Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese

Although it may seem strangely out of season to some, one of the joys of living in California is the ability to enjoy the beauty and taste of FRESH produce all year round. (I realized just how spoiled I was when back at school in Virginia, not only were the prices astronomical on produce in the winter, but the little that was on the stacks looked seriously malnourished....And why were the CALIFORNIA avocados in the foreign produce?!?) I am still able to enjoy vibrant green salads this time of year thanks to the wonderful sunshine that frequently beams brightly from above. :-) Although, I kind of miss the snow....

The past few days I've been heaping my plate with arugula (or rocket), cranberries, sliced almonds, and goat cheese, covered in a sweet poppy seed dressing. The contrast of the slightly bitter-tasting arugula is a perfect match with the sweet flavors of cranberries and goat cheese. The almonds provide a nice, little crunch to the mix.

Aurora

Meet the Aurora Golden Gala. I discovered this sweet treat in the grocery the other day as I was meandering through the produce aisle. It is a hybrid of Gala and Splendour, developed up north in British Columbia in 2003.

It is a dessert apple, golden yellow in color, slightly lighter than the Golden Delicious. I was taken aback by its subtle sweetness. It has a honeyed flavor that lingers on your tastebuds.

It was titled in a nationwide "Name the Apple" contest. Although 'Aurora' is good, I think I would have chosen 'Sunrise' as its brightness slowly unfolds, bringing a beaming smile to your face.... :o)

Joys of Childhood

Gnoshing Oreos.

Splitting the halves with a friend to see who gets the creamier half. Licking out the center before dunking into a large glass of cold milk. Attempting to eat the whole package in one sitting. Seeing how black your teeth can really get.

All causes of great delight.

But in my book, nothing matches this: watching a little one munch it up like cookie monster. Nom Nom. Crumbs flying everywhere, smearing cookies 'n cream in his hair....

Pumpkin Fail...and Success!

Pumpkin cupcakes are supposed to have pumpkin, right? Well, tell that to the left side of my brain while the right side is off on another task...

I'm usually fairly good at multi-tasking but my attempts to bake and help create costumes simultaneously on Saturday turned into an epic fail. Okay, it wasn't quite that bad. But the next morning, as I was considering what I could do with the leftover canned pumpkin from the cupcakes I had made the night before, I suddenly realized I had no recollection of opening a can of pumpkin. Meaning, there was NO pumpkin in the PUMPKIN cupcakes I had made last night. Minor detail.


The fact that the batter was a bit thick didn't trigger a thought about the lack of pumpkin; I was simply going to add more buttermilk. Nor the comment from a taste-taster who said they were rather 'thick' and perhaps a tad dry. Or how about the fact that they weren't ORANGE. Yeah, I'm apparently a bit dense at times. These facts all came rushing to the forefront of my brain, however, when I realized the absence of pumpkin in my memory. (In an attempt to save face -- I was running back and forth between batches sewing patches into my brother's scarecrow costume. You'll forgive me my fault, won't you?)

The irony: first, I can't find pumpkin at ANY store; now, I can't manage to get it into the batter. I suppose I have learned to live without it for so long, I have gotten used to the notion its not going to be a part of my treats. ;-)


At any rate, I made these tasty 'pumpkin' cupcakes from Smitten's Kitchen. They were rather delicious even without the pumpkin. Spice cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting. Besides the lack of pumpkin, the only other deviation from the recipe was I left out the maple syrup and 1/4 c. of butter from the frosting. And, of course, I added a little candy corn on top for flair.



The true hit of the evening, however, were my pumpkin rice krispie treats. I simply added a bit of red and yellow food coloring to the marshmallows and butter after melting them to give it a nice orange tint. I also added a sour apple bite to the top as a stem. They were every bit delicious and every bit accurate.

N.B. When shaping your rice krispie treats, let the mixture cool a bit before you get started molding. If it is too hot, it simply sticks to your hands. Although, too long and it will never come out of the pan...about 5-10 minutes does the trick.

A costume sampler:

Sally, 'Breaking News', and Swinging Dancer

Caped Masquerade

Scarecrow

Napping Indiana Jones

The Freeway

Julia Child and her culinary creation

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! :-)

A Taste of the Irish

Back when I was researching the possibility of going to cooking school, I ran across this quaint culinary school in Ireland, Ballymaloe Cookery School. (Just the name of it gives me warm fuzzies...) A college friend of mine had recently done a series of course there, so it seemed feasible to me at the time. I dreamed of living in one of their cottages, rooming with another zealous culinary artist or two. I would wake up with my fellow classmates early each morning with the first light, and help pick the fresh, organic produce from the garden as the dewy drops hung in suspension still from the leaf tendrils. We would spend countless hours in the kitchen every day learning how to make bread dough rise just so, the exact ratio of flour and sugar to produce the perfect cake, how to cook a beef tenderloin to medium-rare, a myriad of new vegetable combinations for delicious salads I had never thought of before....and that would be just the beginning! The simiplicity was its charm. Every dish would be created using the simplest of ingredients -- nothing unnecessary and all well-balanced.

But the reality of distance and finances hang over my head (maybe some day), so I am resigned to making Ballymaloe dishes in my own kitchen using Myrtle Allen's, The Ballymaloe Cookbook. Forgive me if I speak in an Irish accent when I ask for the flour off the shelf....

In an attempt to use up some more of my never-ending basket of apples, I made this delicious breakfast pastry.

Irish Apple Cake

1 3/4 c. flour

1/4 t. baking powder

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. + 1 T. brown sugar

1 egg

approx. 1/2 c. milk

2 cooking apples

Mix flour and baking powder together. Cut butter into pieces and mix in flour by hand until it resembles course crumbs. Add 1/2 c. sugar, beaten egg and enough milk to make a soft dough. Divide in two. Roll out one ball of dough and place in the bottom of a pie dish. Cut apples into chunks or slices, arrange on top of dough in dish and sprinkle with 1 T. of sugar. Roll out second ball of dough and place on top of apples, pinching down the sides. Cut vents on top. Bake about 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Easy as pie. :-)

A Smashing Success

I've been eager to try out this particular smoothie ever since a friend, knowing my love for all things pumpkin, texted me about its existence.

If there is anything better than pumpkin pie and a creamy smoothie, it is the two combined into ONE. That's right...liquified pumpkin pie. The Pumpkin Smash smoothie from Jamba Juice contains all the warm, spicy flavors of Fall, yet you can enjoy it even when it is 80 degrees and sunny. Ah, the beauty of living in California.... ;-)

Crepeville

A lazy Sunday morning enjoying breakfast at Crepeville

I have yet to master the art of French crepe-making. One day when I'm rich I will invest in one of those ginormous, round griddles specially designed for making crepes. But until then I will satisfy my cravings for savory and sweet crepes alike at Crepeville.

Of all the American crepes I have tasted, the ones at Crepeville come the closest to authentic French cuisine. Even if they didn't, they are fantastically stuffed with delicious fillings, such as chicken and pesto, Canadian bacon, cheese and pineapple, marinara and provolone cheese. My favorite is the California crepe with spinach, avocado, onions, provolone, and sundried tomato pesto. Mmm, mmm good. The crepes are served with a generous helping of seasoned, roasted potatoes. Even one who is not particularly fond of potatoes will become a fast friend of these savory morsels.

Sadly, I have yet to try a sweet crepe, the numerous times I have been there, due to the filling nature of the main dish. One of these days -- so many choices: chocolate, raspberry blintz, strawberries and cream....

And on a chilly, blustery day, you can order a pot of tea in one of their nifty golden teapots. Their freshly squeezed orange or carrot juice is another excellent choice for quaffing your thirst.

Comes complete with a tea strainer to keep those pesky leaves out of your tea cup

Crepeville also has omelettes, salads, sandwiches, soups, and several other wonderful selections... none of which I'll probably ever bring myself to try as I love those crepes! ;-)

A friend we ran into on the way back to the car, storing up food for the winter