I tried to copy a starbucks drink

 

Have you tried the Starbucks Golden Ginger Drink? It's so good! Sweet, gingery, and refreshing. I've been pining for it but not enough to go to Starbucks (ours is open, is yours?) for it. We had an open carton of coconut milk from making pancakes and I had a ginger root in the fridge, and some frozen pineapple in the freezer, and an enormous container of turmeric in the pantry so I thought, why not? 

I got the spice right. My version had a lot of zip to it. It wasn't very sweet, which I liked, but it did not quite make it to Starbucks status. I have no recipe for you, just those ingredients up top. Go ahead and try it! I'm going to keep working at it. 

have (sour) peaches, make (sweet) sauce

The mama a-go-go's peach tree actually produced some fruit this year...for awhile there it was touch and go. Aadly, the fruit, while stunning, is a bit tart with a slightly bitter after taste. Weirdly, the peaches also make my teeth feel squeaky...go figure. To make use of the peaches and to feel productive, I cooked two or three down to a delightful sauce. I used the applesauce approach...chop to bits, toss into a saucepan with a cup of sugar and a half cup of water, a pinch of salt, a generous twist or two (or three) of black pepper and hope for the best. We ate it on ice cream, pork roast, burrito bowls (like slasa), and on our oats. I even enjoyed a spoonful or two in fizzy water and/or iced tea. It was more sauce than we could handle really, the jar got stood up and scootched to the back of the fridge where it became forlorn and forgotten. Thee wasn't too much leftover but the fuzz came to the party and it had to be ditched. On the plus side, the jar is now fresh and waiting for a new partner!

on skeeziness and homemade dressing

It's been too hot to cook so salad it is. I've been lazy and scooping up bagged salads here and there...the kind with the dressing and all the bits wrapped up in a zillion little plastic bags which I am simultaneously grateful for and skeezed out about all the waste. They are handy though, as is the equally skeezy chicken I buy by the bagful from Trader Joe's which gets roasted up and scissored to bits to add a bit of protein to our dinner. This time around though, the greens came from the farmers market (farmer's market?) as did the blueberries (the chicken however is trusty old TJ's). To add to my feelings of fanciness, I whipped up a honey lime dressing with no recipe...a little olive oil, juice from two limes, a spoonful of honey, crushed garlic, and a dash of salt and pepper. Yum!

diy: soba noodle salad

This is a favorite recipe of mine that I love and oodles of others are always asking me for. It's not really a recipe as I wing it each and every time I make it. It's always yummy as long as you do not overcook yer noodles. Do not overcook them! Blech!

Ingredients
*one package soba noodles (I like these)
*2-4 cups chopped blanched green beans
*1 small red onion thinly sliced
*2 T brown sugar
*1/4 soy sauce
*1/4 rice vinegar
*2-4 crushed garlic cloves
*fresh grated ginger to taste (I use 1 T)
*2-4 chopped young chives
*1-3 chive blossom heads

Cook noodles according to package directions. Do not overcook! The last batch of noodles I made last week, while edible for most, were an unpleasant texture for this anosmic girl. Blech! I buy my noodles either in L.A. when we are down there or World Market. Drain and place in large bowl.

Blanche chopped beans for 2-3 minutes. We grow purple beans and I toss them into a pot of boiling water just until the purple changes to green. Drain and rinse under cold water. If you are kooky like me, drain water into a large pot and allow to cool so you can water your plants with it later. Marvel at how green it appears.

While noodles and beans are cooking, grab a pint jar and add your soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and brown sugar. Place lid on top and shake it up. Set aside.

To assemble salad, dump noodles into large bowl, add cooked beans, chopped chives, chive blossoms (I prep the blossoms buy rinsing them and then simply pulling them apart) and red onion (onion can be diced or thinly sliced. I use a pampered chef gadget that quickly slices it all up for me). Mix. Add dressing and mix some more.

Salad is meant to be enjoyed cold but tastes better at room temperature. Some people like it hot, I think that is weird but whatever hops yer frog. If the dressing is too salty, add a bit more brown sugar, too sweet? Add vinegar. Sometimes I add red pepper flakes, sometimes I used ponzu sauce as well. Sometimes I find I need to make more dressing and so I do. Play with it and see what combo you like. This makes a very large bowl that will last 2-5 days depending on how many people are into it. Cheers!

scrumdilly-do!: coconut chia seed pudding parfaits

Hop on over to scrumdilly-do! for an easy peasy and super tasty picnic recipe...coconut chia seed pudding parfaits!

bake: cookie butter blossoms

I usually bake up a storm for the holidays but that was back when I lived in L.A. and had people to share it all with. up here it is mostly just the a-go-go family and if I bake like I used to, much of it would got to waste so I really limited myself to two types of cookies, a pound cake, and these awesome chocolates. The nephew-a-go-go can't do nuts so I went with a childhood fave... snickerdoodles for sure and then I thought of the jar of cookie butter I have been hording forever, why not bake with it? One of my standbys is peanut butter blossoms, I thought why not try them with cookie butter instead? And so I did, kisses and all...

There are many recipes for peanut butter blossoms, I went for this one and cut the brown sugar in half, used real unsalted butter, rolled them in cinnamon and sugar, and popped the dough in the fridge overnight. Unlike the peanut butter blossoms, these did not puff up but spread out. They also did not remain chewy but crisped up like a gingersnap. They were a hit all the same (the bath the mister took to work disappeared pretty quickly) and next time I make them I may just add chopped chocolate to the dough instead of topping them with kisses...oh and the first batch was baked at 10 minutes and were a bit too gooey so go for 12 minutes and enjoy the crunchy goodness that is a cookie butter blossom.

make: chocolate cashew ginger candies (guten-free!)

Just a few ingredients pack a powerful tasty punch! This is a roundabout recipe, something I make without measuring. There was a variation of the recipe once form a book I no longer have that used graham crackers and macadamia nuts but darn if macadamia nuts aren't so expensive, so I made up this recipe instead...

Here's what I used...
*1 pack (8oz) of gluten free ginger snaps from Trader Joe's
*2 10oz bags bittersweet chocolate chips (guitard)
*2 10-12oz  bags milk chocolate chips (guitard is a fave)
*1 1/2 cups or so of lightly salted cashew pieces
*1/2-1 cup candied ginger chips
*flake sea salt

 

These chocolates are not labor intensive but do take a while to make as the chocolate needs to set between dippings. Make sure to clear space in your fridge or freezer for a cookie sheet to rest without toppling over. Fill a medium to large soup pot with water and place a heat proof bowl on top making sure the water does not touch the bowl. Dump both bags of bittersweet chips into the bowl and let them melt. Stir every now and then to distribute that heat. While the chocolate is melting, place cookies into a plastic bag and roll over with a rolling pin to crunch them up a bit. They will crumble a lot so don't roll until you have only crumbs, leave a few chunky bits in there. When chocolate is melted, remove from heat and add your cookie pieces, ginger chips and cashews. Stir until combined. The chocolate will be glossy and the mixture will be loose.

 

 

Use two spoons to drop very small blobs of the mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper (they will not be pretty). You can go bigger but they are very difficult to bite through and enjoy when they are more than a mouthful (but cutting them half has its advantages). Think almond sized blobs. You can place the blobs fairly close together to use up as much space as possible on the cookie sheet. Place in your refrigerator or freezer for fifteen minutes or until set. I had to use three cookie sheets for this but only had room for one sheet at a time in the fridge. This part can be done a few days before the next round of dipping.

 

 

Once the chocolate is set it is time for round two of dipping. Pour one bag of milk chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. I use a four cup measuring cup. You want the container to be taller than wide so that the chocolate, once melted, is deep enough for dipping. Melt in 30 second increments and stir in between. Make sure your container is absolutely dry and that you check on your chocolate. Both water and over heating can seize it making it unusable. Once your chocolate is melted, use a fork and your fingers to coat each piece of candy, placing it back onto your covered cookie sheet. To make this easier, remove all of the to-be-dipped pieces and put them on a plate or in a bowl before you begin. When your cookie sheet is full add a pinch of sea salt to the top of each candy. Return to fridge to set. To use up as much chocolate as possible, use a spatula to scrape sides of container. I usually abandon my fork by the third piece and end up with one hand completely covered in chocolate. To finish of the remaining chocolates, add your second bag of chips to the container and return to the microwave for melting. By the time you finish dipping the last round your cookie sheet in the fridge should be set.

 

These are crazy good candies! I made these gluten-free as I was bringing them to a potluck where I knew someone was gluten-sensitive. Not all chocolate chips are gluten-free so do your research before you get to melting the whole shebang. The ginger chips from The Ginger People are gluten-free and super tasty. If you do not need gluten-free chocolates, go wild! Chop up a fancy candy bar and use nutter butter cookies or pie crust or oreos! I did up one batch last week and ran out of milk chocolate for dipping (I only used one bag) so I popped the candies that needed to be double dipped into a container and did them a few days later when I had more chocolate. I also had only used two-thirds of the crumbs so used made up another whole batch. By the end of all the dipping I was left with three candies un-double-dipped. They were pretty tasty too, not so pretty to look at but yummy all the same.

Pop a bunch of sweets into a wax bag, add a pretty tag and gift away!  Throw a candy making party where people bring different nuts and cookies, customize the candies for friends with allergies, add dried cranberries or chop up candied orange peels...soooo many ways to make these! Happy Holidays!

not too long ago...

I made blueberry muffins.

 

 

 

Made from this recipe, a favorite. I added lemon zest and black pepper to the mix.

 

I may need to make some more. Yes, I think I need to make some more....

eat dillydilly: cranberry wild rice salad with sautéd artichole hearts {plus awesome berry glaze}

On the way home from Maker Faire back in May, we car travelers passed the time by creating a list of ingredients that would be fun to cook with. We decided to create an ingredient club of sorts where once a month, everyone prepares a dish or two utilizing two ingredients that were selected at random. Our first meeting was in early June in it was a blast!

The ingredients for our first meeting were cranberries and artichokes. Now, if we want to get super creative we can use both ingredients in a single dish but we don't have to. Say a future ingredient selection was sardines and peaches...I suppose that could work but I'm not sure I want to go there (though now the noggin is turning and thinking).

From classic artichoke dip, artichoke stuffed turkey breasts, and steamed 'chokes with cranberry hollandaise to cold potato soup with cranberry creme fraiche it was a food frenzy! The other folks in the group are pretty fancy in their cooking. Bread from scratch and all that jazz. I at first was super intimidated and tried to find fancy dishes but being that I am not a super fan of artichokes really I decided to figure out something I do like and make that is tasty and adaptable. I began with cranberries and thought of savory dishes and then it hit me...wild rice salad!

So that is what I made, a wild rice salad with sauteed artichoke hearts and cranberry cherry glaze. I don't have photos of the process but I an list the recipe below...have fun!

Wild Rice Salad with Sauteed Artichoke Hearts and Cranberry Cherry Glaze

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked wild rice
1 cup cooked basmati rice
juice and zest from a small lemon
1 small red onion chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries 
1 can of artichoke hearts (not marinated)
3-5 cloves of garlic crushed
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

While rice is cooking, add a plug or two of olive oil to a heavy skillet and turn heat on medium. Add your crushed garlic and stir to incorporate into the oil. While keeping an eye on the temperature of the skillet, open and drain artichoke hearts. Squeeze out excess moisture with clean hands and coarsely chop. Add to hot skillet and stir until coated with oil and garlic. Continue sautéing until artichokes are somewhat browned. Set aside to cool.

Once rice is cooked pour into a large bowl. Stir to combine the two. Add juice and zest from a small lemon, chopped red onion, and cranberries. Stir until well combined. Add artichokes hearts, stir and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve with a spoonful or two of cranberry cherry glaze.

Cranberry Cherry Glaze

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup no sugar added cranberry cherry juice
3-5 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch of salt

Combine ingredients into small saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until the back of the spoon is coated. This glaze thickens up and resembles an orange glaze for orange chicken. We have used it on our rice salad, with pork chops, and as a sandwich spread. It would probably be even better with fresh or frozen cranberries for your Thanksgiving dinner!

summer is in the air

It's time for happy drinks in jars. This one can be turned into a science experiment. Recipe via scrumdilly-do!

pinterest: edible love

My pinterest boards are bursting with ideas, recipes and projects. Most of the time, they serve as eye candy or color inpsiration though I have managed to attempt a good number of the recipes I have pinned. Mostly though, I pin and then kind of, sort of, forget about it until I take a walk through a baord and think...."Oh yeah!"

Occassionally, I am so smitten with a pn or idea that I drop everything and DO it. That is what happened when I spied this popular pin. Thank goodness I was actually going to the market anyway and so I picked up the store brand in all it tubular glory. 

 After fearfully pressing the spoon into the seam,  I was able to liberate the dough and so I got to rerolling. I had to pinch two smaller lenghts of dough together to create one log that I then formed into a V before rolling the tops inwards to create the heart.

My cakepan was a little too large to nestle the whole bit of pretty inside but I went for it anyway.

 After baking the rolls for the allotted time, I added the icing and then a healthy does of Valentine's sprinkles. After a photofest, I may have enjoyed three with a hot vintage mug of creamy coffee. 

My hearts aren't quite as heart shaped as the ones in the pin but they were still a kick to make...and eat. Hop on over to Spice Blog to see how they did it! 

sugar and spice: holiday oatmeal cookies

aka How NOT to make spicy chocolate covered pomegranate oatmeal cookies with white chocolate chips. 

I wanted to share with you a most awesome cookie recipe but sadly my cookies, while amazingly gooey and sweet while hot; fizzled in texture once they cooled down. The texture dealio can be resolved with a few seconds in a microwave but who wants a cookie that is only good right after it is baked? 

I think I need to add another egg to my batter. I only used one and I think two would jazz up the overall cookie more than one could. I also perhaps should have added some baking powder. Jsut a smidge...or maybe I should use a certified recipe? But look at them..they were soooo gooey and pretty...sigh.

I also thought that these cookies would rock the chocolate covered pomegranate seeds I found at Trader Joe's back in November. They no longer have them and I think I know why. As mister puts it..."They're SEEDS! Who wants hard seeds in their cookies?" And so, the next time I make these, I will use chocolated covered cranberries. A little tart, a little sweet, a whole lot of goodness in a cookie.

That said, try these (but not as I made them)! Gather up the ingredients for your favorite oatmeal cookies and then add a happy dose of white chocolate chips and another does of chocolate covered cranberries. Up the ante even more by adding a double does of cinnamon and ginger and then...then add a teaspoon of black pepper. Yes, I wrote it...black pepper! 

Oh but I did discover one thing from this cookie adventure...if your cookies don't flatten out while baking, underbake a smidge so that they are gooey and then SMASH 'em down with a fork...sooooo good!