THE LOVELY CRAZY
It’s Mother’s Day weekend which means that you and I and everyone out there should feel the slightest bit obligated to at least do a little something nice for your mom for the mere fact that you were borned. And really what better way to celebrate mom than with food… It really is the least that you can do. (I think mom’s also like flowers and cards and handmade pasta necklaces) My mom is defiantly about the food. (she has had her fair share or pasta necklaces) A many years back on Mother’s day, this sweet little girl (me) made her mother a special breakfast treat…blueberry scones. And ever since that day, for every freaking holiday, birthday, whatever day, my mother requests (demands) a batch of those scones. She is always saying that these are her favorite treat and that no one has ever made them as good as I do. (I guess that just reiterates that I am her number 1 child)
And for the last few months my mom has been up my butt, trying to get me to make her some. Not going to lie, I have been saying I’ll get her a batch, but for some reason, I haven’t gotten around to making them. So two birds here.. Make the scones and she gets off my back for a least a little while (a month.. maybe 2) and I give her a fantastic Mothers day gift that I know she will love.
So here they are , oh mother of mine. Blueberry scones!
The stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. A bit of sugar, vanilla, buttermilk, and butter (use vegan butter and nut milk if you want to make them vegan) And of course we need the blueberries which can be fresh or frozen. I usually use fresh, but the store I stopped at only had really big containers of fresh that were like $1000 dollars a piece and the organic frozen happen to be on super sale. So you know, the cheap in me won that battle. 
So into the bowl goes all the dry stuff; flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and the sugar. Give it a good whisk.
Now for my special trick for a perfectly distributed cold butter in a pastry. Freeze your butter and grate it!
With a large wholed grater, grate the frozen butter directly into the bowl with the dry, stoping a few times to toss the butter chunks around so you don’t end up with a huge pile of grated butter. When it’s all grated, gently toss around so the butter is evenly distributed. 
Now dump the blueberries into the flour mixture. Toss them around to give them a coat of flour. Add in the buttermilk and vanilla and give a little mix until liquid is absorbed. We are trying to handle the dough as little as possible.
Turn mixture onto counter. It’s very loose, but thats what it should look like. 
Very gently and with as little handling as possible, gather dough up, knead a few times till everything just comes together. Press dough into a disk that is roughly an inch thick…. and it doesn’t need to be perfect. 
Cut the disk into even sized pieces. Do 6 big, 8 normal, maybe even 10 smaller. Whatever size you like. (I did 8) Place the scones onto a baking sheet, using a spatula to transfer, and sprinkle the tops with a little bit of sugar. Into a preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
And when the scones look all nice and browned and a tester comes out clean. remove and either serve right away warm, preferably with huge cup of coffee or tea, or stick on a rack to cool before storing in air tight container.
Perfect to serve as a breakfast pastry, at brunch, or even as a dessert. A nice little treat for a special lady. (dudes can eat them too)
Happy Mothers Day Mom! Thanks for having me!
And Happy Weekend!!!
-C
Blueberry Scones
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons to sprinkle on top
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter frozen or really cold (use non dairy butter like Earth Balance for vegan)
- 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup buttermilk (use non dairy milk for vegan)
Preheat oven t0 400 degrees
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Take the frozen butter and grate directly into flour mixture, tossing around to evenly disrupted. Add in blueberries and toss around till coated with flour, then lastly, add vanilla to buttermilk and mix into mixture until just barely coming together. Turn mixture out onto counter and with your hands, knead mixture a few times until it forms a solid dough. Shape into a disk and smoosh down until about an inch thick. Cut into 6-10 triangles and place on a non greases baking sheet and sprinkle tops with remaining sugar. Stick into oven and bake for 20 minutes or until tops start turning a golden brown and a tester in the middle of a scone comes out clean.
Remove from baking sheet and serve warm or let cool on a rack.
Mom gets first dibs, and if she is willing to share, eat one yourself with your face.
I figured now is a good time to get this recipe out there before we get to far into spring and summer recipes because there is going to be a lot of banana ice cream filled recipe coming and I figured its a good idea to have the basic banana ice cream recipe ready for people to refer too. And because I made so much fantastic naner ice cream, I also made a cookies and cream naner ice cream for my sisters and the mister.
Comments that I got from my sisters and the mister when I made them this ice cream
-Sister one.”I give this my sister seal of approval.. It’s so good. The first dessert you have made that I liked! (not including all the other desserts that you have made that I liked)”
-Sister two- “Wow.. it looks like ice cream and feels like ice cream and tastes like ice cream.. You should make me this ice cream!” (I was confused too because I was pretty sure I just made her some)
-The mister- “I am so excited for my new fly fishing pole!”
Ok, so the naner ice cream isn’t new to the mister and he IS very much excited for his new fly fish pole. So excited that he forgot to tell me how amazing that I am and to thank me for making him a big bowl of yumminess. (It’s ok, I forgive him)
And yes, this is probably one of the easiest, most delicious, healthy and amazing frozen dessert that you will ever eat. You will probably find yourself buying mass amounts of bananas and stocking the freezer until things just start falling out. (which is also ok because it’s only bananas and you can’t have too many frozen bananas)
The stuff you need for this ice cream…. Nice and ripe bananas, peeled and then frozen* That’s it.
To make it, place frozen bananas into food processor and hit the on button. Process the crap out of the namers until nice and silky smooth.
*Note, the smaller the frozen chunks are , the faster and maybe a little easier for the blender to blend the naners into ice cream. So if you think of it, chop bananas into pieces before freezing or even after.
After all blended and smooth, either eat right away or scoop ice cream into a freezer safe container and stick in freezer. That’s the banana ice cream… And it is amazing and so so so so so addictive. I make a batch, think I am only going to eat a scoop, then find myself eating half of what I have made, but it’s ok cause it’s only bananas.
Now for the cookies and cream banana ice cream..
One batch of banana ice cream, either freshly made, still in food processor or made ahead and placed in a food processor and given a good pulse to smooth it up.
Add cookies in, crushing a bit beforehand and pulse till combined. 
Now you have cookies and cream naner ice cream…. and everybody is happy.
Scoop into a cup, a bowl, a freezer safe container, or directly into your mouth. Be careful…. You can still get brain freeze from eating naner ice cream too fast!
Keep it real hump day drum bum!
-C
Basic Banana Ice Cream
Makes one batch. Good for 3-4 servings
- 4-5 ripe bananas peeled and frozen
Peel bananas and stick in a freezer bag or container and freeze. When bananas are completely frozen, break into pieces and stick into a food processor or blender and puree until silky smooth.
Eat right away or scoop into a freezer safe container for later.
Cookies and Cream Banana Ice Cream
- 1 batch banana ice cream
- 5-10 (depending on your cookie need) cream filled cookies like oreos or Trader Joe’s Joe Joe’s (These are gluten free)
In a food processor, blend banana ice cream with cookies.
Eat right away, with a utensil of choice in a container of choice.
Bowl licking is acceptable.
Chomp Chomp Chomp… The sound I make as I eat this freaking fantastic crunchy granola. You know it’s good when the person sitting next to you is annoyed by the sound of you face while eating. I eat a lot of crunchy stuff. And I am pretty sure I annoy the mister a lot.
Oh well, he will live, and he eats his fair share of annoying stuff too so we can just call it even.
So granola. I love it. I make a batch every few weeks or so, and I usually make it just for me. (I almost never make things just for me) I like to keep it simple but flavorful. A tad sweet, but not really, and crunchy, without the oily fried taste. I also like a variety of sizes, some big clusters and some small pieces.
This granola fits the bill perfectly. Made with 5 ingredients, no oil, and the perfect sweetness level. It’s one of my favorite flavors yet. And I know I said I made it just for me, but the mister really liked it too. (I can’t help sharing)
The simplest of stuff. 1 smashed banana, a cup of pureed butternut squash, Vietnamese cinnamon*, honey, and old fashion oats. (and a dash of salt, not shown)
*Note. I only ever use Vietnamese cinnamon because once I start using it, regular old cinnamon just won’t cut it anymore. It is a bit sweeter and a lot more spicy. If you don’t have it or don’t want to use it, use regular cinnamon and add in 1/2 a teaspoon of all spice.
Toss the cinnamon and salt with the oats. Mix together the banana, squash and the sweetener and combine with the oats until full incorporated.
Another note. Because I made this granola for me and no body else, I actually omitted the honey (I think that banana abs squash make it sweet enough) But if I was making this for lets say, the mister, or a friend, I would use add a bit. The sweetness level and sweetener of choice is up to you, but 2-3 teaspoons of honey or maple syrup is usually sweet enough for people.
Dump the mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and give it a little pat, you know, to settle all the bit and pieces together, all cozy and evenly spread out. Now stick into a preheated oven and after about 20 minutes, take out of oven and give the granola a toss, breaking apart any super big chunks or overly wet pieces. Put back into oven for another 20 minutes. (I like my granola super crispy crunchy so I cook it a little longer, like 30 more minutes)
And when you are happy with the crunchiness of you granola, remove from oven and let cool, trying not to eat all of it while it sit’s on the counter looking all pretty and smelling like happiness.
Grab a bowl, stick the rest into a jar with a lid, hide it from others, and chomp chomp chomp away!
-C
Banana Butternut Granola
- 3 cups old fashion oats (use gluten free oats if needed)
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1 cup butternut squash puree (can use canned)
- 2 tablespoons Vietnamese cinnamon (or 2 tablespoons regular cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of allspice)
- 1-3 tablespoon honey or sweetener of choice (use greater amount for sweeter)
- dash of salt
Preheat oven to 375
In a large bowl, mix together oats, cinnamon and salt. Mix the mashed banana, squash, and sweetener of choice together and combine with the oats. If the mixture seems really dry, add in a very small splash of water to loosen just enough to mix.
Dump mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and evenly disperse the mixture. Give it a kind of smoosh to compact the oats and to make sure all its all the same thickness on the pan.
Stick into oven for 20 minutes. Remove and give granola a little toss, maybe breaking apart any really big chunks (unless you like really big chunks) and put back into oven for another 20 minutes. (30 for a crunchier granola) Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet before storing in an air tight container. If you find that it is not as crunchy as you would like or is a few days old and lost some of its crunchiness, just stick it back into the oven for a few minutes to re crunch.
Eat as is, as a cold cereal, dip in peanut butter, add to popcorn or whatever way you want to eat it. No utensil required.
I had to share the last of the 5 pineapples cause if I didn’t, that would mean I ate 5 pineapples by myself. (I ate 4 pineapples by myself) So donuts were made and delivered to my sisters house where I proceeded to make her and her kids and another sister dinner. (hand made pizza on a weekday!) I then whipped out these pretty little upside down pineapple donuts for dessert, right after I cleaned up and made whipped cream. The kids were swallowing them hole and trying to steal just one more and my sister and the mister, well they had to eat their donuts all elegant like with forks. (weirdos)
I know I have said it before but just in case you forgot
I am the best sister/aunt ever!
The stuff. Flour, salt, and the baking soda whisked together into a bowl. Fresh pureed pineapple, milk, egg, melted butter, and white sugar. Than there is more melted butter, brown sugar and fresh pineapple for the upside down. 
This batter is pretty simple, just make sure to whisk all the dry really well. Dump all the wet stuff into the dry and mix until combined. Don’t over mix!
Grease the donut pan really well and mix the brown sugar with the remaining melted butter
Drizzle the bottom of each donut round with the butter/ sugar mix then layer thinly sliced pieces of pineapple around the hole maker. (not as perfect as a pineapple ring, but still pretty)
Scoop donut batter on into the pan and stick into the oven preheated at 350 degrees.
When donuts are all nice and golden brown, remove from oven and let sit and cool for about 5 minutes to give the donuts time to cool and the brown sugar to thicken. Dump donuts out onto a wires rack
And serve them all upside down like. Maybe with a scoop of whipped cream or ice cream or nothing.
Donut Smiles!
-C
Pineapple Upside Down Donuts
Makes 12 donuts
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 6 tablespoons melted butter ( 1/2 s for batter 1/2 for sugar mixture)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup pinapple puree (about 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks blended)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sliced pineapple
Note. I used fresh pineapple, but you could use canned. I think you would need a of rings (cut in half) and a an of chunks, blended up)
Preheat the oven to 350 and grease the donut pan(s)
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and baking soda. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and mix that with into the flour mixture along with the pineapple puree, milk, and lastly the egg. Mix until combined.
Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and mix into the brown sugar. Drizzle (crumble) about a teaspoon of the mixture into the bottoms if each donut mold. Layer thinly sliced pineapple on top of that then scoop donut batter on top of that. Stick into the oven for about 10 minutes, or until donuts are gold brown and a tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 or so minutes on a wire rack before turning out of pan.
If working with one pan, make sure to really clean the pan and re-grease before baking the second batch!
Serve donuts with a scoop of whipped cream and eat with your face.
I can’t stop eating these. They are like little balls of crack and I am an addict.
Frozen peanut butter grapes… I mean, I just can’t stop.
So you say you have never frozen your grapes? Well you should. It’s the only way I like to eat them anymore. I was never a huge grape fan, but one day long ago, I discovered the wonder that is the frozen grape and it is amazing, Now whenever grapes are on sale at the grocery store, I buy way to many and end up filling our tiny little freezer with jars and bowls of grapes. Then whenever the mister goes to grab the bag of frozen peas for his sore back or knees, there is almost always a frozen grape avalanche. Why I don’t put a lid on those containers is even a mystery to me. Oh, now I remember.. I want easy access.Oopen the freezer, grab a few grapes, and go on my way… not having a lid to take off makes the process a little easier.
Then one day, the frozen grape game turned into something else, something a little more decadent and even more addicting. Where it came from, I do not know. Maybe it’s some subconscious throwback to a childhood full of peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches, or maybe it’s just that fact that I think peanut butter can pretty much go with anything. But no matter why, I started dipping those frozen grapes into peanut butter and never looked back. And now when I have grapes, it’s all I want to eat.
I am warning you now, once you start making these, watch out, because before you know it, you will develop a frozen grape addiction too. And littles.. they are as easily addicted to these as well. I have seen kids that hate grapes go totally bonkers for these. Just so you know.
The stuff you will need. Washed and drained fresh grapes (green or red. I usually use red but the green were half the price and the red ones didn’t taste very grapie*) Creamy peanut butter, skewers, and a little bit of cinnamon or cocoa powder (optional)
*Note. When you are the store, try before you buy. You know what I mean, eat a few while shopping aground. I say this because not all grape are created equal. Some taste way better than others. I have bought grapes before that didn’t taste like anything or that have really tough skins, and those just piss me off, so eating a few will guarantee that your money is being well spent and that the grapes won’t disappoint you.
Ok, so now let’s make these bad boys.
Simple simple. Two grapes per skewer (or toothpick) Lay on a wax paper covered dish or pan and stick them in the freezer until frozen. 
When the grapes are frozen, melt peanut butter. Take a big glob and stick in a tall skinny cup or bowl and stick in the microwave or heat in a sauce pan and then transfer to a tall skinny vessel. Take frozen skewed grapes and, one skewer at a time, dip in the peanut butter. Cover with as much or as little of the peanut butter as you want and place on wax paper. If you are feeling feisty, add a sprinkle or cinnamon or even a dash of cocoa powder. Or, this may seem a little crazy, but garlic powder is so F*ing good.(it’s worth at least giving it a try) When all grapes are dipped, place back into freezer for another 10 minutes or so to let the peanut butter set up a bit.
Whenever your ready… Eat. And be so happy. And always keep a back stock of frozen grapes in the freezer. They are the best.
Keep it realz.
-C
Peanut Butter Freezer Grapes
the quantity is up to you, but I recommend making a shit ton!
- Creamy Peanut butter (I use organic creamy from Trader Joes, or natural skippy)
- Green or Red Grapes
- Cinnamon and or cocoa powder (Optional)
- Toothpicks or skewers
Wash grapes and skewer 2 grapes onto a stick. Place on a flat surface and stick into the freezer until frozen, which usually takes about an hour.
Once grapes are frozen, stick a big glob of peanut butter into a tall skinny vessel (Like a juice cup or a 4 oz ball jar) and warm to a liquid constancy in the microwave (about 30-45 seconds) or if you don’t have a microwave, stick in a sauce pan, warm on stove, and pour into a glass (what I do)
Remove frozen grapes from freezer and dip into melted peanut butter. Place on a wax paper line tray or pan and sprinkle with cinnamon and or cocoa powder, or not, or a few (whatever you want) and stick back into freezer for another 10 minutes.
Eat as many as you want… Make so many because you will become addicted!
What is better for a bake sale then Oreo cookies? Oreo cookies made from scratch!.
So when my sister called and asked me to make something for my nephews bake sale to raise money for his basketball team, I couldn’t say no. (or I didn’t want to say no cause any good excuse to bake right!) Plus I had just found this awesome recipe on one of my favorite blogs, my name is yeh, for home made Oreos that I have been super excited to try, so it kind of worked out. But before I committed to the Oreo, I wanted to just double check with my nephew and see what he might want me to make because it was his bake sale.
This is the conversation we had. And yes, it was through text.
Me- “Hey bud, what do you want me to make for your bake sale? Cupcakes, cookies, donuts, or brownies”
Jack- ” Yea!”
Me- “Yea what?”
Jack- “Make that.”
Me- “Make what?….Hello!! What do you want me to make? Should I make Oreos?”
Jack- I WANT OREOS!”
Ok.. So it took a little while, but we got there. And after the the basketball game and the super successful bake sale..
ME-“Did you see the Oreos?”
Jack- “What do you mean?”
Me- “The Oreos I made for the bake sale…the ones you wanted me to make”
Jack- “There was a bake sale? I want Oreos”
Yup, that’s the attention span of my 13 year old nephew. Little shit head. But for real, I had so much fun making these cookies and I am definitely going to be making them again. Plus they were a super hit at the sale.
I am the best aunt! (and sister!)
Cookie Time! Whats going on here is brown sugar and butter have be beaten together until nice and fluffy Then a good big splash of vanilla and another 2 big splashes of coffee are added to that.(I sacrificed my last few sips of my coffee for these cookies) The dry stuff, flour, salt and cocoa powder, are whisked together, waiting to be added to the wet. 
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet and mix. I ended up just using my hand and kind of squish mixing everything together until in tuned into a nice lovely uniformed dough. Form the dough into 2 balls and give each a few kneads to get any air bubbles out. Place dough back into bowl and stick in the fridge to sit for 10-15 minutes( it makes the dough a little easier to work with)
Once the dough has had a little time to rest and cool, remove from fridge, one ball at a time. Place on a lightly cocoa or powdered sugar dusted surface and roll out the dough. Grab any size circle (or other shape) cookie cutter and get to shaping the cookies. Notice the tin can in the bowl? I could’t find my biscuit cutters anywhere but the can was the perfect size, and it worked really well. Keep a little bowl of either powered sugar of cocoa to dip the cutter in in between making the cookies. It really helps the dough from sticking and breaking.
When you have cut out your cookies, use a spatial and place them on a baking sheet. You can try to transfer with you hands, but you end up messing up the shape and most of them will break anyway.
Stick the cookies in the oven for about 15 minutes a batch and continute to roll and cut out the cookies until you have no dough left.
While the cookies are getting their cool on, make the cream filling. All you need is a stick of butter, about 4 cups of powdered sugar, some vanilla and a few splashes of heavy cream. Beat that all up until nice and creamy thick and spoon it into a pastry bag (I used a big old ziplock bag) to be piped on the cookies. 
Filling the cookies is for sure the best part. Separate the cookies into pairs and pipe a big blob of filling onto one of the two cookies. Take the names cookie and place on top, giving it a little smooth to the disperse the cream. Keep doing that until the cookies are all filled.
Stacks of cookies… Sold to the highest bidder! I was told that they sold out within the first half hour at $1.50 a pop….Should have charged $5…. for a good cause right?
And yes, even though he was being a space head and didn’t even care that I just made him like 50 bucks for his team, I still saved the kid one.He just had to give me either a hug or 5 bucks for it.
I got a hug. (I really wanted the 5 dollars)
-C
From Scratch Oreo Cookies
Adapted by Molly Yeh from My Name is Yeh!
The cookie (makes about 18 3 inch Oreos)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup or 2 sticks soften butter (use earth balance for vegan)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons brewed coffee
The filling
- 1 stick soft butter (us earth balance for vegan)
- 2 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream (use a nut or soy milk for vegan)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cookies- In a large bowl cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and coffee and mix together. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cocoa powder. Add dry to wet and mix together unit a uniform dough forms. Dump out onto a lightly cocoa or powdered sugared surface and knead dough a few times. Split ball into two balls, place in bowl, and stick in the fridge for 15 or so minutes.
Preheat oven t0 325 degrees
When dough is chilled, remove one ball at a time, and roll dough out on a cocoa or powdered sugar dusted counter until its about 1/4 inch thick. With a round (any shape would work) cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can. In between sits, dip cutter in a sugar and cocoa to keep the cookie from sticking. Transfer cut out cookies onto a baking sheet with a spatula. Take scraps, roll into a ball, and roll out again. Keep doing that until you can’t cut out any more. (You can either bake a weird shape cookie or just eat the dough)
Bake cookies for about 15 minutes or until the cookie has risen a bit and the tops have lost their glossiness and look cooked. Remove from oven and let cookies dry on a wire rack.
Make the filling
Filling- Beat together butter, sugar, vanilla, and cream until completely mixed and is at your optimal consistency. Add a drizzle more cream if you want to thin out or add more sugar for a thicker cream.
Stick the filling into a piping bag or ziplock bag an snip the end. With cookies in pairs, pipe a big dollop of filling onto one of the two cookies. Place the naked cookie onto the filled cookie and give a smooth to distribute the filling.
lick your fingers and eat a cookie.
If selling at a bake sale, charge $3 a cookie…. If it’s for a good cause.
I swear I didn’t plan this, but today is officially Pi Day! Pi being the mathematical constant of the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its dimeter (did I say that right?) 3.1415…… And today’s date is 3.14.15. Whoa…I guess that means that this pie was meant to be.
But the real reason I made this pie was for a surprise treat for the mister. He left for a couple of days and me being the super assume lady love of his, thought it would be nice for him to come home to his favorite dessert.. plain old rhubarb pie.( I know, I be the best) And it didn’t hurt that when I went to the grocery store, there was a big old pile of fresh, gorgeous rhubarb staring me right in the face, and on sale to boot.
The funniest thing. Me and the mister have been together for a very long time (12+ years….we started dating in high school, so I am not that old!) and I have known that his favorite dessert is plain rhubarb pie for ever. Every time we have one of our food discussions about our favorite foods, (which happens more than it should and usually consists of me running my mouth and him grunting or nodding once in a while) rhubarb pie always comes up. He even talks about the old lady who used to make him rhubarb pie for mowing her lawn. And guess what… I have never once made him a plain rhubarb pie. Why? Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe I secretly think I was going to screw up his one favorite dessert, or maybe I never quit had enough rhubarb for a pie, or maybe I am really just an awful lady. But for whatever reason, it doesn’t matter anymore because I finally made him a plain rhubarb pie.
The stuff for the makings of pie… One single pie crust, flour, sugar and rhubarb. I mean, come on, this might be one of the simplest pies ever.
Note…The first thing the mister said to me when he saw the pie was. “Where is the top crust? My response what “Screw you ass face” but then chuckled. This pie would be great with a top crust, but I was thinking how pretty it would be without it. And honestly, I only made a single crust. What I am saying is.. make a double crust if you want a top.
The chilled pie crust gets rolled out, placed into a pie plate, trimmed and made all pretty. The bottom is sprinkled with a 1/4 cup of sugar and stuck back into the fridge while the oven preheats to 350. Now is a good time to dice the rhubarb into inchish chunks. Once the oven is preheated, remove crust from fridge and add in the diced rhubarb.
The remaining sugar and flour get mixed together in a bowl and dump on top of the rhubarb. Give it a tiny toss with you fingers just to get some of the mixture to sink down a little. (Don’t worry, the filling will be perfect when you do it like this) I also cut up the pie crust trimmings and placed on top… not necessary, but looks pretty and is a good use of the scraps.
Now cover the entire pie with tinfoil. Cut and x through the middle and fold foil back to expose the filling but keep the crust covered. (so much easier than trying to squish strips of foil together..you know what I am talking about)
And then the pie is ready to be baked.
In the oven for 5o minutes with the foil, then 10 or so minutes without to finish.
And then you take it from the oven and marvel at the beauty.
I am now truly the best super awesome lady love. I should get a freaking crown but would settle for a stand mixer or blender as a reward instead.
Important…..Let the pie cool completely (or just about) before cutting.The filling needs a bit of time to set.
Happy Saturday, Happy Weekend, Happy PI Pie Day!!!
-C
Rhubarb Pie
- Single Pie Crust.. Recipe here
- 4-5 large Rhubarb Stocks (4 cups chopped)
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar
- a hefty 1/3 cup flour
Make you pie crust.. and make sure it’s chilled!
Roll our pie crust and place in pie plate. Trim and make edge all nice and pretty. Add 1/4 cup of sugar to the bottom and stick back in the fridge to relax while you get the other stuff together.
Preheat oven to 350
Wash and dice rhubarb into inchish chunks. In a bowl, mix together 1 cup of sugar and the flour. Once the oven is preheated, remove crust from fridge and fill crust with the chopped up rhubarb. Now dump the sugar, flour mixture on top, slightly tossing it around with your fingers. Cover entire pie with tin foil and with a knife, cut an x through the middle of the foil. Fold foil back to expose the center of the pie, but keep the crust covered. Stick into oven. Bake for about an hour, removing the tin foil after about 50 minutes. Pie is done when the crust is golden brown and a fork or knife stuck into the middle of pie comes out with a thick jam like sauciness.
Let pie cool and set for a bit.
Slice. Serve on a plate with an eating utensil and maybe a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Lick plate clean.
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!
I’ll let you know now, I am a make and eat soup all year long person. I can think of few things better then sitting outside, basking in the sun, hopefully with a light wind, a book in hand, enjoying a nice big cup of some good homemade soup. (Doesn’t that sound so freaking lovely?) This soup right here is perfect for just that. Parsnips are the best, kind of like a big white sweet, yet starchy carrots. And cooked together with a little bit of light and lemony thyme, rich earthy turmeric and a couple more chopped veggie….. you got yourself a nice thick and fragrant bowl of happiness that fills you up without weighing you down. It’s food you can eat that fills you up, leaves you feeling cozy, yet still wanting to hop on a bike or lace up the running shoes. Hearty without the feeling of all the heaviness.
The stuff. Parsnips, carrots, onion and garlic. Thyme and turmeric, salt and pepper. the tinniest bit of oil and water (water not shown)
Chop all the veggies and the garlic, drizzle a dutch oven or a pot with oil, toss in the veggies. Add the turmeric, the thyme, and 1/2 cup of water. 
Sweet sweating the veggies. Turn pot on medium and cook until the water completely cooks out. When the veggies start to brown and stick to the pot, deglaze with water. Give a good stir and keep cooking. Repeat the deglazing process until the veggies are super soft and ready to blend. (I did this 4 times.. it only took 10 minutes)
Add enough water to cover the cooked veggies. 
And now blend the heck out of it.. Go as smooth or chunky as you want. I blended as smooth as I could get with this crappy immersion blender. (Blender on loan until I finally decide on, and buy a new one)
And there you have it. Scoop into bowls, add lots of cracked black pepper, and go to town. I made enough to save a bowl for later… it didn’t last for later. 
I was cleaning my spice shelf (I feel like I do this like once a week) and found some poppy seeds hiding behind some jars. Accidental spice findings happened more often the then one might think in my house.. I like to buy tiny baggies of spices with good intentions of using them, but because of their tiny size, I often lose them or forget about them due to that tininess. But I usually find those tiny little bags, and when I find them, I try to use them right away..(I don’t like having old spices around and no, I will not toss it) And it just so happened that I has a lemon in need of using.. and it was getting close to dinner time. I could wait and make lemon poppy seed cake or muffins, or just start dinner. Then I was like, ” I’ll just make lemon poppy seed pasta.” And so I did. And of course it needed to have lots of garlic and some kind of vegetable to round out the dish, (I know tomatoes are fruit but you know what I mean) 
Start by tuning oven on to 400 degrees. Chopped tomatoes and sprinkle in oil and salt and stick in the oven. Do this first because the rest of the meal only takes about 10 minutes..So fast!!!
The sauce is pretty much a basic roux…
Once your pasta is cooked (cook however it says to on package), reserve about a 1/4 cup of pasta water and drain the rest. Add the pasta water and pasta the sauce. (the pasta water helps the sauce and noodles canooddle together)
And its all mixed up just waiting to be served…and the roasted tomatoes!
Scooped into a bowl with a scoop of the roasted tomatoes and some chopped chives, served with a couple wedges of lemon..just because.
I am kind of obsessed with pickled jalapeños… like I want to eat a whole jar with a fork and then drink the juice. So much hot and spicy love. One of my sisters is the same way, pickled hot pepper obsessed. We used to buy the humongo gallon sized jars of jalapeños at Costco and go through them in like a month. But sadly, Costco stopped selling those humongous jars and we have been left buying the itty bitty jars that actually fit in a normal fridge. (I know, so sad). And maybe because the jars were normal sized and I was more aware that I shouldn’t eat a of cup of jalapeños at one sitting, or just the mire fact that a tiny jar cost the same as a gallon, but the store bought little jars weren’t doing it for me anymore. And then fate happened. The grocery store was having a super sale on fresh jalapeños and I figured it was time to make make my own. Now I don’t think I can ever go back to those store bought jars of blah because the ones I made are the best freaking pickled jalapeños this girl has ever eaten. I might even start making my own gallon sized jars!!!!
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
WHAT! Is it really almost Thanksgiving? Got you dessert plan yet? Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be all pies, pies, pies… a cookie can be the perfect ending to any holiday meal. Don’t get me wrong, pie is awesome! I love to make pies, but whenever I show up to Thanksgiving dinner with the family, there are always maybe one or five too many. Yeah my mom thinks we all will eat 2 pies a piece This cookie is the perfect holiday combination. It says, yeah I am classy with my white chocolate chips. Cranberries are a nice seasonal flavor, and those pistachios.. this lady really went all out. WIth this cookie, you lose the formalities of pie. You don’t have to feel the pressure of eating piece after piece of pie. Eating cookies is a little easier. Grab a cookie and go for a walk. Have a piece of pie and chat for a while. Need little something.. well maybe another cookie. Watching a family movie after all the clean up and dishes are done? Why yes, a cookie is a no hassle movie snack. Bonus…Left overs are easily stored in tins or plastic baggies and there is no, Hey, where’s my freaking pie plate?
So simple and so elegant. This combonation is the perfect balance of the sweet white chocolate, the tart cranberries, and the crunchy yum of the pistachio.
I don’t own a stand mixer… I know, it’s really sad, but I do have several littles who have lots of energy and are easily swayed to mix mix mix…Just give them the spoon and tell them they can lick it clean when they are done….. And so goes the sugar, butter, and vanilla..creamed together by the arms of babes. Makes the cookies taste better.
In goes the dry…These ladies knows how to stir!
This guy got lucky. He got to stir in the goodies. I gave him his own bowl of chocolate for his skills. It’s important to pay the help.
So there you have it, a lovely cookie to share.
No matter what is going on in my day, seeing a blue sky like this puts a smile on my face….To bad that smile turned to ice and my face froze in place. Because for some reason, winter around here now means below zero all the time. I mean, I love winter, but I am not going to lie… I wouldn’t mind if the wind would stop blowing and we had a couple of days of above zero weather.. and maybe a good foot of snow. I guess I’ll just have to be patient, cause its bound to happen. I mean, we live in Vermont, and if nothing else, we get weather. 
The mister called these snow mounds goosebumps… I think that is exactly what they are 
And oh how I cannot handle how freaking cute she is!! Plus, a shout out to my brother in law….MADLOVE!
Fresh snow..Even though it was -15, I had to stop and take this picture. The colors were amazing
Cabbage at the farm share pick up! Love ICF!!!
89 cents a pound for fresh organic cranberries. Score!! Made these Oatmeal fresh cranberry coconut chocolate chip cookies with them. Big hit.
This picture was taken exactly a year ago…..The mister and I were finally putting in the bathroom of our tiny little home…. And look at that awesome sink! (another amazing salvage yard find) If you ever need or want to remodel a bathroom, I suggest using a old cast iron utility sink. So practical, so functional, so pretty.….it makes me happy everyday!
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!
For the past few days I have heard more complaining then happy. The biggest complaint…tummy issues. A week of gorging on heavy, rich, and indulgent foods is finally catching up with people, turning them into grump asses. I can handle a little grump, but its time to get get out of that funk and take care and stop bitching. May I make a suggestion? Eat this… You will be happy. Your body will feel clean and nurised. Your tummy will get back on track. It what I call satisfaction This salad is a complete meal .Chopped and shredded veggies atop a small heap of quinoa, tossed on a handful of lentils and topped with a dollop of lime avocado… Thats it and it is good. For the sake of picture-taking, I made a plate look all nice and pretty, with layers of colors, but to be honest with you, I rather toss into a big bowl, grab a moderately large-sized fork and food to face… and it’s just as pretty.(the bowl of food is pretty, not food on my face) Quick note: the vegetables that I used here are what I had at home. If you don’t have one or two of these specific veggies, don’t worry about it. Sub in something else, like pepper or spinach., Still have extra brussel sprouts, green beans or asparagus from thanksgiving? Go ahead and use those. If there is a specific veggie you know your stomach doesn’t tolerate well, then maybe avoid using it. This is a happy feel good salad!
A pile of vegetables is always a good start to any meal, especially these veggies.. All but the avocado came from my farm share. This is one local organic meal of love.
Green Kale, purple cabbage, beets, red onion, carrots…I did a little shredding and some grating. I like to have different sized and textures in a salad.
Quinoa.. 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water..Bring to a boil and let simmer until light and fluffy. When I make quinoa, I always make more than is going to be eaten, its great to have pre made for any meal. Quinoa goes with everything, even a sprinkle of cinnamon and diced up apple for a nice breakfast or snack. 
Barely steamed kale, just enough to soften it. Again. raw is awesome too. 
Half a lime, half an avocado and a clove or two of garlic… guacamole…Call it what you will.
Montreal — The Lovely Crazy
September 19, 2015 by maximios • Blog
For a little while now, we have been telling this lady (my little sis) we would take her to the big city up north. She had never been, (which is crazy cause we live so close) and wanted to just explore and take some pictures. So last week when she finally finished school for the summer, the mr, this lady, and I made the trip.
I guess the best way to start a little road trip is with a bowl or egg noodle covered in the smelliest teriyaki sauce ever ( it was 9 in the morning). Gross as hell, but i give her credit for creativity. This lady has a fantastic (and pretty freaking dirty) mind.
And really, what’s a trip to Montreal without stopping at Ikea. It’s like a house ware themed playground. So much tomfoolery!
The mr. wants to know, “is it really frozen yogurt, cause it’s too good to be yogurt?” The lady just wants an Ikea closer so she can eat ice cream and hot dogs all day, everyday.
The balls we plastic and full of water….and after wondering aloud if the balls ever dropped, this one fell onto my head.
Once in the city, we parked and set out on foot. The goal for the day was to walk, see some cool shit, and get a good cup of coffee. All of which we did. So after a few hours, tired, hot and sun burnt (we forgot the sunscreen), we dragged ass back to the car and drove home.
Until next time. (maybe we’ll take her to a strip club)
-C