kismet art

Glow

Remembering the way that lighting candles at dinnertime slows everyone down a bit.  How it creates a calmer atmosphere.  Love this candle, made by our neighbor using a vintage glass Halloween candy container.  Love the vanilla scent.  Love the glow.

Flourless Double-Chocolate Walnut Cookies

My friend Amy hosts a scrapbook get-together almost every Friday night in her home.  The women that gather always bring snacks- sweet and salty- because what else does one crave when they are busy creating, laughing, and sometimes watching a movie?  Sadly, a few months ago, Amy was told that she would no longer to be able to eat any food that contained gluten- the positive note is that since she was given this diagnosis( you can read more about it here on her blog- Life Minus Gluten),and removed gluten from her diet, she is feeling a lot better physically. But it has been a rough road giving up the foods she loved (I can only imagine) and trying to find a tasty substitute. Amy has made some amazingly delicious cookies (which I constantly have to remind myself are only gluten- free not CALORIE FREE) that she has shared with our group.  But we have all had some difficulties coming up with items that are gluten-free to share, and there is not a local gluten-free bakery, so when my September issue of Everyday Food arrived in the mail and I saw the recipe for these cookies and knew I'd have to try them out.

Years ago up in NW Portland there was a small delicatessen-specialty food shop called Ron-Paul.  At Ron-Paul's there was a huge deli case filled with a variety of items such as 3 kinds of quiche, salads, roast chicken or rabbit, and all kinds of vegetable-or meat stuffed pastries that they would warm up individually.  The food was amazing but one of the best reasons to go to Ron-Paul was the dessert display case and my family almost always came home with a small bag of these dark-chocolate cookies that they called Whompers. Sadly, Ron-Paul has been gone for a long time, and although I'm sure they created their cookies with flour I think this recipe may be the closest I have ever had, and I am here to tell you they lose absolutely nothing in flavor, richness, or chewiness when compared to my old family favorite.

One of the things I love most about these cookies is because they only have 6 ingredients not only are they easy to mix (only one bowl to mess up) but the flavor of each individual ingredient really stands out. The original recipe calls for pecans, and the first time I made them I used half pecans and half walnuts- because of the rich chocolate flavor I found that the walnuts were strong enough to hold their own while the pecans were lost and there only for their crunch.

Flourless Double Chocolate-Walnut Cookies (aka Whompers)- recipe courtesy of Everyday Food

3 cups powdered sugar

3/4 Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. course salt

5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

4 large egg whites, room temperature

1.  Preheat oven to 325 F.  

2.  In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa, and salt.

3.  Stir in chopped chocolate and walnuts.

4.  Add egg whites and stir until just incorporated (do not over-mix).

5.  Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls, 3 inches apart, onto 2 parchment -lined baking sheets.

6.  Bake both sheets of cookies in the oven together until cookie tops are dry and crackled, about 25 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.

7.  Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cookies cool completely.

If you are keeping these cookies for longer than a day (you know, if you have more discipline than me) they keep best in a glass container, and not for more than 3 days- my friend Amy said they tend to dry out a little.

I froze a few from the last batch I made and found that the cookie became incredibly chewy and was a great treat paired with an ice cold glass of milk!

I hope you try these really simple, simply scrumptious cookies out this weekend!

 

My Top 10 Tips About Dining Out With Your Kids

1.  Never try to go out to eat when your child is sick, tired, or hungry (yes, you should give them a snack before you go or they will a) eat all the bread then not eat their dinner, b) be so hungry that they get crabby, or c) drive you nuts telling you how hungry they are.)

2.  Order their food when the waitress asks you for your drink order- having their food arrive a little early never backfires.

3.  Take your own snacks because someone will either a)not like how their food is cooked, b) be hungry before their food comes, or c) be hungry after their plate is taken away.  Really.  This will happen.     Trust me.

4.  Dining out where cheese pizza is served has its advantages- you almost always get a free balloon which gives several hours of enjoyment (or minutes if you accidently set it free outside the restaurant...)

5.  Take your own crayons or you will end up with enough random red, green, yellow, and blue crayons to start your own preschool art class.

6.  Remove the sugar packet/salt and pepper holder from the table, causes less stress and mess.

7.  If your child is under the age of 3 take your own sippy cup- when the wait staff brings your 22 month old a large plastic cup with a straw, full to the brim with water, you can save yourself a wet dining experience by pouring everything into their own cup.  Then let them play with the straw.

8.  Bring baby wipes.  A really big pack of baby wipes.  And use them often.

9.  Clean up after your family, even if you pile your mess on the plates, it is appreciated. (I have been a waitress and I know that I was grateful when parents picked up food, silverware, and napkins from off of the floor.)

10.  Have fun.  Relax.  Breathe deeply.  Don't let other diners sideways glances stress you out or ruin your meal (hello stressed-out, rolling your eyes because you were seated next to us- diner- my kids were not yelling or running around the restaurant out of control- they are just a little messy and loud- so go to a grown up restaurant next time, I would've if I could've...)  Color.  Ask for a balloon.  Get dessert.  Talk with your kids, some of our best conversations happen around the table during a meal. 

Happy kids at the restaurant make for happy parents at the end of the meal -Ben was so happy he couldn't stop laughing while he took this photo of us on our anniversary:

Pico de Gallo With Heirloom Tomatoes

Hello Summer!

I love the taste of sweet, fresh off the vine, summer tomatoes, and since they are reaching their peak right now I am trying to enjoy them in a new way daily.  So here is  my favorite quick salsa recipe:

Pico de Gallo

6-8 tomatoes, chopped (I used Purple Prince, Green Zebras, Golden Jubilee, and Romas)

1 medium onion, diced

1-2 jalepenos, remove seeds and ribs, dice

the juice of one lime

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Mix all ingredients together in a glass bowl and serve with warm chips.

Summer Salad Trio

Above are 3 of my very favorite, go-to summer salads.  For the most part they use fresh ingredients, they travel well, they taste better the next day, and they are all refreshing on a hot summer day.  I hope you try one of these and let me know if you liked them or how you varied them (one of my favorite things to do is try a recipe and add ingredients to make it my own.)

Cucumbers and Vinegar (aka Cukes and Vinegar)- old "family" recipe

For this salad you will need:

2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced

1 Walla-Walla Sweet onion, sliced thick

Cider vinegar (enough to cover the veggies)

Cracked black pepper (to taste)

Place veggies in a shallow dish or bowl, cover with vinegar, chill and serve.

Fresh Corn Salad- adapted from Susan Branch's Summertime cook book

For this salad you will need:

6 ears of corn, cooked (for about 5 minutes in boiling water) then cut off the cob

1 red or orange bell pepper,or a combination of both, chopped 

1 small red onion, chopped

1/2 cup of cilantro leaves

the juice and zest of 2 limes

Toss all ingredients in a bowl, chill, and serve. 

Garbanzo Bean Salad: adapted from Everyday Food Magazine

For this salad you will need:

1 can of garbanzo beans (chick peas), rinsed and drained

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves

12 cherry tomatoes cut in half or quarters

1/2 red or orange bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp. dried oregano

the juice of 2 lemons 

1 T. red wine vinegar

2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, chill, and serve.

Bruschetta - aka- What We Do With the First Tomato

At our house it isn't really summer until you've bitten into that first, red, ripe, sun-warmed tomato, picked off the vine and finished off before you even make it into the house (luckily I got a quick photo of this, our first tomato, before Emma picked it.)  We have 8 plants thriving in the heat,they are the only thing thriving in this heat, and those little green orbs are starting to change color by the hour.  I am a big believer in never having too many tomato plants, and when the harvest starts coming in I reach for some of my favorite tomato recipes.I have adapted this recipe from somewhere (wish I could remember the original sources), I'm sure it's not authentic briskets- but we like it,  and I am not an exact "measurer" so feel free to adapt this recipe for yourself.  This is a great beat the heat dinner (add a piece of fish for a meal) or serve as a hearty appetizer.

My Bruschetta Recipe:

2-3, med.-large sun ripened tomatoes

5 cloves of garlic, 3 minced, 2 whole to rub on the bread later

2 T. olive oil

4-6 T. good balsamic vinegar

1/2 sweet onion, minced

1 cup (or more) of basil leaves, julienned.

1/4 tsp. red chili flakes

12 baguette slices (baste these with olive oil and brown slightly on your grill or under a broiler)

Stir all ingredients, except for the bread, in a glass bowl.  Cover and let stand at room temperature for one hour.

After bread is grilled rub each side with garlic clove.  Place on a platter.

Spoon tomato mixture over the top of each bread slice.

Serve immediately. 

An Apple A Day

I know that President Obama is really helping to spread the word about eating fresh, locally grown ingredients (including the addition of a White House kitchen garden where fresh vegetables and herbs are being used in the daily menus.)

But don't you truly think that this future President of the United States is taking the terms fresh and locally grown just a little too far?

Oh, and did I mention that the apples are still green and off the ground?  Oh well, at least they're organic.

Linguine With Clam Sauce- The Rachel Ray Way

Easy, yummy, light tasting (if you don't use 1/4 of oil recommended in this recipe and instead use a little of the olive oil that the anchovies come packed in) and oh so quick.  Dinner served in less than 30 minutes, try 15!!!  Seriously!!!  Enjoy.

The Recipe:

The ingredients:
The cooking:

The wine pouring:

The yummy fresh pasta:

The finished product (with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese and flat leaf parsley.)

Food Network Åvocado Meets "Da Dip" recipe

I have never had a "Food Network" worthy avocado, you know the kind I mean, where the host of your favorite FN show takes their Wustoff knife, cuts through the perfect, unblemished flesh of their avocado (which they hold in their hand because they have medical personnel standing by), and as each equal part falls open I look on in awe because that smooth green unblemished flesh never happens to me.  Until today.  I present to you my very first Food Network Worthy avocado:

And how would one use such a beautiful avocado you might ask?  Well, in honor of my friends "Y" and "the Pea" here is the semi-world famous, always delicious, best served with tortilla chips-cold beer- and friends, "Da Dip" recipe.  Enjoy!

"Da Dip"

3 small avocados (or two large)

2 roma tomatoes

¼ C sweet onion or purple onion

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tbsp red wine vinegar

2 oz crumbled feta (I usually use the tomato herb athenos and I also usually use most of the container)

 

Mix and enjoy!

 

Greens-Tomato-White Bean Soup

This has to be one of the fastest, easiest, freshest tasting soup I have made in a long time.  It was in the entree section of our local newspaper this winter and I have made it half a dozen times already.  It has a small ingredient list and you can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes.  Serve it with some crusty bread (or challah like we did last night, which made yummy french toast this morning) and you've got yourself a hearty, and quick, cold night supper.  And of course a plate of fruit and cheese would only enhance this meal more.  Enjoy.

The Recipe:

A little chopped garlic: (exciting, I know...)

Saute those onions: (I burn a candle next to the stove while cooking onions, it really does cut down on the tears, also dispose of the onion end, if left on the counter its gasses can make you tear up too.)

The rest of the ingredients:

The final, yummy product: (aren't you glad you stuck with me?)