Almond Blossoms - First Sign of Spring

Every year around this time we experience some exceptionally warm weather, that causes the primroses to bloom and then this happens.  Almond blossoms!  It's the first tree to bloom in my garden and it's a signal that spring is just around the corner.  I just hope that it doesn't start raining again before the tree has time to fully bloom and the bees can pollinate it.  

Almond blooms also tell me that it's time to plant peas.  The next sign to watch for is asparagus shoots.

Chocolate Raspberry Tomboy Cake

When I saw a picture of this "Tomboy" cake on the front of the Miette Cookbook I knew it was the perfect Valentines Day treat for Mr. RK.  It's a combination of chocolate and raspberry, two of his favorite foods.  I couldn't use the Miette recipe because it's filled with butter and eggs so I worked out my own dairy and egg free vegan version.

Healthier Superbowl Foods

I know that "billions" of people will be parking their butts on the couch tomorrow to watch the Superbowl and snacking on some on very questionable foods.  I'm going to offer some healthier alternatives in hopes that some of you may choose to go in that direction. 

Winter Garden Harvest

Yesterday I harvested some broccoli, carrots and beets from my garden  for  dinner.  I love that, even in the winter months, I can walk out into my yard and pick food for dinner.  I have to say that the broccoli was amazing.  It was so fresh and tender that I only needed to steam it for a few minutes.  My beets and carrots don't get that large, I'm working on loosening up the soil a bit this year with some sand.  

We're also eating green onions, cilantro, parsley, kale and spinach from our winter garden.

Daring Bakers' Challenge: Gevulde Speculaas

Francijn of Koken in de Brouwerij was our January 2013 Daring Bakers' Hostess and she challenged us to make the traditional Dutch pastry, Gevulde Speculaas from scratch!  That includes making our own spice mix, almond paste and dough! Delicious!

Banana Coconut Muffins

It's January, and like many people, I've made a New Years resolution to avoid unhealthy foods this year.  I've been trying to eat less wheat and sugar.  Wheat and sugar are very inflammatory and I've been having some trouble with tendonitis.  But then, I had this large bunch of very ripe bananas that needed attention.  They were demanding to be made into muffins.

Black-Eyed Pea Tacos

The southern tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Years Day dates back to pre-Civil War times but the actual origins of this tradition date back to somewhere around the year 500.   It's mentioned in Babylonian Talmud writings at the time that it was "good luck" to eat black-eyed peas on Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.