THE LOVELY CRAZY
Guess what guys ….I got myself a sick vintage waffle/ griddle iron. I couldn’t be more thrilled!!! I found this thing at the local recycled goods store the other day, along with a very beautiful old white pyrex mixing bowl. It was one of my best thrift store scores! (Checking out the inventory and the condition of all the old things that day, I would say an old lady had just died and all her perfectly keep, mint condition kitchen stuff had just been donated. But it’s cool, cause I get the feeling that she was at least 90, with a big loving family, and was happy until the day she died. And I am sure she would be pleased that I have taken over the waffle maker. Thanks old lady!)
And now I am pretty sure that everything I make for the next week will be cooked on said waffle/griddle. I am serious, I already have a list of things to try and cook on it; cookies, biscuits, granola bars, potatoes, fruit, some type of pasta situations…. the list of possibilities is endless and I bet that at least 1/2 of these things will be totally awesome and amazing.
But first thing first. I need to make dinner.
So waffles for dinner!!
Note. These waffles are completely 100% fantastic for any meal you want to make them for. They consist of nothing more then beans, a shit ton of veggies, and just a bit of cornmeal. But don’t let that fool you because they are super packed full of so much flavor, have a really soft tender inside, with a nice crispy outside and are so super pretty. They are wonderful! The stuff. First, we got a big old pile of shredded up veggies which include; carrot, beet, sweet potato, onion, parsnip, celeriac, and a little bit of kale. A we got a bowl of rinsed and strained white beans, a little bit of cornmeal and salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
The makings of something amazing!Before you do anything. get your waffle iron out and preheat it.
While thats going on, take you beans, add 3/4 cup water and puree until smooth with whatever blending device want to like to use. (I used my hand blender…less to clean)Now collect all the shredded veggies and dump into a big bowl with the bean puree, the spices and the cornmeal. Mix until combined. The batter should be thick, but not dry. If its seems to wet, add more corn meal, or too dry, add a little more water.
Note how my batter turned a magical pink… I love beets, they make everything pretty! And check out that bowl!When your waffle iron is preheated, oil it if needed (if your not sure, add a little oil just to really make sure your waffles don’t stick) and take appropriate size spoonfuls of the batter and stick on iron. Close it and wait…..My iron has a little light that turns on when the waffles are done cooking, so I waited patiently (ok iI did open it a few time) until light tuned on and removed the perfectly cooked waffles.
Did I mention how awesome my new/old vintage iron is?
SO AWESOME!!
I made a little gaucamole and gave the mister and little bowl of plain Greek yogurt with lemon juice, but feel free to top, drizzle, or dump whatever you want onto these beauties…
Happy waffle Wednesday!!!
-C
Veggie Bean Wonder Waffles
Makes 8-10 waffles (in my iron) feeds 2-3 peeps
- 1 small carrot shredded
- 1 small parsnip shredded
- 1/2 a small celeriac root
- 1 small beet shredded
- 2 kale leaves chopped into tiny bits
- 1/2 an onion, shredded
- 1/2 a small sweet potato shredded
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 2 cups(or 1 can) cooked, rinsed and strained white beans
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- teaspoon each salt and pepper
- oil for iron(if needed)
Note on veggies… I used what I had in the fridge and shredded, it came to about 3 cups. If you don’t have these specific veggies or only want to use a few.. go for it. Just make sure to have 3 cups of whatever veggies you use.
Take you beans and blend them up with whatever device you would like to use. Once creamy, add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Stir until combined.
Once the waffle iron is preheated, oil it( if needed) and place the recommended amount of batter right on it there. Close and cook until golden brown and waffly.
Serve on a plate with topping of your choice, A few suggestions.. Guacamole, salsa, hummus, mustard, greek yogurt… anything that tastes good to you.
Eat as breakfast, lunch or dinner…
Fork into face
A couple of days ago, during a grocery store porous, I stumbles upon a produce item that I have not seen sold in stores before, Broccoli leaf. And I was kind of surprised to see that they were selling bunches of the leaf, organic, at 2 bucks a bunch. I was very excited ! But wait.. You can eat broccoli leaves? Heck yes you can! Broccoli leaves are fantastic. They taste kind of like broccoli, have a hearty texture like a collard, and can be used raw or cooked just like any other green. Its just one more super yummy green to add to your repertoire. So when I bring home something that I find to be a good score, like a bunch of broccoli leaves, I feel like I have to share it with the mister. (I am so nice) And this dish was how I shared them…. Tossed into a bowl of garlic raging pasta. 
The stuff…. A bunch of broccoli leaves, lots of garlic, pasta, olive oil, salt and a lemon. Pretty simple right? 
Fist off, get your water boiling for the pasta. Once its ready, drop a pinch of salt into the water and stick pasta in for the amount of time recommend by pasta box people. While the pasta is boiling, mince up the garlic (I used my garlic press) into a skillet and add in the oil. Stick on a burner on medium for a few minutes, stirring around to make sure the garlic doesn’t stick and burn. 
Once you start to smell the garlic, turn heat onto low, chop up the broccoli leaves (stems and all) and stir around until wilted and add in the juice of half a the lemon.When the pasta is cooked, remove a few tablespoons of starchy water and strain the noodles. Add water and pasta right into the skillet with the other stuff. Toss around, taste, season with salt and pepper. Go ahead and add some chopped tomato and or parmesan cheese if you want. 
And serve your amazingly amazing pasta. And make sure that you are ok with really smelly garlic breath…Casue it’s going to happen. Keep it good! -C
Broccoli Leaf and Garlic Noodles
- 1 bunch fresh broccoli leaves (about 3 cups chopped)
- 2 servings of your favorite pasta (spaghetti, penne, vegan, gluten free…..)
- 8 or so fresh garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
- lemon (optional)
- parmesan cheese (optional)
Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add in pasta and cook per instructions on box. While pasta is cooking, mined garlic and add to a skillet with the oil. Place on a burner on medium heat and cook and stir until the garlic becomes fragrant. Chop the broccoli leaves (stems and all) into bit sized pieces and add to the garlic oil and toss around to wilt the leaves. Squeeze in some lemon juice. Once the pasta is done cooking, remove a few tablespoons of the starchy water and strain the pasta. Add the water and the noodles to the skillet, toss to evenly coat the pasta and call it down. Serve in a bowl or on a plate, topped with freshly chopped tomatoes and parmesan cheese if you so shall please and another little squeeze of lemon juice if you like. Watch your mouth.. it will be breathing out garlic like whoa.
My contribution to last nights dinner at my sisters…. Freshy fresh veggies spring rolls.I had about 30 minutes between work and getting over to my sisters house to throw something together so it needed to be something fast, easy, and something I could make without going to the store. She was making the main course (some teriyaki situation and rice) so I was doing up the veggies.
I had just bought a package of spring roll wrappers…. Bingo! The perfect and logical choice. I grab the wrappers, a variety of veggies and after spending 12 of my 30 minutes trying to scrub the oil based paint off of my face and hands, I still managed to completely prepare, construct, and take pictures of these lovely tasty spring rolls. and get over to my sisters in time for dinner.
Impressed?
Damn right!
The stuff. Carrot, beet, asparagus, red cabbage, and kohlrabi, which all (except asparagus, which I just cut into thirds) got cut into matchstick sized pieces with my mandoiln. Then there are the rice spring roll wrappers that we need to make the veggies into rolls. Also a bit of red wine vinegar to drizzle onto the veggies for a little extra zing. And lastly, soy, fresh ginger, and a couple cloves of garlic for a spicy salty dipping sauce.Start by having everything set out and ready to assemble. Fill a large shallow dish or baking sheet with really warm water. Working with one at a time,place a rice wrapper into water and let sit for about 10 seconds or until the paper starts to soften. Remove from water and place on a damp surface (just splash a little water on the counter) Take a little bit of everything and and place on the lower middle part of the paper. Fold in the sides first, then tuck and roll the wrapper as tightly as you can without ripping the wrapper.
Repeat until you have used up all you veggies.For the dipping sauce. Finely grate ginger and garlic and add to soy sauce. Stir… and it’s done.Freshy, pretty and fantastically delicious. And for real, took about 8 minutes to make. (I even had enough time to wash the dishes before we left!)
I am so awesome!
Hump Day Pow!!!!!
-C
Fresh Veggies Spring Rolls
Makes 8-10 but can easily be increased or decreased to desired amount
- 8-1o rice spring roll papers
- Splash of Red wine or rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy or tamari sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic
- teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 medium beet
- 1/4 head of purple cabbage
- 10 thin fresh asparagus
- 1 small kohlrabi
Note… I used the veggies that I had in the fridge at the moment. If you have a bunch of veggies but not these particular ones, use what you have. Pretty much all veggies taste good inside a spring roll!
Gather your veggies and prep by either using a mandolin, a grater, or some sick knife skills, and julienne, shred, or slice you veggies into thin match sticks. Once all the veggies are prepared, sprinkle a little vinegar over the top.
For the rolls…Grab a large shallow vessel (a rimmed baking sheet works great) and add in warm water. Working one at a time, place the wrapper into the water for about 10 seconds or until the wrapper starts to soften. Remove and spread onto a clean, damp work surface. Gather a bit of each veggie that you are adding and place towards the bottom middle of the wrapper. Now fold the sides in over the pile of veggies. Then with the side closest to you, tuck and roll wrapper away from you, trying to keep it tight, but not to tight that it rips.. (Hopefully that makes since.) Place finished rolls onto a damp surface to keep from sticking and if not serving right away, drape with a damp towel or paper towel to keep from drying out.
For the soy ginger dipping sauce. Add grated ginger, minced garlic, and soy into a bowl and mix together. Serve with spring rolls.
Eat one, two, or a plateful. It’s nice to share but not a necessity.
My winter farm share is coming to an end this week. One more pick and then a three week stretch until the summer share starts… WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!!! Stock up as much as I can is what.
I have been strategic about the roots and veggies that I have chosen to bring home the past few weeks.(My farm lets you pick what you want) I know what I can buy at the store, things like carrots and potatoes, so I have been passing those up, but the roots like beets and celeriac… I have been bringing home baskets of those and hoarding them in the fridge and basement in preparation for the laps in farm fresh food and knowing that if I want to by these at the store it s going to coast me a million dollars a pound. (a for real million dollars)
Yup, lots of roots around here, especially celeriac root which is fantastic. I am kind of obsessed with celeriac, with its fibrous, knobby exterior, soft but almost meaty texture inside, and a flavor that is close to celery but so much better. I don’t know why it has taken me so long to do a posting featuring this amazing root vegetable (I eat it almost every day)
So here, an amazingly tasty, hearty but not heavy, celeriac recipe. Perfect for spring and the change into summer…. Mustard roasted celeriac with an fanatic split peas gravy that will have you licking you bowl clean.
The stuff….For the split pea gravy we have a carrot, a parsnip and a large onion chopped into small chunks. Salt, thyme, a bay leaf and of course the split peas. Then there is the celeriac root* sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds and some plain old yellow mustard .
*Note. I don’t peel my celeriac root. I really enjoy the fibrous exterior but realize that some don’t(The mister does not like it) so peel it if you want.
Toss the chopped parsnip, carrot, onion and the spices into a pot on medium heat and let veggies sweat a few minutes until tender. Add in the split peas and enough water to cover everything. Turn pot on high and bring to a boil, then cover and turn to low. Make sure to give the pot a good stir ever few minutes and add more water if needed
While the gravy is cooking, take the celeriac rounds and brush each side with yellow mustard, sprinkle with pepper, and place on a baking sheet. Stick into the oven to roast for about 25 minutes, flipping the rounds after about 10 minutes.
Once the peas have soften, remove the bay leaf and puree until smooth and oh so creamy. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. If you find that the gravy seems to thick, just add in more water until it’s the consistency that you want. 
The gravy is made, the celeriac is roasted… now we are ready to eat!! 
Stick the celeriac on a plate and dump good amount of that gravy right on top. Feel free to add a bed of spinach, or a grain or anything you want, because why not, and also some chopped tomatoes for a little acid and prettiness.
Serve with the fanciest knife and fork you can find. Extra yellow mustard and sriracha sauce are great condiments to have close by.
Happy Tuesday!
-C
Mustard Roasted Celeriac with Split Pea Gravy
- 2 medium celeriac roots
- 6 tablespoons mustard
- 1 large carrot
- 1 medium parsnip
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2/3 cup split peas
- 2-3 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons thyme or italian spice mix
- salt and pepper
- spinach (optional)
- diced tomatoes(optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Small dice the carrot, parsnip and onion and throw into a large pot. Spinkle with salt and pepper, add in the thyme and bay leaf and add a splash of water. Stick on stove on medium heat and stir. Let cook until the veggies become soft and fragrant. Now add in the split peas and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil then cover and turn heat down to medium low. Let cook until the split peas become tender (about 25 minutes) string on occasion and adding more water if the peas are not completely summered while cooking.
Once the peas are tender, let cool for a few minutes, remove bay leaf, and either dump into a blender or blend with an immersion blender until nice and creamy. If gravy seems to thick, add in more water.
Scrub or peel celeriac roots and slice them into 1/2 inch think rounds. Place on a baking sheet and brush mustard on both sides and spindle with pepper. Stick into oven for about 10 minutes, flip, then back into the oven for another 15 or so minutes, or unit the celeriac is tender.
When the celeriac is done remove from oven and stick a few rounds on a bed of spinach (or not, or any kind of grain or green you like) Top with a hearty helping of the gravy and toss on some chopped up tomatoes.
Eat with at knife and fork like a fancy person.
Yesterday I spent the entire day (ok maybe not the entire day), but a the better part of the afternoon defrosting my freezer. Sure, I do the occasional chip chop here and there, just enough from around the freezer door so it will close, but ever few months I notice that everything in the fridge is not staying cold and that the freezer is not freezing stuff. Thats when I know its for real time to defrost. So a few days ago when I noticed my bananas were turing to liquid in the freezer, I knew it what I had to do….Completely empty the fridge and melt/hack away the 2-4 inches of ice build up that accumulated. It is such a freaking pain in the ass.So on this defrosting day, I took all the stuff from the freezer, stuck it in a cooler, and the rest of the stuff, which is basically all veggies, I just tossed on the table. As I am hacking away with a metal spatual, a wooden spoon, and a constant rotation of pots of boiling water, I was thinking about dinner. I figured I might as well just eat up as much of the veggies as I could, you know, so I didn’t have to put them back in the fridge. And also, I was getting pretty annoyed because this particular defrosting session was taking way longer the anticipated, which made making dinner seem like another pain in the ass. I figured I might as well just eat everything that is already out on the table, which pretty much narrowed down the “whats for dinner” conversations because it was already all over the place. And so dinner was a humongo salad for me, and for the mister, I made him a monster of a veggie sandwich. (my salad was exactly the same stuff as the sandwich, minus the bagel) Easy, fast, super duper yummy, pretty and piled so high with tons of veggies that the fridge is pretty much empty now.
Look at the is beast. I don’t call it a monster sandwich for nothing.
The stuff included in this monster veggie sandwich..
Romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado for there is not real sandwich without them. Thinly sliced radishes, cucumber,a and onion for nice crispy crunch. Shredded beets, carrots, and purple cabbage to give more crunch and a bit of sweetness. Then of course there needs to be something pickled, so I used banana peppers cause they are the SHIT!! And lastly some hummus for a nice creamy finish (plus a bit of protein) and yellow mustard because mustard on everything is just right. Heres to a mountain if goodness that is no longer in the fridge! Served with a another mountain of roasted parsnips and carrots (more stuff from the fridge) and a tall glass of iced tea.
Lucky that today is farm share pick up cause the fridge is pretty much on empty.
Yea it’s Thursday!!!!
-C
A Monster Veggie Sandwich
Note. This is just a guide.. Feel free to use whatever veggies you fancy.
- Either a bagel, 2 slices of bread, or a big chunk of baguette (use a gluten free bread if you want or need too)
- Hummus- Homemade or store bought
- Mustard
- Something pickled like pickles, banana peppers , jalapeños or all three
- Lettuce, spinach or some kind of leafy green
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Onion
- Radishes
- Cucumber
- Shredded Carrots
- Shredded Beets
- Shredded Cabbage
To assemble. Ready your bread.. Toast if you want, and stick it on a plate
On either side, smear the hummus and the mustard.
Pick a side, start to stack by evenly disrupting veggies on top of veggies. Place the second piece of bread on top and giving a little smooth to keep it together.
And go at it. Cut in half or don’t. Have a napkin or a long sleeve ready to wipe your face.
Happy Cinco de Mayo! And what better day to share my version of my oh so fantastic pico de gallo, or as I call it, super freshy salsa.
I love me some freshy salsa, It makes me oh so happy.
I make this stuff all the time, especially during the warmer months and tomato season. I usually make a batch right before a meal, just enough to eat right away, but sometimes I ‘ll make a big batched of it, thinking I’ll save some for the next day. It never makes it past the second day in the fridge because it’s just one of those things that when you see it, you want to eat it. Weird but true. And it’s totally ok to do so cause it’s basically eating a big bowl of healthy goodness, so eat on!
It takes no time to prepare, tastes super refreshing, goes on everything, and it’s just so freaking tasty. You can eat it with tacos and chips (the mister) or like me, I like to add it to everything; salads, popcorn, or directly in my mouth.
Make one batch, make 4, it doesn’t matter cause you will eat it all, and need to make more.
The stuff. Chopped Roma tomatoes, chopped red onion, a diced jalapeño, lemon, a bunch of cilantro, and salt.
Stick all the chopped stuff into a jar and add in the juice of the lemon. Roughly chop the cilantro and add that on in with a sprinkle of salt.
Mix it up….
And thats it. Now eat… with something or without.
A spoon out of the jar is one of my favorite ways to go at it.
Happy Cinco de Mayo, Happy Tuesday!
-C
Pico de Gallo… Freshy Salsa
- 4-5 Roma Tomatoes
- 1 small red onion
- 1-2 jalapeños (Depending on heat preference)
- 1 lemon or lime
- salt
- 1 bunch of cilantro (don’t use it if you don’t like it)
Chop tomatoes and onion and toss into a bowl or jar. Cut seeds from jalapeño(s) and dice up into little bitty pieces and add that to the tomato and onion. Roughly chop the cilantro and toss that in as well with the juice of the lemon or lime. Sprinkle with salt. Stir, let sit for a minutes, taste and then add more salt if needed.
Eat right away or make ahead and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Goes great with corn chips, tacos, toss onto salads or eat as is standing in front of the fridge. If someone is judging you, they are stupid.
And that’s how I know that this is a winner. 
As an awesome aunt, when I have any of my nieces or nephews, I feel the need to make something special for dinner, something that the kiddos might not get very often, but also keep it on he healthy side. I have 2 littles for the night which gives me the perfect opportunity for a trash food recipe. You know trash food, things like boxed mac and cheese, beefaroni in a can, or, in this case, sloppy joes.
Sloppy yes, trashy, not so much. These are made with beans and bulgur. No meat.
And I figured it is nice enough out that I can make the kiddos some messy food and then just bring them out back and hose them off… I mean, why not right?
The stuff… We start with onion and green pepper, chopped into pieces. Black beans, bulgur, can crushed tomatoes. Chili powder, garlic powder, a bit o apple cider vinegar (which I forgot to picture) ,and some salt and pepper. Oh and cheese if you want… Plus a bun of some sort is necessary.
Toss the chopped onion and peppers into a deep skillet or pot with a drizzle of oil. Cook on medium heat until tender and toss in the spices. Give a stir. Add in the beans, bulgur, and tomato, a splash of vinegar. Stir it all up, cover, and let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the bulgur has absorbed the liquid and is nice and tender.
If you are a bun toaster… toast while waiting. If not, just get the buns ready
And Then dump a good heaping pile right onto a bun. Add some cheese, or not..and eat with wild abandonment, making sure to get as much on your face as you get in you mouth.
Fantastic Friday!! Live it up.
-C
Black Bean and Bulgur Sloppy Joes
- 2 cups or 1 can cooked black beans
- 1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup bulgur
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 small onion
- 1 green pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- salt and pepper
- a splash of apple cider vinegar
- olive oil
- 4-6 burger or bulky buns
- cheese (optional)
Dice the onion and the pepper and toss with a drizzle of olive oil into a large skillet. Sauté on medium heat until veggies become tender. Add in the spices, stir in and let cook for a minutes, then add in the beans, the tomato,water and the bugler. Cover skillet and let simmer until bugler becomes soft.
When the slop is ready, either toasted or not, scoop a generous portions onto buns. If so inclined, add some cheese.
Eat with hands… Sloppy is good.
Before we left for the weekend, I was was trying my hardest to empty the fridge out of all food with the intention of leaning it empty so I could leave it open to defrost while were were gone. Unfortunately I was not able to make it happen. What I did make happen was emptying it almost completely so that when we got home, we had pretty much no food in the house, except for a few things that probably should be eaten. Plus one of the last things that I want to do after sitting in a car for 6 hours is go to the grocery store, or anywhere for that matter, so I was determined to make with what wet had in the fridge:
- Carrots
- half of a gigantic kohlrabi
- soy milk
- iced tea
- bananas that needed to be frozen
- strawberries
Perfect! A few carrots and half of a gigantic kohlrabi.. plus at the hotel we were staying at, there were fruit bowls in he lobby full apples. Every time I went past the apples (which was a lot) I grab one or two, so I have a few apples (I actually have a lot of apples now). All the things I need for a super awesome salad slaw. Apples with their nice sweet crispiness and kohlrabi with its cabbagey, crunchy earthiness, tossed together with some vinegar, some toasted walnuts and some carrots, I mean, so freaking good. And to make it a bit more of a meal, I made some lentils to go with it. But the best part was there was no need to leave the house!!
The stuff… A huge hunk of a bigger then my head kohlrabi (or 2 normal bulbs). A carrot, an apple, toasted walnuts, red wine vinegar, and some salt.
Pretty simple stuff going on here. Just peel and julienne the kohlrabi, carrot and apple. (no need to peel the carrot or apple unless you want too) and stick it all into a bowl. I used my mandolin, which is one of my favorite kitchen tools ever, but if you don’t have one, a box grater works too.
Sprinkle with salt and a good glug glug of red wine vinegar. Chop up the walnuts (some big chunks and some very small pieces makes for good eating), toss it all together and, well that’s it. But wait…. let it sit for a few minutes before serving to really let the flavors draw out.
And there we have it. Super fast, full of flavors and crunchy texture. A salad slaw after my own heart.
Serve it as it or add to a bed of greens, rice, or lentils… and make sure to save at least as little… cause its an awesome little pre-bed snack.
Happy Week!!
-C
Kohlrabi Apple Walnut Slaw
- 2 medium sized Kohlrabis
- 1 medium apple
- 1 small carrot
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
- red wine vinegar
- salt
In a large bowl, julienne kohlrabi (after peeled) apple and carrot. Sprinkle with salt, add in vinegar. Rough chop walnuts and toss the whole bit together. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, if not longer before serving. (A great salad to make ahead of time)
Eat as is, or toss onto a bed of greens, plate of rice or a bowl of lentils.
Any left overs only end up tasting better the next day.
I was informed yesterday that if I was going to make tortilla chips, that I better make some sweet ass dips to go with them. I kind of agree… tortilla chips need dip… or better yet, two dips. Queso and guacamole. It’s what needed to be done, and so I did it.
Perfect…
To think that both of these dips took about 10 minutes total to make. (I had pre baked the cauliflower and sweet potato) And for real, I would spend much more time if I had too because both of these dips are so freaking good, I definitely will be making these on the regular.
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)
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 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.
I can’t stop eating these. They are like little balls of crack and I am an addict.
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)
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.
So the mister wants to know…”Why would anyone ever buy those crappy english muffins from the store when they could be eating these?”
Everything all mixed together, dumped onto a floured surface and kneaded for 10 minutes by hand…..If you have a stand mixer, you can use it if you want, but you are missing out on the fun of doing it by hand….
When dough has doubled, punch down and plop out onto floured surface. Dust the bottom of a griddle or in my case, two cast iron pans, with corn meal. Divide dough into 8-10 equal balls and smash into 2 inch thick disks. 
Place on griddle or pans and sprinkle more corn meal on top of each E.M. Cover and let rise for another 15 minute. 
Now the E.M.s have rested, turn the griddle (or pans) on to low heat. Once your griddle (or pans) gets hot, continue to cook that side for another 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip and cook other side for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Once browned, check for doneness with a thermometer. The inside should reach 200 degrees.( if you don’t have a thermometer, fork split one open and check…. you are going to eat it anyway) If the outside cooked faster then the inside, no worries, just pop them into the oven at 350 for 8-10 minutes. I had to pop mine into the oven for to cook completely.
Remove form griddle, let cool a bit, and ……Fresh, fluffy fat, fantastic….Everything and more that a real english muffin should be. Split open with a fork and……. the nooks and crannies! So spot on. Serve with anything your heart desires…I served these with whipped honey butter…. and eat the only kind of E.M. you will ever again eat. Grocery store english muffins be damned!
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)
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)
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. 
What is better for a bake sale then Oreo cookies? Oreo cookies made from scratch!.
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. 
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.
This has been the week of broken things. My immersion blender broke. 2 of the 4 new bowls I bought were smashed. The hand mixer broke while I was making frosting (F**CK). The steam mop is finally completely broken and the mister smashed the screen on his phone. All in a weeks time. Oh, and not broken, but the front end of my car got stuck in a muddy sink hole. It took five badass farmers to help me push it out. It was crazy, but thankfully the car and I survived. But’s it cool. I can replace all that crap and my arms are getting a great workout now that I have to hand mix everything and hand wassh the floor on my hands and knees. ( I do it like a beast!) Because what I really am having a hard time with is that it is nearly April and still have most of my winter clothes out. I just want to but the boots away and get my chaco sandals out. It’s getting a bit ridiculous if you ask me.
WHAT WHAT!!! The first sign of green that I have seen in the neighborhood. 
This little came over and hung out with me. I gave him a muffin and a bowl of “Carrot Chips” (really thinly sliced carrots) He at a few bites of the muffin but ate all the carrots and wanted more…… I love him!
Oh the old man trash dog. His butt hair is finally starting to grow back after he chewed himself a big hot spot. 
I love this pattern for a driveway. 
March 29, 2011. Yeah sure we were in California, but still, we were camping outside.
And who doesn’t love a pineapple, or 4? 
This week was the week. I am calling it (I know I shouldn’t, but I am) SPRING!!!!! I am so excited. Spring is my favorite season, full of warm sunny days, cold nights, lots of mud, lots of freshness, lots of new. Everything feels possible, not to mention all the spring cleaning! (I like to clean) And today we lost an hour of sleep but we gained an hour of sunshine. It”s all downhill from here.
One year ago.. Making snow people with some littles.
Holy cuties! They were so small and innocent. Now they are just little monsters (in the best way)
The mister and the bees. 
No flowers this week, but for sure lots and lots of colorful veggies
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.
The stuff you need for this ice cream…. Nice and ripe bananas, peeled and then frozen* That’s it.
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. 
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.
Now you have cookies and cream naner ice cream…. and everybody is happy.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
September 19, 2015 by maximios • Blog
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!