Turmeric Milk & Honey

My first cup of warm milk with honey and turmeric! I was skeptical.. But it's drinkable and actually very yummy. Feeling a migraine coming on pretty strong.. Trying the turmeric remedies and they really work for me.  This drink is a great wind-down before bed, too.  

Use organic milk.. and the more fat the better. 

Why peppercorns?  The piperine in pepper works well with the curcumin in turmeric. You can read more about that here. 

Warm Milk with Turmeric & Honey

1 cup of milk (we use raw, organic)1/2 cup water 1/2 teaspoon ground Turmeric or 1/2" piece of fresh root
2-3 Black peppercorns 

Raw Honey to taste

Warm gently to a simmer in a small saucepan, 10 min. (15 min if using fresh turmeric root)

Strain into a cup and sweeten with honey to taste. 

 

trend spotting: chanel beauty

Fishnet eyes at Chanel Haute Couture Runway last week.  

Eyes were given a treatment of outlining and filled with the new Stylo Eyeshadow in Black Stream (avail. in May) and then applied mesh cut-outs along the lash line, using Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner in Noir Intense to blur out edges and really smoke out the eye.  Lips remained pinky-beige and nails were glittery nude with Emprise Le Vernis as the base. 

Look created by Peter Philips, Chanel's creative director for makeup

This vampy, glammed up look is hauntingly striking and not exactly sure for ready to wear.. but I'd sure love to try it for a party.  The new masquerade, no? 

Photos: Courtesy of Chanel

Recipe: Beef Minestrone

Hearty bowl of Beef Minestrone with health-boosting veggies

A heavy cold fog has landed on the plateau and has been sticking around all weekend.  It creates a magical wonderland, covering the trees and grass with a crystal frost.

Really pretty. 

the blackberry bushes are all frozen

the steer look frozen too!

Frozen landscape, foggy day... perfect day for a simmering pot of minestrone.  I make my minestrone using a beef broth, a 1/4 lb. of hamburger, lots of veggies, garlic and beans.  This is one of my favorite soups to make and eat.  Hearty, delicious, the creaminess of the beans, sweetness of the squash and the warmth of the kale and garlic... you just feel good eating it.  With a crusty bread, glass of red wine.. I am in heaven.  

Beef Minestrone Soup

2 T. olive oil

1 lg. onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 cup of butternut squash, peeled & cubed (about 1/2" size)

1-2 lg. carrots, diced

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1/4 lb. ground beef 

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 T. tomato paste

chunk of frozen parmesan rind

1 sprig of fresh thyme (or 3/4t. dried)

1 bay leaf

4 cups beef broth

1 cups kale, chopped

1 cup water

1 can of Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

In a large dutch oven or saucepan, heat olive oil over med high heat.  

Add onions, celery, carrots, butternut squash and mushrooms, season with salt + pepper and saute til soft (about 4-5 minutes).  

Add ground beef and garlic, stirring til browned and cooked thru (about 5 minutes).  

Stir in tomato paste, add herbs, cheese rind, broth + water and kale.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.  

Add beans, allowing them to warm, remove bay leaf and thyme sprig, check for seasoning. 

Serve with a fresh grating of parmesan. 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Alright, I know what you're thinking.. Why?.. Why make your own taco seasoning?  It comes in pouches, super easy.   
Well, honestly if you know me, it's really.. Why not?  If I can make it myself, I'd rather.  I know what goes in.. I don't need to add any non-necessary ingredients for things like anti-caking, shelf stability, colour preservatives and so on.  The less the better. 

Even our usual "better" option of Trader Joe's, their taco seasoning packet is WAY too hot for my daughter Scarlett. Even using a tiny bit and a whole lot of sour cream.  Can't make it work. And seriously, this is easy!  Cost effective too.  I make a batch once every 3 months and I am good to go.  I buy my spices in bulk and add what I like. 

No further ado... Just get in that spice cabinet and make it already!  

Taco Seasoning Blend

• 1/4 cup Chili Powder
• 1 T. Garlic Powder
• 2 T. Minced Onion (dehydrated)
• 1 t. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 T.  Dried Oregano
• 1 T. Paprika
• 2 T. Ground Cumin
• 1 T. Sea Salt
• 1 T.  Black Pepper  

Mix together and store in a sealed container. 

To use: 

Brown 1 lb. meat and drain fat.  

Sprinkle 1 heaping Tablespoon of taco seasoning mix.  

Make a well in the pan (move meat to the sides) and add 1-2 Tablespoons of tomato paste in the middle.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, letting paste brown. (this step caramelizes the tomato and adds sweetness) 

Mix together with the meat and add 1/2 cup of water or broth. 

Simmer 3-5 minutes, til reduced and thickened.    

Chocolate Syrup homemade

Found this chocolate syrup copycat recipe online after running out of a needed cup for the Ganache cupcakes that I was making.  Googled several and then made a batch, then another and altered and came up with this pretty perfect recipe for chocolate syrup.  

Super easy to make, way less expensive than the one we all grew up with and just as good, if not better!  
Use over ice cream, add to warmed milk for hot cocoa, add to milk for chocolate milk.. and most definitely use in this recipe.  Only the most delicious and dense chocolate cupcake recipe, ever!

Makes a great gift for a hostess.. or in a basket at the holidays, think ice cream sundaes or chocolate martini basket. 

I would highly recommend using the best ingredients you can find.  Organic raw live cocoa powder is readily available and so good for you.  Doesn't mean you can go hog wild with this stuff.. it has sugar in it, it is still a major treat.    But at least when you are going to indulge.. do it well.  Raw live cocoa powder is full of health benefits and antioxidants.. which is just good news.  So enjoy!   

Chocolate Syrup

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 t. sea salt

1 t. vanilla extract

Bring water and sugar to a boil, whisking til sugar is disolved.  

Whisk in cocoa powder and salt.  Boil 1 minute.  

Remove from heat add vanilla.  

Cool completely.  (syrup will thicken a bit when cooled.)

Recipe yields a little over 1.5 cups.


Get a little healthier..  I use coconut sugar, and raw organic live cocoa powder.    Every little bit helps. 

Snow Cones au naturale!

So, for Christmas.. one of Scarlett's gifts was a Igloo shaped Snow-Cone maker by Sunbeam.  The way this girl loves popsicles, I figured this might be a good gift for her.  Popsicles have become a daily treat.  I love them as a snack for her, too.  We make them together almost once a week out of fresh or frozen fruit, greek yogurt, squeeze of lemon or lime and sweeten with just a touch of honey or agave, depending on the fruit.  Sometimes if the bananas are super sweet... we don't need to add any sweetener.  Then, whenever she wants a treat (i.e., candy, cookie, ice cream).. I simply say... "Well, how about a popsicle?" To which she squeals affirmative.  Works every time.  Love that.  Feel like supermom. 

So, back to Snow-cones.  This is the reasoning I gave her a maker for Christmas.. something icy she would enjoy where mama could control the added sugar and well, definitely no dyes.   Our 1st attempt making them was New Year's Eve.  After all, it was her party with noisemakers, hats, puzzles, games and treats.. (we celebrated east coast time) sparkling cider to toast and snow cones seemed perfect.  
I figured, some nice juice out of the bottle and that would be easy enough.  Well.. I could see I definitely needed to figure out a way to be more syrupy than juice for next time.  It was like just having a drink with slush.  Still yummy.. but not quite it. 

So, today I defrosted some strawberries and blackberries that we froze when in season.  Once defrosted, they are kinda mushy and juicy.  (I set them out overnight)  Ran them through the juice man juicer... and it worked perfectly.  Smooth and thick.  Sweetened with just a bit of agave syrup, squeeze of lime and then poured over ice.  It was the most amazing snow cone.  After a taste of hers, I had to have one, too.  Got to thinking of adult snow cones.  Made with rum or vodka.. that will definitely be fun for this summer.  

Add a cup or two of totally defrosted frozen berries.. this is strawberry.  Once gone thru the juicer, you have a super smooth, seedless puree that can be used for a lot of recipes at this point.  Brighten with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice (about a teaspoon or 2) and then

sweeten with your sweetener of choice.  We chose agave syrup which is super sweet, so you don't need much... it is also lower on the glycemic scale which is just better all around.  

At this point, what you have is a coolie or a syrup that can be used for so much.  Ever order a gorgeous rich dessert, like a decadent brownie or dense chocolate torte at a nice restaurant?.. well, usually there would be a raspberry coolie that is squeeze-bottled decoratively over the plate with a stripe or dots or puddled.. this is what this is.  Fresh fruit coolie.  You can make this with just about any frozen berry or fruit.  Peaches work really well here too.   Very simple and very gourmet!  Ooh la la.

waiting with her cone of fresh shaved ice

The day we made this, it kept snowing on and off but it never accumulated to anything.  This meant getting into the snow clothes on and off... 

a disappointed little one was instantly cheered up with a snow cone inside!

A cake to call her own | Yogurt Cake (gâteau au yaourt)

Reading Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting.. I came across this recipe for children.  Gâteau au Yaourt (Yogurt Cake) French children age 2-3ish that bake this cake made of yogurt using the yogurt cups as measuring.  

Well, Miss Scarlett turned 4 this week and I thought, we better do this already!  I mean she bakes with me all the time since very very young but never this recipe and something of her "own".  Anyway, it was fun.  I set up her table with the bowls and measuring and recipe and stood back and let her at it.  She opened the containers and measured the spoons and cups.  (The measuring doesn't have to be exact and it still will come out fine.)  So, no micro-managing.. just help and let them do it.  It was fun, she loved it and I highly recommend it.  The cake is delish, not too sweet and we added some frozen berries, her choice... huckleberries that I had picked in the fall.. and it is quite lovely with coffee in the morning, super moist.  Coffee, being for mama.  This is a good basic cake recipe I will keep in my repertoire . kids or not, definitely easy and worth making. 

Note:  The original recipe did not have vanilla extract or berries.. but we love both and are glad we added them!  I also opted for a healthy coconut oil and organic ingredients. If you choose chocolate over berries, I would decrease sugar to 3/4 cup. (we made it with the berries and used only 3/4 cup of sugar.. but I don't like sweet sweets and cut back where I can)

The original recipe uses the yogurt cups as measuring.. but we buy our yogurt in large containers, so that didn't work for us.. we just used measuring cups, which was fine for her.  I included the recipe both ways.  

Also, when pre-heating the oven, I place the glass jar or container of solid coconut oil in and carefully remove after a few minutes when melted.  This was the one step Scarlett wasn't able to do (duh).. pour the warm oil or mix it in.  And of course, she did not go near the oven.  (double duh)  On that note... You could always use a different oil that doesn't need to be warmed and the child could handle.  Again, this recipe is a great basic one that can be altered and changed to suit your needs.  Have fun and let your little one!    

French Yogurt Cake for Bébé

(2) 8oz containers of greek yogurt (plain)

2 eggs

(1) yogurt container of sugar (or 1 cup) or less :)

1/3 c. coconut oil, warmed and liquid

1 t. vanilla extract

(2) yogurt containers of flour (or 2 cups)

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. sea salt

(1) yogurt container of frozen berries or chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 375º 

Coat a 9" round or loaf pan with cooking spray. (We chose a heart shape)

In a large bowl combine yogurt, eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla.  In another bowl, whisk together  dry ingredients.  

Add dry ingredients to egg mixture, stir til just combined.. DON'T overmix, it doesn't need to be smooth.. is actually better if lumpy and barely mixed. 

Stir in frozen berries of choice or chocolate chips.

Bake 35-45min. until golden and a tester comes out clean and cake is set.  Cool 10 min. in pan and then turn out onto rack and cool completely. 

 So proud!

Strawberry Almond Oatmeal Bars

Love the pioneer woman, Ree Drummond and her blog.  Any city girl who marries a rancher, moves to the country, raises kids and writes a blog about the food she cooks... could almost qualify to be a bestie to this city girl who is in the country at the foothills of Mt. Rainer, raising a daughter and blogs about life.  Hmmm.    Well, if you haven't checked our her blog already, I highly recommend it.  She not only makes good food, but her photos and writing are really enjoyable.   
Now, while I love her recipes.. there are few that I make without altering to bring to the healthier side.  No offense to her, I mostly do that to all recipes I encounter.  Her Strawberry Oatmeal Bars are very good and that is where this recipe is inspired from.  Her recipe the bars come out way too sweet and salty.   I have added almond meal to the bars and have switched to healthier options where I could.  These are very dessert-y but I guess good for breakfast if you like sweets in the morning.  I think my mom would really like these.  I have cut the sugar, but if you like them more for a dessert bar.. you can increase the brown sugar up to 1 cup.   

Strawberry Almond Oatmeal Bars

• 1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temp and cut into pieces, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 cup whole wheat white flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal (buy usually in bulk area, or Bob's Red Mills but can easily be made by coarsing whole almonds into a flour in the food processor.  Careful not to over process or you will end up with almond butter!)
• 1 1/2 cup whole oats, not instant
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• One 10 ounce jar strawberry preserves 

Pre-heat oven to 350º   Place strawberry preserves (if in glass jar, if not in an oven proof glass dish) in warming oven for a minute or two to loosen up for easy spreading.  

Meanwhile butter a 9 x13 baking dish (or a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper works well, too).   

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, almond meal, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add butter and using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut butter into flour mixture til crumbly and pea size.  

Press half of flour/oat mixture evenly into the bottom of baking dish.  Pour preserves over evenly, spreading with offset spatula. Pour the rest of the flour/oat mixture over the strawberry layer and pat gently and evenly.

Bake 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.  Cool completely(!)  ..Especially if you want to pick them up like a bar.  If not they are scrumptious warm and probably really excellent with some vanilla ice cream!  

Cut into squares and serve. 

Gotta love a one bowl recipe.

 cutting in the room temp. butter

 this pastry blender works really well for this task

 first layer pressed into bottom of dish 

 layer of jam and then sprinkle the rest of the oat mixture on

 press the top layer gently into the jam and ready to bake

 35 minutes til golden brown

 simple, simple, simple and so ridiculously good.