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.  

Daring Bakers' Challenge: Panettone

The December 2012 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by the talented Marcellina of Marcellina in Cucina.  Marcellina challenged us to create our own custom Panettone, a traditional Italian holiday bread.

The word Panettone is derived from the Italian "panetto" meaning small cake, but adding "one" to the end of the word changes the meaning to "large cake".  It's association with Christmas was first written about in the 18th century as a "Pan di Tono" or "luxury cake".  There are several romantic legends surrounding it's origins, one having to do with a baker named Antonio (Pan di Tony) but it seems unlikely since only Americans use this nickname for Antonio.

Rainy Winter Days

On rainy winter days, my Garden Supervisor likes to spend the day in bed purring to Nora Jones on her iphone.

Cranberry Nut Muffins

These cranberry nut muffins are perfect for a holiday morning breakfast  They're made with whole grain flour, coconut sugar and tomato juice so they aren't too sweet and the nuts add protein.  I can hear you say "tomato juice?" Yes, these tasty muffins are made with tomato juice, but they don't really have a tomato flavor.  The acid in the juice helps to activate the baking powder and soda which allows them to be egg free.  I love the science aspect of cooking, I find it fascinating.