Season’s Greetings with a story and a recipe!

12/15/2018 by Laura 4 Comments

Happy Holiday’s! It’s been awhile since I showed up in this space. In case you didn’t know the reason for my absence, I’ll explain now. Late last winter we decided it was time to move out of Seattle. We had been talking about it for a few years. For most of my career, I was tethered to the airport, so our choices were limited. Once I cut those ties, we were free to move “almost” anywhere. We wanted to stay fairly close to family and friends, and ensure Dave could continue with his band. We moved Northwest about 70 miles to Camano Island. Dave had spent many wonderful summers here on the island, and knew it was exactly where he wanted to be. I took a little more convincing, but I finally came around. It is an island only due to a slough that separates it from the mainland. But, that separation makes a huge lifestyle difference!

It was the first time we sold a home, the first time we bought a home the conventional way, and the first time Dave made a major move in over 40 years. The purging, packing, laughing, sorting, E-Baying, Craigs Listing, dumping, storing, and donating, continued for about 5 months. There were repairs to be made to our home; including the last minute remodel of the main bath I insisted on. When we weren’t packing, purging, repairing, or painting, we were house hunting. Just typing this exhausts me. Our house was finally listed in early July. The Seattle market had been so crazy, we were concerned when it still hadn’t sold 3 weeks later. Alas, we had a buyer and accepted an offer. We agreed on a closing date of September 9th. It was all of a sudden really real! Dave was leaving his home of 40 years and I was leaving my home of 26 years. And, we did not know where we were going.

The house hunt heated up. We were all over the place in the Northwest corner of Washington, aided by our amazing relator, who has since become a dear friend. We were determined to not be the ones that broke her record for number of houses looked at, which was 60 something. We got to 40 something August 6th. We fell in love with a house. That date is significant, as our closing date was September 9. We planned to close on both houses on that day, as we wanted to avoid putting the rest of our things in storage and moving twice. I coordinated with the movers, the escrow companies with the detail and follow up required to get the Voyager to Mars, even though it was only a 70 mile move! I am pleased to say, we did indeed close on both houses on the same day, the movers were where they were supposed to be, when they were supposed to be and we spent our first night in our new home on September 9th.

That first night was something. Having lived on a very busy road in Seattle for over 25 years, we were both freaked out by how quiet it was in our new home. It took a few days to adjust, but believe me, we have totally adjusted. Listening to the wind rustle through the tall trees in our yard is better then any relaxation tape I have ever heard.

There are still a many boxes in the garage to sort through and both of us are figuring out how to best accommodate our hobbies in our new home. I can tell you that my landscaping and gardening hobby is alive and well. Between the fall sales, the amazing nurseries, and fantastic fall weather, I spent our first six weeks changing many things in our yard. I planted nearly 500 bulbs that will bloom in spring. We planted a dozen trees: fir, spruce, cedar, pine. A dozen bushes: hydrangeas, azaleas, and ferns. We have a long way to go, and I love every minute of it.

In addition to gardening, I’ve reunited with my yarn obsessed, knitting self of my past. It has brought so much joy, friendship and community. Not to mention, added many new pieces to my wardrobe.

What about cooking? Yes there’s cooking. I gave up an amazing gas range when we moved and we are both trying to figure out the electric stove situation. We do have propane and a gas range is in the future. I have not organized my photography gear as efficiently as I like, which makes shooting and blogging recipes fairly challenging. I do take a lot of Instagram photos with my phone, and most of the dishes I prepare can be found here, in the blog archives.

I make these cookies, ON DEMAND, every year. They are everyone’s favorite, including Santa’s. Don’t worry Santa, I will have a nice warm batch of these waiting for you on Camano Island, just like every other year in Seattle.

So there you have it. We are happier then happy, more blessed then we deserve to be and grateful for all things. We hope you have a kind and peaceful holiday season and a healthy and happy New Year!

Have a wonderful evening and thanks for stopping by.

More Savory Less Sweet

Laura, Dave, Jasper and Cooper

Santa’s Favorite Chunky Chocolate, Cranberry and Pistachio Cookies

The combination of dark bittersweet chocolate chunks, tart cranberries and salty, crunchy pistachios is divine. The festive dark red cranberries and the bright green pistachios make this the favorite Christmas cookie at our house. It may become the favorite at your house too!

(I doubled this recipe)

2 1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup organic packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup organic cane sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup pistachio nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

14 ounces bittersweet chocolate chunks

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium speed just until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, beating 3-5 minutes after each egg. Add 1/2 the flour mixture and gently mix on low one or two minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the remaining flour, nuts, chocolate, and cranberries and mix with your hands until all is thoroughly incorporated.

On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into thirds. Shape each third into a log. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, preferably for 24 hours. (You can refrigerate up to 2 weeks or freeze up to one month.) When ready to bake, let the dough sit at room temperature about 15 minutes, while oven heats.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Slice the logs into disks 3/4 inch thick and place the disks 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. If the nuts or chips crumble out, simply push them back in.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies are very lightly browned in the centers, about 10 minutes. If you like soft chocolate chip cookies, err on the side of under baking. Cookies always continue to bake a little after they have been removed from the oven.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.

Santa will be so pleased to find these cookies waiting for him on Christmas Eve!

Cookies??? Did someone say cookies????

Farmers Market Treasures – Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and Spring Pea Salad

07/05/2017 by Laura 3 Comments

Wow…4 months since my last post! I’ll catch you up on the reasons for that, but first I have a couple recipes for you! Both of these dishes are the result of an over-the-top buying spree at last weeks neighborhood farmers market. It was my first outing of the season and everything was calling my name! The perfect weather, the beautiful fruits and vegetables, plenty of cash, and a longing to get back into my kitchen resulted in two very large bags of goodies. I bought far more then we needed for one week. With a few things approaching the end of their usefulness, I got busy to ensure none of it would go to waste! The results were a fantastic Strawberry-Rhubarb pie and an over the top “spring on a plate” pea salad.

The salad is a result of a Google search based on the unused veggies I had bought…shelling peas, pea pods, and ramps. I had asparagus on hand, as I always have asparagus on hand until it disappears from the market or becomes ridiculously expensive. I found this recipe on the Serious Eats website. I made just a couple alterations, and it was fantastic. I felt like it was something that would be a first course in a fancy French restaurant… ooh la la!

For the Vinaigrette:

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons juice from 1 or 2 lemons

2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley leaves

1 small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (my addition)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the ingredients together and set aside. I always make my dressing in a measuring cup to make it easy to pour.

For the Salad

1 cup fresh shelled English peas

2 cups fresh sugar snap peas, strings removed, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces on the bias

1 pound asparagus, stalks trimmed, tips removed, tips and stalks reserved separately

2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 to 12 whole ramps, ends trimmed and cleaned

1 large very fresh egg, per serving

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

Place a pot of water on the stove. Salt heavily. Bring to a slow simmer. Blanch the shelled peas, then the snap peas and then the asparagus tips, about 1 minute, until bright green. Remove with a slotted spoon. Dip in an ice water bath. Place each vegetable in a small bowl and pop in the fridge.

Blanch the asparagus stalks until tender and place in a blender cup with a couple tablespoons of the blanching water and 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Puree until smooth. Set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the ramps. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy sauté pan. Saute the ramps until tender. Place on a paper towel line plate. Set aside.

When ready to assemble the salads, bring the pot of water back to a slow simmer. Add 3 tablespoons white vinegar.

Combine the peas and asparagus in a bowl. Add the dressing and toss gently.

Make your poached eggs, one per serving. Place a couple tablespoons of the asparagus puree on each serving plate. Top with the pea and asparagus salad mixture. Place the poached egg on top. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately!

Ok, now for the pie! Strawberry – Rhubarb. Not typically my first choice, when I think of a pie I want to eat / make. I honestly have a problem with most fruit pies as they always turn out to be thin, watery, runny, too sweet, too sour, fall apart messes on a plate. I decided to try a different approach this time. I roasted the fruit first. This allowed me to taste the fruit and adjust the sweetness, as well as remove some of the extra juice, prior to filling the pie shell. I will be using this technique for all future fruit pies.

For the Strawberry – Rhubarb Pie

Prepare pie crust for 2 crust pie – make your favorite or check mine out here.

4-5 cups fresh, ripe, strawberries – green part removed – sliced in half if they are large

4-5 cups fresh rhubarb, chopped into small, bite size pieces

3/4 cup of sugar

Place the fruit on a sheet pan, sprinkle with the sugar and roast at 375′ for about 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven. Let rest about 10 minutes. Adjust the sweetness to taste. Add:

4 Tablespoons of flour

2 Tablespoons of quick cook tapioca

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

finely grated zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon – about 2 tablespoons

Mix all ingredients together in the roasting pan. Spoon into piecrust with a slotted spoon.

Place the top crust on the pie. Pinch the edges and cut steam vents. Place on a sheet pan. Place a foil collar around the edges of the pan. Bake at 425′ for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375′, remove the foil, and bake 30 more minutes. Let pie cool at least 2 hours before serving. You definitely want to serve this with vanilla ice-cream! Enjoy!

Ok – on to the updates…In my last post, I mentioned I retired. What that has meant for me is working harder then I ever have, without a pay check every other Friday. LOL!!! I have been away from home, more then I have been at home, these past few months. Thankfully, it’s not that much different for Dave, then when I was working full time! He’s always been spectacular at fending for himself and holding down the fort.

The work began when my Mom bought a new house. She no longer needed stairs, 3000 square feet and a quarter acre yard! She bought the new house last fall, but we really didn’t get busy moving her to her new place until April. Mom updated 80% of her new place, which took a lot of time, decisions and work. Dave and I helped out by repairing decks and fences, and assembling cabinets and other things. Her new home has turned out to be a wonderful place for her.

Her move left us with the BIG job. Emptying and selling her old house. We spent the past few months sorting, packing, selling, donating, dumping, laughing, crying, screaming, and yelling our way through about 25 years of stuff! For those of you that have been through this, you know what I’m talking about! For those of you that have not…my advice would be to START NOW! I am so thankful I was able to go through family things WITH my Mom. I know what all the stuff is, who the people in the pictures are and what mattered to she and my Dad. I am still selling things on Ebay and I have a lot of pictures to scan, but the hard work is behind us. I am happy to say that her house sold in 8 days. She has a few things planned for fall, and none of those plans include yard sales or moving! For those of you that don’t know, my Mom is 88 years old! She is absolutely amazing. We worked side by side, hours on end, with her frequently ordering me to “sit down and rest”. We should all be so healthy and spunky!

With Mom’s big project behind me, I can start to sort out what retirement really does mean for me. You can see from the above, I am really happy to be able to wrap my head around cooking and photography again. Dave and I are taking our own advice of “starting now” on sorting, selling things and downsizing. Bit by bit, we are getting rid of the unnecessary things we’ve accumulated…just because we could! It’s amazing to me how quickly stuff accumulates, and how little of it we really “need”.

It’s been great catching up. Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the food and have a wonderful evening.

Laura

Calling all lovebirds…a special meal for Valentine’s Day

02/04/2017 by Laura Leave a Comment

I previously mentioned we are trying to create a little excitement at dinner time this year. One way we are doing this is to randomly grab a cookbook, open it and make whatever is on that page! I have to say, this “experiment” is working out very well! While I did not make all three recipes below on the same day, I do think they would make an inspired meal for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, or any other “show the love” day for that matter.

This post is a little different, as I am going to just “refer” you to the recipes. I am endorsing all of them as truly inspired and delicious, and I hope you will give them a try. I have provided you links to the books and the specific recipes. The photos are from the dishes I prepared for Dave and I. I am privileged to own a copy of all the books referenced.

The Chocolate Orange Beet Cake with Cream Cheese Walnut Frosting, is absolutely delicious. It is from Vivian Howard’s new cookbook, Deep Run Roots and was also featured on her PBS series A Chef’s Life. The book is heavy on southern, seasonal produce. I cannot wait to cook from it this summer, when the fresh ingredients are readily available at the farmers market. I made only 2 changes to the recipe. I used two 9″ layer pans, rather than 3 8″ layer pans. I also frosted the entire cake, sides and top. It all worked out perfectly.

My next “open the book and cook” recipe is from Top Chef Master, Floyd Cardoz. His new book Flavorwalla is filled with recipes inspired by what he cooks at home, what he grew up with and a few from the menus of his restaurants. The Grilled Shrimp with Fennel and Radish Salad, is something that he served at Tabla. It makes a wonderful first course, or a light meal. It gave me the chance to use my mandolin! It’s a must for slicing the fennel and radishes perfectly thin.

I seem to be going backwards with the courses. But hey, you can certainly start with chocolate cake if you want to….with a little ‘bubbly, and come back later for the rest of the meal!

The main course is also from Flavorwalla! This one was not a random recipe, but one I chose due to a craving for fresh, seared scallops. It’s quite an unusual take on traditional pan seared scallops, with the Cider Glaze over the top and the Cumin Scented Cauliflower Puree underneath. It all works! It’s an amazingly flavorful dish. Here is the link for Cider-Glazed Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Puree. I especially love the addition of cumin, ginger and shallot to the cauliflower puree. It adds a wonderful depth of flavor and you will not miss the cream or butter at all!

So there ya go….Valentine’s or any other special occasion meal, all laid out for you. All you have to do is shop and cook, pour the bubbly and light the candles.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful evening!

Laura

A few production photos….just for fun!

Corned Beef on Rye, please!

06/27/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

Cooking officially turns into a project when it results in three trips to the store for ingredients, an hour searching for necessary equipment, and having the stove on all day. Dave did not realize what he had done by pulling a corned beef brisket out of the freezer on Saturday! I had bought it in March for a traditional St. Patrick’s dinner. He was not up to that kind of food, back then, so in the freezer it went. A traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner just did not sound good at the end of June.

What did sound good? Corned beef from Katz’s and Swirl Rye from Zabar’s! Since flying to NYC was not an option, I went in search of the swirl rye that shows up occasionally at one of our local supermarkets. No luck! With the corned beef simmering away in the crockpot, and the swirl rye determination of Jerry, I had no choice but to make the bread myself. I had everything on had except rye flour. For some reason Safeway had four different offerings of almond and coconut flour in three different sections of the store, and no rye flour anywhere. As a matter of fact – there were very few whole grain offerings, but that is another story. As an industry professional, I could fully explain the “reasoning” and/or “logic” behind what does and does not get stocked in the store, but you would all fall asleep in two minutes. So, off to Whole Foods I went. I easily found the necessary rye flour and some beautiful organic blackberries that I decided, on the spot, would go into a cobbler along with the “less than beautiful” apricots hidden in the back of our fridge. See – this is how it goes. All I wanted was a decent corned beef on rye, on a Sunday afternoon! Now I’m baking bread and making cobbler.

I consider myself a fairly accomplished bread baker, although I do not recall ever making a swirl rye. I used the recipe I found on line from Red Star Yeast. My biggest surprise was that darker dough is the same as the lighter dough, with the addition of some cocoa powder! The recipe can be found here.

Roll out the dark dough. Fold over and set aside

Roll out the light dough.

Place the dark dough on the light dough. Trim the sides and edges as needed.

Roll into a loaf. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet that has been oiled.

I made some mini bread sticks with the trimmings. The back deck is a great “proofer” in the summer. I got a great rise on the loaf.

Bake according to directions.

To assemble the sandwich, I sliced the bread a little thick. I spread both sides with mustard. I warmed the sliced corned beef in a small pan with Swiss cheese on top, until it got soft and gooey. I placed the meat and cheese on the bread. I served store bought coleslaw alongside.

I mentioned cobbler, didn’t I! Well, sharing this is going to result in coming clean with one of my short cuts. I use a cobbler mix. It’s fantastic. You can even make this with canned fruit and people will think you spent hours baking. There are a few mixes out there. I used one in a small bag that looks a lot like the fish fry product they also produce. Use any fruit you like. I used chopped apricots and blackberries. Bake according to the directions on the package. By the time I was ready to snap a shot of the finished product, half the pan of cobbler and a pint of ice cream had gone missing. Dave assures you, it was good!

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a great evening,

Laura

“Familiar” Lunchbox Cupcakes

01/25/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

I’m still cooking for one and it is not any easier than it was a couple months ago. Dave is doing amazingly well; unfortunately his throat is still too swollen to swallow more than a smoothie, or an occasional IPA! The doctors tell us this is not unusual as it takes a long time to heal from intense radiation treatments. Dave being Dave, he has taken to making my dinner. It’s a nice break for me, but I believe it must be torture for him!

Flipping through Food & Wine magazine Friday night, I became intrigued with Mindy Segal’s Chocolate Buttermilk Snack Cakes. The truth is, I really miss baking. I used to bake before Fentons band practice as I knew whatever I came up with, would be gone in a few hours. I actually like “the baking” more than I like “the eating”. I am happy with one or two cookies, or as in this case, one cupcake. I knew our friend Jeff would be thrilled with a “clean” version of that familiar and “toxic” lunch box treat. Jeff and I frequently discuss possible recreations of our childhood favorites! I baked the cakes on Saturday, filled, frosted and delivered them on Sunday. The only resemblance to the elementary school lunch-box version, is the squiggle on top! The rich, moist dark chocolate cupcake is filled with creamy marscapone cheese and sweetened whipped cream and topped with a bittersweet dark chocolate glaze. My adaptation of Mindy’s recipe is below. And yes – that is Dave’s original lunch box!

For the cupcakes

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup strong, brewed coffee, cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup canola oil

1 large egg

Pour the buttermilk and the coffee into a 2-cup measuring cup. Add the vanilla. Set aside.

Place the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Fluff with a whisk to break up any clumps and mix all ingredients together. Set aside.

In a large stand mixer, beat the sugar and the oil until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated.

With the mixer running on low, add 1/3 the flour mixture and 1/3 the milk mixture. Repeat until all ingredients are incorporated.

Heat the oven to 350′. Oil two 12 cup cupcake tins, with coconut or canola oil spray. Place 2-3 Tablespoons of batter in each cupcake cup.

Bake for 6 minutes, rotate pans and bake another 6 minutes. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cool slightly and remove to a rack, placed over a baking sheet. Meanwhile, make the filling.

For the filling

1 cup mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of kosher salt

Beat the heavy cream with the powdered sugar for a few minutes to thicken up a bit. Add the vanilla and the mascarpone cheese and continue to whip until smooth and thick.

Two options for filling the cupcakes:

Slice the cupcake 2/3 of the way through and place filling in the middle of each one with a spoon.
Remove the center “core” of the cupcake and fill them using a pastry bag fitted with a metal tip. This is what we did. We used a large straw to “core” the cupcake.

Fill all cupcakes, and return to the wire rack placed over a baking pan. Meanwhile, make the glaze.

For the dark chocolate glaze

(inspired by this recipe)

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

pinch of Salt

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream with the sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes; whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Let the dark chocolate glaze cool until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

Drizzle a large spoonful of glaze over each cupcake. Please the cupcakes in the refrigerator to cool, at least 30 minutes.

I used Betty Crocker white frosting in the tube, with the tip provided, to make the squiggles on top. You could use homemade Royal icing. I chose not to, as I needed such a small amount.

I hope you enjoy these!

Have a wonderful evening,

Laura

Strawberry Rhubarb Shortbread Bars

05/31/2015 by Laura 2 Comments

This is one of my favorite weekends of the year. Amma is here in the Pacific Northwest as part of her summer tour. For many years, my dear friends Andrea, Sharon and Andrea’s son Jack have migrated to Seattle from Vancouver, BC to attend Amma. This year was no exception. To celebrate the visit, we made a glorious meal for Saturday’s dinner. Dave made his world famous macaroni salad and barbecued chicken. We also had some of the best early summer corn we have ever had. My contribution was the strawberry-rhubarb shortcake bars I concocted on Saturday afternoon. I had gone to the produce stand to get things for juicing. When I saw the bright red stalks of rhubarb sitting next to the strawberries…. I decided I would come up with something for dessert. I didn’t want to make a pie as I was also making quiche for the weekend, and I am not that into pie crust in the first place. I wanted something everyone could just help themselves to; like a bar cookie. A quick internet search led me to Carla Hall’s Strawberry Shortbread Bars. Perfect….I just had to incorporate my rhubarb. None of us care for things “too sweet” and the contrast of lemon, rhubarb and strawberry is a total winner. This recipe could actually accommodate any summer fruit. Blackberries rule, here in Seattle, which has me thinking about a blackberry, Thai basil and lime combination. Ooh la la!

Strawberry Rhubarb Shortbread Bars

1/2 pound butter softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup almond flour

2 cups sliced strawberries

2 cups sliced rhubarb

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 cup Strawberry Jam

Heat the oven to 350′. Prepare a 9 x 13 baking pan by greasing it with a little butter.

In the bowl of the food process combine the butter and the sugar. Add the vanilla, salt, flours and pulse until coarse and crumbly.

Set aside about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the refrigerator. Pat the remaining dough into the prepared pan. Make sure it is even. Poke the shortbread with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake until lightly brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

While the shortbread is baking, prepares the strawberry rhubarb mixture. Place the lemon juice and remaining sugar in a medium pot. Warm over medium-low heat. Add the rhubarb and bring to a simmer. Cook the rhubarb until it is soft, about 7 minutes. Add the strawberry jam and return to a simmer. Add the sliced strawberries and cook another 5 minutes. Add in the gated lemon zest.

Spread the mixture over the shortbread. Make crumbles out of the remaining shortbread dough that was chilling in the fridge and sprinkle them over the top of the fruit mixture. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the shortbread crumbles are golden.

Let cool and refrigerate. Serve with a big scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy, with gratitude and great friends!

Have a wonderful evening,

Laura

Thoughts on the Paleo Diet and MSLS Nutty, Grain Free, Gluten Free Paleo Friendly “Granola”

02/10/2015 by Laura Leave a Comment

Have you heard about the Paleo Diet? It took awhile for me to be convinced that “eating like a caveman” was logical, sensible, necessary, or could in any way, provide a more positive outcome, than any other “trendy” diet. Well, I am here to say I was wrong! I’ve observed numerous friends, not only lose excess weight, but also be transformed into healthier, younger versions of themselves after only 2 or 3 months of changing their diet. Motivated by witnessing many of these transformations, I read many books, a lot of research, and hundreds of recipes. In early January I gave up grains, legumes, beans, sugar and dairy, in all forms. Was this easy? Hell no! Am I happy eating like this? You bet I am. (I will not go into detail why these specific items are “banned”, as there are numerous books, documents and research studies that go into detail available in bookstores, libraries and on-line.)

The interpretation of the Paleo diet I am sharing with you, is my own. First of all, this is not really what I would think of as a “caveman” diet. I am not grilling brontosaurus burgers and I’m not gnawing on tree roots. I am eating a pre-industrial revolution, pre-processed foods, non genetically modified, non-hydrogenated, non-sugar laden, non-messed up with hormones, pesticides or antibiotics diet of fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry fish, nuts and seeds. You are right; it is not easy. Most of my food is prepared from scratch, right on down to the mayonnaise. Every label of any item considered for consumption must be thoroughly scrutinized for sugar; in all it’s clever “non-threatening” disguises, GMO laden soy and canola – in any form, preservatives that we have been convinced are just fine and all sorts of other things that I never gave a second thought to. What I have learned in digging deep into the science behind the Paleo diet, is just how impactful these “acceptable” ingredients can be on our brains and bodies, throughout our lifetime. I thought I was eating “right”. Organic, natural, hormone and antibiotic free whenever and wherever possible. What I have learned is how a few changes can significantly improve my health. Again, these are my interpretations, based on my research and personal experiences. I have made these decisions for myself with no intention of recommending what anybody else should do. Except Dave….He has to eat what I cook.

In six weeks I have strayed from the guidelines of the diet only slightly; by consuming a glass or two of wine socially. In six weeks I have lost 12 pounds and I have more energy than I have had in a very long time. I am sleeping like a baby and, when taken a week ago, my blood pressure was about what it was in my 20’s. In six weeks, the life long patch of eczema on my elbow has all but disappeared; confirming my long-held suspicion of a wheat sensitivity. Can I and will I eat this way for the rest of my life? I don’t know, but I can say I will continue to follow the guidelines until I have finished losing the weight I need to and until my “numbers” are where I want them to be. I do know that I will pay far more attention to “hidden” ingredients and that if I choose to ingest sugar, in any form, it will be rare. Honestly, removing things like bad fats and processed sugar from your diet changes what you crave. If I miss anything, I miss cheese, yogurt and sour cream. I will add dairy back slowly; at some point, and determine if I have any negative reactions to it. Is this way of eating more expensive? Maybe a little, but not much overall when I consider the items I am no longer buying. The secret to any eating plan is just that; PLAN. Having food on hand is key. Making sure you have dinner leftovers for tomorrows lunch and healthy grab and go items in easy reach makes things a lot easier.

If you do need to grab something quick, my favorite sweet is anything from Hail Merry – macaroons, nut mixes and chocolate tarts, and my favorite protein / savory are the jerky bites from EPIC. (These are not PAID endorsements; I have not received any form of compensation. These are my personal “always in my backpack” lifesavers.)

Since we rapidly depleted $22 worth of mail-order No-Grain Granola, I decided I best figure out how to make this tasty breakfast alternative, myself. I am so happy I did! After reading numerous recipes and ingredient panels, I decided on a combination that would work for us. I spent about 20 minutes in the bulk bin section at my favorite store bagging up all the “legal” necessities: flaked coconut, cashews, sesame seed, chia seed, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, and various forms of almonds. All were organic and most were raw and untoasted. Though I preferred all raw ingredients; rather than make a stop at a second store with the other 50,000 people shopping for weekly staples on a Sunday afternoon, I decided I would just adjust my cooking technique to balance the raw and pre-toasted ingredients. I had the other ingredients I needed at home: sea salt, Grade B maple syrup, organic vanilla extract, and organic coconut oil.

Heat your oven to 250′ F.

I used convection as it speeds the toasting process.

Line 2-4 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

For every 6 cups of dry ingredients you will need 1 cup of liquefied coconut oil, 2-4 tablespoons of grade b maple syrup (depending on your preferred level of sweetness), 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.

(I am not giving specific quantities – just proportions for dry to liquid. This is to allow you to adjust the ingredients to your liking.) If using a combination of raw and pre-toasted nuts: Place your non-toasted nuts and seeds in a large mixing bowl. (Hold back the toasted ingredients.) You can also add cinnamon, cardamom, or any other spices that you enjoy.

Pour the coconut oil mixture over all. Mix thoroughly. Spread evenly on the baking sheets. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes until lightly toasted. Set aside.

Place the remaining pre-toasted nuts and seeds in the large mixing bowl. Add the proportionate amount of liquefied coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt. Mix thoroughly. Add the nuts and seeds from the baking sheets back into the bowl and remix. Distribute the mixture evenly amongst your baking sheets. Return to the oven and continue to toast until golden brown, another 45-60 minutes; stirring every 10 minutes.

Don’t try to speed this up with higher heat, as you will burn the delicate ingredients.

Remove toasted “granola” from oven and allow to completely cool. Place in air tight jars or freezer bags and store in a cool, dark place.

This is fabulous with the nut milk of your choice for breakfast, sprinkled over a warm baked apple for dessert, or by the handful as a quick snack.

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread – Epicurious Holiday Cookie Contest

01/03/2015 by Laura Leave a Comment

It started with this email, received December 15, 2014:

“‘Tis the season for holiday baking and sharing! We invite you to recreate an Epicurious cookie recipe for the chance to win a Vitamix Professional Series 750 (valued at $639) and your cookie photo featured on Epicurious.com.”

How fun, cookies, photos – right up my alley; for December. The blog is More Savory, Less Sweet, after all! This will be my last sugar, chocolate, calorie laden post for awhile…Well, at least until Valentine’s Day! There was a list of six cookie recipes to choose from. I love shortbread cookies, and I happened to have a lot of chocolate on hand, so my choice was easy. I did change it up a bit. The recipe called for cutting the shortbread in rectangles, I chose to cut the dough into rounds instead. It is amazing to Dave and I how much the chocolate changes the flavor of a plain shortbread cookie. They are just delicious. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread

yield
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

With its cloak of pure chocolate, this buttery cookie is sublime. For the best flavor, use a high-quality pure vanilla extract and the best chocolate you can find — preferably Valrhona. Melting the chocolate in two stages helps keep it at an even temperature — insuring that it will set evenly.

Ingredients

(I used all organic ingredients, where possible)

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
8 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
Sparkly sugar, if desired

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt at medium speed just until smooth. Add flour and mix at low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and shape into 2 disks.

On lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 piece dough to 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Using fluted pastry wheel or large knife, cut into 2- by 1-inch rectangles, or 2″ circles. Transfer cookies to baking sheets, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.

Prick each cookie several times with tines of fork, then chill 10 minutes. Sprinkle with decorators, sparkly sugar, if desired. Bake until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes, then transfer to racks and cool completely.

To decorate: Line baking sheet with clean parchment or wax paper. In medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, melt half chocolate. Add remaining chocolate, remove bowl from heat, and stir occasionally until smooth. Pour into small bowl.

Dip each cookie halfway into chocolate, let excess drip off, and place on baking sheet. Let stand until chocolate is set, about 1 hour. Store in airtight container at room temperature. (Do not refrigerate.)

Happy New Year, and thank you for following More Savory, Less Sweet!

Santa’s Favorite Chunky Chocolate, Cranberry, Pistachio Cookies – 2014 Food Blogger Cookie Swap

12/15/2014 by Laura 5 Comments

When I signed up for the 4th Annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, there was no doubt in my mind which cookie I would be making. Everyone seems to love this cookie. It’s not frilly or fussy like a lot of holiday cookies. The combination of dark bittersweet chocolate chunks, tart cranberries and salty, crunchy pistachios is divine. The festive dark red cranberries and the bright green pistachios make this the favorite Christmas cookie at our house. It may become the favorite at your house too!

Santa’s Favorite Chunky Chocolate, Cranberry, Pistachio Cookies

(inspired by David Lebovitz, Chocolate Chip Cookies, from Ready for Dessert)

(I doubled this recipe)

2 1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup organic packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup organic cane sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup pistachio nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

14 ounces bittersweet chocolate chunks

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Slice the logs into disks 3/4 inch thick and place the disks 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. If the nuts or chips crumble out, simply push them back in.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.

Santa will be so pleased to find these cookies waiting for him on Christmas Eve!

Happy Holidays from More Savory, Less Sweet.

Cookies??? Did someone say cookies????

Crackle Top Cream Puffs filled with Rummy Pumpkin Mousse!

11/24/2014 by Laura 1 Comment

I have been away from my kitchen far too long! I hope you have escaped the ridiculous upper respiratory infection going around, but if you have not, you understand why I haven’t been cooking or eating much for almost 4 weeks! Food is just not very interesting when you cannot smell or taste! I’m feeling a lot better and I wanted to share this treat with you as it might be a nice addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table. My inspiration came from the baking demonstration I attended with Dorie Greenspan, where she shared her Crackle Top Cream Puffs from her newest book, Baking Chez Moi. A couple of days later, I found a Pumpkin Bourbon Mousse recipe, recently republished as part of Saveur magazines Thanksgiving suggestions. I added a personal twist by using a unique and new (to me) spice blend Advieh, from World Spice Merchants here in Seattle. I ran across it when I was ordering other fresh spices for holiday baking. I knew nothing about it, but after reading the ingredients: cinnamon, cardamom, roses, cumin, black pepper and coriander…. I knew it would be fabulous. I also changed out the bourbon in the mousse, for my favorite rum, which I think is a natural complement to pumpkin.

More Savory, Less Sweet isn’t just a catchy title for my blog; it pretty much defines my palate! These little 2-3 bite treats are just my style and are perfect with an after dinner espresso or a final glass of bubbly!

Crackle Top Cream Puffs with Rummy Pumpkin Mousse

adapted from Baking Che Moi, Dorie Greenspan, and Pumpkin and Bourbon Mousse, Saveur

I split this up over two days, just to make things easier. Make the custard and the cookie pastry the first day. As always, read all steps through carefully and make sure you have all ingredients and equipment needed on hand.

for the Pumpkin Mousse

¾ cup sugar
6 tbsp. high quality aged rum, like Zaya Gran Reserva (my all time favorite, thanks Dave!)
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground Advieh or Pumpkin Pie spice
8 eggs, yolks
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup heavy whipping cream whipped with 2 teaspoons powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Bring 2″ water to a boil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Place a medium metal bowl over pan, and add sugar, rum, salt, spice, and egg yolks; whisk together, and cook, whisking constantly until thickened and pale, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and add canned pumpkin, fold until almost combined. Place in a bowl and chill thoroughly. Make the whipped cream, fold the chilled mousse into the whipped cream. Keep cold until ready to fill the cream puffs.

for the Crackle Tops

4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Let the butter sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before using. Put the brown sugar and salt into the bowl of the food processor. cut the butter into 10 pieces and add to the sugar. Process until almost blended Add the flour and pulse until the dough forms moist curds. Pulse in the vanilla.

Scrape the dough onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper and form into a disc. Caver with another sheet or parchment or wax paper and roll out dough to a thickness of about 1/16th inch. Slide the dough onto a tray or cutting board and place in the freezer for a minimum of two hours. Cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch rounds and return to the freezer until ready to bake the puffs.

for the Cream Puffs

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup water

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, one stick cut into 4 pieces

1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 425′. Position the racks to be able to use the top 2 of 3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan over high heat. Add the flour all at once, reduce the heat to medium low and stir vigorously using a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. The dough should be very smooth. Let the dough rest 3 minutes. Turn the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the eggs into the dough ONE AT A TIME, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. The dough should be used immediately.

Either pipe the cream puffs onto the prepared pans with using a pastry bag, or use a small cookie scoop that holds about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Leave at least 2 inches between puffs. Gently top each puff with a round of frozen crackle top dough. Place the baking sheets in the 425′ oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375′. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pans from top to bottom; front to back. Bake another 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool to room temperature.

To fill the puffs for my recipe, I cut them in two along the edge of the crackle top and piped the whipped cream pumpkin mouse into each one using a large star tip. I did this about an hour before serving and kept them cold in the refrigerator.

I hope you give this pumpkin pie alternative a try!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Laura