“Vegetarian?”…. “Occasionlly.”
28 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Cooking, Entertaining, Food for Thought, Healthy Eating, Uncategorized Tags: environment, hummus, tofu
Hummus w/ Pita
Healthy eating in my opinion should really be referred to as “healthier eating”. Very few of us are going to hit 100% in our attempts at super-dieting.
While the ultimate goal may be to turn into a lacto-octo-vegan overnight and never stray, I tend to support a gentler, more user-friendly approach.
Instead of cutting out meats entirely, try substituting a veggie meal a few nights each week. You will be leaving less of a carbon footprint…improving your health as well!
This week I made some spicy homemade hummus, paired it with pita and arugula salad, a rich tomato soup + a great Cabernet… and no one noticed that it was a meat-free meal. In fact, I think it was preferred!
Hummus
Combine:
2 Cups cooked Garbanzo beans (Prepared dried & cooked, or canned) 1/2 cup liquid reserved
3/4 Cup drained Tofu (cubed)
2 Tablespoons Tahini
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Teaspoons Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
5 cloves freshly pressed garlic
Sea salt to taste ( usually about 2 Teaspoons)
Fresh hot pepper to taste
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
1/4 Teaspoon Coriander
Top with:
1/4 Cup fresh Parsley
Serve with:
Whole grain pita bread
Fresh vegetables
In food processor, combine ingredients, blending until smooth. Add reserved liquid as needed. Hummus should have a thick, peanut butter-like consistency. Taste, and season accordingly. Serve topped with chopped parsley – tucked into toasted whole grain pita bread with vegetables of your choice. (English cucumbers and roasted red peppers are especially good!)
Tofu adds a great protein boost to this terrific meat substitute. It is “de-lite-ful” change of pace!
“No meat…still a treat!”
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“Dream Cake” – The Perfect Basic All-Butter Cake
11 Jun 2011 2 Comments
in Cooking, Entertaining, Kitchen nostalgia Tags: baking, black walnuts, butter, cake, layer cake
The tenderness and moistness of this cake make it beyond compare – like a cloud. It has been a family favorite for decades and has served as a basic recipe for coconut cakes, lemon-orange cakes, cupcakes, birthday cakes…even wedding cakes!
It is typically baked in a sheet pan, but also works perfectly when layered with lots of delicious icing. Be sure, though, to handle super-gently if placing on a stand and frosting, since the very delicate texture has a tendency to crumble.
If you are a fan of a Southern favorite – black walnuts – nothing provides a better, buttery batter for traditional black walnut cake than this recipe. Especially when topped with fluffy, boiled coconut frosting. Too good!!!
All-Butter Cake
Prepare a 13 x 9″ oblong baking pan or 2 9″ layer cake pans by greasing and lightly flouring. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together:
2/3 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
Beat in:
3 large eggs
In separate bowl, throughly sift together:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. taking powder
1/4 tsp. salt (1/2 tsp. if using unsalted butter)
Stir above mixture into creamed butter, shortening, & eggs alternately along with:
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla
(If a “white cake” is preferred, use four large egg whites, saving yolks for another recipe! While the taste will not be quite as rich, it is still delicious.)
Beat together until light, fluffy and silky. Pour into pans, spreading evenly and bake approx 35 minutes, or until cake passes the “toothpick test”. It will be golden on top. Allow to cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before removing due to the fragile consistency.
This recipe is sure to become a family classic to all that give it a try. It’s versatility is unsurpassed!
“Life is far too short to eat
cake from a box.”
"Dream Cake"
The Other Red Meat
24 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Cooking, Food for Thought, Kitchen nostalgia, Silly, Uncategorized Tags: bacon bits, baked potato, Carnation Instant Breakfast, Joshua Tree, sour cream, Space Food Sticks
A snack, a condiment, a meal!
I was lucky enough to have been born in the 1960′s, when “artificial” food was hot and happening. We wanted all we could get – from Pillsbury Space Food Sticks to Carnation Instant Breakfast. A Swanson or Morton’s frozen dinner was an exciting treat – no matter how bad it tasted! This is all but a lead-in to the product that is on my mind today – the imitation bacon chip. Actually, flavored, colored, and heavily salted soy protein pieces. They, like saccharin, are such an ingrained part of my childhood, even now, I can’t let go.
My first experience with the “bacon” bit was in the Metropolitan D.C. area with my best friend and her parents. We were seven at the time. The restaurant was ”The Joshua Tree.” Famous for pitchers of Sangria and huge baked potatoes accompanied by an array of “fixin’s” featuring tiny burgundy colored squares that you “couldn’t tell from bacon”. You could tell them from bacon. But no one seemed to care. They were cool. Cutting edge. Vegetarian.
Bac-o’s, Bacon Bits, Bac’n Pieces…I still love them all, but try to practice restraint. Their only drawback (aside from nutritional content) is a tendency to lose their original “crispiness” shortly after opening.
And just when you think you have a problem… Simply store a shaker of BB’s in the freezer and they stay fresh for months. They pour beautifully and retain that addictive and delicious crunchy texture, all the while, never tasting anything like bacon. But who wants to worry over such trivial issues?
Football-sized baked potatoes (usually in foil), ice cream scoops of fluffy, yellow-colored imitation butter, dried chives, whipped sour cream, and, of course, “bacon” galore…those were the days!
“Bring on the Bits!
…Doesn’t taste like bacon, but who cares?”
Tips Not to be Missed!
26 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Cooking, Food for Thought, Healthy Eating, Kitchen Stuff, Uncategorized Tags: kitchen shears, onions, pickles, spinach
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Kitchen shears are a must for every kitchen! When preparing meat, keep a pair handy to snip off any unwanted (and fattening!) fat and skin. Every tablespoon of visible fat trimmed away amounts to 100 less calories and helps keep cholesterol under control!
- “Cut”-lery at its best!
- Onion etiquette
- Red onions tend to complement “ heartier” dishes – those served with red wines, while white and yellow onions combine better with lighter fare; usually accompanied by white wines or Champagnes.
- Visit you local natural food store, or check around to find where spices can be purchased loosely – by the ounce instead of the pre-prepared bottles in your grocery store. They are loaded with fresh flavor and unbelievably cheaper – plus, you are able to buy just the amount you need. The more control in the kitchen, the better!
- Don’t throw away the juice or jars from your favorite pickles after eating the last one! Simply slice some English cucumbers extra-thin, drop them into the jar and in a day or two – more pickles! (Try “pickling” other vegetables, too!)
- Fresh spinach is a refreshing change from lettuce on sandwiches. It adds a unique, nutty flavor and different texture…makes things just a little more interesting. Not to mention that extra boost of iron! ”Snip, snip, snip the fat!”
Vintage Little Chef Toy Stove (Sold)
31 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Antiques, Cooking, Kitchen nostalgia Tags: 1950's, Children, Toys
It works!
What’s cookin’?
Anymore, when I come across a toy that isn’t plastic, it is like finding a treasure! This Little Chef stove stands 13 1/2″ high and transports me back to the 1950′s every time I look at it. So kitschy and kitchen-y!
"Little Chef" Stove
This stove was manufactured by a company called Tacoma Metal Products and actually works. It bakes. It fries. It has obviously been used a lot! - I’m lovin’ the oven!!
Too bad they don’t make a gas model.
” Love me, love my stove.”
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Heaven awaits…
14 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in ...and More!, Food for Thought, Gardening, Healthy Eating Tags: fertilizer, Plants, stakes, tomatoes
Plant #12
Everyday is exciting when tomatoes are in my garden. From the moment they enter the soil, until the tragic last day of the season when the final vine is pulled from the ground, life is good. The staking. The tying. Such fun.
I stare at my tomato plants all throughout the day. I worry about them while at work – discussing them incessantly with my co-workers trying to get tips. (Strangely, they seem to share in my obsession…) I lay on the straw mulch beneath them searching for an undiscovered blight or blemish. Sometimes a flashlight is used. On Sundays they are fertilized after sundown. Suckers removed daily. Weeds obliterated.
The tomatoes are photographed, with each picture dated to chart their progress. The plants are numbered. Number four is presently the weakest and I plan on doing something about that, but can’t figure out what.
I will share their beauty with all who care to look. And everyone should care to look. They are spectacular!
Love me, love my tomatoes.
“Good things come to those who wait.”
What a Difference a Month (and a little Miracle-Gro) Makes!
09 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in ...and More!, Food for Thought, Gardening, Healthy Eating Tags: gardening, Miracle-Gro, straw, tomatoes
Up-Close and Blooming!
- Tomatoes at 1-Month
The temperature is hovering around 100 degrees today. My tomato plants are holding steadfast with their heavy layer of straw mulch, generous watering, and thorough daily dustings. Miracle-Gro is administered weekly. All suckers removed on sight.
At one month, nine of the twelve plants have marble-sized tomatoes – all ample bloom. So far, no signs of disease or dying.
It will be interesting to hear what the report will be one month from now. Will it be delicious tomato sandwiches, or pulling up the vines?
“Ah, sweet mystery of life…”
Mom and Me Trying for Fame!
07 May 2011 1 Comment
in ...and More!, Cooking, Food for Thought Tags: auditioning, Cissie Long, commercials, family, Got Milk?, mayonnaise, Mom
- “Got Mayo?”
After reading an audition post – a search for a family especially fond of mayonnaise – for a national advertising campaign, it seemed Mom and I found our calling. We were naturals!
I submitted this snapshot, only to hear shortly thereafter that production of the commercial had been cancelled.
This has only encouraged us. Mom and I are a power team if I’ve ever seen one!
“There’s no business like show business
…except we’re not in it.”
Why Today is Good
04 May 2011 1 Comment
in ...and More!, Cooking, Food for Thought, Gardening, Healthy Eating, Kitchen Stuff Tags: gardening, tomatoes
Newly Planted
- Tomatoes, Day 2
It is day two for my tomato garden. After surrendering last year to the urgings of friends and farmers not to plant – that the tomatoes would be attacked by insects, rot, be stolen, shrivel, contract “black bottom” (whatever that is) or “die on the vine”, I said, “What the heck,” and planted them anyway. So what if they get “black bottom”? Nobody is going to die. Hopefully.
As for today, I gaze at my 12 little plants. Better Boy. Big Boy. Bigger, Better Beefy…something. All beautiful. All healthy.
Nothing good comes without struggle. I expect Stinkbugs, and I expect Starlings. Weeds will happen. Drought will occur. And my tomatoes will triumph.
Come August, I’ll be preparing BLT’s. They will taste a thousand times better while looking at my garden through the kitchen window.
(In the South, every “old-timer,” when speaking of tomatoes, says, “I just sprinkle a little salt on them, and eat ‘em just like an apple.”
Most claim to carry a shaker of salt in their pocket during summer months!)
A Love Story (Prescription for Romance!)
24 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
in ...and More!, Entertaining, Food for Thought, Relationships, Romance, Silly Tags: Brentwood, Bullock's, dating, lipstick, Love, obsesssion, Prescriptives Cosmetics, Westwood
The price of confidence
- Shopping bag, circa 1989
Such a homage to my old love…
A few days ago, I needed an acceptable-looking shopping bag to transport a few small items to a local consignment shop. While rummaging through my drawers, I discovered an old Prescriptives Cosmetics tote that had been carefully wrapped in tissue paper and tucked safely away. Inside was a sales receipt from long ago. It evoked a flood of memories.
The sales slip showed a charge of $74.55. The purchase was made at Bullock’s department store in Westwood, California – October 7, 1989. Almost 22 years ago. One eyeshadow and two lipsticks. Preparation for an important event.
The date that night was very special. My eyelids had to have an elegant, soft shimmer – nothing glittery – and my lipstick, an expensive “taste”, just in case he kissed me (sigh). Two tubes were required, should I have a last-minute desire for a deeper or lighter shade. Everything had to be perfect. Price was no object.
On this day of reflection, I think about the wonderful teenage excitement anticipating my “big date” years ago, but then have to face the reality that I was 29 years old at the time.
Now I have a better understanding of why I am still single.
“Forever, I will remember the sweetness of that first kiss…” 
…and, yes, I still love him.
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Super-Easy and Elegant Dessert
23 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
in ...and More!, Cooking, Entertaining, Food for Thought, Kitchen Stuff, Uncategorized Tags: 2-minute desserts, Greek yogurt, whipped cream
The secret ingredient
- 2-Minute (or less!) Dessert
Sometimes simplicity is the key. You can’t go wrong with understatement…as long as everything is absolutely perfect.
For a can’t-be-beat, never-fail dessert - one that can be whipped up (literally) in minutes, and allows variations according to tastes and seasons - this is one to remember!
All you need is some plain Greek yogurt (full-fat for the richest flavor), homemade, whipped heavy cream with an ample shot of natural vanilla extract, fresh fruit of your choice, and pound cake, shortbread cookies, or macaroons.
Mix equal parts of the whipped cream and yogurt until fluffy, assemble in a chilled parfait or dessert glass – layering or topping with cake or cookies and fresh seasonal fruit. Raspberries, strawberries, peaches…whatever you like and what ever is in season, and preferably local. Sprinkle generously with Confectioner’s sugar.
Serve with coffee or espresso. Amaretto optional!
“The best things in life aren’t necessarily free,
sometimes they’re just easy.”
My Kitchen Apothecary
11 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
in Cooking, Kitchen Stuff Tags: garlic, mortar and pestle
The daily grind
The mortar and pestle is the solution to all!
Keep an array in various sizes.
From crushing coriander to guacking guacamole – the “molcajete” can’t be beat!
“Crush, grind, pulverize!”
