We Love Plants!

It's been kind of on the warm side here lately. Not unbearably hot. Just too warm to justify turning the oven on for more than broiling some garlic bread. Mmmm. Garlic Bread.

So, what do I do with my time when on a baking hiatus?

What all good Californian's do. Plant some green stuff.

No, not that kind of green stuff. We don't live in Humbolt Co. for goodness sake.

We've discussed getting a large indoor plant on several different occasions and today we finally made a decision.



He doesn't have a name yet. I'll let you know what it is once we've decided.

Roger has been thrown out there. As in Aaron Rodgers. And as much as I love me some A-Rodge, I can not name the plant Roger.



K used to be a landscaper in highschool and college.

You can tell he's a professional.



It's a Fiddle Leaf Fig. We're both pretty excited about it. It's pretty awesome.

The whole purpose of our visit to the nursery was to get supplies for a terrarium that I have been dreaming about for, like, FOREVER.

I did get my supplies. We just ended up with more than supplies for the terrarium. We ended up with a new roommate.



If you were wondering how to build a terrarium, it's super simple.

You need a container. I got mine at Ikea for like 4 bucks.



You need rocks or gravel for the bottom drainage layer.



You need charcoal for the middle layer. This will keep things from getting funky.



And then you need your planting medium for the top layer. I wanted to plant succulents so I opted for cactus mix but if you wanted to plant generic house plants you could opt for regular old potting soil.



After that you arrange your little buddies in there however you want. I needed the help of a spoon for arranging the plants and soil because the opening was too small for my hand.



I now have my new terrarium on my desk in my office. I'm not entirely sure if it will get enough light in there yet, so we'll see. I'm still fairly new to this whole succulent thing as I grew up in Minnesota and those bad boys are completely foreign to me.



Wish all our new green buddies luck and hope we don't kill them. :)

Crafty Crafty Crafty

So, I've been trying to use my spare time a little more wisely.

This has included taking up crocheting...



Which is convenient because you can make some super cute baby stuff with crocheting.



And there is a super cute baby I know.



I don't know if she'll actually wear it, but as long as I get a picture of her wearing it, I really don't care.



The yarn is so lovely and soft and such a pretty color, but not too girly.



I've really enjoyed this project. It's come together really fast and I'm actually almost done with it. Will post pictures once it's done and hopefully some shots of Little Miss wearing it.



I also started a sundress because you can never have too many sundresses while living in southern california.



Jo-Ann's had a sale on patterns awhile back. I got this bad boy for a dollar!!!!



I will also be using some fabric that my sister brought back from South Africa.



That was almost 6 years ago now. Sad. But, I've almost finished it. I just have a few more things to finish on it.

I also bought some new shoes to go with it. Like I need an excuse.

Bite of Nostalgia

I want you to remember back when you were little.

Ok, little you, what was the best possible thing that you could eat saturday morning, while watching cartoons?
Captain Crunch? Lucky Charms? Frosted Flakes?

If you said yes, then you were one of the lucky ones.

That is not what my sister and I got for breakfast.

We got Honey Nut Cheerios or Kix or Oh's and we thought we had lost our ever loving minds when Berry Berry Kix were introduced!!! Well, I now see that we were the very fortunate ones, being taught what the more healthy and acceptable breakfast was, but that's beside the point (thanks mom and dad!)

Sugary cereals and breakfast treats were what we pined for. They were why my parents never took us down the cereal isle when we went to the grocery store for not wanting to hear the whiney pleads of the little 8 and 5 year old voices of my sister and me.

And what was the very most desired breakfast treat of them all? Pop-Tarts.  Those things that now more closely resemble slabs of cardboard coated with epoxy frosting. I guess the taste-buds of the 8 year old me were maybe a little less refined.



So, when I came across the recipe for home made poptarts, my heart sang. I was immediately transported back to my 8 year old self, laying on my stomach in the family room with my sister watching Garfield.
And a recipe like that deserves to be made immediately!

Now, don't be afraid of making these for fear they might be too putzy. The very most daunting task of this whole thing is pinching off the edges of the individual "tarts" and if that is all that's preventing you from making these, then you, my very unfortunate friend do not deserve the melt in your mouth deliciousness that awaits.

Home Made Pop-Tarts
Adapted from www.kingarthurflour.com

Pastry
2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk


Strawberry Filling
3/4 cup strawberry preserves
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon cold water




Make the dough: 


1)Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter until the mixture holds together when you squeeze it, with pecan-sized lumps of butter still visible. 








You can do this either by hand in a mixing bowl or in a food processor. I've done it both ways and although the food processor is quicker, you will need to transfer the mixture from the processor bowl into a mixing bowl to proceed to the next step.





2)Mix the egg and milk, and add it to the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive. 


The mixture will be a little shaggy at this point so I just dump it out onto the counter and start squishing the mixture to get it to the point of manageability for the next step.




3)Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a rough 3" x 5" rectangle, smoothing the edges. Roll out immediately; or wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. 





I have done the recipe both ways. I've rolled it out immediately and have let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. I have found it much easier to wrap them up and leave them in the fridge for a few hours. Then I have time to make the filling and have a cup of coffee...





Make the filling: 
1)Combine the cornstarch and water first and then add to the jam in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a very low boil and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool. 





Please watch this closely because the minute you turn around it will burn to the bottom of your pan, and nobody likes burned bottoms! (haha)


Assemble the tarts:
 If the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes. 


1)Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8" thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9" x 12". 





I used my cutting board to approximate the shape. 





I have also made two different thicknesses of the dough. I made one with 1/4" thickness and one with 1/8". I preferred the 1/4" but I also like carbs. Alas.

2)Roll the second piece of dough just as you did the first. 


I eyeballed the approximate dimensions of the tarts and marked with a fork the edges of the rectangles.


I also made my tarts much smaller than the store bought version. I find that because these are home made they pack a bigger punch and thus you don't need them as big. Plus, then you can eat more of them and not feel as guilty. At least that's my reasoning.

3)Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each marked rectangle. Beat the egg, and brush the surface of the dough between the little piles of filling. This will be the glue that keeps the top and bottom half together.





4)Place the second sheet of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around each pocket of jam, sealing the dough well on all sides. 





Have no fear if the edges don't line up perfectly...



Just fudge it. They will still taste fantastic!




5)Cut the dough evenly in between the filling mounds to make the individual tarts. Press the cut edges with your fingers to seal, then press with a fork, to seal again. 





I used a pizza cutter to cut the individual tarts. A pastry cutter or a sharp knife would would just as well.

6)Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. 





Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork.-Note that I found a wood bbq skewer works much better as it pierces the pastry cleanly instead of squishing it down more as the fork does, but whatever works for you.


I brushed mine with a light egg wash the second time I made these as I found that it gave the tops a lovely browned color but if you want the genuine store bought aesthetic then, by all means, please skip the egg wash.


I also sprinkled some of the eggwashed ones with sugar in the raw. Those turned out quite lovely.


7)Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.

8)Remove the tarts form the fridge, and bake them for 25 to 35 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan. 





For the tarts that I didn't sprinkle with sugar, I made up light icing with powdered sugar and a dash of milk and then drizzled it over them after they had cooled.




Now take a plate of these and go watch the Snorks.


Make Ahead Directions:
You can make this recipe ahead of time up to step six. While you have them laid out on the cookie sheet, place them in the freezer for a few hours. 
After they have frozen through, place them in a zip-lock bag. These can be stored this way up to 6 months. Although, I doubt they'll stick around that long.
When you're ready to make them. Take them out of the freezer, place them on a lightly greased or parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 40 to 45 mins in a 350 degree preheated oven.

Things I'm loving right now...

As long as I'm jumping on the bandwagon of bloggering (Note: I do understand that I'm about, oh, 5-6 years late on the blogging bandwagon) I might as well do it wholeheartedly, right? So, as all good little bloggers do (or so I'm told as I don't personally know any actual bloggers) I am posting a list of things I'm really digging right now:

1)This book:
I have adored the movie for years now and imagine my utter and absolute delight to find the ENTIRE series in one book on the bookshelf of my heartbreakingly cute new roommate.
So far it's smart and funny and unlike so many books to movies, the movie really did an astonishingly good job of following along with the original text. Usually the people they get to play the movie versions of who I have forged in my head don't usually match up. Even if I see the movie first and then read the book, I still get a different vision. Not so in this case. Martin Freeman IS Arthur Dent and Mos Def is brilliant as Ford Prefect.
If you like smart, funny, sci-fi then this book(s) is the way to go. If not, then I might as well be speaking Vogonian to you.

2)This website:
The people who do this website are utter geniuses. Would I like to simply and easily compile all of the online things that I find interesting and cool? Don't mind if I do.

3)This movie:
Have I seen it yet? Um, no. Am I going to beg and plead my oh so handsome and smart boyfriend (can you tell I might be working the flattery card?) It looks so funny that I might pee my pants a little. PLUS, Jon Hamm will be shirtless in at least one scene and you really can't beat the hell outta that.

4)This album:
Once again, late the music scene on this one. But, having a bad day? Listen to Ambling Alp. You'll feel better by then end of it.

5)This product:
Am I a sell out? Perhaps. Is it more expensive than what I would normally spend on something like this? Definitely.
But, I gotta say, I never knew that my skin could feel this nice or look this glowing. I use it every night before I go to bed.

That's all I got for now.

We're moving into a new apartment next weekend.

It's actually just downstairs but we are totally trading up.

More baking posts to come with the BRAND NEW KITCHEN!!!!!

Procrastination Station

How can you tell that you're genuinely busy?

-Google reader tally has now reached the point of only showing 1000+

-The only pictures I have taken in the past 2 months have been the 24 that I took at Coachella on my point and shoot and the 6 of the cactus blooming in our yard with my cell phone and those were taken strictly because I knew that if I didn't I would literally cry real tears.

-I make dinner almost every single night and not a single one has been documented. Except for this.



But that's just because K received the pepper rack for his birthday and we totally needed to document it's usage. Which on a side note, if you like jalapeno poppers, go to the store immediately and buy this bad boy. The little tool that comes along with it to core the inside of the peppers is bloody brilliant!

-The last thing you want to do when you get home is even look at a computer, ipad, smart phone or the pile of laundry that has been mounting and possibly growing arms in the corner of the bedroom.

-The work out regiment has fallen sadly to the wayside. And if you'll refer back to point number 3 this does not bode well for the waistline.

-Anything even remotely related to popular culture has gone abundantly by the wayside, so much so that when pop culture references are made on SNL it goes completely over my head. This is embarrassing.

-Sewing and craft projects are now stacked 2 and 3 high in my closet and currently encroaching upon my shoe space. What are my priorities. Seriously!

How can you tell that you're honestly not that busy but just claim to be?

-You are able to attend a 3 day music festival with your boyfriend and not think about anything else except the fabulous bands and friends who surround you for said 3 days.

-You can spend an entire Sunday at the beach and think about nothing else other than how low your drink is getting and if you've put enough sunscreen on. (Drink: Patron Silver, Squirt soda and a twist of fresh lime. Get on the bus. It's the way to go) and there was definitely not enough sunscreen applied if you were wondering.

-You can make a nice little dinner every single night. And maybe sneak in a chocolate cake roll and batch of cookies too.

-You're still able to go on a run with your man friend every couple of nights and you get to spot this guy along the way!

-You are able to almost finish the first season of Mad Men. (Please refer to point #6 of the first list above. That will explain why we're only on the first season of a series that ended almost a year ago.

-You have no one else to take care of other than yourself (and one little silver cat). Unless you have a child, large farm animals, or an adult human who depend completely upon you for their survival you have absolutely not excuse to ever say you're too busy for anything. (guilty)


This all being said I apologize to anyone who has not received a call or an email as of late.
I probably miss you more than you realize and I think about you a lot and will now try to rectify my horrible faux pas.

Also, more documented cooking/baking and finished projects to be posted.

If not, I hold you, dear reader, solely responsible for keeping me honest.

There before the grace of you go I...

There are few places that have remained unchanged since I was a little girl. People shuffle their belongings from one place to another. School years are completed. Jobs are offered, quit or fired and the process is repeated. Family members and friends are added and subtracted by different modes of passage.
This, I have come to accept.  And whether these changes come about from personal determination or commanded upon by an outside force there is one thing that I am adamantly convinced of: Wherever I fall and whatever I am doing, it is meant to be!

This is the lovely house warming gift K gave to me upon our arrival to OUR apartment.
Few things could really explain the kind of person I am in my core. It also happens to be a line from The Lord of the Rings. It went up a notch on my cool scale and went down a couple on K's. ;)

People always ask me how I'm adjusting to a new place and I have come up with a standard issue answer. A city is a city. There will always be mass amounts of crazy people. The traffic will always suck. You will miss your friends from the previous place horribly. The new apartment will feel foreign and scary. You will always think that this new place is much dirtier and louder than the previous.

And then it will start to change. You will find your favorite coffee and brunch spot. You will discover the most wonderful little shops. You will learn short cuts to get places. You will be introduced to interesting and lovely people. And suddenly before you even realize it, this new dirty, smelly, congested, scary place becomes home. Those things that you once complained about before, you don't complain about any more. A city is a city. And this city is my home.

Resolutions: One broken, one kept

I never really put much weight in New Year's resolutions. Why would promises I made to myself and/or others on this day be any different than ones made on any other day of the year?

Oddly enough I feel like this year is slightly different.

Maybe it's because I'm one year closer to the big 30 and everything seems to be speeding up and time is starting to fly by faster.

I'm finding that things that I have meant to do have been eluding me more and more each year.

So, with that I have decided to make a few resolutions this year:
1) I will attend hot yoga no less than 3 times a week.
2) I will decrease my sugar intake.
3) I will travel more.
4) I will bake/take pictures/blog more

Alas, as I was driving my oh-so-handsome, sweet, thoughtful and manly K to the airport this morning, that icky lonesome feeling started to sink in. What is good for fixing a lonesome heart?

Chocolate.

And Marzipan.

And Butter.

These should do the trick.


Marzipan Brownies
adapted from The New Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book 12th Edition

Makes: 16 small brownies
Prep:20 mins
Bake:30 mins

Preheat oven to 350° F

1/2 C Butter
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 C Sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 C APF
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
150g baking marzipan

In medium sauce pan over medium low heat, melt butter and chocolate. Make sure to stir constantly and do not let it come to a bubble. Once completely melted, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile grease an 8x8 pan. Set aside.

Add sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir well until completely incorporated.

Add eggs one at a time, stirring just until combined with a wooden spoon after each addition.
Add vanilla.

In small bowl stir together flour and baking soda. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring just until combine.

Remove 3/4 C of chocolate mixture and set aside.

Add chocolate chips to remaining batter.

Spread evenly in the bottom of the buttered pan.

Roll out marzipan between two sheets of parchment paper, doing the best you can to keep it square and to the size of the pan. I was able to roll mine out to 1/8" thick and just trimmed the edges for it to fit.

Lay out the marzipan onto the batter in the pan and spread the remaining 3/4 C of batter on top.

Bake for 25 mins. I could have baked mine a tad bit longer so you might need to adjust time for your particular oven.


Let it be known, on this 2nd of January 2011, I have kept one resolution (#4) and broken one (#2). But all is not lost. I will be sharing these with my co-workers tomorrow. That is, if I don't eat the entire pan by myself tonight. I am trying to mend a lonesome heart. Can anyone blame me?
Happy New Year.