Cowboys and a puppy

Over the summer I went a little crazy and bought a few more cookbooks, or should I say baking books. I know, I don't really need more (considering I already have several books that I haven't even used yet), but I enjoy reading cookbooks like avid readers breeze through novels, and a few more baked goods as a result doesn't hurt, right?

One of my new favorites, Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented, has some awesome pictures, and was written by two advertisers turned bakers from Brooklyn, NY.

I started with something easy, Cowboy cookies, which (in their "reinvented" version) replaced nuts with pretzel pieces and included a dash of espresso....yumm! (the lighting was bad...)

On another note, my sister got a puppy last week! She's awfully cute, chubby, and moves like a clumsy fat kid :)

Meet Maisie!

Similar to Penny and Callie, Maisie is also a goldendoodle. She's predicted to be somewhere around 35-40lbs full grown, but considering her hefty size, I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up a little larger.

Oh, and I've been obsessed with peaches lately...yes, one of my favorite fruits....I eat them or put them on everything! This is my current fix of the moment... (again, bad lighting)

Mixed greens, grilled chicken, sliced peaches, feta cheese, and a vinaigrette.

The windy city

Working for a school district lends itself to having, at least, a partial summer vacation (and I'm not complaining, partial is better than non at all!), so I spent a week in Chicago with my family. It was the first time to the windy city for all of us, but I would say that rather than wind, that we were hit with scorching heat, humidity, and periodic down pours...sometimes all in the same day.

We did some of the "touristy" things....architectual boat tour, the Art Institute, Frank Lloyd Wright home tour, etc.

"The Bean"

My sister and I taking a picture of our reflection inside the bean.

The Girl and the Goat is a semi-new restaurant who's executive chef is Stephanie Izard, winner of The Food Network's Top Chef. This place is booked months in advance, so we had to get there when the doors opened at 4:30pm to get one of the few open tables they keep daily. The small plates are served family style and come out in non particular order; here are a few I remembered to take pictures of.

 chickpeas fritters . romesco . hazelnut hummus . sesame . goat feta

grilled baby octopus . guanciale . wax beans . radish . favas. pistachio-lemon vinaigrette 

We also made our way to The Purple Pig, another small plate restaurant specializing in wines and, of course, pig products. Everything was tasty, but I think we were all a little pigged-out by the end of the night.

Pig jowl. It tasted pretty much like good, fancy bacon!

Towards the end of the week, there was a heavy downpour that left 7 inches of rain in one night. The next morning, it was still raining, and we couldn't walk a block without getting completely drenched. The weird part....it was still pretty warm outside.

I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the cool architecture, but I did remember to take this one from inside one of the financial buildings.

And, of course, I had to go into every local bakery that I cam across. This one was in the Lincoln Park area, Sweet Mandy B's. This is an example of my ideal second career....baking lots of yummy goodies, all day long :)

All in all, it was a good trip, but after a week away, it's nice to be back home. Now, back to the perks of home ownership...replacing the flooring throughout the entire house, fixing up the yard, finally moving into MY room (and off the mattress on the floor), and enjoying my last week of vacation before I head back to work. Summer vacation is never long enough....

Busy, busy

It's been over a month since my last post...I've been super busy to say the least. At work, the end of the school year is a crazy, chaotic jumble of days; by the time I get home, walk to dog, and eat dinner, all I want to do is veg in front of the TV. Now, the school year, is over, and I've been working the first couple of weeks of extended school year (special ed summer school), but this week will be my last, and I can pretty much say that I'll be on summer vacation (except for 2 check-in days in July)!!!

Aside from work, I also bought my first home! This, of course, creates a whole new list of things to keep me busy, but it's also fun because it is MY place...not another person's place that I'll be living in.

Needless to say, I haven't had all that much time to bake, but my new place has an awesome oven, so be prepared for more baked goods in the future.

Here are a few things that I did get the opportunity to whip up....mostly for celebratory purposes...birthdays, Father's day, and cultural festivities.

For Boris' birthday....a group of us went to SF for some yummy Peruvian food , then red velvet whoopie pies with cream cheese filling for dessert! 

In honor of the Dragon Boat Festival - these are like the Chinese version of Mexican tamales...filled with sticky rice, peanuts, chestnuts, meat, and some other flavorful things, and wrapped with bamboo leaves....joong! The filling is raw; after they are assembled you have to cook them in boiling water for 4-5 hours.

For Father's day, lemon meringue cake. I had some fun with a blow torch and cooked the meringue in the flames. Unfortunately, I didn't have a kitchen torch, which emits a less intense flame, and probably would have resulted in a more evenly toasted outside...maybe a potential birthday present? :)

Oh, and I had some extra batter, so I made a regular-sized cake and a mini one that I gave to my neighbors.

More to come soon....I promise :)

Homemade granola

I am typically a cereal person in the morning (mostly because it's the quickest thing to eat), but every once in a while it's nice to change things up. When I go home to visit my family in Chico, this granola is always in the pantry. Most people think granola is a hard thing to make, but it's actually quite easy and quick.

All you do is...

 Dump the ingredients into a bowl.....

Melt some honey into oil and vanilla....

Mix it all together and spread out on a sheet pan....

Bake.....

 And eat!

And this time I'll actually post the recipe too. Note: Ingredients don't have to be measured super precisely....and you can add/eliminate things to your preference....it's fun to experiment!

Suzanne's Famous Cashew Granola

adapted from Cafe Beaujolais

4  cups      Regular oats (not instant or quick-cooking)

2/3 cup     Wheat germ or oat bran

2/3 cup     Unsweetened big flake coconut

6  Tb        Sesame seeds

6 Tb         Sunflower seeds

1/2 cup     Cashews

1/2 cup     Raw pumpkin seeds

2/3 cup     Corn oil

1/3 cup     Honey

1 tsp         Vanilla

1/4 tsp      Salt

1/2 cup     Dried fruit (optional - I don't usually put this in, but it's totally up to your preference)

Mix together oats, wheat germ or oat bran, coconut, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and nuts in a large bowl,

In a saucepan, combine corn oil, honey, vanilla, and salt. Cook over low heat until honey is melted. Pour over dry mixture and blend thoroughly.

Spread out in a lightly greased 10x15x1-inch pan and bake at 300 degrees for 35-45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes.

Cool thoroughly, add optional fruit or raisins, and store in a plastic bag or airtight container.

Serve with fresh fruit, yogurt, or milk.

Happy Friday :)

Post Mother's Day

I went home for Mother's Day weekend. The weather was nice (although a bit windy at times), and my sister came back too....which doesn't happen all that often. The family went to see the spring musical at Laxon, which was actually kind of a disappointment; some people left at intermission.

I made some almond macarons...

I had to weigh out all of the ingredients with a digital scale.

 The macarons resting before going in the oven.

Filling and stacking.

The finished product!

We took a trip to San Diego earlier this year and ended up at a nice breakfast place called The Mission, that makes yummy juevos rancheros....my mom was able to replicate it pretty well.

 Tortillas, eggs, ham, green salsa, black beans, and an egg!

My sister and I always have trouble trying to figure out what to get our mom for Mother's day. A while back my mom and I came across a cute pin cushion; we bought the pattern and I turned it into a Mother's day gift! This was my first 3-dimensional sewing adventure; don't look too closely, or you'll see all of it's imperfections.

My mom ended up cutting me some roses from the yard to take home...my place smells yummy!

Sunday in Napa

I spent today in Napa; it's only about 45 minutes from Davis, which makes a day-trip very feasible! It was a sunny 80 degrees outside....finally, it's starting to look like spring!

I had lunch at Ubuntu - a Michelin star, meat-free restaurant. Some dishes were better than others, but overall it was a tasty experience. Here are a few of the things from the menu...

 Green garlic and fava bean soup shot

Stewed chickpeas with sauce romesco and a poached egg

Dessert: Milk chocolate pudding with satsumas and tarragon/citrus granita

In the afternoon.....

Oxbow Public Market

And a trip to Kenzo Estate Winery for a private tasting and tour.

The caves - single stacked barrels for easier access and transport

 The tasting room

 Private tasting room, with snacks!

 The understated entrance (Lindsey and Nick leaving)

Since it was sunny and warm all weekend, I spent very little time at home, which means I spent no time baking/cooking; but don't worry, with Mother's day next weekend, there will definitely be some goodies coming soon!

Food, friends, and a little bit of Easter

I spent this past weekend in the bay, wandering around the city, hanging out with friends, and visiting with family. I went my first Underground Market, where you stand in numerous lines to eat food produced in the home kitchens of the local folk. We got to taste some pretty yummy stuff....lumpia, empanadas, fish tacos, and mac n' cheese. Even after stuffing our stomachs, we made our way to Bi-Rite for some ice cream...must have dessert!

This weekend....

I also had some tasty ramen.

And an old lady at the next table made us a lovely chopstick rest.

The sun finally came out Sunday afternoon.

Penny finally let Elise carry her...for about 10 seconds.

Lindsey rode around the tennis court on a giant scooter.

And of course, I was in charge of dessert for the evening.

Rainbow Cookies:
a confection made with layers of brightly colored,
almond-based sponge cake, apricot  jam, and a chocolate coating

 

 Chick cake pop

A fun, yet busy, weekend, complete!