BF and I picked up a loaf of sourdough bread at the store last week that I found so tasty I challenged myself to DIY. After searching through many starter recipes, I chose to duplicate this one at Naturally Knocked Up. I started it on Monday and my has it grown!
The first two days I used white all purpose flour. Then I decided to switch to Bob's Mill rye flour to get more flavorful bread. Yesterday it started to bubble a little bit but today it's full blown bubble action! I don't want to have to buy a bigger jar to put it in so I may split it into two. Researching sourdough is definitely interesting. I'll probably make a simple loaf of bread first. BF has been begging me to make chili lately though so maybe I'll tackle some sourdough bread bowls too!
I am not vegan. I will never be vegan because I love steak - a lot!! However, while looking for a thin mint or samoa recipe, I came across Chef Chloe's website and discovered she won Cupcake Wars with a vegan cupcake recipe. And she had a recipe for vegan thin mints. I've been trying to be healthier lately, giving up carbonated beverages for Lent and eating at least 1 piece of fruit a day (gasp! I know, I have terrible eating habits). When I saw her Fluffy Coconut Cupcake recipe, I became Girl Scout cookie side-tracked had to give it a try.
FYI: the ingredients in this recipe are not cheap. I spent around $20 for all the stuff to make 16 cupcakes. That being said, the recipe was very easy to make. My icing seemed thick enough until I had spread it on the cupcakes and then it started drooping, so maybe next time I'll make it even thicker. I also toasted my coconut topping. Oh and the cupcakes themselves are very greasy in the papers, so be careful!
After all that work, I have to say. W.O.W!! Delicious! I'm not sure how "healthy" they are because of the coconut saturated fats, but they taste great, had a fabulous texture, and will be a nice treat every now and then. I will definitely make these again! I'm also looking forward to seeing what other recipes she has in her cookbook coming out soon, Chloe's Kitchen.
Happy Leap Day!
Last Friday I was feeling rather ambitious. Armed with my saute pan and a few bananas, I decided to make Bananas Foster for my bf to impress him with mad skills other than quilting so he doesn't think he's dating an 80 year old.
Bananas Foster are the cool desert that people order in fancy pants restaurants where the pan is lit on fire at your table. I wanted to light something on fire! I found out that coconut Malibu does not ignite, no matter how many times you try. I suppose the alcohol has to be more than 21% by volume :( Needless to say, I was not impressed with my own skills. The bananas tasted fine, but would have been way better if they had been on fire, if only momentarily. The blackberries on the other hand, turned out super delicious.
So for future reference, use dark rum if the recipe calls for it!
I baked zucchini bread today even though it's 104 degrees outside, actual temperature. I don't want to know what the heat index is!
I know there are a lot of zucchini bread recipes out there, but I thought I'd share my concoction. I sweetened it with applesauce to cut down on the fat/calories scariness.
To make 2 loaves:
Mix together:
3 cups flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
In a separate bowl, mix together:
2 cups shredded zucchini, patted with some paper towels to cut down on the juice
3/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just moistened. Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray. Divide dough between two pans. Bake at 350 for about an hour. Be sure to check it beforehand though! My oven runs wicked hot so they were done in 45 min :D
Enjoy!
