do you know the mushroom man? November 2, 2009

rick and his son eric

it’s rick! he and his sons eric (15) and dalton (18) sell me my goods every saturday morning at the east liberty farmer’s market. i knew i had to befriend rick after our first conversation, in which he was telling me about seeing “the decemberists” play in town a few months ago. i knew he was cool.

rick and his sons are learning all about mushrooms from someone by the name of john cignota, who ran a course at the local food co-op on growing mushrooms. john sends rick off to the east liberty farmer’s market while he sells them from the lawerenceville farmer’s market on saturday mornings.

rick and his kids go mushroom hunting with john, and say in a good spot, they can find them growing every 6 miles or so. 6 miles!!!! think about that!! when it comes down to it, some real work goes into putting food on our tables. -and knowledge. you can’t just eat any mushroom you find. it takes some know how to spot safe ones, to know what they are. rick must be hip the amazing things his kids are learning when they’re out in the woods hunting for mushrooms. self sufficiency, life skills.. but also just spending some time in the woods with your dad is great (and rare for most people). they’re also learning how to grow their own mushrooms at home. how cool is that?

every week, they sell 20-30 lbs of fresh mushrooms, such as morel, chanterelle, shiitake, maitake, portobello, etc. each variety has its own unique taste. each has its own place in the culinary world. after practically robbing the farmer’s market every weekend, i dump out my loot, wash off my mushrooms, and fry them up in butter. that’s it, just butter. that’s all they need. they haven’t been sitting in the back of a semi truck for over a week, drying out and absorbing strange smells and flavors. these are pure, mushroomy mushrooms. my favorite to eat on its own is maitake. it is really meaty in texture, and it’s great with eggs.

i usually get a big paper lunch bag full for $5, which lasts through a few meals. i try to eat them within a few days so they don’t get yucky.

buttery samples

with his coleman grill right there at the farmer’s market, he fries them up to sample out to passersby. go get a few bites from him, he will be happy to talk to you and let you stand there and snack. rick reminds me every week to be sure to clean and cook them, don’t eat them raw. he said the best way to clean them is to dunk them in a big bowl of clean water, agitating to get all of the critters out. i always change the water and give them a second dunk to be safe. i then cut the mushrooms off of the trunk, and throw them into some hot butter and let them cook for 10 minutes or so. one of my favorite autumn dishes is roasted squash with buttery sheep’s head mushrooms. i also put them in  my omelette almost every morning.

here is a link to the east liberty farmer’s market, which includes a list of foods that can be purchased there. i’ll add that i for the past few weeks, an amish farmer has been selling his goat cheese there. we bought some white goat’s cheddar, which is tangy and delicious. he samples every cheese he carries, and will let you sample all of them and ask for seconds. what a nice guy.

i tend to do quite a bit of bragging about the east liberty farmer’s market. i really respect the smaller vendors out there that are bringing real food to my table.  so here is a big thank you to rick and his awesome mushrooms!

coconut flour zucchini muffins November 1, 2009

i’ve been doing quite a bit of baking with coconut flour lately. i try to stay away from overdoing it with almond flour. coconut flour has just as many nutritional benefits as almond flour. it is low in protein, but requires many eggs to hold it together, thus increasing the protein content. it contains 61% fiber. yes, 61%. wheat contains about 25% fiber. but fear not, you use so little coconut flour in an entire recipe that you would notice no effect of the increased fiber. in a standard wheat flour recipe, you would be using about 2 cups of flour, where you need about 1/4 cup coconut flour. in other words, it contains more fiber, but you consume less. baking with coconut flour takes a bit of practice, but the result is worth the wait. baked goods take on an added amazing smell and light flavor from the flour. -not a heavy flavor of coconut, just an “essence”. we LOVE the pancakes we made last weekend for “fancy saturday breakfast”. recipe coming soon.

you can purchase coconut flour from most grocery stores. i use bob’s red mill brand, but there are many out there. it appears to be quite expensive, but remember that you use only use about 1/2 cup for most baked goods, where with wheat recipes you would be using 2 cups.

i almost always require a morning snack around 10 to get me through the morning until lunch. finding a good grain free muffin has been a difficult and temperamental journey. i remember a few weeks ago when i tried an almond flour pumpkin muffin recipe.. well the recipe was for mini muffins, and i thought i would be able to tweak it into a large sized muffin… i modified the baking time and temp just slightly. normally, this works pretty well. no, not this time. 3 batches i made. then i tried making a mini coconut flour zucchini muffin into a normal sized muffin. the bottoms were burnt, but the tops barely brown.

i was frustrated. i may or may not have thrown a muffin against the wall in a fit of anger. we laughed it off.

after several trial/error sessions like this, i finally came across one that worked. i made it work. it had to. -i couldn’t afford to waste more ingredients to be thrown against a wall. (baking can get ugly in my house.)

these turned out wonderfully! they are light and fluffy, moist with a good crumb. they are just a touch sweet, but you can add slightly more agave nectar/honey if you like them sweeter. they are a really nutritious snack, with half an egg in each muffin for protein, crunchy walnuts for fiber and protein, and raisins for tastiness. you could sub in chocolate chips instead of raisins.

this recipe makes a dozen.

zucchini muffins

liquid ingredients:

6 eggs

1/3 cup agave nectar*

1/3 cup liquified coconut oil*

1 tbsp vanilla extract

dry ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

pinch cinnamon

fold-ins:

1 cup shredded zucchini*

1/4 cup raisins*

1/4 cup walnuts*

*you can use any nuts you want. you can use butter instead of coconut oil. honey or maple syrup for the agave nectar. you could sub in chocolate chips instead of raisins. you can use apples instead of zucchini for a slightly sweeter muffin. you get the point, this is a pretty flexible recipe.

a quick note about the coconut oil or butter: please do not use hot butter, it will cook the eggs and be gross. wait until it cools to  room temperature but is still liquid.

preheat oven to 350f.

prep 12 cup muffin tin and paper cups with a little oil. i sprayed the paper cups with a little olive oil for easy release.

in large bowl and with a whisk, combine all liquid ingredients until completely combined.

sift all dry ingredients together. it is always important to use a sifter when using coconut flour. especially when there is baking soda involved.

combine the dry ingredients with the wet using a whisk until just combined.

add the fold-ins and, well, fold them in.

i use an ice cream scooper to scoop batter into cups. these do rise, so don’t over fill the cups.

bake for 20-30 minutes.

these store well in ziplock bag at room temp for 4 days or so, and in the fridge for 6 days or so.

 

pumpkin pie cake October 31, 2009

we went to the pumpkin patch last week to pick a few out. yes, it is halloween today, and no, we did not yet carve our pumpkins. first of all, we are procrastinators. second of all, i’m secretly happy that we haven’t carved them yet because i think they are pretty when they are whole. once you carve them, they get smooshy and stinky and only last a few days.

anyhow, despite getting ridiculously car sick on the way there AND on the way back, we had a great time picking them out and visiting the farm stand that accompanies the pumpkin patch. all of those pumpkins made me hungry for pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter, pumpkin cake,… you get the idea. so i picked one treat to make. pumpkin cake. i could not find a recipe ANYWHERE online that was grain free. this surprised me, because pumpkin is a wonderful binder, and incredibly easy to bake with.

that in mind, i came up with my own recipe using coconut flour. i used a vanilla cake recipe i found as inspiration. it turned out great! next time i make it, i am going to try adding 1/2 cup or so almond meal to the batter to give it more crumb. the cake is very much like a pumpkin pie. i’m not sure how to explain how or why, so you’ll have to try it for yourself. this is a very addicting cake, and very light. i made it in a 9×9 cake pan, thinking i could get at least 16 servings out of it. wrong. i ate 3 pieces of it before brian even got to try it. i will definitely make this cake again. it is so easy, and requires very few ingredients. oh, and the brown sugar cream cheese frosting is mandatory.

wet ingredients:

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree

6 eggs

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 liquid cup coconut oil

dry ingredients:

1/3 cup coconut flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

preheat oven to 325f. grease up a 9×9 cake pan and line bottom with cut parchment paper.

puree wet ingredients with food processor. be sure to scrape down the sides and scoop up the bottom of the blades so no ingredients stick to the bowl of the processor, getting left out.

sift the dry ingredients together. it is important to sift, because coconut flour gets clumpy.

pour dry ingredients into food processor and let it run for a minute or so, until all ingredients are combined. give it a taste before transferring to your prepared pan. it may need more syrup to sweeten or spices etc.

pour batter into pan, and stick in the oven for 40 minutes, rotating half a turn after first 20 minutes. a toothpick should come out somewhat clean, but a little moist.

center should be just firm, and may rise a little. sides should pull away from pan slightly.

cool for half an hour before running a knife around the edges to loosen cake from pan. invert onto cooling rack and cool for an hour or so before frosting.

brown sugar cream cheese frosting

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup brown sugar

blend ingredients with electric mixer until sugar dissolves and desired consistency is reached. it should be a little whippy and airy. you can add a tbsp or so coconut flour to thicken if it seems too sloppy for spreading.

place pecans or other nuts on frosted cake for extra fally-ness.

hide your cake from squirrels and other chiseler types.

apple upside down cake October 25, 2009

from the tops of the trees

an amazing visit from a close friend made a cake possible. visiting western pennsylvania mid-autumn would be fruitless if a trip to the apple orchard wasn’t made! there are many in our area, but we chose simmons. we have only been to a few area farms here, and have been chosing them based on whim. we made the hour or so drive out of town on a drizzly day, and had a blast! even though it pretty grey out there, it was beautiful. rows and rows of apple trees, as far as the eye could see. -and beyond that, a grand view across the valley.

sean, me, and christine walking around like we own the joint

we paid our $16 or so for a giant empty bag, and headed out to the orchard to fill it up with whatever we desired, sampling  along the way. -stuffing our faces, really. it’s like we’d never seen apples before. a hundred apples lay under each tree, decomposing. i guess we hit the orchard a few weeks late, but there was still a generous selection left on the trees.

we stomped through the breaking apples, picking some up along the way to throw at each other and at dead trees. we finally filled up our giant bag of apples with red and green ones, sweet and tart. truth be told, the cake we needed these apples for only requires 3 apples. yep. 3. how many did we get? i think it was a peck.

we bought a few tiny pumpkins, too. there is a great little shop on site, where they sell jams and fruit butters, canned vegetables, and fresh produce. oh, and did i mention there were goats, chickens, and ducks? only the goats would hang with us, though. how fun! they followed us around, eating our clothes and fighting each other for our attention.

this orchard was great, and if you are in the area, i strongly recommend going before it’s too late! i know they have a pumpkin patch, but am unsure of how late in the season they stay open.

after getting back, christine and i wasted no time getting busy on a very easy to make cake. i’ve actually made this cake 4 times now, each time with slightly different results. it requires very few ingredients. i’ve made it with very expensive almond flour that i order online, bob’s red mill brand almond flour, and almond meal that i get from trader joe’s. i have to say, the trader joe’s brand made the best base for the cake. it came out very sturdy, but moist. it also resulted the least esthetically pleasing result, because the base of the cake turned out very dark in color due to the almond skins. but who cares if it’s dark?

the apples were soft and tender, glazed with honey and cinnamon. this has become a regular cake in our house. we just gobble it up. i have to thank the writer at comfy belly for this recipe. it’s hard to find a seasonal cake recipe that is grain free. it’s packed with protein and fiber, so we don’t feel guilty when we polish the whole thing off in 2 days. plus, it’s got apples in it, so it’s good for us, right? right?

i made a few modifications, as i usually do. most importantly, i use a springform pan for this. i line the bottom with parchment and butter the sides for easy release. i’ve also made this dairy free by using soy yogurt in place of dairy and using coconut oil instead of butter. great results with and without dairy. i’ve also been using maple syrup for more of an autumn flavor. i’ll give the recipe as i have been making it with my modifications, and leave it up to you to visit her site to see the original in all it’s glory.

i have been using jonagold, granny smith, braeburn, and fuji apples for this. use your favorite combination of sweet and tart apples for this.

let me just say, this recipe is too easy, folks. even if you’re not gluten free, even if you don’t like fruit. ok, maybe if you’re allergic to nuts you shouldn’t make this recipe. otherwise, go to the store and buy up some almond flour. you already have the other ingredients. go! now!

apple upside down cake

for the cake base:

2 cups almond flour, packed

pinch of salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1/2 cup (1 container) plain or vanilla yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tbsp melted butter

for the apples:

3 medium apples thinly sliced

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp butter

preheat oven to 310f. prep spring form or regular 9″ cake pan with butter and round of parchment.

in large skillet, saute thinly sliced apples in butter, cinnamon, and syrup for 5 minutes or so. just until they are just tender. -you don’t want to over cook them, remember they will cook a little while baking, too. remove from heat and set them aside to soak up a little juice while they cool.

meanwhile, combine dry ingredients, breaking clumps from the almond meal.

separately, mix wet ingredients. be sure the eggs are well beaten into the batter to ensure an even and smooth batter.

combine wet and dry together.

with slotted utensil, spoon apples from skillet to bottom of prepped pan. spread them as evenly as possible, closing up visible gaps so the cake batter doesn’t run all over the top of the cake. you will be tempted to pour in the tasty maple sauce that they are swimming in, but don’t be fooled! it will make your cake batter very mushy and wet. yes, it will still be delicious, but the cake will be soggy and unattractive.

pour batter over apples.

bake for 35 minutes on middle rack of oven.

you’ll know when it is done by using toothpick test, and cake is not jiggly when you give it a tap.

let it cool upside down for at least an hour. i usually let it cool for a few hours so the syrup from the fruit sets up before i invert it.

stores several days covered on the counter top or refrigerator.

this cake is so versatile and easy. it would be perfect with coffee in the morning, or as an addictive treat after dinner, especially on a cool fall night!

i know this recipe is very flexible, and would be great converted into a pear cake. i could see using it for stone fruits, such as peaches, so long as they were not cooked before baking. perhaps in the spring i will use rhubarb, and in the summertime i will use cherries.

enjoy!

red beets October 24, 2009

baithing beauties

i think that red beets appear to be difficult to prepare. they look funny. they have papery, dirty skin and long stalks that are just daunting. what the heck are you supposed to do with all of that stuff? is there really food in there under that nasty peel? yes there is. ruby, sweet, buttery root vegetable. i love beets in a salad with a little blue cheese and citrus dressing. lately, we’ve been having beets on a salad with dried apricots and apricot jam honey mustard. what a tasty meal! root vegetables are in abundance this time of year, so stock up. my mom cooks a bunch of them in the fall, then puts them in the freezer to keep through the winter. she’s so smart! i remember eating lots and lots of beets as a child, i’ve always loved them. i also remember my dad hating them. without exception, every time i would eat buttered beets in front of him, he would proclaim “eeeewwww, beets”. which meant mom, sister and i were alone in our beet loving dinners.

not only delicious, but healthy too: beets have proven in studies to be effective in protecting against colon cancer, heart disease, and birth defects. they are really cheap, too. we bought a big fat bunch of them at the farmer’s market for $3.

beets will stain anything they touch. anything. a gross but essential bit of knowledge: they will also stain your *ahem* insides, if you know what i mean, especially if you have been consuming them for several days. no need to be alarmed, beeturia is a harmless condition that will pass after a few days.

a tip for keeping your hands skin colored when prepping beets: cover them in olive oil before you peel and cut them.

there are probably a kabillion ways to prepare them, but my favorite is roasted. some will tell you to scrub the skins before you cook them, but i know that there are precious minerals stored in the skin that will be washed down the drain if you do that. plus, you risk scraping and bruising the beet under the skin, and when you roast them, that part of the vegetable will be dry and gnarly.

how to prepare then roast beets:

chop off the hair so you have about 2″ of stalk remaining.

submerge in clean, cold water for a minute or two. change water and repeat.

preheat oven to 400f.
make a big pouch out of foil. drizzle a little oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. fold it all together inside the pouch so the steam doesn’t come out of the loose ends.
roast for 45 minutes. check it to make sure they are “fork tender”. let them cool on the counter top for a few minutes before peeling and cutting so they are easier to handle. use a paper towel to scrub the skins off of the beets, and carefully pull the tops off. cut into chunks to do what you wish with them.

this is what we did:

roasted beets with green beans

cut roasted beets into manageable chunks.

toss with prepared green beans (i steam them), and a glaze made of equal parts apricot jam, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

we liked it served with some rosemary chicken, which has become our sunday favorite lately. like i said, beets are an essential ingredient in autumn salads, along with a little blue cheese, apples, and sunflower seeds. -and bacon.

look at how pretty they are!

i know that you can make sweet dishes with beets, too. i’ve heard of red beet cakes and cupcakes, but have not yet attempted them. i would love to find a recipe for a dessert beet dish.

you can also pickle them and put them in martinis. yum!

pardon my breif absence: October 22, 2009

dear readers,

i know, i know. i’ve been a neglectful blogger.

i’ve been taking a few spotty moments i’ve found here and there in my life to relax recently. but fear not, i’ve been baking up a storm. i’m now writing to promise you a good chunk of recipes in the very new future, including an upside down apple cake, coconut flour zucchini muffins, shepard’s pie, and many other tasty bites.

so stop back, my weekend will be busy with blogging, i swear.

the best zucchini bread October 11, 2009

everyone says they have the best zucchini bread recipe. most baked goods go that way. everyone has a secret ingredient, or a “better way” of making it… my claim to making the best zucchini recipe is unfounded. i don’t know what makes it the best, i just know that to me, it tastes like the best. i love it. unfortunately, i can’t eat it because it is grain based. but i can make it and give it out to friends and loved ones! which is what i have been doing lately. baking vicariously for my grain eating buddies. sounds like they’ve been enjoying my grainy foods lately, so i thought i’d post a recipe that is simply delicious and really flexible. i sent this recipe to my friend jamie, though i’m not sure if she’s made it yet. i thought i’d give her a few weeks to try it out exclusively before i made the recipe public!

i really love walnuts in quick breads, so i never skimp on them. you could also throw in raisins if you desire. i use a cream cheese based glaze, which gives it a little “tang” that i really like. i like to sprinkle chopped candied ginger on top of the glaze for some spice.

i guess the “secret” ingredient is possibly what makes it the best, but if you do not feel like going out and buying the rye flour, you can simply use more whole wheat pastry flour. it will still be great, delicious, and wonderful. -but it will not be “best”, because the savory flavor that the rye lends the loaf of this sweet, moist bread is a really tasty surprise in this recipe. so, i strongly recommend taking the time to buy some rye flour, which is inexpensive and versatile in many recipes. i use bob’s red mill brand, which can be found at most grocery stores in the baking and flours section or in the “specialty foods” area.

the other “secret” that may make it especially tasty is the combination of brown and regular sugars. brown sugar always gives baked goods a moist molasses flavor that i really crave in the fall!

in this recipe, i use 1/2 rye flour, 1/2 white whole wheat. you could use all white whole wheat, or sub in all-purpose flour if you don’t feel like using these “special” flours.

enjoy!

zucchini bread

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
small sprinkling of ginger if you wish
heaping tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar (not packed)
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract or scraping from a vanilla bean if you have one
squeeze from a lemon
3 cups shredded zucchini
2 cups chopped walnuts

preheat oven to 350f. place racks in the center of the oven. grease up 2 regular sized loaf pans and dust them with flour. set aside.
mix together first 4 (and ginger if you want) ingredients in a big bowl and set aside.
cream together butter and sugar (both brown and regular) with electric mixer. be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to reincorporate butter that will stick to the bottom of the bowl. do this a few times.
beat in the eggs one at a time, following with the vanilla, zucchini, then the lemon squeeze. scrape down sides of the bowl, and continue to mix well.
dump half of the flour into wet mixture, and run mixer for a few seconds, then dump in the other half. mix until it is just combined. -no over mixing! be sure to scrape bowl once more to ensure all ingredients are mixed in.
by hand, fold in walnuts.
divide batter into loaf pans, and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes clean. edges should be brown and slightly pulled away from the sides.
let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes or so., then run a knife around edges and invert to release loaf from pan. let it cool completely on wire rack. wait until it’s cool to glaze.

glaze

1/2 block cream cheese, room temp
1 cup powdered sugar or more
1/2 cup or more milk (i use coconut or soy, but you can use regular if you want)
lemon zest from half a lemon

whip cream cheese until it is creamy and “manageable”. stop mixer and dump in sugar and zest. slowly start mixer, gradually turning power up, and mix sugar into cream cheese. whip until light and fluffy. at this point, you have cream cheese frosting. now slowly add in milk until desired consistency. let it mix for a few minutes so sugar dissolves a little. you’re done when you decide!!! if it is super runny, use a spoon to drizzle it on. i actually like to use a pastry brush and paint it over the top. if it is thick, use a knife to frost.

campy granola bars September 28, 2009

i love granola bars! unfortunately, i can not imbibe in their sticky sweet chewy goodness. but i CAN make them for other people to enjoy! i went camping/hiking a few weeks ago, and could not pass up the opportunity to make these for my grain loving friends as a tasty and quick trail treat. something about autumn makes me think of granola bars.. the oats, nuts, dried berries.. yum! from what i hear, they turned out pretty great. the only crumb of criticism i got was that they should have had more blueberries in them. obviously, you could sub in any fruit or nut of your choice, or even to sub in a different nut butter. -soy, peanut, etc. but i would try to stick to the main list of ingredients other than that. it’s not easy to get a bar to be chewy and crunchy, but still hold together nicely. these bars were perfect in all of those ways, chewy, crunchy, and sturdy. and it seems they are still keeping together nicely, as i found one stashed in my husband’s desk.

i found this recipe online, but modified it to handle the larger amount of nuts i wanted to use. i think i came up with 24 or so bars. i just know that there were a lot. but they got gobbled up pretty quickly!! they make a nutritious handy breakfast on the go, snack, trail food.

blueberry cashew granola bars

ingredients:

1/2 cup bran cereal, like grape nuts

1 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup salted cashews

1 cup dried blueberries

sprinkling of sesame seeds if you have them

4 tbsp almond butter

5 tbsp honey

4 tbsp brown rice syrup

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

directions:

preheat oven to 350f. line a 9×9 square cake pan with long sheet of parchment paper. let paper hang over 2 ends. this will make removal easier.

combine nuts, oats, cereals, and blueberries in a large mixing bowl.

over low heat, warm almond butter, brown rice syrup, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon in small saucepan. keep it stirred. after a few minutes, it will become combined and thin. it will begin to bubble slightly around the sides. let it gently bubble for a minute, then remove it from heat and pour over and stir into dry mixture.

be sure the dry ingredients are well coated, then pour into 9×9.

press into cake pan with some amount of force. i put an oiled baggie over my hand to do this, so it wouldn’t stick. just be sure it is packed in nice and tightly, and that the whole thing is pretty level.

bake it for half an hour.

it will remain slightly soft until it is cool. once removed from the oven, press it back into the pan like you did before baking. set it aside to cool.

let it cool in the pan for an hour or so. run sharp knife along edges to release.

set huge block of granola onto cutting board, and slice into desirable sizes. i did traditional granola bar sizes.

again, these keep really well, even just at room temp. i wrapped mine up individually in parchment paper so my friends could easily grab them for hiking. you could stick them in a large tupperware container with parchment paper between layers. the only caution i’d use is don’t store them touching each other. i think they’ll become one pretty easily.

all wrapped up

killer peanut butter and honey cookies September 27, 2009

these cookies could have been my death. i made them to say thank you to brian’s coworkers, who had pulled a few favors for him lately. anyhow, i love peanut butter cookies. love. and i love MY peanut butter cookies. they are perfect in every way. and so so so simple to make. i have always loved this recipe, so it killed me to make a double batch of something i love so much, and can’t have because of the wheat flour. what a bummer. smelling the honey and peanut butter coming together in the oven… the peanut buttery goodness sticking to the mixing bowl… the crisp but chewy golden brown result… anyhow, someone has to make and enjoy these. do it for me. i’m begging you. i need to live vicariously through other people eating this. why are you waiting?! go now!!

killer peanut butter and honey cookies

1 1/8 cup honey

2 cups flour*

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup natural peanut butter**

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup or so chopped peanuts

*cooks note: i made these with 1/2 spelt flour, 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour this time around. feel free to experiment, as this is a very forgiving recipe. you could use white whole wheat, all-purpose, or spelt for all the flour. you could sub in 1/2 cup rye, too, for extra depth.

**cooks note: both chunky and smooth work the same here.

directions

preheat oven to 350f. line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

mix together all dry ingredients, except for the peanuts, and set aside.

mix together all wet ingredients.

combine both wet and dry mixtures. if it seems a little dry, add a drizzle of oil. if it seems too wet, add a few tbsp flour. the texture could vary here, due to variances in peanut butter.

taste your batter. here is where you can add a little extra honey, if you wish.

once batter is just combined, taste it. here is where you can add a little extra honey if you wish. stir in peanuts.

stick it in the fridge for 10 minutes or so.

i used a round tbsp to scoop out batter and drop onto cookie sheets, an inch apart or so. squish down with a fork.

bake for 7-10 minutes. remove from oven when they are golden brown. don’t let them get too dark, they will burn quickly.

let them cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

dip in milk. spread vanilla ice cream on them. dip in chocolate. put some strawberry jelly on them. share them with lots of friends.

september 13, 2009 September 27, 2009

we had our first wedding anniversary a few weekends ago! i thought i could share a few pictures from the evening, which was a low key celebration. brian had to work until 4, and brian had arranged for a friend of ours to make dinner for us. unfortunately, beyond any person’s control, that fell through! though, part of the dinner was prepared. brian called me from work, and told me that we would be eating here, not “out”. so i put a couple of chairs and tv trays onto the porch with some plates. he told me to sautee some veggies because there was a ginger pork tenderloin on the way! mickey had prepared the meat, as well as a beautiful grain free carrot cake and had our anniversary cake defrosted.

everything turned out perfectly!

the veggies ended up perfect with the pork, which delicious!

up until that day, i had been feeling sorry for myself that i couldn’t enjoy more than a bite of carrot cake on my own anniversary, since it was a traditional wheat based carrot cake. i did have a few bites of it, and it was still just as tasty as the day we had it in 2008! i couldn’t believe it! more amazingly, i ended up eating about 1/4 of the 2 layer grain free duplicate that mickey baked for me. it was so good! carrot cake is my favorite, so it meant a lot that brian had thought to have mickey do this for me. -it’s not easy to bake a grain free cake without practice.

we ended up with lots of extra cake.. obviously. so we called a few friends over to share in the cakey fun. most of these friends were at our wedding a year ago, so it was sweet to have them drop in! it was a perfect and simple evening, and totally thrown together!! it is exactly what i wanted.

it’s hard to believe i’ve been married for a year, though it seems as though marriage was an easy transition for the both of us to just slide right into. we still like each other, which is important. we are best friends, and laugh at the same things. we support the others ideas, even if they are stupid. we take the day off of work to take care of the other if they fell off their bike. i hope i have a million more anniversaries as wonderful as this.