I haven't felt very bloggy, as I have been up to my ears in strawberries, ha ha! My sister & our friend, Cristy, went to Sauvie Island Farms last weekend & picked soooooo many berries. I got 24 pounds of them. :/ Somebody stop me! Here's what I did with most of them, besides eating them plain...
First off, lots of Strawberry-Honey Jam. I used Pomona's Universal Pectin, which is awesome because you don't need to use much, if any sweetener, depending on the fruit; in fact, it gels with calcium, rather than sugar. I've been avoiding white sugar, for the most part, & used 1/2 cup honey to sweeten each batch (per 4 cups mashed strawberries). The resulting jam is just right & won't give the recipients diabeetus.
There are 29 jars of this stuff---some pints, some half-pints, & some teensy-tiny ones. I can't wait to mix it into yogurt & slather it on toast throughout the year!
I also made some pseudo-ice cream. Since I don't have an ice cream maker, I just whipped some heavy cream, then folded in some strawberry puree before freezing. It's a little crystallized, but I wasn't feeling fancy enough to care. :)
If you're in a similarly non-fancy mood, here's how I made it:
Rustic Strawberry-Honey Ice Cream & Sauce
- 1/2 pint heavy cream
- 2 cups strawberry puree
- 3/4 cup honey (more or less, to taste)
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon arrowroot starch
Whip the cream until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-whip, or you'll have butter (which isn't that shabby, actually). Fold about half of the strawberry-honey mixture into the cream. It will be somewhat runny, just so you know. Freeze until firm, about 6 hours or so.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by whisking the arrowroot into the remaining syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Simmer for about a minute, then pour into a jar to cool.
Drizzle the ruby syrup over your ice cream & eat it while basking in the sun!
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I also whipped up a couple treats for a dinner at Coral's house. Of course I forgot to take pictures of them until after I wrapped them up. By the time I realized it, I was running late & just wanted to head over, so sorry!
Luckily, I had set aside a cookie for Ethan, so I have a better shot of that. I made cookie sandwiches, filled with a little homemade peach jam. Mmmmmmm...
Brown Butter Shortbread adapted from My Madison Bistro- 3/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/3 cups white whole wheat flour
Preheat the oven to 325*F. Brown the butter by melting it over medium heat, stirring it frequently until brown & fragrant, about 4-8 minutes. Chill it in the freezer until solid again.
Cream the butter, brown sugar & vanilla. Add the flour & mix until combined. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Pop into the freezer for a bit until it's firmed up.
Cut into desired shapes & place on a cookie sheet. Bake until golden on the edges, 15-20 minutes, depending on how large you made them.
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Black-Bottom Coconut Bars adapted from Martha Stewart
Base:
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup organic sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
Topping
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup organic sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 3 cups unsweetened coconut (reserve 1/2 cup for garnish)
Preheat the oven to 375*F & butter a 9X9-inch pan; set aside.
Whisk together the butter, sugar & egg. In a small bowl, stir together the flour & cocoa, then stir into the wet ingredients. Spread into the prepared pan & bake for 10-15 minutes, just until it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
While that's baking, prepare the coconut topping. Whisk together the eggs, sugar & vanilla. Stir in the flour, then fold in 2 1/2 cup of coconut. Spread carefully over the baked base. It's pretty thick, so I just dolloped it on top, then carefully pressed it out. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool before cutting into squares.
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On the crafty front, I've been in a crocheting mood, working on my granny square blanket & making a garland for my mom.
Here are all the little hearts, before weaving in the ends:
I made the small hearts from here, then made the garland according to here, except I only chained 4 on top of the hearts, rather than 6, since they were smaller. And here's the finished product:
Cute little hearts!
The other night, my sister & her friend, Megan, invited me to their cute new house for a Southern feast! My sister made delectably tender cornbread. Megan made baked beans (which, tragically, wouldn't soften up till way after dinner) & perfect peach cobbler. I went overboard, of course, & brought BBQ ribz, coleslaw, roasted asparagus, & iced tea!
Only shot I took of the initial feast:
Smels gave me her recipe for cornbread. It is so good! She doesn't know where the recipe came from, besides her greasy Post-it note. :)
Smels' Cornbread of Delight
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Ener-G egg replacer (or a large egg)
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup melted butter or margarine
Preheat the oven to 400*F. Butter an 8X8- or 9X9-inch pan & set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients & mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pan & smooth out the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Eat with butter & honey!
Once I got home, Ethan requested some more ribz, so I made another batch of them, plus more coleslaw!
WARNING: what follows is basically an excuse for eating a bunch of BBQ sauce...
BBQ Ribz adapted from VegFamily- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
- 7 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 9 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2/3 cup cold water
- 1 bottle BBQ sauce
Preheat oven to 350*F. Oil a large cookie sheet & set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the butter & peanut butter; once you've stirred them together, remove from the heat.
In a medium bowl, combine the gluten, nutritional yeast, flour, paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder & garlic powder. Stir in the water. If the dough is super dry, you can add a teensy bit more water. Use your hands to form the dough into a 1/2-inch thick, vaguely rectangular, shape.
On a large cutting board, pour half the peanut butter mixture. Plop the rectangle of dough on this, then pour the remaining peanut butter mixture. Use your fingertips to poke the dough over & over, getting the peanut butter goodness into the whole thing. The rectangle will get bigger, but you shouldn't be poking holes into it, just go halfway through the dough.
Using a big knife, cut the nutty dough into strips that are about 1/2-inch wide. Carefully transfer them to the oiled cookie sheet. It's okay if some break or stretch out---those are the little taste-testers for the chef!
Bake the ribz for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn them over, & spoon about half the BBQ sauce over them.
Bake for 5-7 minutes. Turn them again, & spoon the remaining sauce over them. Bake for another 5-7 minutes. Let cool for a while, so you don't burn yourself. They're actually much tastier if you let them sit for a couple hours, or even overnight!
This coleslaw recipe is from my late Granny, who no doubt clipped this from The Oregonian. It's a copycat of the Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe, so there are copious amounts of sugar in it, of course. Feel free to cut back as much as you want, but realize you won't be eating all of the sugar, unless you drink the sauce from the bottom of the bowl. :)
Best Coleslaw Evarrr
- 1/2 head purple cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
- 2 carrots, peeled & shredded
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 1/2 cup Vegenaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream (or vegan equivalent)
- 1/2 cup sugar (I know, I know!)
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Combine all the ingredients in the hugest bowl you can find. Refrigerate for at least an hour, stirring a couple more times. The veggies will let go of some moisture, & will wilt down into the saucy goodness.I discovered that a delicious wrap could be made by laying down some greens, coleslaw & 3 ribz on a scrumptious wheaty tortilla. Perfect with hot sauce too!
The Saturday Farmer's Market had some scrumptious sugar snap peas, which are a perfect snack!
Oh, I also made the famous New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies for my Feminist Biblical Interpretations class party! I'll admit that I don't follow the recipe to its utmost pretentiousness level, & they're still edible, ha ha.
Big ol' cookies, cooling in the windowsill...
Chocolate Chip Cookies w/Toffee & Pecans adapted from Jacques Torres
- 1 1/4 cups butter (I use salted, sue me!)
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4-1 teaspoon kosher salt (use less, if using sea salt, or table salt)
- 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
- 4 ounces toffee chunks
- 4 ounces chopped toasted pecans
Cream the butter, sugars & vanilla till light & fluffy. Add the eggs & beat for about a minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple times.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Either add the flour, half at a time, to the mixer, or just pour the creamed ingredients into the flour bowl & do it by hand. I prefer the latter, since I can make sure everything is combined evenly, with less of a risk of over-mixing.
Dump in the add-ins: chocolate, toffee & pecans. Work them in, stopping as soon as they're evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Cover the dough & let it rest for up to 36 hours in the fridge. I have made these immediately, & they're amazing. I think I let the last batch rest for about 12 hours...
When you're ready to bake them up, preheat the oven to 350*F. Portion out 1/4-cup balls of dough, placing about 6 of them to a cookie sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen big-ass cookies.
***The original recipe calls for portioning the dough into 1/3-cup blobs, then baking for 18-20 minutes. They make 5-inch cookies though, so look out!
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On a sad note, Ethan's Mom's oldest brother passed away yesterday, so I made Cathy some lavender & orange bath salts. All you do is mix 1/4 teaspoon of essential oil with each cup of Epsom Salts. I usually don't tint mine when I make only one type, but I added a bit of food coloring this time, to delineate between the two scents. Put them into canning jars, or any other glass bottles you have floating around. Milk bottles look really cool too! 
Lavender:
Orange:
I plotted this out last night, because I had just the right combination of veggies & sausage for some heavenly hash. Along with the chipotle chorizo (from Viva Vegan!), I've recently made the chicken & Italian sausages from Vegan Diner. So, so good. My freezer is full of assorted veggie sausages, what could be better?!
This "recipe" is pretty loose. Use whatever veggies you have on hand, and if you can make it without using so many pans, go for it. I just wanted everything cooking at once, but didn't want watery sausage, so I kept things separate till the end...
Hearty Hash w/Chipotle Chorizo
- olive oil for sauteeing
- 7 small potatoes, cubed (I peeled mine, since they were sprouting)
- 1 chipotle chorizo, chopped
- 15 cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 a medium sweet onion, diced
- salt & pepper to taste
- shredded pepper jack, sour cream, & hot sauce (optional)
Preheat oven to 400*F. In a large cast iron pan, toss the potatoes with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 35-45 minutes, stirring them halfway through cooking time.
Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, saute the chorizo in a tablespoon of olive oil until golden on most sides. (I recommend a little hotter than medium-low, and make sure to stir them often.)
In a large frying pan over medium heat, saute the mushrooms till they're golden; place them in a separate bowl & set aside.
Using the same pan you used for the 'shrooms, saute the onions & peppers till tender, but not mushy (I didn't need to add more olive oil, but you can).
By the time all the components are sauteed, the potatoes should be just about ready. Take them out of the oven & dump everything over the potatoes. Season them well with salt & pepper, & give them a good toss. Serve with cheese, sour cream, & hot sauce, or whatever you like. Ketchup would be good too! Enjoy!
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I hit the crafty mother-lode at Goodwill the other night. Someone must have been ovah their beading hobby, because there were probably 60 tubes of seed beads, all 99 cents each. I limited myself to 20 tubes (a couple aren't pictured, because I forgot to grab the 2 that were in my bag), so now I've got to put them to good use!
Yesterday was a productive day for me. After I did homework, went to the Farmer's Market, & walked to the store, I cooked all evening! So fun. The first thing I made was a new batch of granola. I used the honey I got at the Farmer's Market, but you can also substitute maple syrup or agave, if you're vegan or don't have honey on hand.
The recipe that inspired my "regular" granola is from the Vegan Spoonful blog, which no long exists, so that's why I'm not linking to it. :(
Honey Granola
- 4 cups oats
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup flax seeds
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2-2 cups dried cranberries (set aside till granola has baked)
Preheat oven to 325*F (honey burns easily, hence the low temperature). Prepare a large jelly roll pan by lining it with parchment. In a large bowl, toss together the oats, nuts, coconut, flax seeds, salt & cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey & olive oil. Pour the honey/oil mixture over the other ingredients & toss till combined. Spread granola over the prepared pan & bake for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Toss in the dried cranberries. Let cool & store in an airtight container.
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I recently re-watched Food, Inc., which was depressingly inspirational. I went through all my food & donated the "healthy" processed stuff & possible GMO crap to my sister & stocked up on staples at the store. I decided that, instead of munching on a Tiger's Milk Bar when I'm heading out, I'd make my own emergency energy bars. They're mostly raw, & totally delicious. The recipe is inspired by Chow's Figgy Fuel Bars, but I didn't follow it exactly.
I love how the owl is side-eying the bar...
Knock-off Lara Bars- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 cup raw hazelnuts
- 1 pound Medjool dates, pitted
- 3 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Line an 8X8-inch baking pan with plastic wrap. In a food processor, pulse the nuts till pretty finely chopped. Add the dates & pulse until the nuts & dates form a sticky, chunky dough. Add the remaining ingredients & pulse until combined; you'll need to scrape the sides of the bowl & push the mixture down to the blades. Pack the mixture into the prepared pan & smooth the top. Freeze till firm, then cut into 12-16 bars. Store in the refrigerator or freezer until serving.
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I also wanted to make something from Viva Vegan!, which I got from the library. It's a really awesome cookbook, so I might buy it myself. The chorizo recipe in it kicks the ass of the one from Vegan Brunch.
I'll write the recipe as I made it, which is pretty close to the Chipotle Chorizo variation. It's tangy & spicy! I subbed a couple things, plus baked it low & slow, which I do with all homemade sausages. Amazing...
Chipotle Chorizo
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons pureed chipotle in adobo sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 2/3 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup garbanzo flour
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 325*F. Tear 4 square pieces of foil & set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, chipotle puree, olive oil, vinegar, & garlic. In a large bowl, stir together the vital wheat gluten, garbanzo flour, nutritional yeast, & all the spices/seasonings. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ones & mix to combine (the recipe says to knead the dough to activate the gluten, but I like mine tender).
Divide into 4 portions & place each blob on a piece of foil. Pat into a long log & then roll up the sausages, twisting the ends (don't roll them too tightly, or they'll burst open in the oven). Bake for one hour, rolling them over about halfway through. Let cool completely before slicing, or you'll have a mushy sausage log.
The book says they'll keep in the fridge for two weeks; freeze what you won't be able to eat in a timely manner.
It's difficult to take an appetizing shot of a sausage schlong, sorry!
One of my favorite ways of eating veggie sausage is with baked homefries. As soon as the potatoes are almost done cooking, sautee some diced sausage in a separate pan till crispy & fragrant; toss with the potatoes & serve with some nutty wheat toast!
I love the new bike signs on Clinton. So cute! They have a bunch of colors, but I took a picture of a pink one.
This is one of my favorite Spring views in the neighborhood. It's so much prettier in real life though! 
I'm embarrassed to say that my trip to the Farmer's Market this morning was my first visit of the season. Damn. I usually end up talking myself out of going, since I spend what feels like my entire existence at the PSU campus. This morning, however, I forced myself to go & battle the yuppies, ha ha, & I'm glad I did (sorry, but the PSU market crowd is pretty bourgie!). We'd been out of honey for so long, & I always seek out the lovely people from Raynblest Farm. I got a nice, tall beeswax candle too; they last forever & smell amazing!
I rewarded myself with a nice bouquet of flowers, even though our apartment is crammed with houseplants. The more the merrier!
Things are quiet around here, without Ethan, so I've been intermittently studying, gardening, & making cards. There are more cards on my Flickr page, but this one turned out pretty cute.
For now, I think I'm going to walk to the store, then make some energy bars & a batch of granola for the week.
<3 <3 <3
Ethan is going to visit his parents this weekend, while I suffer with gobs of homework, so I made some cookies for Cathy & David. These are vegan chocolate chip cookies, which are just a veganized version of the Toll House recipe. So good! I make these all the time at work.
Vegan Toll House Cookies
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup margarine, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- egg replacer for 2 eggs (I use Ener-G)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup nuts, optional
Preheat oven to 375*F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, & salt; set aside. In a stand mixer, cream together the margarine, sugars, egg replacers, & vanilla; beat till light & fluffy, scraping down the side of the bowl a couple times. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl; mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips & nuts. Place 2-tablespoons-sized balls of dough on a cookie sheet, spacing them a couple inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, letting them cool on the sheets before removing.
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I had to get a few pictures of the garden. It's so sunny today & everything is growing like mad!
Here's some of the mint, hanging with its gnome guardian:
Begonia & Salvia flowers:
Violets:
Enjoy the day, wherever you are!
Today we got back from our 5th annual UFO FEST in McMinnville (it was actually the 12th year of the festival though). The festival is sponsored by McMenamins, & is the product of so much hard work & planning by many people, especially Tim Hills. <3 <3 <3
The festival is in honor of Evelyn & Paul Trent, local farmers who (reluctantly!) witnessed a UFO on May 11, 1950.
We always camp in Champoeg State Park, then head into McMinnville for the guest speakers & events. So much fun!
And it's beautiful too!
We camped in our tent Friday night, then had to pack up early Saturday morning, since we had different arrangements for Saturday. On the way into McMinnville, we stopped at the Goodwill & I found this Finel mushroom bowl. I'm embarrassed to say that I had a serious shopping high after finding it; I've wanted one for years & they're always WAY overpriced on Etsy!
The guest speaker on Friday night was Robert Salas, a teacher & former air force captain who, while working at Malmstrom Air Force Base in 1967, experienced a systematic shut-down of 10 nuclear missiles. This occurred as guards sighted a UFO outside the gates! This presentation was amazing. Mr. Salas believes the aliens did not intend anything harmful, but were sending us a message about the dangers of nuclear weaponry. This was not the only time missiles were shut down, nor was it an "accident" of engineering. So fascinating! He is a proponent of disclosure, & does a lot of research through FOIA & interviews of military personnel.
The next morning, we heard from Stan Gordon, who shared a wealth of info about UFO incidents around the Pennsylvania area, and specifically the Kecksburg Incident. He also talked about the prevalence of Bigfoot sightings in the area, & how they often go hand in hand with UFO activity. He was a great speaker & had a ton of eyewitness accounts & photographic evidence. I could have listened to him all day!
Saturday afternoon, we staked out a perfect spot to see the UFO Costume Parade down Third Street. We were going to wait in front of Third Street Books, but moved up to another spot where we could get closer to the road.
I love this shot of the Hotel Oregon rooftop.
The turnout was huge! Everyone gets into it---even babies & pets!
Emcee Peter Davenport, from NUFORC, greeted local fans!
Stan Gordon too!
The final speaker was Paola Harris, an amazing teacher, researcher, & journalist, who has worked with pretty much every well-known ufologist out there. She is adamant about young people getting into ufology, as well as interviewing our elders before they pass on. Many of them have witnessed things that they were hesitant to come forward about, especially if their families or employers swore them to secrecy. She believes we need to unite as a species & develop a method of exopolitics, in order to peacefully welcome alien visitors.
I got a shot of Stan Gordon, visiting people after Paola Harris' presentation. All the speakers are down-to-earth (ha ha) & are very approachable. Of course I'm too chicken to do so, but Ethan has!
After listening to Ms. Harris, we headed back to Champoeg & stayed in a cabin for the night. It was our first time renting a cabin there; we usually camp in a tent, but thank goodness we got the cabin for Saturday---it POURED rain all night & morning. :)
My sister checked on Yoda & gave him some snugglin' while we were gone, but he was so thankful & affectionate when we got home. Poor behbeh.
