The BEST Pancakes. Really.

1/4 c. ground almonds

1/4 c. flour
1 tbsp. finely ground golden flax seed
pinch salt
3 tbsp. sugar (or honey)
3/4 tbsp. baking powder

1 egg
1/2 c. milk (maybe a bit more to thin)
1/4 c. ricotta cheese
big spoonful sour cream

This is a 1/4 amount of the recipe, since it is just us three. Mix the dry and the wet separately, then combine. Butter the pan. They can be a little tricky to flip, so pour them small. They crisp up nicely in the pan and hardly need syrup.

Rainbow Cookies

I saw this recipe on LaLa in La.
It is supposed to be a sugar free, fat free cookie but I couldn't handle it at the last moment and put a little in. I think the dates would have added a lot of sweetness, but I didn't have any. Any changes I put in parenthesis.
They are really good!


Rainbow Cookies

1/2 cup dried apricots, cut up

1/2 cup golden raisins (I used dried Bing cherries)

1/2 cup dates, cut up (I used dried cranberries)

6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate

1 and 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg, lightly beaten (I used two small Bantam eggs)

1/2 cup canola or safflower oil

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

(At the last minute I added 1/4 cup brown sugar, and about 1/4 cup butter cut into little pieces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In small nonreactive saucepan combine apricots, raisins, dates, orange juice concentrate. Simmer 10 minutes and let cool. Combine oat, flour, salt, baking soda in large bowl. Add egg and oil and mix well. Stir in cooled fruit and seeds. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. Flatten with spatula to 1/4 inch thickness. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on rack and store in airtight container.

The Dark & the Light

That's what I love about Halloween. Life & Death. Trick or Treat? I guess there's not one without the other. Eh?

Annie loves this holiday. She isn't afraid of the dark side. She's asked six friends to come over and play and do funny Halloween stuff with her tomorrow afternoon, so today we made cookies and put up some streamers in preparation. I got a great recipe off of Cooks Illustrated for gingerbread and Ulla posted a great looking idea for decorating them, and that's exactly what we did. We made human bones and skeletons, a chicken skeleton and a few hearts. Now I just have to keep them away from Jasper until tomorrow.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fungus

I'll tell you, Annie has a sixth sense when it comes to sniffing out mushrooms. She has an eagle eye and a "sense" about where they are. This one wasn't hidden at all though, it was in plain sight growing in a front yard down the street near the Kung Fu studio she attends. It was one of three, this one being the biggest. It measures 5" wide and 5 1/2" high, and I'm guessing it weighs the same as a package of butter which is a pound. It has a wonderful earthy smell and it is perfect for eating at this time. I think sauteing it and making a wonderful soup with it is the way to go, except that Billy refuses to have any of us eat it until it is identified properly. All my books show it and describe it as a Giant Puffball. Any one out there want to second my identification? Michelle?

Spring Feelings

We are busy over here with our feet in the grass and the breeze in our hair! My lack of blogging is really a celebration of Spring, and an expression of our engagement with the world! We are feeling content, joyful and very connected to each other! The following is a sampling of what we've been up to;

Annie and I pulled our bikes out of winter-mode and have been riding all around town.

The aviary is abuzz with nesting, laying eggs and sorting out who goes with who. We are finding and offering different nesting materials for the hens.

Lots of croquet in the back yard! Goodwill find for $9.99!

Making long, drawn out breakfasts that include Annie's version of Fanny Farmers pancakes. (Add ricotta and an extra egg. Leave out the baking soda.)

A T.V free week!! (I hate T.V., Annie loves it!)

We made home-made watercolor cards for Spring with Illana. I painted mushrooms and chicks, Annie and Illana did everything under the rainbow.

We made home-made butter yesterday to surprise Pop!

Went on a windy picnic with Willow and Lazuli to Point Isabelle with Jasper.

Warm Glow

I'm still basking in the warm glow of the holiday! Ahhhh... LaLa, Jordan, Rebecca and the kids drove up from Los Angeles honoring us with a visit! It was so wonderful to have a houseful in this new house! Bill and I worked hard on prep of both the house and the meal(s) and it was so worth it because each meal and all the time we spent together went so smooth and pleasurably. The kids were amazingly harmonious too and so considerate of each other, plus they played non-stop without interruption, except to fall into bed at night. I was so proud of them, and relaxed since I didn't have to mediate or worry. They played with all the toys and games in the house and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. They went native on us the first morning after finding paints on a bench outside, so I snapped a few. Each moment was so filled to the brim that these are all I took and they don't begin to portray all of the happiness, gratitude and beauty I felt then and am still feeling today.

Pot Pies

Now that Bill's away so much more, I am forced to face the fact that he is not going to be able to do the amount of cooking he has enjoyed in the past. Well, we all enjoyed in the past. So, I'm trying to excersise my cooking muscles. Last week I made a big pot of split pea soup and we baked madeline's, and today, Annie and I went into production and made six chicken pot pies. Five individual, and one family-size. I also made nine (!) disks of pie dough for future pies and quiches for eating ourselves and for giving away. I'm excited to try a recipe that LaLa gave me for a savory bread pudding. Next week.

Happy Meal? or Don't Look Vegetarians!

Annie loves to go to Chinatown and visit this one, out of the way, "fish store" where they sell live fish, turtles and frogs for eating. We were having a pleasant "embroidery" morning, *just imagine sweet classical music playing* when she asked if we could go over to Chinatown and get a fresh fish for dinner. O.K! Why not? *now can you hear the Jaws theme?* So we gussied up and drove over the bridge to Stockton and Jackson, had a light nosh of delicous dim sum near Portsmouth Square, then hoofed up the steep block to this whole-in-the-wall shop. The busy clerks pretty much ignored us, thinking we were just tourists, and helped numerous Chinese customers, which was perfectly fine with Annie, since she loves seeing who chooses what, how they kill it (right in front of you with a wooden club) and how they clean it. It also thrills Annie to no end to round up any turtle or frog that is trying to escape and return it to it respective enclosure. *imagine the thanks she getting from the animals!* So, can you guess which of God's creatures we had for dinner tonight? Look for the one that has the really scared looking expression on it's face.

Filled to the Brim

We had a great day yesterday with our dear friends the Meyers'. It was so good to see them, and so grateful they made the trip from Santa Cruz to visit us in Alameda! I felt filled to the brim with love and contentment. Cory brought a beautiful basket of tomatoes from her garden, and the girls brought some sweet gifts for Annie and I. It was hot so we really just lounged, ate, the girls all played in the backyard in Annie's pool and with the hose. Annie and I made scones in the morning and set up a tea party in the living room to welcome them when they arrived. It was so exciting just knowing they were coming!

So, this morning Annie and I blanched all the tomatoes, then Annie happily squished all of them while I sauteed the garlic and olive oil. (Now there are tomato seeds and red splashes everywhere! I just found a seed on my cheek and ear! ) The sauce is still simmering and smells very tasty.

Tonight we feast on friendship!

Cooking With Annie

Annie loves to cook and she can make pancakes almost by herself! Here she is, and "us" in our matching aprons. So far, I really like the kitchen here and Annie is able to work really easily at the low counter. Unfortunatly, Jasper can easily "counter surf" and I've been putting him on the back porch while we're preparing food or eating it.

Brand New Day

Annie pulled out her wiggly tooth this morning at about 10:30. She is ecstatic! I was amazed when she decided to just yank it out, and then did! In my mind this first tooth marks the entering of a whole new phase of growth and development. I'm feeling simultaneously delighted and a little weepy today... she isn't a little little girl anymore, and I'm thrilled to see her thriving and growing so beautifully.

As a way to mark the occasion, we decided to make an extra delicious brunch and celebrate. Annie collected eggs from the hens for a scramble, we brewed some extra special tea with honey, and made some fresh scones. The scones were really, really yummy and easy to make so I'll include the recipe here if you want to try them.

Oh yeah, Annie asked me to make a note to the toothfairy for her that says she wants a first aid kit so that she can care for any animals that get injured. Bill went to the drug store and got her one so we can tuck it under her pillow tonight.

Scone Recipe

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold unsalted butter

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream or yogurt or milk

I also added dried cranberries.

Glaze:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon cream or milk

Preheat to 375. Line pan with parchment. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in butter until pea size. Mix wet ingredients in a measuring cup, then pour over dry ingredients until mixed. Don't over mix. Form into a ball, flatten to about 1 1/2" high, 7" wide round and cut into triangles. Brush with glaze. Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and tops are starting to brown.

Cooking with Fannie

We made Fannie Farmer's pancakes today for lunch at Annie's request. (We might have had them for breakfast but I had to watch a really big show that Annie created in her room.) Mmmm. Those are really good pancakes. And I'm not a big pancake person either. I'm more of an egg and toast or omelet girl myself. I can't figure out what makes them so tasty? It must be the precise amounts of each ingredient, because every other recipe has the same basic stuff. Now that Annie's almost six, she can do quite a bit of the mixing and measuring, as well as the flipping too. Although today I had an out of work Vegas showgirl doing our flipping.

Here's the recipe (below) so you can try them for yourself, if you haven't already. A big thanks to Cory and her girls for first making them for us, and then finding a copy of the book Fannie in the Kitchen for Annie's bookshelf!

2 C. Flour

1/4 C. Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1 1/2 tbs baking powder

1 Egg

2 C. Milk

2 tbs Melted Butter


Mix and sift dry stuff; beat egg, add milk and pour slowly on dry stuff. Beat thoroughly and add butter. Drop by spoonfuls on a greased hot griddle. When puffed, full of bubbles, and cooked on edges, flip. Serve with maple syrup and butter.

Pure Pleasure

Words don't come close to how beautiful it was here today. Wow! With the showers we had on Friday night and yesterday, today was bright, beautiful, warm and glorious. Annie, Bill and I went for a long hike out at Wilder Ranch (Yeah for Annie for walking for more than two hours!) to celebrate our wedding day twelve years ago. One thing that stood out for me that made today so pleasurable, was all the scents. The earth was damp and pungent, the spray off the ocean smelled musky and the acres and acres of rosemary farmed out there kept wafting past us as we wound around the ocean path. Heavenly! I'm being called downstairs right now because we are about to make a special dinner to continue the celebration (complete with a chocolate heart cake that Annie and I baked for Papa this morning to surprise him.) I'm hoping everyone had a pleasurable day, and that it continues on through your week!

Gingerbread Woman

I love the shape of this gingerbread woman. She is so thick-waisted and capable looking isn't she? I used the Gingerbread Man Cookie recipe from Joy of Cooking but I don't know if I'd use it again. The flavor doesn't have that intense zing! that I really love. This recipe turned out slightly-mild and soft-cookie-like. Plus it was hard to re-roll the extra dough after each cutting. Maybe I should have found a recipe for Gingerbread Woman Cookies instead. Aside from that, Annie and Chloe loved the whole process. Rolling, cutting, and eating the dough, and then decorating. They both made a highly decorated cookie to leave out for Santa for Christmas Eve.