Persimmon Cookies

  Persimmons! Who knew? Certainly not me. I'd never even seen one until my boss brought some in from his tree this week. "What do you put them in?" I asked. He told me his Japanese mother used to put them in cookies. After a bit of Googling (is that a word?) I came up with a suitable recipe. You can make it as is, or sub out a couple of ingredients to make it allergen free. The version of these excellent fall cookies I made was gluten, dairy, soy free and was delicious.
  I took them in to work, where they were gobbled up immediately. Gonna have to make some more of these soft, spicy, delicious cookies with the rest of these persimmons! I don't think anybody will mind.

INGREDIENTS

2 ripe persimmons, pureed
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour (or all purpose gluten free flour)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup white sugar (or turbinado sugar)
1/2 cup butter (or butter sub such as Smart Balance)
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2.Dissolve baking soda in persimmon pulp and set aside.
3.Sift flour, spices and salt together, set aside.
4.Cream together butter or margarine and sugar until fluffy, beat in egg and persimmon. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in nuts and raisins.
5.Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

Bear's Pear Walnut Bread

  Get ready, because this recipe is going to knock both your socks off.

  The original recipe, which I found on Pinterest (the gold mine of all gold mines), wasn't gluten, dairy, or soy free, but this recipe IS. With just a few simple, inexpensive substitutes, you food-allergen sufferers can fully enjoy this tasty delight. Best part is, even us non-sufferers will enjoy it, because it is AMAZING.
  The recipe calls this a "bread," but it's really more cakeish. It's crunchy on the outside, and oh-so-moist on the inside. Great with milk, coffee, tea, or just about anything. Here's my modified recipe, with the original ingredients in parentheses, for those of you who don't need to swap out ingredients. Enjoy!

Ingredients

•3 cups gluten free all-purpose flour (or regular flour)
•½ teaspoon baking powder
•1 teaspoon baking soda
•1 teaspoon salt
•2 teaspoons cinnamon
•¼ teaspoon ginger
•¾ cups coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
•2 cups turbinado sugar (or granulated sugar)
•3 eggs
•2 pears, peeled and diced
•2 teaspoons vanilla
•1½ cups chopped walnuts

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray one large tube or bundt pan or two loaf pans with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
2.Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3.Cream together vegetable oil, sugar and eggs. Spoon in flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in pears, vanilla and walnuts.
4.Pour into prepared baking pan(s) and bake for 60 minutes, or until skewer or toothpick come out clean when inserted in the center of the bread.
5.Remove from oven and allow to rest in the pan(s) for about 10 minutes. Turn out and allow to cool completely.

Gluten Free Funnel Cake

  Yes INDEED. Gluten free funnel cake. Now everybody can enjoy this state fair treat!

  The recipe is simple. Getting the thing to fry up correctly is a little more complicated, and I'll get into that shortly. First, here's the recipe (original recipe with allergen-substitutes in parentheses)

3 large eggs
2 cups milk (can be soy milk or rice milk)
1/4 cup white sugar (can be turbinado sugar or sugar substitute)
3 cups all-purpose flour (gluten free flour, or even gluten free Bisquik)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Oil for frying (I used coconut oil)
Powdered sugar or other toppings (your discretion)

  The directions are easy. Mix all your dry ingredients, then your wet ingredients, then combine them. You should have a fairly thick pancake-batter consistency. Heat the oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. You want enough oil that your batter will float. Too shallow and you'll end up with a flat, cracker-like thing.
  Now, I didn't have an actual funnel, so I tried using a squirt bottle. This was problematic, as it really works best if you have a constant flow going into the oil. Without a funnel, you can do what I did and use a measuring cup with a pouring spout. It might take you a couple tries to get the flow right. If you pour too much too quickly, you'll get a very bloated, doughy cake. Too little at a time, it will just ball up in the oil and turn brown. Try to aim for about a toothpaste-sized stream.
  Crisscross back and forth in the oil, trying to not leave any pieces floating by themselves. After cooking a couple minutes, use a large spatula or tongs to flip your cake and cook the other side. It will be very oily when you pull it out at the end, so have some paper towels on your plate to soak it up. After it cools slightly, throw your toppings on and enjoy!

Applesauce oatmeal muffins

  Get ready for a taste explosion in your mouth! What are you doing? I said GET READY.

  This is yet another semi-healthy and very easy to make snack you could have alongside your breakfast, or in the middle of the afternoon for a pick-me-up. You could probably even have one in the middle of the night, although I wouldn't advise it, as you may lose further sleep over how delicious it is, and whether or not you should have a second one. The recipe, from Running With Spoons, is below:

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or regular milk)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted (or canola/vegetable oil)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins

For the topping

2 Tbsp. quick-cooking oats
2 Tbsp. sliced/slivered almonds
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted (or butter)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a muffin tray, or line it with 12 paper/silicone muffin liners.
2. Prepare topping: In a small bowl, combine oats, almonds, and brown sugar. Add melted coconut oil and mix until well combined. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. Beat egg in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in applesauce, almond milk, brown sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing lightly until just combined. Fold in raisins.
4. Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Using your fingers, sprinkle topping onto each muffin.
5. Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until top is firm to the touch and toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in pan for ~10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cake Pops

  Ah, cake pops. I've wanted to try my hand at these for quite some time, but never got around to it until now. Deceptively simple seeming, there are actually quite a few things to pay attention to the first time you make them, as I found out.
  This is another one of those desserts that is endlessly customizable. There are an infinite number of fillings, coatings, and toppings you can use. For my first batch, I used plain old yellow cake (from a box mix) and white chocolate for the coating.

  Your first step is to bake a beautiful cake. Make it from a box, or from scratch, and in whatever shape you like. It won't matter when you get to the next step, which is...

  ...to completely obliterate your beautiful cake. Turn it into crumbs. I used my stand-mixer, but you can use any method you prefer. If you use a shotgun, be sure to pick the pellets out of your cake-crumbs before moving on to the next step.

  Next, you'll add some frosting to the cake crumbs, and combine them well, until they form a "dough." I say "some" frosting, because it's a bit subjective. If you use too much, your cake pops will be overly dense and mushy. If you use too little, they will crumble apart and not hold their shape. I used about half of a standard frosting container. You also want to be careful with what frosting flavor you choose. Make sure it compliments your cake flavor. I picked plain white, which really doesn't have a flavor.

  Now, roll the dough into small balls no bigger than about 1 1/3" in diameter. Some people will want to use a scoop for this, so all their pops are exactly the same size, but I just eyeballed it. In order to help the balls better maintain their shape, I gave the dough a slight squeeze before forming it. Throw them in the fridge for a little while as you work on the next step.

  Using a double boiler, or heating it in the microwave, melt your chocolate coating. If you double boiler it, be careful to not get any water in your chocolate, because it will seize. If you use your microwave, do it in no longer than 30-second bursts, or you will risk overheating the chocco.

  You see here that my white chocolate is completely melted, but still looks pretty thick. That's okay, because the first thing I'm going to do with it is dip the ends of my cake pop sticks into it.

  Take your cake balls out of the fridge and insert the sticks into them, first dipping them in the chocolate. This will glue the balls to the stick, and form a nice little support that will keep them from sliding down the stick when they're right side up. Throw them back in the fridge for 10 minutes or so to let the chocolate firm up.

  Now comes the fun part. Dip the cake pops in your melted chocolate coating, being sure to coat the entire thing (my white chocolate was a little thick for dipping, so I added a couple tablespoons of canola oil). Go easy on them, or you'll knock the cake ball right off. Too much up-and-down dunking or twisting motions will bring you to grief. Just dunk them, then bring them out and let the excess drip off. Turn them on their side and rotate them, giving a gentle tap as you do so.
  Don't roll them in your coatings just yet. At this stage, the chocco is so gooey that it won't be able to hold them and the whole thing will slide right off. Instead, let them sit for a couple minutes until they start to take on a dull sheen. Then, you can stick them in your sprinkles or nuts, or mini-chips, or whatever you like.
  Don't refrigerate them, because it will cause them to sweat. Leave them out on the counter to firm up for a few hours, or overnight. Trust me, they will be perfect.

  Enjoy!

Granola Bites

  Tired of those run-of-the-mill granola bars from the store that have preservatives and chemicals and formaldehyde and insect parts and who-knows-what in them? Why not make your own?
  I sound like an infomercial.
  Really, though, these granola bites (or indeed, bars, if you wish) are ridiculously easy to make, and endlessly customizable. My favorite two things! You can put the mini-chocco chips in that this recipe calls for, or you can put nuts in there, or dried cranberries, or pretty much whatever you want. You can make them into bite size treats with a mini-muffin pan, as I did, or put the mixture into a pan and slice them into bars. Do whatever your little chef heart desires. The original recipe was posted over at Another Lunch, and is as follows:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C. quick oats
1/2 C. crisp rice cereal
1/2 C. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. canola oil
1/4 C. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
* optional: ground flax seed and/or wheat germ (I use 3 heaping Tbs. or so of each).

Directions:

Mix all ingredients (except for the chocolate chips - keep those out for now) really, really, really well. I start with a wooden spoon and then usually end up using my hands too. Take your time to make sure everything is really blended. Taking your time also allows the wet ingredients to sort of soak into the dry components. If your mixture seems dry after mixing then you may need to add a little more oil and/or honey - a teaspoon at a time - until it starts to clump up a little. It may be hard to tell, but can you see how some of the granola mixture is starting to cling and ball up a little here?
  When your granola mixture gets to this point, not too wet, not too dry, then stir in the chocolate chips.   Holding the mini muffin cups, scoop the granola mixture in and form the mound compactly. I use a rounded tablespoon to help form them, a small cookie scoop would work too. You need to use both hands to press the granola and support the muffin cup at the same time. Line them up on a baking sheet to place in the oven.
  Press the remaining granola into your baking pan (if you are making bars). Make sure your baking pan has been sprayed well with non-stick spray! Press mixture firmly, compacting it as well as you can.

Baking:

350 degrees. Granola bites: 12-15 minutes. Granola bars: 17-22 minutes (keep an eye on them!). They are ready to remove from oven when the tops are golden. If they don't cook long enough they may not hold their shape. If they cook too long they will get too dry (not to mention they can burn) and may not hold their shape. (I've found granola bars to be finicky.) Let the granola bites cool completely. Just leave 'em alone for a few hours so they can set. Then, they are done! So easy.

Peanut Patties

  Holy blast from the past, Batman! I loved these things growing up, and my mom loved them when she was growing up too. We used to be able to find them at the grocery store in packs of ten. Then you could only find them in gas stations, one at a time. Then, for the last few years, nothing. Imagine my delight when I stumbled across the recipe on Pinterest!

  They're very easy to put together, and pretty cheap too. They're PURE sugar, so, they aren't the healthiest things for you, but they will kick your sweet tooth right in the sweet teeth.

  Why are some of them heart-shaped, you ask? Why are some of them rougher around the edges, like they took a ride in a washing machine, you ask? For one, you're very observant. Two, stop asking so many questions. Here's the deal: in the original recipe, posted at Just a Pinch, they have you pour the mixture out in little pancakes onto wax paper. You can do that, but the patties I used to get when I was a kid were thicker- like a third of an inch or more. So, I decided I would pour the mix into a muffin pan. Surely it wouldn't stick to the metal, right? Wrong.
  The mix, even when it sets up, is too sticky for a muffin pan. You need to either do the wax paper thing, or do what I did with the remaining part of my mix and pour it into a silicone cupcake sheet. The only one I had was little heart shapes. Adorable, right? Manly, right? No? Anyway, the silicone worked like a charm. The patties set and popped out as easy as you please. Lesson learned. I had to cut the other ones out with a knife, so they got a bit crumbly. They still taste good, though, so it's not a total loss.
Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

2 1/2 c sugar
2/3 c light karo
1 c milk
2 1/2 c raw peanuts (16 oz. bag)
4 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 c powdered sugar
4 OR 5 drops red food coloring (I used quite a bit more for my red color)

Directions

1. Place the first four items in a heavy saucepan. Stir to combine.
2. Bring to a boil and continue cooking on a low boil, uncovered, for approx one hour until soft ball stage (235-240*), stirring occasionally.
3. While cooking, prepare a spot on your counter top with waxed paper to drop candy on.
4. At soft ball stage, remove from heat and add margarine/butter stirring until melted.
5. Add powdered sugar, sifting if needed, and red coloring. (I use extra for more color)
6. Stir to combine well. Keep stirring until it just starts to thicken.
7. Quickly drop by spoonfulls onto waxed paper. The nuts should be flat, not in a pile. If candy starts to get too thick, just place pan back on heat to warm slightly.
8. Depending on your preference, they can be any size you like. I prefer to eat several that are 2" across. Bobby likes bigger ones. Your choice will always be right.
9. ENJOY


  Step 9 is always the most important.

Blueberry Banana Bread

  Triple B! What's so special about this banana bread? Absolutely nothing. Banana bread, in fact, is one of the easiest things in the world to make. It's cheap, it's easy, and there is a massive return on investment in the form of tasty, piping hot bread right out of the oven. Some people add chocolate chips, or extra bananas or eye of newt and wing of bat. Customize- it's up to you. I made it this way because I had the ingredients, and I love banana bread. That's it. This recipe was originally posted at The Kitchen Paper.

Blueberry Banana Bread

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups mashed (ripe) banana
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat the oven to 350 F and butter two 4×8 loaf pans.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter and mashed banana. Mix in the two eggs, vanilla, and then sugar. Combine the wet and the dry ingredients, mixing gently until just combined.

Fold in the blueberries, divide batter between the pans, and bake for 60 minutes. If the tops are browning too quickly, tent with foil. Test with a cake tester to make sure the loaves are done before removing from the oven. Let the loaves cool in their pans for 10 minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely.

  **I also threw some chopped almonds in there. I like nuts in my banana bread, and what I had on hand was almonds. Worked just as well, and gave it a nice crunch.

Cucumber Roll-ups with Sundried Tomato Sauce

  Deliciousness! These very-easy-to-prepare-and-even-easier-to-eat-rollups would make great hors d'oeuvres for your next party, brunch, or whatever. There's also a lot here that's customizable. You can make your own hummus, if you're so inclined, or buy any of the many varieties you can find at the market. You can garnish with the sundried tomato sauce, or add your own dash of flavor on the top. If you've got a mandolin and a food processor (or high speed blender), you're pretty much all set. Here are the recipes you'll need: (originally posted at The Detoxinista- and with many more pretty pics!)

INGREDIENTS:

1 large cucumber
Hummus
Sun Dried Tomato Sauce (recipe below)

Directions:

To create your cucumber rolls, you’ll need a mandolin or a wide vegetable peeler. Slice the cucumber lengthwise, into very thin slices. Because they are so thin, you’ll want to double-up the slices for each roll. Apply a thin layer of of hummus lengthwise down each slice. Then roll up, and top each roll with a dollop of tomato sauce!

Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
3 oz. sun dried tomatoes
2 roasted red peppers
1/2 cup water
2 cloves raw garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions:

In a high-speed blender, blend all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

  I threw in more garlic and less bell pepper, so again, very customizable. Enjoy!

Irish Apple Cake

  If you want your entire house to smell amazing, this one's for you. As an extra bonus, you can stuff this delicious cake in your gut at the same time. Does it get any better?
  This was another Pinterest discovery, and it's great. Plenty easy and quick to put together, and you get a nice, not-too-sweet cake that would probably be good at any time of the day. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
3/4 cup sugar
3-4 Granny Smith apples
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp granulated sugar for topping

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2.Spray 8 or 9" round baking pan with cooking spray (I like Bakers Joy for cakes)
3.(I don't recommend any larger pan as the cake will be too thin)
4.Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cloves, nutmeg & cinnamon in large bowl.
5.Using pastry cutter- cut butter into dry mixture until it resembles fine bread crumbs
6.Add sugar & mix through
7.Peel & slice apples into thin wedges & toss in flour mixture - coating apples
8.In a separate small bowl - beat eggs & milk - add to apple mixture
9.Toss & stir well to fully moisten flour. Should result in a very sticky dough
10.Transfer to prepared pan
11.Flatten top of surface & sprinkle with remaining sugar
12.Bake 45-55 minutes or until toothpick test is clean
13.Cool on wire rack

  Special thanks goes out to the fine folks over at Kleinworth & Co. who posted the original recipe here.

Peanut Butter Bars

  Fellow foodies, this "recipe" is stupidly easy and quick, and it only has three ingredients:

  1 Cup peanut butter
  1 Cup honey
  3 Cups old-fashioned oats

  Instructions

  1. Melt peanut butter and honey in a small pot, stirring until well blended and soupy.
  2. Stir in oats until well blended.
  3. Press mixture into 8x8 inch pan.
  4. Allow to harden and cut into bars.

  If you leave the pan on the counter to harden, it will take a good long while. You can speed the process, as I did, by sticking it in the fridge for half an hour or so. I can see all kinds of combinations with this recipe- you could add nuts of your choice, or dried fruit. It's a great tasting bar that packs a good dose of protein and energy, and takes only minutes to put together!

Pumpkin Hot Chocolate (vegan)

  Yep, pumpkin hot chocolate. I couldn't quite decide if that sounded good to me, or not, when I first read the recipe. I like pumpkin, and I like chocolate, so why not?
  Funny enough, it turns out that my tastebuds didn't quite know what to make of it, either. Though it smelled wonderful, it didn't exactly blow my socks off. It seems like it's missing something. I think maybe I was expecting it to be sweeter, like hot chocolate usually is. I didn't add anything beyond what's called for in the recipe, so maybe a sweet-tooth guy like myself just needs a dash of sugar or something. You may have a different experience. It's a good warm-up-your-insides drink, and I'll be making it again!
  Recipe below: (Original recipe credit goes to Heidi over at Food Doodles)

Ingredients
•2 C milk(almond milk works perfectly)
•¼ C homemade pumpkin puree(use less of store bought puree as it’s thicker)
•¾ tsp pumpkin pie spice
•3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
•3-4 tbsp maple syrup
•pinch of salt
•dash of vanilla

Instructions
1.On the stove in a small pot, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, cocoa, maple syrup(or honey) and pinch of salt.
2.Heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Whisk and cook for 2 minutes.
3.Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and cool until ready to serve, or serve immediately with a splash of extra milk, a dollop of whipped cream, marshmallows or your favorite other hot chocolate toppings.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Bacon Wraps

  I'm a carnivore- I can't lie about it. I love meat. If I go too long without it, I will begin to crave it. Today was one of those days! Luckily, I stumbled upon this fantastic, and very easy recipe for tasty meat treats.
  The ingredients are few and cheap, and you're likely to have them on hand already. Grab some chicken from the store, and a pack of your favorite bacon, and you're basically ready to go! Here's the recipe:(note that a CONVECTION oven is used. I used a conventional oven at 375 degrees for 40 min.)

  Ingredients
• about 1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 pounds bacon
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 T chili powder
• 1/2 t cumin

Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 350 convection. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, 2 T chili powder and 1/2 t cumin. Mix well.
2.Clean and trim about 1 1/4 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breast. Cut into approx. 1 inch cubes.
3.If using thick bacon, thin out with the back edge of a chef knife. Cut the bacon in half, roll around the chicken cubes and secure with a tooth pick. This is the point to cover and refrigerate for better timing.
4.Prep baking sheet with aluminum foil a rack and spray with PAM.
5. Roll the pieces in the brown sugar mixture. Be sure to pack some in the ends. Place on the rack.
6.Bake until golden brown. About 35 minutes for me. Cover with foil on heavy dish to keep warm until served.

  Super easy, super delicious. This would make a great party dish or appetizer plate at your next get together. Or, if you're like me, you can cook it and eat it all yourself like a selfish pig. Credit for this recipe goes to "101 Cooking for Two" and the original can be found HERE.

  Happy eating!

Thai Style Stir Fried Chicken

Let's wok!

  Okay, that was a really bad pun. Don't let my poor wordplay steer you away from this fresh, delicious, low calorie dish! There's a bit of investment up front, if you don't have things like rice vinegar and red curry paste in your pantry, but it is totally worth it. These aren't expensive items, and they will be things you can use in other Asian fare. Your taste buds will thank you when you lavish them with these rich and exotic flavors! The original recipe can be found at myrecipes.com.
  Happy eating!

Cakes, Cakes, Cakes

  Prepare to be inundated with cakes! Delicious cakes!

  That should have been my mantra for the month of January. My birthday was on the 14th, and I had a hankerin' (yes, an actual hankerin') for a cake with lime flavors. I have no idea why, but that's what I wanted. The cake pictured above is the one I made.
  I had heard about using soda with cake mixes instead of water, and how you could add subtle flavors that way. My original intention was to try making my lemon cake with a lemon-lime soda, and then using lemon frosting. Well, as it turns out, the supermarket didn't have any lemon cake. Now, before you vilify me for using a boxed cake mix, you should know that I do cut corners from time to time. If you're interested in making your own cake from scratch, more power to you.
  The only cake they had that I could use for the flavor I wanted was plain white. I had looked at a recipe that talked about using Jell-o to flavor cake batter, so I grabbed some lime Jell-o mix and went to work.
  The fantastic recipe I used came from Sugar Baby Aprons and was, in fact, a key-lime cake. I went a little bit of a different way with my version, using their frosting only as a filler between my two cake tiers. For the outside frosting, I made a simple classic buttercream, the recipe for which can be found at Savory Sweet Life.
  As you can see in the picture below, I also added a bit of green food coloring to the batter to really prepare people for the lime taste.

  I have to say, this recipe was fantastic, and I would definitely make it again. It's more of a summer cake, but here in southern California, it never really feels like winter.

"But you said cakes. CAKES- as in plural." Yes, I did. Unbeknownst to me, my sweet girlfriend had picked up a birthday cake for me as well:

  This chocolatey deliciousness came from Gelson's Supermarket- a place where I often admire the artistry on display in the bakery. The frosting was a light whipped-cream variety, and the cake was moist and very flavorful.
  Then came a baby shower for a friend of ours on the weekend. They bought two sheet cakes, which was one too many, so I "took one for the team" and volunteered to bring about 3/4 of THIS cake home:

  It was tasty, but certainly nothing special. If you've had one store-bought sheet cake, you've had them all.

  Lastly, just because this post is all about cakes, I'll leave you with this crazy experiment with fondant that I did back in 2010:

  That was my first and only time working with fondant, building edible flowers, and all that jazz. Everything came out fine, but it was a LOT of work. That's the only reason I haven't attempted something like that again. Well, that, and there's typically nobody to eat such a creation except me, and I'm really trying to be a bit healthier (this cakey month notwithstanding). You can see a step-by-step article about how I made that cake at my old blog here.

  Until next time, fellow diners!

Hearty two bean chili

  If you're looking for something really filling and full of delicious protein to keep you warm during these winter months, then here you go! I had mine with crackers, but as I was eating it, I realized it would have been so much better with a nice thick chunk of buttery cast iron skillet cooked cornbread. Next time!
  I was actually looking for a recipe that I had from years ago for a similar two bean chili, but couldn't find it. This one is very close, but still missing something. I omitted the green pepper, and used red wine instead of the juice this recipe calls for, but still, for the life of me, I don't know what's missing. If I ever find that other recipe, I'll be sure to post it. Meantime, enjoy this one. It's pretty good, too!

Original recipe is here.

Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie Cookies

  Get ready, because these are the gooiest, chocolatiest cookies you're likely to have!

  When I was mixing the large amounts of dry ingredients with the relatively small amount of wet, I became concerned that everything was too dry, and wasn't going to work. I added a small amount of water, which then made things too runny. By adding back in more powdered sugar and more cocoa powder, I was able to get things to a cookie-dough like consistency.
  I fear, though, that this is the reason my cookies didn't bake up quite as light as I was expecting, and may have accounted for the somewhat "too chewy" edges. It wasn't enough to spoil these delicious beauties, but I would be more careful the next time around.

The complete recipe can be found at BonAppetit.com.

The best peanut butter cookies ever

  Yeah. If you like a good peanut butter cookie- and I mean REALLY good, do yourself a favor and make these. The complete recipe can be found over at My Baking Addiction.
  I made these a couple weeks ago, and took them in to work, where they were promptly devoured by the hordes. Some were even taking them home to share with their families!
  I've always like peanut butter cookies, but these punch it up with a really moist cookie, and that sinful chocolate coated half. Throw those new year's resolutions out the window, just this once, and make a batch.

Cinnamon and coconut pancakes

  I found this great recipe this weekend while searching for something tasty to make for a gluten free breakfast. It's dairy and gluten free, but if you have an allergy to eggs, it's not for you. It was very easy to whip up, but I think I would adjust the recipe next time. You will need:

•2 large eggs
•3 tablespoons full fat coconut milk
•½ mashed ripe banana (about 2 tablespoons)
•½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
•½ teaspoon vanilla extract
•1½ tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill organic coconut flour
•½ teaspoon cinnamon
•¼ teaspoon baking soda
•1 small pinch of salt
•ghee or coconut oil (for frying)


  The directions are pretty simple- mix all the wet ingredients in one bowl, the dry in another, then combine. Use the coconut oil to grease up your cooking surface. The original recipe and step by step instructions (and pics) can be found over at Nom Nom Paleo.
  Now, about my wanting to "adjust" the recipe for next time- basically, my batter seemed a little too runny. As a result, The pancakes were hard to flip and didn't cook quite right. I would probably add a little more of the coconut flour to thicken things up. Other than that, these were delicious, and much appreciated by the lovely lady I made them for!

Lentil, kale, and sweet potato stew

  I found the recipe for this fantastic lentil, kale, and sweet potato stew over at Dough-eyed Girls, and it's a winner in this household.
  Originally, I was looking for detox/recovery soups for my girlfriend- and this definitely fits the bill- but it's so good, that it's become a staple around here. The other bonus, of course, is that it's free of the common allergens: gluten, soy, dairy (providing that you buy lentils that are certified gluten free, such as "Tru Roots").
  Whether you're looking to clean some toxins out of your body, or just enjoy a hot bowl of very nutritious and hearty stew/soup, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

A great food allergen app

  Are you allergic to gluten? How about soy or dairy? Nuts? For those suffering from any or all of these common allergies, shopping for safe food can be tricky. While your best bet is to always buy fresh, sometimes you just can't- sometimes it's expensive, or sometimes you need something in a can or a bag for a recipe.
  My girlfriend suffers from several allergies, and we've found that the ShopWell app is really handy! You set it up by entering your allergies and your personal details (sex, age, etc) and then you simply use the app to scan barcodes on the food in question. The app will not only tell you if the food contains any of the things you're allergic to, but it also tells you whether the food is a good match for you based on nutritional content. The app is free, and can be found here: http://www.shopwell.com/home/mobile

  Happy eating!