Hippie Granola

Every time I come back to school from Portland, I try to take a little bit of home with me.

Last time I brought back my mother’s split pea soup recipe.

Yesterday I packed myself a Billy Collins book from Powell’s and a blueberry muffin from Dovetail bakery.

I’m already almost halfway through the book and the blueberry muffin lasted ten minutes at best – after that I had a little more trouble deciding what piece of the rose city to bring back with me (one that would last longer than a muffin).

But here’s my problem:  Portland is so many things.  How do I know which part I want to keep alive up here in Parkland

Is Portland more Mongolian grill or vegan bakery?

Is it more zombie walks or more nude bike rides?

Is it more hipster or hippie?

Let’s hold onto the hippie thing and leave the hipsters to the side for a while – or forever.

Hippies.  Tie-dye.  Granola.

Yes, granola.

Maple syrup, walnuts, oatmeal, craisins.  It doesn’t get more Portland than this.  Just make sure you buy the right yogurt to pair with the granola – unsweetened just doesn’t cut it.

One more thing – if you’re going to be a granola-eating hippie, you need to know how to make the peace sign:  it’s like this ☮ – if you leave out the middle line then you’re just making the mercedes logo, and that’s not very Portland.

MAPLE WALNUT GRANOLA

• 2 c. old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 c. ground flax seed
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. canola oil
• 1/4 c. maple syrup
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. chopped walnuts
• 3/4 c. craisins

Preheat your oven to 325°F.Combine the oats, flax, salt, and walnuts in a bowl.  In another bowl or measuring cup, mix the rest of the ingredients.  Add the wet to the dry and mix well.  Spread the mixture onto a 13×9 greased baking pan and bake for about 10 minutes.  Take it out and flip the granola.  Put it back in the oven for another ten minutes, or until the granola is the texture you want.

Add the craisins after it comes out of the oven, and serve it up over yogurt.

If you want, you can add different kinds of nuts, dried fruit, or if you want to get really hippie you could add in some chia seeds and hemp – not my thing, but to each his own.

Food for your skin

I’ve learned that there are two kinds of people in this world.

There’s the kind of people who buy and make all of their Christmas gifts ahead of time and avoid the Christmas rush completely.  All they have to do today is finish up wrapping.  Maybe bake some cookies.  Listen to music.  Take a bubble bath.  Lounge around in pj’s all day.

And then there are the people who wait until Christmas Eve to start shopping.  The ones who brave the crowds at the stores.  The crazies who think for some reason it would be a good idea to go to the mall today.  And think they’ll still be able to find their car in that mess of a parking lot after three hours of shopping.

If you’re the first kind of person, this stuff is for you.

Have a little me time today before all your nutsy relatives arrive at your house tomorrow.

If you’re the second person, this stuff is your savior.  Put down that Christmas list.  Step away from the credit card.  If you play it right, all you should need today is some coconut oil and a few mason jars.  20 bucks, max.  I promise.

Pair this with a log of cookie dough or a pair of socks or nothing at all and you have the perfect gift for that cousin, aunt, mom, grandma, girlfriend, sister, or skin-conscious brother…

COCONUT SUGAR SCRUB

• 1 c. white sugar
• 1/2 c. – 3/4 c. coconut oil, just enough to bring the sugar together
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix together the sugar and vanilla.  Add in the coconut oil and stir just until combined.  You don’t want the mixture to be wet, but the sugar should stick to itself.  Put it into clean glass mason jars with gift tags and instructions.

How to use:  with a scrub brush or just your fingers, rub the mixture onto your skin, then wash away with water.  It’s best to do this right before you take a shower, that way you don’t have a huge mess on your hands when you go to rinse it off.

You can mess with this recipe all you want.  You can use whatever oils you have on hand, add in different extracts and essential oils for different scents, or throw some oatmeal in there for extra exfoliation.

Fall favorites

Did you know that there’s a difference between autumn and fall?

Here’s what my cousin Kelly says:

Autumn is when the last days of summer turn into beautiful crispness that invites you to put on boots and some layers. The trees start their transformation into fiery fabulousness and apple cider starts to warm the soul. There is a feeling of excitement in the air for the new season and a breath of fresh air.

Fall is when the leaves start falling from their now cold branches. The air is no longer a crisp excitement but a constant chill that requires jackets and adds extra blankets to the bed. The smell is not of apples, cinnamon, and pumpkins but dirt, crunchy leaves, and acorns.The energy in the air is no longer about the season and more about the quickly approaching holidays.

What’s your favorite thing about fall?

Pumpkin patches?

Apple pie?

Changing leaves?

Thanksgiving?

Sweaters and scarves?

Boots?

Mittens?

Drinking hot chocolate and knitting?

There you go.  Now we’re talking.

HOT CHOCOLATE MIX

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 c. cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 c. powdered soy milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cornstarch

Mix all ingredients until well incorporated.  Boil some water – I found that about 2 tablespoons of mix to 1 cup water works well, but it’s up to you.  If you’re one of those people, who, as a child added an extra packet of hot chocolate mix just so you could get those delicious lumps of chocolate in your mug, then go ahead and add some extra.  I’m not here to judge.

Side note:  This recipe works perfectly to layer up in jars and give as gifts, with personalized tags.  ♥

Trail Mix

I love the idea of things in bulk.

Being able to pick out food and scoop as much as you want into little containers.  That makes me happy.

Dried fruits, nuts, and little balls of granola in bins make me happy.

Not having to hack through layers of plastic packaging makes me happy

I went bulk crazy today.

I bought apricots, cherries, craisins, apples, almonds, and those little salty sesame sticks that show up in trail mix – the ones that are so good they’re like crack.  I would have bought walnuts, too, but they were out.

Then I divvied them up, poured them into jars, and called it trail mix.  It made seven little four-ounce jars.  There’s only six in the picture because it was so good I ate a jar before taking a picture.  And I finished eating a jar while writing this post.

Yum.

TRAIL MIX

• 3/4 c. sesame sticks
• 1/4 c. almonds
• 1/2 c. dried cherries
• 1/4 c. dried apple rings, chopped
• 1/2 c. dried apricots, chopped

Super simple. Either mix all the ingredients up in a bowl and then split it up, or you can layer it in the jars like I did.

Baked Ziti

It’s official.

Fall has fallen.

It’s raining.

There are pumpkin spice lattes in the University Center.

I’m sick.

Three indicators that autumn is upon us in the Pacific Northwest.

I get excited about these things.

They mean that I can start baking casseroles and making soups.

They mean that for the next few months I can put pumpkin in just about everything.

They mean cozy sweat pants, scarves, and boots.

They mean lattes instead of frappucinnos.

They mean spiced apple cider and cinnamon rolls and cinnamon-scented Febreze.

Oh, yeah.  That’s a thing.  And it’s sitting on my counter.

Unfortunately today I don’t have an incredibly autumnal recipe.  But it’s one of those one-dish, throw it in the oven kind of meals that I love eating in the fall.

It’s baked curly pasta. And spinach.  And tomato sauce.  And cheese.

No seriously, that’s it.

Easiest casserole you will ever make in your life.

BAKED ZITI

• 1 1-lb. box of your favorite pasta
• 1 24(ish)-oz. jar of your favorite pasta sauce
• 1 bag of Daiya mozzarella-style cheese
• 1 bag of pre-washed, stemmed, hassle-free spinach

Preheat your oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Cook the pasta for about 5 or 6 minutes, until al dente.  Drain the pasta and throw about half of it in the bottom of your baking dish.  Then layer up half of the spinach, half of the cheese, and half of the jar of sauce.  Then stack up the rest of the pasta, spinach, cheese, and sauce on top.   Throw in the oven for about 20 – 30 minutes.  Everything is cooked, so you’re just looking to heat it through and get a good melt going on that cheese.

One little side note:  mine looked really dry; I was considering running out to the store to grab another jar of sauce, but don’t!  It tastes great, and with the cheese and spinach, there’s just the right amount of moisture.

Chili and Cornbread: Modified

Modifiers are words or clauses that modify or enhance a sentence but don’t affect the structure.

Example:  Tonight I made black bean chili with kale and pumpkin cheddar cornbread.

Black bean and  pumpkin cheddar are the modifiers in this sentence.  This means that I made chili and cornbread tonight, but that they were enhanced by these modifiers.  Enhanced meaning they made this meal so could I could easily eat the entire pot of chili and pan of cornbread even though I’m not that hungry.

Super freakin’ easy is also a modifier you could use in this sentence.

You could leave these modifiers out and the meal would still be fine.  It would still have the same structure.  But with the modifiers, it’s so much better.

Wow.

BLACK BEAN CHILI

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 c. veggie stock
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin seed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 28-oz. can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 14-oz. cans of black beans, drained

Saute the onions and peppers.  Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until thick.  Add some kale, if you so desire.

PUMPKIN CHEDDAR CORNBREAD

• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 c. cornmeal
• 2 tbsp. ground flax + 6 tbsp. water
• 1 c. pumpkin puree
• 1/4 c. oil
• 1/4 c. milk (plus some extra, if your batter is too thick)
• 1/2 c. daiya cheddar style shreds

Preheat your oven to 400°F.  Grease and 8 x 8 pan.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cornmeal.

In a small bowl, combine the flax, water, pumpkin, oil, and milk.

Add the wet to the dry and stir until just combined,  stir in the daiya cheddar shreds.  pour into your pan and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Cold Brewed Coffee

I need to talk to you about things.  Things like college and caffeine and getting used to running into your boss all around campus.

These things are important.  Especially the caffeine part.  Especially on opening weekend.  Especially when you’re going to training meeting after training meeting and organizing all the freshmen into binders.

Before this summer, I never understood why I was able to drink a huge frappuccino but couldn’t ever seem to finish my baby-sized lattes.

Well, now I have answers.

When you brew coffee using hot water, it contains something like 60 to 70% more acid than when you brew coffee using cold water.  This is because the hot water releases all of the acids and oils from the coffee bean during the brewing process.

As you can imagine, acid is rough on your tummy, which is why it’s so much harder to finish an entire cup of hot coffee than it is in the summer when you’re buying iced coffees all the time.

Cold brewed coffee substitutes time for heat.  It contains a lot less acid, BUT it also has a lot more caffeine than hot drip coffee.  Low acid plus more caffeine means it’s a lot easier to suck a bunch of this stuff down and then get stuck with a major caffeine high . . . and low.

So be careful about that.  The best way to combat the high amount of caffeine in this cold coffee is to do 1 part coffee to 1 part water or milk.  If you take your coffee hot, you can do 1 part coffee to 1 part hot water or warm milk.

The funny thing about making this coffee is how simple – almost primitive – the system is.

But just like slinkies or play-do or balloons, you will come to love the simplicity.

COLD BREWED COFFEE

• 1 c. of your favorite ground coffee
• 4 c. water

Place the coffee and water in a jar or pitcher and mix or shake until combined.  Stick the jar in your fridge for 12 to 24 hours.  After it’s been sitting in your fridge for the desired amount of time, take it out and pour through a coffee filter or a very fine mesh sieve.  I’ve found that two filters in a drip cone works perfectly.  Store in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.

To Sir, With Love…

Hey, Daddy.  Happy Father’s Day.

This is one of those things where I start to try to put my feelings to song – but we all know my brother is better at that than I am – so let’s just cut to the chase and I’ll just tell you how great you are and make you breakfast, seeing as we all know that that’s my strong point.

I have some pictures for you, Daddy.  Some I included because they’re great pictures of us, and some just because they prove that I used to be cute.

Sort of.

You, like many before you, have learned well from your father.

And you, in turn, have passed that knowledge on to your children.

You taught me how to smile…

…and how to frown.

You taught me how to have fun…

…and to relax.

You taught me everything I know about sports – which isn’t saying much.

But most importantly, you taught me (and my brother) how to be sexy beasts who are comfortable in their own skin.

Honestly, Dad.  I’m not really sure why you ever went out in public with us.

Oh, wait…

Ok…

It’s all making sense now…

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy – and thanks for all the wisdom you’ve passed on to Tommy and me.  It’ll take years of therapy to erase those lessons – but we love you just the same.

On Beach Quiche, Veggies, and Summer

This summer is a summer about giving things up.

I’m giving up sugar – refined sugar, that white stuff that comes in a bag or the nasty high-fructose corn syrup that’s the first ingredient on just about every food label – for summer.

No, wait!  Please don’t go.  Stay here for a while, please?  I still have a recipe for you!  In fact, I have two just to make it up to you.

I have also given up not being a runner this summer.  That’s a really awkward way of saying, I’m going to start running this summer.

So, maybe for the next few months, my blog will look a little different.  No more cookies and cupcakes and frosting.  But instead, salads and soups and sandwiches and dips and all kinds of other delicious unsugar items that runners eat.

Not that I’m an expert on what runners eat.  But I can imagine…

Today is about vegetables, because vegetables are flippin’ awesome.  It’s also about me making food to bring to the beach this weekend.

Oh yeah, my family’s going to the beach this weekend.

Tonight, after getting to the beach house we’ve rented, we’re having quiche.  With lots of vegetables.

Tomorrow, for lunch, I’ll have the chick pea salad I just finished throwing together.  I’ve made this salad before, but it’s gone through renovation.  I pimped the chick pea and stuffed it into lettuce leaves.  Yum.

So, while I’m at the beach, keep yourself busy and full of veggies with these recipes, and I promise I’ll be back with more.

CHICK PEA SALAD

• 3 cans chick peas, mashed up with a potato masher or in a food processor
• 1 1/2 onions, chopped
• 1 c. raisins
• 1-ish c. walnuts, chopped
• 2 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• enough vegan mayo to get the whole thing to stick to itself.

Dump all your ingredients in a bowl, mix it up, and serve in lettuce leaves.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture for this recipe.  It hopped down into my stomach before the light would cooperate for me to take a picture.  My bad…

QUICHE

• 1 (9 inch) unbaked 9 inch pie crust
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped
• 1 package of frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed well to remove excess water
• 2 good sized carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound firm tofu, drained
• 1/2 c. soy milk
• 1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
• black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. grated vegan Parmesan cheese (I used Daiya cheddar)

Preheat your oven to 400°F.  Saute the onion in a pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Then add the carrot, garlic, and broccoli.  Cook for just a few minutes until you’ve kinda-sorta cooked all the veggies.

Stick the tofu, soy milk, mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a blender and whirl it until it’s nice and smooth.  Then, toss the veggies and grated cheese into the tofu mixture and combine.  Shlorp the whole thing into your pie crust and bake for about 35 minutes.

Mother’s Day

Hey mama.  It’s me.  Remember me?

I’m your loser daughter who’s not driving down to see you this weekend.  Wait… I can’t drive down because I don’t have a car up here.  Because you made me leave it at home this year.

Okay, I don’t feel so bad now.

I just wanted to tell you how much I love you.  And how bummed I am that I can’t be there to give you a wet, sloppy mother’s day kiss and a big ol’ bear hug.  So I guess this will have to do.

This is a photo tribute to you on Mother’s Day.  You’ll have to excuse the awful quality of most of the pictures.  I was scanning pictures of scanned pictures because I can’t raid your photo albums when I’m in Washington and your albums are in Oregon.  And only about half of the photos that I scanned actually went through.  Too bad you weren’t here to help me troubleshoot.  You’re good at that.

I love you, mom.

I love that you love your family.

I love that you would do anything for us.

I love that you taught me and my brother how to be sexy.

And how to cook an awesome meal  from whatever the hell is in the fridge at any given time.

I love that you know how to have a good time.

And that you’re teaching me how to laugh at myself when I do stupid things.

I love that you’re more immature than me, and that your immaturity is starting to rub off on me.

I love that you taught me how to win an argument with my printer.

I love that we bond through hidden sticky note notes.

 

I love that every time I go somewhere, you hide love notes in my luggage.

I love that when you send me things at college that I left at home, you always put stickers on the package, and hide a treat inside.

I love all the little things about you.  All the things that make you my mamacita.

Te quiero hasta la luna y de vuelta otra vez…

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!