broken*saucer

avocado egg salad  Sometimes you get a craving. Inspired by Pinch of Yum again. Her recipe and video are here: The Best Avocado Egg Salad .   Here's my version. avocado egg salad Ingredients:  1 small avocado  2 hard-boiled eggs 1-2 tablespoons of dill (or herbs of your choice)  juice of 1/2 a lemon a pinch of salt Instructions: Hard boil the eggs. Cover the eggs with water in a saucepan. Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.  Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and rest for 8.5 minutes (this time may vary depending on your stove, but this is the time I use to get the yolks done but still creamy). Plunge the eggs into an ice bath for a few minutes and remove the shells. Cut the eggs into small pieces.  Mash the avocado in a bowl with a fork until mostly smooth. Mix in lemon juice, salt, and dill. You could also add fresh parsley or trader joe's everything but the bagel seasoning , or penzey's mural of flavor , or trad...

vegan broccoli cashew soup This is not broccoli cheese soup. It's actually vegan broccoli cashew soup. But it tastes surprisingly cheesy and I'm not vegan and I love cheese. This is inspired by Pinch of Yum's Detox Broccoli Cheese Soup . She's awesome and has a video so go ahead and hit up her site if you haven't already followed her down the yellow brick road into delicious utopia. vegan broccoli cashew soup  Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil + more for serving pinch of red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 an onion, chopped 1-2 stalks celery, chopped 5 large carrots, chopped 1/2 lb of potato, chopped - either 1 large potato, peeled and chopped or 5ish new potatoes  2-3 cups broccoli florets, in large pieces for easy removal 2-3 cups vegetable broth - I use vegetable better than boullion   2 cups cashew milk*  1/4 cup nutritional yeast  1  teaspoons sea salt 1-2 teaspoons dijon mustard pe...

curry cauliflower soup with roasted chickpeas This recipe is inspired by inspired by Pinch of Yum's Golden Soup . While I made it for myself for lunch, somehow it ended up being dinner one night. My husband said, "please don't make this again." We found it a bit bland and not really satisfying enough for dinner. Still, I was somehow dedicated to the vegan, cauliflower and turmeric combination. So, I edited the recipe and made it for myself again. I think this makes a delicious lunch. And it's perfect for the start of a detoxifying January. curry cauliflower soup with roasted chickpeas for the roasted chickpeas: Ingredients: 1 can  chickpeas , drained and rinsed 1-2 tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil a generous sprinkling of  cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric,  and  salt Directions: Preheat the oven to 400F. Spread the drained  chickpeas  on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle chickpeas with a dusting of  cumin ,...

{ photo by me } It doesn't happen very often. You know, when you try a recipe and it turns out so well that you not only know you'll make it again, but you'll make it again next week. When the leftovers are so good that you actually want to eat them. In fact, you may even crave them. Well it happened. On Tuesdays, I volunteer in the Food Lifeline office.  While I was there last Tuesday, the lovely Stephanie brought in her lunch of leftover shrimp gumbo.  It smelled so good I decided that I needed the recipe, like, right now, to make for dinner, like, tonight. So Stephanie sent me the Martha Stewart recipe she used for New Orleans-Style Shrimp and Rice . When I left the office, I drove straight to Trader Joe's for supplies.  While it looked and smelled amazing, I can't ever make anything as is, so I tinkered with the recipe and turned it into Jumbalaya. According to the internet (the most trustworthy source of all) the difference between Gumbo and Jumbalay...

Normally, I don't think about cake.  I actually have more of a savory tooth than a sweet tooth so I don't crave cake in quite the same way that some do.  But with the birth of spring, daffodils springing up in the yard and the earliest Easter in a few years, a multitude of recipes for eggs, ham, and carrot cake recipes appeared in my inbox.  I was quickly reminded, ooh, carrot cake. I'm picky, however.  I've only made carrot cake once before and I wasn't entirely impressed with the recipe I chose.  It was a Jamie Oliver recipe I dug up at Martha Stewart and it didn't have raisins or pineapple in it and it ended up a little dry.  I guess I'm not sure how carrot infused cake could end up dry.  The frosting was amazing though.  The stuff that white fluffy cream cheese dreams are made from. So, armed with my perfect frosting recipe, I went into research mode seeking out the perfect carrot cake recipe.  For me.  Because this is real...

icicles hanging from our bent gutter This is day three home from work because it snowed.  They said the rain would come on Thursday, that it would melt, but it didn't.  It snowed harder.  Today, the warmth came, and the snow is starting to melt, but so slowly, because it's only 34 degrees.  Instead, I'm working from home.  It's slow because I don't have everything I need and my home mac systems are not set up for some of the things I do on the windows system at work, but, I am working.  I am checking my email as I type this.  I am logging documents from photocopies of drawings.  I am working.  I have also made dinner, taken a five mile walk in the snow with my G, which wore me out because walking in the snow is much harder than walking in not snow, and made my third batch of failed cookies.   cranberry oatmeal cookie fail I think I have only made two successful batches of cookies in my life.  Apricot thumbprint cook...

Oatmeal is one of those breakfasts that I love, but never want to make because in my head it has the stigma of taking too long to cook and not really filling me up until lunch.  The trick is to add some fat like butter, milk, and nuts, but somehow that strips away some of the healthy.  Here is my healthier version and enough for a weeks worth of breakfasts.  I make this on sunday and then dish it into containers for me to grab out of the fridge on the way to work.  I just heat it up in the microwave when I get there. Here is how I've made my oatmeal even healthier.  Quinoa has more protein than oatmeal and it gives my oatmeal a little more texture.  I usually have red quinoa on hand which would give this a nuttier flavor which in oatmeal, would be good, but below I made it with regular blond quinoa.  I also added coconut oil instead of butter because in Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking , she says "coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which ...

It's been a long week and a half of gluttony.  If all goes well, I plan on sleeping in a little before making my G some coffee before he goes off to work.  Neither of us uses sugar in our coffee, but sometimes I just want those little things that you're supposed to have in your kitchen: salt and pepper shakers, a sugar shaker, a butter dish (with maybe some butter in it)... I only recently purchased two different types of salt and pepper shakers because G kept complaining.  We already had salt and pepper grinders , but he wanted the ease of a shaker, because he is a salt fiend, he salts salty things.  So I bought a tiny table top set and a larger "cooking" set.  Perhaps I will take their pictures, but not today.  Today is for the sugar shaker that I covet from the delicioso caffe downstairs from my work, Caffe Senso Unico .  Where I had a coffee too late in the day and now I have a crazy case short attention span where I suddenly loose focus mid-path...

it's father's day. I'm not making beet cake because my sis-in-law is in charge of dessert. Instead I'm making cheater's quiche (I can't find my rolling pin (lost in the basement still)) so I'm purchasing the crust pre-made (gasp!). hopefully the innards will make up for it. In any case, this video is super pretty and makes me want to make beet cake. beet cake from tiger in a jar on Vimeo .

{ cakespy.com } my office was nice enough to ask me what kind of dessert I wanted for my birthday and while it isn't my birthday until tuesday, most of the office will be gone then.  today they went and bought me my favorite  coconut cream pie from the dahlia bakery .  I've mentioned this damned pie before, and in fact posted most of the recipe courtesy of cake spy , but sometimes it's nice just to eat.  mmmmmm, pie. and happy birthday to my friend Jason.  lets go eat!

I don't have much to say here.  but I don't mind waiting for my farmers market garlic to dry.  they look so proud sitting on the window sill like that.  and I'm sure when it's time, they'll taste amazing.

Recently, my friend Sarajane declared that pork is her only downfall to being a dedicated pescetarian. Her husband is a vegetarian, making it that much easier to avoid pork, but since he wasn't having dinner with us, she ordered the pork. I actually don't eat a lot of meat. I hate to prepare meat, and even get a little grossed out preparing fish. But because of this, I have long struggled with eating enough protein. As much as I'd like to believe it, cheese is not really a good source. So, I tend to eat a lot of prepared meats, like lunchmeats and sausages (although usually turkey and ham) which are probably the worst possible choice. So as much as I might periodically woo the concept of going veg, it's just not going to happen yet. And my downfall? { here } I love ham. And bacon. And prosciutto. And pepperoni (except this is often made with other meats as well (I'm trying not to think about it)). Basically any cured pork.  I know it's terrible for me, ...

{via orangette } I had plans. they were big. they were thoughtful. and in my head they were well thought out, well researched. well. but. wrenches were thrown in the works. and then, I stopped procrastinating on one of my big things. like really big. and it made me anxious and scared and then worried and then relieved and it's only just begun. but. it has finally begun. which left me a little out of here. but tonight, on the verge of my three day weekend (woo hoo!) I will be making cobbler (and orangette just posted about cobbler too so I guess it's meant to be). So here is to a long week finished with cobbler.* and probably wine. happy friday!!! * and then there will be a review of cobbler v. crumble, because long ago, before that orangette post, I started a post on it because Jasper asked me about it. me! and I was honored and did research. ** and Jes , you should come over because you deserve a lovely piece of cobbler.

too little too late? { puzzle board via a cup of joe }

On Monday evening, we had dinner for G's mom's birthday (mother-in-law has such strange connotations). G and I made some delicious vegetarian quiche, with my first real attempt at pie crust. I can't take all the credit because G and I worked together. Our little heat wave was still in effect (it's gone now and back to being overcast and cool - some summer) so we had to work that buttery dough fast to keep it cold. My mom, the pie expert, warns about overworking the dough anyway so, we did our best. My mom always uses lard for her pie crust, but that isn't a vegetarian option. So, we used a recipe out of the Gourmet cookbook which called for butter and a little vegetable shortening (we used vegan  earth balance - none of that trans-fat crap) which I think resulted in a happy medium between flaky and crumbly. I can't wait to try this pie crust for a fruit pie. Quiche is tricky though, and the egg took a while to set. And in my unpredictable oven, I thi...

So. A while ago when I realized that google analytics doesn't pick up any data from people that read my blog in google reader, I all but abandoned my own google reader (despite it's convenience) and started clicking directly to the blogs that I love. If I wan't my stats up, I want your stats up. Naturally, I have all but forgotten about a few of the blogs that I love (I follow like 300 blogs, I just can't keep up), but now I get to see how pretty my friends blogs are and the other bits and pieces that line the posts with other extraneous loveliness ( check out hindsight bride's gorgeous new design here and  simply freckles new blogger here ).  I am also more likely to read the comments and comment because I'm already on the actual blog. This also reaffirms my sense of community with you lovely ladies (unless you are a man in which case you are welcome but know you are reading a girlie blog). Despite my erratic posting schedule, I am also a whore for comments...

I am not a big baker. At least not yet. I don't have much of a sweet tooth instead choosing to spend my calories on cheese. Oh delicious cheese. brie, camembert, valedon blue, gorgonzola, english cheddar, bufala mozzarella... mmm.... So, when I decide to make dessert, ehem, want to, am hungry for, suddenly decide I want to bake, I usually crave something fruity like pie or crumble. I believe I've mentioned before my continued hesitation to make pie crust (mom, I think I need a lesson and one of those plastic pie sheet things now) so my solution is the always the fail-safe crumble. I went crazy over the winter making apple cranberry crumbles, because that combination is just delicious. But since my desire to eat less wheat, I have toyed with the alternative flours with little success - until now. Last weekend, charged with making dessert and inspired by a couple of Aran of Cannelle et Vanille's recipes , I headed to the farmers market to buy some lovely fruit for a cru...

Last year, our landlord took it upon himself to plant a peach tree and a plum tree in our front yard. super pretty, all we had to do was water them. and lo and behold the little saplings are bearing fruit! we had to rig stakes with a mess of twine to keep the plum tree's branches from bending to the ground, it was so heavy with fruit. In the last week a couple tumbled from the tree, so I plucked a big bowl full of small but ready plums. It was good timing too because suddenly the leaves started to get all wilted and I had to douse the poor thing in a stream of water. It has rained and been so nasty for so long I couldn't imagine that the ground wasn't saturated but... Anyway, the bounty of plums were pretty small and a bit tart which someone I know said is what the first year of fruit brings. But I didn't let that stop me from making this rosemary plum crisp from canelle et vanille . { cannelle et vanille } It was delicious. But in typical me fashion, here are my ...

and deeper in... { valkyrieh116  via a.practical.wedding } so I turned, ehem, 34 on monday. these pesky birthdays make me reflect about all kinds of things that normally just, irritate me. what have I done so far, what haven't I done so far, where am I going, what am I doing, bla, bla, bla.  but.  I graduated from college (yay Mills!), I got married to my lovely lovely man (but I think you may already know that), and my horoscope says that I'm on the verge of what I have been looking for... I am starting to feel hopeful even. all in all, it was a good day, and a good weekend, although busy, because I attended a lovely bachelorette party wine tasting, celebrated father's day with G's dad, and then spent a lovely relaxing day mostly in a hammock before heading off to a super fun, darn tasty dinner at art of the table  (unfortunately this place is teensy tiny and I couldn't invite all of the friends who apparently wanted to help me celebrate, so I think I'm go...

{ thekitchn } Today has been a wheat day. It started with a slight hangover and a deep desire for an egg sandwich from Starbucks. Oh english muffin, how I love thee. Next, as my co-worker and I headed out to just get some nice innocent soup, we walked out to the corner and found a new dessert truck (I have no name for you yet, so hold for an update when they come back next Thursday). I bought an uber-delish Macrina roll to go with my soup. And then hello High-5 apple hand pie and dessert-truck baker special carrot cake cookie sandwich with cream cheese filling. No I didn't eat them all at once. (I meant to eat a nice light lunch because today is my friend Jason's birthday (happy birthday, Jase!) and for dinner we will be eating a ton of amazing food at Spinasse . oh well.) Even though I'm eating wheat some of the time, I'm still trying to lay off for the most part which is why I was delighted to have this this Kitchn recipe for vegan and gluten-free chocolate cupcak...