I’m in the final stretch now.  My feet are kicked up far more than they are on the ground and my favorite pastime is lying partially reclined watching my (almost full-term) baby boy roll and wiggle around happily under my shirt  — especially after a sweet treat like this one.

Yes, it’s fair to say my priorities are already shifting.  Although I love my work, I’ve decided to take an little hiatus to focus on this next chapter of my life.  In the meantime, here are a handful of my favorite food blogs doing some really innovative, seasonal work:  Tartelette, A Sweet Spoonful, Kitchen Confidante, Spoon Fork Bacon, The Year in Food, Turntable Kitchen, Orangette, and White on Rice, to name just a few.

And, for the lemon + orange blossom olive oil cake recipe, check out Glam Media’s newest baby, Foodie.com.

Big hugs, happy eating — and see you soon!

– Elizabeth

Time seems to be standing still for me lately.  While my feet  are firmly planted in the last weeks of winter’s cool soil, the critical step I’m supposed to take next is unclear.  Ideas are swirling in my mind, frenzied at times and quite controlled at others.  All the while, everything is still — as if something big, a dream not yet realized, not yet materialized, is about to take shape.

Until then, all I can do is wait.  And hope.  And, of course, eat.

Here’s where this pudding comes in.  Do you know that feeling when a recipe grabs hold of you?  So much so that you’re unable to stop thinking about it, dreaming about what it tastes like, and conjuring up how you’ll tweak the ingredients to make it your own?

The chia seed is a newer ingredient to me.  I’ve heard plenty about it and the health benefits it touts, but haven’t experimented much with it — until now.  After a bowl of this silky concoction (full of protein, omega-3’s, iron, antioxidants, calcium, magnesium and fiber) and topped with the freshest pineapple, mango and orange, I’m officially hooked.

The best part is that it’s so simple to make and any combination of ingredients can be added to make it your own.  In this version, I added fresh vanilla bean, star anise and Cara Cara orange zest, which rounds out the inherent nutty flavor and brightens the entire pudding temporarily whisking you away to a dreamlike land.

Recipe inspired by Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 32 ounces unsweetened organic almond milk (about 4.5 cups)
• 2 whole star anise pods
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar, plus extra for drizzling over top
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean, scraped from the pod (reserving the empty pod to add to the mixture)
• zest of 1 orange (Cara Cara works well)
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 1/4 cups chia seeds
• finely crushed pistachios or macadamia nuts

Method

In a large glass jar or bowl, combine the almond milk, star anise, agave, vanilla bean (and pod), orange zest and salt.  Slowly add the chia seeds and stir to incorporate.  Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally during the process.

To serve, remove the star anise and vanilla bean pod and scoop the pudding into small bowls.  Top with fresh pineapple, mango, orange, crushed pistachios or macadamia nuts and drizzle with a little agave.

{serves 6-8}

I’ve taken a little time off recently.  Sometimes my days feel full of tasks that I’m able to do mindlessly, but rarely take inventory of how they’re actually working for me.  Social media is a good example.  While I’ve met some really amazing people and made connections I wouldn’t have access to otherwise, I sometimes wonder what the point is.  Will it really be worth the effort in the long run or are there better ways I could be spending my time?  It’s complicated.  And, once again, I truly believe it’s about finding balance.

This recipe is a good example of how opposites only exist in relation to each other.  And how, with the right precision and balance, the sum can be much greater than its parts.

White chocolate, for example, has never really intrigued me.  That is until I paired it with citrus, like the limequat zest used here.  Then, when the inherent sweetness is balanced by a high-quality bittersweet chocolate, toasted cardamom, Marcona almonds and coconut, something pretty special happens.

While I don’t entirely know where this path will lead me, all I can hope is that it involves much more time outside, untethered from my laptop, and in face-to-face conversations about the things that truly matter in life.

Ying + Yang Bar

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 tablespoons Marcona almond, roughly chopped
• 4 whole cardamom pods, seeds removed
• 10 ounces high-quality white chocolate
• 4 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate (at least 60% cacao)
• zest of 2-3 medium limequats (key limes or 1 meyer lemon will also work)
• pinch of Maldon sea salt

Method

Line a small loaf pan (7 ½” x 2 ½” preferred, but a standard a 8”x 4 ½” will work well) with parchment paper covering all sides.  Run your finger around the inside periphery to crease the paper to contour the bottom of the pan and trim the tops if any excess paper remains.  Note:  try to get your paper as smooth as possible for the best result.

In a medium, dry pan over medium heat, gently toast the coconut and almonds until lightly browned.  Remove and set aside.  Wipe the pan of any excess nuts or coconut and add the cardamom seeds.  Toast for a few minutes until fragrant and place in a mortar and pestle.  Finely crush the seeds and set aside.

Over a double boiler, slowly melt the white chocolate.  Once smooth and glossy, pour 1/2 the chocolate into the bottom of the loaf pan.  With the back of a spoon, smooth into an even layer and place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, or until set.

Repeat the process with the dark chocolate, adding the ground cardamom once the chocolate is completely melted.  Pour over the white chocolate and refrigerate again for another 20 minutes, or until set.

Re-warm the remaining white chocolate and pour over the dark layer.  Top with desired amount of toasted coconut, almonds and limequat zest (key lime zest, lime zest or meyer lemon zest may be substituted).  Sprinkle a pinch of Maldon sea salt over the top and gently press all the ingredients into the chocolate.  Refrigerate again for about 20-30 minutes or until the bar is completely set.

Once set, gently pull the bar out of the pan using the parchment as a guide.  Slice into wedges and enjoy!

{serves 4-6}

After much white-knuckle maneuvering through the heart of Ireland’s narrow, windy roads, the cure for my shattered nerves was nearing by the mile.  It came straight from the source, in its most unadulterated form.  It was perfect.  It was frothy.  And, it was the best pint of Guinness to ever cross my lips.

A friend from Ireland recently inspired this riff on a traditional beef stew.  While Guinness would work equally well in this recipe, I wanted something a little richer for this dead of winter bowl of comfort.  A local brewery serves up an oatmeal stout that pours black, with a thick, whipped cappuccino foam.  Rich notes of cacao, dark roast coffee and wood-fired oats twist and dance around the palate like a rattlesnake about to strike.

The sweet finish, like the perfect bite of toffee or a finger dipped in slow-pouring molasses, accentuates the hearty root vegetables and beef bringing together a bowl of something cooked ever so slowly, very warming, and incredibly special.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds organic beef stew meat (shoulder/chuck), trimmed of excess fat and cut into medium cubes
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour (all-purpose flour will work well, too)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
• 5 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons dried fennel
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 ounces of tomato paste
• 22 ounces of oatmeal stout
• 1 bottle of decent-quality red wine (a blend works well, something jammy)
• 4 medium parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 12 medium fingerling potatoes, roughly chopped
• sea salt + freshly cracked black pepper
• fresh thyme leaves or Italian parsley, to garnish

Method

On a glass plate, season the flour with salt and pepper and toss the meat in the mixture to coat.  In a large Dutch oven or other heavy stock pot, add the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Shake off any excess flour and add the beef in batches to avoid crowding allowing it to caramelize on all sides.  Remove from the pot and continue until all of your meat is golden brown.  Set aside.

Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until beginning to soften, about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the tomato paste, thyme, fennel and bay leaves and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.

To this mixture, add the caramelized beef, stout and red wine and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and let cook for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching.

About 1 1/2 hours into the cooking process, begin to prepare your vegetables.  Add them to the mixture and allow to cook for another 1 1/2-2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.  Taste and re-season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Garnish with fresh thyme leaves or finely diced Italian parsley + enjoy!

 {serves 6}

It’s been one of those weeks that seem to fly by in the blink of an eye.  Yesterday, much of my diet consisted of granola by the handful.  There wasn’t even time for any milk, much less a spoon.  Granted, it was homemade granola with plenty of sunflower kernels, flax seeds, and flaked coconut, but that doesn’t really make it better.  Sometimes, that’s just how it goes.

Today I’m treating my body with a little more care, hoping it will forgive me for all the neglect the past few days have accumulated.  After reading a recent study about mandarins that piqued my interest, this sparkler, complete with ruby blood orange juice, orange blossom water and tiny bubbles, was crafted.

{Cliff Notes version:  research has found that by drinking 4-6 ounces of Satsuma juice (the equivalent to eating 2-4 fruit) you can get as much relief from cold/allergy symptoms as one antihistamine pill}.  

Ingredients

• 6 medium Satsuma mandarins, juiced
• 4 medium blood oranges, juiced, plus a couple thin slices reserved for garnish
• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)
• 1 tablespoon light agave nectar

Method

Combine the Satsuma and blood orange juice with the orange blossom water  and agave and stir until well-combined.  You may have to fish out a few seeds, but I’d recommend  leaving the pulp.

In medium glasses filled with ice, add the citrus juice about 3/4 full.  Finish with sparkling/soda water (or champagne) and gently stir to combine.  Garnish each glass with a thin slice of blood orange + enjoy!

{serves 2-4}

Sometimes silence dances in among all the noise.  If you’re not listening closely enough you’ll miss it, like a midnight train that slowly glides through the night.  It’s a gap in time where all that’s hoped for is a large exhale — a quiet pause.  Nobody quite knows when the next one will come, but when it does, I know to savor it like that first sip of frothy morning latte or a child nestled up in my arms.

There’s unremarkable beauty in those quiet moments, and they often come on a rainy, grey day.  Tiny drops of water fall in sequence and co-mingle creating a pool that casts an undeniable, yet muted, reflection of the trees and sky.  The world slows, yet there’s tremendous growth happening at the most imperceptible level.

In these moments, there’s no better excuse to wrap yourself in your favorite blanket, while a pot of bisque slowly and quietly simmers on the stove.  The simplest of ingredients are transformed into something restorative, calming and complete, allowing the silence and muted shades of grey to create a blissful space you’d consciously choose above anything else.

::

Roasted Parsnip, Red Onion + Cardamom Bisque {with Parmesan-Pepper Toasts}

Ingredients

• 5 large parsnips, peeled and roughly diced into about 1 1/2″ pieces
• 1 large red onion, roughly diced
• 4 cardamom pods, crushed and seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups organic 2% milk
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted organic butter
• 1 tablespoon finely diced green onion, to garnish
• 1 tablespoon crème fraîche to garnish
• sea salt + freshly cracked black pepper

Method

Combine the parsnips, red onion, cardamom, olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper in a large skillet.  Roast in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Place the roasted vegetables in a blender along with the milk and buttermilk and combine until a smooth purée is created.  Empty contents into a medium stock pot and place over low heat.  Add the butter and season again with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, stirring until the butter has melted and is well-combined.

Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche, some diced green onion and a couple Parmesan-Black Pepper Toasts (recipe to follow) for dipping.

Parmesan-Black Pepper Toasts

Slice a couple pieces of your favorite bread lengthwise and place in an oiled skillet over medium-high heat.  Allow to toast on one side and flip over.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a generous amount of black pepper.  Place under the broiler for 1 1/2-2 minutes or until golden.

{serves 4}

While she barely stood five feet tall, she was a force to be reckoned with.   Full of understated glamour, with her silver hair swept neatly back in a low, tight bun, she lit up the room with her infectious laugh and kind eyes.  She loved her morning grapefruit, fresh from the old tree in her backyard, almost as much as her evening cocktail, sipped slowly and with intent.

As a child, my family would migrate from Boston to Florida for a week each winter to thaw out, take over Disneyworld and visit my great grandmother.  As an impressionable seven-year-old, my favorite part of each trip was those rare moments alone with her.  She always made me feel as if I was her equal, and taught me more about myself in those cherished hours than most people could in a lifetime.

She taught me to stand up for myself and that, no matter how difficult life became, I was strong enough to brave anything.  Never taking life too seriously, she told me to laugh as often as I could, make time for friends and family, be independent, and to believe how smart I truly am.

Among all of indispensable, real world advice, she taught me to love grapefruit.  How it can morph into a luscious treat when prepared just so and should be savored, like your very first stolen kiss.

This recipe was lovingly created in her honor and is also a contribution to the upcoming gojee potluck. Starting on Thursday, January 26, check out other potluck dishes fellow gojee contributors shared. Go to gojee.com and enter “gojee potluck” into I Crave.  You can also follow #gojeepotluck on Twitter.

::

Oro Blanco, Pomegranate + Fromage Blanc Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette

 Ingredients

• 4-5 large Oro Blanco grapefruit, peeled and thinly sliced, plus ¼ cup juice for vinaigrette
• 1 garlic clove, finely crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• ½ teaspoon honey
• 1 ½ tablespoons champagne vinegar
• ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt + freshly cracked pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• ½ cup fromage blanc (feta, ricotta or goat cheese can also be used)
• 1-2 cups pea shoots or microgreens (arugula will also work well)
• Fresh mint leaves, to garnish

Method

In a medium glass bowl, add the reserved ¼ cup grapefruit juice, garlic, tarragon, honey, champagne vinegar and mustard.  Mix to combine well.  Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

On a large plate, arrange the grapefruit slices, pomegranate seeds and fromage blanc.  Toss the greens in a small amount of vinaigrette until well-coated and scatter over the fruit and cheese.  Drizzle desired amount of vinaigrette over the entire salad, finish with freshly torn mint leaves and cracked black pepper + enjoy!

Any leftover vinaigrette can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week. 

{serves 4}

A friend recently reminded me that happy people are often grateful, while ungrateful people tend to look at life from a “glass half empty” perspective.  I’m guilty of both.  Sometimes I believe the realist in me needs to see life for its misgivings — that this somehow helps anticipate the bumpy road ahead, work out the kinks, and navigate more smoothly.

In reality, most of the bumpy roads are merely just life’s way of strengthening our will and testing our determination to follow our dreams.

2012 has been rumored to be a turning point – a time for new beginnings, big successes, and dreams come true.  The skeptic in me may question this but, instead, I’m choosing to firmly hold onto this belief, remain grateful and allow myself to thrive — just as life intended.

::

 Rice Noodles with Dungeness Crab + Citrus-Chili Oil

With its abundance this time of year, Dungeness crab is often enjoyed dipped in luscious melted butter, not unlike this decadent recipe from my friend, Kimberley, over at The Year in Food.

Because it’s so delicate and sweet, I wanted to create a healthy dish allowing the crab to really shine.  The airy rice noodles keep everything light while the citrus-chili oil adds a great deal of brightness and complexity, without overpowering at all.

Ingredients

• Finely grated zest of:  1 lemon, 2 limes and 2 tangerines (or 1 medium orange)
• ¼ teaspoon crushed chili pepper (we used Urfa chili for its rich, earthy flavor)
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• ¼ teaspoon honey
• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups crab meat (from about 2 ½-3 pounds of Dungeness crab)
• 8 ounces cooked rice noodles, rinsed with cold water
• ½ cup green onions, finely diced
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Method

In a medium glass bowl, combine the citrus zest, chili pepper, garlic, honey and olive oil.  Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.   Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to marry.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the citrus-chili oil, crab, rice noodles, sea salt and pepper.  Gently and quickly toss to combine.  Once warm and completely coated with the citrus oil, remove from the heat and serve in individual bowls.  Garnish with fresh green onions and serve immediately.

{serves 2-4}

Day 7:

If you only have a few minutes, but want to make a big impression, this is a beautiful and foolproof method of making a log of fresh chèvre really sing.  Herbes de Provence is typically made with a dried mixture of savory, fennel, basil, thyme and lavender flowers, creating a magical pairing with creamy, artisan goat cheese.

(Feeling a little adventurous?  Try making your own goat cheese.)

To tie it all together, try sending along some of these Sweet Onion and Crème Fraîche Sourdough Flatbread crackers from Rustic Bakery.  It will be the first to go on any holiday cheese board.  I can just about guarantee it.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces good-quality chèvre cheese (my favorite:  Laura Chenel)
• 3 tablespoons Herbes de Provence 

Method 

Place the herbs on a large glass plate and roll the cheese into the mixture, pressing to adhere to the cheese.  Repeat until the log is completely covered.  Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for a day to allow the flavors to incorporate.

Using cheese or other festive paper, carefully wrap the log (leaving the plastic intact) and tie with a bow.  Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 {serves 2-4}

For an even more complete gift, send along a copy of Mary Karlin’s new book:  Artisan Cheese Making at Home: Techniques & Recipes for Mastering World-Class Cheeses.

Day 6:

While still completely edible, this sugar and spice body scrub is intended to polish and pamper the recipient resulting in a head-to-toe glow.  Be sure to package in an airtight glass container and refrigerate until ready to give away (or, in my case, use blissfully for yourself!).

Loaded with all things nice and fully organic, it’s best used within 1-2 weeks and should be kept refrigerated between use.

Go on.  Live it up a little.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups organic granulated sugar
• ½ cup organic loose chai tea (fine)
• 2 teaspoons organic cinnamon
• ½ cup distilled water
• 5 tablespoons organic grapeseed oil  

Method

 Add all ingredients to a medium glass bowl.  Stir to combine well.  Scoop the mixture into glass jars and enjoy!

{makes about 3 cups}