As Valentine’s Day nears, it seems that everything is tinged with sweetness. I love the movement towards DIY Valentines, and old-fashioned handmade candies make me squeal.
Who cares if Hallmark popularized the day, take it back! Celebrate this time by treating yourself , your friends, your family, and your sweetie (if you have one) with love and kindness and special treats.
Of course, I can’t go around eating cake balls, and truffles, and lollipops for the entirety of the Valentine’s Day season, but does that mean I should miss out on pretty pink things and polka dot paper straws? It most certainly does not.
This raw and vegan cashew milk is thick and creamy and so luxurious. It almost doesn’t seem fair that cashews are lower in fat that almost all other nuts, and the fat they do contain is mostly unsaturated fatty acid. To be specific, it’s the same fatty acid found in olive oil! Love that. To that, we’re adding freeze dried strawberries which are full of antioxidants, dietary fiber, and crazy deliciousness (scientific term).
All of the health stuff, cannot begin to describe how good this little shake tastes and feels. I got a text yesterday from Joshua “Strawberry cashew milk, seriously, the best thing ever. I want to have it every day”. I guess that says it all. A little Valentine to my sweetheart, pretty, and pink, and sweet, each morning. I can do that.
A quick shout-out to my friend Tracy at Shutterbean whose amazing … get the recipe
I was born with what people call a “sunny disposition”. Maybe it’s because I’m an August baby, ushered into the world at the height of summer. Or maybe I’m just wired that way. Though, like anyone, sometimes I get the blues.
With so many inspiring opportunities on the horizon, 2012 promised to start off with a bang and… a sniffle. Yes, a New Year’s Eve cold- one that lingered a bit too long- and two weeks later it was tonsillitis, a sinus infection, and a fever of over 100º. Rest and fluids seemed to do the trick, or so I thought, until last weekend left me with a stomach bug.
I guess my body might be telling me to take a break, be gentle, maybe get away from The City for a weekend and just sit in a hot tub while looking at the redwoods. But until then, there is always jasmine tea, a good book, an extra kiss, an extra blanket, cranking the heater up to 63º, and some homemade vegan rice pudding.
I love this rice pudding for a several reasons.
- 1. I can’t tell if it’s dessert of breakfast; therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to eat it whenever I please
- 2. It is completely culturally confused, part Thai with its sweet sticky rice and coconut milk, part Indian with its cardamom and pistachios, and part European grandmother because all European grandmothers make rice pudding
- 3. It is relatively healthy even though it tastes decadent and totally naughty.
… get the recipe
When I was a little girl, our local grocery store was Petrini’s. Frank Petrini was the owner of the chain of stores that opened in San Francisco in the 30’s, and I wonder if people like Sam Mogannam of Bi-Rite know just how much Frank paved the way. I remember being able to get a several kinds of pâté at the deli and oh, the salumi! There were fresh baguettes, and the butchers cut your steaks. Frank is said to have selected the cows for all of his beef, himself.
One of the things I remember most about Petrini’s is the zabaglione ice cream. My parents absolutely loved the stuff, and I really wanted to like it because it was ice cream AND it started with a Z, but I could only get a bite or two down. Usually, when my parents would get it, I would beg for the spumoni ice cream, which sat right next to it in the freezer.
Petrini’s was owned as a family market until 1996. Now, Mollie Stones a generically upscale market sits in it’s place in my home town. I can’t remember the last time I had zabaglione ice cream, and I the last time I ate actual zabaglione was years ago at an Italian American joint by the ubiquitous name of Big Joe’s on an awesomely cheesy date with my hubby.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to see that Christianna of Burwell General Store had selected zabaglione the recipe for … get the recipe
On Tuesday, my brother came over. Our original plans were to toast our mom on the anniversary of her passing. I’d picked up a fantastic French bottle of champagne and I was going to prepare some local quail I’d procured.
In reality, we watched a hilarious hillbilly slasher flick and ate junk food. It was awesome. At one point in the evening, my brother looked at me, and said, “I’m craving apple pie. We should go get some.” I asked, “Will pear do?”
Now, I’ve been told my kitchen is a little like an apothecary. Its walls are lined with jars filled with powders and potions. I’ve been known to emerge from it bearing mysterious creations with curative powers. Tuesday night, when I walked out of that kitchen, with a steamy, golden, pear gallette, I felt less like a woman of science, and much more like a magician.
There is nothing like the look on a person’s face when they catch sight and smell of something baked just for them- especially on the spur of the moment. And this, is why I love to always have a bit of pastry crust chilling in my fridge.
You may have seen my photo tutorial for butter and lard pastry crust. That crust is still amazing, but a month ago, something earth-shattering happened. My friend Kimmie of Full Circle Foodie came to me & said, “You know I love you, but I had pie crust better than yours”
I stopped dead in my … get the recipe
It’s that time again, when we turn to our vintage cookbook and create something new, and hopefully spectacular. This month, after a year of working our way through the old one, Christianna has selected a new book.
We have moved on to The Second Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes From Famous Eating Place. How’s that for a mouthful? And, we’re remaking a total classic, the Toll House Cookie. Of course, my mind went wickedly wild at first. I have pushed the envelope on some of these vintage recipe swaps- making donut vodka during the potato donuts, sopapillas with drunken berries during the taffy apple swap and a bacon and escarole custard to revamp hot slaw.
This time, I thought about doing frozen cookie dough truffles, but then I remembered last year when I made candy cane truffles. I was cursing my friends, my kitchen, my chocolate, and the world. NO TRUFFLES! Then I thought about a bacon, bourbon, and chocolate chip cake. While I still might keep that cake in my back pocket, I remembered that this is cookie season. If we’re remaking the classing Toll House cookie, I’m sticking with a cookie.
The question is, how do you improve upon a chocolate chip cookie? Bacon? Yes, and I almost went there. But then, my brain went to brown butter- the best liquid aside from vintage champagne FACT- not opinion. Of course brown butter alone does not a cookie make- fleur de sel? A quick search showed that theses … get the recipe
I wrote, earlier this week, about my approach to the holidays. If you haven’t seen it, you’ll find it here. (You’ll also find a pretty great recipe for vegan pumpkin chocolate chunk cake).
Today, I realized I was absolutely exhausted. After having gotten up at 6 yesterday to bake a blackberry rosemary hazelnut cake for an event hosted by Driscoll’s berries, I walked in the door at 11pm last night. I wrote for a while, edited some photos, and spent some time with my husband.
Finally, I fell asleep at around 1. Back up at 6:30 this morning, I mixed some of the fresh berries I snagged from the Driscoll’s event (thanks!!) with some of the blackberry rosemary syrup I made so that I could bring something homemade to my office holiday party. It’s 11, and I’ve just sat down to start writing. Thank goodness, I’ve got this low key approach to the holidays, otherwise, I’d never have time to cook or write.
This weekend, I’m excited to buy my little organic Christmas tree, decorate the house a little, and go to this lovely lady’s Cookie Exchange. My cookies will be dual purpose. They’re actually my post for this month’s vintage recipe swap, as well.
Sunday will be a full day of cooking as I have many recipes planned for my contributions to Treehugger’s Green Wine Guide- somewhere between five and ten before the start of the new year!
So, no new recipe this morning, just … get the recipe
It’s official; we’re firmly planted in the middle of the holiday season. The irony of the most wonderful time of the year is that we’re so busy, few of us have time to truly enjoy it. Instead of feeling calm & bright many of us feel stress and pressure. Whether it’s the need to create a magazine-ready holiday home or to find the ever-elusive Perfect Gift, it’s easy to get wrapped up (pardon the pun) in things that are less than important.
For those of us in the US, especially, the focus on the holiday season has thrust on Black Friday & the hottest deals of the moment rather than the thought behind the gift. I love to shop, don’t get me wrong, but for the past few years now I have changed my holiday perspective. No wild crowds in the mall, no extravagant presents. I buy something small and meaningful for those very close and for the kids in my life, from a local merchant or perhaps from Etsy. Then I make the rest of my gifts. Last year, I made chutney and two kinds of sugar (lavender and vanilla bean).
I have time to spend reflecting on the end of the year, and what comes next. I also have time for long walks, connecting with the people I care about, and cooking. I like the holidays this way. I spent many years, going wild in the mall, these days, for me, simple is good.
Speaking of the holidays, … get the recipe
[This post is a part of Foodbuzz’s 24x24 program. Where 24 meals happen across the globe on the same day. I’d like to thank Foodbuzz for including this very special occasion in their 24x24 lineup]
I went to Catholic School for eight whole years, but unlike the sterotype, the nuns at my school weren’t mean. On the contrary, they were awesome. Ranging from sweet and gentle to a little mischievous with that Irish twinkle in the eye. I loved the nuns at St. Robert’s Catholic School.
One night, at a party, my mother was talking about my dad. She said, “Moe is really the nicest guy in the world.” Sister Ita felt compelled to test this, I don’t know, maybe she had to make sure my mom wasn’t breaking the lying commandment (is there one?) maybe she was just being her adorable impish self. ‘Round about 10pm, Sister Ita found my dad and said, “Moe, I need a favor.” My dad said, “sure, what is it?” She said, “I need a ride to San Jose”
“Right now?” he asked. Sister Ita told him that she needed to go right then. “Okay, let me go tell Gilda and get my keys” He was ready to jump in the car and drive 45 minutes each way- no questions asked.
Sister Ita never got tired of telling that story. It summed up how nice my dad was, but not how cool he was. He was funny, and he was easy to be around, … get the recipe
