There Is No Good Way to Photograph an Orange Popsicle

Feel free to try and prove me wrong people.  I dare you!  Because with the shape of my popsicle molds and the light orangey color to the popsicle I've created, there is no way to politely (um, how do I put this?) photograph it in which it does not look like an appendage of sorts.

But with this randomly hot weather in California right now (November 90's, what?) it's the perfect time for DIY popsicles.  When you go to buy unprocessed, un-corn syruped, natural popsicles at the store, you're likely to pay anywhere between $3.50-$6.00 for a box of 4.  That's a little expensive for something you can make 6 of at home with a minimal investment in both time and effort.

I know that the below is technically a recipe, but it's so easy I doubt that you'll think of it as one!  With a few accessible ingredients like canned pumpkin and yogurt or milk all thrown in a blender, it's a fun and done way to stay cool and have a sweet treat.  As always, you can adapt the recipe to suit your needs- Dairy Free? Use a substituted milk like rice, hemp or coconut.  Lactose Free?  Lactose free yogurt or milk are both readily available and work well.  Be aware if you use milk or a milk substitute that the popsicles will be icier in consistency.  If you use yogurt though, it tastes a little Pinkberry-esque and isn't too sweet (which I loved!)

Pumpkin Pie Popsicles

See, I told you!  And this was the best one...

Ingredients:

1 cup canned/fresh cooked pumpkin

6 oz vanilla yogurt (I love Brown Cow,only yogurt that doesn't make me sick!) or milk or milk substitute

1/2 cup agave

nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger combo or pumpkin pie spice to taste (start at a tsp and add more if desired)

splash of vanilla extract (optional)

Directions:

In a blender, combine all ingredients until well blended.

Pour into 6 popsicle molds and freeze for at least 5 hours (overnight freezing preferred.)

Go do something else.  You're done!  That was fast huh?

Fall or Nothing

First off readers, I want to thank you for your wonderful words of encouragement during my little hiatus.  I don't exactly feel better, but I certainly haven't stopped cooking!

I have been taking it easy though, making easy to put together dinners and actually using other people's recipes to bake things *gasp*, but I can't not cook during The Fall.  Oh fall, how you are my favorite food-time of the year!  Squash, pumpkin products, ciders, mulled wine, cranberries.  Um, can you say yum?!  And since I am obsessed with fall foods, the second Spaghetti Squash started popping up everywhere I had one in my cart faster than you can arrest Lindsay Lohan again.  But I digress-

Spaghetti Squash is extremely, extremely easy to roast up.  You give the outside a little wash, poke some holes in it, and roast it in the oven for about an hour and a half (for the big ones), and voila!  Instant entree, side dish or ingredient.  Nature, how'd you know I like my food so easy and tasty?

So because I'm taking it easy, I made a super easy dish with my squash: A Fake Pasta Bake.  I can make a pasta bake in my sleep.  Its a go-to whip together nutritious meal that will satisfy even the hungriest dinner guests.  But every once and a while, even I need a break from rice (shocking I know) so I use spaghetti squash instead of rice pasta.  To keep it lower in fat and cholesterol, I also substitute 1% cottage cheese for ricotta.  When you're baking Italian food, you can't really taste the difference in the end product unless you are very much the authentic foodie.  To the lay person's tongue cottage cheese for ricotta is a sneaky way of being satisfied without sacrificing your health at the same time.  And once you see this thing, seriously, you'll forget to ask what's in it!

Spaghetti Squash "Pasta" Bake

Ingredients:

1 large spaghetti squash (prepared plain; here's how to)

16 oz of low-fat/fat-free cottage cheese

1/4 cup-1 cup of part-skim mozzarella cheese

spaghetti sauce to taste (I don't use that much, but certainly you don't need more than a jar)

olive oil

basil, parsley, salt, pepper to taste

vegetables (optional)

egg (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take prepared spaghetti squash and mix in a bowl with drizzles of olive oil, sauce, cottage cheese, seasoning, and optional vegetables and/or egg or some mozzarella*

*The egg is to help the bake hold up however it is relatively easy to shape up with mozzarella mixed in instead if you have an egg allergy.

I mixed it in the pan because I'm lazy.  This is before anything went in

Dump mixture into a lightly oiled 9x13 pan.

Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake lightly covered for 20 minutes, uncovered for 10-20 additional minutes.

Cut and serve; careful it's hot!

Now that wasn't so hard, was it?  Enjoy this treat as much as you can before the fall foods disappear.  You should see the stockpile of pumpkin I have going on!

Weather/Blanket

I've been a bit under the weather again reader.  It doesn't mean I'm not cooking, I'm just not cooking as fun and/or complicated dishes that require recipes.  Sandwiches on Food for Life GF bread.  Cereal.  Pasta.  Yogurts.  Even Amy's frozen GF Mac&Cheese (I swear that stuff's so addictive it has crack in it!)  Meat and rice dishes.

You see, I've been going through another rough spot with my tummy and energy quotient.  I did get a little ambitious when I made a pot roast with honey, a savory onion noodle kugel (w/ tinkyada pasta), and a gluten-free, allergen free challah for Rosh Hashana, and I do promise to post them up as soon as I can :)  I just had to go on break mode for a bit.

I hate taking breaks from my blog.  Writing and sharing my cooking and baking experiments with you all gives me such joy, but sometimes I need to take a mini-break from my extra-curriculars.  A life pause, if you will.  I need to let myself be under the weather, and maybe even hide under a blanket for a while (metaphorical or literal.)

It's always been difficult for me to take these little life pauses.  Once upon a time, I was very go, go, go!  Active.  Social.  I'm still active, mostly because I'm too stubborn to give in to my endlessly fickle body, but it just requires more push through, more strength, and as a result- give me my blanket to hide under for an hour or two!

I think it's hardest sometimes to let yourself rest- to give yourself permission not to do anything.  Especially when you're a workaholic, activity-aholic like me.  I don't like saying to myself, today I have to place a limit or I have to say enough.  But there can be another side to this.  A break doesn't have to be a negative thing.  It can be recognizing that you have a different kind of strength:  the strength to just be.  Just sit quietly with yourself.  Just be under a blanket and heal up a little bit.  And so dear reader, here I sit at my desk just being (okay, I'm working a little bit. I have a job you know! hehe.)  I may not be the strongest in body as of late, but I am strong in mind and spirit.  And hey, that can be good enough for me today.

Look forward to actually posting some great food soon.  Please excuse my turtle-like pace ;)

Slow and steady...

Who Am I?

No, this is not in reference to the movie Zoolander.  This is a real question reader.  Who am I?

I am a lot of things.  People who know me, know this.  So how do I make myself into a singular pie? That was our thought-provoking challenge this month for You Want Pies With That?, brought to us by the extremely talented Branny of Branny Boils Over.  Technically we're to: "Choose a pie that best represents your personality and use your blog write-up to justify your choice."


This left me thinking, hmmmm, tricky... but in the best of ways.  I mean there's so much to say about myself; it's not going to be easy to let the pie do the talking. And then I re-evaluated.  The pie doesn't have to be a piece for company, it just has to be a piece of me.  The result:  I've made a pie I've always wanted to make, simple and quiet looking with a deliciously bold undertone: Chocolate Ginger Ganache Pie.


Why is this pie like me?
1) I look sweet and quiet from a distance, until you realize I'm subtly spicy and sassy.
2) It's gluten and soy free, just like me (that part was easy!)
3) Two of my favorite things are chocolate and ginger.  Both are in the filling, yay.
4) It's hard to take in all at once.  I admit that sometimes I can be a bit overwhelming, just like the rich   and bold flavors in this pie.  Small doses/slices may be better until a taste is acquired ;)


I wish I were smooth and rich like this pie, but sadly I cannot claim to be either.  The pie is also super easy which is definitely not how I'd want to describe myself! (insert uncomfortable silence here, reader)

Chocolate Ginger 

Ganache Pie

(no gluten, eggs or soy here)
(those little bubbles are the pieces of ginger, yum)
 

Ingredients:

Favorite single crust pie crust, add some dried ginger and bake. (I halved the recipe here)

2 inches of fresh ginger root, peeled

24 oz chocolate (I use allergy-free Enjoy Life chips)

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

Cool baked pie crust, dust with sugar and set aside.

Place chocolate in a heat-safe mixing bowl (like a glass pyrex bowl).

In a saucepan, soak peeled ginger in cream for at least 30 minutes.

Bring the cream to a boil, careful not to scald the cream.  

Remove from heat and remove ginger root quickly.

Pour the cream slowly over chocolate while mixing until chocolate has completely melted.
Grate some of the ginger root into the ganache, as much or as little as you'd like.

Pour ganache in cooled pie shell and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Now the metaphors get a little complicated when you start to slice the pie and give it away to co-workers and friends.  Remind you of life a little?  But I think I'm going a little too far with that ;) Let's just say I'm proud that this pie represents me, and I'm ready to eat my personality.  (insert second uncomfortable silence here, reader)

When you're done feeling awkward about my last sentence, check out what the other amazing bakers did here.

I Roasted a Chicken and...

I didn't set fire to my kitchen, char it to inedible, poison myself, or break anything.  I know, I know- I'm pretty talented ;)

Why oh why as cooks are we intimated by random tasks?  I have a friend who is terrified of learning knife skills; she thinks its impossible.  I have another friend who never bakes because baking doesn't work for her.  I have another friend who only bakes because she "can't make anything good that isn't made of sugar."

So what's my silly thing?  I don't roast.  I don't roast anything.  On Thanksgiving I make everything on the menu- everything except the Turkey that is.  I'm terrified of not cooking meat correctly in its whole state or as a large piece.  I think this stems from very particular conversations that my mother used to have with me about cooking raw meat and all the germs and viruses that could kill you if you don't cook the meat enough.  But then again we tended to eat slightly over-cooked meat because of this fact, and because I became used to slightly over-cooking meat, I never got used to the proper way to make it tender and juicy without stewing, braising, or baking with liquid.  The result?  Roastophobia.  Well folks, Roastophobia ends now.  My Schlemmertopf killed it.

Before you say, Gesundheit, I'm sure you've seen a Schlemmertopf before. Its those giant clay bakers lurking on the top shelves of cookware stores that you're never really quite sure of.  They look like this

How did I meet my future friend?  My aunt, a fantastic cook and gardener extraordinaire purchased one some years back.  From the time I tasted the wonderful poultry she prepared for us in that crazy, clay oven, I knew one day I would have one too (thank you Sur La Table gift card.)  My Schlemmertopf killed my fear of roasting because that sucker is fool-proof; the fool in this situation would be yours truly.  Now it's true, I took the easy way out; I bought this giant clay thing because I was too chicken to roast a chicken without it BUT I would like to point out that its a very good investment.  See, what makes the Schlemmertopf system so wonderful, is that it cooks through baking and steaming the meat in its own juices.  That means you don't need oil, butter, cream or any liquids if you don't want to use them.  Health conscious, dairy free and kosher cooks unite!  This also eliminates the time-filled tradition known as the great baste walk:  the walk one does every 15-20 minutes between the oven and other parts of their house in order to baste their meats while they roast for however many hours they roast for.

Why this sudden interest in roasting meat you may ask?  Due to not being able to purchase chicken from any butcher in town because of a rise in soy feed (read all about my troubles here) I have found a couple of Grass-Fed chicken farms that sell at the local farmer's markets.  Trouble is, they only sell whole chickens.  I need to eat chicken reader; I can't only be eating red meat and cheese for protein, its just not healthy!  And thus, let the roasting begin.

First, I rinsed the chicken, pulled the skin off of it, made she it was fully gutted (gross!) and then rinsed it again.

Then I stuffed it with one white onion (cut in half), several rosemary sprigs, and a couple cloves of garlic. I salted and lightly peppered the chicken, and covered with a combo of Herbs de Provence and sweet paprika.

I also cut two large turnips in half and threw them next the chicken so they could roast up.

Then I followed the directions recommended by the manufacturer, which is placing the covered baker (prepped with a pre-soaked top) in a cold oven. For 10 minutes, you put your oven on low.  After those 10 minutes you bake at 425 F for 90 minutes.

When I removed the giant oven within an oven from my oven, I was very careful to open it away from my face, as it is propelled by a large amount of steam.

The veil of steam parted to reveal something I've never produced before:

A Perfectly Roast Chicken!!!!!

I took the turnips (which were delicious) and smashed them with some parmesan and garlic for a side dish.  The chicken fell of the bone, juicy and tender in the best and most perfect way.  I ate every part of this wonderful and simple dish.  And I plan to make all my meat in it for years to come!

I Like to Hang Out with the Fungi in the Room

Because when it comes to the truffle, better known to some officially as "an edible body of a group of fungi in the genus," known to me as my g-d that tastes good, that's the only thing I need to be around at a party.

Luckily, genius fellow food blogger Erika of In Erika's Kitchen understands the truffle lovin' better than anyone and celebrated by holding her 2nd Annual Trufflepalooza.  13, count them, 13 courses of delectable, scrumptious truffle laced and braced dishes were passed along the milling guests in the crowd. With each new course from the Corn Veloute generously topped with Black Truffle, to the creamy and perfectly cooked Risotto with Truffles, to the Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter (to die!) I got closer to heaven.  I couldn't pick a favorite dish; everything was spot-on!

Truffles are naturally gluten-free folks, and a good portion of the menu for Trufflepalooza also turned out to be GF (go Erika!)  And man, do I love truffles.  The scent, the flavor, hell I'll even take the look of them despite the fact that they resemble giant pieces of coal.

Winter Truffles, pictured courtesy of Sabatino Tartufi Website

The black summer truffles, which were in their prime, in addition to truffle products, were from Sabatino Tartufi.  Having brought back truffle products from Italy, I can definitely say that Sabatino Tartufi provides products of that exact same high-quality, cravable, and lust-inducing spell that you would expect from the Italian gourmet around the corner.  I am an especially big fan of their Truffle Honey; if I had it in my apartment, it would not last long.

In short, my truffle-induced coma was happily embraced.  I can only hope that Erika continues to have these for the rest of our lives.

Please check out her blog, www.inerikaskitchen.com, for the recipes that were used for this and last year's Trufflepaloozas.

Peace, love, and truffles :)

Peaches & Cream Summer Dream

Another month has flown by which means Hello Pie!  This month's You Want Pies With That challenge comes from the dangerously talented Erin of Milk & Honey: "'Summer Fruit Pies'- For July, how about we highlight summer fruits...berries, cherries, peaches, etc. All the goodies that are season now that we can enjoy before they're gone again." 

Um, yes please.  I love, love, l-o-v-e summer fruits, so this inspirational theme was a no-brainer for me.  I decided to go with the amazing, the loyal, the lovely peach.  One big reason is because they're insanely good right now; I picked up a few at the farmer's market and was hooked on this season's crop.  The pie below is fairly easy, it just requires a step-by-step process.  As long as you have good kitchen supplies, the different elements should come together seamlessly and hopefully with delightful results.

Peaches & Cream Summer Dream Pie

Ingredients:

1 1/2-2 c of GF cookie crumbs, (shortbreads put in a processor or blender until fine work nicely)

1/4-1/2 c butter or non-dairy spread, melted

cane sugar to taste

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 c powdered sugar

1/2 c sour cream

splash vanilla (optional)

2 lbs fresh peaches, pitted and peeled

2 tbs tapioca flour/starch

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix cookie crumbs, butter and sugar to taste together to form your crust; if the crumbs look too dry add more butter.

Press mixture firmly into pie plate or tart pan.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and set.

Cool.

Cream the powdered sugar, sour cream, and cream cheese until smooth.

Splash with a little vanilla extract for an extra hit of flavor, and/or set aside.

Puree peaches.

Pour puree into a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently to make sure the puree doesn't burn.

Add the tapioca flour/starch to puree and stir in until the puree thickens up a bit.

Set aside to cool.

Once crust is room temperature, pour cream layer into shell.

Layer peach puree layer on top.

Refrigerate for 4 hours-overnight.

Slice and decorate with other fruit purees, whipped cream, or fresh herbs.

Serve this twist on a summery creamsicle to guests with a smile on your face.

Among other things, this pie is surprisingly refreshing.  You wouldn't necessarily think that's the case considering the layer of cream cheesy goodness tucked under that fantastic fruit puree, but it really does heighten and brighten the senses, just like summer does :)

I can't wait to see what the other pie mavens came up with!  Can you?  You don't have to if you visit YWPWT and check them out :)