Monthly Archives: July 2012

pumpkin spice cream stuffed egg waffles

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I love the idea of eating a waffle on the street. Earlier this year when my sister got an eggette pan from her husband, I learned that egg waffles are traditionally served on the street in Hong Kong! We like to enjoy them around the dinner table here, pulling the little circles apart and piecing at the sweet custardy bread with friends and family. My niece calls them Octopus Waffles and likes them with powdered sugar; I call them Bubble Wrap Waffles and like them with cinnamon sugar; my sister usually makes the waffles and likes hers with whipped cream and berries. This day we three got in the kitchen and made a rich cannoli and falltime inspired egg waffle. The recipe is from the egg waffle pan, and the pumpkin spice cream filling recipe below is adapted from a JELL-O advertisement I once tore out of a magazine. Sprinkled with chocolate chips and wrapped up, it’s a breakfast dessert that’s good on the go!

Pumpkin Spice Cream Filling

Whisk together:
1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix
1/3 cup cold milk
1 t. pumpkin spice

Fold in:
3 cups whipped cream (homemade or Cool Whip)

If you don’t have an icing bag, just dollop it on with a spoon. It also works wonderfully in donut holes or spread between cake layers.

roasted analogous roots

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I unloaded my farmers market basket of root vegetables and realized that they made up a loose analogous color scheme: parsnips, beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes!  I liked them all together so much that I decided they should simply be roasted together.  Tossed up with olive oil, salt, and pepper in a 425-degree oven for about 30-40 minutes (longer for thicker), they ensued sweet folksy nourishment.

sports & science fan turns seven

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I went to a sweet and rambunctious birthday celebration for my nephew this week. We had fun doing science experiments (elephant toothpaste, lava in a cup, homemade bouncy balls) and playing games (basketball, tag, water balloon pinata) with his old kindergarten classmates. Don’t you love the cake? My sister made a fudgy football field with icing turf; we almost forgot what green grass looks like during this drought! I think the birthday boy felt the love as he passed out pieces of the field to his friends in his newly stained birthday/gameday knees.

sunbutter crispy treat cups

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A few months ago I stopped eating nuts (almost drove me nuts) as part of an anti-inflammatory diet. One of the best parts of that experience, in addition to assuaging frequent migraines, was discovering sunflower seed butter. I now prefer it to peanut butter, hazelnut butter, and even almond butter. So far I have tasted three different brands from the store and found that Sunbutter is the sweetest (I inevitably added honey to the other two).

The following recipe is a combination of several allergen-free “rice crispy” recipes that are made with sunflower butter. This time I decided to mold them into cups that could be easily wrapped up in cupcake papers for individual treats. They are easier to make (if that’s possible) than traditional marshmallow crispies, vegan-friendly, and taste a bit like Scotcheroos.

Makes 12 Sunbutter Crispy Cups

3 cups crisp rice cereal
1/2 cup sunflower butter
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

optional: 1/4 cup of mix-ins (chocolate covered sunflower seeds, dried fruit, etc.)

Grease muffin tins or pan with butter, oil, or spray.

Melt the sunflower butter and brown rice syrup over the stovetop, fire, or in the microwave. Add the vanilla & salt until well combined.

Mix in the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Press firmly into your pan or muffin cups with a spatula, icy fingers, or greasy spoon.

Place the dish in the freezer or on ice for 30 minutes or so. Pop out when ready to eat.

I’ve added this recipe to my list of no-bake sweet treats to make while camping!

dot art for future morsels

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It’s no secret that fall is my favorite season of the year, but I promise that my niece chose those dot art pages on her own accord. While we sat at the kitchen table working away with paint sticks and colored pencils, she told me about the Jack Be Little and Sugar Pumpkin seeds that started sprouting in her garden outside. How exciting to watch them grow! I thought it might be fun to make polka dot pumpkin cookies inspired by our pictures this fall, but I realized that the color scheme had already influenced a sunbutter rice crispy treat recipe I made yesterday (upcoming post). My sister, fellow lover of fall-time, told me that my niece cut out our bright leaf and pumpkin pictures and strung them together to make a garland for her play kitchen. I’d say the dot art doesn’t fall too far from that tree.

jelly belly bubbly

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One Christmas (years prior to drinking age), my Aunt Priscilla set out an assortment of Jelly Belly jelly beans at her house along with a recipe chart of jelly bean flavor equations.  My young and curious sweet tooth struggled to be polite while resisting the urge to empty the tray and taste test every listed combination.  I remember wishing that I could invent my own someday as I attempted to simulate a banana split experience in my mouth with jelly beans.

This year over the 4th, my niece and nephew introduced me to Jelly Belly syrup flavors.  In between water fights with their neighbors, they mixed Blue Raspberry Jelly Belly and Root Beer Jelly Belly flavored sno cones in the backyard.  I also enjoyed a sno cone that afternoon, except I toasted to American adulthood and topped off my shaved ice with bourbon.  Beam over bean, I said in my head.  After all, I am a fall-weather gal, and it was upwards of 110-degrees out there.

It seems like those little gourmet gelatinous beans come in just about every flavor but bourbon, and now at least a dozen candy syrups are available at most stores in town.  So I thought, why not put together a Jelly Belly Champagne cocktail?  A jelly bean alone seems to fit the amorphous cocktail description of “a mixture of substances.” Let me be clear about one thing though, this bubbly bean beverage must be classified as a kitschy candy cocktail.  I would never think of disgracing Madame Clicquot by polluting her perfectly golden dry bubbles with shaved ice, not to mention jelly bean flavored corn syrup. This concoction is for the cheap stuff!

Place jelly beans in the bottom of your cone or glass, cover them with shaved ice, pour about two tablespoons of Jelly Belly flavored syrup over the ice, and top off with champagne.  The drink also works w/o alcohol (use sparkling cider or Perrier with the syrup and ice).  Pink colored Tutti Fruitti with champagne tastes like bubbly bubble gum; Grape or Root Beer are fun to mix with brown liquor.

What else?  Jelly Bellies and their syrups are gluten free, and jelly beans turn into gummy beans as they effervesce.  Dare I suggest that drinking a jelly bean cocktail can simulate childhood while being an adult… just be responsible and don’t take yourself too seriously.

breakfast at wimbledon (in indiana)

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When the players take the grass on center court in England, it is 9am here in the States. We turn the TV set on, and John McEnroe welcomes us to breakfast at Wimbledon. But where’s the grub, Johnny Mac?

One year during the tournament I was staying with my aunt and uncle who are also tennis fans. I will never forget my Uncle George bringing eggs, bacon, and orange juice out to us in the living room during the championship match. “It’s breakfast at Wimbledon, dummy,” he said. Yes it is!

Most years for me, it’s coffee at Wimbledon, but this year I put together a breakfast for my folks (not to mention that they get ESPN, so I can actually watch the sportscast). I baked everything in a 350-degree oven, and the results were nearly trophy worthy.

Nutty Zucchini Boats w/o Nuts
Start with halved zucchini (thank you Mary for sharing your abundance!) and scoop out the middle. Lightly coat in olive oil, sprinkle with raw sunflower seeds, shredded pecorino romano cheese, and a pinch of salt & pepper. Bakes about 35 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Figs & Pineapple Chunks
Halve raw figs (I used California Mission Figs this time) and chop up chunks of fresh pineapple. Get the best bacon strips you can find and cut them in thirds. Wrap each fig half and pineapple chunk in bacon and secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle smoked demerara sugar (ordered some from 240Sweet) over the tops. Brown sugar will substitute. Bakes about 30 minutes.

Ramekin Baked Eggs
Sautee onions, mushrooms, and spinach in olive oil over low heat until the spinach wilts. Place this mix (or whatever mix you like: add peppers, ham, etc) in the bottom of a ramekin. Crack 1-2 eggs over the mix. Spoon 1 teaspoon of heavy cream over each egg. Sprinkle shredded pecorino romano (or your fav. cheese) over the tops, dot with olive oil, and a pinch of salt & pepper. I put my ramekins in a casserole dish and filled the bottom of the dish with water. This step may not be necessary. If you prefer a runny yolk, watch the oven. Bakes about 25 minutes.

Serve with toast, jam, and beverages. CONGRATULATIONS SERENA & ROGER. Hooray over 30 club; looking forward to the Olympics!

old glory pudding

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Patriotic pudding, why not? The recipe below is my first attempt at creating a dairy/soy/egg-free pudding. My main modifications to the traditional vegan pudding recipes I found are substituting granulated sugar with pure maple syrup and using rice milk. I have yet to express my love of pudding on this blog, but that day will soon come. In the meantime, I would love to hear about any and all of your favorite puddings.

Vegan Vanilla Bean Pudding (4 servings)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (I am trying this part next with honey)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups rice milk (use any kind of milk you have)
1/4 vanilla bean scrapings

Mix maple syrup, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Gradually incorporate the rice milk. Stir constantly to avoid bumps.

Cook the mix over low heat. Stir constantly until thickened (hang in there, it will happen!). Cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring a little less.

Take off of the heat and add vanilla. Cool on the stovetop for about ten minutes, stirring every now and then. Pour pudding into serving dish(es) and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until you can’t wait any longer!

Add fruit/whipped topping/granola/cookies/whatever, and enjoy.

The hint of maple in the pudding paired with the blueberries tasted like eating a blueberry pancake with a different texture. In the future, I think I will use it more like a glaze for dessert pizza or chilled berry tarts. The flavor was most enhanced by using scrapings from a vanilla bean, but you could use any extract of your choosing to perk up the flavor with fun combinations.

sesame sauce 2x

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There’s a sauce I’ve been digging, and it goes like this: whisk together equal parts tahini (sesame paste), maple syrup, and balsamic vinegar / season with salt and pepper to taste / toss with your favorite noodles or use as a dip for your favorite prepared veggies. This combo is simple, perky, nutty, and just sweet enough (I think I wouldn’t mind being described that way – ha).

Lately I have enjoyed the sauce on sweet potato/buckwheat noodles with toasted sesame seeds and over brown rice noodles and steamed broccoli (the latter I enjoy most as a cold noodle dish; it’s toothy and all the more flavorful after fridging overnight). If you are using this sauce with noodles, be sure to first anoint the noodles with a little olive oil before mixing in the sauce. An 8 oz. package of noodles needs about 2 tablespoons of each sauce ingredient.