Well hi there, strangers.

It’s been a while, I know. So much has happened, so many exciting things have changed…I don’t even know where to begin!

I mean, I guess I could start at the beginning, but that makes entirely too much sense. Too logical.

In a nutshell, the life I am currently living is entirely and wholly different than the one I was living just two mere months ago.

Doesn’t that sound cryptic? Or spooky? Ominous? Or like the plot tagline from an action movie or something? Well, I’m not in an action movie, or living in a haunted house, or on the lam. Although all of those things would be compelling excuses for not posting anything here in forever.

Instead, I uprooted my entire life and moved over a thousand miles away.

• We gave away damn near everything we owned and moved to Boston.

• We stashed what clothing, books, photographs, food props, pots & pans and assorted miscellany we did bring with us in a small storage unit, knowing full well we wouldn’t have the time or wherewithal to even think about unpacking, finding homes for things and settling in for a few months.

• We lived in a hotel 40 minutes north of the city for about two weeks before subleasing a tiny studio apartment a block away from Fenway Park.

• I began working at an adorable cafe in Harvard Square as a pastry cook, and had to learn how to wake up in the middle of the night to begin my work day at 3am.

• On my days off, I alternated between collapsing in a heap of exhaustion and running all over the city, desperately trying to complete a never-ending to-do list. Opening bank accounts. New license. Registration. Insurance. Parking permits. Searching for a more permanent place to live.

• I grappled with the concept of cooking in our tiny kitchen with its comically unnavigable layout, and quickly understood why many city dwellers prefer to dine out or grab takeout rather than attempt to prepare a meal in their own kitchens.

• Frustrated with the kitchen and rendered completely exhausted from adjusting to an extremely physical new job, I stopped cooking at home. We ate a lot of takeout. And ice cream. And subsequently gained some weight. Oops.

Did I mention that while all of this is going on, I’ve been struggling to adapt to a gluten free diet, as I discovered that I have a gluten intolerance? Yup.

I’ve been in a constant state of flux for the past two months, and frankly, it’s worn me out. It’s been one hell of an adjustment period, but I think things are finally stabilizing a bit. Sort of. Maybe I’m just getting better at managing the insanity and keeping pace.

Ryan found us an apartment right by his new job, about 25 minutes outside the city. It’s about half a mile from a bunch of farms, dairies and adorable parks where the puppies can run around like maniacs. We move in next month. It’s hard to believe that we’ll be able to stay put in a place for more than three months. I can actually unpack my things and feel like I’ve really, truly moved!

I’ll be starting grad school in the beginning of September at Boston University, where I’ll be studying Gastronomy. I’ve been so busy trying to make sense of my new life here that I keep forgetting that we moved to Boston so I could go to grad school. It’s terribly exciting, and terrifying, and nerve-wracking, but I cannot wait to get started.

Two days ago, I picked up my camera for the first time since April. It was exactly like riding a bicycle for the first time in years–awkward, clumsy, and a little intimidating at first. After a few minutes, somehow, muscle memory kicks in and squashes that initial fear or falling, or failing, or not remembering. And everything is okay.

So. Everything is okay. Better than okay, truly. Everything is a chaotic, beautiful wonderful adventure right now–and I am loving every single minute of it.

I know this is a really rambly, wandering post, but I guess that’s what happens when all my thoughts are left to rattle about my skull for a few months. I’ve been a bit lost lately, but I’m slowly finding my way. Bear with me!

Anyhow. I suppose you got the memo and know that it’s summer now, right? Which means it’s pretty warm outside, and if you’re anything like me, you are avoiding turning your oven on at all costs.

Well, I am avoiding my oven mostly because I can’t open the fridge if the oven door is open. Also, I can’t bake anything over 325 degrees F in my oven, or the fire alarm will go off. It’s been really fun, learning all of these exciting new things about this kitchen!

Seriously, after spending five minutes in my kitchen, I need a drink. Really! We don’t have a/c, and it gets really hot in there. Also, it’s frustrating as all get out.

I find that a boozy ice cream float solves all of my problems. I have a sneaking suspicion it will do the same for you, too!

I don’t drink soda, but I do love a good ice cream float. I love making Italian sodas, which consist of little more than sparkling water and a flavored syrup. Making your own syrup takes mere minutes, and you can completely customize your soda-making experience. Complete control!

Since rhubarb is in season (and everywhere up here!), I decided to make a simple rhubarb syrup for the base of my ice cream float. A vanilla bean, sugar, a pinch of salt and blood orange juice round out the supporting cast of characters, enhancing the sweet-tart flavor of rhubarb without being overwhelming.

I am slightly obsessed with anything elderflower-related, so I decided to spike my ice cream float with a bit of elderflower liqueur. The floral sweetness of the elderflower perfectly compliments rhubarb–it’s basically a match made in heaven. A generous scoop of vanilla ice cream floated right on top makes this float a sweet summertime favorite.

I can’t promise I’ll be posting with incredible frequency, but I am back–and so very, very happy to be here. I heart you.

Boozy Rhubarb & Elderflower Ice Cream Floats

Yield: 2 cups rhubarb syrup | 1 float

These ice cream floats are simple and wonderfully satisfying on a hot summer's day. If you're not in a boozy mood, omit the elderflower liqueur. You can replace it with elderflower extract or syrup, which you can find in some specialty stores or online.

Also, the rhubarb syrup can be used for more than just making crazy good ice cream floats! Drizzle some atop a banana split or strawberry shortcake. This syrup also plays nicely with savory dishes as well--brush some onto grilled fish or chicken, or stir some into your favorite basic vinaigrette for a kiss of sweet-tart summery flavor!

Ingredients:

For the Rhubarb Syrup

2 cups fresh rhubarb, diced
1 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
pinch of kosher salt
1 1/2 cups orange juice (I used blood orange juice, but you can use regular orange juice, or substitute another juice if you like! You can also use water!)

For the Rhubarb Elderflower Ice Cream Float

2 tablespoons rhubarb syrup
8 ounces sparkling water, chilled
1 ounce elderflower liqueur
1 scoop good quality vanilla ice cream (make your own!)

Directions:

For the Rhubarb Syrup

Combine the diced rhubarb, sugar, vanilla bean, kosher salt and orange juice in a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat.

Using a silicone spatula, stir often and allow the mixture to simmer and come to a boil, about 3-4 minutes.

Once the mixture reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rhubarb has broken down and the liquid has reduced by about 1/3. The consistency should be slightly thick and syrupy.

Strain the syrup into a clean jar through a fine mesh sieve, and allow to come to room temperature before covering and transferring to the fridge.

The syrup will keep, stored in an airtight container in the fridge for over a month.

For the Rhubarb Elderflower Ice Cream Float

Pour the syrup in the bottom of a glass, and add the sparkling water.

Using a spoon, stir gently to combine.

Add the elderflower liqueur, and stir to combine.

Add a scoop (or two!) of good quality vanilla ice cream to the glass, and serve with a tall spoon and straw.

The rhubarb elderflower soda recipe can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled and so forth quite easily. If serving the floats for a crowd, you can make the soda a few hours ahead of time and store it in the fridge prior to serving. The syrup may settle a bit at the bottom of the bottle or bowl you store it in the fridge, so give it a gentle stir or shake before pouring into glasses, topping with ice cream and serving.

a food + words original

A dear, darling friend of mine is expecting her first baby soon–exciting, right?

What if I told you that said dear, darling friend was also an immensely talented food blogger, whose blog you undoubtedly already know, love and read obsessively?

Yes friends, the wonderful Erin of Erin’s Food Files is most definitely pregnant, most definitely about to have a baby soon, and a few fellow food bloggers are throwing her a virtual baby shower!

Hooray for babies! And friends! And food bloggers! And the internet!

I’ve been reading Erin’s blog since before I actually started blogging myself. In fact, I was going through my horrifically uncatagorized, overwhelming bookmarks tab on my browser the other day and realized I had about four or five of her recipes I’d bookmarked ages ago to make, way before I ever thought of starting my own blog. She’s basically kind of amazing.

I met Erin for the first time at BlogHer Food in Atlanta last year, and we hit it off immediately. We bonded at the bar of a chic little boutique hotel over fabulous cocktails and pretty much became friends right away. Everyone knows that alcohol is the foundation for any real, substantial lasting relationship, right?

But I digress. I was fortunate enough to see her again at Food Blog Forum Nashville, where I had the pleasure of meeting her lovely husband Nathan, and their way-too-cute pup, Jesse. Let me tell you, they literally have the most adorably adorable house I’ve ever seen in my whole life–so jelly! I was struck by their love, their sweetness toward one another, and the sense of family and unity between them. They’re happily ever after, but in a super-cute, not at all annoyingly Disney way. I dig that.

When I found out they were expecting a teeny tiny baby, I was so excited and happy for them! There is no doubt in my mind that Erin and Nathan are going to be incredible parents, and that Jesse is going to be a great big brother to the newest addition to their family. It’s always awesome when cool, terrific people procreate, and I have no doubt that Baby W will be the most rad baby ever, thanks to having bad-ass parents like Erin and Nathan!

So since I’ve kind of been out of the loop in terms of social networking, blogging and having an internet life lately, I wasn’t quite sure if Erin had announced the gender of little Baby W yet. I didn’t want to make something pink, or something blue, because quite frankly that ish is played out. Right? I mean, babies of any gender can totally appreciate other colors. Like chartreuse. Or vermillion. Or mustard yellow.

Side note: When I have a baby, I will require it to always wear awesome clothes. It’s imperative. I vow to never, ever in a million years put my baby in a romper that declares “#1 pooper” or some other equally awful, TMI, cringe-inducing fashion statement. Nope. No way, no how.

SO. I happen to know that Erin, much like myself adores the color yellow–and looks damn good in it too, I might add! I decided to make some bright, sunny cheerful lemon poppyseed truffles in honor of Baby W’s arrival. Gender neutral, fashion-forward and completely delicious!

The best part about these truffles is that they’re SIMPLE. Truly, honestly, ridiculously easy to make. And the end result? Oh dear. If you’re a fan of lemony flavors, get your life together and make these, my friend! They will make you a better person. Truth.

I was a bit skeptical about how these lemon poppyseed truffles might turn out, because I am not a huge fan of white chocolate. Actually, I detest the stuff. Loathe. Abhor. Insert other strong, hate-fueled adjective of your choice. But the tart astringency of lemon and the pleasant crunch of the poppyseed magically mask the flavor of white chocolate entirely. It’s a Christmas miracle!

So whip up a batch of lemon poppyseed truffles in honor of Erin, Nathan and Baby W today! I am deliriously happy for the two of you (and Jesse!), and I wish you nothing but happiness, laughter and so, so much love and sweetness. Hooray for babies!

Lemon Poppyseed Truffles

Yield: 30-40 truffles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
zest of two Meyer lemons
juice of 1 Meyer lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
16 ounces white chocolate chips
2-3 teaspoons poppy seeds
powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Combine the heavy cream, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice in a saucepan and place over medium heat.

Place the chocolate chips in a glass or metal bowl and set aside.

Stirring occasionally, allow the cream and butter to heat and infuse with lemon flavor. When the mixture begins to steam and small bubbles form along the edges of the pan, remove from the heat.

Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate chips and allow to stand for 30 seconds.

Whisk the mixture until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth and homogenous. Add the lemon extract and poppy seeds, and stir to combine.

You can either leave the truffle mixture in the bowl if you are going to scoop your truffles, or transfer to a plastic piping bag (without the tip snipped off!).

Transfer the truffles the fridge and allow to cool for about an hour, or until firm but not completely rock solid.

To form the truffles, you can either snip the tip of your plastic bag and pipe small dollops onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, about the size of a cherry. If scooping truffles from a bowl, you'll use either a small cookie scoop or just under a tablespoon per truffle.

Place the pan of truffles in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up again.

Sift about 2 cups of powdered sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.

When the truffles are firm but not too solid, roll them gently into round balls using your hands. You can use gloves if you'd like, and the balls don't have to be perfect!

Toss the rolled truffles into the powdered sugar and move them around until completely coated. I like to shake the excess powdered sugar off each truffle before transferring them to an airtight container. Repeat until all truffles are coated in powdered sugar.

Once the truffles are coated, transfer them to an airtight plastic container and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

The truffles will keep in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to six months.

a food + words original

You guys. Things are just out of control INSANE around here these days.

I know I haven’t been around much lately, and I feel awful. What do you say we catch up a bit over scones and jam?

You know that old saying, “When it rains, it pours?”

Well right now, it’s a torrential downpour. A deluge. An epic, non-stop thunderstorm of awesome.

So a few months ago, with the end of culinary school on the horizon, I secretly applied to grad school. I didn’t tell anyone, except Ryan and my BFF. Not even my parents. Why the secrecy? Honestly, I really, truly did not believe I would ever get in.

During my senior year of college, my boyfriend of four years and I broke up, and I kind of went off the deep end. Not the sad deep end, because I was the one that broke it off. Instead, I did the really mature thing and went downtown every night, living it up, partying like a total lunatic. Basically, I completely blew off my studies and pretty much stopped caring about school. Smart, right?

Anyhow. by the time I graduated, I’d done a real number on my GPA. It wasn’t pretty. I figured my chances of ever getting into grad school were slim to none, so I wrote off the idea of getting a Master’s degree. Kind of heartbreaking. Some little girls daydream about pink houses and being a princess. Little me dreamed of higher education and eventually getting a PhD. Oh, and dinosaurs. I was kind of a dinosaur fanatic growing up.

Fast-forward a few years: I’m married to a super-amazing boy, I’m studying baking and pastry in culinary school, where I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA since day one, and I have a lovely little food blog that I adore to pieces. I got my life together! Yeah!

Even though I had finally figured out what I wanted to do with my life, the thought of grad school still lingered in the back of my mind. I knew I wanted to continue studying and learning about food, but I still thought I’d never get in anywhere because of my awful undergraduate GPA, haunting me like a spooky ghost.

I stopped being afraid, wrote a killer letter of intent and applied to grad school. I figured that applying and not getting in would be much better than staying afraid, never applying and always wondering.

Guess what, nerds? I GOT IN!

I’ve been accepted to Boston University’s Gastronomy graduate program, arguably the best program of its kind in the entire country. Whoa.

I’m still completely, utterly wholly shocked. It’s really happening! I start in September, and I plan on focusing my studies on food writing, communication, culture and history. Eep!

Oh, did I forget to mention that we are moving to Boston next Thursday?

I’ve been alternating between freaking out with excitement over grad school and stressing out completely, trying to find an internship so I can graduate from culinary school. It’s been intense.

But remember when I said that one good thing has snowballed into about 23,598 other amazing things?

My last day of classes for culinary school is on May 16, and I’ve accepted a job as a pastry cook/baker in an adorable cafe in Harvard Square! I landed a full-time job that will count towards my internship for school in Boston! So many good things!

Ryan found us an adorable, albeit teeny-tiny studio apartment in a beautiful brownstone building a few blocks from Fenway Park, and we’ve been busy packing, selling all our things and getting ready to hop in the car on Thursday to move 1,300 miles away.

Did I forget to mention that all of these amazing things, all of this crazy life-changing stuff has transpired in the last three weeks?

So I hope you’ll forgive my absence around these parts, but now you know why I’ve been MIA for a while. I promise I’ll be back to posting regularly once we’ve settled into our new apartment in Boston, but for the next couple of weeks posting is going to be pretty intermittent, so don’t hate me, okay?

In the meantime, I suggest you whip up a batch of these sweet cream scones and a bit of strawberry rhubarb jam. The scones come together in no time flat, and they’re so lovely and tender and perfect. You’ll be smitten and struck by their simplicity; how a few measly ingredients can work together in such harmony to bake up a wondrous, tender-crumbed delivery system for sweet-tart jam baffles me completely.

And the jam? Oh, this jam. It’s the absolute essence of springtime. Plump strawberries and bright pink rhubarb cook together with a bit of lemon and vanilla to enhance their bright flavors. A quick spin in the food processor or blender yields a smooth scarlet jam that glides beautifully across scones, toast or any bread it meets. Truth be told, this jam is a lot like my life right now: pretty damn perfect.

Sweet Cream Scones with Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Yield: 24 small scones, 2 pints jam

Ingredients:

For the Cream Scones

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons natural cane sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled

For the Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

3 cups fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2" pieces
the zest of one lemon
the juice of one lemon
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (substitute 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste)
1/2-3/4 cup natural cane sugar (depends on how sweet you like your jam!)
2 tablespoons framboise (optional)

Directions:

For the Sweet Cream Scones

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, with a rack in the center of the oven.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, kosher salt and sugar into a medium bowl. Form a small well in the center of the dry ingredients.

Pour the cream into the center of the well and using your hands, fold the flour mixture into the cream until mostly incorporated. You might want to use a glove!

Turn the rough dough onto a well-floured surface and knead briefly just until the dough comes together.

Using a well-floured rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/2" thickness.

Using a small floured cookie cutter (I used a fluted 2" round cutter), cut the scones out of the dough and carefully transfer them to the prepared cookie sheet, leaving about 1" between each scone.

Using a pastry brush, brush the excess flour from the top of the scones and brush with melted butter.

Bake the scones at 425 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on the outside.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool on the sheet for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Serve the scones warm with soft butter and jam.

The scones will keep for up to three days, stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

For the Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Combine all the ingredients in a medium non-reactive saucepan and place over medium-high heat.

Stirring often, allow the mixture to come to a boil and turn down to low.

Allow the jam to cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the fruit is tender and broken down.

After the fruit has cooked, remove the vanilla bean and carefully pour the warm jam into the bowl of a food processor or blender. You can also use an immersion blender, if you happen to have one.

Pulse the jam until smooth and pureed, about 30 seconds or so.

Transfer the jam to sterilized glass jars and allow to come to room temperature before sealing and transferring to the fridge.

The jam will keep, stored in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to two months. If you'd like the jam to be shelf-stable, you can heat process the cans and your jam will keep for up to a year.

cream scone recipe adapted from James Beard

Hello again, my dearest darlings!

I’m sure you’ve noticed I haven’t been around much lately. And for that, I am super crazy time sorry. I promise a new post soon, with lots of explanations as to my absence…because things are off-the-wall crazy bonkers around here. For realizes.

For now, I just wanted to briefly share a fabulous recipe with you that I developed for Lipman Tomatoes recently! It’s basically the bomb dot com.

I was asked to develop an original recipe to commemorate the launch of Lipman Kitchen, a new recipe site which showcases original recipes using Lipman’s gorgeous tomatoes. Since I’m essentially a tomato fiend, I jumped at the chance to get in the kitchen and work on some fabulous tomato-centric recipes.

After plenty of recipe writing, testing, and straight-up gorging on tomatoes (with generous sprinkles of fleur de sel, of course!), I finally settled on a recipe where the tomatoes could truly be the star: a killer Bloody Mary. Of course!

Bloody Marys are basically synonymous with brunch, and by default, my life. I live for tomatoes, and brunch-time shenanigans make life worth living, as far as I’m concerned. Using Lipman’s gorgeous Vintage Ripe Heirloom tomatoes, I made a simple, spicy and addictive tomato juice blend that was good enough to down by the bottle itself. But I couldn’t stop there. You know me.

I decided to infuse my own vodka with a blend of four different types of hot chili peppers to up the spice quotient even more. Literally, there’s no such thing as a too-spicy Bloody Mary. It’s impossible. It just can’t be done. After allowing the vodka to infuse for a few days, I strained it, combined it with the fresh Vintage Ripe tomato juice, plenty of Worschestershire sauce, fresh lemon and lime juice, and a smidge of Tobasco. Spice city, USA!

I serve up my Bloody Mary with a giant stalk of celery (of course!), plus a veritable garden of garnishes on a skewer: lime and lemon wedges, pepperocinis and mini kosher dill pickle slices. Now if that doesn’t sound like a perfect Sunday morning drink, I don’t know what does.

I had an amazing time creating my ultimate Spicy Bloody Mary for the Lipman Kitchen website, and I hope you’ll head on over and check out all of the other fantastic recipes that other bloggers created using Lipman’s gorgeous tomatoes!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a new post (FINALLY!), lots of exciting news, and a new recipe for you to feast your eyes on. Hooray!

Disclaimer: Lipman Produce provided the fresh tomatoes and compensation for recipe testing and development for this project. All of my opinions and recipes are my own.

Thank you so much for participating in my wonderful All Natural Spring Cleaning giveaway! I’ve picked a winner, and I am super excited to announce who’s going to receive an AMAZING prize pack from the incredible, eco-friendly company, Full Circle Home!

Who was lucky number 13?

Hooray, Emily W.! You’re the winner! Thanks for liking me on Facebook, I like you, too! Now you get to clean your home, help the environment, learn how to compost and basically win at life. Sweet, huh?

Please contact me through e-mail (jaclyn [at] foodpluswords [dot] com) or use the contact form on this site with your full name, e-mail address and physical address so you can receive your wonderful Full Circle Home prize pack!

If the winner doesn’t contact me by Tuesday, April 24th by 8pm EST, I will draw a new winner.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered, and a huge thank you to Full Circle Home!

Yes! Wait. What?

I know what you’re thinking. How could these possibly taste good, right?

Science? Alchemy? Sorcery?

Maybe it’s magic. I’m not sure. All I know is these are legitimately, undeniably off-the-charts amazing.

What could be a more appropriate dessert to make for Earth Day than beet cupcakes, right? One of the predominant flavor characteristics of beets is earthiness. These cupcakes are basically one with the earth. Harmony. Zen. Et cetera.

I should preface this post by saying that Ryan hates beets. No, that’s not really accurate.

He loathes beets. Abhors them. Thinks they are literally the worst excuse for a vegetable in the whole wide world.

…I know, he’s crazy.

Despite the fact that beets are my husband’s arch rival and nemesis in life, he declared these bourbon golden beet cupcakes to be the best cupcakes he’d ever had in his whole life.

Whoa.

That’s some mighty high praise, coming from a beet hater. Imagine what a beet lover would think of them! They’d take one bite and immediately petition Congress to legalize human/vegetables marriages. Or something.

I forgot to mention that these cupcakes are made without butter or oil, so on top of being delicious, they’re also quite healthy.

But you can keep that fact to yourself if you like. I just thought you might like to know.

Also, these cupcakes are full of bourbon. The frosting, too. Boozy cupcakes. Tremendous!

Roasting the beets with a bit of dark brown sugar and almond oil intensifies their flavor, coaxing the natural sweetness out of the beets. It’s lovely.

Did you know that half the sugar produced in the U.S. is derived from beets? Fun facts!

These beet cupcakes are not overly sweet, which makes the mascarpone cream cheese frosting the perfect compliment. Soulmates!

I like to pipe big swirls of frosting on the top of these little babies and top them with pretty little multicolored sprinkles. They’re cheery, fun springtime cupcakes. You can’t help but smile a little when you see a smattering of sprinkles sitting proudly atop a cupcake, am I right?

I certainly have a penchant for sneaking vegetables into baked goods–remember the chocolate chip zucchini brownies? Or the butternut squash blondies?

I can be pretty sneaky. Like a cat. Sneak cat.

These bourbon golden beet cupcakes? My sneakiest success yet! I mean, if a super beet hater like my husband can fall in love with these cupcakes, I must be doing something right.

My advice? Make these. Immediately, if not sooner. They’ll change your life in ways you never thought possible!

Also, they can’t be beat. Ha! Get it? Beat? Beets? Beets!

Bourbon Golden Beet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Golden Beet Puree

4-5 medium sized whole golden beets, greens removed, scrubbed well
1 tablespoon almond oil (substitute olive, coconut or vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup hazelnut milk (substitute soy, almond, cow's milk or any other milk you like)

For the Cupcakes

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup smooth applesauce (substitute equal amount of almond, coconut or vegetable oil)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla bean paste (substitute pure vanilla extract)
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup golden beet puree

For the Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 package (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla bean paste (substitute pure vanilla extract)
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

For the Golden Beet Puree

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with a rack in the center of the oven.

Place a piece of parchment paper on top of a piece of foil, and set the beets on top. You want enough parchment and foil to wrap the beets up into a pouch. You also want to be sure the foil will be on the outside when you fold your pouch up.

Pour the almond oil, dark brown sugar and salt over the beets. Using your hands, toss the beets in the oil and sugar to coat.

Fold the left and right sides of the foil and parchment to the center. Bring the top and bottom pieces together and roll the seam down to seal the pouch up.

Place the sealed pouch onto a small baking sheet and place on the center rack of the oven.

Roast the beets at 350 degrees F for one hour.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the beets to cool in the pouch undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Using an oven mitt, carefully open the pouch to allow some of the heat to escape, and allow the beets to cool for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, the beets should still be warm but you should be able to handle them. Using your hands, rub the skins off of each beet. They should slide off easily.

Place the peeled beets into a food processor with 1/4 cup of hazelnut milk, or whatever type of milk you are using.

Pulse the mixture in the food processor until smooth and pureed, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Scrape the puree into a small bowl and allow to cool fully to room temperature before using.

The puree can be made up to three days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

For the Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with a rack in the center of the oven.

Line a cupcake tin with paper cupcake liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted on, combine the eggs, natural cane sugar and dark brown sugar. Beat on low for 30 seconds, then increase the speed and beat on medium for 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale yellow and thick.

With the mixer on low, beat in the applesauce, vanilla bean paste, bourbon and beet puree. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds.

Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides with a silicone spatula. Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Using the spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing just until the flour is dissolved and the batter comes together.

Portion the cupcakes into the prepared, lined tin. I like to use an ice cream scoop to ensure each cupcake is the same size.

Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cupcakes will keep at room temperature unfrosted for up to two days.

Alternately, you can freeze the unfrosted cupcakes for up to six months. Arrange the cooled cupcakes in a single later in a freezer-safe zip-top plastic bag and remove as much air from the bag as you can. Then transfer to the freezer! When you're ready to frost them, simply transfer the sealed cupcakes to the fridge the night before to defrost.

For the Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting

Place the softened cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted on.

Beat the cream cheese on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy and light.

Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the mascarpone cheese, vanilla and bourbon and beat on medium for 30 seconds, until incorporated.

Add the confectioners' sugar and beat on low until just combined.

Assembling the cupcakes

Transfer the prepared frosting to a piping bag with the tip of your choice fitted inside.

Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes in swirls, and decorate with sprinkles!

cake recipe adapted from food + wine

Ryan and I are obsessed with composting, you guys.

Composting might seem like a strange thing to be obsessed with, but we can’t help ourselves. We just are. Composting is great for the environment and it’s actually fun, so allow me to wax poetic about how awesome it is for a little bit!

We’re big into recycling, and we save onion skins and carrot peels in a large container in our freezer for making huge batches of chicken stock. I’ve always felt bad about throwing away things like the ends of zucchini or eggshells (we don’t have a garbage disposal!), so when we got the opportunity to test out the Full Circle Fresh Air Kitchen Compost Collector, I was all about it!

And thus, an obsession was born. It’s not just me, either! Ryan decided to take our composting experiment to the next level and we started a compost pile in our backyard, with the intention to eventually start worm composting. Fun times!

But guess what? You totally don’t need to have a backyard in order to compost! All you need is a countertop compost collector, biodegradable bags and a sense of adventure.

Well, maybe you don’t need a sense of adventure, but having one certainly doesn’t hurt the situation. Let’s learn all about the wild world of composting together, shall we?

What is composting?

Composting is essentially collecting food scraps and organic waste in order to allow them to break down into nutrient-rich matter. Composted matter is added to soil and allows plants, flowers and herbs to retain more moisture and nutrients while growing.

Gardeners call compost “black gold,” since the matter fertilizes plants so well. It’s better for the environment and for your garden than petroleum-based fertilizers, that’s for sure!

Why should I compost?

Do you have a garden? Do you grow herbs or flowers in containers on your balcony or windowsill? Do you want to do something nice for the environment and contribute a bit less garbage to our already way overfilled landfills?

These are all great reasons to compost! Think about how much food we throw away. Think about all the kitchen scraps and carrot tops that we throw into plastic bags that don’t break down. Landfills are full of plastic bags piled on top of each other, full of rotting food. Delicious, right?

Instead of tossing rotten heads of cabbage in the garbage, you can throw them into your compost collector and allow them to break down naturally. It’s kind of like kitchen alchemy, taking something gross, like a moldy tomato and allowing it to turn into something you can use to feed your plants and make them healthier. Crazy!

I don’t have a backyard! How am I supposed to compost?

No worries, mate! Even if you live in the tiniest studio apartment in the middle of a big city, you can totally compost!

Most cities, especially larger cities will have community compost centers where you can bring your bags full of compost for them to deal with. No mess, no fuss. Super simple, right? You can visit Earth 911‘s website, as well as the EPA’s site to find a community compost center in your area!

Uh, isn’t my kitchen going to smell bad with a bunch of food scraps sitting in a bin on the countertop?

Nope!

I know, I was skeptical, too! A good countertop compost collector will allow oxygen to flow through the container, meaning the food isn’t sitting in a completely enclosed container. The compostable materials will stay dryer, which means no horrifying smells in your home.

Good composting bags are 100% biodegradable, which means they will break down organically, so you should replace them every 3-5 days. If you’re replacing bags frequently enough, your compost doesn’t have a chance to start getting really smelly and gross.  Everyone wins!

What can I compost?

Check it:

 Hey! I like your compost container. Where can I get one like it?

Thanks, dude! I like it a whole lot, too! It’s modern, sleek and very compact. It actually looks quite adorable on our counter!

My compost container is by Full Circle, and I’m actually giving one away this week in honor of Earth Day! Head on over to this post to find out how you can enter to win!

You can also check out Full Circle’s website and see where you can purchase one. They’re great!

Another wonderful benefit to composting is that we generate SO MUCH LESS garbage now. We used to probably have a bag or two each garbage day, which seems like a lot for a two person household. Now that we compost as well as recycle, we have maybe two bags of garbage going out per week. Which is basically awesome.

Hopefully that answers some of your burning questions about composting, and if you have any others, please feel free to leave them in the comments below! We are in the beginning stages of our composting journey and we’re learning something new every day, so if you have any tips or tricks for us let me know!

It’s probably not natural to be as excited about spring cleaning as I am right now.

But I am! We spent the last week spring cleaning our little faces off, and our house feels amazing. Lighter. More livable. More like a home, rather than a series of rooms that held piles of random stuff that just collected dust.

After many trips to Goodwill to drop off donations, stacking recyclable goods by the curb as tall as me, and organizing our closets by color, there was one more room to tackle: the kitchen.

Oh, the kitchen. My favorite place to be, but my least favorite to clean. I’m really good at making messes in the kitchen, but not the best when it comes to cleaning them up. I have a tendency to let dishes pile up next to the sink and before we know it, half the countertop is comprised of dirty dishes.

I may or may not be the worst when it comes to keeping a kitchen clean.

Well this year, I wanted to change. I wanted to make my kitchen sparkly clean, spic and span, and organized. And I wanted to do it in the most efficient, eco-friendly way possible. As convenient as those canisters of cleaning wipes are, I feel awful every time I use one and toss it in the trash.

Well, the good people at Full Circle came to my rescue! Just when I thought my kitchen couldn’t be any more of a hot mess, a big box arrived at my front door full of all sorts of cleaning-related goodies!

You wouldn’t think I’d get so excited to receive a box of things that would force my to clean my kitchen, but even I surprise myself sometimes!

Full Circle sent me literally everything I could possibly hope for in order to begin my eco-friendly kitchen cleaning adventures! I received a pot scrubber, a dish brush, a pack of loofah sponges, a package of cellulose cloths, a natural cleaning solutions booklet with a spray bottle, and a countertop compost collector with a package of biodegradable, compostable bags. Now I had no excuses–the kitchen was going to get an extreme makeover!

Here are the horrifying before pictures of my kitchen–we don’t have the nicest kitchen in the world to begin with, but Dishpocalypse 2012 certainly wasn’t helping to make it look any better.

Scary, huh? Welcome to the life of a food blogger who doesn’t have a dishwasher, and who hates doing dishes!

I know. Not pretty.

I’m really good at dirtying dishes, aren’t I?

But! Check out what a little bit of time, determination and lemon juice can do:

Ah-mazing.

Dishes? All done!

Countertops? Clean as a whistle!

Stove? Microwave? Shinier than a silver dollar!

Guess what, guys? You can tackle your spring cleaning in an eco-friendly way, too! I’m giving away a whole bunch of beautiful, all natural, planet friendly products in honor of Earth Day, which is April 22!

That’s right: one lucky reader is going to win a veritable boatload of amazing Full Circle products to get their spring cleaning done the all natural way. Pretty sweet, right?

how to enter

It’s super simple! Leave a comment telling me what Full Circle product you’d absolutely love to have in your home! Just pop over to Full Circle’s website and let me know what product you think is the dreamiest. Please be specific! For example, instead of saying “Sponge,” say “Bubble Up Dish Brush!”

what’s up for grabs?

A whole bevy of awesome, eco-friendly cleaning supplies and products!

Here’s what you’ll win:

• The Grip Pot Scrubber! It’s got a beautiful bamboo wood handle with a loofah that doubles in size when wet. Made with Earth-friendly plant materials, this scrubber is 100% biodegradable and is tough on your pots and pans yet gentle enough to not scratch their delicate surfaces.
• The Laid Back Dish Brush! This brush also has a bamboo handle with a lovely curved shape that’s not only ergonomically designed to feel great in your hands, it also keeps the bristles off your coutertop–love that! The brush heads are replaceable, and the entire brush is 100% biodegradable.
• A set of three Loofah Sponges! These sponges are tough and incredibly durable–if they can handle the horrifying grime that was lurking in my kitchen and home, they can tackle anything! One side is a sponge, and the other side is a loofah–it’s safe on glasses, nonstick cookware, and anything else you might use it on. It’s also 100% biodegradable–I love that I can just compost it when I’ve scrubbed it to death.
• A set of three Squeeze Cellulose Cloths! Oh em gee, you guys. These things are AMAZING! First of all, they’re like the next generation of paper towels–have you ever tried to re-use a paper towel, like they claim you can in the commercials? It never works! But with these cellulose-based cloths, you can use them again and again! They’re great for mopping up spills, wiping down countertops, cleaning dishes or washing windows. You can boil them or pop them in the dishwasher to freshen them, and each cloth will last you MONTHS. They too are 100% biodegradable, so you don’t have to feel guilty about finally tossing them when the time comes!
• Come Clean Natural Cleaning Solutions! This is so, so awesome, you guys. You’ll get a squeeze bottle with a lemon juicer built right in, a microfiber cleaning cloth and a booklet full of cleaning solution recipes you can make yourself. I LOVE THAT. You probably have most of the ingredients for the different cleaning solutions in your house right now, and they work just as well, if not better than those scary ones from the store full of harsh chemicals. There are recipes for countertop sanitizers, fabric refreshers, tub and toilet cleaners, and even recipes for shampoo and perfume for your pup!
• A Fresh Air Odor Free Countertop Compost Collector, plus 25 Renew Compostable Refill Bags! I’m going to wax poetic about my new obsession with composing in tomorrow’s post, but this is seriously SO EXCITING! This adorable little rectangular guy hangs out on your countertop, happily collecting your kitchen scraps while being courteous enough to not make your house smell at all. Seriously. Not even a little bit! We put this baby to the test and put some pretty ripe stuff in there and let it sit on the countertop, and this compost collector took it like a champ. The bags are completely biodegradable, too! This composting system is perfect for compost novices, those who live in apartments or don’t have a yard!

Pretty amazing haul, right?

contest details

The giveaway will be open from 9:00 am EST on Monday, April 15th, 2012 and will close on Saturday, April 21st, 2012 at 11pm EST. I’ll use Random.org to choose a winner, and I will announce the winner on my blog, on Twitter and on Facebook on Earth Day, Sunday, April 22nd, 2012 at 12pm EST.

The winner will have 48 hours to contact me through e-mail (jaclyn [at] foodpluswords [dot] com) or the contact form on this site with their full name, e-mail address and physical address so they can receive their Full Circle Home Prize. if the winner doesn’t contact me by Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 by 10am EST, I will draw a new winner.

want extra entries?

• Follow @foodpluswords on Twitter, and leave a comment saying “I follow @foodpluswords on Twitter!” with your Twitter handle!
• Follow @FullCircleHome on Twitter, and and leave a comment saying “I follow @FullCircleHome on Twitter!” with your Twitter handle!
• Tweet about this giveaway, and leave the link to your tweet in a comment! You can use this sample tweet: Hooray! Earth Day! @foodpluswords is giving away a @FullCircleHome All Natural Spring Cleaning Prize Pack! Enter now: bit.ly/HJXXVm
• Become a fan of food + words on Facebook, and leave a comment saying “I like food + words on Facebook!” and write your first name and last initial in the comment!
• Become a fan of Full Circle on Facebook, and leave a comment saying “I like Full Circle Home on Facebook!” and write your first name and last initial in the comment!
• Click the “like” button at the bottom of this giveaway post and leave a comment with your first name and last initial!
• Subscribe to food + words via RSS feed or e-mail!

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry opportunity!

Good luck, loves! I’ll be back tomorrow to tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about composting, but were afraid to ask!

I’ll be sharing plenty of homemade beauty product recipes, DIY cleaning solutions and other eco-friendly recipes with you all week in honor of Earth Day! Hooray, Earth!

Welcome to our second installment of Wedding Wednesday! Each week, I’m taking a break from food blogging and re-capping our big day, from start to finish–I hope you’ll come along for the ride!

Last week, I shared our rehearsal dinner the evening before our wedding with you. We had such a lovely evening with our family and friends close by, enjoying one final meal before the biggest day of my and Ryan’s lives so far. We feasted and laughed and relished in the company of loved ones until about midnight before we said goodbye to one another until the next day.

My maid of honor, Sam and I headed back to our hotel, which was on the property of our wedding venue. We held our wedding at The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne, a site comprised of two historic mansions and a small block of charming Art Deco hotel rooms right in the heart of downtown Orlando. The property is gorgeous-I fell in love with the place the moment we stepped foot on the grounds when we began our venue search, over two years ago!

Fun fact: you can totally stay at the Courtyard at Lake Lucerne anytime you want, as it’s a fully functioning hotel. It’s super adorable–plus, they have a complimentary breakfast each morning AND an evening cocktail reception every night. Love!

Anyhow. Sam and I were up until about 3am the night before the wedding, getting all of the last minute details ready with my mom. Like creating our ketubah, which is a Jewish wedding contract. And putting the welcome bags together that would greet our guests as they entered their hotel rooms the next day. And writing out the escort cards, and the labels for the dessert buffet…

Oh. Did I mention I hadn’t even wrote my vows yet?

Well, I didn’t write them the night before the wedding. I passed out. Oops!

The morning of the wedding was a total blur, yet I remember it feeling like the longest morning of my whole entire life. I woke up late. My vows weren’t written. My stomach was in knots.

I was so nervous. I was so excited. I was so scared. I was so happy.

Somehow, everything worked out. I wrote my vows on a beautiful December morning, with the breeze wafting through my freshly curled hair. I spent the morning and afternoon with my dearest friends, getting all dolled up and excitedly musing about the evening to come.

The beautiful photos in this post and the ones to follow are all courtesy of our amazing wedding photographers, KWU Weddings, who truly captured the beauty of our wedding. I couldn’t have dreamed of a more incredible photography team!

Happy. Jubilant. Ebullient. Laughing, nonstop.

Yup. I was ready to see my groom. But was he ready for me? Let’s find out next week!

Venue: The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne

Photography: KWU Weddings

Dress: Dolly Couture Custom Gown

Shoes: Irregular Choice

]]> http://foodpluswords.com/2012/04/lets-get-pretty/feed/ 18 http://foodpluswords.com/2012/04/lets-get-pretty/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/foodpluswords/~3/CoDpnSQNzY8/ http://foodpluswords.com/2012/04/almond-brown-sugar-scrub/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:59:31 +0000 Jaclyn http://foodpluswords.com/?p=2648

Remember yesterday, when I made homemade almond milk?

Well, hopefully you remember yesterday. If you don’t, you may have some sort of memory problem. Might want to get that checked out by  a doctor or something.

Anyhow, whenever I make any sort of nut milk, I always save the solids that are left behind after straining. There’s so much you can do with them! You can add the ground almond solids to a plain pound cake batter, or spread them out on a sheet pan and dry them out in the oven to make dried almond meal. You could stir a spoonful into your morning oatmeal, or add some to your afternoon smoothie.

Or, you can add a few ingredients and make a simple, powerful all-natural scrub that’s perfect for your face, body and hands!

Today, we’re doing that last one. The scrub. Is that cool?

Basically, we’re going to take our almond meal solids and combine them in a jar with brown sugar, honey and almond oil. Mix it up and voila! Done.

That was a bit anti-climactic, wasn’t it? Sorry about that. I promise you that the scrub itself is much, much more exciting to use!

You see, this just might be one of my favorite scrubs of all time. It’s so damn simple! While it works wonders as a facial exfoliant, and does a damn fine job sloughing off dead skin from your body, this almond brown sugar scrub is bound to be your hands’ new best friend.

Quite simply, it’s a manicure in a jar. Really!

If you’re anything like me, you don’t always have the time (or money!) to spend at the salon, getting fancy manicures and the like. I love getting manicures, and being fancy, but I can’t always do it. So sometimes my cuticles get overgrown, and the skin around my nails gets dry and rough. It’s not pretty.

Hello, almond brown sugar scrub! A quarter-sized amount of this stuff, used twice a week makes a world of difference! Dry skin becomes buttery smooth and soft. Any rough skin around your nails and cuticles gets gently buffed away, and even your nails will be shiny and bright. Everybody wins!

The almond meal is a gentle exfoliant, and it gently massages away dead skin cells while moisturizing your skin. The brown sugar, while also a great exfoliant also contains B vitamins, thanks to molasses. Vitamin B helps counteract the signs of aging, and it also aids in repairing damage to the skin from the sun!

I’ve extolled the many virtues of honey as a beauty product before–hell, I wash my face with the stuff every day! Honey is anti-microbial, full of nutrients and vitamins and helps to moisturize your skin. It’s amazing stuff! I like to use local honey, not only to support my local apiaries, but also because I am a big believer that consuming and using local honey reduces the severity of hay fever and allergies. I used to have notoriously bad allergies–like so bad, I’d call into work. Since I’ve been consuming and using local honey on a daily basis, my sensitivity to allergens and pollen has gone down drastically. Kind of amazing, right?

Finally, I’m a huge fan of sweet almond oil. It’s wonderful for cooking and baking, as well as putting on your face and body! Almond oil is a great moisturizer, and it’s wonderful for soothing itchy, irritated skin. The skin around your nails–and the nails themselves will thank you for using it!

So go raid your kitchen cupboards and make this simple almond brown sugar scrub today! Your hands will look amazing after using it, I promise!

Almond Brown Sugar Scrub

Yield: one jar of scrub

Prep Time: 5 minutes

This scrub is wonderful for your face and body, but my favorite way to use it is on my hands! I wet my hands, scoop about a quarter-sized amount into my palms and scrub like mad for about a minute. I pay close attention to my cuticles and the skin around my fingernails! Then I wash it off with warm water and I'm good to go! It's like an instant manicure!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark, either one works!)
2 tablespoons local honey
3 tablespoons pure sweet almond oil (you can substitute extra virgin olive oil if you like!)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a sterilized glass jar and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Place the lid on the jar and store in the fridge for up to a month.

When you're ready to use the scrub, just remove it from the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Then, stir the contents of the jar together again, since they will have naturally separated.

Use once a week to exfoliate your face and body, and up to twice a week as a skin-sloughing hand scrub! It's like a manicure in a jar!

a food + words original