Me well, I need to can, pickle and eat as much zucchini as I can. And it’s not just zucchini anymore… we are getting into cucumbers too…AAAHHH I know I have said this a few times in the past weeks, but man, I have so manning freaking zucchinis.. and the more I eat, the more I end up with… It’s getting pretty crazy here!
So anyway, yesterday my dad came back to VT, WOO HOO! and I was his first stop on his rotating dinner schedule. (cause I am his favorite child. I think..maybe) I made zucchini noodles for dinner (I have made them every night for the past week) and I wanted to make him dessert, I have all sorts of pretty fruit that I wanted to make and prepare, but I also had little time and honestly, little desire to move all that much (it was so f ing hot!) I already had out the shredder and a bowl, and the zucchini was just sitting there, in the basket taunting me with it’s gigantic green whaleness. So I figured I’d just make a zucchini cake, or better yet, cause my dad really likes chocolate, a chocolate zucchini cake.
This cake is tender and moist, almost like a cakey brownie, so it does not require any frosting which is nice when your dead tired and it’s so hot that any frosting would probably just melt off anyway. (although you could totally frost it up) It makes a great dessert, but I would not hesitate to serve this for breakfast either because, 1. It has a lot of zucchini in it which automatically justifies eating it whenever, 2. also made with whole wheat, and 3. it’s totally ok to eat chocolate cake for breakfast. I mean people eat donuts for breakfast and that shit is usually fried.
Yeah, this is for sure a dessert/breakfast cake.
The stuff for cake…. Regular all purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, and cocoa powder. Some sugar, salt, baking soda and oil. A little vanilla extact and a splash of coffee. And of course, shredded zucchinn
Dump the sugar, salt and baking soda into flour, whisk together, then mix in the oil, vanilla and the coffee. Now add in the shredded zucchini, but right before adding it in, give it a squeeze to remove a little bit of the liquid.
Mix until combined.
And pour batter into a well oiled pan
Feeling fancy? I was so I peeled the green skin from a zucchini and make a little starburst on top
And into the oven to bake…
And it comes out looking so fancy. Let cake cool for a few minutes and carefully flip from pan.
Note. It might not be the best idea to test your cake with a blunt chop stick.. I did and it made the middle sink in a little. No big deal, but next time I will use a fork.
Cooled and removed from pan. Now all you need to do now is eat cake.. I think that’s something you can handle.
Happy Friday!!!!
-C
1 cup white whole wheat (can use regular whole wheat or all all purpose)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup oil (veggie, canola, sufflower)
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups of shredded zucchini
2 tablespoons of coffee
Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt and sugar. Then add in the oil, vanilla and coffee. Add in the zucchini, but right before, give it a squeeze to remove some of the liquid. (don’t got crazy, just get a little liquid out). Mix until incorporated.
Oil a 9 inch cake pan and pour in the batter. If you want, use zucchini skin to make a pretty design on top (completely optional), and place into preheated oven.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until a tester stabbed in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool in pan for at least 5 minutes the gently invert pan to remove cake and place on a rack to cool.
Serve as soon as you want..
Place in mouth, chew, and swallow…..Smile!!!
Last night had we had a couple littles (and my little sister who is not so little anymore) over for a cookout and watercolor evening.
It was fantastic. We set them up outside with paint, paper, and brushes and let them have at it. And while they were painting the mr took charge of the grill: cooking up potatoes, corn, and the tofu dogs.
I was cutting up fruit and making a special snack treat of popcorn (who doesn’t love popcorn?) consisting of almond butter, coconut, and chocolate….Almond Joy popcorn.
Addictive like crack. But still safe for children
The littles were more or less indifferent to it ( they are not big coconut fans..I know, but i am making it a mission to make them like it), but the sister and the mr… Lets just say I had to pull out my outdoor voice on them a few times (STOP EATING IT ALL!!!!!)
I think we have a winner here!
The stuff. A large quantity of air popped popcorn, almond butter, chocolate chip, coconut flakes and coconut oil. We also have some extra chocolate chips and a big handful of roasted almonds.
Licking your lips yet?
Start by dumpling your popcorn into the larges baking sheet to pan that you have.. the more surface area the better. Now heat up the almond butter. You can do this on the stove or in the microwave. The trick here is to heat it slowly so you don’t burn it. If doing on the stove, put in a sauce pot and with a fork, constantly stir until a drizzable consistency. If in microwave, stick it in there for 10 second intervals.
Note. I know from experience that there are many different types and consistency of almond butters out there. If your butter seems really stiff and thick, add a teaspoon of coconut oil.
As soon as your almond butter is melted, drizzle all over the popcorn.
With the same pot (no need to clean) place teaspoon of coconut oil in it. Heat oil until hot. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Kepp string until the chips are melted.
And drizzle that all over
Then toss on the coconut chips, chopped almond bits, and the chocolate chip.
With your (clean) hands, give the popcorn a good toss, mixing everything all around.
And now place either in a big bowl or individual cups (great for littles) I happened to have some pink(beet juice stained) shredded coconut on hand, which made for a nice touch of pretty (totally not necessary,but it kinda was). Next time maybe some sprinkles would look nice……
Anyway, be ready to lick you fingers!
And I am giving you ample amount of time to get the ingredients needed for this. Makes the perfect snack for a cookout, a party, or movie night(or Netflix binge)
Happy Day!!!
-C
6-7 cups air poppped popcorn
1/3 cup smooth almond butter
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup chocolate chips plus a handful (use vegan chocolate chip if needed)
1 -2 teaspoon coconut oil
handful of toasted almonds, chopped into pieces
Feel free to play with proportion. You can adjust the amount and ratios of all the ingredients to your taste preference.
Take popcorn and dump on the biggest baking sheet or pan that you have and level it out. Either on the stove or in the microwave, heat almond butter until a melty a runny consistency. If doing so on the stove, make sure to consantly stir while heating* If in microwave, check ever 10 seconds. (burnt almond butter tastes like crap )
*Note. I find that all almond butters are not the same. IF you feel that yours is not melty and drizzable enough, add in a teaspoon of coconut oil.With a spoon or spatula, drizzle all over popcorn. .
Now take the coconut oil and melt on stove or in microwave until hot. Remove from heat, add in chocolate chips and mix around until fully melted. Drizzle all over popcorn .
And last but not least, take the coconut flakes, almond pieces, and the extra handful of chocolate chips and toss those in too. With clean hands, give everything a good mix Dump into a big bowl or individual container.
Eat with hands..lick your fingers clean..
Word of caution…Once you start, you will not be able to stop eating this.
TGIF!!!! For reals, because Monday-Thurday were monster days. And now that its friday, I can dig a hole and hide in it until it’s at least 30 degrees with some sunshine. (I might never get to come out.)
A few things I will bring in my hole:
food (lots of food and coffee, lots of coffee)
a soft blanket and pillow
a few books, preferably with pictures, on farming and gardening (think spring!)
the entire series of the Fresh Prince of Bel-air and a device to watch it on
toothpaste (I can use my finger to brush my teeth)
But before I leave for my hole in the ground, I made these little cake bites to get my people through the weekend. Sweet little lemony bites of rich dense cake dipped into bittersweet chocolate. (I am just so nice) They have all the pleasure or cake without the need of a fork and are much easier to give away then a big slice of cake. Plus, they are fun to make. My little sister helped and did most of the chocolate dipping. Then she and another little used their mouths to clean up the chocolate mess. It was an afternoon of chocolate all over the kitchen fun day.
So make some bites to have and to share. Or if you, like me, are digging a hole to hide in, make a batch of bites to bring with you. That’s the beauty of cake covered in a harden chocolate shell, they travel really well.Simple lemon cake stuff. Flour, baking powder and salt whisked together, Sugar and soft butter in a bowl. An egg, some vanilla, milk, and of course, the lemon.
To make the batter, cream the soften butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Zest lemon(1 big or 2 small) into bowl with the juice of the lemon(s), the vanilla and the egg. Beat until combined. Now beat in the dry and then the milk. Keep beating for another minute until all mixed. Batter should be light and fluffy.
Batter goes into a greased and floured 9×13 baking sheet and stuck into a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes (You can use a 9×9 baking pan. Just bake fir another 10 minutes and you will end up with thicker bites). Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes and flip to remove cake from baking sheet. Cut cake into small pieces (I cut 4×6 to get 24 bites) and place bake into sheet and into freezer (I stuck mine outside, it was -2 degrees ) for at least 2 hours.
Frozen bites ready for the chocolate coating… Bittersweet chocolate chips and a little bit of coconut oil. Melted together all nice and shiny smooth.Now dip and slather those bites in the melted chocolate.
Oh what a lovely sister I have.. Look at her dunk….. like a boss!Fully coated and placed on a rack for the chocolate to harden. I ended up sticking the rack in the freezer for 10 minutes…They harder really fast in there.
And now you have some it, bites of cake covered in chocolate. 1 bite, 2 bites…5 bites. Eat however many you want because its Friday and because there small little bites and just because you can.
Now if you need me, I’ll be in my hole.
-C
Chocolate Lemon Cake Bite
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoons salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) soft butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
1 large or 2 small lemons
2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Add butter and sugar to a large bowl and beat on medium unit light and fluffy. Ass in vanilla egg, the zest of the lemon and the juice of the lemon. Beat to incorporate. Now beat in the dry and lastly the milk.
Grease and flour either a 9×9 pan or a 9×13 baking sheet. dump batter in and smooth out. Stick in oven and bake for about 3o minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out clean. Remove and let cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. Flip cake to remove from pan. Cut cake into bit sized pieces, 4×6 is a good size, and place back on baking sheet and stick into freezer for at least 2 hours.
When cake bites are as good as frozen, get the chocolate ready. Take the chocolate and the coconut oil and either melt in a double boiler or the microwave. Mix until smooth and make sure to full incorporate the oil. Now remove the cake bites from the freezer and dip each bite into chocolate, trying to full coat all sides. Stick onto a wire rack or a parchment lined pan to harden. They can be stuck back into the freezer to harden faster.
Once chocolate has harden, your good to go!
Because it is cold outside. Because I had an hour to kill before I needed to leave the house and because I wanted to make a sweet treat for the mister (who had been dealing with frozen pipes all day) and for the little littles that I was going to hang out with. My original idea was to just make regular old snickerdoodles, but as I was riffling around my tea drawer for a mid day tea (it’s usually coffee, but I am trying to cut back on drinking one thousand cups a day) I got hit with a little inspiration. Chai tea spiced snickerdoodles. Yes! a nice black chai, full of flavors or cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, allspice, and pepper. So many good time tastes. And while I am at it, why not add some chocolate to that mix, because, well just because.
Chai, chocolate, and sugar equals….Bada da da….. awesome Cookies! And who doesn’t want awesome cookies?
The stuff…Flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and allspice. Cocoa powder, brown and white sugar. Veggie Oil (you can use butter, or vegan butter instead for a chewier cookie) vanilla, a little vinegar and a nice cup of chai tea… Also a little bowl of cinnamon and sugar to doodle the cookies.
The sugars, oil, tea, vinegar, and vanilla go into a big bowl. Beat for a minute on medium, then add the rest of the stuff and beat some more until fully incorporated…. Simple simple.
Preheat the oven to 375 and get the cookies all dressed up in a cinnamon sugar suit by taking globs of dough and kind of rolling it into ball (perfection is not necessary) Drop dough balls into the cinnamon sugar and toss around to fully coat. Place on cookie sheet and give a good smoosh to flatten the cookie balls out to about 1/2 inch thick. Now into the oven for about 9-11 minutes to bake.
Aahhhh…….pulled from the oven and placed on a rack to cool. Fluffy, chewy, pillowy soft and spicy cookies. Oh the smell of so good!Made extra large to make extra little littles happy. The best part? I made each little sing me a song for a second cookie… I am the greatest!
Heres to a Happy Hump Day!
-C
Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodles
The stuff-
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Chai teabag steeped in 1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cups vegetable oil (can substitute butter or vegan butter for a more chewy cookie)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons each of cinnamon and white sugar to coat cookie balls in
Preheat oven to 375
In a cup, steep tea bag in 1 1/4 cups boiling water. Let tea steep for 10 minutes.
In Large bowl, add sugars, oil, vanilla, vinegar and steeped tea and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients (besides cinnamon and sugar for coating) and beat on low until everything is fully incorporated.
Add the cinnamon and sugar to a small bowl and mix together. Take globs of dough and roughly formed ball then drop into cinnamon sugar and toss to coat. Place coated balls on cooke sheet and smoosh down so cookies are about 1/2 inch thick. Place in oven for about 9-11 minutes or until cookies are just barely cooked through. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.
My suggestion for sharing….If they want one, make them sing and dance for it!
It hasn’t stopped snowing, the temperature is dropping fast (it’s getting to the point the dog doesn’t even want to be outside) and the mister is busy hand shoveling three long driveways. So I figured that in between all the laundry folding, plant watering , and all around sitting on my butt that I am doing INSIDE, that I would be so super nice and crank the stove up and make my love some cookies. I love making cookies, especially when I have chores to do. I think part of it is that cookies are baked in batches which breaks up the chores and gives a sort of rhythm to things. Plus everything is nice when the house smells like cookies. I was going to make chocolate chocolate chocolate cookies, but realized that I didn’t have cocoa powder, so I went with fresh cranberries (I just scored a pound of organic cranberries for 89 cents!) coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Plus I wanted to make them oatmeal because the mister likes oatmeal and oatmeal makes the cookies a little more hardy. (We need hardy when the temperature dips below zero) The verdict….. chewy, soft, slightly sweet oatmeal, bittersweet chocolate, nutty floral coconut, and the zing and pop of the fresh cranberries. He told me to hide them… hide so he will stop eating them….. because they be amazing!
The base of this cookie….We are using regular old fashion oats and flour. Salt, baking soda and baking powder. Vanilla, chia seeds in hot water, coconut oil white and brown sugar…. You know, all the cookie stuff. Then all the goodness.. Chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and fresh cranberries. Goodness. Oh yeah, and they are vegan…if that matters to you. Warm the coconut oil and mix with the white and brown sugars. Then add the chia seeds soaked in hot water. Stir until nice and silky smooth. In goes some more stuff. I just dumped all the dry right on in that bowl and mixed it up nice and nice. Chopped the fresh cranberries into chunks… One at a time…… Just kidding, I actually laid a cutting board on top of the cranberries, applied a little pressure and sliced through the cranberries.. Does that make sense? I hope so, because its is much easier and faster and the cranberries don’t all roll away. The chopped cranberries, coconut flakes and the chocolate chips go in to be mix all up. I used my hands to form the balls and gave each mound a little smoosh, but not completely flat. Then into a preheated 375 degree oven for about 13-15 minutes or until a nice golden brown. A cup of hot coffee and a plate of warm cookies… I am the nicest, right! (After his nice cookie rest I proceeded to do a little nagging, so the day evened out) So today is probably a great day for everyone to make cookies. It’s freezing out, its saturday and well, just cause. You might even be looking for a great recipe to make for that big party your going to. You should make these cookies. Have a Fantastic Weekend!!! -C
Preheat oven to 375 To start, take the chia seed and soak them in the 4 tablespoon hot water for a few minutes. Then in a large bowl, mix together the white and brown sugar with warmed coconut oil. Add in the gelled chia seeds and vanilla and stir until silky and combined. (the warm chia seeds will help everything mix together nicely) Now mix in all the dry. I start with the oats, dump on flour, toss in the baking powder and soda and salt. Mix until fully combines. If the dough seems to dry, add in another tablespoon or two of hot water. Chop the fresh cranberries into halves or smaller and dump them, the coconut and chocolate chips into the bowl of dough and mix. Using a scoop, spoons, or your hands, make little balls and place on a cookie sheet, giving each ball a little smoosh. Into the oven for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool on rack. Eat a few and hide the rest for later.
All I want to do is make everything into hearts and turn everything pink…Is that a problem?
I’m going to admit it, I am one of those girls that love Valentines day! And no, I don’t love it for the flowers (although I do love flowers..but never roses..yuk) No, I don’t want a box of candy or the silly store-bought cards. I don’t want to get all gused up and go out to dinner, and I definitely would be pissed if the mister bought me any jewelry. What I love is a day of spending time with my lover. We always take the day to do something special together, and for each other, and to be happy……and there is always hearts involved. I love hearts.
I want to spread that loving love love feeling because no matter what your love situation is during this holiday..we should all be happy and spread love to each other and to ourselves… And what better way to spread happy and love then with a pretty heart shaped baked good? Chocolate because almost everyone is into chocolate. Coconut because I can’t stop eating whipped coconut cream and pink coconut sprinkle because that’s what make me happy. (I am a little obsessed with sprinkling things) These little hand-held pies of love are really easy to make and always a big hit, especially with the little ones.(I am thinking they are perfect for a Valentines Day school party) And yes, they are vegan so you can share with all your vegan friends!
So in the spirit of the coming Valentines Day holiday….Lets make WHOOPIE!!!! (pies)
Flour, baking soda and powder, salt and cocoa powder. Soy milk with vinegar. Vanilla, coconut oil, and chia seeds jelling. Brown and white sugar…. you know whoopie stuff.
The dry in one bowl… sugar and all the wet in another.
All the whoopie stuff mixed together and scooped into a large zip top bag. So fancy with my bag…a real pro here!
Snip the tip of the bag, do a little squeeze test, and have at it. squeeze hearts onto a lightly oiled baking sheet or use a piece of parchment paper.
You might get a little frustrated if you are trying for perfect. I was for the first two batches, but once I stopped trying to hard, I really got into how cool some of the hearts came out. Embrace the funky lop -sided hearts, because any heart is a good heart.So lovely. Shadow hearts while the whoopie hearts cool.
Whoopies all paired up
Stuffed with a generous dollop of whipped coconut cream ( a cold can of coconut cream whipped with a splash of vanilla and a tad bit of sweetener) and sprinkled with my home-made beet dyed coconut sprinkles…..
Are you happy now? Because I know that I couldn’t stop smiling when I was making these… they are just to cute!
A couple bits of advice… Try to assemble before serving.. I was trying to put them together while a punch of kids were trying to eat them. Things got a little messy and sprinkles ended up everywhere. Also, The coconut cream should stay fairly cold, so my suggestion is to make the hearts and fill only when you are going to serve them. Or if you want to make far in advanced, cover and refrigerate to keep from coconut cream from melting….But other than that…
To start, make chia eggs( chia seeds in water) and add the vinegar to the milk. Let both sit for 5 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda,baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, mix together chia eggs, sugars, and coconut oil. Add in dry ingredients and mix while slowly adding in the milk and vinegar mixture until fully combined.
Scoop Mixture into a large ziplock bag or piping bag. Clip tip and gently squeeze out heart shapes onto a lightly oiled or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake each batch for 8-11 minutes, or until a toothpick come out clean.
Let hearts cool completely on a wire rack. Pair up like sized hearts and fill with desired amount of *coconut cream. If your feeling festive, dust sides and or tops of cake with sprinkles
* To make coconut cream, refrigerate a can or coconut milk or coconut cream for at least 4 hours. Open can, drain liquid and place the remaining coconut cream in a large cold bowl. Beat with a splash of vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the sweetener of your choice. …. (careful because this stuff is super addictive)
Now share.. and watch how happy everyone is when they receive a heart shaped whoopie pie!! That’s love!
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Another cold and blustery week… but it’s the middle of January in Vermont so its to be expected.( I just wish I could walk outside for more than 5 minutes without my nose ruining and having the snot freeze to my face) Yup, cold and busy. My Dad has come back to Vermont for a long visit (he moved to Michigan a few years ago… jerk) So while he is here I have been trying to put in as much time as possible with him all the while trying to do 8 million other things, I figured I owe him a little bit of my time (and lots of food) for helping to raise me…I am such a good daughter. (2 thumbs pointed at me with a big smirk..)
Let me take you through a few little happy highlights of my week.
The father and I went for a little hike with the pup on one of the milder temperature days… I drove to the trail, locked the car doors and off we went. After getting cold enough where I couldn’t feel my hands-feet-face… we made our way back to the car. And I reached for the keys…and shuffled around in my pockets….and felt around in all my pockets again…. and again. Finally, I had to admit it, I dropped the keys. I got a little panicky (I was so cold and the car key is like 300 bucks to replace) but we did the only thing we could do. I stuff everything back in my pockets and off we went in search of the key. We got lucky, my dad found the key only a few minutes into the trail!!! Hooray! A happy hike with a happy ending.
Me and this little made some donuts, but screw the donuts(sweet potato with chocolate frosting).. look at the overalls! I decided a long time ago that when I have kids, they will be wearing nothing but overalls. Osh Gosh FOREVER!
FARM SHARE PICK UP!!! I was starting to go through veggie withdrawals.
Shadow hearts for Valentines Day! I love Valentines Day..… or maybe I just love hearts and pink. Either way, I am getting ready for some V-day recipes! This one is a definite go….
And beet dyed coconut sprinkles…I mean, talk about happy.
A late Christmas gift from Nicks mom. Every year she gives us s few of her hand thrown pieces….. love!!
And I gave the mister a haircut!!! He has been asking me for about 2 months now to cut it, but for some reason we just haven’t gotten around to it. So finally this week it happened, and I can see his lovely face again!
How can you not be happy when your piece of ginger looks like a little man. (right after I took this picture I cut his legs off)
Flowers from our garden last summer….. Sunflowers are my favorite (these are teddy bear sunflowers)…. I love looking back at old picture, especially ones from opposite seasons, like flowers in winter or pictures of snow in summer. There like little glimpses of whats to come. I can not say it enough, I am so lucky to live in VT..we have excellent seasons so there is always something to look forward too!
So yeah, a few little happy happys…..
Hope you all have some happy happys too!
-C
My motive for this drink…get rid of a few candy cane….. And maybe make a little kid happy, but that was just a bonus… I would have made him drink this even if he didn’t like it. (I am awful like that)
I have noticed lately people are really into peppermint in their hot drinks and I have an excess of candy canes in my house, so this was the perfect drink to make. I was initially just going to make hot peppermint milk but added the cocoa for an extra treat. If you want, omit the cocoa and just make peppermint milk.. Or you might want to replace 1/2 the milk and add coffee! Or for those adults out there..maybe add a spash of vodka.. my version of .a hot black and white peppermint Russian(I just made that a thing)
A little advise ….check the temperature of the drink if you are giving it to a kid..What I thought was not too hot turned out to be a too hot. My little niece took a big gulp, and instantly sprayed the drink all over the kitchen and my clean hat, scarf and mittens… and then proceeded to cry….Hot chocolate is supposed to make the kids happy….so yeah…
All you need is a cup of milk(cow, soy, rice..whatever) a tablespoon of cocoa powder, a tiny pinch of salt and a candy cane. We don’t need to add any extra sugar because the candy cane is sugar.
Peel plastic off candy cane and place in a baggy and smash with something hard (rolling pin worked great)Stick all ingredients into a pot on medium heat and whisk until the candy cane is melted and the milk is as hot as you like it.
It you want(we did) top with a dollop of whipped cream(or whipped coconut cream) and sprinkle with a little more crushed candy cane…..Best served after a long afternoon of playing in the snow!
Go for it, watch your tongue and enjoy!
1 normal sized candy cane
1 tablespoon powdered cocoa
1 1/4 cup of milk(cow, soy, rice, hemp…what ever milk you want)
pinch of salt
Place unwrapped candy cane in baggy and smash. Place all but a sprinkle of the candy cane, the milk, and the cocoa in pot on medium heat and whisk until candy cane is fully melted and the cocoa is you preferred temperature.
Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with crushed candy cane.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
September 19, 2015 by maximios • Blog
What are your weekend plans?
Me well, I need to can, pickle and eat as much zucchini as I can. And it’s not just zucchini anymore… we are getting into cucumbers too…AAAHHH I know I have said this a few times in the past weeks, but man, I have so manning freaking zucchinis.. and the more I eat, the more I end up with… It’s getting pretty crazy here!
So anyway, yesterday my dad came back to VT, WOO HOO! and I was his first stop on his rotating dinner schedule. (cause I am his favorite child. I think..maybe) I made zucchini noodles for dinner (I have made them every night for the past week) and I wanted to make him dessert, I have all sorts of pretty fruit that I wanted to make and prepare, but I also had little time and honestly, little desire to move all that much (it was so f ing hot!) I already had out the shredder and a bowl, and the zucchini was just sitting there, in the basket taunting me with it’s gigantic green whaleness. So I figured I’d just make a zucchini cake, or better yet, cause my dad really likes chocolate, a chocolate zucchini cake.
This cake is tender and moist, almost like a cakey brownie, so it does not require any frosting which is nice when your dead tired and it’s so hot that any frosting would probably just melt off anyway. (although you could totally frost it up) It makes a great dessert, but I would not hesitate to serve this for breakfast either because, 1. It has a lot of zucchini in it which automatically justifies eating it whenever, 2. also made with whole wheat, and 3. it’s totally ok to eat chocolate cake for breakfast. I mean people eat donuts for breakfast and that shit is usually fried.
Yeah, this is for sure a dessert/breakfast cake.
The stuff for cake…. Regular all purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, and cocoa powder. Some sugar, salt, baking soda and oil. A little vanilla extact and a splash of coffee. And of course, shredded zucchinn
Dump the sugar, salt and baking soda into flour, whisk together, then mix in the oil, vanilla and the coffee. Now add in the shredded zucchini, but right before adding it in, give it a squeeze to remove a little bit of the liquid.
Mix until combined.
And pour batter into a well oiled pan
Feeling fancy? I was so I peeled the green skin from a zucchini and make a little starburst on top
And into the oven to bake…
And it comes out looking so fancy. Let cake cool for a few minutes and carefully flip from pan.
Note. It might not be the best idea to test your cake with a blunt chop stick.. I did and it made the middle sink in a little. No big deal, but next time I will use a fork.
Cooled and removed from pan. Now all you need to do now is eat cake.. I think that’s something you can handle.
Happy Friday!!!!
-C
Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt and sugar. Then add in the oil, vanilla and coffee. Add in the zucchini, but right before, give it a squeeze to remove some of the liquid. (don’t got crazy, just get a little liquid out). Mix until incorporated.
Oil a 9 inch cake pan and pour in the batter. If you want, use zucchini skin to make a pretty design on top (completely optional), and place into preheated oven.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until a tester stabbed in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool in pan for at least 5 minutes the gently invert pan to remove cake and place on a rack to cool.
Serve as soon as you want..
Place in mouth, chew, and swallow…..Smile!!!
Last night had we had a couple littles (and my little sister who is not so little anymore) over for a cookout and watercolor evening.
It was fantastic. We set them up outside with paint, paper, and brushes and let them have at it. And while they were painting the mr took charge of the grill: cooking up potatoes, corn, and the tofu dogs.
I was cutting up fruit and making a special snack treat of popcorn (who doesn’t love popcorn?) consisting of almond butter, coconut, and chocolate….Almond Joy popcorn.
Addictive like crack. But still safe for children
The littles were more or less indifferent to it ( they are not big coconut fans..I know, but i am making it a mission to make them like it), but the sister and the mr… Lets just say I had to pull out my outdoor voice on them a few times (STOP EATING IT ALL!!!!!)
I think we have a winner here!
The stuff. A large quantity of air popped popcorn, almond butter, chocolate chip, coconut flakes and coconut oil. We also have some extra chocolate chips and a big handful of roasted almonds.
Licking your lips yet?
Start by dumpling your popcorn into the larges baking sheet to pan that you have.. the more surface area the better. Now heat up the almond butter. You can do this on the stove or in the microwave. The trick here is to heat it slowly so you don’t burn it. If doing on the stove, put in a sauce pot and with a fork, constantly stir until a drizzable consistency. If in microwave, stick it in there for 10 second intervals.
Note. I know from experience that there are many different types and consistency of almond butters out there. If your butter seems really stiff and thick, add a teaspoon of coconut oil.
As soon as your almond butter is melted, drizzle all over the popcorn.
With the same pot (no need to clean) place teaspoon of coconut oil in it. Heat oil until hot. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Kepp string until the chips are melted.
And drizzle that all over
Then toss on the coconut chips, chopped almond bits, and the chocolate chip.
With your (clean) hands, give the popcorn a good toss, mixing everything all around.
And now place either in a big bowl or individual cups (great for littles) I happened to have some pink(beet juice stained) shredded coconut on hand, which made for a nice touch of pretty (totally not necessary,but it kinda was). Next time maybe some sprinkles would look nice……
Anyway, be ready to lick you fingers!
And I am giving you ample amount of time to get the ingredients needed for this. Makes the perfect snack for a cookout, a party, or movie night(or Netflix binge)
Happy Day!!!
-C
Feel free to play with proportion. You can adjust the amount and ratios of all the ingredients to your taste preference.
Take popcorn and dump on the biggest baking sheet or pan that you have and level it out. Either on the stove or in the microwave, heat almond butter until a melty a runny consistency. If doing so on the stove, make sure to consantly stir while heating* If in microwave, check ever 10 seconds. (burnt almond butter tastes like crap )
*Note. I find that all almond butters are not the same. IF you feel that yours is not melty and drizzable enough, add in a teaspoon of coconut oil.With a spoon or spatula, drizzle all over popcorn. .
Now take the coconut oil and melt on stove or in microwave until hot. Remove from heat, add in chocolate chips and mix around until fully melted. Drizzle all over popcorn .
And last but not least, take the coconut flakes, almond pieces, and the extra handful of chocolate chips and toss those in too. With clean hands, give everything a good mix Dump into a big bowl or individual container.
Eat with hands..lick your fingers clean..
Word of caution…Once you start, you will not be able to stop eating this.
A few things I will bring in my hole:
But before I leave for my hole in the ground, I made these little cake bites to get my people through the weekend. Sweet little lemony bites of rich dense cake dipped into bittersweet chocolate. (I am just so nice) They have all the pleasure or cake without the need of a fork and are much easier to give away then a big slice of cake. Plus, they are fun to make. My little sister helped and did most of the chocolate dipping. Then she and another little used their mouths to clean up the chocolate mess. It was an afternoon of chocolate all over the kitchen fun day.
So make some bites to have and to share. Or if you, like me, are digging a hole to hide in, make a batch of bites to bring with you. That’s the beauty of cake covered in a harden chocolate shell, they travel really well.
Simple lemon cake stuff. Flour, baking powder and salt whisked together, Sugar and soft butter in a bowl. An egg, some vanilla, milk, and of course, the lemon.
To make the batter, cream the soften butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Zest lemon(1 big or 2 small) into bowl with the juice of the lemon(s), the vanilla and the egg. Beat until combined. Now beat in the dry and then the milk. Keep beating for another minute until all mixed. Batter should be light and fluffy.
Batter goes into a greased and floured 9×13 baking sheet and stuck into a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes (You can use a 9×9 baking pan. Just bake fir another 10 minutes and you will end up with thicker bites). Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes and flip to remove cake from baking sheet. Cut cake into small pieces (I cut 4×6 to get 24 bites) and place bake into sheet and into freezer (I stuck mine outside, it was -2 degrees ) for at least 2 hours.
Oh what a lovely sister I have.. Look at her dunk….. like a boss!
Fully coated and placed on a rack for the chocolate to harden. I ended up sticking the rack in the freezer for 10 minutes…They harder really fast in there.
And now you have some it, bites of cake covered in chocolate. 1 bite, 2 bites…5 bites. Eat however many you want because its Friday and because there small little bites and just because you can.
Now if you need me, I’ll be in my hole.
-C
Chocolate Lemon Cake Bite
Add butter and sugar to a large bowl and beat on medium unit light and fluffy. Ass in vanilla egg, the zest of the lemon and the juice of the lemon. Beat to incorporate. Now beat in the dry and lastly the milk.
Grease and flour either a 9×9 pan or a 9×13 baking sheet. dump batter in and smooth out. Stick in oven and bake for about 3o minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out clean. Remove and let cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. Flip cake to remove from pan. Cut cake into bit sized pieces, 4×6 is a good size, and place back on baking sheet and stick into freezer for at least 2 hours.
When cake bites are as good as frozen, get the chocolate ready. Take the chocolate and the coconut oil and either melt in a double boiler or the microwave. Mix until smooth and make sure to full incorporate the oil. Now remove the cake bites from the freezer and dip each bite into chocolate, trying to full coat all sides. Stick onto a wire rack or a parchment lined pan to harden. They can be stuck back into the freezer to harden faster.
Once chocolate has harden, your good to go!
Chai, chocolate, and sugar equals….Bada da da….. awesome Cookies! And who doesn’t want awesome cookies?
Preheat the oven to 375 and get the cookies all dressed up in a cinnamon sugar suit by taking globs of dough and kind of rolling it into ball (perfection is not necessary) Drop dough balls into the cinnamon sugar and toss around to fully coat. Place on cookie sheet and give a good smoosh to flatten the cookie balls out to about 1/2 inch thick. Now into the oven for about 9-11 minutes to bake.
Heres to a Happy Hump Day!
-C
Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodles
The stuff-
Preheat oven to 375
In a cup, steep tea bag in 1 1/4 cups boiling water. Let tea steep for 10 minutes.
In Large bowl, add sugars, oil, vanilla, vinegar and steeped tea and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients (besides cinnamon and sugar for coating) and beat on low until everything is fully incorporated.
Add the cinnamon and sugar to a small bowl and mix together. Take globs of dough and roughly formed ball then drop into cinnamon sugar and toss to coat. Place coated balls on cooke sheet and smoosh down so cookies are about 1/2 inch thick. Place in oven for about 9-11 minutes or until cookies are just barely cooked through. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.
My suggestion for sharing….If they want one, make them sing and dance for it!
Oatmeal Fresh Cranberry Coconut Chocolate Chip Coookies
Ingredients
Preheat oven to 375 To start, take the chia seed and soak them in the 4 tablespoon hot water for a few minutes. Then in a large bowl, mix together the white and brown sugar with warmed coconut oil. Add in the gelled chia seeds and vanilla and stir until silky and combined. (the warm chia seeds will help everything mix together nicely) Now mix in all the dry. I start with the oats, dump on flour, toss in the baking powder and soda and salt. Mix until fully combines. If the dough seems to dry, add in another tablespoon or two of hot water. Chop the fresh cranberries into halves or smaller and dump them, the coconut and chocolate chips into the bowl of dough and mix. Using a scoop, spoons, or your hands, make little balls and place on a cookie sheet, giving each ball a little smoosh. Into the oven for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool on rack. Eat a few and hide the rest for later.
I’m going to admit it, I am one of those girls that love Valentines day! And no, I don’t love it for the flowers (although I do love flowers..but never roses..yuk) No, I don’t want a box of candy or the silly store-bought cards. I don’t want to get all gused up and go out to dinner, and I definitely would be pissed if the mister bought me any jewelry. What I love is a day of spending time with my lover. We always take the day to do something special together, and for each other, and to be happy……and there is always hearts involved. I love hearts.
I want to spread that loving love love feeling because no matter what your love situation is during this holiday..we should all be happy and spread love to each other and to ourselves… And what better way to spread happy and love then with a pretty heart shaped baked good? Chocolate because almost everyone is into chocolate. Coconut because I can’t stop eating whipped coconut cream and pink coconut sprinkle because that’s what make me happy. (I am a little obsessed with sprinkling things) These little hand-held pies of love are really easy to make and always a big hit, especially with the little ones.(I am thinking they are perfect for a Valentines Day school party) And yes, they are vegan so you can share with all your vegan friends!
So in the spirit of the coming Valentines Day holiday….Lets make WHOOPIE!!!! (pies)
Flour, baking soda and powder, salt and cocoa powder. Soy milk with vinegar. Vanilla, coconut oil, and chia seeds jelling. Brown and white sugar…. you know whoopie stuff.
The dry in one bowl… sugar and all the wet in another.
All the whoopie stuff mixed together and scooped into a large zip top bag. So fancy with my bag…a real pro here!
Snip the tip of the bag, do a little squeeze test, and have at it. squeeze hearts onto a lightly oiled baking sheet or use a piece of parchment paper.
You might get a little frustrated if you are trying for perfect. I was for the first two batches, but once I stopped trying to hard, I really got into how cool some of the hearts came out. Embrace the funky lop -sided hearts, because any heart is a good heart.
So lovely. Shadow hearts while the whoopie hearts cool.
Are you happy now? Because I know that I couldn’t stop smiling when I was making these… they are just to cute!
A couple bits of advice… Try to assemble before serving.. I was trying to put them together while a punch of kids were trying to eat them. Things got a little messy and sprinkles ended up everywhere. Also, The coconut cream should stay fairly cold, so my suggestion is to make the hearts and fill only when you are going to serve them. Or if you want to make far in advanced, cover and refrigerate to keep from coconut cream from melting….But other than that…
Have fun making Whoppies!
-C
Coconut filled Chocolate Heart Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
Preheat oven to 375
To start, make chia eggs( chia seeds in water) and add the vinegar to the milk. Let both sit for 5 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda,baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, mix together chia eggs, sugars, and coconut oil. Add in dry ingredients and mix while slowly adding in the milk and vinegar mixture until fully combined.
Scoop Mixture into a large ziplock bag or piping bag. Clip tip and gently squeeze out heart shapes onto a lightly oiled or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake each batch for 8-11 minutes, or until a toothpick come out clean.
Let hearts cool completely on a wire rack. Pair up like sized hearts and fill with desired amount of *coconut cream. If your feeling festive, dust sides and or tops of cake with sprinkles
* To make coconut cream, refrigerate a can or coconut milk or coconut cream for at least 4 hours. Open can, drain liquid and place the remaining coconut cream in a large cold bowl. Beat with a splash of vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the sweetener of your choice. …. (careful because this stuff is super addictive)
Now share.. and watch how happy everyone is when they receive a heart shaped whoopie pie!! That’s love!
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Another cold and blustery week… but it’s the middle of January in Vermont so its to be expected.( I just wish I could walk outside for more than 5 minutes without my nose ruining and having the snot freeze to my face) Yup, cold and busy. My Dad has come back to Vermont for a long visit (he moved to Michigan a few years ago… jerk) So while he is here I have been trying to put in as much time as possible with him all the while trying to do 8 million other things, I figured I owe him a little bit of my time (and lots of food) for helping to raise me…I am such a good daughter. (2 thumbs pointed at me with a big smirk..)
Let me take you through a few little happy highlights of my week.
The father and I went for a little hike with the pup on one of the milder temperature days… I drove to the trail, locked the car doors and off we went. After getting cold enough where I couldn’t feel my hands-feet-face… we made our way back to the car. And I reached for the keys…and shuffled around in my pockets….and felt around in all my pockets again…. and again. Finally, I had to admit it, I dropped the keys. I got a little panicky (I was so cold and the car key is like 300 bucks to replace) but we did the only thing we could do. I stuff everything back in my pockets and off we went in search of the key. We got lucky, my dad found the key only a few minutes into the trail!!! Hooray! A happy hike with a happy ending.
So yeah, a few little happy happys…..
Hope you all have some happy happys too!
-C
I have noticed lately people are really into peppermint in their hot drinks and I have an excess of candy canes in my house, so this was the perfect drink to make. I was initially just going to make hot peppermint milk but added the cocoa for an extra treat. If you want, omit the cocoa and just make peppermint milk.. Or you might want to replace 1/2 the milk and add coffee! Or for those adults out there..maybe add a spash of vodka.. my version of .a hot black and white peppermint Russian(I just made that a thing)
A little advise ….check the temperature of the drink if you are giving it to a kid..What I thought was not too hot turned out to be a too hot. My little niece took a big gulp, and instantly sprayed the drink all over the kitchen and my clean hat, scarf and mittens… and then proceeded to cry….Hot chocolate is supposed to make the kids happy….so yeah…
Peel plastic off candy cane and place in a baggy and smash with something hard (rolling pin worked great)
Stick all ingredients into a pot on medium heat and whisk until the candy cane is melted and the milk is as hot as you like it.
Go for it, watch your tongue and enjoy!
Place unwrapped candy cane in baggy and smash. Place all but a sprinkle of the candy cane, the milk, and the cocoa in pot on medium heat and whisk until candy cane is fully melted and the cocoa is you preferred temperature.
Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with crushed candy cane.