I recently found my old cast iron muffin pan hiding in the basement over at the loft. I totally forgot I had it and was very much happy to find it not covered in rust and still looking all nice and basically ready for use. Not even the seasoning and non stickness that I worked hard to produce on it was messed up, which is amazing because I also found another cast iron pan that I left down there and it did not fair as well. It had a little rust and was grimy. Fine by me, I didn%u2019t even want that pan anyway.

And that is basically why I made muffins. Because I wanted to use my muffin pan again.

These muffins. First off, muffins are muffins and are not meant to be a pain in the ass to make. This muffins are not, unless you think pitting cherries is a pain. For that I am sorry, but that is a small price to pay for a tasty ass muffin situation. Secondly, these muffins are well worth the tiny effort it takes to pit cherries because you end up with cherry muffins, and that alone should be enough of a reason. And the fact that they are damn tasty. The mr, who eats everything but never says too much about whatever is going into his mouth, texted me at 630 in the morning while I was at the gym just to tell me how amazing he thought they were%u2026.

Amazing at 630 am. That%u2019a validation.

Now go get yourself some cherries and make some muffins. And it is ok if you don%u2019t have a super sweet cast iron muffin pan. Most don%u2019t. But you are still cool, don%u2019t worry.

To the muffins!

The stuff. In the bowl is flour, rolled oats, baking soda and powder, salt and cinnamon. Also have cherries, brown sugar, almond milk, canola oil, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and a lemon.

Hardest part of the whole shebang%u2026 pitting the cherries. Not my favorite thing to do, but definitely not the worst.

Do it any way you see fit, but I just cut them in half and kind of wedge the pit out with my thumb.

Once all the pits are removed, chop those sherries up into small pieces.

Then make the batter. Mix the dry together with the sugar and the zest of the lemon. Just make sure there are not huge clumps of the sugar in the mixture. Then add in all the wet and gently mix until combined. And then fold in the cherries.

Fill up well grease muffin pans with the batter then sprinkle a little brown sugar and a few oats on top.

Pop those soon to be muffins into a hot oven.

Remove the muffins from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Cherry oat muffins. You are good.

-C

makes 11-12 muffins

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

• 2/3 cup of old fashion rolled oats (plus 2 tablespoons to sprinkle tops with)

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup brown sugar (plus 2 tablespoons to sprinkle tops with)

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• A lemon (juice and zest)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 cup plant based milk

• 1/3 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 350

First thing first, remove steams and pits from cherries. Do it any way that you want, but I find just cutting them in half and kind of popping the pit out with my thumb works best for me. Anyway, once the pits are remove, chop cherries up into small pieces.

Place flour, oats, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, and zest of lemon into a big bowl. Mix together until completely incorporated. Make sure there are not huge clumps of brown sugar, if there are, break them up with your fingers. Add in the milk, oil, vanilla, vinegar, and juice of half a lemon. Gently mix until just incorporated. Now fold in chopped cherries.

Evenly scoop the batter into a well greased muffin tin. (There is enough batter for12 normal sized muffins.) Sprinkle the tops with the extra brown sugar and oats then pop the pan Ito the oven. Bake for 28-32 minutes or until the tops of the muffins are a nice golden brown and a taster poked into one of the muffins comes out clean.

When fully baked, remove muffins from oven and pop them out of the pan. Let cool on a wire rack but feel free to eat one or two warm.

Store any extra in an airtight container on counter for a day or two but in the fridge for about a week. Individual muffins can be wrapped and frozen for a good long will too.

Banana bread never goes out of style. It is a clsasic, everyday, everybody type of food. Have a slice for dessert, maybe drizzled with some chocolate, definitely.%u00a0%u00a0How about for a grab and go breakfast, sure sure.. A chunk slathered in peanut butter for snack time or anytime, well %u00a0isn’t that’s why you make it?%u00a0 And who doesn’t always have a banana bowl in the kitchen? A banana bowl that is always full of bananas because the banana just always makes it’s way home. They seem to pile up, even when I don’t mean for them to. And I know I am not the only one. I see it all the time. A fruit bowl in the kitchen with a least a couple of really really ripe bananas, waiting for that moment when you know there is no freaking way anyone in their right mind would eat those banana because gross. That’s when you have it, the perfect banana for some banana bread, or in this case, banana muffins. %u00a0

Here I went muffin style because I had already made a loaf of banana bread earlier in the week and because I wanted to send half of the muffins to the boys at the front desk at the gym. (They give me coffee, I give them muffins) And also, muffins cook a lot faster then bread so if you are a little low on time, muffins are the way to go. But if you would rather bread, you can make it bread. Bananas are there for you and are not fussy.%u00a0

The stuff. Ripe bananas, poppy seeds, brown sugar, oil, and apple cider vinegar. Also have flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and a little salt in the bowl.%u00a0

Mash the bananas in a bowl, like really mash them up until it turns to a sugar banana slop.%u00a0Then add in the oil and the vinegar and mix together.

Dump in the dry and the poppy seeds and mix it all up until combined but then stop. Don’t over mix the batter or else you will get tuff muffins.%u00a0

Scoop into well greased muffin pans and pop them into the preheated oven to bake.%u00a0

Done! And in only took like 20 minutes appose to an hour if I made banana bread.%u00a0

And here is when you grab a coffee, a muffin, and have yourself a moment.

Stay good.

-C

makes 12-14 muffins

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder%u00a0
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon%u00a0
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds
• 2/3 cups packed %u00a0brown sugar
• 1/2 cup neutral flavored oil
• 4 really ripe bananas (they need to be really ripe of the mixture will be to dry)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar%u00a0

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl,%u00a0mash the bananas with the sugar until the mixture turns wet and sloppy, but there are still a few little chunks of banana.%u00a0%u00a0Mix in the oil and vinegar. In a separate bowl mix the %u00a0flour, cinnamon , baking powder and soda, salt, and poppy seeds together. Dump the dry into the wet and mix until all is combined but then stop. Don’t over mix batter.%u00a0

Scoop mixture into well greased muffin tins and place into oven once it has preheated.%u00a0Bake the muffins for about 20- 22 minutes or until nicely browned and a tester stuck into the middle of one comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let sit in tin for a few minutes until it cools down. Remove the muffins from the tin and let completely cool on a wire rack.%u00a0

Eat whenever and how many you want, store the rest in an air tight container for a couple of days or wrap a few and %u00a0freeze.%u00a0

I still can’t believe that we bought a new house,%u00a0 not even a week ago. %u00a0Like whoa holy crap!

And with any fantastic and great house that the mr and I would buy, this place needs a fair amount of work (a few walls down, a small addition to the upstairs, and new kitchen and bathrooms to start) But other then the small details of that, this place is a freaking gem. I am more then excited to get to it and start removing, ripping and tearing out the crap to unearth and enhance the beautiful old house to it’s glory! Oh man is it going to be a long, fun filled, couple of months ahead of us!

So the day after we closed, we had a bunch of our family and friends come over to check out the place. Me being me, I needed to test out the new kitchen before we completely gut it and like any good hostess, I just had to make sure I had some snacky , good smelling, bakes treat for all the folks coming in and out of the place. So I made muffins. My initial thought was cookies, but I really didn%u2019t want to have to hover over the stove and plus, I had a bunch of sweet potatoes and cranberries that needed using up (sound familiar, this is the muffin for you)

And bonus, the house filled up wit the sweet smell of baking. (That was my plan) and the muffins, they were a hit!

The kitchen!!! Isn%u2019t it %u00a0so freaking ugly cute fantastic? Check those windows out.%u00a0

So back to the muffins.%u00a0I was being practical and premixed up some of the stuff %u00a0and brought it over to the house.%u00a0

The stuff. A bowl of all purpose and whole wheat flour along with some salt, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and ginger. And a bowl of wet which has a a bakes sweet potato, oil, and brown sugar. And a cup of almond millk with a bit of vinegar mixed in and a jar of mostly %u00a0chopped up fresh cranberries

Mix the crap out of the wet until the mixture is mostly smooth. I used a plan old baked sweet potato %u00a0for this but feel free to use any left over seer potato %u00a0casserole you have laying around for this, just adjust spices if there are a bunch already in the potato.

Dump the wet mixture into the (already mixed up) dry mixture and mix along with the vinegar-%u00a0almond milk until everything is just combined (don’t over mix the batter!).

Grab cranberries and fold them into batter. Also can totally use up any cranberry situation you might have left over (maybe not the canned jello kind})

Batter into greased muffin tins and into the preheated oven they go.

More kitchen. Check out that dish washer, its pretty awesome. I am not going to keep it, but I don’t want to trash it, its too freaking cool. So anyone want a dishwasher? (still work)%u00a0%u00a0The fridge is new, but we are going to move it to storage and use it in one of our apartments eventually and get a new fringe.%u00a0 The counters and the cabinets are getting donated and the fake brick background is staying. (HAHA) F no.. That%u2019s coming down like today and unfortunately the super cute flower wallpaper has to come down with it. (I kinda wanted to keep it.. oh well)

%u00a0And the little window.. so my favorite part. I have never had me a nice kitchen window before.%u00a0

The othe side of kitchen, where this amazing stove lives.%u00a0 The stove works, but it%u2019s a little rough. The door is slightly coming off and broiler pan is broken, but other then that, it works fine.%u00a0I have even though I might try to fix it up and keep it. (the mr is not into that) We will see, but I think we are going to get a new one. (and donate this one).%u00a0

So kitchen tour is done Back to the muffins.

%u00a0Once they are all nice and golden brown and a tester comes out clean, these babies are done! Take out of oven and remove from pan and let cool on a rack.

The perfect snack for any occasion%u00a0

Happy (hopefully relaxing) weekend!

-C

makes 12-14

• 1 cup sweet potato puree
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1cup almond (or whatever) milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup fresh chopped cranberries%u00a0

Note.. use any left over sweet potato stuff or cranberry sauces that you might have left over.. just adjust seasonings to taste.

Preheat oven to 350

Start by measuring out your almond %u00a0milk and adding in the tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Set aside.%u00a0In a large bowl whisk together the flours, baking soda and powder, the salt and the cinmoan and ginger. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, sweet potato, and the oil until well combined. Dump the wet into the dry and mix together along with the almond milk unit just combined (don’t over mix!)%u00a0Dump in chopped cranberries and fold them in.%u00a0

Grease a muffin pan and scoop equal amonts of batter into the tin and place into oven. Bake until golden brown and a tester comes clean from a muffin middle.%u00a0

Remove from oven and let cool on a rack

Eat.

First day of Spring!! Well kind of I guess. I think it actually starts at like 6:20 tonight, when the temperature is going to dip back done to 10.(Spring my ass) I don’t know about you people out there but here in Vermont, we are really hanging on to winter. I have to keep telling myself%u2026″ It will be warmer soon and you’ll be looking forward to this weather in a few months.. so stop bitching!” %u00a0I give myself good pep talks.

Anyway, last week at the farm share pick up, there was a nice little surprise. We got a few pounds of some sweet locally grown and milled whole wheat flour. There was a little sign with the information about the wheat and where it came from, but in my haste of gathering all of my other veggies, I failed to take notes and forgot the name of the farm that it came from. But I do know that my farm traded some celeriac for the wheat. %u00a0I was really excited because I am really into the idea of using locally grown grains and I don’t know, it just made me really happy, especially because it was a trade. %u00a0Food framing and local sharing is stuff that makes me happy.

I wanted to make something to kind of showcase the hearty, nutty flavor of the wheat and I also wanted to make something that my mister would eat for breakfast. Well what better way to do that then with muffins!%u00a0Banana coconut whole wheat%u00a0(that just happen to be vegan) Hearty, fruity, and smells like the word lovely and the color yellow.%u00a0A few to eat and a few to share. Hanging at home, running away or %u00a0getting ready for a day of spring cleaning%u2026.This is a great weekend to make muffins!%u00a0

The stuff%u2026 Light, nutty local whole wheat flour, ripe oh ripe bananas and coconut flakes are the stars in this muffin%u2026 But we need the other stuff too. Brown sugar, vanilla, coconut oil and a chia egg. %u00a0Baking powder, baking soda, and last but not least, salt.

%u00a0Yup, that sounds about right%u00a0 %u00a0The salt, baking soda, and baking powder are whisked together. The banana and all the rest of the stuff are mixed up%u2026 Then mix the wet mixture into the dry. Stir until combined and then add in the coconut flakes,Scoop mixture %u00a0into 12 lined muffin cups%u2026 A scoop like mine works very nicely. Don’t have one, well I recommend you get yourself one. Until then, use a spoon. Something I always do when baking any muffin is sprinkle the tops of each muffin with a bit of %u00a0sugar or brown sugar. It melts and caramelizes and adds a sweet little crunch to the tops.%u00a0

Now stick the muffins into the oven.%u00a0Remove from oven when they look like this, nice and golden brown. Also good idea to check with a tester stuck into the middle. When it comes out clean, they are done.12 happy little muffins cooling on a rack, waiting to be eaten with you mouth.%u00a0

Doesn’t the sight of pretty food make you happy, like sing a song happy?%u00a0Muffins, whoa yah!! %u00a0Friday yah yah!! %u00a0Spring%u2026What, Yah!! %u00a0Yah%u2026Yah Yah!!!

Terrible I know, but at least you were spared hearing my actual voice.%u00a0

Have a great weekend. Do lots of springy stuff!

-C

• 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 4 Ripe bananas
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/3 cup melted Coconut Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds + 3 Tablespoons warm water
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

Preheat oven to 350

In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons warm water to the chia seeds and let sit for at least 5 minutes (10 is better) In a large bowl, peel and mash the bananas until they turn into a kind of chunky soupy puree. %u00a0Add in brown sugar, chia seed mixture, vanilla extract, and the melted coconut oil (make sure it’s melted or it won’t incorporate into the mixture) Mix together. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix the wet mixture with the dry until combined then mix in the coconut flakes.%u00a0

Line a 12 cup muffin tin and fill each cup about 3/4 the way up with batter. Sprinkle each muffin with brown sugar and place in oven on center rack. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops 0f the muffins are golden brown and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.%u00a0

Remove muffins from tin and let cool.

Serve as is or maybe with a smudge of coconut butter, or anything you want really.

No need for fork, just use you mouth.

So the mister wants to know%u2026″Why would anyone ever buy those crappy english muffins from the store when they could be eating these?”

Good question%u2026And we will all answer%u2026.”Never again! Because I now make the sickest E.M.s around.!”(E.M.s is the cool short way to say english muffins and now that you are going to make your own%u2026.man, your so cool!)

These E.M.s are perfect. Easy to make, not overly fussy, and you end up with a super yummy, extremely versatile, individually portion super sweet little disk of bread. And the best part is..nooks and crannies! I think that is why I decided to make these E.M.s, %u00a0so Nick and I can talk the about nooks and crannies%u2026(Sometimes we need light conversation)

%u00a0

We start with flour and salt whisked together in a bowl. The honey, yeast and warm water are getting on proofing in a jar. An egg waiting to be cracked, some milk, and 2 tablespoons of butter. All this good stuff equals%u2026nooks and crannies!

Oh you like my nifty dough whisk%u2026.me too, I use it all the time. Maybe I should have a dough whisk give away %u00a0%u2026%u2026maybe%u2026..

Everything all mixed together, dumped onto a floured surface and kneaded for 10 minutes by hand%u2026..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%u2026.

When the dough has been sufficiently kneaded, gather dough into a nice ball, coat with a little oil and place back into bowl. Cover with a towel and stick in a warm place to rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.

When dough has doubled, punch down and plop out onto floured surface.%u00a0Dust 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.%u00a0

Place on griddle or pans and sprinkle more corn meal on top of each E.M. Cover and let rise for another 15 minute.%u00a0

Now the E.M.s %u00a0have 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%u2026. 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.

%u00a0Remove form griddle, let cool a bit, and %u2026%u2026Fresh, fluffy fat, fantastic%u2026.Everything and more that a real english muffin should be. Split open with a fork and%u2026%u2026. the nooks and crannies! So spot on. %u00a0Serve with anything your heart desires%u2026I served these with whipped honey butter%u2026. and eat the only kind of E.M. you will ever again eat. Grocery store english muffins be damned!

Enjoy and Happy Tuesday!

-C

English Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 %u00a0cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon butter at room temperature
• 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• cornmeal for pan

Combine warm water, honey and yeast in a bowl to active..about 5-10 minutes or until yeast is foamy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Mix in butter(I use my fingers) When yeast mixture is done proofing, whisk together mixture with the egg and milk. Add wet %u00a0to dry and mix until just incorporated%u00a0%u00a0Dump out onto floured surface and knead dough for 8 minutes, adding a bit of flour whenever dough starts to get too sticky. %u00a0Roll into a ball, coat with oil and place back into bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for 60 minutes or until sought has doubled in size.

Once the first rise is done, deflate dough and divide into 8 equal pieces(10 for a slightly smaller muffin). %u00a0Smoosh each ball into a flat disk, about 2 inches thick) and place on a cold cornmeal dusted cast iron griddle. (I used 2 cast iron pans) Sprinkle tops of muffins with more corn meal and let dough rest for another 15 minted. %u00a0Turn burners on low heat. Let griddle get hot and continue to cook the muffins for another 10 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and cook opposite side until gold brown and remove from griddle. To make sure the muffins are cooked completely, stick an instant%u00a0read thermometer into the center%u2026it should read 200 degrees. (if you don’t have a thermometer, split one open%u2026 the tester E.M.) %u00a0If the E.M.s%u00a0are not completely cook, just stick in the oven on 350 for 5-10 minutes or until cooked throughout.

Remove and let cool. %u00a0To serve, split open with a fork and give a light toast. Spread with butter, jam, peanuts butter, anything you want%u2026maybe %u00a0make E.M pizzas!%u00a0

The leaves are finally changing, the weather is finally kind of cooling off, and I am finally getting a chance to wear a few of my fall sweaters that I pilled out a month ago and have basically neglected because it has been way to freaking warm out.%u00a0%u00a0(and there is still some people that think global warmer is fake) Worst part is I have been holding off on pumpkin picking just because it hasn’t felt right. I need a cool overcast day for it to work for me. Be cool, be dreary, I need a pumpkin!

This week didn’t exactly turn out as it was suppose to. It started out strong with knocking out doctors appointments, having dinner and doing laundry at Shannon’s, the mr even halfway cleaned out one of the barns. But when it came to getting any work done on the house,%u00a0not so much.%u00a0We were suppose to start tiling the bathroom but lucky us, the tile that we have and thought we were going to use, well we don’t have enough if it. And %u00a0it’s no where to be found so we had to go back to figuring %u00a0out what to use for tile. We figured it out but now we need to buy it %u00a0and blah blah blah. Long story shore, the bathroom is still not done and I really miss having two toilets in the house.(especially when the little are over)%u00a0The upside of this week was that we ended up spending a good amount of time hiking and doing things outside. I even started peeing outside (haha, mot really but I have thought about it)

Yesterday the %u00a0mr and tried our hands at bird watching. There was an article in the paper about snow geese and how there is this spot out in Addison that thousands of these %u00a0geese come and rest on their journey south. We decided that it is time we harness our inner bird watchers and made the journey to that field. And bummer, no geese in sight. We spent a good long hour waiting, then did a little hiking through some woods (got scared away by hunters) %u00a0in search od the geese, but no real luck. We did get to see a handful flying around in circles, but unlike all of the other seasoned birdwatchers we saw (we saw a lot) we did not have binoculars. That was a good lesson for next time,%u00a0and yes, there will be a next time. I think it might be my calling in life. Watching birds. Sounds so simple and so good.%u00a0%u00a0

Today I hope to get some major things done, mainly birthday present making and cleaning out the freezer for the birthday cake %u00a0Barbs turning 18 this week!!! and (of course she wants an ice cream cake… I don’t know what I am going to do with all the frozen tomatoes) Also probably going to make another loaf of squash bread because the littles are coming over for dinner and I want to stink up the house all nice and good.And coffee. So much. I spent all week only drinking one cup a day (acid reflux flare up) so i need to catch upon my caffeine intake. %u00a0

Internet reading from the week.

–Amazon Will Now Deliver a Tiny House Directly to Your Door. What won’t they deliver is the question.%u00a0

-%u00a0We are all family, despite race or tribe Why Race Is Not a Thing, According to Genetics

-Wild animals are not pets.%u00a0Wolf Puppies Are Adorable. Then Comes the Call of the Wild.

–%u00a0Swedish Death Cleaning%u00a0Sounds a little disturbing but is actually something I think more people should do.

–People Can%u2019t Get Over Food Network%u2019s Ridiculous %u2018Brilliant Peanut Butter Hack%u2019 Its kinda ridiculous but has potential for greatness. (I can see cookie cutter peanut butter shapes for cakes and shit)

–Working to Disarm Women%u2019s Anti-Aging Demon%u00a0We all get old… Why does everyone try to hide it?%u00a0

-Of course food is medicine.%u00a0SEAMUS MULLEN MAKES THE CASE FOR FOOD AS MEDICINE

-The Centuries-Old Strategy That Turbocharged My Productivity. Paper, pencil, make a list. It’s what I do every day.

-Are you a Morton or Diamond Crystal ? I am a Dimond gal.%u00a0The Kosher Salt Question

–An Optical Illusion Tile System Designed by Casa Ceramica%u00a0I couldn’t stop looking at it. There is no flat plane.

Weekly pictures.

The rhubarb is ready and I am ready. There will be rhubarb in everything for weeks. But what to start with? I was debating if I should go classic and make a pie, or maybe savory and make a rhubarb tomato soup (going to make that soup later), or maybe just a big batch of jam to stick on and in everything.. Then I remembered %u00a0that I had a cookie dream last fall, a dream that I had made almond rhubarb cookie. (that is the extent of my dream memory) %u00a0And who am I to ignore a cookie dream? So I starting off rhubarb season with cookies.%u00a0

These cookies are all sorts of good. They have oats, almonds, flax, and a vegetable (because we all know that rhubarb is technically a veggies right?) so right there is a good enough excuse to make them. And to eat whenever, including breakfast, because remember, all the good stuff. But don’t let that good stuff fool you. These cookies are just as good, if not better then any other cookie. Soft and chewy. So nutty, sweet but not too, and rhubarb all tart and fantastic cutting in to say hey hey hey. These are springtime, any time, cookie time cookies. Dream cookies that are now reality cookies.

Let the rhubarb begin!

The stuff. Almonds, oats and rhubarb. Brown sugar, vegan butter, a flax egg, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla and salt.

First we need to turn the oats into flour so blend them in a food processor until that happens%u00a0

Next up are the almonds. These you want to pulse for about 2-3 minutes they become %u00a0more of an almond meal the flour. Don’t over blend or else you might end up with almond butter.%u00a0

Next up. Sugar, vegan butter, cinnamon, vanilla, ans flax egg all go into a big bowl.

Mix well until all combined and incorporated.%u00a0

Now add in the oat flour, almond meal, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.

Stir it up and there you go.. but the rhubarb!

Remove the leave from rhubarb if you haven’t already.%u00a0They will kill you!(or make you violently ill).%u00a0Chop the rhubarb stalks into small pieces that are roughly the same size as chocolate chip. Some chunks can be a little bit bigger, but you don’t want the piece too big or else you will end up with soggy cookies.

Rhubarb goes into cookie batter Mix it all in.%u00a0

Scoop out dough onto baking sheet and give them all a good pat to flatten them down a good bit. Place them into the oven for %u00a017-22 minutes to bake. until nice deep golden brown.

Golden brown and baked all nice. Look at those rhubarb chunks.%u00a0So pretty.

Cookies out on a wire rack to cool and firm up a bit.

So now you eat yourself a cookie. Or two.

-C

makes 18-22 cookies depending on size

• 1 1/2 cups raw almonds

• 1 1/2 cups old fashion oats (gluten free if needed)

• 1/3 cup vegan butter room temperature

• 1 flax or chia egg (1 tablespoon ground seed and 3 tablespoon water)

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

• 2-3 stalks rhubarb (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)

Preheat oven to 350

Add oats to a food processor and blend until the oats turn into flour, which will take about 2 minutes. Dump the now flour into a bowl. Add almonds to the food processor and pulse for 2-3 minutes until the almonds turn into fine meal. Dump into the bowl with oats.

In a large bowl mix together the vegan butter, brown sugar, flax egg, and vanilla until fully incorporated. Add in the oat and almond flours, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda and mix until la dough forms.%u00a0

Grab rhubarb and chop into little pieces that are roughly the size of a chocolate chip. Measure out 1 1/2 cups and dump into batter. Mix until incorporated.%u00a0

Scoop out cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet and flatten each cookie to aboutt 1/2 inch thick. Place into %u00a0preheated oven. and bake for 17-22 minutes (rotate after 12)%u00a0%u00a0or until a nice golden brown on top and bottom. (Depending on your baking sheet and stove, it could take a few minutes longer, just keep your eyes on the cookies!)%u00a0%u00a0Once bakes, place on a wire rack to cool.%u00a0These cookies are very fragile until they cool off so be careful handling them.%u00a0

Let cool and eat. And yes, these are 100% exceptable to eat as a breakfast cookie.%u00a0

Left over cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room tempature for 2-3 day, longer in the fridge, and can be frozen .

And eat yourself a cookie. Or two.

Cookie anecdote. %u00a0I placed a cookie sheet full of cookies back into a cold oven to store while I was cleaning up the kitchen. And left them there and kind of forgot about they, And then I cranked the oven on to make dinner and a few minutes later smelled something burning. OH fuck… the cookies! I pulled them out just in time to see that I had completely burnt the bottoms. SO PISSED ( I might have raged cried a little). But you know what I did? I cut all the bunt bottoms off and placed the crumbles up un-burnt bits onto a bowl. The mr came home and ate the bowl of crumble and was happy as a clam. And lucky had left out half of the cookies l on the counter so not all were lost. But lessons learned. Cookies crumbles are just as good as whole cookies and always check the oven before turning it on. There might be cookies in there!!!%u00a0

Banana bread never goes out of style. It is a clsasic, everyday, everybody type of food. Have a slice for dessert, maybe drizzled with some chocolate, definitely.%u00a0%u00a0How about for a grab and go breakfast, sure sure.. A chunk slathered in peanut butter for snack time or anytime, well %u00a0isn’t that’s why you make it?%u00a0 And who doesn’t always have a banana bowl in the kitchen? A banana bowl that is always full of bananas because the banana just always makes it’s way home. They seem to pile up, even when I don’t mean for them to. And I know I am not the only one. I see it all the time. A fruit bowl in the kitchen with a least a couple of really really ripe bananas, waiting for that moment when you know there is no freaking way anyone in their right mind would eat those banana because gross. That’s when you have it, the perfect banana for some banana bread, or in this case, banana muffins. %u00a0

Here I went muffin style because I had already made a loaf of banana bread earlier in the week and because I wanted to send half of the muffins to the boys at the front desk at the gym. (They give me coffee, I give them muffins) And also, muffins cook a lot faster then bread so if you are a little low on time, muffins are the way to go. But if you would rather bread, you can make it bread. Bananas are there for you and are not fussy.%u00a0

The stuff. Ripe bananas, poppy seeds, brown sugar, oil, and apple cider vinegar. Also have flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and a little salt in the bowl.%u00a0

Mash the bananas in a bowl, like really mash them up until it turns to a sugar banana slop.%u00a0Then add in the oil and the vinegar and mix together.

Dump in the dry and the poppy seeds and mix it all up until combined but then stop. Don’t over mix the batter or else you will get tuff muffins.%u00a0

Scoop into well greased muffin pans and pop them into the preheated oven to bake.%u00a0

Done! And in only took like 20 minutes appose to an hour if I made banana bread.%u00a0

And here is when you grab a coffee, a muffin, and have yourself a moment.

Stay good.

-C

makes 12-14 muffins

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder%u00a0
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon%u00a0
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds
• 2/3 cups packed %u00a0brown sugar
• 1/2 cup neutral flavored oil
• 4 really ripe bananas (they need to be really ripe of the mixture will be to dry)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar%u00a0

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl,%u00a0mash the bananas with the sugar until the mixture turns wet and sloppy, but there are still a few little chunks of banana.%u00a0%u00a0Mix in the oil and vinegar. In a separate bowl mix the %u00a0flour, cinnamon , baking powder and soda, salt, and poppy seeds together. Dump the dry into the wet and mix until all is combined but then stop. Don’t over mix batter.%u00a0

Scoop mixture into well greased muffin tins and place into oven once it has preheated.%u00a0Bake the muffins for about 20- 22 minutes or until nicely browned and a tester stuck into the middle of one comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let sit in tin for a few minutes until it cools down. Remove the muffins from the tin and let completely cool on a wire rack.%u00a0

Eat whenever and how many you want, store the rest in an air tight container for a couple of days or wrap a few and %u00a0freeze.%u00a0

Is it weird to crush up a cookie to make a new cookies? I don’t think so , I actually think it’s kind of my best idea ever (although I am sure that I am not the first to think of this). I now have this desire to make all sorts of crushed cookie cookies and crushed cake cookies, and crushed up cookies in cinnamon buns and you get the idea. Picture it now. A cookie full of huge hunks of birthday cake, or a crushed chocolate chip cookie inside a chocolate chocolate cookie crushed up inside of a peanut butter cookie rolled in crushed up chips….This could get dangerous.

Back to these cookies.%u00a0

Not going to lie, these cookies were 99 percent inspired but Lindsey Lohan. And no, not because they are like crack (although that’s what the mr’s brother thought) but because of the movie,%u00a0The Parent Trap.%u00a0Yes, it is now on Hulu and yes, I watched it, and yes I was by myself, and no I will not feel shame for that.%u00a0%u00a0In the movie the Lindsey’s (well, the one Lindsey that plays two Lindsey’s.. you should watch it if you don’t know what I am talking about)%u00a0are away at summer camp being all innocent and cute (what happened to you Lindsey?) but get into a little trouble and are banished to a cabin away from other campers. After getting over there anger at one another, they start talking about their parents and how they share the same birthday and how they look exactly alike. Then they start to eat Oreos dipped in peanut butter. This is the point in the movie where they know something is up and that they are actually twins separated at birth. (Not because they look exactly the same or share the same birthday, it’s totally the cookies.%u00a0Powerful Disney moment.) %u00a0I mean, if that food combination could do that for these girls, well what could it do for me? (so far not a damn thing) %u00a0But I had the peanut butter and a few Oreos left from a ice cream cake and I needed to bake because I needed to so I listened to the innocent cute Lindsey’s and make these crushed up Oreo and peanut butter cookies. And the world thanked me, but really, we should thank Lindsey too.I hear she could really use a win right now. And maybe I will eventually find a girl that looks like me and share my birthday and can be my twin too. I’ll make her these cookies.

The stuff. We are gonna need some white and brown sugar, vanilla extract, flax eggs, peanut butter and earth balance. Also flour, baking soda and baking powder,%u00a0a little bit of salt, and of course, Oreo cookies.

Add to a bowl the sugars,%u00a0flax eggs,%u00a0peanut butter, vanilla, and the earth balance.%u00a0

Mix until smooth and creamy.

After mixing all the dry together, dump it into the wet and mix until cookie dough happens.%u00a0

Then add in your crushed Oreos! I just used my hands and crushed them directly into the bowl, but you could also stick them in a bag and smash them. Your choice.%u00a0

Cookies in the cookie dough.. Don’t eat it.%u00a0Ok,%u00a0maybe eat a little.%u00a0

Scoop same sized amounts of dough onto a cookies sheet and take a flat something or another and smoosh the balls into flat disks.

Once the oven is preheated, pop those suckers into the oven to bake. I did 12-13 minutes and they came out perfect.%u00a0

Now fill your cookie jar with al those perfect cookies and hide it. If seen, they will be devoured. Share with your long lost twin.%u00a0

-C

make 2 dozen%u00a0

• 1 3/4 %u00a0cups all %u00a0purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup earth balance or other vegan butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoon flax meal with 6 tablespoons water)
• 10 Oreos%u00a0

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl combine the sugars, the peanut butter, vanilla, earth balance, and the flax eggs. Mix until all completely combined and smooth. In a smaller bowl combine the flour, baking soda and powder, and salt and whisk to mix. Dump the dry into the wet and mix until combined. Take Oreos and crush them into small pieces (I used my hands but you could stick them in a bag and smash them with a rolling pin or something) into the dough. Mix until evenly disturbed.

Measure out same sized balls of dough and place them on a cookie sheet. Take a flat surface and smoosh the dough so it it a flat dish. Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes or until the edges are starting to lightly brown. Remove and place on a cooling rack.

Eat the cookies. %u00a0Hide the cookies.%u00a0

Banana bread never goes out of style. It is a clsasic, everyday, everybody type of food. Have a slice for dessert, maybe drizzled with some chocolate, definitely.%u00a0%u00a0How about for a grab and go breakfast, sure sure.. A chunk slathered in peanut butter for snack time or anytime, well %u00a0isn’t that’s why you make it?%u00a0 And who doesn’t always have a banana bowl in the kitchen? A banana bowl that is always full of bananas because the banana just always makes it’s way home. They seem to pile up, even when I don’t mean for them to. And I know I am not the only one. I see it all the time. A fruit bowl in the kitchen with a least a couple of really really ripe bananas, waiting for that moment when you know there is no freaking way anyone in their right mind would eat those banana because gross. That’s when you have it, the perfect banana for some banana bread, or in this case, banana muffins. %u00a0

Here I went muffin style because I had already made a loaf of banana bread earlier in the week and because I wanted to send half of the muffins to the boys at the front desk at the gym. (They give me coffee, I give them muffins) And also, muffins cook a lot faster then bread so if you are a little low on time, muffins are the way to go. But if you would rather bread, you can make it bread. Bananas are there for you and are not fussy.%u00a0

The stuff. Ripe bananas, poppy seeds, brown sugar, oil, and apple cider vinegar. Also have flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and a little salt in the bowl.%u00a0

Mash the bananas in a bowl, like really mash them up until it turns to a sugar banana slop.%u00a0Then add in the oil and the vinegar and mix together.

Dump in the dry and the poppy seeds and mix it all up until combined but then stop. Don’t over mix the batter or else you will get tuff muffins.%u00a0

Scoop into well greased muffin pans and pop them into the preheated oven to bake.%u00a0

Done! And in only took like 20 minutes appose to an hour if I made banana bread.%u00a0

And here is when you grab a coffee, a muffin, and have yourself a moment.

Stay good.

-C

makes 12-14 muffins

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder%u00a0
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon%u00a0
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds
• 2/3 cups packed %u00a0brown sugar
• 1/2 cup neutral flavored oil
• 4 really ripe bananas (they need to be really ripe of the mixture will be to dry)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar%u00a0

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl,%u00a0mash the bananas with the sugar until the mixture turns wet and sloppy, but there are still a few little chunks of banana.%u00a0%u00a0Mix in the oil and vinegar. In a separate bowl mix the %u00a0flour, cinnamon , baking powder and soda, salt, and poppy seeds together. Dump the dry into the wet and mix until all is combined but then stop. Don’t over mix batter.%u00a0

Scoop mixture into well greased muffin tins and place into oven once it has preheated.%u00a0Bake the muffins for about 20- 22 minutes or until nicely browned and a tester stuck into the middle of one comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let sit in tin for a few minutes until it cools down. Remove the muffins from the tin and let completely cool on a wire rack.%u00a0

Eat whenever and how many you want, store the rest in an air tight container for a couple of days or wrap a few and %u00a0freeze.%u00a0

I woke up this morning with a very vvid recollection of the dream I was having. In it I was the inventor of a thing called The Fire Stick, which essentially was a fishing pole with fire on the end that you stick in water( know, it makes no sense ) and it somehow propels you around. In the dream, I was using my Fire Stick to cruise down a river on a makeshift raft because I was fleeing something and I needed to leave by water.  Thats it, but I know in my dream I was damn proud of my Fire Stick. Dream me is very strange and scares me a little. 

The mr and I have no big projects going on right now so he is doing a bunch of side work and I am doing little things around the house plus trying to get through the taxes (I am procarsinationg so hard) I am getting a touch of cabin/spring cleaning fever and am starting to think about running away or  repainting all the walls… which is crazy because  it hasn’t been more then a year since I last painted. So I guess that leaves running away. Ha.  What I really need to do is build a shit ton of shelves and reorganize the closets, but that takes measuring and buying wood and power tools and the mr so it will have to wait. ( I have to sweet talk him into having a shelf making day with me.. I would do it alone, but it will be much easier and nicer if he helps) And the running away part, well we are working on that part too. 

Other then my crazy, the week has been pretty good. The mr got me another new power tool (I am returning the scroll saw in favor of band saw) The back porch has unofficially turned into a wood carving studio. And not just for me, the mr is really into wood carving right now too. We even braved negative temperatures to walk around on the beach to find cool pieces of drift wood to make spoons out of. (he gets pretty jazzed about stuff and there is not stopping him) Before that freezing  cold returned there was a day where we were able to walk the wold without jackets and that was the day we took Shannon out for a walk. That lady just got a new hip and already she is walking better then I can. Maybe I will get myself a new hip too. Or new knees. I could be unstoppable. 

 Qui came over for a vegan banana bread baking how to, which got me thinking that  I should start teaching vegan baking.  Then Barb came over for chili and a dance party party, and  then we had the little over for a sleep over and all around house trashing. I don’t know how they do it, but those littles  make the biggest mess out of nothing. And they are sticky and gross and even surface needs to be wipes after they leave. 

We did treat ourselves to a little culture and went to the Shelburne Museum to check out the Sweet Tooth art exhibit. It was cool, but not exactly what I was expecting.  It was only a small room with a handful of pieces and I wanted more, and bigger and more, like the giant ring pops. Those were cool. I want a room full of giant candy, but no candy wrappers. The wrappers freak me out. But the next exhibit I am really interested in seeing too. It’s a puppet exhibit and that’s got be be some kind of fantastic. 

Are you super bowling today? Yesterday the mr and I ran into the grocery store and it was packed with people, with shopping carts all full of chips and beer and garbage food. It was kind of crazy. We figured it was all for the football game. Then we started to blame everything that was annoying on the football game. It’s nice to have a reason for it all.  This football game day thing always makes me feel like it is a holiday that I am not celebrating and I am ok with that.

So no football here today, just keeping it easy, maybe getting out into some woods at some point then maybe some reading or Netflixing some Grace and Franky.  Keeping it low on this non holiday day. People be crazy and I want to stay away from them. Plus I have the Fire Stick to think about. Haha.

Stuff from the internet that I read this week. 

–The ‘IKEA Effect’ — And Getting Kids To Eat Their Veggies. Eat what you make and be proud of it, veggies and all. 

-Things we should all know. Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears: An Animated Tale

–It’s Reportedly Becoming ‘Normal’ to See Whole Foods Employees Cry at Work. I think I cried a little when I worked at Heathy Living. 

-I have had a conversation with the littles  about what shape carrot tastes better (when they are cut into chips) Does Chopping Change Your Vegetables? 

-Interesting planned, one that I think humans should leave alone. It’s enough to destroy one plant, lets stay away from the others.  Pictures of Mars

–The Many Questions We Have About These Cookbook Covers. When I saw this, all I could think was douche bags. If anyone came up behind me while I was chopping anything, well there might be a unintentional stabbing. 

-I don’t know if I ever will do this, but I really like the idea. HOW TO MAKE A LARGE SCALE (PATCHWORK) DIY RUG

-This is no Why Procrastination is Good for You

–What to Do When You Worry Yourself Awake.  Do your worrying during the day. 

–Axe-Throwing Bars: Why Mixing Weapons And Beer Is Surprisingly Good Business. But is it? Got to keep the hipsters happy. I guess it is kind of like really big darts, which I could totally get behind, but there is some real potential for some crazy shit to happen. 

Pictures from the week. 

Let us talk about how winter squash is like one of the best foods ever. Seriously. Hardy, creamy, rich, and full of the nutty, sweet flavors of all the good things. How anyone says they don%u2019t like winter squash is beyond me. I sometimes even feel like I put myself in danger of exploding when I am around enough cooked squash. I can eat and eat it until it%u2019s gone, which is fine if it%u2019s a serving or two, but when you roast up a 10 pound butternut, well, that is when the danger is real. I am getting better at holding back, but man, sometimes I just can’t (or don%u2019t want to?) help myself. ( You might also wonder why I cook 10 pounds of squash at a time. It%u2019s because I will eat it all in a few days and I might as well cook a bunch at once, for efficiency sake.)

Now the delicata squah. If you haven%u2019t had it before, stop what you are doing and go get one. You need to try it because it is amazing. Sweet, nutty, creamy. So good! And another good thing is that they are not giant, so you can buy one and eat the whole thing and not worry about overeating until you can%u2019t move, unless that is the goal. In that case, just buy a bunch. HA.

Anyway, it%u2019s getting to that time of year where salad is still great, it is just great warm. And with winter squash. Don%u2019t you agree? So we cook up the squash, grab the kale and make one heck of a salad to eat all to your face. Because that is what will happen. You will make it , taste it, and not want to share it. It is too good to share. (Yes salads can be too good to share, so if you are planning on feeding others, plan accordingly)

To the salad!

The stuff. Kale, a delicata squash, red onion, some balsamic vinegar, a touch of maple, spicy brown mustard, a handful of toasted seeds, and salt and pepper.

Start with the squash. Cut it in half and scoop seeds from booth sides (these seeds are great roasted). After deseeded, cut both pieces into 1/4-1/2 inch thick rounds. And NO!!!!, do not peel the skin.

Grab the onion and cut into 1/4 inch rounds too.

Place the squash on a very lightly oiled baking sheet so the pieces are not overlapping each other. Then toss on the onion which is fine if it overlaps. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and lots of cracked pepper and pop into a hot oven.

In the meantime, mix the dressing situation together. Mustard, maple, and balsamic in a jar, mix and done.

Chop the kale too. Into mouth sized pieces.

Once squash is cooked all nice and tender, remove pan from oven. Take all the kale and toss on top then take the dressing and drizzle it all over the kale. Pop the pan back into the oven for a minutes or two, just until the kale starts to ever so slightly wilt.

Pull the pan back out and give it a good toss.

Dump it all into a big bowl, toss in the toasted seeds, and call it. Now grab a fork and start eating.

-C

Can be a main dish for 1 or a side for a few

• 1 delicata squash

• 1 bunch of kale (around 3/4 pound)

• 1 smallish red onion

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 -2 teaspoons maple syrup (more for a slightly sweeter, maple-y flavor)

• 2 tablespoons brown or dijon mustard

• 1/4 cup toasted seeds of choice (I used pumpkin and sunflower)

Preheat oven to 400

Cut delicata squash in half and scoop out all the seeds (you can save seeds to toast up later if you want), then slice the squash into 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick rounds. Grab onion and cut into thin slices. Take onion and squash and place them onto a very lightly oiled baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Don%u2019t let the squash overlap, but it is fine for the onion to overlap the squash and itself. Pop the pan into the oven and bake until the squash starts to brown and is fork tender, which should take about 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime, chop kale into small mouth sized pieces and set aside. And mix the balsamic, mustard, and maple together to create the dressing.

Once the squash and onions are cooked, toss the kale onto the pan and drizzle the whole thing with the balsamic mixture. Toss it all around and pop pan back into oven for another minute or two, just to let kale get a touch wilted.

Remove pan from oven, dump everything from pan onto a plate, and toss in the toasted seeds.

Grab a fork. Eat.

Salad season is here. Green salads, fruit salads, potato salads, and grain salads. All the salads and we are not mad about it.

This is a good grain salad using millet, which I am sightly surprised to hear that a lot of people have never had. Millet is kind of like quinoa, but not. I cooks fluffy and looks kind of the same, and is gluten free like quinoa. I think the biggest difference is that millet is slightly softer and tastes a bit more nutty. It also is really good at absorbing liquid flavors.

But who are we to compare. The main thing is that it is nutritious and delicious so we will eat it.

Back to the salad. This is one of those grain salads that is good cooked and served warm but only gets better with a little age (like an hour or a day) in the fridge. Served hot or cold or room tempature, and is hearty enough to be meal like but is also a fantastic addition as a side to any of you meal plans. Like maybe a BBQ? Whatever the occasion, or non occasion, this is just a really good grain salad situation and I think you will be pleased, smiling all smiles while eating it.

To the millet salad.

The stuff. Millet, a couple handful of greens, a few mushrooms, an onion, dijon mustard, a little maple syrup, red wine vinegar, a lemon, a couple cloves or garlic, some toasted sunflower seeds, and salt and pepper.

Start by giving the millet a little toast, just enough to really up the nutty flavor and make it that much more yummy. It only takes a few minutes in a skillet on medium heat. Not an entirely necessary step, but you should do it.

Toasted millet goes into pot with water. Bring pot to a boil and then turn to the lowest simmer and cover.

While millet is cooking, get to the mushrooms and onions. Chop the onion thin and small and the mushrooms thin and small as well. Place them into the skillet with a drizzle of oil and place on medium heat. Mix around every now and then and cook until the mushrooms and onions are soft and a nice golden brown.

And make the vinaigrette. Minced garlic, mustard, vinegar, the juice of the lemon, and maple syrup get put into one place.

Mixed and now all is one.

Millet. Cooked and fluffed and ready to go.

Cooked mushrooms and onions go into the pot, along with the greens, the sunflower seed, and the vinaigrette. This step can be right away or you can wait a little while for things to cool as to not wilt the greens. Up tp you.

Mixed with love and hunger.

Even if you are making it ahead of time, just do yourself a favor. Grab a bowl, grab a fork, and get down on it.

-C

Seves 4-6

• 3/4 cup uncooked millet

• 2 cups water

• 1 sweet onion

• 3-4 big button mushrooms

• Large handful or two of bitter greens like arugula, spinach or a mixture.

• 2 tablespoon brown or dijon mustard

• 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

• 2 cloves garlic

• salt and pepper

• handful toasted sunflower seeds

To start, toast millet. Dump the uncooked millet into a pan and place on a medium heat tt for about 5 minutes or until you start hearing the millet crackle.This gives the millet a slightly more nutty flavor but you can skip this step if you don%u2019t care.

Dump millet and water into medium pot. Place on high heat until water starts to boil then tun heat down to simmer and over. After about 15 or 20 minutes, when most of the water is gone, turn pot completely off. Let sit, covered for another 10ish minutes then take a fork and fluff it.

While the millet is cooking, cook the veggies. Grab the onion and slice it up into thin pieces. Clean off the mushrooms and chop them into small thin pieces too. Place the chopped stuff into the skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and place on a medium heat. Stir occasionally and cook for about 15 minutes or until the onion and mushroom are a nice dark, golden brown.

And make the mustard vinaigrette. Mince garlic and place into a jar or bowl with the vinegar, the mustard, the maple, and the juice of the lemon. Mix and set aside.

Once the millet is cooked, the mushrooms and onions are cooked, and the vinaigrette is made, all you have left to do is mix everything together. You can do this while things are slightly warm which will wilt the greens a bit, o let them cool so the greens stay fresh. Up to you. (I like the greens fresh)

Finally, dump cooked mushrooms and onions into pot with cooked millet. Add in the greens and sunflower seeds and drizzle the vinegertte all over. Toss around until fully mixed. Sprinkle with lots of fresh cracked pepper.

Then eat. Or place in a container to bring to the BBQ.

I love pomegranates but barely ever buy them because they are usually really expensive. A few weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised to find that that the grocery store was selling them at a reasonable price so I bought one. Duh. Anyway, that was a few weeks ago and I have had the pomegranate chillin in the fridge, just waiting for the perfect time to bust open and retrieve all the bright pink jewel like seeds. But I also kind of forgot about it. It was hiding behind a giant rutabaga. When I finally grabbed the rutabaga for some soup, the pomegranate reviled itself again. It was time, it needed to be eaten. And me being me, I can%u2019t not share right? So I asked the mr what he wanted me to bake. He said muffins, and that is how I came to pomegranate orange and poppyseed muffins. Look at me, poster child for sharing good things. I should get a gold star!.

Anyway, these muffins came out awesome. First, they smell so good because anything baked smells good but the orange really shines and the smell is still lingering in my hair. Secondly, people really were into them. The mr said they were amazing when I finally let him eat one (two actually because I made them mini) and when I brought them over to Megans house for dinner, my Dad at one, then two, then three.. ..He stopped at 5, and this was after dinner. When a guy eats 5 muffins and is not a muffin man, you take it as a good sign.

Do yourself a solid this cold ass weekend and bake something. These muffins are a good place to start.

To the muffins!

The stuff. Flour, baking soda and powder, and salt in a bowl. Poppy seeds, an orange, a pomegranate, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and a little apple cider vinegar.

First, remove arils from the pomegranate. Cut the fruit in half, hold the cut side face down in your hand and place over a large bowl. Take a wooden spoon and wack the outside of the fruit and the seeds will just fall out. And yes , the juice stains so watch out.

Next, whisk together all the dry ingredients and add in the sugar, poppyseeds and the zest of the orange. Whisk again to combine.

And then add in the oil, milk, vanilla, and the juice of the orange.

Mix until just combined. Don%u2019t over mix or the muffins will get gummy.

Last but not least, fold in the pomegranate arils.

Such a pretty muffin batter.

Scoop batter into well greased muffin tins and pop into a preheated oven.

Orange and crimson and golden brown goodness.

Out of tins and onto a rack to cool

And now you eat.

Stay warm this weekend and bake some muffins.

-C

makes 24 mini muffins or 12 regular muffins

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/3 cup canola oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 cup soy or plant based milk

• 1 orange

• 1/4 cup poppyseeds

• 1 cup pomegranate arils

Note. To easily remove arils (the seeds) from a pomegranate, cut it in half, hold the cut side down in the palm of your hand over a large bowl and wack the outside of the fruit with a wooden spoon. The arils will fall right out into the bowl.

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Zest the orange into the bowl and add in the poppyseed and whisk. Next add in the oil, juice of the orange (about 1/4 cup) the milk, and the vanilla. Mix until just combined. Fold in pomegranate seeds.

Scoop batter into well greased muffin pans and place in oven to bake until golden brown and a tester stuck into the muffins comes out clean, which should take about 15 minutes (22 fish if normal sized)

Once baked, pull form oven and pop from pans. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Eat at your leisure.

Roasted veggies of any kind can get this girl in trouble. Place a sheet pan meant for many full of roasted veggies and watch out, I will probably eat them all. I can%u2019t stop, won%u2019t stop and you know what, I am not sorry, especially if its roasted brussel sprouts and squash.l I am grabbing at every last bit, especially all the really crispy, almost burnt pieces. Burnt food is one of my favorite flavors.

This dish is pretty basic, but also not. A slightly overlooked grain, spelt, makes for a hearty backdrop to the magic of roasted sprouts and squash, covered with a sunflower butter sauce which is a nice spin on a traditional peanut sauce. It%u2019s pretty easy to make and pretty to look at as well. A nice hearty and warming meal for all of those cold winter nights. And it%u2019s not going to make you feel heavy or gross, like if you sat and ate an entire lasagna. No, you will feel full and fantastic and ready for a cookie (it is the holidays after all).

The ingredients in this dish are mainly inspired by the half eaten jar of sunflower butter a friend of mine gave me at the gym, plus the fact that I have been getting a few stocks of brussel sprouts each week at farm share so we are eating them at ever meal, (plus I LOVE brussel sprouts) and me trying to use up all of the grains and such in the pantry before restocking anything more or new. A dish of convenience sure, but also a damn delicious one at that. With this being said, if you had a different grain you wanted to use, or an abundance of some other veggies that you have or prefer, well go ahead and use them. You do you my friend.

And really, I was thinking of you when I made this dish. Sometimes at this time of year people tend to forget to eat, or tend to eat on the not so healthy side. This grain bowl situation is just what your body is in need of. Simple delicious nourishment.

The stuff. Spelt that has been soaking in water for a while, half a butternut squash, brussel sprouts, a red onion. Also sunflower butter, a few cloves garlic, a lime, soy sauce, a touch of maple, salt and pepper, and olive oil.

The spelt will probably take the longest so get it on the stove. Strain away the soaking water and place into with fresh water. Bring to boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Place a lid on pot ans let it go.

Next, get to the veggies. Halve the big sprouts (small ones can stay whole) chop onion into chunks and cube the squash.

A drizzle of oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a good toss around and it ready for the oven.

Meanwhile, make the sunflower butter sauce. Its pretty basic. The sunflower butter, minced garlic, soy, maple, and juice of the lime all into a vessel that can hold it. Add a couple tablespoons of warm water to thin it out and done. Sunflower butter sauce. Easy Peasy.

After about an hour, your slept should be cooked (that sounds aggressive to me) Tender and chewy and just right.

The veggies should be roasted and done too. Crisp as you like ( I actually like mine even darker, but the mr does not so I went a light roast this time)

And it%u2019s all ready for you to eat.

Roasted butternut squash and brussel sprouts on a warm bed of spelt covered in sunflower butter sauce. Living the good life here.

Take care of yourself this week, and always for that matter. Eat some good food. Your body will be happy for it.

Bye.

-C

Serves 2-3

• 1 cup spelt berries (soaked in water overnight if you remember)

• 3 cups water

• about 1/2 of a butternut squash

• about a pound of Brussel sprouts

• a medium red onion

• 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (unsalted and unsweetened)

• 2 tablespoons liquid amionos or soy

• 1 teaspoon maple or honey

• 1 lime

• 2 cloves garlic

• salt and pepper

• olive oil

Preheat oven to 425

Place soaked spelt berries in a pot with water and a pinch of salt. Bring a boil then reduce heat, place a lid on pot and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or until spelt berries are tender and all the water has been absorbed.

While spelt is cooking, cut sprouts in half (unless they are very small), cube the butternut into pieces about an inch big, and chop the onion up into chunks. Place all that you just chopped onto a baking sheet, drizzle with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and toss around. Sprinkle the veggies with a pinch or so of salt and pepper and pop into the hot oven. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until roasted to your desired doneness. (I like things a lot darker then the mr so I would leave my veggies in for closer to an hour)

For the sunflower butter sauce. Mince garlic and place into bowl or cup with the sunflower butter. Add in the maple, soy, and the juice of the lime. Mix together and add in a 2 tablespoons of warm water to thin out. Add more water if needed to get to a thick but pourable consistency.

Once the spelt is cooked, the veggies are roasted and the sauce is made, well you can assemble and eat. Spelt in a bowl, toss on some roasted veggies, and cover in the sauce. And then you eat it.

I love making cookies. There something about having to keep a close eye on the oven, the anticipation of the perfect time to pull them from the oven. Not too early, but never to late. You have to pay close attention. A cookie is not very forgiving if left in for a minutes or two too long. Those minutes can make or break a great cookie. OS baking them is , to me anyway, like a form of meditation. You can%u2019t be distracted, thinking about things like %u201cwho came up with the name Banana Republic and then used it for a clothing store?%u201d, or looking up %u201c large metal rolling balls%u201d. No, you need to pay attention to cookies, or else your cookies might burn. But don%u2019t let that scare you, and really, you can totally think of all the random, but important, things you want while baking, just use a timer or think those thoughts while watching the oven.

These cookies are the cookies that you want to make. A cookie yes, but almost like little soft cakes, full of chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds and warm spices to elevate the pumpkiness of the pumpkin. A perfect cookie to bake when you are freezing and want nothing else then to sit in front of a warm oven, spacing out, and revealing in the smell of a fall kitchen.

Fall pro tip. Place outwear in the kitchen while baking. I had my jacket on a stool close by while the cookies were baking and even now, a few days later, it still smell like cookies.

To the cookies!

The stuff. Brown and granulated sugar, flour with salt, cinnamon, allspice ,nutmeg, and baking soda and baking powder. Pumpkin puree vanilla extract, canola oil, chocolate chips, and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Mix the sugars, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin puree together until completely incorporated.

Whisk together all the dry

Add dry to wet. Mix gently, until just incorporated.

A now you have cookie batter. But wait, can%u2019t forget the chocolate and seeds.

I like to give the chocolate chips a rough chop to make the chips a bit smaller. You can skip this step or just use small chips if you want.

Chocolate chips and toasted pumpkin seeds go into batter.

After a gentle mix, it%u2019s time bake.

Scoop the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet (important to line or use a splat mat, or else they will stick)

Into the oven and out of the oven. Bakes to a plump golden brown perfection.

All the cookies cooling on a wire rack like all cookies should.

And then thats it.

Cookies for you and cookie to share, if you are nice like that.

Happy weekend!

-C

make 2 dozen or so cookies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 3/4 cup cane sugar

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

• 2/3 cup chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, mix together the sugars, purlin puree, oil, and vanilla until completely incorporated. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and baking powder, salt, all spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Once whisk, dump into the bowl with the wet gas gently mix together until just incorporated. Do not over mix.

Dump your chocolate ships onto cutting board and give them a rough chop just to break some of the chips apart. (or use small chips) Add the chop chocolate and the toasted pumpkin seeds to the batter and gently fold them, just to even distribute them.

Line being sheets with either parchment or use a splat mat and scoop equal size ball of dough onto the baking sheets. Leave enough room for the cookie to rise and spread. Place baking sheets into oven and bake fir 12-14 minutes or until the cookies have risen, are golden brown, and a tester stuck into the middle of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from oven and place the cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Then you eat them.

Any not eaten cookies should be store in an air tight container and can be left out at room temperature for a day or two but should be refrigerated or frozen for longer storage. The mr likes to eat them straight out of the freezer.

If you come around my house in the cold months, you will more times then not find yourself faced with fresh bread. Why? Well because I like to bake bread. But mostly, if I am honest, when I am cold, I bake. (We keep the house heat off until at least November 1. After that we keep the heat at a low 60 when it%u2019s on.) I like the house to be kept on the colder side, but sometime, it%u2019s a little brisk so if I am home and cold, I am probably just going to bake something, to stay warm of course. This focaccia was my first foray baking to stay warm of the cold season. It was 40 degrees out and the heat still wasn%u2019t on, and I just so happen to be going through my spice drawer and found a batch of everything bagel seasoning that I had mixed up a couple months ago that needed to be used. Hence the bread.

Cold weather+found seasoning+I should make something for dinner=everything bagel focaccia. Or you can just make it because it is super easy and every time I make focaccia it gets gobbled right up. Especially this time. Barb and the mr ate half of it at dinner. And I think the other half was gone by the next day. To quote the mr. %u201cThis focaccia is professional%u201d. He said it with a mouth full of bread. No shit dude. I am professional. Ha

The stuff. Flour, yeast, warm water, everything bagel seasoning, sea salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Start with getting the yeast and warm water mixed together. Let it sit for a minute or 5, just to make sure it is active (this is more important to do if you are not using fresh yeast)

Once you are sure your yeast is alive, add in the flour and mix together until you are having a hard time mixing anymore.

Dump dough onto a floured surface and start to knead. Probably for 5 minutes, until you dough looks like%u2026.

This. Kneaded until smooth and beautiful .

Place dough into a deep bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Make sure the whole ball is coated. Then cover with a damp cloth and stick in a warm place to rise for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Once dough has doubled, grab your baking sheet (can use a pan) and coat the pan with about 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Place the dough into pan and spread it out using your fingertips. Flip the dough over if you need to and keep dimpling the dough until it hits all the sides. Drizzle on another tablespoon of oil on top.

And don%u2019t forget the seasoning. Sprinkle on all the everything seasoning along with the sea salt and some cracked pepper. Make sure to be somewhat liberal with the seasonings too because you know that%u2019s what you want.

Into the oven for 30ish minutes then out of the oven

Look at all the everything.

Drizzle the top of the bread with a little more olive oil, pop it out of the pan, stick it on a cutting board, and that%u2019s it. Now watch your slab of bread disappear.

Happy bread baking. Stay warm.

-C

make a 9×13 slab of bread

• 4 cups all purpose flour (plus a little more for kneading)

• 2 cups warm water

• 2 teaspoon yeast (or one packet)

• 3 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning*

• 1 tablespoon sea salt

• cracked pepper

• about 1/3 cup very good olive oil

*Note To make your own everything bagel seasoning mix up equal parts dried minced garlic, dried onion flakes, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Or I think you can buy it now at the store with all the other spices. But it%u2019s probably cheaper to make it yourself.

To start, place yeast and warm water in a big bowl. Mix until incorporated and let sit for a minute or two or until you see little bubble form, just to make sure the yeast is active. When your sure it%u2019s good, add in 4 cups of flour. Mix with a wooden spoon or dough mixer until it becomes hard to mix anymore. Dump the dough onto a flour surface and start to knead, adding a little bit of flour as you go if it became to sticky, until the dough is smooth and uniform. Should take about 5 minutes. Place the kneaded dough back into bowl (scrap any of the extra bits out first) and drizzle with olive oil. Make sure the whole dough is coated. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot. Let dough rise for an hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375.

Once dough has doubled, grab a 9×13 baking sheet or pan and coat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Really make sure the pan is well greased. Place dough into pan and with the tips of your fingers, smoosh and spread dough until it has filled up the pan. Drizzle with another tablespoon of oil then take your seasoning and evenly spread it all over the top. Sprinkle with salt and add a little cracked pepper. Now pop it into the preheated oven. Bake for 30 -35 minutes or until the bread has turned a nice golden brown.

Remove from oven and right away drizzle on another tablespoon or so of olive oil. Let sit for a few minutes to absorb then pop the bread out of the pan and place on a rack or cutting board and either let cool, or not. Warm focaccia is loved by all.

Whatever you do, do not turn on your oven this weekend! But I guess if you have air conditioning and don’t mind cranking it… well then go for it. And can I come stay with you?

But for the rest of us doing this weekend without the old A.C., we need to feed ourselves, feed ourselves without any fire because 100 degrees is no joke and any added heat from anything will likey tip us over the edge. I am already so close to that edge and it’s a long way down..(Just ask the mr, he could tell you a thing or two about heat and me.. not good)

Enter hummus and veggies.

You can’t really go wrong with a good hummus and veggies meal situation and sometimes it’s all that can be right. I for one could eat bowls and bowls of hummus, and sometime do, so this is not a stretch for me. Especially this hummus. I knew I would like it, but man, was (was because I ate it all) it freaking delicious. The sunflower seeds really did it for me, gave it a little something extra, like a freshness that is still creamy and earthy, but is not quite, I don’t know, dark as tahini? %u00a0It’s kind of hard to explain without having you taste it (so make it and you tell me)%u00a0%u00a0Don’t get me wrong, I love tahini, but sometimes you just %u00a0got to mix it up. (Plus sunflowers seeds are dirt cheap. Tahini is not nearly as cheap so bonus there too.)%u00a0%u00a0Maybe its because the sunflower seeds bring the sunshine to your mouth. A sun filled mouth of pureed seeds and beans.%u00a0 Yup, that’s what it is.

So here ya go, a no heat meal (or snack or spread).%u00a0We got this.

The stuff. %u00a0Cooked chickpeas (no need to cook your own, canned is a okay), sunflower seeds, a lemon, a few cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, a little water, and some herby green like parsley or cilantro.%u00a0

Hummus is pretty basic, it’s just stuff blended up, but because we are starting with raw sunflower seeds, we need to really bend the shit out of them until they turn into a paste, so do that, which is going to a take about 8-10 minutes. Then once its pasty, add in the garlic and the juice of the lemon and blend until its all smooth.

Could almost stop here at this point. Sunflower seed goodness all emulsified. Taste it, it is so good.

Now add in the chickpeas and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Blended until smooth with a little drizzle of water to give just the right consistency. %u00a0And that’s it.

Pile a bowl full enough that you can call it dinner them top with a good amount of fresh herbs. Serve with chopped up fresh veggies or whatever you like and we are good to go.

Creamy, dreamy sunflower hummus, no heat required!%u00a0

Stay not melted!

-C

Makes about 2 3/4 cups

• 2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one can) drained
• 3/4 cup raw (can use toasted)unshelled sunflower seeds
• l juicy lemon
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1-2 tablespoons ice water
• salt and pepper
• handful fresh herbs like parsley,cilantro and or dill (optional)%u00a0

Place the sunflower seeds in food processor and turn on until seeds turn into a paste, which will take about 8-10 minutes. After every few minutes, scrap the sides down to make sure it all gets blended. Once the seeds reach paste consistency,%u00a0add in the juice of the lemon and the garlic. Blend until smooth. Last off, add in the chickpeas and a pinch or salt and pepper and blend until smooth, adding %u00a0in a tablespoon or two of water to get the hummus to the consistency of your liking. Once blended taste and check for seasoning (add more salt and or pepper if needed)%u00a0

When the hummus is done, scrape into bowl(s), and top with lots of fresh herbs and a sprinkle more of sunflower seeds. Now eat it. Eat with veggies, with bread, with pretzels, or with a spoon (or finger). Do what you need to do.

%u00a0Any left over, if there is any, can be store in the fridge for 2-3 days.%u00a0

I am one of those people that hangs out for far to long in the grocery store, mostly in the bulk section, looking al all the types of rice, and grains, and beans, and seeds, admiring the variety and colors and also wishing I was one of those people that had an extra $25 to drop on a pound of pistachios.%u00a0%u00a0(Them were some pricey pistachios fo sho.) I take my time, peruse the bins, maybe take a little taste or two, %u00a0and go for what I need. And maybe if something is on sale, get a little of that too. Things that usually make the list are spices,%u00a0oats, beans, maybe rice or quinoa, flours, and seeds. Pumpkin seeds were on sale so those were the seeds of choice and I also got some barely because when I was starting at all the grains,%u00a0it dawned on me that I don’t know many people that eat barley, or even care about it, which is a shame because it is awesome. It might not be trendy like farro or freekeh, but it is just as good, and damn if it is not a hell of a lot cheaper.%u00a0

With the barley and pumpkins seed in hand, I had the start of a salad. So I grabbed some oats, a few spices, some beans and ran away from the builk section, past the nuts before things got bad and I either a) got kicked out for eating my weight in cashews and almonds,%u00a0pretending to just need a taste, or b) paid the $25 for a pound of pistachios that I might not eat because I would need to save them for something really special because they cost $25 a pound. Then I grabbed veggies, walked around the wellness section for good measure, did another lap around the store just in case I forgot something, then finally made my way out of the store only to realize when I got home that I forgot something. (I always forget something)%u00a0

But I had all I needed for a barley salad situation so things went well. This is a fantastic salad. It’s quick and easy and tasty and good. Barley, tahini, veggies and pumpkin seeds… It’s all you need for a just right dinner, or a fantastic side to any meal. Or as a snack at anytime. Bring it to a BBQ, a graduation party, or a pot luck. it will get eaten, and if by chance you end up with a little left over, bring it on home and eat it for breakfast. It will still be just as good.%u00a0%u00a0

The stuff. Pearled barley, tahini, pumpkin seeds and garlic. And some red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, kale, a carrot, some cauliflower, a lemon, a red onion, and a cucumber. (you are not going to need the full amount of all these veggies)%u00a0

First off, cook the barley. The barley and water go into a pot, brought to a boil, then left on low %u00a0to cook until tender. Once cooked, strain away excess water

While barley is cooking (or is cooked) chop up the veggies into mouth sized pieces. I used half the cucumber, half the onion, some of the cauliflower, all the kale, and all the carrot. It’s not an exact measurement, you just want a good amount to toss into the salad.%u00a0

Barley in bowl, topped with the veggies and pumpkin seeds…. The pretty before the mix. You don’t need to add it like this, I just did it cause it looks good.

And the tahini sauce. Mince garlic and add to a jar or bowl with the juice of the lemon, vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper and give it a really good mix.

Creamy, zippy, oh so good.%u00a0

Drizzle and toss the dressing with the barley and veggies.

And that’s that. Now you are ready for eating.%u00a0

Enjoy wherever this salad takes you.%u00a0

-C

If eaten as a meal, serves 2-3. As a side dish, serves 6-8

• 1 cup pearl barley%u00a0
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup tahini%u00a0
• 1 large lemon%u00a0
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 of a cucumber%u00a0
• 1 small carrot
• 2 large kale leaves
• 1/2 of a red onion
• 1 cup of cauliflower florets%u00a0
• 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Note. The vegetable amount and type is more of a preference. You could use all cucumber and onion or add %u00a0broccoli and pepper, just make sure to have a least 3 good cups of some chopped up color.%u00a0

Place barley and water into a pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and continue to cook until barley is tender, but not mushy, which should take about 45 minutes. Once cooked, strain excess water.

While the barley is cooking, chop all the veggies into small mouth sized pieces.%u00a0%u00a0And make the tahini sauce. Mince garlic and place in a bowl or jar. Add in tahini, the juice of the lemon, and the vinegar. Mix well until smooth then season with salt and pepper to taste. %u00a0

When barley is cooked and drained, let cool for a few minutes then place in a big bowl. Add in all the veggies and the toasted pumpkin seeds, then drizzle with the tahini sauce and toss all around. Season with salt and pepper to taste..%u00a0

Now eat still warm, or later at room renature, or place in fridge for it to get cold. It can be a filling meal or a great side dish.%u00a0It’s good all ways, any way.

Another note. This salad is great for parties and BBQ’s and can be made a day or two ahead. If you do make ahead, hold off on mixing the pumpkin seeds and the tahini sauce with the rest of the salad until you are about to serve it.%u00a0

I forgot how amazing fall baking smells. The spiciness floating throughout the house, lingering on my clothes, in my hair, up the stairs and into the bedroom. It goes everywhere. Unfortunately it didn’t last very long this time around because the mr made popcorn and then the whole house ended up smelling like a freaking movie theater, but for a little while it was so nice. I want to bake everyday just to stink the house up all nice. I might just do that.%u00a0

Everyone eats the pumpkin bread or the pumpkin this or pumpkin that. But why does’t everyone harness the greatness of all the other winter squashes in baking? This I do not know. Don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkin but I also think that it’s very interchangeable in most baking applications. Like this quick %u00a0bread. I am sure that some people would notice that it is not pumpkin, but these same people would also enjoy the subtle difference in flavor. Acorn squash is a sweet and delicious squash and makes a fine fine bread my friends. And the acorn squash is cheaper then sugar pumpkins which is aways a plus. And the winter squash keeps longer the pumpkins so the are available longer. Acorn squash bread all winter long. (Yup, I am thinking winter already)

This bread lasted less then a day. The mr got a couple slices but some littles came over and ate almost the entire loaf. The didn’t ask what kind of squash I used, they just ate it vigorously and left heir little crumbs all over. So Bean with her mouth full of bread declared it A-MAZING. From the mouth of a 5 year old.

The stuff. The flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and cinnamon are in one bowl. The squash puree, oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar in another .Also need a little plant milk a bit more cinnamon and sugar for topping.

Simple simple. Whisk together the dry then whisk together the wet.

Pour wet into dry and mix until incorporated.

And there you have it. %u00a0Acorn squash bread batter.%u00a0

Batter goes into a well greased bread pan and sprinkles all over with cinnamon sugar. Then into the oven (preheated of course) it goes.

All baked up and cooling. Like what I did there? %u00a0More circulation to the bottom %u00a0so it cools faster.. I am so smart.

The mr came home right when I was contemplating whether it was cool enough to cut. %u00a0It wasn’t but I cut it anyway.%u00a0

Have a great fall weekend!

-C %u00a0

makes 1 loaf

• 1 1/2 cups acorn squash puree*
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon plus 1 teaspoon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup oil%u00a0
• 1/3 cup plant based milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar%u00a0

*To make acorn squash puree, stick an acorn squash into a oven at 400 for about 40 minutes or until until fork tender. Remove from oven,%u00a0cut in half, and let cool until you can handle it. Scoop out seeds (save for roasting) then scoop out flesh (eat skin as snack)%u00a0and puree in blender. Add a splash of water if needed to get a smooth puree.

preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl mix together the squash, oil, sugar, maple, milk, and apple cider vinegar. Mix until well combined. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the baking soda and powder, the tablespoon cinnamon, salt, and flour. Pour wet into the dry and mix until combined. %u00a0Pour into a well greased loaf pan. Combine the tablespoon brown sugar and teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Pop into oven and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a tester poked into middle comes out clean.

Once cooked, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Remove form loaf pan and let completely cool.%u00a0

Eat what you want and store the rest in an air tight container for a few days. Can be sliced and frozen too.

Banana bread never goes out of style. It is a clsasic, everyday, everybody type of food. Have a slice for dessert, maybe drizzled with some chocolate, definitely.%u00a0%u00a0How about for a grab and go breakfast, sure sure.. A chunk slathered in peanut butter for snack time or anytime, well %u00a0isn’t that’s why you make it?%u00a0 And who doesn’t always have a banana bowl in the kitchen? A banana bowl that is always full of bananas because the banana just always makes it’s way home. They seem to pile up, even when I don’t mean for them to. And I know I am not the only one. I see it all the time. A fruit bowl in the kitchen with a least a couple of really really ripe bananas, waiting for that moment when you know there is no freaking way anyone in their right mind would eat those banana because gross. That’s when you have it, the perfect banana for some banana bread, or in this case, banana muffins. %u00a0

Here I went muffin style because I had already made a loaf of banana bread earlier in the week and because I wanted to send half of the muffins to the boys at the front desk at the gym. (They give me coffee, I give them muffins) And also, muffins cook a lot faster then bread so if you are a little low on time, muffins are the way to go. But if you would rather bread, you can make it bread. Bananas are there for you and are not fussy.%u00a0

The stuff. Ripe bananas, poppy seeds, brown sugar, oil, and apple cider vinegar. Also have flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and a little salt in the bowl.%u00a0

Mash the bananas in a bowl, like really mash them up until it turns to a sugar banana slop.%u00a0Then add in the oil and the vinegar and mix together.

Dump in the dry and the poppy seeds and mix it all up until combined but then stop. Don’t over mix the batter or else you will get tuff muffins.%u00a0

Scoop into well greased muffin pans and pop them into the preheated oven to bake.%u00a0

Done! And in only took like 20 minutes appose to an hour if I made banana bread.%u00a0

And here is when you grab a coffee, a muffin, and have yourself a moment.

Stay good.

-C

makes 12-14 muffins

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder%u00a0
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon%u00a0
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds
• 2/3 cups packed %u00a0brown sugar
• 1/2 cup neutral flavored oil
• 4 really ripe bananas (they need to be really ripe of the mixture will be to dry)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar%u00a0

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl,%u00a0mash the bananas with the sugar until the mixture turns wet and sloppy, but there are still a few little chunks of banana.%u00a0%u00a0Mix in the oil and vinegar. In a separate bowl mix the %u00a0flour, cinnamon , baking powder and soda, salt, and poppy seeds together. Dump the dry into the wet and mix until all is combined but then stop. Don’t over mix batter.%u00a0

Scoop mixture into well greased muffin tins and place into oven once it has preheated.%u00a0Bake the muffins for about 20- 22 minutes or until nicely browned and a tester stuck into the middle of one comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let sit in tin for a few minutes until it cools down. Remove the muffins from the tin and let completely cool on a wire rack.%u00a0

Eat whenever and how many you want, store the rest in an air tight container for a couple of days or wrap a few and %u00a0freeze.%u00a0

Banana bread never goes out of style. It is a clsasic, everyday, everybody type of food. Have a slice for dessert, maybe drizzled with some chocolate, definitely.%u00a0%u00a0How about for a grab and go breakfast, sure sure.. A chunk slathered in peanut butter for snack time or anytime, well %u00a0isn’t that’s why you make it?%u00a0 And who doesn’t always have a banana bowl in the kitchen? A banana bowl that is always full of bananas because the banana just always makes it’s way home. They seem to pile up, even when I don’t mean for them to. And I know I am not the only one. I see it all the time. A fruit bowl in the kitchen with a least a couple of really really ripe bananas, waiting for that moment when you know there is no freaking way anyone in their right mind would eat those banana because gross. That’s when you have it, the perfect banana for some banana bread, or in this case, banana muffins. %u00a0

Here I went muffin style because I had already made a loaf of banana bread earlier in the week and because I wanted to send half of the muffins to the boys at the front desk at the gym. (They give me coffee, I give them muffins) And also, muffins cook a lot faster then bread so if you are a little low on time, muffins are the way to go. But if you would rather bread, you can make it bread. Bananas are there for you and are not fussy.%u00a0

The stuff. Ripe bananas, poppy seeds, brown sugar, oil, and apple cider vinegar. Also have flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and a little salt in the bowl.%u00a0

Mash the bananas in a bowl, like really mash them up until it turns to a sugar banana slop.%u00a0Then add in the oil and the vinegar and mix together.

Dump in the dry and the poppy seeds and mix it all up until combined but then stop. Don’t over mix the batter or else you will get tuff muffins.%u00a0

Scoop into well greased muffin pans and pop them into the preheated oven to bake.%u00a0

Done! And in only took like 20 minutes appose to an hour if I made banana bread.%u00a0

And here is when you grab a coffee, a muffin, and have yourself a moment.

Stay good.

-C

makes 12-14 muffins

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder%u00a0
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon%u00a0
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds
• 2/3 cups packed %u00a0brown sugar
• 1/2 cup neutral flavored oil
• 4 really ripe bananas (they need to be really ripe of the mixture will be to dry)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar%u00a0

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl,%u00a0mash the bananas with the sugar until the mixture turns wet and sloppy, but there are still a few little chunks of banana.%u00a0%u00a0Mix in the oil and vinegar. In a separate bowl mix the %u00a0flour, cinnamon , baking powder and soda, salt, and poppy seeds together. Dump the dry into the wet and mix until all is combined but then stop. Don’t over mix batter.%u00a0

Scoop mixture into well greased muffin tins and place into oven once it has preheated.%u00a0Bake the muffins for about 20- 22 minutes or until nicely browned and a tester stuck into the middle of one comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let sit in tin for a few minutes until it cools down. Remove the muffins from the tin and let completely cool on a wire rack.%u00a0

Eat whenever and how many you want, store the rest in an air tight container for a couple of days or wrap a few and %u00a0freeze.%u00a0

I forgot how amazing fall baking smells. The spiciness floating throughout the house, lingering on my clothes, in my hair, up the stairs and into the bedroom. It goes everywhere. Unfortunately it didn’t last very long this time around because the mr made popcorn and then the whole house ended up smelling like a freaking movie theater, but for a little while it was so nice. I want to bake everyday just to stink the house up all nice. I might just do that.%u00a0

Everyone eats the pumpkin bread or the pumpkin this or pumpkin that. But why does’t everyone harness the greatness of all the other winter squashes in baking? This I do not know. Don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkin but I also think that it’s very interchangeable in most baking applications. Like this quick %u00a0bread. I am sure that some people would notice that it is not pumpkin, but these same people would also enjoy the subtle difference in flavor. Acorn squash is a sweet and delicious squash and makes a fine fine bread my friends. And the acorn squash is cheaper then sugar pumpkins which is aways a plus. And the winter squash keeps longer the pumpkins so the are available longer. Acorn squash bread all winter long. (Yup, I am thinking winter already)

This bread lasted less then a day. The mr got a couple slices but some littles came over and ate almost the entire loaf. The didn’t ask what kind of squash I used, they just ate it vigorously and left heir little crumbs all over. So Bean with her mouth full of bread declared it A-MAZING. From the mouth of a 5 year old.

The stuff. The flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and cinnamon are in one bowl. The squash puree, oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar in another .Also need a little plant milk a bit more cinnamon and sugar for topping.

Simple simple. Whisk together the dry then whisk together the wet.

Pour wet into dry and mix until incorporated.

And there you have it. %u00a0Acorn squash bread batter.%u00a0

Batter goes into a well greased bread pan and sprinkles all over with cinnamon sugar. Then into the oven (preheated of course) it goes.

All baked up and cooling. Like what I did there? %u00a0More circulation to the bottom %u00a0so it cools faster.. I am so smart.

The mr came home right when I was contemplating whether it was cool enough to cut. %u00a0It wasn’t but I cut it anyway.%u00a0

Have a great fall weekend!

-C %u00a0

makes 1 loaf

• 1 1/2 cups acorn squash puree*
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon plus 1 teaspoon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup oil%u00a0
• 1/3 cup plant based milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar%u00a0

*To make acorn squash puree, stick an acorn squash into a oven at 400 for about 40 minutes or until until fork tender. Remove from oven,%u00a0cut in half, and let cool until you can handle it. Scoop out seeds (save for roasting) then scoop out flesh (eat skin as snack)%u00a0and puree in blender. Add a splash of water if needed to get a smooth puree.

preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl mix together the squash, oil, sugar, maple, milk, and apple cider vinegar. Mix until well combined. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the baking soda and powder, the tablespoon cinnamon, salt, and flour. Pour wet into the dry and mix until combined. %u00a0Pour into a well greased loaf pan. Combine the tablespoon brown sugar and teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Pop into oven and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a tester poked into middle comes out clean.

Once cooked, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Remove form loaf pan and let completely cool.%u00a0

Eat what you want and store the rest in an air tight container for a few days. Can be sliced and frozen too.

As a reward to ourselves for finishing the floor laying week (what a freaking week, I will share some pictures soon) I stayed home for a little while yesterday morning and made some donuts for the mr ( I got to bake and do a little knitting and he got donuts.) Initially I was gonna make a cake, had it on my agenda for a cake at some point this week, but last minutes I felt the need to use my unused donut pan. I think it was a good call. Donuts don’t require as much pumpkin puree.%u00a0 I roasted a pumpkin a few days ago for the purpose of baking a cake with it but have slowly eaten most of it (on accident) so that there was just enough left to make the donuts. I have no willpower when it comes to roasted squash, I can’t stop eating it.

Anyway,%u00a0 I had me a mighty fine morning of trashing the kitchen, using my pretty mixing bowls, basking in the glory of the residual heat coming from the oven, and making the house smell all nice and fall spicy. And now there are donuts in the house with lots of sprinkles and only the mr to eat them. He really really likes them, like a lot. (me “don’t eat all those f*ing donuts dude, save some for later!”)

Another reason donuts were a good call, they are easy to share. Maybe I should go drop off a few to a friend. Any takers?

The donut stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt are in that bowl. Then we have pumpkin puree(homemade or canned) soy milk(or any milk), brown sugar, cinnamon, oil, and apple cider vinegar

All the wet stuff gets mixed together and the dry stuff plus the cinnamon gets whisked together too.

Wet into dry and mixed until combined.

Scoop batter into well greased donut pan and don’t do what I did and overfill (I always forget not to overfill). My fist batch came out a little bit bigger the expected with holes. No biggie.

Once pan is filled,%u00a0 pan goes into preheated oven. Bake until golden perfection (about 15-18 minutes or until a tester comes out clean)

Slightly overflown donuts cooked to all the goodness and popped out of the pan to cool on a cooling rack.

Glaze stuff. Powdered sugar, cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, a splash of vanilla, and a bit of soy milk….Mix it all together and that’s that.

Completely cooled donuts (very important to be completely cooled) go heads down into the bowl of glaze.

All glazed and looking good but I think somethings missing…..

Pumpkin, chocolate, sprinkles. BOOM!!!

Happy Friday!!!!

makes 10 donuts

For donuts

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy milk (any milk works)
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil like canola
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

For the glaze

• 7 heaping tablespoons powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons soy milk
• splash vanilla
• pinch of salt
• sprinkles!!!!…optional

Preheat oven to 350

In a big bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda, salt, and the cinnamon. In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin puree, sugar, soy milk, oil and the apple cider vinegar. Dump the wet mixture into the dry and mix until combined.

Ready the donut pan by really making sure it is well grease. Fill each donut mold about a 3/4 way full. I use a spoon but you could transfer that batter to a piping bag if you want. Place pan into oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until the donuts are golden brown and a fork stabbed into one comes out clean. Pop donuts out of mold and let cool completely on a cooling rack.

Note. I have one pan that does 6 at a time. I had to wash, dry and re-grease the panto bake all the donuts.

Once donuts are cooled, gather the glaze ingredients. In a shallow bowl whisk together the sugar, cocoa, and salt. Add in a splash of vanilla and then the soy. Mix together until a glossy not to thick but not to thin consistency . If its too thick, add in another splash of milk, to think, more powdered sugar.

To glaze, take each donut and place face down in glaze and give it a little twirl.%u00a0 Remove and place back on cooling rack (glaze size up) and cover with sprinkles. (optional)

Then eat the donuts

Any uneaten can be placed in airtight container for 2-3 days or can be stuck into freezer.

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%u2026 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) %u00a0A many years back on Mother’s day, this sweet little girl (me) made her mother a special %u00a0breakfast treat%u2026blueberry 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.%u00a0So 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.%u00a0Now 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 %u00a0just comes together. Press dough into a disk that is roughly an inch thick%u2026. and it doesn’t need to be perfect.%u00a0Cut 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 %u00a0air 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)%u00a0

Happy Mothers Day Mom! Thanks for having me!

And Happy Weekend!!!

-C

Blueberry Scones%u00a0

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar plus%u00a02 tablespoons %u00a0to sprinkle on top
• 1 %u00a0teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted %u00a0butter frozen or really cold (use non dairy butter like Earth Balance for vegan)
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 teaspoon %u00a0vanilla%u00a0
• %u00a03/4 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 %u00a0and 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.%u00a0

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%u00a0your face.%u00a0

I had to share the last of the 5 pineapples cause if I didn’t, that would mean %u00a0I 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 %u00a0and my sister and the mister, well they had to eat their donuts all elegant like with forks. (weirdos)

%u00a0I know I have said it before but just in case you forgot

I am the best sister/aunt ever! %u00a0

%u00a0The 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.%u00a0%u00a0This 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

%u00a0 %u00a0 %u00a0 Drizzle the bottom of each donut round with the butter/ sugar mix %u00a0then 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.%u00a0When 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 rackAnd serve them all upside down like. Maybe with a scoop of whipped cream or ice cream or nothing.%u00a0

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. %u00a0Melt 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 %u00a010 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.%u00a0

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.%u00a0

%u00a0 %u00a0 %u00a0 My Moms birthday was this past week, and naturally, I made the cake for our big family birthday gathering. (and I bought and made dinner and cleaned everything up, although the mister did do all the dinner dishes) Word to my sisters%u2026 You guys suck! (but I still love you)

Every year my mom asks for the same cake. Strawberry with Lemon frosting. Then a few years ago, other people in the family started asking for the same one. Now there is a weird strawberry cake thing going on between some of my family members. They have taken claim of the strawberry cake and don’t want me to make it for anyone else but them. They think that because I make them this awesome cake that they are somehow special. Well guess what people.. Your only special for one day, then you go back to being normal.

I have a family full of a bunch of weirdoes.

Anyways, My mom said she wanted the usual strawberry cake, but as cup cakes, or actually she asked me to make the little square cakes. I was kind of confused when she said square cakes because well, what the hell was she talking about? But then I remembered that a long time ago I use to have a square cupcake pan. (I lost in somehow) So no, I couldn’t make the cakes square, but I sure could make them cute. And cute as hell is what I did.

Cake Stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt whisked together in a bowl. Butter, a little oil, vanilla, eggs and buttermilk. Then of course we have strawberries cause it wouldn’t be a strawberry cake with out them.First things first. Wash, trim and dice up the strawberries. Stick them into a pot and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of sugar. Heat on low and let the strawberries cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently,%u00a0until they turn into a thick syrup. The sugar and the butter get beaten together until light and fluffy. Then goes in the oil, eggs, and vanilla. The milk is then added to the strawberry mixture. Add half the dry mixture to the wet, mix, then mix in half the strawberry mixture to that. Mix the rest of the dry in and finish off with the strawberry mixture.

Pour batter into well greased and parchment lined baking sheet (or pans). %u00a0Stick cake into preheated oven for about 35 minutes, rotating cakes after 15 minutes. Cake is done when it starts turning a light gold brown and a cake tester stuck in the middle comes out clean.%u00a0Cake gets pulled from the oven and set on a rack to cool.

I actually wrapped the cake when it was cool enough and stuck outside for a few hours. It didn’t completely freeze, but it was close. Frozen cake is easier to cut then soft non frozen cake. No necessary, but if you have the time%u2026.%u00a0

While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. %u00a0Powdered Sugar, a stick of butter, cream cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla get mixed together until it turns into a big bowl of thick lemony frosting.%u00a0Tomato can cutout. (I couldn’t find my biscuit cutters) %u00a0A biscuit or cookie cutter would probably work a little better.. The cakes kept getting stuck in the can. Frost the cake!! Place frosting into a piping bag or a big plastic zip lock with the tip cut off. %u00a02 rounds to a cake. A squeeze of frosting goes on one, topped with another and given a little smoosh. A nice big dollop of frosting on top then%u2026.%u00a0Sprinkles!!!! %u00a0Or sliced %u00a0strawberries (my mom doesn’t like sprinkles..I know)

So freaking cute. I don’t know if I can make a normal cake again.

Mom gets the bigger 3 tiered cake.. and a few more of the little ones.%u00a0

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

-C

Strawberry Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

makes 16 two tiers cupcakes or can be made in three 8 inch cake pans

The Cake

• 3 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 Cup or %u00a0one Stick Soften Butter
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 3 Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 Cup milk
• 1 Cup Sugar plus 2 Tablespoons
• 1 lb Fresh Strawberries (Can use Frozen, just let them thaw )

The Frosting

• 4 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Stick Soften Butter
• 4 oz Cream Cheese (Half a block)
• Zest of a Lemon
• 1-2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375

Grease a parchment lined %u00a013x18 high rimmed baking sheet and dust with flour. If you baking sheet isn’t as big as mine, use whatever size you have and make a few cupcakes on the side. Or make one , 3 tiered %u00a0cake with 8 inch cake pans. %u00a0I trust that you can find a way to bake all this cake batter.

Wash, trim and dice strawberries. Toss them in a medium sauce pan and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place on low heat and cook for about 10 minutes %u00a0until %u00a0strawberries break down and turn into a thick syrup. Take of heat and let cool.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder and soda in a bowl and whisk together, In another large bowl, add butter and sugar together and beat on medium until light and fluffy. Add in oil, vanilla and eggs. Beat together. Now add the milk to the %u00a0strawberries and mix together. Beat in half the dry into the wet, add in half the strawberry mixture, then the rest of the dry, and finish off with the rest of the strawberry mixture.%u00a0

Pour batter into prepare baking sheet (or pans) and place in oven. Check cake after about 15 minutes and rotate to help insure an even bake. Bake for another 15- 20 minutes, or until cake %u00a0starts to turn golden brown and a tester (toothpick) comes out clean. %u00a0

Remove from oven and let completely cool. %u00a0(Not necessary, but once cake is cooled , wrap with plastic wrap and stick cake into the freezer of a little while before cutting the circles.. its makes it a little easier)

While cake is cooling, make the frosting. Place all ingredients in a big bowl and beat together until a nice soft but sturdy frosting forms. %u00a0If. you frosting seems to thick add in a %u00a0splash of milk. To thin.. add a little more sugar.%u00a0

When the cake is cooled, get to it. With you cookie or biscuit cuter dipped in powdered sugar, cut as many circles as you can.%u00a0

Fun Time!! Frost the cakes. Place frosting into a pastry bag, or like me, a large zip lock bag with the tip cut off. Partner up all the cake rounds and go through and give one of each of the pairs a good dollop of frosting. Top with the remaining cake, give it a lithe smooshto make sure they stick, and squeeze a nice dollop of frosting on top. Finish off with sliced strawberries and lots of sprinkles.

Sing Happy Birthday and eat!

%u00a0What is better for a bake sale then Oreo cookies?%u00a0 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 %u00a0didn’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.%u00a0

This is the%u00a0conversation 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 %u00a0what?%u2026.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 %u00a0the 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%u2026the 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!%u00a0Whats going on here is brown sugar and butter %u00a0have 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) %u00a0The dry stuff, flour, salt and cocoa powder, are whisked together, waiting to be added to the wet. %u00a0Mix 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. %u00a0Form 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.%u00a0

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.%u00a0

%u00a0While 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%u2026 Sold to the highest bidder! I was told that they sold out within the first half hour at $1.50 a pop%u2026.Should have charged $5%u2026. for a good cause right?

And yes, even though he was being a space head and didn’t even care that I just %u00a0made 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%u00a0

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. %u00a0Take 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. %u00a0Remove 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.%u00a0

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.%u00a0

If selling at a bake sale, charge $3 a cookie%u2026. If it’s for a good cause.%u00a0

First day of Spring!! Well kind of I guess. I think it actually starts at like 6:20 tonight, when the temperature is going to dip back done to 10.(Spring my ass) I don’t know about you people out there but here in Vermont, we are really hanging on to winter. I have to keep telling myself%u2026″ It will be warmer soon and you’ll be looking forward to this weather in a few months.. so stop bitching!” %u00a0I give myself good pep talks.

Anyway, last week at the farm share pick up, there was a nice little surprise. We got a few pounds of some sweet locally grown and milled whole wheat flour. There was a little sign with the information about the wheat and where it came from, but in my haste of gathering all of my other veggies, I failed to take notes and forgot the name of the farm that it came from. But I do know that my farm traded some celeriac for the wheat. %u00a0I was really excited because I am really into the idea of using locally grown grains and I don’t know, it just made me really happy, especially because it was a trade. %u00a0Food framing and local sharing is stuff that makes me happy.

I wanted to make something to kind of showcase the hearty, nutty flavor of the wheat and I also wanted to make something that my mister would eat for breakfast. Well what better way to do that then with muffins!%u00a0Banana coconut whole wheat%u00a0(that just happen to be vegan) Hearty, fruity, and smells like the word lovely and the color yellow.%u00a0A few to eat and a few to share. Hanging at home, running away or %u00a0getting ready for a day of spring cleaning%u2026.This is a great weekend to make muffins!%u00a0

The stuff%u2026 Light, nutty local whole wheat flour, ripe oh ripe bananas and coconut flakes are the stars in this muffin%u2026 But we need the other stuff too. Brown sugar, vanilla, coconut oil and a chia egg. %u00a0Baking powder, baking soda, and last but not least, salt.

%u00a0Yup, that sounds about right%u00a0 %u00a0The salt, baking soda, and baking powder are whisked together. The banana and all the rest of the stuff are mixed up%u2026 Then mix the wet mixture into the dry. Stir until combined and then add in the coconut flakes,Scoop mixture %u00a0into 12 lined muffin cups%u2026 A scoop like mine works very nicely. Don’t have one, well I recommend you get yourself one. Until then, use a spoon. Something I always do when baking any muffin is sprinkle the tops of each muffin with a bit of %u00a0sugar or brown sugar. It melts and caramelizes and adds a sweet little crunch to the tops.%u00a0

Now stick the muffins into the oven.%u00a0Remove from oven when they look like this, nice and golden brown. Also good idea to check with a tester stuck into the middle. When it comes out clean, they are done.12 happy little muffins cooling on a rack, waiting to be eaten with you mouth.%u00a0

Doesn’t the sight of pretty food make you happy, like sing a song happy?%u00a0Muffins, whoa yah!! %u00a0Friday yah yah!! %u00a0Spring%u2026What, Yah!! %u00a0Yah%u2026Yah Yah!!!

Terrible I know, but at least you were spared hearing my actual voice.%u00a0

Have a great weekend. Do lots of springy stuff!

-C

• 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 4 Ripe bananas
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/3 cup melted Coconut Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds + 3 Tablespoons warm water
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

Preheat oven to 350

In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons warm water to the chia seeds and let sit for at least 5 minutes (10 is better) In a large bowl, peel and mash the bananas until they turn into a kind of chunky soupy puree. %u00a0Add in brown sugar, chia seed mixture, vanilla extract, and the melted coconut oil (make sure it’s melted or it won’t incorporate into the mixture) Mix together. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix the wet mixture with the dry until combined then mix in the coconut flakes.%u00a0

Line a 12 cup muffin tin and fill each cup about 3/4 the way up with batter. Sprinkle each muffin with brown sugar and place in oven on center rack. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops 0f the muffins are golden brown and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.%u00a0

Remove muffins from tin and let cool.

Serve as is or maybe with a smudge of coconut butter, or anything you want really.

No need for fork, just use you mouth.

%u00a0 %u00a0%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0 TGIF!!!! For reals, because Monday-Thurday were monster days. And now that its friday, I can dig a hole and hide in it until it’s at least 30 degrees with some sunshine. (I might never get to come out.)

A few things I will bring in my hole:

• food (lots of food and coffee, lots of coffee)
• a soft blanket and pillow
• a few books, preferably with pictures, on farming and gardening (think spring!)
• the entire series of the Fresh Prince of Bel-air and a device to watch it on
• toothpaste (I can use my finger to brush my teeth)

But before I leave for my hole in the ground, I made these little cake bites to get my people through the weekend. Sweet little lemony bites of rich dense cake dipped into bittersweet chocolate. (I am just so nice) %u00a0They 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.%u00a0

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.%u00a0

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 %u00a09x13 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%u00a0 %u00a0to get 24 bites) and place bake into sheet and into freezer (I stuck mine outside, it was -2 degrees ) for at least 2 hours.%u00a0

Frozen bites ready for the chocolate coating%u2026 Bittersweet chocolate chips and a little bit of coconut oil. Melted together all nice and shiny smooth.Now dip and slather those bites in the melted chocolate.%u00a0

Oh what a lovely sister I have.. Look at her dunk%u2026.. like a boss!Fully coated and placed on a rack for the chocolate to harden. I %u00a0ended up sticking the rack in the freezer for 10 minutes%u2026They harder really fast in there.

And now you have some it, bites of cake covered in chocolate.%u00a01 bite, 2 bites%u20265 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.%u00a0

-C

Chocolate Lemon Cake Bite

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup %u00a0white sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) soft butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup milk
• 1 large or 2 small lemons
• 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Add butter %u00a0and 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. %u00a0Stick in oven and bake for about 3o minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out clean. Remove and let cool %u00a0for a few minutes on a %u00a0wire 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!