Coleslaw with Caraway and Raisins

Found this recipe in a Real Simple magazine. Just looking at the recipe, I thought it sounded good. Made it the other day, and it´s the best coleslaw. Very very tasty. I used a combo of plain yogurt & sour cream. It´s not too creamy/oily, like mayo ones.

Coleslaw with Caraway and Raisins

3/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
Kosher salt and pepper
1 small head green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
6 scallions, thinly sliced
2 carrots, grated
1 cup golden raisins

In a large bowl, whisk the sour cream, vinegar, caraway seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Add the cabbage, scallions, carrots, and raisins. Toss well and serve.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

from Real Simple recipes

For future reference...

in case one ever decides to re-roof:

DO NOT re-roof in late September/early October in southern Oregon (you’ll run into rain, and flood your building, thus forcing tenants to move)

DO NOT re-roof in early October in northeastern Washington (you’ll get cold/wet/rainy weather, thus holding up getting the new roof on, and freezing out your employees in the meantime (58.5F NOT comfortable for working at one’s desk for the next 10 hours))

Caramel-Apple Walnut Cake

It´s unfortunate that it´s getting to be fall. I´m not sure I´m ready for another cold, long, dark winter. One thing I do love about fall though is the apples - applesauce, apple cakes, apples & caramel, apple butter, apples in baked goods, warm apple cider. Throw some cinnamon, cloves, ginger, & nutmeg in with it, and mmm, yum. The smell of fall.

It´s too bad we´re both getting colds, otherwise I´d totally be out tomorrow to one of my favorite farms around getting some apples to make this recipe.

Peach Blueberry cake

We recently bought a bunch of peaches. I was going to can some, which I did, but we mainly ate them for breakfast, dinner, and then made a couple of these Peach Blueberry cakes, which we love. We first found this recipe two summers ago, made it then, then somehow forgot about it last year. I remembered it again this year. It has a wonderful fresh taste, just sweet enough, and I find it hard not to eat more than my share.

The recipe is fairly simple. Original recipe calls for quick cooking tapioca, but since I never have that on hand, I experimented with using cornstarch instead, and it works well.

Peach Blueberry cake recipe
Serves 8

Ingredients

Pastry Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Peach blueberry filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 TBSP cornstarch
2 lb firm-ripe large peaches (about 4), peeled, halved lengthwise, pitted, and each half cut lengthwise into fourths
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (bottled lemon juice works ok too)

1 Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add butter and cut it in just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add egg and vanilla and stir just until dough clumps and begins to form a ball.

2 Butter and dust with flour the inside of a 9 or 9.5 inch springform pan. Press dough (about 1/4 inch thick) onto bottom and evenly about two inches up side of springform pan. Chill pastry in pan until firm, about 10 minutes.

3 Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

4 While the pastry chills, combine sugar, flour and cornstarch. Add peaches, blueberries, and lemon juice and gently toss to coat.

5 Spoon filling into pastry and bake, loosely covered with a sheet of foil, until filling is bubbling in center and crust is golden, about 1 3/4 hours.

6 Transfer cake in pan to a rack and cool, uncovered, about 20 minutes, then carefully loosen or remove side of pan.

Cake may come out of the oven looking kind of liquidy still. The liquid will gel as the cake cools.

Itś great with a (generous) dollop of freshly whipped cream.

Recipe originally found here.

Make Ahead Brownie Delight

I was going through some old work papers, and found this recipe. I saw it and knew that it was one I had to keep and make soon. I made it recently for a work function - it was a hit. We considered having a party this week, just to eat this again! Unfortunately I didn't get a picture, and mine didn't look quite this nice, but I'm sure it tasted just as good.



Before we begin, my notes: I used some random Pillsbury brownie mix, because I didn't find Rich & Moist. I also didn't find vanilla chips, so just used vanilla extract w/ the cream cheese instead. I think the vanilla chips would make it a bit thicker and creamy, but it didn't seem to be a problem without them. I used frozen raspberries on top instead of fresh, and raspberry jam slightly thinned and whisked til smooth instead of making a sauce from the frozen, sugar, and cornstarch. I also didn't make the fancy piped side, I just slapped it all on the top. I don't think it was worse for any of those substitutions. I think it tasted a bit better the second day in (more moist).

Make Ahead Brownie Delight

1 pkg (1lb 3.5oz) Pillsbury Rich & Moist Fudge Brownie Mix
1/2 c oil
1/4 c water
2 eggs
3/4 c large chocolate chips or chunks
2 c whipping cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 c white vanilla chips, melted
1 10oz pkg frozen raspberries, thawed
3 TBSP sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 c fresh raspberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 9 inch springform pan. In large bowl, combine brownie mix, oil, water, and eggs. Beat 50 strokes with spoon. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread batter in greased pan.

Bake 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled.

In a large bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. In large bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar; beat until smooth. Stir in melted vanilla chips. Fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream. Reserve 1 cup mixture for piped edge; spread remaining mixture over brownie. Using decorator bag fitted with star tip (1/4 to 3/8 inch opening), pipe decorative edge around brownie, making sure border doesn´t touch side of pan. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile in food processor bowl with metal blade or blender container, process raspberries with syrup until smooth. Strain to remove seeds. In small saucepan, combine 3 TBSP sugar and cornstarch; stir in raspberry puree. Cook stir over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens. Cool to room temperature.

About 1 hour before serving, arrange fresh raspberries over filling. Refrigerate until serving time. With sharp knife, loosen dessert from sides of pan; remove sides of pan. Cut into wedges. Serve with raspberry sauce. Store in refrigerator.

Serves 16.

Granola bars

Our new favorite granola bars, homemade none-the-less.

I used almonds instead of pecans, and toasted my oats a little too long. But theyŕe still delicious. We think better than store bought.

Fun!

So, not our kitties, but definitely they would have enjoyed meeting up with the puffer fish we found in Cabo!

Check out how you can make fun photos here

trampoline gymnastics

I've not heard of this before, but I think I'd really like to take part in Trampoline Gymnastics in the Olympics.

Metromint - water+mint

I had read about Metromint, basically mint flavored water (some have other add-ins). It kind of intrigued me. I then found them on sale, 10/$10 at Fred Meyer last week. So I figured I would give them a try.

I got the Orangemint and Chocolatemint. I was kind of excited to try them. I opened the Orangemint and took a sip. Then decided I did not really want any more. The Orangemint tastes like stale water with the peppermint gritty tooth paste stuff that the dentist cleans your teeth with, plus a hint of orange. As soon as the flavor hits my tongue, the association with the dentistś office kicks in and makes me not want to swallow, even though I know itś water.

The Chocolatemint was not as bad, it tastes like a less minty Andes mint, with a little stale water taste.

So, if you were considering Metromint water, I would say save your money. Buy a lemon or lime, make some other water that tastes yummy.

Chai Ice Cream

Back in February or something, when it was still freezing here, my husband found this awesome recipe for Chai Ice Cream. I love Chai tea, and knew this ice cream would be delicious. But it was February, and freezing, so the idea of making ice cream didn't appeal to me.

On Friday while out shopping, I remembered the recipe, and got ingredients for it. Made it yesterday for some friends and now we want more! Itś our new favorite flavor... A bit time intensive to make, but so worth it.

Misc.

our awesome hail, flowers, etc. found here

overheard

“you get some hindsight ahead of time”


... uh, wouldn't that then be foresight?

hot weather = cool treats

I decided since it's hot, we need cool things to eat.

I made some pineapple coconut popsicles (blended pineapple juice, a couple bananas and coconut milk). We found small size popsicle things at the dollar store. Only there's a slight problem to solve before we get to eat one - the sticks come out, but not the popsicle itself...



These yummy sandwiches are from Real Simple


Frozen Chocolate Sandwiches
Real Simple Magazine

3/4 cup whole milk
24 marshmallows
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated or chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
18 graham crackers

Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil, allowing the foil to hang
over the sides.

Heat the milk and marshmallows in a large saucepan over low heat,
stirring often, until smooth. Remove from heat. Add the chocolate and
stir until melted and smooth. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the cream
until stiff peaks form. Working quickly, fold the whipped cream into
the chilled chocolate mixture, mixing until no traces of white remain.
Spoon into the prepared dish. Tap the dish on the counter to remove
air bubbles. Freeze, covered, until set, at least 3 hours.

Holding both sides of the foil, transfer the frozen block to a cutting
board. Cut into 24 squares.

Break the graham crackers in half. Layer the chocolate squares between
the crackers to make 12 double-decker sandwiches. Place the sandwiches
on a plate, cover, and return to freezer until ready to serve.

Yield: Makes 12 sandwiches

I spread peanut butter on a few of the graham crackers. I may just add it to the marshmallow/chocolate mix next time. Or experiment adding peppermint or other flavorings, or using white chocolate instead.

I think this easily could turn into a frozen pie also...

How are you staying cool?

Rhubarb Whip

A new, yummy recipe I came up with. I’m going to try to figure out how to thicken it enough to put it into a graham cracker pie crust. Mmmm, yum.

Take some fresh rhubarb,

slice it into bite-size pieces, throw into a pot. Add a little water. You don’t want too much water, as rhubarb tends to create its own juice as it cooks and you can end up with super runny rhubarb sauce, which is not what you want. (Usually it’s just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot)

Cook on medium-high heat until soft.

Just as the rhubarb is getting soft, add some fresh or frozen (but partially thawed) strawberries.

If the rhubarb strawberry sauce is soupy, you’ll want to thicken it. Add cornstarch (or equivalent) to thicken it. You also could add a strawberry Jello packet, which will thicken it some and add sweetness and more flavor. Also add enough sugar to suit your taste. Let cool, then place in fridge for a few hours until chilled through.

Once the rhubarb strawberry sauce has cooled, pull out your whipping cream.

Add 1 TBSP sugar and 1 tsp vanilla and whip to soft peaks.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the rhubarb strawberry sauce. You decide the ratio of sauce to whipped cream.

Enjoy plain, with baby pecan pie muffins, with pancakes, French toast or waffles, or with graham crackers crushed and sprinkled on top. You will want to eat it within a day, because the whipped cream loses it's whip.

pop it

For the times when you really just wish you had some bubble wrap to pop!

Yummy grilled cheese

EatingWell.com is one of my new favorite sites to find recipes. I´ve made a few things from there that have been really good.

The other day I came across the Southwestern Cheese Panini. I knew it would be good. Made it last night, and added an Armand Salad. Was about the best dinner I´ve had in awhile.

Free Ice Cream!!

For those that love free things, especially food, like me, Ben & Jerry’s is having free cone/scoop day next Tuesday, April 29th from 12-8:00pm .

So, I hope you have one near you :)

Popsicles

Popsicles are great, but I'm thinking I'll skip these. Somehow I think Jackie would like them though :)

awesome salad

Asian Noodle Salad from The Pioneer Woman is SO good! Tired of all the snow and cold, this salad gives a great hint of summer and warm weather.

My personal notes – This recipe makes a TON! I used 1/4 of a regular green cabbage I had instead of Napa, used only half a small purple cabbage, 1.5 cucumbers, and used 2/3 of the noodles called for. I brought it to potluck in a monster bowl (think 5qt), and almost all of it was eaten within two sittings. Unfortunately I have another 8-10 cup bowl at home still full of it. If I made it again, I’d probably do it at least in half, and quarters for just two of us. That would be plenty.

I also forgot to add lime juice, didn’t have cilantro, didn’t have fresh ginger (but added powdered), didn’t have sesame oil but substituted a little canola, and didn’t add hot peppers, just a bit of cayenne. It still was great!

She has fun pictures, discussion and such on the website, but here’s the simple recipe without all the extra.

Asian Noodle Salad
adapted from Jamie Oliver

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled

1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin (if available)
1 small bag bean sprouts (also called “mung bean sprouts”)
3 sliced scallions
3 peeled, sliced cucumbers
LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet

DRESSING:

Juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapeños, chopped
More chopped cilantro—LOTS

Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.
*Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro.

Pecan Pie Muffins

Found this recipe for Pecan Pie Muffins in June 2007 Guideposts Magazine. They sounded good, so I had to try them. They're really easy, and quite good. Definitely not something to eat every day though!

Pecan Pie Muffins
by Kathy Schendle

1 c light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c chopped pecans
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 c butter softened

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin cups with paper muffin liners. Stir together brown sugar, flour and pecans. In separate bowl beat eggs and butter until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients until just combined. Spoon batter into muffin cups, about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire racks when done.

My notes: I didn't want to use that much butter, so I used half butter (melted) and half oil. It seemed to work ok. I would try using applesauce next time.
I doubled the recipe, used my large muffin pans, and got 6 large muffins. I don't have large muffin liners, but definitely would use them because the muffins are kinda gooey, and hard to get out of the pan w/o the liner.
I would also suggest small muffins, as one large one is quite sweet.

5min

So I've not found anything super helpful here yet, but it sure is kinda fun to browse. Though the flaming tea bag and the magic rainbow milk are cool.

oohhh, maybe there's a new use for the crapper.

PostSecret Valentine video

I'm totally digging this song on the PostSecret Valentine video. (The video's awesome too!)

Ouch Charlie

I want a child with a british accent

More

New posts over here

My new chair

My chair at work is junk. The back falls down weekly, and it's not really supportive. I've wanted a new chair for a couple years now, but haven't found one I like.

But today, I think I found my new chair - the Hawaii Chair. I saw it on the Ellen DeGeneres show, and totally think it's what I need.

Wonder if my boss will support it. I think my budget for a new chair is $299.

Z Gallerie

Ok, I'm sure there's really cool places like Z Gallerie here where I live, but I don't know about them. I want cool fun stores like this in my town (along with Crate & Barrel, West Elm, etc.)

what's your rule of thumb

Awesome website. I could waste a lot of time here...