Strawberries with Minty Dip

Sometimes, our time together is fleeting.  We don't intend for it to be like that, but so it goes.

I'm not one to make friends easily.  But one day at the park, I started chatting with another mom, her son being of a similar age to Max.  We somehow managed to get the kids happily playing together in the sandbox. She helped me with some Spanish words, I helped her with some English.  We made plans to meet up the following morning at a designated time.  I thought it would be the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

Alas, Max and I were the only ones at the park the next day.

At the farmer's market, I spotted a giant bunch of mint leaves.  So fresh and vibrant and green, I couldn't possibly not take home these leaves of freshness.  I placed the bunch in the fridge for safekeeping.  Or so I thought.  Just a few short hours later, I realized the mint leaves were rapidly deteriorating.  It was apparent that they needed to be used quickly.

Sometimes, there isn't any lesson to be learned.  No lesson or narrative to retroactively give meaning to events.  I'll never know why they never showed up at the park.  But I did learn that one must use farmer's market mint quickly.  This time, as a dip for strawberries.

And next time, I'll consult this Cooking Light slideshow for more ideas to use my mint.

Ingredients
1 large bunch of mint leaves
2 tablespoons walnut oil
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
touch of honey
pinch salt
fresh strawberries, for serving

Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until blended together like a pesto.  Serve with fresh strawberries.

Date and Sesame Chocolate Bars

In Go Dog Go, there are two characters that we meet a few times throughout the book. A girl dog dons a perfectly acceptable hat and asks the boy dog if he likes her hat. He says no, and then they say their goodbyes. This happens three times, with three different hats. But the fourth time they meet is different. He finally likes her hat, and afterwards, the two drive off into the sunset together. And it isn't just any hat. It is an extravagant, an outlandish, a whimsical hat.
Objects hanging from the hat include:
- a fish
- a spider
- candy canes
- pinwheels
- a potted flower
- flag celebrating the letter "Z"
- a mouse

Though I find this to be a horrid example of interpersonal relations, this is how I feel about dried fruit. Show me some perfectly acceptable, perfectly lovely dried cranberries or cherries or grapes and I will say no, I do not like that hat. But mix the dried fruit with chocolate and more chocolate and some spices and sesame seeds and sesame paste, then finally, finally - I will like that hat.

For more snack ideas check out Cooking Light's slideshow of healthy snacks.  So much deliciousness!

Ingredients
1 cup pitted dates, chopped roughly
1 tablespoon tahini
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 1/2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
pinch cardamom
pinch cinnamon
pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
1-2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Instructions
Place the dates, tahini, honey and cocoa powder in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse.  Add in the sesame seeds,  and chocolate chips and pulse again.  Take the mixture in your hands (it may help to spray them with a cooking spray) and work it into a sort of "dough."  Push the mixture firmly into a square-shaped, sandwich-size Tupperware-type container.  Cut into bars.  Sprinkle the top of the bars with fleur de sel.  I like to keep these bars in the fridge.

Chinese 5-Spice (plus more) Popcorn

"A desire would arise and, concurrently, the satisfaction of that desire would also arise.  It was as if (a) I longed for a certain (heretofore untasted) taste until (b) said longing became nearly unbearable, at which time (c) I found a morsel of food with that exact taste already in my mouth, perfectly satisfying my longing."
-from Escape from Spiderhead in Tenth of December by George Saunders

I think this would be Max's sentiment about his music class, if he were able to articulate complex thoughts. And with some lapses in time.

After an art class was cancelled not once, but twice, because we were the only ones in attendance, I scouted around for some other options.  I found a not-annoying (there are countless annoying options out there, believe me) music class, and decided to put the little guy in it.

The following day, without even telling him about his upcoming class, music was suddenly meaningful to him. He asked for me to stream Pandora constantly, danced ridiculously, and even refused to go to bed without an iPod softly playing some Beatles.

His music class has become his favorite part of his week.

This Chinese 5-spice popcorn has played a similar role in our lives.  One night we decided that we needed popcorn.  And not just any popcorn.  But popcorn with Chinese 5-spice powder, a previously unexplored combination.  We rushed to the kitchen to play and found a delicious way to satisfy our longing. And though it wasn't a completely simultaneous experiencing and fulfillment of the craving, it was pretty close.

Ingredients
1/2 cup kernels
2-3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
finely ground salt, to taste

Instructions
In a small bowl, stir together the black pepper, Chinese 5-spice powder, nutritional yeast, ground mushrooms, garlic powder, and salt. Set aside.

Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of a large pot. Place over medium heat. Add three kernels of popcorn and cover pot with lid. Once those have popped, add the 1/2 cup of kernels. Shake the pot frequently. Once the popping has stopped, take off heat. Drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle the seasoning mix. Stir to ensure even coating of the popcorn. Adjust salt to taste.

Swiss Chard Chips with Lime Zest, Ginger, and Nutritional Yeast

Recent items that were offered to the toddler, but rejected include:
homemade pizza
kale chips
turkey meatballs
cheesy-creamy pasta with broccoli
and these Swiss chard chips

Items that said child has attempted to eat during this same time period include:
a coffee table
a throw rug
a cardboard box that had been turned into a train tunnel
a windowpane
a cardboard box that had been turned into a boat

At least when he tried to eat the cardboard, he did try to justify it.  Our pig cat Rambo has a fondness for tearing up cardboard, and Max tried to explain to us that since Rambo eats the stuff, he should be able to as well.  Not the worst logic.  But still not convincing.  Both have been cut off.

I guess that leaves more of these chips - all full of lime and ginger, and ancho chile powder and the subtle umami taste from the nutritional yeast - for me.

Ingredients
1 bunch swiss chard, roughly chopped into chip-sized pieces
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
zest of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes
wedges of lime

Instructions
Heat oven to 350.  In a small bowl, mix together lime zest, ground ginger, salt, ancho chile powder, and nutritional yeast flakes.  Place the chard in a large bowl, and use tongs to coat the pieces with oil.  Sprinkle the lime seasoning mix and use the tongs to coat the pieces with the seasonings.  In a single layer, place the chard on parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet.  Bake for 5-10 minutes, until crispy.  They may not crisp evenly, so remove the finished ones and return the pan to the oven to get the rest crispy.  I only did one baking sheet at a time, as I didn't want to risk steaming the chard instead of getting it crispy.  I did 2 rounds of baking.  Drizzle some lime juice and extra salt (if desired) on the chips, once they are all finished.  Finally, leave out on cooling rack for a few hours before storing.

Cantaloupe Drizzled with Lemon Cardamom Yogurt Sauce

As I get older, one thing that seems to get increasingly higher is my threshold of what constitutes "embarassing" behavior in public places.

In my middle school years, I would never leave home without my self-defined "mall outfit" - a fun shirt and jeans, makeup, and copious amounts of baubles emblazoned with smiley faces, yin-yangs, and peace signs (oh my god what were we thinking). Having parents in tow was an automatic source of embarrassment (for no logical reason).  All behavior was directed at the goal of "fitting in."

Eventually, things start to ease up.  You realize that no one actually dies if you decide to wear sweatpants out of the house.  And the mere fact that you have parents no longer seems to be a source of shame.

And now I am the girl who leaves home with giant knots in my hair.  As well as the person who traipses around markets, sniffing each melon to find the most wonderfully fragrant one.  Picking them up to make sure they are dense. Examining the color of the rind.  This is all very important work.  A bad melon is a bad melon.  But a good melon is transcendent.

But one could make the case that this behavior is quite odd.  Embarrassing, even.  Which I'm sure I will be told by Max sometime in the near future.  But that will be his problem, not mine.

Ingredients
Cantaloupe chunks (or slices, which would be prettier, but not as easy to eat )
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
zest from small lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon honey
pinch cardamom

Instructions
Mix the yogurt, lemon zest and juice, coconut milk, honey, and cardamom together in a small bowl.  Spoon over cantaloupe chunks.

Berries with Hibiscus-Infused Whipped Cream

I'm not always great at multitasking.  Okay, if I'm honest, I'm never great at multitasking. But I love to believe I am.

One minute I'm full of hubris about simultaneously doing some laundry, engaging Max in a toddler alphabet game, cooking some dinner, running the ice cream maker, and perhaps slipping in a quick phone call.  And then time passes, and I've forgotten that I was actually doing laundry.  And now it is smelling a bit moldy and the clothes in the dryer are now wrinkled.  I have no idea what letter we are on in our alphabet game, and I've left things in the oven for too long.  Or over-whip the cream, as was the case the first time I made this hibiscus whipped cream.

I've always found it hard to be in the moment, I never feel I'm experiencing things quite right. I can be at the beach, and instead of feeling the coarseness of the sand as I dig my fingers into it or the chilliness of the salt water on my toes, I'm on my phone - absorbed in some reading or writing.  I know I should be doing this whole "mindfulness" thing, but that just doesn't work for me.

So juggling multiple things at once feels natural for me.  Even if I often fail spectacularly at them.  It is that rare, fortuitous occasion in which success happens that keeps me going at this multitasking endeavor.  Plus, I'm stubborn.

But even a stubborn person knows when to let it go.  So this time, I made sure to devote most of my attention to the task at hand.  And instead of playing an alphabet game with the tot, I tried teaching him to say "hibiscus," a rather amusing word coming from him.  And this time, things worked out.     

I would like to say that this will be a permanent change in behavior.  But I can assuredly say that isn't the case.  Because I'm stubborn like that.

Here we used the whipped cream to top some gorgeous blueberries and strawberries that were picked up at the farmer's market.  For more strawberry dessert ideas, Cooking Light put together this slideshow.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whipping cream, divided
3 tablespoons dried hibiscus leaves
pinch salt
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar

strawberries, sliced
blueberries

Instructions
For the hibiscus cream:  In a small pot over low heat, warm 1 cup cream and hibiscus leaves.   Take off heat and cover, letting the leaves steep in the cream for 20 minutes. strain and chill the mixture.  Once the hibiscus cream has chilled and is nice and cold, add the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer and add in another 1/2 cup of whipping cream.  Add a pinch of salt and the sugar and use the whisk attachment to the whip the mixture until stiff peaks form.  Serve with the berries.

Quaker Big Chewy Granola Bars, Chocolate Fondue, and a Night of Television

Seth is often found working late nights and weekends.  Sometimes, however, a Saturday bestows on us a bit of serendipity and magnanimously opens itself up with freedom.  When that happens, we run into it and embrace it, in all its weekend glory.

The day quickly fills up.  Some hours are wiled away on errands and chores that had been put off, but others are used for fun - pit stops at the beach, playground time, lunches at a favorite restaurant - to make the most of our time together.

By the time we get home, it is toddler-late, and time to scoop him off to bed.  And toddler bed time means Seth and I get to do “our thing.”

“Our thing” has two components:

            1.  Our television show of the moment

            2.  Food!!

It is our time to watch our shows, or our “stories” as we like to say.  We generally have room in our hearts for one dramatic series at a time.  But there have been so many wonderful love affairs through the years - The Wire, Deadwood, Battlestar Galactica, West Wing, House of Cards, Damages, Breaking Bad, Mad Men... just to name a few.  And in this Netflix era, we can bring up our show of the moment with the click of a Wii remote and binge on back to back episodes.

And while we watch our stories we like a snack.  A snack that doesn’t involve expending a lot of energy, as that attribute has been depleted during the day’s activities.  A snack that will curb our hunger with some whole grain goodness, but a snack that is still delicious.  A snack like Quaker Oat’s Big Chewy Granola Bars.  

We love chocolate chips (seriously, we love them), so we get the Chocolate Chip Big Chewy Granola Bars.  But the snack doesn’t stop there.  We cut the granola bars and put them on a plate with some fruit - bananas (for me, we all know about Seth’s strong aversion to anything banana), strawberries, tangerines.  And a dip.  A chocolate fondue to be exact - one made with coconut milk and a hint of cardamom.  

It has been awhile since we mentioned our love of dipping.  So active! So communal! So fun! And can possibly lead to some intense debates about what the precisely most delicious combination of foods is to combine with the dip.

And while we snack on our granola bar bites and our fruit slices and fondue, we can sit side by side, watching our stories, discussing camera angles and character development, analyzing plot twists and turns, and arguing about the morality of actions that characters have taken.  And life is good.

Quaker is on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest - so follow/like them!

And now that you totally need some of these granola bars in your life right now, you need to know where to find them - look here for product locator and here for more information about the bars.

This post is brought to you by Quaker.  We were financially compensated for this post by Quaker via AOL Media.   

A Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch fleur de sel

Instructions
In a small pot over low heat, warm the coconut milk.  Take off heat and stir in the chocolate chips.  Once they are melted, stir in the cardamom and vanilla.  Sprinkle fleur de sel on top of the fondue for serving. 

Roasted Spiced Strawberries with Honey Vanilla Yogurt

I'm great at holding grudges.  Forgiveness does not come easily after being betrayed.  I've held one (or continue to hold one) against each of the following:
1. granola
2. hot dogs
3. orange juice
4. Fig Newtons
5. yogurt

Most of these grudges have lasted for years.  One has lasted over two decades.  I won't get into the details of how each of these relationships went sour.  But now that we are firmly into 2013, it is perhaps time to get rid of all that bad energy and drop the hard feelings.

Yogurt is an easy food with which to get back into a relationship.  So useful as an ingredient - especially with quick breads and smoothies.  But I'd like to take things to the next level - and enjoy the stuff on its own terms.  As creamy, luxurious yogurt.

Here, Greek yogurt is mixed with honey, vanilla, and some spices.  And topped with strawberries spiced and roasted.  It is hard to stay mad at the stuff, when turned into this concoction.  I can drop the hard feelings for yogurt, and granola looks like the next food to work on - but one thing is for sure, the hot dog war will never cease.  Time doesn't heal ALL wounds.

Cooking Light has a great slideshow about yogurt - Click here to get some nutrition information, recipes, and tips about the stuff!

Ingredients
1 pound strawberries, sliced
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon spice mix

Spice mix:
1/2 tsp roasted Saigon cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground coriander
Pinch cumin
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch ground star anise

Yogurt:
16 ounces Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons wild dandelion honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch spice mix

Instructions
Place sliced strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with the brown sugar.  Let them sit for an hour.  Meanwhile, mix together the spice mix in a small bowl.

Heat oven to 350.  Stir in olive oil, white wine vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mix with the strawberries.  Spread on baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, honey, vanilla, and spices.  To serve, top with the roasted strawberries.

Sesame and Chocolate Puppy Chow

The old and the new - this constitutes life.

Old beliefs and new philosophies.  Grandparents and newborns.  Old hobbies and new interests.  Old fossils and new species.  The old grounds us in its nostalgia and wisdom; the new taking us to places we haven't yet been to explore fresh sights and sounds and tastes.

And now my reading habits have come to embrace this yin and yang.

Because I'm a dork, spending time in a used bookstore is one of the best things ever.  Ever.  Row upon row, shelf upon shelf of book. All the books about all the things!  Such order!  And all the books just waiting, waiting to be picked up and taken home to be loved.

I have a special fondness for those old books.  The ones with some heft to their covers and that wonderful musty smell.  My personal bests so far include:
-Mary Cullen's Northwest Cookbook from 1946
-Adam Bede from sometime in the 1800s
-a 1943 Nancy Drew.

Recently, because I'm perpetually late to the game in just about everything, I've also come to love reading books on my phone.  No more clunky booklight during a bout of 2 am insomnia! Convenience! So portable! Maybe I can sneak a few pages of reading while the toddler wears his concentration face to engage in the exacting task of gluing Greater Kudus onto construction paper!

There is room in my heart for both forms of books.  And there is room in my heart for two Puppy Chows.  The old one - here - is a glorious Halloween celebration in a giant plastic container.  And contains notes of Nutella and some butterscotch.  This new one is a bit subtler - slightly less garish, slightly more pastel, and much more sesame.  Specifically, in the form of roasted sesame seeds and tahini.  And pretzel M&Ms for some of that salty/sweet deliciousness.

Adapted from bettycrocker.com

Ingredients
9 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
vanilla salt and/or fleur de sel
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 package pretzel m&ms

Instructions
In a large bowl, pour in the Chex cereal. In a medium glass bowl, place chocolate chips, tahini, and butter. Carefully microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Carefully microwave again if needed.  You want the mixture to be melted together. Stir in vanilla. Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal. Get the cereal as evenly coated as possible, then sprinkle with the salt and sesame seeds, and then the powdered sugar. Place the mixture on waxed paper to dry. Mix the M&Ms with the cereal mixture once it has dried. Place in an airtight container.

Almost Instant Banana, Chocolate, and Peanut Butter "Pudding"

Ugh, I hate those recipes that pretend to be one thing but in reality are nothing like it.  I'm looking at you pureed cauliflower masquerading as fettucine alfredo.

Afterwards, you are all sad and regretful because you ate something that was not delicious.  Unless you are like Anton Ego, living the philosophy of  "If I don't love it, I don't swallow."  In which case you are still hungry.

It occurs to you that you should have just made the real thing - with you know, cream and butter and cheese - then maybe just stuff a handful of spinach in your face and be done with it.

It is hard for me to tell if I am breaking my own rule.  Maybe this really is nothing like pudding.  But calling it a "pudding-like substance" doesn't exactly flow.  And maybe I hate myself a bit for even posting this.

But even if this is not pudding, but technically a "pudding-like substance," I did at least convince the toddler that this was a dessert - something to demand, to crave.  He can be a tough crowd, a pint-sized but nonetheless fervent subscriber to Anton Ego's food philosophy .  Case in point - never serve this child homemade biscuits that are not fresh from the oven - lest one offend his his delicate sensibilities.

Ingredients
1 frozen banana
1 banana
1 1/2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon (roasted Saigon cinnamon works really well)
pinch sea salt

Instructions
Put everything into a bowl and blend with an immersion blender.  Alternatively, put everything in a blender to blend.  That's it!

Homemade Cashew Butter

My mind is is filled with clouds.  Some are stratus clouds, keeping running mental lists of groceries, chores and projects to complete, activities to do with Max.

Some are more like the wispy cirrus kind, with nascent, fleeting thoughts.  The sliver of a Max story to remember to tell Seth.  The name of the book I absolutely need to read. Ohh my god, I need a muffin.  The stream of consciousness stuff.

Some are puffy cumulus clouds, obsessing about watching the next episode of West Wing (yes, we are like a decade late to this), or what I want to eat for dinner.  Or exactly what kind of sweet treat I'm in the mood for (we've all experienced the crushing disappointment of eating cookies when really, you need some ice cream).  There are probably a lot of food clouds floating around.  Okay, there are DEFINITELY lots of food clouds.

Then there are the nimbus clouds, brooding over climate change and foolhardy austerity measures.   Wondering what it all means when someone who was all about Gap Dream grew up into someone more like a Gap Om. Fretting about growing income inequality and finances.  Worrying that WE ALL ARE JUST CHARACTERS in a book (never again will Pat the Bunny and Goodnight Moon be the same).  Grieving over the cancellation of Don't Trust the B in Apt 23 (Dawson forever!!), etc.

With all the clouds swirling around, I can sometimes be oblivious to things going on around me.  The physical world.  The tangible.

Until the physical finally brushes up against me.  Or, I brush up against it.

Like the other night. When my hairbrush went up against the largest knot I have ever had the joy (dismay) of experiencing. Just hanging there. All tangled and big. Did I mention tangled?  Bringing up the extremely pressing questions of "how long has this been there" and "how did I not notice this before??!??" Errands, playground trips, all likely done by the girl with the giant knot in her hair.

This cloudy world I inhabit seems to also have obscured the deliciousness of cashews.  I've always liked them, but never did I realize how wonderful they are.  It is more than just like - it is love.  I have begun to make up for lost time by throwing them in everything that remotely appears to be a good match for them.  Like this chicken salad, or these meringues.  And now they have been turned into cashew butter.  It's got a flavor that will part the clouds any day.

Ingredients
10 ounces roasted and salted cashews
2 1/2 teaspoons wild dandelion honey
2 tablespoons walnut or other nut oil
2 tablespoons canola oil (feel free to use more if needed)
pinch kosher salt

Instructions
Run the cashews in a food processor until very fine.  Add in the honey and walnut oil and process until everything comes together (this may take a bit, just be patient).  Slowly add in the canola oil and process until the mixture reaches your desired consistency.  I made mine on the thick side, as it would work better in a recipe I was using it in.  Add kosher salt to taste.

Mango Kiwi Cashew Chicken Salad in an Avocado Coconut Sauce

Regrets litter our lives.  Words spoken in haste, sentiments left unspoken.  Ideas remaining only ideas.   Bad decisions made. Actions rashly performed.

Recent regrets include, but are not limited to, the following:
-Choosing to wear flimsy pink ballet flats while spending approximately 12 hours walking around outside.
-Teaching our offspring about the wonders of popcorn and ice cream so that every single day of the week involves toddler demands for these two items.
-Adding butternut squash to macaroni and cheese, tainting the glorious cheese and pasta combination with a cloying sweetness.
-Eating marinara sauce while having a giant canker sore.
-Failing to put sunblock on my back, resulting in painful redness.
-Adding butternut squash a second time to a batch of macaroni and cheese.
-Eating a Granny Smith apple while having a giant canker sore.
-Wearing the flimsy pink ballet flats AGAIN while spending copious hours walking outside.
-Doing that super embarrassing mom move where you lick your hand to pat down a renegade hair on a child, the repercussions of this involved tiny saliva filled hands being wiped on my skin and hair.
-Eating Granny Smith apple in a salad containing both vinegar and lemon juice while having that giant canker sore.
-Picking up way too many avocados at the exact same stage of ripeness, forcing us to eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two days straight.

I am not a quick learner.

Future regrets include:
-Watching the upcoming season of Secret Life of the American Teenager.  Now would have been perfect time to stop the addiction.

Looking back, one good thing did result from this surfeit of avocados.  A salad of chicken, mango, kiwi, cashews and cilantro coated in a gingery coconut and avocado sauce.  Most definitely not a regret.

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
canola oil
1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
3 kiwifruit, peeled and diced
1/2 cup roasted and salted cashews
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 avocado, pit and peel removed
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons lemon juice
bit of lemon zest
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
Sprinkle chicken with curry powder, salt, and pepper, brown each side in canola oil over high heat. Turn heat to low to finish cooking.  Once it has cooked, take off heat and let cool.  Slice into chunks. Place in a bowl with the mango, kiwi, cashews, and cilantro.

In a medium bowl,  stir the avocado and milk together.  Add in the ginger, lemon juice and zest.  Mix in the chicken mixture.  Adjust salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.  Serve with baguette slices or on a sandwich.

Whale-Shaped Crackers with Cheddar and Nori, an Ode to the Whale

In terms of cetacean appreciation, dolphins get the glory.  They are so cute and friendly and sleek.  Jumping out of the water to show off their spins and spyhops.  Equipped with a fancy echolocation system to navigate.  And can even come in the color pink, a fact that Max is super in love with.  Okay okay, dolphins are really awesome.  And yes, I'm pretty taken with the pink dolphins as well.

But whales are awesome too.  This weekend is the start of the Festival of Whales here in Dana Point, marking the migration of the gray whale (though blue whales have strangely been spotted recently as well).  We are totally obsessed with both whales and the festival.  Like, lets cut whale shapes out of construction paper and string them together to make banners to hang up kind of obsessed.  Like, lets turn our food into whale-shapes obsessed.  Like, watching Blue Planet over and over and over again obsessed.  I've even done some research into the gray whale's diet, pondering ways to incorporate  it into whale-party food.  I'm such a dork.

All lumpy and big and grungy, they might not be as chic and beautiful as their dolphin relatives, but they are just as lovable. From the narwhal, an animal about which I'm half-convinced doesn't actually exist but is just a figment of someone's imagination...to the humpbacks with their renowned singing and their own version of pop music...and to the blue whales, being the biggest living thing EVER - the whale, in all its diversity, is due for some love.  So this is our ode.  Our ode to the whale (see previously, ode to ground beef).

Last year, we made these.  In celebration of our devotion to this cetacean and our town's festival.  This year we made crackers - a sonnet expressing our love, but in an edible form.  Whole wheat, buttery, sesame seed filled crackers topped with cheese and a sprinkling of nori goma furikake.  Seth introduced this combination of cracker, cheddar, and the nori, and we have been hooked ever since.  The cheese can also be seen as an homage to our pure and utter cheesiness. I wasn't kidding about being a dork.

Ingredients
3 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup roasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 - 2 cups ice water
whale shaped cookie cutter
good quality cheddar, sliced
nori goma furikake

Instructions
In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, sesame, baking powder, salt, and peppers.  Rub the butter into the flour using your hands or pastry cutter, until the mixture looks like coarse sand.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, very gradually, and on low speed, add the cold water, stopping once a dough forms.  You want the mixture to hold together and to no longer be dry. Take half the mixture and put in fridge.  Roll out the other half on a silpat or parchment until about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.  Use the cookie cutter to make whale shapes.  Sprinkle with just a bit of fleur de sel and place in 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden and crisp.  Repeat with the rest of the dough.  To serve, top with a slice of cheddar and a sprinkle of nori.

Nutella and Cara Cara Orange on Whole Wheat Toast, Sprinkled with Sea Salt

At times, I am completely floored by the differences between me and the offspring.  Like at the park, watching him try to scale baby-sized boulders, so carefree and surefooted.  Each rock is just a mountain waiting for a Max to come and climb.

Me?  I'm a klutz.  I'm awkward and run into things and do not watch where I'm going or what is in front of me.  So there is no carefree surefootedness here.  Just thoughts of please don't fall, please don't fall please don't fall.  And then I fall. Or run into the corner of something, resulting in yet another giant bruise. Or bang an elbow in a doorway.  My body finds a myriad of ways to hurt itself.

Then there is our differing outlook on bugs.  One day, Max and I were in his room, and he pointed at the wall, filled with glee and joy.  And there it was.  A giant spider.  I panicked on the inside.  But I put on a steely face and went after the spider with a shoe from Seth's closet.  My attempt to vanquish the 8-legged arachnid was futile and it gracefully sidestepped my attacks.  And each attempt to get "Gigantic Spider" resulted in fearful crying by Max.  He apparently wanted the spider to stay alive.  Like a pet.  A pet spider.

In fact, he was so smitten by the spider, he asked for more bugs.  When it was explained to him that no, I would not actually be bringing him more bugs to play with, he marched right to the computer to do his version of "research" - looking at bugs and spiders online.  I took his distraction as an opportunity to sneakily creep up to his room and spray "Gigantic Spider" with bug spray.

But other times, our familial connection is much more visible.  Much more visceral.

Sometimes that connection comes in a small tube. Chapstick, actually.  My obsession has been passed on to him.  We will never know if this is nature or nurture at play.  He carries around a container in his coat pocket.  And he has his own container of my cast-offs, smelling and playing with each tube lovingly.  They have found themselves a good home with him.

And we also share a love of citrus and chocolate.  When I saw this in Cooking Light, I was so instantly smitten - so easy, so creative, and so delicious.  I found myself getting Max and myself ready to head out the door, literally running  (okay, more like galloping with a stroller) to get the stuff (chapsticks, naturally in both of our coat pockets).  And once these were made, both of us happily munched, together united in a love of chapstick and a love for citrus and chocolate.  Our differences in bug control and risk taking being pushed aside for the moment.

Ingredients
slice of a crusty whole wheat french bread, toasted
1 tablespoon Nutella
Cara Cara orange, segmented
pinch of fleur de sel

Instructions
This is so ridiculously easy.  Just take your toasted bread and spread Nutella on it.  Sprinkle with citrus segments and a pinch of fleur de sel.  Then chow down.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is being posted under duress.

I really don't want to give a false impression of myself.  I love decadence.  I love cheese and pasta and bread and all the things that I'm supposed to say that "I love but I can only eat a teeny tiny bit once in a blue moon."

Except I eat the things that I want when I want.

I am not the one who says "Ohhhh I make this for my husband and friends while they watch the game."  I mean, what am I supposed to be eating instead?  Hurriedly stuffing raw carrots or quinoa with Craisins in my mouth, hoping noone will catch me actually eating something?

I am not one of these women.  You won't find me laughing alone while eating a salad.  I stand firmly against the idea that women are supposed to feel bad about what they eat and should be laughing while chomping down on some mixed greens.

I hate that nonsense, the gender-ization of food. Sometimes I want some chicken wings.  Sometimes I want a salad.  The same goes for Seth.

The problem is the buffalo sauce.  The taste and smell just get to me!  Just like my genetic issue preventing me from enjoying stuffing/dressing,  a similar one prevents me from relishing the phenomenon known as buffalo chicken.  I wish there was something I could do to correct this situation.  Dear Big Pharma - please work on this for me!

Seth, of course, adores buffalo chicken anything.  And after pestering me about a dip for months, I caved.  I can't even remember why that happened.  It just did.  Luck happened to rain down on him in torrents that day, apparently.

And don't worry - raw carrots and quinoa with Craisins did not grace my lips.

Ingredients
1 pound thinly sliced chicken breast strips.
garlic powder
cayenne
seasoned salt
cumin
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small bunch scallions, chopped
10 ounces Franks Red Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup blue cheese dressing
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
lots of celery

Instructions
Sprinkle the seasonings on top of the chicken breast (both sides).  Heat (medium-high) the olive oil in a cast iron (preferably) skillet.  Place the seasoned chicken in skillet and brown (about 3 minutes).  Flip and brown the other side.  Take off heat once the chicken has cooked through. Shred or chop the chicken pieces so that chicken can be dispersed throughout the dip.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt cream cheese, butter, and blue cheese dressing together.  Stir in the chicken, scallions, and Franks.  Pour into a greased baking dish and top with the cheeses.  Bake at 350 until nice and bubbly and hot, and the cheese is all melted.  Sprinkle some chopped celery on top.  Serve with chips and celery.

Spicy Nori Popcorn

It is harrowing to watch.  Almost every time a movie or television depicts people watching a movie, a giant bowl of popcorn is placed on the coffee table.

And then it sits there.  And sits.  And no one takes any of the popcorn. Not one hand swoops down to retrieve a handful of this salty snack.  Not one mouth is seen munching.  It is one of the saddest sights to behold.

When this happens, Seth and I experience intense distress on behalf of the popcorn.  Delicious crunchy puffs just being all lonely in their giant bowl.  Unappreciated.  Neglected.

We would never treat popcorn in such a disrespectful manner.

When it it is deemed to be a popcorn making/eating occasion, a festive atmosphere settles into our home.  We sing the popcorn song (consisting solely of the words "popcorn, oh yeah!" repeated over and over and over and over until someone is finally like OKAY, lets stop with that now) whilst making the ASL sign for popcorn.  We might be extremely annoying people to be around.

Some people have fancy salad bowls.  We technically have a fancy salad bowl.  But salad rarely graces its wooden sloped sides.  Our fancy salad bowl is really our fancy popcorn bowl!  A wood bowl properly showcases popped kernels of corn.  Something about the highlights and shadows really makes it pop.  And no, we didn't use it for the photograph.  That bowl is our private bowl.  You get your own.

And then we dig into that glorious bowl of popcorn.  It isn't just an ornament to movie watching.  It is THE reason for movie watching.

So when we saw Cooking Light's prediction of the top food trends of 2013 slideshow, and saw popcorn on the list, we were stoked.  Deliriously delighted.  Popcorn will finally have its moment!  Its days of being passed over, overlooked, and ignored will be over this year!  2013 will totally be popcorn's year.  So here is a popcorn recipe and song to celebrate its moment... Popcorn, Oh Yeah!

Ingredients
3 tablespoons corn oil
1/2 cup corn kernels
2 -3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon ground nori goma furikake (run the nori goma furikake through a spice grinder or food processor)
1/2 teaspoon ichimi togarashi chile powder (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground toasted kosher salt and Szechuan peppercorns (we got this technique from Fiona Smith's book Dim Sum - place 1/4 cup kosher salt and 4 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorns in a skillet and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes, until the mixture has become fragrant. Then run the mixture through a spice grinder).

Instructions
Heat the corn oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add three kernels of popcorn and cover pot with lid. Once those have popped, add the 1/2 cup of kernels. Shake the pot frequently. In a small bowl, stir the melted butter and the sesame oil together.  Once the popping has stopped, turn off heat, add the butter and oil mixture and stir to coat.  Add the rest of the seasonings.  That's it.

Pomegranate Banana Dip, Sugar and Spiced Tortilla Chips, and Red Laser App

Today we're reviewing a free app called RedLaser, and pairing this review with another type of app... chips and dip!  When I saw this opportunity through Daily Buzz Moms to use a list making and shopping app for the iPhone (the app also works on the Android and Windows Phone), I thought, maybe, just maybe, now I will become a person living in the year 2012 (almost 2013-where does the time go!).  So I seized the day and all that carpe diem jazz.  I decided to just take the plunge into this new era of life.  One filled with order and ease and apps, to make everything in your life run smoothly.  A whole new Jenn...  To read the full review, hop over to our brand spanking new Review Blog page!  It is an interesting app, and worth a read.

Pomegranate Banana Dip

Ingredients
8 ounces cold mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 small, ripe banana
3 tablespoons pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
pinch salt
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (arils), plus more for serving

Instructions
Place mascarpone and sugar in bowl of electric mixer and beat on medium speed. Mix in remaining ingredients.  Sprinkle top with additional pomegranate seeds.  Serve with Sugar and Spiced Tortilla Chips and fruit (I like it with apples).

Sugar and Spiced Tortilla Chips

Ingredients
4 tortillas, each cut into 8 equal size wedges
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
pinch salt

Instructions
Place tortilla wedges in bowl, toss with oil, cinnamon, sugar, clove, salt.  Use tongs to distribute oil and seasonings as evenly as possible on the tortilla wedges.  Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes, until crispy.  Serve with dip.

Halloween Muddy Buddies (aka Puppy Chow)

They say that if you love something, set it free.  If it comes back it is meant to be.  I hate pithy statements like this.  I really did love it and very very very reluctantly let it go.  Well, more like it was forcefully taken from my hands.  I made this candy mix.  A whole glorious batch of ridiculous festive candy in celebration of Halloween.  So garish and bright and delicious.  And placed it into a gigantic container.  And I loved it. Oh how I loved it.  I had no intention of setting it free.  And then Seth told me that it was an absurd amount of candy for one toddler and his parents.  So he was taking it into his office to share.  I hate sharing.  And obviously my container of candy does not have motor skills, so it can't find its way back to me.  But I will contend that it was meant to be.  As I fully intend to make another batch over the weekend.  Maybe, you know, just half a batch. And Seth will not be prying this one away from me.

adapted from bettycrocker.com

Ingredients
9 cups Rice Chex
2/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Nutella
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon vanilla salt (see this post for details)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
a bunch of whatever Halloween candy floats your boat
  I used:
  1 bag of Brach's candy corn
  1 movie theater sized box of Reese's pieces
  ~ 10 ounces of pretzel M&Ms
  ~ 10 ounces of peanut M&Ms

Instructions
In a large bowl, pour in the Chex.  In a medium glass bowl, place butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, Nutella, and butter.  Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir.  You want the mixture to be melted together.  Stir in vanilla.  Sprinkle vanilla salt over the Chex, then pour the Nutella mixture over the cereal.  Get the cereal as evenly coated as possible, then sprinkle with the powdered sugar.  Place the mixture on waxed paper to dry.  In a medium bowl, mix together all the Halloween candy you are using.  Mix with the cereal mixture once it has dried.  Place in an airtight container.

Baked Flour Tortilla Chips, Crisp and Flaky

Remember those chips in the background of this post?  We loved them so much, we thought we'd give them their very own shiny post.  These chips are all about simplicity.  Wedges of flour tortillas are coated in canola oil and sprinkled with salt, then tossed on a pan to get all crisped up in the oven.  That is all it takes to get some crispy, flaky baked chips.  It's a great, healthy alternative to fried tortilla chips, and we honestly think they taste better too, with the right tortillas.  You just don't get that flakiness with deep frying.  Oh, and a word to the wise... do not use gluten free spinach tortillas you find at Whole Foods just because they sound cool.  They do not taste good.  At all.  Just use Mission flour tortillas...

Ingredients
4 flour tortillas (I like using Mission brand tortillas)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions
Heat oven to 350.  Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges, like a pie.  Place in large bowl.  Drizzle with oil and salt.  Using tongs, coat each wedge with the oil and salt.  Place the wedges carefully on two baking sheets (you don't want them stacked on top of each other), and place them in the over for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.

Chicken Liver Pate with Sage

Pate is an appetizer that broods.  You can totally tell.  It is all dark and mysterious looking, and its ingredients are not readily apparent. If it could talk, it would most definitely talk about things that makes us question or search for answers to the big existential questions – why are we here, what is this all for, etc etc.  It is a bit of a challenging appetizer.  It isn’t as easily loved as something like guacamole for example.  It may take some time for you to fall for its charms.  But eventually you do.  After all, you can’t not fall for it.  But just because you accept and adore something for what it is, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make it more fun.  To give the pate a bit of lightness and summer freshness to balance out its dark and gloomy demeanor, we topped the pate with chopped strawberries and fresh, minced basil.  We love spreading this over crackers and bread.

Ingredients 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¾ lb chicken livers
1 shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons minced sage
2 tablespoons port
1 tablespoon mascarpone
salt and pepper, to taste
chopped strawberries, for serving
minced fresh basil, for serving

Instructions
Melt butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add shallot, garlic cloves and sage.  Once the shallots are soft, add the chicken livers.  Cook the chicken livers until they are cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Add port.  Reduce then take off heat.  Stir in mascarpone.  Once that has melted into the mixture, puree with immersion blender or food processor.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with chopped strawberries and basil.