For the Joy of Food

October 12, 2011

The Cookie Heard ‘Round the World

It is no secret that I love all things pumpkin.

Savory, sweet, pie, scones, muffins, lattes, curries, soups, breads, smoothies, and now COOKIES!

When I found this blog post for Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies through the goldmine of pinterest (I luuuuuv having a myriad of virtual pinboards!), I knew that I had to make these as soon as humanly possible.

Seriously, I wait around through the long miserable summer here in the south for pumpkin spice latte season- well, okay, just pumpkin season in general. These cookies made me a very happy girl. And I may or may not have consumed them and only them for 24 hours straight at some point last week, but I am not willing to verify that statement. Please don’t ask.

Every year, our elementary school has a tailgating event for all of the kids and families to get together to hang out and build community. We call it Night Under the Stars, endearingly shortened to NUtS. This is my fave event that we do all year. Of course, who doesn’t love a little tailgating? These cookies made the perfect snack for The Deuce’s class table.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

adapted from the Vanderbilt Wife at www.vanderbiltwife.com

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp cardamom

1 1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cups honey granules (can sub white sugar)

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (or 1 15oz can)

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Sift the first four ingredients and all spices together. In separate bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Beat well. Add dry ingredients all at once and stir gently to form a smooth batter. Drop by tablespoons on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 12-14 min.

Let rest on cookie sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling racks.

Frosting:

3 tbsp butter

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup sucanat (can sub brown sugar)

2 tsp teeccino granules (can sub instant coffee granules)

1 cup honey granules, powdered (can sub powdered sugar or powdered evaporated cane juice)

1/2 tsp real vanilla

1 tbsp whole milk or heavy cream

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add milk, sucanat, and teeccino and bring to a bubble over medium heat. Once bubbling, cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

When cool, stir powdered honey granules, vanilla, and cream into the sugar mixture. Eat this with a spoon, then drizzle over cooled cookies.

These cookies are great at a tailgate, a party, in a classroom, for dinner, for breakfast, for lunch, or for a perfect compliment to a cup of joe. Thank you, Vandy Wife. This was the perfect commencement to pumpkin baking season- which, by the way, I think should last until June.

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October 9, 2011

Sometimes I wish things were the way they were

There are times in life where I just want everything to stay the same. I am definitely not afraid of change, nor do I dislike change. In fact, if I really take the time for a little self-evaluation, I love change. But, as you can tell, the ole’ blog here has been in a bit of a holding pattern.

My life has been in an epic season of change over the last 6 months, but specifically in the last 8 1/2 weeks. We decided to homeschool my third grader this year, so I have basically started a new job- one where the pay sucks even worse than my last job! Dang! Can’t a girl catch a break?

We decided to keep The Boy home for a myriad of reasons, all of which are beyond the scope of this blog, but that brings me back to my point. I have really been itching to get back to blogging. I miss typing my thoughts about food into the keyboard, and hoping that one of the three of you who read it will learn something new, or feel touched, or be inspired to step into the kitchen.

But, I felt kind of lost because I didn’t have time to create recipes, dishes, or posts in the same way that I had when both boys were in school all day.

My time in the kitchen (and otherwise) is very precious though, and my struggle has resonated from the fact that I might have to take the blog in an entirely new direction. No, I am not going to start blogging about homeschooling, or which minivan is best, or whining about the fact that I don’t get paid- oh wait, I already did that, didn’t I? My passion is still health, wellness, and really tasty food. But, I must admit that weeknight meals have become a little more simple. I have had to adapt the way that I plan meals and the time that I devote to creating new recipes. I have even had to start grocery shopping only once a week *gasp*!

In that respect, I have shied away from the blog for a while because there was no way for it to be what it once was- at least in my self reflection, a blog devoted to introducing new “from scratch” recipes and techniques to the home cook.

Am I still 100% devoted to real food? ABSOLUTELY

Is my family’s health and well being still my #1 goal? ABSOLUTELY

Do I still refuse to eat anything that is not both health-inducing and delicious? ABSOFREAKINGLUTELY

Do I have time to develop recipes in the same way that I once did? For now, NO.

I have been trying a lot of new recipes lately, but they are not my own. There have been many times over the last couple of months that I have wanted to post a recipe (with appropriate credit given, of course) and let you all know that you need to get in the kitchen and make it. My plan is to still use the blog to talk about what I eat and why, but there may be a sway toward reviewing recipes and a little less focus on recipe development.

Now that I have gotten that off of my chest, let me say to those of you who are still reading, thanks for sticking around. I love the twists and turns of life’s journey, and as much as I sometimes wish that things could stay the same, I am loving this particular journey. I’m thrilled that we can do life together, and I hope that you will join me for the ride.

One last thing… Maybe there is a recipe that you have been dying to try. Maybe there is a recipe that you would like some help converting into a real, whole food recipe. Please fee free to leave a comment or shoot me an email at forthejoyoffood@gmail.com, and I would be happy to help out.

In joy,

Troye

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July 12, 2011

Carrapp Raisin’ Salad

I need to go ahead and apologize to anyone that this next statement ~~might~~ will definitely offend (namely those with peanut allergies who are psyched that CFA changed cooking oils for their fries- oh yeah, and to all of those those who hold CFA on a fast food pedestal). Please note that this is simply my opinion, and should not be taken as a personal attack.

Although I used to enjoy Chick-fil-a’s waffle fries on occasion, I have not liked them at all since they stopped using peanut oil. I know that sounds like blasphemy to many of you who are reading this, but again, it is just my opinion.

So, for a while now, when we go to Chick-fil-a, I have chosen carrot raisin salad as my side item.

Chick-fil-a’s carrot raisin salad was actually one of The Boy’s first tastes of fast food, and it was one of the first ways that I ever ate raw carrots. I’m not a fan. There. I said it. I do not like raw carrots. And, don’t try to tell me that the baby carrots are better. They still taste like raw carrots. Ok. I’m done.

Since it is a way to get my tastebuds to enjoy raw carrots (and since the fast food version does still have a lot of refined sugars and artificial flavors), I decided to come up with an option for our lunches at home- and will also be sending it in The Deuce’s lunchbox during the school year. This is a super quick side to throw together, and it received four thumbs up from my two boys.

Carrapp Raisin’ Salad

*note- I understand that the apostrophe is superfluous in the title of this recipe. It makes me laugh, so I left it there. Dear Apostrophe Police: please don’t cite me*

1 organic carrot

1 crisp apple, cored (honey crisp, pink lady, or granny smith are recommended)

1 tbsp maple syrup

handful of golden raisins

Grate carrot and apple. Stir together with syrup and raisins. Done.

Thank you for not crucifying me for the CFA comments. I mean no harm.

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Filed under Real Food, Recipes, Restaurants

Tagged as Cooking out of the Box, Recipes

June 10, 2011

The Day Ari’s Life Changed Forever

I love to make food for people- especially people who appreciate good food. My friend Deanna had a baby a couple of weeks ago, so the boys and I took some eats to her family.
We made them Morrocan Spiced Pastitsio, Greek salad, and French Bread. My goal was international whiplash. I usually make Ina Garten’s Pastitsio, which is delicious. I don’t know what made me search for a new recipe, but when I found this one, I couldn’t help myself. I used this recipe for the ras el hanout- except I did freshly grind the spices for a more intense flavor. I now want this spice blend on everything that I eat. Next up: Moroccan spiced burgers! It tastes and smells out of this world!
Since pastitsio doesn’t photograph very well, I am omitting the photo here. Just take my word for it. This dish is full of flavor and is well worth the effort. It makes a large portion, so split it in half and freeze some for later if it seems too labor intensive. It is not a difficult recipe at all, but there are a lot of steps, so you will be in the kitchen for a while. Turn some tunes on, pour a glass of wine and enjoy the time.

When I dropped the meal off a little before dinnertime, I left my crazies in the car. As I stood in the kitchen describing the meal and holding Deanna’s precious little peanut, of course, The Deuce walks in the front door.
When he finally realized what I had in my arms- I had to point out to him that I was holding a baby- he was psyched and asked to hold “it.” Brave Deanna and her husband, Jeremy, ~~are insane~~ graciously allowed him to sit in a chair and hold their newest addition. He wanted to rock her as he sang this song.

Poor little baby will never be the same again. I really hope that she didn’t have nightmares!!!!!

I won’t mention the fact that about sixty seconds after this video was shot, we found The Deuce stuck in the baby’s bouncy seat bent all the way back to the floor. Fortunately, they apparently make those things better than they used to because it sprung right back up once I used the jaws of life to remove him from it. But, I’m not mentioning that.

Congratulations to Jeremy and Deanna! Your newest family member is a doll. Thank you for letting us ~~manhandle~~ meet her. I hope that the food was enough to forgive any trauma that we caused.

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Filed under Fresh Ground Grains, Real Food

Tagged as Bread

June 2, 2011

Summer Nights

I know that some parts of the country are still experiencing a cool spring as we transition into the summer months, but in Atlanta, we are full on summer! I thought my neighborhood was CRAZY for opening the pool in May, but it is already hot enough that the only acceptable outdoor activity is sitting by the pool.

As to be expected, my menu choices change to a much lighter fare when the temps are topping 90° and the humidity is out of control. One of my all time favorite summer recipes is this Balsamic Strawberry Chicken.

This is a very similar variation of that recipe. I just cooked the chicken (boneless, skinless breast this time) in coconut oil using a cast iron skillet. Then I served it over mixed salad greens instead of wilted chard.

I was quickly reminded why I don’t use boneless skinless breasts anymore, because the flavor was dramatically compromised. But, it is readily available at your local grocery store, and very quick and easy. The recipe is still great, but I will probably use bone-in split breasts next time.

I also added sugared pecans to the mix. Oh my yumm!

Balsamic Strawberry Chicken Salad

1 pint strawberries

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp organic extra virgin coconut oil

4 oz goat cheese

Mixed salad greens

sugared pecans (recipe follows)

Wash and slice berries, and marinate in vinegar. Set aside. Pound chicken breasts thinly, and sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper. Place in skillet with hot oil and cook until brown on one side. Turn and cover skillet with lid to cook throughout. Place chicken on top of greens, top with berries and drizzle with vinegar*. Crumble goat cheese or slice on top of salad. Sprinkle with sugared pecans and fresh ground pepper to taste.

*Note: The type of balsamic vinegar that you use matters in this recipe since it it not reduced or cooked at all. Use the highest quality vinegar that your budget can afford.

Sugared Pecans

1 egg white

1 tbsp water

2 cups pecan halves or pieces

1/4 cup honey granules

1/3 cup sucanat

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Beat egg white and water until foamy. Add pecans and toss until well coated. Combine sweeteners and cinnamon; toss pecans to coat. Spread in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 min or until browned, stirring every 10 minutes.

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Filed under Healthy eating, Real Food, Recipes

April 20, 2011

Let Me Get Back

Hello Friends! It’s been a long time… so let me get back…

It doesn’t mean that I don’t love you.

It doesn’t mean that I forgot about you. I even got a new device to capture photos.

And, I haven’t even had a moment to figure out how to use the stinking thing.

…been a long time, been a long time, been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time…

Here’s a brief recap of the last month or so:

Feta and Sundried Tomato Scones

Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup

Orange Marmalade Muffins (using homemade marmalade from Niki at Life, In Recipes) Yumm! Thank you, Niki!

Girls’ Night to Cheer Richard Blaise on to victory!!!! Our menu:

Burgers with carmelized onions and red wine jam, Cheri’s infamous sweet potato fries, Kristina’s Strawberry Walnut Salad, and @amythecook‘s Nutella Toasted Marshmallow Shakes! *You can see my “Team Blaise” shirt made by @iamannabrown in the top photo.*

Real Food 101 and Bread Making 101 with Jackye and her adorable *very shy* four year old daughter (wink, wink Jackye).

The Man, @stadbrews, dove headfirst into the world of homebrewing, and his first batch turned out awesome (and I would tell him if it didn’t. poor thing. it must be difficult being married to me).

We hosted a rocking 8 year old Wipeout Birthday Bash!

And, we put up a chalkboard in the breakfast area. Does anyone have any suggestions for a dustless chalk?!?

Oh yeah, and somewhere in there, our basement flooded, I finally made more Magical Candied Jalapenos, we went out of town for a week, I got another sourdough starter going (and attempted sourdough ciabatta) and I got a violation for checking GPS on my phone WHILE SITTING AT A STOPLIGHT!

So, there you have it. I am sure that a thousand seventeen other things happened as well, but I am too insane to remember any of them.

Details and recipes to come on some of the above “events.”

…Let me get back, Baby where I come from
It’s been a long time, Been a long time
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time
Yes it has…

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Filed under Cooking with, Fresh Ground Grains, Girls' Night, Real Food, Taste & See

Tagged as Bread, Cooking with...

March 14, 2011

[p∂mIn∂] Cheese

You say “pihminto,” I say ”puhminah.”

Whether he pronounces it this way or not, any good southerner knows that the correct pronunciation when referring to pimento cheese is the latter of the two. “Puhminah” Cheese.

This simple everyday food has a bit of an iconic status in the Southern United States. We like our creamy yumminess on crackers on crudites, and many prefer it on good ole soggy white bread. Newer trends add it like molten goo on top of burgers and even as a breakfast treat stirred into grits. It is a staple of Junior League groups and wedding showers as well as The Augusta Masters Golf Tourney.

I’ll be honest- and I may get slayed here because of my southern heritage- but as a kid, I did not like pimento cheese. As I look back and analyze my obvious disfunction, I realize that I had never experienced REAL pimento cheese. I have never been a big fan of mayonnaise, one of the staple ingredients in any pimento cheese recipe. I also DETEST fake cheese- or pasteurized cheese food. Blech! I now realize that any pimento cheese that I would have tried would more than likely have been a combination of these two ingredients.

So, there it is. At least I have a reason for not liking a food that is at its very core, Southern.

I really can’t tell you when I decided to try pimento cheese as an adult, but my favorites in the Atlanta area are served at The Brickstore Pub on crostini, at Watershed with celery, and Farmburger on top of a burger (appropriately so).

I made Paula Deen’s recipe months ago, which The Man loved, but I found it to be too mayonnaise-y (and, yes, that is a word!). I hadn’t made it again until my friend Tuesday asked me if I had a recipe. She liked a storebought version, but wanted a way to make it healthier and with real ingredients.

Since I didn’t really need an excuse to develop a recipe, I accepted the challenge.

I tried a couple of other recipes, and decided to throw one in of my own so that we could do a blind taste test to find our favorite.

I started with this Food Network recipe from The Penguin restaurant.

Second, I found Watershed’s recipe and threw it into the lineup.

Based on research and scads of recipes, I came up with this one. There are just not that many variations for a food that contains basically 3 ingredients. This is my take on it.

“Puhminah” Cheese

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 lb sharp white cheddar, grated

1/2 lb pepper jack, grated

4 oz fire roasted red peppers, diced

1/3 cup homemade mayo (I use this recipe including the whey)

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Stir all ingredients together, and chill for at least 2 hours.

Do not skip the last step. I did not like any of these recipes until they were properly chilled. If you prefer a softer more spreadable cheese, you can sit it out before serving, but the flavors really need to come together in the fridge before you can serve this delicious treat.

We ate this on grilled cheese sandwiches, spread on toast, on English Muffins with fried eggs (super yumm!), on bison burgers, and as a dip with pretzel sticks.

The only thing this burger was missing were these magical candied jalapenos because I am out. Waaaaaaaaaaa!!!

For our limited two person taste test, we both preferred the recipe that included the cream cheese, but The Man is convinced that he really preferred the Paula Deen recipe that I made months ago.

I also can’t wait to try this recipe from Food & Wine that includes goat cheese or a similar variation. In fact, as I think about it, I think I will sub goat cheese for cream cheese in the above recipe next time. Yummmmm!

Thanks Tuesday for the motivation to make this yummy goodness at home!!!!!

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Filed under Atlanta Restaurants, Real Food, Recipes, Restaurants

March 4, 2011

A Pancake a Day

March 1 was National Pancake Day! I found that to be a great excuse to make nice fluffy buttermilk pancakes for dinner. The boys and I decided to make a caramel apple topping and add some brie. Mwah! It was truly a thing of beauty. The Boy declared it to be “the best thing he ever had.”

At first, I thought, “What a shame that National Pancake Day didn’t coincide with Mardi Gras.” Many people choose to indulge in pancakes on Fat Tuesday as a bit of a last horrah before the season of lent begins. Then, as I contemplated it further, I realized that it was brilliant that these two holidays were a week apart.

Now, you have the PERFECT excuse for making these pancakes next week.

First whip up a batch of buttermilk pancakes. And, I beg you to use real cultured whole buttermilk, pretty please. I know you can make your own, but these fluffy pancakes are even fluffier with real buttermilk. Use your own recipe if you like, or you can use this recipe which comes from Bread Beckers.

Bread Beckers Buttermilk Pancakes

3 cups freshly ground soft white flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup coconut oil

4 eggs

3-4 cups buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients. Add liquid ingredients (save the oil for last so that it doesn’t solidify). Fry on hot oiled griddle.

While you griddle your cakes, make this caramel apple cream sauce.

Caramel Apple Cream Sauce

4 pink lady apples, sliced thinly

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1/3 cup sucanat

1-2 tsp cinnamon (depending on personal taste)

1/3 cup sucanat

1 cup heavy cream

Melt butter in skillet over med high heat. Add flour, whisking constantly until combined and bubbly. Add apples to the pan and saute for 3 minutes. Add sucanat and cinnamon until well combined. Slowly add cream and heat throughout.

Serve on top of hot pancakes.

Another tasty addition- that you might notice in the photo- is crispy bacon. The boys ate their bacon on the side, but I threw mine right in the mix. Oh my!!!

Have fun celebrating this weekend and Happy Mardi Gras!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez

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Filed under Fresh Ground Grains, Healthy eating, Real Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

Tagged as holidays, Recipes

February 18, 2011

Elixir of Life

For those of you who know me well, or maybe even those who might not know me so well, you probably think that I am referring to wine here.

Alas, I am not. I am actually talking about the true elixir of life… H2O. I try to drink over half of my body weight in water everyday. I firmly believe that it makes a huge difference in all areas of my health (energy, metabolism, skin, hair, etc).

I have been researching water filtration systems for quite some time now. We already have filters on our showers to minimize the chlorine that we absorb through our skin, and we have even considered a whole house filtration system. For now, we just use the filter on our fridge and a Brita pitcher. Knowing that these are not optimal at removing the real toxins in our water system, I am registering to win this filtration system, and I encourage you to do the same.

Seriously, isn’t this gorgeous?*Note: This is not the one that is being given away. It is just the one I really want IF I don’t win the giveaway.*

And, read more about water toxins here. and here.

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Filed under Healthy eating, Scientific Crap

Tagged as Drinks, Science

February 15, 2011

I Could Write a Book

So, I’m not very romantic. I love very deeply, but I’m not so great at showing it. I am a do-er. If I love you, I “do” for you. I’m not saying it is right. It just is.

I also don’t really have time for cliched or overdone signs of affection. I told my man when we began dating in college that I didn’t want flowers or trinkets for contrived or expected holidays (*ahem* Valentine’s Day or anniversaries). I love receiving flowers on a rainy Tuesday or on a day when I need to be reassured because I feel like a sucky mom, but don’t bring home roses on February 14 just because Hallmark tells you that you should.

That being said, now that we have kids, any time is a reason to break from the everyday and “do” something fun.

Late last week, I asked you what your Valentine’s Day plans were, and I thought that it would only be fair for me to share what we ended up doing.

Saturday evening, The Boy and The Duece spent the night with cousins, so instead of going out to eat (or more likely to The Brickstore Pub) like we always do for date night, we decided to get take out and watch a movie at home. We haven’t done that since the boys were babies and we lived in Savannah- which meant no free babysitting- and that was the only date night we could get.

It was so nice to just chill out on the sofa with sushi and chinese food and watch indie romantic film Paper Heart with Micheal Cera. And, the movie was great. I highly recommend it!

When the boys got home from their cousins’ house, we made their Valentines for school. They made candy robots which were a huge hit, and they had such fun making them.

For Valentine’s breakfast, we went overly cliched with heart shaped pancakes. And, here is one of my bed head Valentines who wanted to be in the the photo with the pancake! I must say the pic is much cuter with his goofy mug than the cheesy pancake by itself.

And, another bed head Valentine…

My parents sent Valentines to the boys (including cash). Now that is my kind of Valentine! Come to think of it, where is my card? Humph!

I made Jamie Oliver’s Baked Camembert Pasta for dinner (using broccoli instead of spinach) and homemade fettuccine.

For dessert, I made these cupcakes from Good Life Eats. I used honey granules in place of the sugar, and strawberries and goat cheese for the frosting. Yummy!

This is my newest Valentine, Guinness, in his permanent spot while I cooked both the pasta and the cupcakes.

Even though we don’t normally give Valentine’s presents to each other, we did have some special gifts this year. The boys had been dying for pillow pets (because they are pillows, and pets, and who can resist that?).