Great depression one pan Chocolate Cake - no milk, eggs or butter

I was on Pinterest and found a recipe on Sweet Little Bluebird for this cake. It was described as a "Great Depression Cake" because it has no milk, eggs or butter. I imagine coco and sugar would have also been expensive during the depression, but I figured I would give this cake a shot.

We were out of milk and eggs when I made this cake last night, but it did not disappoint. I usually don't like making vegan desserts because it involves weird ingredients like Earth Balance, soy milke or egg replacer, but this didn't have any of that. Totally my kind of vegan cake. It was very moist with a dense, almost sticky crumb. Even the frosting is vegan (and it's one of the easiest frostings I've ever made)

I'll keep this cake in my arsenal for anyone with egg allergies.

Great Depression Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup AP flour
• 3 Tbsp unsweetened coco powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 5 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup water

Ingredients for frosting

• 4 oz semi sweet chocolate
• 3 Tbsp peanut butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix dry ingredients in an ungreased 8 inch square pan (I used a 9 inch round pan)
3. Make 3 small wells in the dry ingredients. Add vinegar, vanilla and oil to each well and pour water over the top. Mix well until smooth
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until set in the center
5. Meanwhile, put chocolate and peanut butter in a double boiler. Mix until smooth
6. Pour over cake and let cool. Eat and enjoy.
   
   

I was on Pinterest and found a recipe on Sweet Little Bluebird for this cake. It was described as a "Great Depression Cake" because it has no milk, eggs or butter. I imagine coco and sugar would have also been expensive during the depression, but I figured I would give this cake a shot.

We were out of milk and eggs when I made this cake last night, but it did not disappoint. I usually don't like making vegan desserts because it involves weird ingredients like Earth Balance, soy milke or egg replacer, but this didn't have any of that. Totally my kind of vegan cake. It was very moist with a dense, almost sticky crumb. Even the frosting is vegan (and it's one of the easiest frostings I've ever made)

I'll keep this cake in my arsenal for anyone with egg allergies.

Great Depression Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup AP flour
• 3 Tbsp unsweetened coco powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 5 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup water

Ingredients for frosting

• 4 oz semi sweet chocolate
• 3 Tbsp peanut butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix dry ingredients in an ungreased 8 inch square pan (I used a 9 inch round pan)
3. Make 3 small wells in the dry ingredients. Add vinegar, vanilla and oil to each well and pour water over the top. Mix well until smooth
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until set in the center
5. Meanwhile, put chocolate and peanut butter in a double boiler. Mix until smooth
6. Pour over cake and let cool. Eat and enjoy.
   
   

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Tomatillo Salsa: an intro to canning

I want to introduce my lovely readers to the concept of canning, which is not nearly as difficult as everyone makes it sound. All you need is a large pot, some mason jars, and a lot of something you want to preserve. It's a great way to save those end of season vegetables for use later. Even if you don't have a garden, you can get a lot of awesome things at the farmers market and make things just because they sound delicious.

First, this recipe (and most of my canning recipes) comes from the Ball Home Preserving book. It's awesome and gives really great advice

There are a few things to know about canning:

FIRST, boil the jars, lids and bands before adding anything to them. This sanitizes them and prevents the jars from breaking when you add hot liquid. The book says you don't need to fully boil them, but what can it hurt?

SECOND, pay attention to the time. It won't make much of a difference with salsa, but with jam or pickled vegetables cooking time is very important

THIRD, hot jars should never be placed directly on a surface like the kitchen counter. The temperature difference can cause the glass to break. Always place hot jars on a kitchen towel

FOURTH, if the button is still up the next day (the button that makes the popping noise on the lid) then it did not seal properly. It won't have the shelf life of normal canned goods.

The most important thing: be very careful when taking jars out of the water. I use a combination of tongs and a large spoon to put jars in and out of the pot, but I've dropped/broken jars before that way. It can be tricky, but they do sell jar lifters, if you are interested in that

And now salsa recipe

Tomatillo Salsa (makes four 8 oz jars)

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups chopped cored husked tomatillos
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped seeded green chili peppers
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 4 tbsp lime juice
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes

Directions

1. Prepare canner lids and jars. Place jars in a pot filled with room temperature water and bring to a boil. Boil the lids and bands separately in a small pot so they are easier to remove. This prevents jars from breaking when the hot liquid is introduced. Carefully remove jars from water after your salsa has finished cooking.
2. Combine tomatillos, onion, chili peppers, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, cumin, salt and hot pepper flakes. Bring to boil while stirring constantly, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes
3. Carefully remove jars from the water to place on a kitchen towel (also prevents breakage) and fill with salsa, leaving half an inch of headspace at the top. Take a popsicle stick and move it along the edges of the jar to get rid of any air bubbles. Adjust headspace accordingly.
4. Wipe rims of jars, center lids, and screw on bands until they are fingertip tight. Carefully place them back in the boiling water (I use tongs and a large spoon), making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch.  Place a lid on the pot and boil jars for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove lid and leave jars another 5 minutes.
5. Remove jars from water and leave untouched for at least 12 hours to make sure the lids seal properly. Check the next day to make sure that button is down to know it has sealed properly.

Note: The salsa will taste very sour at first, but it mellows out given time in the jar and chilled in the refrigerator. I added a little honey and more salt while it boiled to counterbalance the sour flavor. It made a spicy, slightly sweet and sour salsa, which I really liked even though it was a little different.

I want to introduce my lovely readers to the concept of canning, which is not nearly as difficult as everyone makes it sound. All you need is a large pot, some mason jars, and a lot of something you want to preserve. It's a great way to save those end of season vegetables for use later. Even if you don't have a garden, you can get a lot of awesome things at the farmers market and make things just because they sound delicious.

First, this recipe (and most of my canning recipes) comes from the Ball Home Preserving book. It's awesome and gives really great advice

There are a few things to know about canning:

FIRST, boil the jars, lids and bands before adding anything to them. This sanitizes them and prevents the jars from breaking when you add hot liquid. The book says you don't need to fully boil them, but what can it hurt?

SECOND, pay attention to the time. It won't make much of a difference with salsa, but with jam or pickled vegetables cooking time is very important

THIRD, hot jars should never be placed directly on a surface like the kitchen counter. The temperature difference can cause the glass to break. Always place hot jars on a kitchen towel

FOURTH, if the button is still up the next day (the button that makes the popping noise on the lid) then it did not seal properly. It won't have the shelf life of normal canned goods.

The most important thing: be very careful when taking jars out of the water. I use a combination of tongs and a large spoon to put jars in and out of the pot, but I've dropped/broken jars before that way. It can be tricky, but they do sell jar lifters, if you are interested in that

And now salsa recipe

Tomatillo Salsa (makes four 8 oz jars)

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups chopped cored husked tomatillos
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped seeded green chili peppers
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 4 tbsp lime juice
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes

Directions

1. Prepare canner lids and jars. Place jars in a pot filled with room temperature water and bring to a boil. Boil the lids and bands separately in a small pot so they are easier to remove. This prevents jars from breaking when the hot liquid is introduced. Carefully remove jars from water after your salsa has finished cooking.
2. Combine tomatillos, onion, chili peppers, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, cumin, salt and hot pepper flakes. Bring to boil while stirring constantly, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes
3. Carefully remove jars from the water to place on a kitchen towel (also prevents breakage) and fill with salsa, leaving half an inch of headspace at the top. Take a popsicle stick and move it along the edges of the jar to get rid of any air bubbles. Adjust headspace accordingly.
4. Wipe rims of jars, center lids, and screw on bands until they are fingertip tight. Carefully place them back in the boiling water (I use tongs and a large spoon), making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch.  Place a lid on the pot and boil jars for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove lid and leave jars another 5 minutes.
5. Remove jars from water and leave untouched for at least 12 hours to make sure the lids seal properly. Check the next day to make sure that button is down to know it has sealed properly.

Note: The salsa will taste very sour at first, but it mellows out given time in the jar and chilled in the refrigerator. I added a little honey and more salt while it boiled to counterbalance the sour flavor. It made a spicy, slightly sweet and sour salsa, which I really liked even though it was a little different.

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Chili Mango Arugula Salad (with cashews!)

Summer is a time for salads. They're refreshing, light, and go perfectly with hot weather. With the last couple weeks being 100+ degrees and over 80% humidity, I didn't want to turn on the oven at all. It was time for dinner salads, and lots of them.

This is one of my favorite side salads for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I love with with eggs in the morning, with a sandwich (or on its own) in the afternoon, and with fish or anything vaguely caribbean themed at night. It's sweet, savory and spicy all at the same time.

Chili Mango Salad

Ingredients

• 1 mango, julienned
• 1/2 bag arugula
• 1 small hand full of cashews
• juice from one or two limes
• 2 Tbsp whole cilantro leaves
• 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes (give or take, depending on preference)
• olive oil (about 2 tsp)
• salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

1. Slice mango and toss with red chili flakes and cashews to coat evenly with the spice.
2. Toss with arugula and dress with lime juice, salt, pepper and oil to personal preference. I don't put very much oil at all, but I put a lot of lemon/lime juice. I also have a greater arugula to mango ratio

Summer is a time for salads. They're refreshing, light, and go perfectly with hot weather. With the last couple weeks being 100+ degrees and over 80% humidity, I didn't want to turn on the oven at all. It was time for dinner salads, and lots of them.

This is one of my favorite side salads for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I love with with eggs in the morning, with a sandwich (or on its own) in the afternoon, and with fish or anything vaguely caribbean themed at night. It's sweet, savory and spicy all at the same time.

Chili Mango Salad

Ingredients

• 1 mango, julienned
• 1/2 bag arugula
• 1 small hand full of cashews
• juice from one or two limes
• 2 Tbsp whole cilantro leaves
• 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes (give or take, depending on preference)
• olive oil (about 2 tsp)
• salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

1. Slice mango and toss with red chili flakes and cashews to coat evenly with the spice.
2. Toss with arugula and dress with lime juice, salt, pepper and oil to personal preference. I don't put very much oil at all, but I put a lot of lemon/lime juice. I also have a greater arugula to mango ratio

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Tabouleh Salad

Note: the salad pictured does not have nearly as much parsley in it as I could have liked. It is also made with cous-cous due to time and product constraints that day. It was good, but I highly recommend the following recipe if you want a much more pungent tabouleh salad.

I love tabouleh salad in the summer. It's light, refreshing, and has a taste of parsley and lemon. It goes perfectly with lamb or fresh pita bread. Best of all, it keeps for multiple days and is a perfect make-ahead salad for a picnic or potluck (or workday lunch).

Tabouleh Salad

Ingredients

• ½ cup bulgur wheat
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 whole lemons, juiced
• half bunch of fresh mint, chiffonade
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 8 large bunches of curly parsley, finely chopped
• 4 whole scallions
• 3 whole roma tomatoes, de-seeded and diced
• 1 whole English cucumber, de-seeded and diced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt, pepper and allspice to taste

Directions

1. Pour boiling water over bulgur and let sit covered until tender. Drain off excess liquid and let cool
2. Take out seeds from tomatoes and cucumber and dice
3. Finely dice/mince all other ingredients and mix together. Toss with cooled bulgar.
4. Pour lemon and olive oil over the salad. Add seasonings to taste. Additional lemon can be incorporated if desired.
5. Let chill at least a couple hours until ready to serve.

Note: the salad pictured does not have nearly as much parsley in it as I could have liked. It is also made with cous-cous due to time and product constraints that day. It was good, but I highly recommend the following recipe if you want a much more pungent tabouleh salad.

I love tabouleh salad in the summer. It's light, refreshing, and has a taste of parsley and lemon. It goes perfectly with lamb or fresh pita bread. Best of all, it keeps for multiple days and is a perfect make-ahead salad for a picnic or potluck (or workday lunch).

Tabouleh Salad

Ingredients

• ½ cup bulgur wheat
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 whole lemons, juiced
• half bunch of fresh mint, chiffonade
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 8 large bunches of curly parsley, finely chopped
• 4 whole scallions
• 3 whole roma tomatoes, de-seeded and diced
• 1 whole English cucumber, de-seeded and diced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt, pepper and allspice to taste

Directions

1. Pour boiling water over bulgur and let sit covered until tender. Drain off excess liquid and let cool
2. Take out seeds from tomatoes and cucumber and dice
3. Finely dice/mince all other ingredients and mix together. Toss with cooled bulgar.
4. Pour lemon and olive oil over the salad. Add seasonings to taste. Additional lemon can be incorporated if desired.
5. Let chill at least a couple hours until ready to serve.

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Whole Wheat Spinach Bread

I found a recipe for this bread a couple weeks ago. It wasn't an artisan loaf like I usually make. Instead, it was a soft squishy sandwich loaf. It looks a little like rye bread and doesn't have a very strong spinach taste. It's more of a wholesome wheat bread flavor with a slight vegetable aftertaste. It's a pretty tasty all purpose bread.


This recipe has been submitted to Yeastspotting


Whole Wheat Spinach Bread

Ingredients

• 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp yeast
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 3 cups all purpose flour

Directions

1. Proof yeast in water with a pinch of sugar.
2. Mix drained spinach, water, yeast, salt, sugar, oil, onion powder and whole wheat flour in mixer for 5 minutes
3. Add all purpose flour half a cup at a time until the dough pulls away for the sides of the bowl. Knead for 5 minutes
4. Knead outside the bowl until it’s smooth. Let rise for 45 minutes
5. Divide dough into two pieces. Shape into round or batards and let rise another hour.
6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slash loaves and bake with steam for 40 minutes. Turn off oven and leave bread inside another 10 minutes.Whole Wheat Spinach Bread

I found a recipe for this bread a couple weeks ago. It wasn't an artisan loaf like I usually make. Instead, it was a soft squishy sandwich loaf. It looks a little like rye bread and doesn't have a very strong spinach taste. It's more of a wholesome wheat bread flavor with a slight vegetable aftertaste. It's a pretty tasty all purpose bread.


This recipe has been submitted to Yeastspotting


Whole Wheat Spinach Bread

Ingredients

• 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp yeast
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 3 cups all purpose flour

Directions

1. Proof yeast in water with a pinch of sugar.
2. Mix drained spinach, water, yeast, salt, sugar, oil, onion powder and whole wheat flour in mixer for 5 minutes
3. Add all purpose flour half a cup at a time until the dough pulls away for the sides of the bowl. Knead for 5 minutes
4. Knead outside the bowl until it’s smooth. Let rise for 45 minutes
5. Divide dough into two pieces. Shape into round or batards and let rise another hour.
6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slash loaves and bake with steam for 40 minutes. Turn off oven and leave bread inside another 10 minutes.Whole Wheat Spinach Bread

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Cheeseboard Recipe Book - Wolverines

This is yet another recipe from the Cheeseboard Recipe Book. I loved getting these small rolls, dubbed Wolverines, whenever I would go to cheeseboard. It was their normal suburban bread studded with fruit and nuts to give it a fantastic sweetness. If you're looking for the regular read recipe, you can find it here.

Sourdough - Suburban Bread

Ingredients

• 22.5 oz bread flour
• 3.25 oz whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp wheat bran
• 2 cups cool water
• 1 Tbsp and ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup (5 oz) sourdough starter
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup broken pecan pieces
• 1/4 cup dried apricots (I used dried oranges this time)

Directions

1. Sift together flours and bran. Add water  and stir until moistened and combined.
2. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Add salt and sourdough starter
3. Knead for 15 minutes by hand or in stand mixer until bread pulls aways from the sides and is tacky but still springy and passes the window pain test.
4. Flatten dough into a 1 inch thick round and fill with fruit. Knead until fruit is evenly distributed.
5. Place in oiled bowl and let rise in warm place for 5 hours or until doubled in size.
6. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Let rest for 10 minutes before shaping into rounds. Let rest 4 hours until increased in size by 1.5
7. 45 minutes before baking, preheat oven with cast iron skillet in the bottom to 450 degrees.
8. Just before baking bread mist the loaves with water. Pour 1 cup cold water in pan and quickly up bread in oven. Bake for 5 minutes and add another cup of water to pan
9. Bake 15 more minutes and rotate pan
10. Bake another 25 minutes for a total baking time of 45 minutes. Let cool before serving.

This post has been submitted to Yeastspotting

This is yet another recipe from the Cheeseboard Recipe Book. I loved getting these small rolls, dubbed Wolverines, whenever I would go to cheeseboard. It was their normal suburban bread studded with fruit and nuts to give it a fantastic sweetness. If you're looking for the regular read recipe, you can find it here.

Sourdough - Suburban Bread

Ingredients

• 22.5 oz bread flour
• 3.25 oz whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp wheat bran
• 2 cups cool water
• 1 Tbsp and ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup (5 oz) sourdough starter
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup broken pecan pieces
• 1/4 cup dried apricots (I used dried oranges this time)

Directions

1. Sift together flours and bran. Add water  and stir until moistened and combined.
2. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Add salt and sourdough starter
3. Knead for 15 minutes by hand or in stand mixer until bread pulls aways from the sides and is tacky but still springy and passes the window pain test.
4. Flatten dough into a 1 inch thick round and fill with fruit. Knead until fruit is evenly distributed.
5. Place in oiled bowl and let rise in warm place for 5 hours or until doubled in size.
6. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Let rest for 10 minutes before shaping into rounds. Let rest 4 hours until increased in size by 1.5
7. 45 minutes before baking, preheat oven with cast iron skillet in the bottom to 450 degrees.
8. Just before baking bread mist the loaves with water. Pour 1 cup cold water in pan and quickly up bread in oven. Bake for 5 minutes and add another cup of water to pan
9. Bake 15 more minutes and rotate pan
10. Bake another 25 minutes for a total baking time of 45 minutes. Let cool before serving.

This post has been submitted to Yeastspotting

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Flax Seed Porter Bread

I try out different bread recipes on a regular basis, always hoping to find that magic recipe. So far they've always fallen short, either because of my ineptitude or because of the recipe itself. There was always something missing from the recipe, or the timing of it was too difficult to fit into my schedule. This recipe was great. It had a nutty, chocolaty flavor from the porter, a great sour, almost rye flavor from the beer in general, and it's healthy due to the flax seeds and whole wheat flour. It's complex and it fits very easily into any schedule. Start it one morning and finish it the following morning for hot homemade bread.


For my purposes, I used "Road Dog" porter, produced by Flying Dog out of Frederick Maryland. Any porter or stout will work, but that was the one I had on hand at the time. And I must say, if you can get it in your area, Flying Dog produces some excellent beer.


This post has been submitted to Yeastspotting

Flax Seed Porter Bread
Ingredients

• 325 grams bread flour
• 225 grams porter beer
• 4 grams yeast
• 50 grams flax seeds
• 150 grams water
• 9 grams salt
• 175 grams whole wheat flour

Directions (for bread to be ready in the morning for breakfast)

1. In the morning, soak flax seeds in 150 grams of water and leave at room temperature. In separate bowl, mix together 125 grams of beer, 125 grams bread flour and 1 gram of yeast (about ¼ tsp) until smooth. Refrigerate until using.
2. In the evening, mix all ingredients for 2 minutes and let rest for 5. Knead for 6 minutes until dough is sticky and springy
3. Stretch the dough and fold the sides under, letting the dough rest for 5 minutes after. Repeat 3 more times and put dough in the refrigerator overnight.
4. In the morning before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours prior to working with it.
5. Shape dough as desired and proof for 1 hour
6. Slash dough prior to baking. Bake with steam at 410 degrees for 35 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave bread inside with the door slightly ajar for 10 more minutes.

I try out different bread recipes on a regular basis, always hoping to find that magic recipe. So far they've always fallen short, either because of my ineptitude or because of the recipe itself. There was always something missing from the recipe, or the timing of it was too difficult to fit into my schedule. This recipe was great. It had a nutty, chocolaty flavor from the porter, a great sour, almost rye flavor from the beer in general, and it's healthy due to the flax seeds and whole wheat flour. It's complex and it fits very easily into any schedule. Start it one morning and finish it the following morning for hot homemade bread.


For my purposes, I used "Road Dog" porter, produced by Flying Dog out of Frederick Maryland. Any porter or stout will work, but that was the one I had on hand at the time. And I must say, if you can get it in your area, Flying Dog produces some excellent beer.


This post has been submitted to Yeastspotting

Flax Seed Porter Bread
Ingredients

• 325 grams bread flour
• 225 grams porter beer
• 4 grams yeast
• 50 grams flax seeds
• 150 grams water
• 9 grams salt
• 175 grams whole wheat flour

Directions (for bread to be ready in the morning for breakfast)

1. In the morning, soak flax seeds in 150 grams of water and leave at room temperature. In separate bowl, mix together 125 grams of beer, 125 grams bread flour and 1 gram of yeast (about ¼ tsp) until smooth. Refrigerate until using.
2. In the evening, mix all ingredients for 2 minutes and let rest for 5. Knead for 6 minutes until dough is sticky and springy
3. Stretch the dough and fold the sides under, letting the dough rest for 5 minutes after. Repeat 3 more times and put dough in the refrigerator overnight.
4. In the morning before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours prior to working with it.
5. Shape dough as desired and proof for 1 hour
6. Slash dough prior to baking. Bake with steam at 410 degrees for 35 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave bread inside with the door slightly ajar for 10 more minutes.

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Kale Chickpea Salad

I'm always looking for new, different, exciting salads. There's only so often you can eat a regular romaine or spring mix salad (though those can be excellent also).  I don't have a story about this post. There's nothing brilliant about my life I can share. But it was a very simple recipe that used both canned and fresh ingredients. It is an easy, protein filled side dish for your next at home dinner.

Kale Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas
• 3 large kale leaves, chipped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• juice from one lemon
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt/pepper/cumin/allspice to taste
• feta cheese or Parmesan to finish if desired.

Direction

1. Thoroughly rinse your garbanzo beans and dry briefly. Toss with kale and parley
2. Add lemon juice, olive oil and garlic.
3. Adjust seasoning to taste. Adjust olive oil and lemon as necessary. chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours. The longer it sits, the better it will taste.
4. Finish with cheese before serving if desired.

I'm always looking for new, different, exciting salads. There's only so often you can eat a regular romaine or spring mix salad (though those can be excellent also).  I don't have a story about this post. There's nothing brilliant about my life I can share. But it was a very simple recipe that used both canned and fresh ingredients. It is an easy, protein filled side dish for your next at home dinner.

Kale Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas
• 3 large kale leaves, chipped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• juice from one lemon
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt/pepper/cumin/allspice to taste
• feta cheese or Parmesan to finish if desired.

Direction

1. Thoroughly rinse your garbanzo beans and dry briefly. Toss with kale and parley
2. Add lemon juice, olive oil and garlic.
3. Adjust seasoning to taste. Adjust olive oil and lemon as necessary. chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours. The longer it sits, the better it will taste.
4. Finish with cheese before serving if desired.

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Vinegar Braised Cabbage with Caraway

When I was younger,  my grandmother would make a vinegar cabbage every Christmas as a side dish. It wasn't exactly like this. Her's was just vinegar, salt and pepper. Her version of cabbage also took several hours to make. She got the recipe from my Uncle's wife, who made it as an Atkins diet, German heritage kind of side dish. We all liked the dish, but I never wanted to put the effort into making it. 

I adapted this recipe from my most awesome Polish/German/Russian cookbook. It only takes half an hour to make and might even taste better. The flavors are more complex. There's a great sweetness atop the sour and it smells exactly like rye bread from the use of so much caraway. Make sure to adjust the amount of seasonings and vinegar to taste and you'll have a great side dish. It goes especially well with good pork chops (what we had for dinner that evening)

Vinegar Braised Cabbage

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 small red cabbage, shredded
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp caraway seeds
• 1 large apple, peeled and cubed.
• juice of one lemon
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ¾ cup water
• ½ cup honey
• salt, pepper, fresh chives

Directions

1. Onion until translucent in desired oil/fat. I used duck fat for this, but you can use vegetable oil or 3 strips of cubed bacon
2. Add cabbage, garlic, caraway and ½ cup water. Cook for 10 minutes
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add apples, lemon, honey, vinegar and remaining water. Simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Add additional vinegar or water as necessary
4. Adjust seasoning to taste and garnish with chives/caraway seeds.

When I was younger,  my grandmother would make a vinegar cabbage every Christmas as a side dish. It wasn't exactly like this. Her's was just vinegar, salt and pepper. Her version of cabbage also took several hours to make. She got the recipe from my Uncle's wife, who made it as an Atkins diet, German heritage kind of side dish. We all liked the dish, but I never wanted to put the effort into making it. 

I adapted this recipe from my most awesome Polish/German/Russian cookbook. It only takes half an hour to make and might even taste better. The flavors are more complex. There's a great sweetness atop the sour and it smells exactly like rye bread from the use of so much caraway. Make sure to adjust the amount of seasonings and vinegar to taste and you'll have a great side dish. It goes especially well with good pork chops (what we had for dinner that evening)

Vinegar Braised Cabbage

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 small red cabbage, shredded
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp caraway seeds
• 1 large apple, peeled and cubed.
• juice of one lemon
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ¾ cup water
• ½ cup honey
• salt, pepper, fresh chives

Directions

1. Onion until translucent in desired oil/fat. I used duck fat for this, but you can use vegetable oil or 3 strips of cubed bacon
2. Add cabbage, garlic, caraway and ½ cup water. Cook for 10 minutes
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add apples, lemon, honey, vinegar and remaining water. Simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Add additional vinegar or water as necessary
4. Adjust seasoning to taste and garnish with chives/caraway seeds.

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Ginger Cranberry Sauce

This isn't any different than a normal cranberry sauce recipe you'd find on the back of a bag of cranberries. However, I've always found that cranberry sauce too sweet and like to spice it up a bit with a few other flavors. I would probably put more ginger in mine next time, but I suppose it depends how spicy you like it.

The only downside of cranberry sauce: it makes me wish I could find cranberries in the store all year, not just in that glorious period between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 12 oz fresh cranberries
• ⅔ cup sugar
• zest 1 orange
• juice from one orange + enough water to equal 1 cup
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 2 inches or fresh grated ginger

Directions

1. Dissolve sugar, water, cinnamon, cloves and ginger together until simmering.
2. Add cranberries and simmer for 10 minutes until they have popped. Remove cinnamon stick

This isn't any different than a normal cranberry sauce recipe you'd find on the back of a bag of cranberries. However, I've always found that cranberry sauce too sweet and like to spice it up a bit with a few other flavors. I would probably put more ginger in mine next time, but I suppose it depends how spicy you like it.

The only downside of cranberry sauce: it makes me wish I could find cranberries in the store all year, not just in that glorious period between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 12 oz fresh cranberries
• ⅔ cup sugar
• zest 1 orange
• juice from one orange + enough water to equal 1 cup
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 2 inches or fresh grated ginger

Directions

1. Dissolve sugar, water, cinnamon, cloves and ginger together until simmering.
2. Add cranberries and simmer for 10 minutes until they have popped. Remove cinnamon stick

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Bagels - New Jersey Approved!

I always loved bagels (that is, until I decided to go on a diet and learned that one bagel is equal to about five slices of bread). It just didn't seem worth it, but from time to time the mood for a bagel with cream cheese would just strike me. It was inescapable. The subtle chewiness, the breadiness, the texture when an onion bagel was perfectly toasted: those were the wonderful little things.

Yet I learned from several friends who were New York natives that, in all likelihood, I had probably never had a good bagel. They said things packaged from the store didn't count, and Noah's bagels likewise did not count. They would speak poetically about the chewiness and distint flavor of a New York bagel. They said they hadn't found anything like it in California.

Since moving to the East Coast, I've found quite a few more people who are natives of New York/New Jersey. I decided to bring bagels in for one of them to try  so they would give constructive pointers. After all, I cannot say I make bagels unless they really are New York or New Jersey approved. I figure no one else will be as picky about these round doughy delights.

For the most part, this bagel was New Jersey approved. They loved the flavor, thought it had a good density, and felt I got the interior right, but they said the exterior needed a long boiling time. It needed to be stickier and to have more of an alkaline flavor (more baking soda). Those are easy things to fix, so I called this recipe approved.


Bagels

Ingredients

• 1 tsp yeast
• 17 oz bread flour
• 2 ½ cups water
• ½ tsp yeast
• 15.25 oz bread flour
• 2 ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp packed brown sugar or 2 tsp malt

Directions

1. Proof 1 tsp yeast in water. When it begins to bubble, add 17 oz bread flour. Let sit covered at room temperature for 2 hours.
2. After two hours, add salt, sugar/malt, remaining yeast and flour. Mix until incorporated and knead for 10 minutes
3. Immediately split dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Let rest 20 minutes
4. Shape bagels by punching a thumb through the center. Place dough on oiled parchment paper and let rise 20 minutes (or until bagels float in water). After rising, retard bagels in the refrigerator overnight.
5. The next morning, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Boil bagels for 1 minute on each side in water with baking soda (about 2 Tbsp for a pot)
6. Place bagels on cornmeal covered baking sheet with desired toppings. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 450 degrees and bake another 5 minutes.
7. Let bagels cool completely before eating.

This post has been submitted to Yeastspotting

I always loved bagels (that is, until I decided to go on a diet and learned that one bagel is equal to about five slices of bread). It just didn't seem worth it, but from time to time the mood for a bagel with cream cheese would just strike me. It was inescapable. The subtle chewiness, the breadiness, the texture when an onion bagel was perfectly toasted: those were the wonderful little things.

Yet I learned from several friends who were New York natives that, in all likelihood, I had probably never had a good bagel. They said things packaged from the store didn't count, and Noah's bagels likewise did not count. They would speak poetically about the chewiness and distint flavor of a New York bagel. They said they hadn't found anything like it in California.

Since moving to the East Coast, I've found quite a few more people who are natives of New York/New Jersey. I decided to bring bagels in for one of them to try  so they would give constructive pointers. After all, I cannot say I make bagels unless they really are New York or New Jersey approved. I figure no one else will be as picky about these round doughy delights.

For the most part, this bagel was New Jersey approved. They loved the flavor, thought it had a good density, and felt I got the interior right, but they said the exterior needed a long boiling time. It needed to be stickier and to have more of an alkaline flavor (more baking soda). Those are easy things to fix, so I called this recipe approved.


Bagels

Ingredients

• 1 tsp yeast
• 17 oz bread flour
• 2 ½ cups water
• ½ tsp yeast
• 15.25 oz bread flour
• 2 ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp packed brown sugar or 2 tsp malt

Directions

1. Proof 1 tsp yeast in water. When it begins to bubble, add 17 oz bread flour. Let sit covered at room temperature for 2 hours.
2. After two hours, add salt, sugar/malt, remaining yeast and flour. Mix until incorporated and knead for 10 minutes
3. Immediately split dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Let rest 20 minutes
4. Shape bagels by punching a thumb through the center. Place dough on oiled parchment paper and let rise 20 minutes (or until bagels float in water). After rising, retard bagels in the refrigerator overnight.
5. The next morning, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Boil bagels for 1 minute on each side in water with baking soda (about 2 Tbsp for a pot)
6. Place bagels on cornmeal covered baking sheet with desired toppings. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 450 degrees and bake another 5 minutes.
7. Let bagels cool completely before eating.

This post has been submitted to Yeastspotting

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Coconut Milk Kanten (agar agar)

Kanten is one of those great desserts I often had in my childhood. Most people know it as agar agar: a red seaweed based powder that's full of fiber and really great for you. My grandmother would make it as a jello replacement and though I didn't like it back then, I love it now even more than jello. The texture is more firm and it does't wiggle and jiggle in those silly jello cubes. 


This one is a coconut milk kanten recipe I found. My grandmother never made the recipe this way (she normally made it with tea) but I think I like this coconut milk recipe best. It's rich, refreshing and only slightly sweet. It has just the right amounts of everything and a little will go quite a long way. You can color it with food coloring if desired or leave it white. Either way, it tastes fantastic and is a great way to introduce protein and fiber into your diet in the form of a gelatin dessert.

Coconut Milk Kanten

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp agar agar powder
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 800 ml water
• 200 g sugar
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Simmer agar agar, water, sugar and salt in a pot until sugar and agar are dissolved
2. Remove half a cup and color it a desired color. Pain the inside of cute silicone ice cube trays the desired color. Let set slightly
3. Mix coconut milk with he remaining agar mixture and pour into molds.
4. Let set completely in the refrigerator before serving

Kanten is one of those great desserts I often had in my childhood. Most people know it as agar agar: a red seaweed based powder that's full of fiber and really great for you. My grandmother would make it as a jello replacement and though I didn't like it back then, I love it now even more than jello. The texture is more firm and it does't wiggle and jiggle in those silly jello cubes. 


This one is a coconut milk kanten recipe I found. My grandmother never made the recipe this way (she normally made it with tea) but I think I like this coconut milk recipe best. It's rich, refreshing and only slightly sweet. It has just the right amounts of everything and a little will go quite a long way. You can color it with food coloring if desired or leave it white. Either way, it tastes fantastic and is a great way to introduce protein and fiber into your diet in the form of a gelatin dessert.

Coconut Milk Kanten

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp agar agar powder
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 800 ml water
• 200 g sugar
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Simmer agar agar, water, sugar and salt in a pot until sugar and agar are dissolved
2. Remove half a cup and color it a desired color. Pain the inside of cute silicone ice cube trays the desired color. Let set slightly
3. Mix coconut milk with he remaining agar mixture and pour into molds.
4. Let set completely in the refrigerator before serving

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Cheeseboard Bakery Sourdough - Suburban Bread

Despite the amount of bread I bake, I same still relatively new to bread. Artisan bread specifically is a different, difficult beast. The shaping requires talent, as does the slashing and proper baking. You need to know your oven and you have to feel comfortable with your flours and your kneading times. Most of all, you need to be comfortable with your starter, which I'm still figuring out.

I started baking with this bread recipe from the Cheeseboard Recipe Book. It's more complex than a standard white sourdough with a great flavor. Yet it's more simple than recipes from Tartine or a lot of other books. I'm growing out of this recipe, but I figure it's a good place to start when still learning simple sourdough bread baking.

Sourdough - Suburban Bread
Ingredients

• 22 oz bread flour
• 3.75 oz whole wheat flour
• 3 Tbsp wheat bran
• 2 cups cool water
• 1 Tbsp and ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup (5 oz) sourdough starter

Directions

1. Sift together flours and bran. Add water and stir until moistened and combined.
2. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Add salt and sourdough starter
3. Knead for 15 minutes by hand or in stand mixer until bread pulls aways from the sides and is tacky but still springy and passes the window pain test. Do not over knead.
4. Place in oiled bowl and let rise in warm place for 5 hours or until doubled in size.
5. Divide dough into two loaves and shape into lose rounds. Let rest 10 minutes.
6. Shape bread into desired batards or boules and let rest another 4 hours or until increased in size by 1.5
7. 45 minutes before baking, preheat oven with cast iron skillet in the bottom to 450 degrees.
8. Just before baking bread slash tops and mist the loaves with water. Pour 1 cup cold water in pan and quickly up bread in oven. Bake for 5 minutes and add another cup of water to pan
9. Bake 15 more minutes and rotate pan
10. Bake another 25 minutes for a total baking time of 45 minutes. Let cool before serving.

This post has been submitted to Yeastspotting

Despite the amount of bread I bake, I same still relatively new to bread. Artisan bread specifically is a different, difficult beast. The shaping requires talent, as does the slashing and proper baking. You need to know your oven and you have to feel comfortable with your flours and your kneading times. Most of all, you need to be comfortable with your starter, which I'm still figuring out.

I started baking with this bread recipe from the Cheeseboard Recipe Book. It's more complex than a standard white sourdough with a great flavor. Yet it's more simple than recipes from Tartine or a lot of other books. I'm growing out of this recipe, but I figure it's a good place to start when still learning simple sourdough bread baking.

Sourdough - Suburban Bread
Ingredients

• 22 oz bread flour
• 3.75 oz whole wheat flour
• 3 Tbsp wheat bran
• 2 cups cool water
• 1 Tbsp and ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup (5 oz) sourdough starter

Directions

1. Sift together flours and bran. Add water and stir until moistened and combined.
2. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Add salt and sourdough starter
3. Knead for 15 minutes by hand or in stand mixer until bread pulls aways from the sides and is tacky but still springy and passes the window pain test. Do not over knead.
4. Place in oiled bowl and let rise in warm place for 5 hours or until doubled in size.
5. Divide dough into two loaves and shape into lose rounds. Let rest 10 minutes.
6. Shape bread into desired batards or boules and let rest another 4 hours or until increased in size by 1.5
7. 45 minutes before baking, preheat oven with cast iron skillet in the bottom to 450 degrees.
8. Just before baking bread slash tops and mist the loaves with water. Pour 1 cup cold water in pan and quickly up bread in oven. Bake for 5 minutes and add another cup of water to pan
9. Bake 15 more minutes and rotate pan
10. Bake another 25 minutes for a total baking time of 45 minutes. Let cool before serving.

This post has been submitted to Yeastspotting

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Sugar Plum Vegan and Temple Coffee - A Restaurant Review

Sugar Plum Vegan Bakery

2315 K Street

Sacramento CA 95816

http://www.sugarplumvegan.com/

Temple Coffee

1014 10th Street and 2829 S Street

Sacramento CA

http://www.templecoffee.com/

I told myself I wouldn't write any more restaurant reviews, but it occurred to me that I occasionally wanted to take a break from making food to purely enjoy food. I wanted to reflect on my life experiences and where I had been in my life. I wanted to savor the moment and create moments in my own life as opposed to simply creating moments of beauty for other people.

I've been going to Temple Coffee since I was 17 years old. It opened in 2005 at the start of my senior year of high school. I remember quite clearly that the day it opened, I had a college entrance interview and I was one of the very first customers at the 10th street location. This was back in the days when I still drank sweet, Starbucks style coffee drinks and I ordered a Mocha Thai (what I now consider to be too sweet for my taste).

I remember loving the style of the place. The interior of the 10th street location had exposed brick walls, beautiful furniture and a color scheme of brown, red and light blue. It felt comfortable, and the Swiss chalet style exterior facade still had the antique signage from the defunct Livingston Books that used to inhabit the same location.

Over the years, my tastes changed. I developed a taste for their Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk. I went through a black coffee phase and a tea phase with a specific love of their Golden Yunnan. I have recently (meaning since 2008 or so) settled on cappuccinos and cafe au laits. I have tried both the single origin espresso and the dharma blend espresso at temple and though I am normally a fan of single origin, I prefer the chocolate, honey and burgundy notes in the blend as opposed to the acidic fruity notes in the single origin.

I never thought I would give up the 10th street location, but the S street location might even be better. It feels much the same: couches and exposed brick walls and friendly service. The S street location is sadly more crowded than the downtown location, but it has parking and outdoor seating (both necessary qualities, especially in Sacramento). But the thing that has made the Midtown location special in my heart is the tabletop sketchbooks full of words, pictures, memories, and sharpie tags of ejaculating penises. It's a beautiful culmination of a community in all its imperfections.

Despite all the beauty of Temple, there was always one weak spot in my mind: the food. They sold a collection of sub-par pastries including cookies, black bottom muffins and blueberry scones. The only passable pastry was the biscotti, and I always knew I had to get my baked goods elsewhere. That's where the review of Sugar Plum comes in.

Until last week, I had not known about Sugar Plum vegan bakeshop. When I last lived in Sacramento, it was a coffeeshop called "True Love Cafe" and it was located right across the street from Rick's Dessert Diner. It had a brief stint afterward as a greek restaurant when True Love closed, but I didn't hear much about it afterward.

While running errands in midtown, I happened across the old True Love location. It had the same facade at the bottom floor of a townhouse. It had the same outdoor tables, but they were all full at lunchtime and there was a chalkboard sign on the sidewalk proclaiming them a vegan/gluten free cafe. I stepped inside, hesitant.

The interior was dark but the pastry case was well lit. The cakes were not the beautiful coiffed creations of those fancy cupcake shops that have recently come into being. They were large carrot cakes topped with messy large dollops of cream cheese frosting. They looked like cakes you bake at home, not beautiful desserts from a bakery. I think that might have made me more expectant of their great quality. If you don't need the gimmick of a star tip, you must be pretty damn confident.

They seemed to offer lunch specials too like tempeh BLTs, tacos, salads, sandwiches, etc. Yet I knew I was here for a pastry to go with my coffee later. I asked for recommendations and discovered only half their selection was gluten free, but all options in the restaurant were vegan. I was throwing all my normal sensibilities out the window by ordering vegan baked goods anyway, so I figured I would go all the way and get gluten free.

I ordered the "fauxstess" cupcake: a vegan take on the snack food favorite made gluten free with a combination of garbanzo and rice flours. I was expecting an almond flour cake, but I liked that the desserts used nut free options too in order to give even further options to those with dietary restrictions. I can say the cake did not have the same moisture as almond flour cakes normally have, but it had a great nuttiness from the chickpeas. It was a more dense, dry cake, but it had a rich chocolate flavor, a great chocolate ganache and a good cream filling (even though it did not have the standard almost marshmallow fluff texture of real hostess cupcakes). The only complaint I had was that I could not have had the cake on its own. It was almost cloyingly sweet and it needed a cup of strong coffee to go with it.

It amazes me how many memories come back to me with a sip of coffee. They seem to be memories of high school, of my first boyfriend, of carefree days and feelings we once upon a time called "love". It feels so naive now, but they seemed like they mattered then. Have a sip, take a bite, and savor them for even a little while.

Sugar Plum Vegan Bakery

2315 K Street

Sacramento CA 95816

http://www.sugarplumvegan.com/

Temple Coffee

1014 10th Street and 2829 S Street

Sacramento CA

http://www.templecoffee.com/

I told myself I wouldn't write any more restaurant reviews, but it occurred to me that I occasionally wanted to take a break from making food to purely enjoy food. I wanted to reflect on my life experiences and where I had been in my life. I wanted to savor the moment and create moments in my own life as opposed to simply creating moments of beauty for other people.

I've been going to Temple Coffee since I was 17 years old. It opened in 2005 at the start of my senior year of high school. I remember quite clearly that the day it opened, I had a college entrance interview and I was one of the very first customers at the 10th street location. This was back in the days when I still drank sweet, Starbucks style coffee drinks and I ordered a Mocha Thai (what I now consider to be too sweet for my taste).

I remember loving the style of the place. The interior of the 10th street location had exposed brick walls, beautiful furniture and a color scheme of brown, red and light blue. It felt comfortable, and the Swiss chalet style exterior facade still had the antique signage from the defunct Livingston Books that used to inhabit the same location.

Over the years, my tastes changed. I developed a taste for their Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk. I went through a black coffee phase and a tea phase with a specific love of their Golden Yunnan. I have recently (meaning since 2008 or so) settled on cappuccinos and cafe au laits. I have tried both the single origin espresso and the dharma blend espresso at temple and though I am normally a fan of single origin, I prefer the chocolate, honey and burgundy notes in the blend as opposed to the acidic fruity notes in the single origin.

I never thought I would give up the 10th street location, but the S street location might even be better. It feels much the same: couches and exposed brick walls and friendly service. The S street location is sadly more crowded than the downtown location, but it has parking and outdoor seating (both necessary qualities, especially in Sacramento). But the thing that has made the Midtown location special in my heart is the tabletop sketchbooks full of words, pictures, memories, and sharpie tags of ejaculating penises. It's a beautiful culmination of a community in all its imperfections.

Despite all the beauty of Temple, there was always one weak spot in my mind: the food. They sold a collection of sub-par pastries including cookies, black bottom muffins and blueberry scones. The only passable pastry was the biscotti, and I always knew I had to get my baked goods elsewhere. That's where the review of Sugar Plum comes in.

Until last week, I had not known about Sugar Plum vegan bakeshop. When I last lived in Sacramento, it was a coffeeshop called "True Love Cafe" and it was located right across the street from Rick's Dessert Diner. It had a brief stint afterward as a greek restaurant when True Love closed, but I didn't hear much about it afterward.

While running errands in midtown, I happened across the old True Love location. It had the same facade at the bottom floor of a townhouse. It had the same outdoor tables, but they were all full at lunchtime and there was a chalkboard sign on the sidewalk proclaiming them a vegan/gluten free cafe. I stepped inside, hesitant.

The interior was dark but the pastry case was well lit. The cakes were not the beautiful coiffed creations of those fancy cupcake shops that have recently come into being. They were large carrot cakes topped with messy large dollops of cream cheese frosting. They looked like cakes you bake at home, not beautiful desserts from a bakery. I think that might have made me more expectant of their great quality. If you don't need the gimmick of a star tip, you must be pretty damn confident.

They seemed to offer lunch specials too like tempeh BLTs, tacos, salads, sandwiches, etc. Yet I knew I was here for a pastry to go with my coffee later. I asked for recommendations and discovered only half their selection was gluten free, but all options in the restaurant were vegan. I was throwing all my normal sensibilities out the window by ordering vegan baked goods anyway, so I figured I would go all the way and get gluten free.

I ordered the "fauxstess" cupcake: a vegan take on the snack food favorite made gluten free with a combination of garbanzo and rice flours. I was expecting an almond flour cake, but I liked that the desserts used nut free options too in order to give even further options to those with dietary restrictions. I can say the cake did not have the same moisture as almond flour cakes normally have, but it had a great nuttiness from the chickpeas. It was a more dense, dry cake, but it had a rich chocolate flavor, a great chocolate ganache and a good cream filling (even though it did not have the standard almost marshmallow fluff texture of real hostess cupcakes). The only complaint I had was that I could not have had the cake on its own. It was almost cloyingly sweet and it needed a cup of strong coffee to go with it.

It amazes me how many memories come back to me with a sip of coffee. They seem to be memories of high school, of my first boyfriend, of carefree days and feelings we once upon a time called "love". It feels so naive now, but they seemed like they mattered then. Have a sip, take a bite, and savor them for even a little while.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad