Zesty Madeleines

Hey fellow quarantine people! 

After going through our kitchen and organizing a bit, I found my Madeleine pan and decided to make some yummy spongy treats! But I would need to use what I already have....which wasn't much. Fortunately we happened to have a bunch of tangerines that will make a great citrus zest!

Madeleines are pretty simple...thank goodness! I made them awhile ago but couldn't quite remember the process. You start by combining 3 eggs, 2/3 cup of sugar and tangerine zest in a bowl. You really only need 1.5 tsp of zest for the flavor to come out. But feel free to add more if you like but don't over do it LOL!

Next you whisk together the dry ingredients, 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt. Then combine the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and add in 6 tbsp of melted butter and voila! Your dough is complete!

One important part of making Madeleine cookies is that the dough needs to chill for at least an hour, allowing for the traditional Madeleine "hump" to form during baking. 

After chilled, add 1 tbsp of dough to each Madeleine imprint. But don't worry, the dough will spread out on its own, so no touching he he. *Be sure to coat your pan in baking spray beforehand.

Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes, or until edges are golden. Then once cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar and serve. These cookies are at their best on the day they are baked, but the dough may be made about 2 days ahead of time.

Jack was a little disappointed that he could not try these delicious French cookies, but he was proud of me for wrangling together ingredients to make them. He's so supportive! They were indeed yummy and spongy. Like a Twinkys classy uncle ha ha!

While mixing up these Madeleines my mind wandered to New Orleans. It could be the simplicity of the southern lifestyle or the warm feeling that catches in my chest when thinking of our trips there...it could be both. But I suddenly had a clear vision of a small two story home in the French Quarter, small balcony lined with a few Mardi Gras beads and hanging plants. A stoic cat perched on a filigreed chair, in front of green window shutters, gazing out into the world. The day starting to warm and the streets filling with visitors. Having a small shop with my art and fresh cookies, open and waiting for guests. Light reverberations of blues flowing through the walls and the distant smell of gumbo in the air. This image makes my heart so happy, someday it could be true, but back to reality I go.

 Thinking of French treats, it would be an uplifting idea for everyone to pick something they will make, once the lock downs are over. Something delicious to share, or just to celebrate the end of this surreal reality. I'm choosing beignets, I'm sure you could have guested that ha ha! Hopefully I will get to make them soon! 

Cheers!

-Bunny

Quarantine Life

Hey there, 

So...the apocalypse happened...well not the dystopian zombie apocalypse we wanted, but a worldwide flu epidemic called COVID-19. This flu virus is quickly spreading over the world like a blanket of uncertainty. The first thing to go...toilet paper...the hording has become ridiculous. Also, at the beginning there were no bananas!

All those not essential to society are supposed to stay indoors and practice social distancing. Honestly, feels like I've been training my whole life for minimal interactions ha ha ha...introverts-unite! I haven't been cleared to work from home yet, so I decided that I need to be productive or at least creative. This led to....

Selfies!

Glamour Selfies!

Marie Antoinette Dreams!

Quick trips into the unknown...had to get that cat food to avoid our own personal apocalypse. 

Feathers and crowns! 

  

Supporting local businesses! Two of my favorites...

East End Gastropub in Capitola and Betty's Burgers in Santa Cruz. Both with pick up only!

 Backyard modeling! 

 All the couch time I could want!

And memes...a new world of amazing memes are now the language between my friends and I.

I should mention that the amount of cat pictures has gone up significantly. But I would need a whole new post to fit them all LOL!

The timeline for the projected 'end of social distancing' keeps getting extended....so for now....while this gloomy uncertainty continues to consume us we must continue to be productive, positive and creative. Thanks for reading, this was my creativity for the day. I hope to add some new dishes and cocktails to the mix!

-Bunny

Outlander: Jam Tarts

Happy Holidays! 

Christmas is here and I decided that this holiday season needed some delicious Jam Tarts and boy was I RIGHT!

This Outlander treat called for 1/2 Short Crust Pastry recipe and 1/2 cup of Fraser Strawberry Jam.

To start set the oven to 375 degrees and prepare your muffin tin. For the dough, mix together flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse until you have mostly pea sized lumps. Then whisk together ice water, egg yolk and lemon juice. Add to the bowl and pulse a few more times. I eventually had to mix a little more thoroughly by hand.

Sprinkle some flour on your counter and knead the dough into a ball. Flatten with a rolling pin and roll to about 1/8 inch thick. Use a 4 inch "cookie cutter" to cut out 12 rounds. If you don't have one, I used a large mason jar. Press the pastry into each muffin tin cup and poke the bottoms three or four times with a fork. Bake for about 5 mins. Don't worry, you will be baking the pastry a bit more once the jam is added. 

The tasty Fraser jam is at the back of the Outlander Cookbook, detailing how to make and can preserves. For this strawberry jam, you will need Granny Smith apples, strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. Start by cutting the apples into 1/2 inch cubes and the strawberries into halves or quarters. 

In a pot of medium heat stir the fruit and lemon juice together. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir constantly to avoid any scorching. Next stir in the sugar until it's dissolved. The jam needs to reach about 212 degrees which takes about 15 to 25 minutes. 

It was kinda fun making a fruit compote, I always see chefs turn to this 'filling' solution on the Food Network and they make it look effortless. Turns out it is pretty easy and quick to create. I'll definitely have to make it again. My mom kept wanting to add in a thickener and I had to convince her that I needed to follow Theresa Carle-Sanders recipe exactly. It was pretty funny!

Hindsight, I should have cut the apples a bit smaller but their size did not take away from the old-fashioned compote-style jam. It was just a bit chunkier and there's nothing wrong with that he he! 

Now you're ready to create your tarts. Fill each cup with about 1 teaspoons of jam (I was a bit heavy handed) and return them to the oven. Bake until the jam bubbles and the pastry is golden. This took about 15 minutes. 

Gently remove the tarts from the muffin tin and set on a cooling rack. The recipe says to let them cool completely and they were right LOL! I didn't want to wait and tried to eat one a bit early. I topped a few tarts with a strawberry slice and plated them. Voila! Outlander Jam Tarts! Thanks Theresa! 

These lovely creations were both savory and sweet. I couldn't get enough and my whole family really enjoyed them. Craig described these as tasting like the original strawberry pop tarts of his youth and he's not wrong!

Thanks for readin!

Cheers, Bun

Cookie-dough Bites!

Hello Lovelies! 

I wanted to share one of my favorite Sakara treats! Cookie Dough Bites. These little morsels are packed full of flavor and really bring a smile to my day.

To start take a 1/2 cup of almond butter mixed into 1/4 cup of maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. 

In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients: 1/4 cup of coconut flower, 3 tablespoons of flax-seed meal and salt. Then mix the wet and dry ingredients together and fold the cacao nibs in. Once mixed properly roll the dough into 1 inch balls and set aside. 

Mix together shredded coconut and hemp seeds that will be used to roll the dough balls in. Feel free to pick any type of  topping but the coconut is yummy. After rolling your bites into the mix refrigerate the bites for about 30 mins, before serving. 

These bites are pretty simple and much more of an almond bite than traditional cookie dough. However, I really love them and don't feel guilty for scarfing them down. Plus they definitely have more protein and less artificial ingredients.

Thanks for readin!

-Bunny

Pineapple Kiss

Hey Summer Lovers! 

Here is a pineapple cocktail to sweeten your weekend from Sakara Life called the Pineapple Kiss. Similar to a tequila sunrise, the Pineapple Kiss is refreshing, sweet and nourishing. Pineapple is rich in vitamin C and the mint has anti-inflammatory powers! I'm not a big tequila fan but this cocktail totally swayed me!

To create this yummy cocktail you will need:

3/4 cup fresh pineapple juice 

1/4 cup coconut water

1.5 ounce blue agave tequila 

1/4 cup lime juice

Handful of muddled mint

And some pineapple slices, I chose to use cubed pineapple for convenience and snacking ability.

To start, muddle the mint and pineapple a bit in the base of your glass. Be careful...check out my face when I chipped off a piece of my stemless glass!

Next, mix the pineapple juice, coconut water, lime juice and tequila in a pitcher. It seemed silly to use a large pitcher, as Sakara suggested for this, so I opted for my mixing cup. Then you're ready to add some ice to your glass and pour the mixture over the mint and pineapple. You may also garnish your drink with some pineapple wedges. 

Voila! You have a beautiful sweet treat to soften the blow of the summer sun! As Sakara says, here's to eating clean and playing dirty. Thanks for readin!! 

Cheers,

Bunny

Turmeric + Meyer Lemon Squares

Hey there! 

This weekend I made some yummy lemon squares from the Sakara cookbook. I was really eager to try these vegan squares because they incorporate turmeric. Plus lemon bars are one of my favorite sweet treats!

First I created the crust from almond meal, tapioca flour, coconut oil and maple syrup. This part was super quick and simple. I was surprised! Just whisk together the almond meal and flour, then stir in the syrup and oil. Press the mixture into a parchment lined pan and bake for about 15 minutes. 

While the crust was baking, I created the yummy lemon filling. I whisked together lemon juice and cornstarch in a medium pot until smooth then added the remaining ingredients (minus the lemon slices). For the turmeric you only use 1/2 teaspoon which was just enough of a kick. Keeping the filling on medium heat and stirring frequently it tuned a deep yellow color and started to thicken up. It took about 8 to 10 minutes. 

I removed the filling from the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Then poured the filling into the crust and placed it in the fridge for a few hours. 

It seemed like forever but once the squares were finally firm I carefully lifted them out of their tin and cut them into squares. I topped each square off with a lemon slice and voila, perfection! To be truthful, I was eager to try these but skeptical. I knew they would not be the powder-sugar covered desserts I have come to know. 

Instead these were much more...real and I came to love them. I could taste the lemon, hint of turmeric and maple. The crust was wonderful with the filing, really grounding all that lemon goodness! 

I always ask Craig what his take-away is and I totally agreed. They are refreshingly tart and sweet with a savory crunch he he! I'll definitely have to make them again and share the recipe. Thanks for readin! 
Cheers!
-Bunny

Vanilla + Meyer Lemon Gin and Tonic

 Howdy Ya'll

A magical thing happened, Sakara came out with a cookbook! I was floored and quickly snatched up a copy. To my joy it not only included one of a kind recipes but life tips and information about how certain foods can better our bodies. Each section focuses on a different part of a meal and an ingredient that is health positive! 

Creating a lovely book full of unique creations.

 For my first post I chose to create their Vanilla + Lemon Gin and Tonic, cause I love myself a good drink!

For this tonic you need a wildflower honey simple syrup, Meyer lemons and some Gin. I am not a big Gin drinker but I thoroughly enjoyed this mix. The proportions were right and the touch of honey was perfect.

This cocktail proved to be refreshing and not overpowering. I can't wait to try more of these tasty cocktails.

Thanks Sakara!