There'll be days like this

Well my mama told me, there'll be days like this

I have had a pretty bad day today. Basically spending my day off wrapped up tighter than a package on Christmas morning. Dinking around on my laptop, trying not to stress about the little things. I.E. the fact that Spring quarter is starting soon and I've been waiting to hear back from school so I know when to register for my baking program. Worrying about every last little thing that is so out of my control, I stress so much that your grandma doesn't have anything left because I've stressed it all away with my big little heart. So naturally I want to bake to take my mind off things and to make everyone else in the house fat and happy.
My vegan thing...it's going. I'm at a hardy 75% vegan most days. I don't drink dairy or eating meat, although I had a burrito today with chicken. I'm eating lots of vegetables and not reading the labels on breads because I know it's probably made with milk but I love it so much that I'm giving my 75% and that's enough for me.
Now, as of late, I've been on this massive coconut kick. Dried cranberries and coconut flakes in my oatmeal every morning. Coconut in my applesauce, yeah you read that right, APPLESAUCE. It's sweet, crunchy and delicious and for some reason these past couple of weeks I'm in love with it.
Back to being nasty and stressed, I'm a hermit skimming the internet when I stumble across this beautiful picture of toasty looking coconut macaroons and me, being a girl of impulse decisions I decide right then and there that some time today I am making coconut macaroons.

I hope everyone has had a stress free day! Happy Thursday!

Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

3/4 cups (5 large) egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
5 oz sweetened coconut flakes
5 oz unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange blossom extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
pinch of salt

Directions

In a heavy sauce pan combine the egg whites, sugar, and coconut and cook over medium-low heat. Keep an eye out and stir frequently until all the ingredients combine together. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, orange blossom, and almond extract. Set aside in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator to chill, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 300°F.



When everything is combined it'll end up looking a little like steamed rice

Now here's where it gets tricky. I went for a palm-sized macaroon, mostly because I wanted to eat these with a cup of tea. But you can always go for a Tablespoon sized or any sized macaroon. The choice is up to you.
Put a piece or parchment paper down and let these cook for about 27 - 35 minutes
Even if they don't look toasty brown on the top, they're toasty all over.
Make up your favorite cup of tea and chow down on these little lovelies.

xxo

(Recipe adapted from skinnytaste )

Nothing Better

Favorite type of salad, I could eat this for the rest of my life. Goat cheese on toasted bread.
Europe, Summer 2012

 

"Tell me am I right to think that there could be nothing better
Than making you my bride and slowly growing old together" 'Nothing Better' - The Postal Service

 

Missing Paris, missing Summer, and really missing my freckles. 

Back to the present... There's nothing better than coming home at night, lighting a few of you favorite candles, and getting organized. There's just something about the routine, you know, the folding of clean clothes. Or making your bed, then have some fun moving around the furniture. Or in my case. Laying in bed and watching my favorite movie, while telling myself that I'll eventually go back to all that other stuff tonight.

 Fat rain drops are falling outside my window and I'm toasty inside.

Just thought I'd share some happiness.

 

xxo

 

An Update seemed like a good plan :P

 

 

I never thought I'd be saying this but hey! Gone vegan, check...guess what else, I'm not eating sugar! Baking...hmmm baking blog? Kind of hard to do. But I love it. I feel fabulous, so incredibly wonderful. I haven't felt this way in a long time. So I'm thinking I'll probably keep up with it. So expect some new recipes and a little less dessert-y prototypes for the time being! :)

 

 

 

I've been making this like crazy, I don't care, I love it. It's Soba noodles with a homemade mushroom - miso broth combined with extra firm tofu and chopped green onions.



 

I used soy based Miso paste and mushroom stock

that you can find at your local specialty foods store.   

 

Soba Noodles with Green Onions and Tofu

Serves 3-4 people or 2 w/large portions

 

4 tablespoons Miso paste

2 1/2 cups water

8 oz of firm tofu cut into bite-sized cubes

1 tablespoon instant mushroom stock

5 tablespoons chopped green onions

Desired amount of Soba noodles

 

Plop your water in your pot and bring it to a boil on the stove. Add in the soba noodles when the water has come to a boil. Also add in your miso paste and mushroom stock. Let the noodles boil for 6 - 10 minutes. Then set aside. Chop up your green onions and tofu and toss them into the pot. Evenly divide you noodlefest and enjoy!!

Ahhhh silliness! More recipes soon! As proof I shall link them and then do them in the oncoming future!!

 

My link button is not having it today~

- Homemade Coconut Cream Pie Lara Bars

- Candied lemon and Grapefruit peels http://www.shutterbean.com/2012/candied-citrus-peel/#more-17149

 

Ta da! Ta da!
Have a good day everybody

 

Thai Green Curry Rice (Being Vegan day three!)

Eating fruits and vegetables has been incredibly easier than I had even thought it to be. :) Which is great! Especially with the new year, almost everyone I talk to is making resolutions and thinking about getting their health back on track. If all things go well this month I've been thinking about going a version of vegan for the rest of the year. I love to bake and although I've worked at a vegan bakery and sometime I bake vegan at home, I don't think I'd be able to give that up. And cheese! I LOVE CHEESE, oh and honey. :) Everything is better with a little honey. But for the month of January I'm veganveganvegan and that's rad. Anyhooooow here's a recipe that my dad and I cooked up last night. {Another thing I love about my whole household going vegan is we have more family time together. Whether it be...between passing in the hallways, we check up on each other, ask how we're doing with this whole new vegan thang. Or it be over the stove when we're preparing a meal together (like last night!) I never realized it till now, but it's definitely something I've missed.


Thai Green Curry Rice
Prep: 20 minutes, Cook: 12 minutes

NOTES:
* Make sure you cook the rice before hand! We didn't read through the recipe, and learned that the hard way
* Coconut extract mixed in almond or rice milk makes a great substitution in recipes that call for coconut milk. It has a lot of fat so it you're looking for low-fat ideas....^^^ try this one!

1/3 cup vegetable broth
1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 to 2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
2 cups coarsely chopped napa cabbage
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon regular or reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 cups cooked long-grain brown rice
1 tomato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh Thai or common (field) basil
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup almond milk or rice milk
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Directions;

Place the broth in a large saucepan along with the onion, red and yellow peppers, and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the curry paste, or up to 2 tablespoons for a spicier dish. Add the cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, and soy sauce. Mix well, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the rice, tomato, basil, cilantro, almond milk and coconut extract.
Stir well, then cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes
Serve hot, on plates or in bowls.

It turns out to be a bit like a stir-fry with a little saucey stuff at the bottom. And it makes enough for about five or six people, so plenty of leftovers for us!

xxo
Laura


 ( Found on forksoverknives )

Happy Hoildays from LifeislikeaCupofCake!

Happy Holidays everybody! I hope everyone has had a great time so far, and here's for the New Year!
So, I'm excited and nervous to say...that for the next 28 days I'm going to be going VEGAN! Wowza. Big leap, but since we're bringing in the new year I thought I'd try something new! (and my dad is doing with me as well...he's the one who convinced me to do it ;) )
In my mind it's a pretty crazy idea, but I'm trying to get more in touch with a healthier side. I've been eating pretty badly lately (especially since the holidays have started) and it's affecting me for the worse (I just found out my blood pressure levels have increased).

I'll be posting updates and some recipes, probably not a lot will involve baking or pastry but I'll try my best to squeeze some in.
Let me know how you're Holidays have been going! :)

xxo




Tis the season tralalalala falalala

I've stumbled across this really amazing blog spoonforkbacon, and I can't stop searching through their lovely pages for recipes! All of them, fabulously plated, all the recipes look absolutely delish, and they're posted with great pictures and easy to follow directions.
Ok, the real reason to my ohmygod I'm in love, love, love with this blog deal. A friend of a friend of a friend posted drippy droppy-drool worthy pictures of her home made Chocolate Peanut Butter Popcorn balls. And as I sat there drooling on my keyboard, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. I decided on the spot, heck-yes I'm making these. Now let's get on the internet and make these. What am I doing tonight? Making bite size popcorn balls and avoiding my fav. mug post, (mostly because I'm incredibly indecisive) and can't decide which ones are my favorites.

Bite-Sized Chocolate Peanut Butter Popcorn Balls

 Makes 24-28

Ingredients:
5½-6 cups popped popcorn, lightly salted
 ¼ cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips, optional
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons honey
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 - 16 oz bag milk chocolate chips

 

Directions:
1. Place the popcorn and peanut butter chips into a large bowl and set aside.
2. Place the sugar and corn syrup into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Once the mixture has reached 240°F (soft-ball stage) add the honey, peanut butter and vanilla.
4. Stir together until fully combined.
5. Pour the sugar mixture over the popcorn mixture and begin folding together until all of the popcorn mixture has been evenly coated and distributed.
6. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.
7. Once the mixture is cool enough to handle, lightly grease your hands and form golf ball sized popcorn balls.
8. Place the formed balls onto a sheet pan lined with parchment and allow to cool completely.

9. Place chocolate chips in the microwave to melt, 2-4 minutes or until melted all the way

10. Roll each ball in the melted chocolate and place back on the parchment paper

11. Once the popcorn balls have set, 2-4 hours, wrap them in plastic wrap or wax paper before serving.

(Adapted from spoonforkbacon )

More posts soon!
xxo

thanksgiving thanksgiving thanksgiving

a night full of laughs and great food, to give thanks and look around the table only to realize you have everything you need sitting next to you, and on a plate in front of you.

to hide identities I thought of a nifty way to do so! a still homey picture with some-what censored faces... ( I forgot to ask) + (we're running from the CIA....hehe just kidding)

Here are a few of my new favorites...

Cardamom Ice Cream
makes 1 to 1 1/2 quarts


2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Put all the ingredients into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, whisking occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat. Cover and let the mixture steep at room temperature for 20 minutes. Pour the micture into a shallow pan or bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill completely, 1 to 2 hours.

When the mixture is cold, pour it into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the ice cream to an airtight glass or plastic freezer container. Cover tightly and freeze until the ice cream is firm, at least 4 hours.

I made these little tartlets with the leftover filling

Pumpkin Brûlée Tart
Makes 2, 13 x 4" tarts

Dough;
1 1/2 cup flour ( I did half all purpose, half whole wheat)
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Whirl together flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse into pea-size pieces. Drizzle 1/3 c.very cold water over crumbs and pulse just until moistened.
Turn dough onto a work surface and gather into a ball, turning to combine any dry crumbs.
Divide dough in half, form each into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 30 minutes.

Filling;
2 cups pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
2 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

3/4 cup sugar, plus more for caramelizing top

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

 

 Cut dough in half and shape each piece into a rectangle. Roll each out on a lightly floured work surface into a rectangle measuring about 7 by 16 in.

Preheat oven to 375°. Lay each dough rectangle over a 4- by 13-in. tart pan with removable bottom.

Lift and lower dough into pan (pushing can cause cracking). Trim edges flush with rim of pan, using your thumb or a metal spatula.

Cut pieces of parchment paper to fit into tart shells with about 1 in. overhang on all sides. Fill shells with pie weights. Set pans on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake until dough is starting to brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on sheet until only slightly warm, then carefully pour out pie weights and remove parchment.

Meanwhile, blend remaining ingredients (except sugar for caramelizing) in a large bowl. Pour custard mixture into prepared tart shells, dividing evenly.

Reduce heat to 325°. Bake tarts until custard is set and is slightly puffed at edges, about 30 minutes. Cool 1 hour, then chill at least 2 hours and up to 2 days, covering with plastic wrap once cold.

Remove tarts from pans and set on a serving platter. Sprinkle tops of tarts generously with sugar. Pass flame of a blowtorch over tops until sugar melts and turns golden brown. Let sugar cool until hard, then cut each tart into pieces.

 

 

 

 

xxo