magazine)

Ingredients:

Peels of three oranges
Water
2.5 cups of sugar, divided

Instructions
1. Start by peeling some delicious oranges. Lightly slice the peel into quarters (without cutting into the flesh) and peel it off. Then cut each peel quarter in half. Once you have your peels, use a sharp knife to cut off as much of the bitter pith as possible. Ideally, you want to be able to see the pores of the orange on the other side.
2. Gently place the orange peels in a medium saucepan. Cover them with water and bring to a boil. Let the water boil for five minutes, then drain the peels. Cover them with brand new cold water and repeat twice, so that in the end they've been boiled and drained 3 times. This is especially important for the peels of sour citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit) because it removes any sourness or bitterness. They should be almost translucent at this stage.
3. Now bring 1.5 cups of water and 1.5 cups of sugar to a boil. Bring it up to about 230 degrees (using a candy thermometer) then add the orange peels back in. Let them boil for about five minutes. Don't stir them, just swirl the pan a bit to keep them from sticking together. Stirring invites the possibility of crystallizing the sugar. Drain, reserving the orange syrup to use for sweetening teas, etc. Use a cooling rack with paper towels underneath it.
4. Let them drip dry for about 30 minutes. Put a cup of sugar in a plastic container or bag, and add the peels to it. Gently toss so that each peel gets coated. Spread them out on a sheet of wax paper and let them dry out for a few hours. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

For an extra special treat, dip in dark chocolate.

The Super Bowl Food Every Party Needs and Goal Recap

2013-02-01T04:29:00.000-08:00

What kind of blogger would I be if didn't tell you my favorite Super Bowl recipe? To me, it just isn't the Super Bowl if I don't see some buffalo chicken dip! It might as well be any random Thursday night game until someone brings The Dip.

And check out that nuclear orange color! Unbeatable. Not as photogenic as I'd hoped, but the photos just don't do it justice. And so easy! Start with some shredded rotisserie chicken. Or, if you have some on-hand, roast turkey leftovers.

Heat up hot sauce and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove.

Mix until creamy and that violent orange color that just tastes so good.

Pour it over the shredded chicken.

Now top with...more cheese! Cheddar, please, and maybe some Mexican if your heart desires. Now, I would never condone pre-shredded cheese because of all the additives used to keep it from clumping...but everyone has their busy days, and I won't judge.

Bake up the cheesy goodness until melty and bubbly and irresistable. Or, if you're traveling for your Super Bowl viewing, just throw it all in a crockpot! That's right, this recipe can adapt to suit your needs.

Tackle this dip with some tortilla chips or, if you're pretending to keep things healthy this year, some celery sticks.

Buffalo Chicken Dip (found all over online)
Ingredients:

3 c. of shredded chicken
1 c. hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
2 8oz packages of cream cheese
2 c. shredded cheddar (and/or Mexican)

Instructions
1. Heat up the hot sauce and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat until the cheese is melted and the mixture is uniform. Preheat the oven to 350*.
2. Put the shredded chicken in a 9x13 pan and pour the hot sauce mixture over it evenly.
3. Sprinkle the cheddar over everything. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until everything is melted and bubbly.
4. Try to let it cool before letting the football fan masses attack it!

Crockpot Alternative:
1. Heat up the hot sauce and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat until the cheese is melted and the mixture is uniform.
2. Put the shredded chicken in a crockpot and pour the hot sauce mixture in. Add the cheddar and stir everything up. Heat on low for 2 to 3 hours. Stir and serve.
3. Bring to the party and watch it disappear.

But let's not forget that it's the end of the month! So let's check back in on the goals.

Part of January's living simply is to avoid time wasters like facebook and mindless TV. Except that January was a cold, unfriendly month that I spent snuggled up on the couch with blankets and hot cocoa. That is to say, fail. I did have my more social moments, but I spent plenty of time online and watching TV.
In addition, January also sounds like a good time to avoid sugar. I did soooo well for three weeks, then kind of lost track. I'm counting it as a win.
Make more wine. It's still brewing! Won't be ready to bottle for another week or two. Actually, I might give it more time, because with wine time is on your side.
Hockey game! My parents are took us kids out to a game as part of our Christmas swag. Went to the game, had a great time, Amy caught a tshirt, and then they lost in OT. Mostly a good time all around.
A trip to Chicago! It was COLD. But we had fun and we'll be down there again in a couple weeks!

Which brings me right to February:

Shedd Aquarium! As a Christmas gift, we're taking some family to visit the aquarium in Chicago.
Super Bowl! I love social get-togethers like this. Yay! People and food and beer and funny commercials! Oh, and I guess there's a football game on too.
Bottle wine. A recurring goal lately...
Candied citrus peel! Winter time is citrus time, and it's high time I learned how to take advantage of every part of the fruit.
Taxes.... Let's get them done early this year, and not wait until life gets really busy suddenly realize that April 15 is a right around the corner :)

Whew! Sorry for the double blog post, but I just couldn't wait until after the weekend to post a recipe for the best Super Bowl food EVER. In the WORLD!

Roast Turkey with Pomegranate-Orange Glaze

2013-01-25T06:04:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you about how cold it is. Negative twenty wind chill. A full week of single digit highs. Time to hunker down with some comfort foods and pretend that at some point, your car will heat up. Let me tell you about my accidental turkey.

The grocery store was having a sale on turkey breasts. I figured a turkey breast would be sold just like chicken breasts. Well, I know turkey breasts are a sizable cut of meat, but the frozen breast I bought seemed extraneously large (am I saying 'breast' too much?). Turns out, it was the entire chest cavity. Basically the whole birds sans arms or legs. Wings or legs. I mean, why not just sell me the whole bird? So this is what I discovered at 6pm on a weeknight when I intended to roast it. Surprise late night. Who needs sleep.

I juiced two oranges and one pomegranate and mixed the juices with some honey, garlic, dried basil and oregano, S&P. I was supposed to marinate the turkey, but I couldn't fit it in any containers so...I just let them rest in the baking dish for a while.

Loosen the skin by hand, then place small slices of butter under the skin. Add some water so the turkey is sitting in 1/2 to 3/4 inch of liquid. Roast! 350 for 2+ hours (until a meat thermometer reads at least 170* in the thickest part of the breast). Baste every 20 minutes. If turkey gets too dark, cover loosely with tin foil.

Oh, I roasted it with one onion (cut into large chunks) and one sweet potato.

When out of the oven, let the turkey rest to soak up the juices. Then put the turkey on a separate platter and scoop the solids out into a separate container. Save the liquid to make a fantastic pomegranate-orange gravy.

Succulent, moist sliced turkey...it's like a little taste of Thanksgiving to help get you through those cold winter months.

Roast Turkey with Pomegranate-Orange Glaze
Ingredients:

1 thawed turkey "breast"- entire chest cavity
1 pomegranate
2 oranges
3 cloves of garlic, flattened
1/4 c. honey
1 tbs dried basil
1/2 tbs dried oregano
S&P
1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup)
1 onion
1 sweet potato
water

Instructions:
1. Juice the pomegranate and oranges. Mix with garlic, honey, basil, oregano and S&P to taste.
2. Rinse turkey and pat dry. Marinate the turkey in juice mixture for 1 to 3 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 350*. Loosen the skin of the turkey from the meat. Slice up the butter and place pieces between skin and meat.
4. Put turkey and marinade in roasting pan. Chop the onion and sweet potato into large chunks and place around the turkey. Add water to the pan so the liquid is 1/2 go 3/4 inch deep.
5. Roast the turkey for 2 to 2.5 hours (until meat thermometer reads 170* in the thickest part of the breast). Baste every 20 minutes. If turkey starts to brown too fast, cover loosely with foil.
6. When the turkey is done roasting, let it rest for ten minutes to soak up some juices.

I recommend reserving the pan liquids to make gravy. Turkeys aren't scary! You can totally do this.

In addition, let me tell you about how difficult it was to type this all out with a faulty spacebar. Possibly my most-used key whilst typing...

Southwest Lime Salmon

2013-01-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

Things happening today: hockey is FINALLY starting. Wings play tonight! On a related note, it looks like today will be a good day for skating on the lake and I'm going to test it out. I am drinking bone broth that's fatty enough to double as lip balm. My shamrock is blooming and the flowers are so cute and petite. Salmon is probably my favorite fish ever and I always have some in the freezer.

I am guilty of overspicing everything. I like huge amounts of flavor. So I went a little overboard with the southwest seasoning. But when combined with lime...well, I make no apologies.

Bake to perfection, then place on a bed of spinach, cilantro, habanero cheddar, and if you're really looking for a flavor kick, dried cranberries.

And no apologies. Life's too short to regret something this good.

Southwest Lime Salmon
Ingredients:

2 (5 ounce) salmon fillets, bones removed
fresh cracked pepper and sea salt
southwest seasoning
1 lime, sliced

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 450.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray.
3. Place salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle fillets with southwest seasoning and the salt and pepper. Place 2 lime slices on top of each fillet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and tent with aluminum foil for 10 more minutes. Fish will continue to cook during this time. It will flake easily when done.

I like to serve my salmon over a bed of greens. It's a good way to get those fresh greens while still having a hot meal.

Paleo Granola Bars

2013-01-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

In my quest to keep January sugar-free, I needed something sweet to tide over those cravings. Not that I get a lot of sugar cravings anymore, but especially when I eat something spicy I really feel the need to balance it out with a sweeter flavor.

Sometimes I feel guilty about posting recipes like this. It's so customizable that sometimes I wonder if it's even worth calling a recipe. It's more like a suggestion of how to start, and then you can pretty much add whatever you want. Allergic to almonds? Substitute with cashews. Don't like coconut? Leave it out. Have dried cherries on hand instead of mixed berries? Perfectly fine. Amounts, too - only have a cup of nuts on hand? Do it. Sick of your loud food processor? So don't process the "granola" as much. No big deal, guys! These are easy!

I used slivered almonds and crumb-size pecans, so I really just threw all my ingredients into the food processor and let it rip. If you start out with whole nuts, process those first until they are a more manageable size. I'm not going to tell you what that size is because it really doesn't matter too much.

The whole internet (okay, mostly paleo food blogs) is going crazy for medjool dates. That is a thing that I would have to travel at least an hour to find, and even then I'm not sure it would actually be available. So imagine my surprise when my local discount grocer was selling 2 kg of medjool dates for a shockingly low price! I split a package with my brother. This endeavor is made possible by that joyous little find.

Okay, confession: I threw some chocolate chips into these because I had about half a cup left from holiday baking, and because I thought I might need a little help in enjoying these (I had never tried a Medjool date before). Turns out they would have been fine without. Lesson learned. Oh, and I didn't add the chocolate chips until after the food processor step was done. I kneaded them in by hand. Easy peasy.

I found my base recipe by googling "paleo protein bars." So rumor has it these are high in protein as well. I haven't actually calculated out the macronutrient content but I'm 100% certain the carb content is higher than the protein content. Also, the author touted this recipe as a homemade version of the Lara bar. I don't eat Lara bars so I can't say one way or the other how similar it is. But maybe that's something that interests you, so I'm sharing it here.

Paleo Granola Bars (loosely inspired by this recipe)
Ingredients:

1 c raw almonds
3/4 c raw pecans
12 Medjool dates, pitted
1+ c dried mixed berries (unsweetened) --or whatever dried fruit you have on hand!
2 tbs coconut oil
1/2 c finely shredded coconut flakes (unsweetened) --optional
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 c chocolate chips --optional

Instructions:
1. Pulse the nuts in the food processor until they are smaller than whole pieces. Basically whatever size sounds good to you.
2. Add the remaining ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and process in food processor until well combined. Remove from food processor and work in chocolate chips.
3. Put a sheet of wax paper on a cookie sheet. Dump the "granola" mixture on the wax paper and flatten.
Clean method: put a second piece of was paper on top of the mixture and roll out with a rolling pin.
Hands-on method: wash your hands, then work the mixture flat with your hands. Spread out until 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Or maybe you want them a bit thicker. It's really a matter of taste.

I got roughly 15 bars from this recipe. I forgot to count. But it really doesn't matter, because my real recommendation is to cut them as big as you want them. Like I said, customizable!

January Goals and 2013 Goals

2013-01-04T09:29:00.001-08:00

It's a new year! A clean slate, a blank page, just waiting for me to write something new every day. Think of the possibilities! Okay, yeah, that doesn't sound like me. But the truth is that every day is full of choices and while there are some choices I am going to make, every single time (Do I go to work today? Do I put effort into my job?) there are also some things that are optional that I should be choosing.

Photo unrelated.

So let's start with what I'm going to make happen this year:

2012 was SO BUSY. What was I even doing? I feel like I constantly ran out of time and looking back, I don't feel like that was meaningful. So I'm taking 2013 to live simply. Enjoy time with friends, go camping, keep a few hobbies. But for the most part, I'm not going to sweat the small stuff.
Garden is a big part of my year. I feel like I put a lot of effort into the garden for not such a great return. Let's say my time is worth $5 an hour while gardening (because I enjoy it, but it is WORK). How much time do I spend cultivating tomatoes for the return? Would it make more sense to just buy tomatoes at the farmer's market? Last year's garden was an experiment, this year's garden is a labor of love.
Talk more. Cultivate relationships. I've been exploring this lately - it's getting easier to become a social island every day. You can communicate with friends via text, email, facebook, etc. You can use the self-checkout at the grocery. I hate calling people on the phone, and can easily avoid it. But the thing is, it's healthy to talk to people. Check out this story about how a community of Italians avoided Western diseases by cultivating personal connections. I'm going to spend 2013 asking cashiers how their day is going, and actually caring about the answer.

So nothing too life-changing. Definitely doable, and hopefully habits that will continue to grow long beyond this year.

Let's break it down for January!

Part of January's living simply is to avoid time wasters like facebook and mindless TV. Read more, talk more, live in the world more.
In addition, January also sounds like a good time to avoid sugar. I think it's safe to say that December is a month of over-consumption of sugar, which times January perfectly for cutting back.
Make more wine. I know. We somehow ended up with a bunch of wine kits and I've got one brewing right now. A blackberry zinfandel, doesn't that sound interesting? I have a feeling it's going to be a little sweet for my tastes.
Hockey game! My parents are taking us kids out to a game as part of our Christmas swag. In the past we've gone to see the Wings, but the flippin NHL can't get its act together. But this will be just as fun.
A trip to Chicago! The summer was all about traveling north, so the winter is going to be all about traveling south. Sort of like snowbirds, except that the distance traveled is proportional to age (ie I'm about a third of the age of a snowbird, so I'm only going about a third of the way south...it's a bit of a stretch. Just let me have it).

January is already looking pretty full, but it's mostly trips and legit hobbies, so I think I plan to live simply in January. We'll see. Is it possible to be busy but still live simply?

Recap of December and 2012 Goals

2013-01-01T03:25:00.000-08:00

2012 is coming to a close, and that means it's time to recap my month and my year. I'm currently enjoying the crap out of my holiday vacation, although I'm glad it's not permanent.

New for 2013! Check out the RECIPES page. Complete with some semblance of organization, and photos!

December goals:

I had a giant, 5-hour, open book test. I didn't expect to pass, but I did! I don't know how close I was because I don't get told my score, but as long as I passed I guess it doesn't matter!
De-label and clean wine bottles for…
…Bottling wine. Bottle cleaning is an ongoing process, and the wine has been bottled. I also started another batch of wine, which is why I continue to clean wine bottles.
Keep Christmas an un-materialistic as possible. I got more presents than I need, for sure, but everything I got will definitely be used. I also enjoyed giving and receiving intangible gifts like trips and outings. January is almost full from all the planned trips now! Love it.
Holidays mean road trips and family gatherings and big meals and a teensy bit too much wine. All of those things happened, including a 200 mile trip completed at an average of 35mph due to a terrible snow storm. After all the accidents we saw, I'm thankful that our trip was just a long one, not an expensive one too. Other than that, it was really good to catch up with family and make some plans for 2013.
Dance. December was a month of dancing! Zumba, learning a couple dances on my own, and just generally being more light on my feet. It was a fun goal.

2012 goals:

Travel: I went to Ecuador! I went backpacking at Knobstone. I also went on a road trip in November. I went on various other trips around the state of Michigan, mostly camping at some pretty beautiful parks.
Blogging: I blogged pretty regularly. 3x per week was taking up too much of my time so I dropped down to 2x for the summer and then somehow in fall that fell to 1x per week...and then in December I missed a couple weeks. Bleh. But I'm considering this goal as met.
Goal-setting: I really enjoyed making goals for myself each month and then seeing how I did at the end of the month. I didn't always succeed, but by setting goals, I accomplished more than I would have otherwise.
Fatigue: whatever. It's still something that I live with. I probably should have a sleep study done if I'm really serious about figuring this out.

Okay, now time for my favorite photos of 2012!

Paleo Shamrock Shakes

Ecuador

Knobstone

4th of July

Feta-stuffed basil burgers

Black raspberry gin fizz

Grilled salsa verde

And that wraps up a pretty fantastic year. Can't wait to see what 2013 brings!

Split Pea Soup

2012-12-28T04:14:00.001-08:00

This recipe is a basic split pea soup that just begs to be customized. It's a great use for that leftover Christmas ham.

Cooking the day after Christmas: the house is a disaster zone, the kitchen looks like a tornado went through, and everyone is exhausted. What I needed was a no-fuss recipe. The epitome of laziness, I couldn't even be bothered to wash a measuring cup. 1 pint = 2 cups. Boom. Done.

Yellow split peas. I'm not trying to be fancy, it's what was in the cupboard. Mix with 3 cups of water and 3 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer, add one chopped onion and 1.5 c. chopped (cooked) ham. Add 3 minced garlic cloves and some fresh cracked black pepper.

Simmer for 1 hour. When the timer buzzes, smash up the peas a little bit to give the soup that authentic split pea texture. If you have an immersion blender, it wouldn't hurt to use that instead.

A very basic soup with very few ingredients. Feel free to add things like carrots and celery. Maybe a few spices. Take this recipe and make it your own.

Basic Split Pea Soup
Ingredients:

2 c dry split peas
3 c water
3 c chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
1.5 c cooked ham, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cracked pepper

Instructions:
1. Add the peas, water and broth to a large pot over med-high heat. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce to a simmer and add the onion, ham, garlic and pepper.
3. Simmer for 1 hour, until the peas are soft. Smush them slightly with the spoon to give the soup a thicker texture.

Chocolate-Orange Cake Roll

2012-12-21T09:43:00.002-08:00

End of the world cake. End of Hostess Swiss Cake Rolls cake. Gluten-free, nut-free cake. The perfect holiday cake. I don't care what you call it, it's tasty, visually pleasing, and it's the kind of cake I want to show off to my friends and family.

Gluten-free, nut-free cake roll.

Sorry for my absence. I normally write a post on Thursday night and auto-post it on Fridays. Then I started taking Zumba on Thursday nights and suddenly blogging got overlooked. If you're reading this a year from now, you don't give a crap whether I blog regularly or not, so let's skip the apologies and head straight to chocolately rolled goodness. Inspired by Joy the Baker.

Possibly a little labor intensive, but if you're making it for a special occasion it's totally worth it. The beauty of this cake is that the ingredients are fairly simple. Chocolate, eggs, sugar.

The egg yolks, sugar and vanilla get beaten together, then stirred gently into melted chocolate. It should be thick, glossy and ribbon-like. Notice that I had to go to the living room to get some decent light. Winter is not a good playmate for indoor photography.

Beat the egg whites. Show them who's boss. You can use a mixer, a whisk (punishment), or an egg beater. Make them light and fluffy. The merest hint of yolk will prevent them from stiffening.

Add some cream of tartar or lemon juice to help them hold their stiffness. Add a pinch of salt, too.

Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until just incorporated. Prepare a 17x12 cookie sheet with greased parchment paper. Pour the cake onto the parchment paper. No need to be a perfectionist here, smooth it out a bit but don't worry about a little unevenness or swirls. Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes.

The cake should come out looking spongy.

While the cake is baking / cooling, start working on the filling. Beat heavy whipping cream with sugar, vanilla and orange extract. I added a little food coloring to make my whipped cream a mild peach color. If orange isn't your thing, try a little mint extract and some green food coloring.

If you're whipping the eggs and cream by hand, you are getting a serious workout today.

Don't forget to taste it as you go. You absolutely need to make sure it has the perfect hint of orange flavor, and just enough sugar. Fair warning: it tastes like creamsicle and you probably won't be able to stop after that first taste.

Spread the whipped cream over the cooled cake. Gently roll it up. Don't worry about cracks. Whip up a ganache and drizzle it over the top.

The ganache covers all those little cracks and imperfections.

Refrigerate to harden the ganache. Keep the cake chilled until serving. This cake is light and goes well with a hot cup of coffee.

Chocolate Orange Cake Roll (based on this)

Ingredients:
Cake:

4 oz finely chopped semi sweet chocolate
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 c plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3/4 tsp cream of tartar OR a few drops of lemon juice

Cream:

1 1/4 c heavy whipping cream
3 tbs sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp orange extract (start with one teaspoon and add more according to your taste)
A few drops of red and yellow food coloring

Ganache:

1 c finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate pieces
2/3 c heavy cream

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Grease a 12x17 cookie sheet and cover with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper (I used my olive oil sprayer, nonstick spray would work too).
2. Make the cake: mix the egg yolks with 1/4 c sugar until thick and pale yellow (5 - 7 minutes). Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. When the chocolate is melted, slowly mix it into the sugar/yolk mixture. Add the vanilla. Stir until thick and glossy.
3. Whip the egg whites. As they start to get stiff, add the salt and either cream of tartar or lemon juice. Beat into stiff peaks. Gently fold in thirds into the chocolate mixture. When barely incorporated, spread the cake batter on the parchment paper, using the spatula as little as possible. Bake for 15 - 17 minutes.
4. Make the whipped cream: while the cake is baking / cooling, stir sugar, vanilla, orange extract and food coloring into the heavy whipping cream. Whipped the cream until it forms soft peaks.
5. Spread the whipped cream over the cooled cake. Gently roll the cake, loosely. Don't worry about cracks.
6. Make the ganache: heat the cream to almost boiling. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate pieces. Let stand 30-60 seconds, then stir until smooth. Pour over cake roll, covering any blemishes. Refrigerate the cake to re-harden the ganache. Refrigerate until serving.

Goals Revisited

2012-11-30T13:40:00.002-08:00

I had a week off in November. It was nice. It was reeeeeally nice.

Easy fall appetizers: Pumpkin-shaped cheese balls

So here's what happened (and didn't happen) in November:

• Road trip! I think it’s safe to say that I will remember that trip for the rest of my life ;)
• Lunch with Grandma on Sunday! Made a great dessert, had a great time, did some much-needed catching up, watched a homemade video and played some cards. Who says you can’t have it all?
• I also made some egg muffins. Check them out!
• The sauv blanc kit I started only needs a month before bottling, so bottling was on my list for the month. Except that I didn’t feel comfortable putting it in the carboy when the instructions said to so
my wine is running a little behind schedule. No big, but bottling is going to have to wait a week.
• Vote, obviously! I did my part to improve the chances of third-party politics, because that’s where I believe the real change is at.
• Star Wars marathon...only the original three, and even those were hard to stay awake for. But this item is accomplished!

Delicious souffle, recipe here

December goals...because despite the holidays I still have things to get done :)

• This counts because it happens on December 1st: I have a giant, 5-hour, open book test tomorrow. The kind where the multiple choice answers are all correct, but I have to choose which one is MOST correct. So, I guess my goal is to survive it. If I pass, that would be splendid as well. I should have the results by January so I can even blog about how close to passing I was.
• De-label and clean wine bottles for…
• …Bottling wine.
• Keep Christmas an un-materialistic as possible. I don’t need more STUFF. If you want to give me a present, have me over for dinner or plan out a fun event. That’s the kind of present I really enjoy.
• Holidays mean road trips and family gatherings and big meals and a teensy bit too much wine. Bring it on.
• Dance. Yes, that’s right. My goal is to do more dancing in the month of December.

And some random photos from the trip... like a field of cotton, ready for harvest.

And some pecans, also ready for harvest. These ones came home with me though (okay, so a branch of cotton did too...).

Savory Souffle

2012-11-23T03:16:00.000-08:00

I have been threatening to make this for ages. I don't think I was supposed to take it out of the baking dish, but it posed for such pretty photos after I did.

So. Souffles. They're like omelettes or egg bakes, except twice the work. Nonetheless, they've been on my list. Whatever. Fricken delicious.

Melt some pepperjack cheese into milk thickened with coconut flour and butter. Organic grassfed hipster milk.

Pepperjack cheese has got to be one of the best cheeses. It's cheese...but it's spicy. It's basically a combination of my favorite things.

Stir ham and canned chiles into the milk mixture.

The egg whites get whipped into stiff peaks. Use either lemon juice or cream of tartar to encourage the egg whites to hold those bubbles.

Gently fold a third of the egg whites into the rest of the souffle. Fold in the second third. Fold in the last third. Use as few folds as possible to get it just barely incorporated. Pour into greased dish or ramekin.

So basically what I have here is a very fluffy omelet that I'm about to bake. I'm slightly concerned that it doesn't have enough bacon.

Fear not. Honestly, this was so tasty. Was it the doubled effort and extra wait time? Who's to say? All I know is that if you AREN'T out shopping and fighting the masses and trying not to trample innocent store workers on this Black Friday, you might as well spend some extra time to make a souffle. Make this souffle.

Savory Souffle (a grain-free version of this recipe)

Ingredients:

2 tbs butter
2 tbs coconut flour
3/4 c organic milk
1/3 c pepperjack cheese, shredded
3 eggs, whites and yolks separated
a few drops of lemon juice OR 1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 c chopped ham or turkey
1/2 can (~2 oz) green chiles

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Use bacon grease to grease two oven-proof dishes (mine were 1-qt each, but a 2-cup dish is plenty big enough).
2. Over medium heat, melt butter. Add coconut flour. Stir in milk slowly, whisking to remove any clumps. Stir in pepperjack and simmer until cheese is melted.
3. Whisk egg yolks, stir in ham/turkey and chiles. Slowly pour in milk/cheese mixture.
4. Whip the egg whites until peaks start to form. To help retain the whipped-ness, add in either lemon juice or cream of tartar. In thirds, fold the egg whites into the milk/cheese mixture until just incorporated.
5. Pour mixture into greased dishes. Bake for ~25 minutes, until nicely browned on top. Serve immediately. Serves two.

I love adding spices to things. This souffle has no spice in it - not even salt and pepper. And yet it was sooo tasty. Granted, between the cheese and chiles, a lot of flavor was added.

So make! Eat! And enjoy.

4 tablespoon(s) margarine or butter

1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup(s) reduced-fat (2%) milk, warmed

6 ounce(s) pepper jack cheese, shredded

4 large eggs, separated

1 large egg white

3 ounce(s) smoked ham, chopped

1 can(s) (4 1/2-ounce) chopped mild green chiles, drained