Strawberry Shortcake Cookies- Take one and two

First attempt on top, second and more successful attempt on bottom.

These are all second attempt.  Yummy.

I found this recipe awhile ago and was smitten but unable to make it until strawberries were back and season.  I don't know what those orange and white, giant as fists and hard as apples things that they sell as strawberries during Wisconsin winters are, but they aren't strawberries.  (Maybe they are made out of the same thing as off season "tomatoes.")

My plan was to make a batch the regular way, then try my hand at a vegan version.  Alas, my first batch turned out all wrong.  They tasted great, but they had the consistency of muffin tops and not shortcake.  So, I found myself following the same recipe again to right my wrongs.  Some of the recipe comments were about the dough being too dry and not coming together.... My dough was eerily similar to cake batter.  I think the use of seasonal berries led to too much juiciness when I added them to the rest of the ingredients.  On take two, I skipped adding lemon juice and went with lemon zest.  I also used a slotted spoon to scoop up the berries to add them, leaving the juice behind.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
Adapted from: MarthaStewart.com
Yield: about 3 dozen

Ingredients:
12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups) - I recommend using slightly less
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling- Oops, forgot about this part!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon zest , and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
   
2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
   

Sorry the posts have been not so frequent.  I've been traveling a lot, dealing with apartment issues, and trying to get ready for graduate school!

Brent's Birthday Pie (Rhubarb Berry Pie)

In honor of my wonderful husband's 30th birthday, I made him a pie.  Not just any pie, but the first pie I've ever made from scratch all by myself.  I was pretty pleased with the results.  My crust could use some work, but I can't be too disappointed since it was the first I've ever made.  Really, it just needs refinement.  I didn't fold the edge of the crust under far enough because I was afraid.  This resulted in the pie having a bizarre upper edge due to my deep dish pan.  The failures were purely aesthetic though.  It tasted great and held it's shape when sliced.  Most importantly, it got the hubby seal of approval. 

Rhubarb Berry Pie
Adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book
Yield: 1 pie

Ingredients:
1 recipe for single crust pie pastry (see below)
1 recipe crumb topping
6 cups fruit ( I used about 3 cups chopped rhubarb and 3 cups blackberries + strawberry halves)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Prepare and roll out pie pastry.  Line a 9 inch pie plate with the pastry.  Trim and crimp the edge as desired.  Prepare crumb topping and set aside.
3. In a bowl, mix fruit with sugar.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Add 1/3 cup sifted flour and stir.
4. Transfer the rhubarb mixture to the pastry-lined pie plate.  Sprinkle crumb topping over pie, avoiding the crust.
5. To prevent over-browning, cover the edges of the pie with foil.  Bake for 25 minutes, remove foil, and bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  This pie is best after it has cooled for several hours.  (It is especially good the day after, if you can wait that long!)

Single Crust Pie Pastry- Food processor method
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/3 cup butter, diced and chilled
4-5 tbsp ice-cold water

Directions:
1. Add flour, salt, and sugar to food processor.  Pulse to combine.  Add butter.  Before processing, dredge the butter cubes with flour to coat.  This helps them stay separate.  In the end, you want bits of visible butter in your dough.  Pulse with the butter, about 10 seconds, until the mixture is crumbly.
2. With food processor running (should not exceed 30 seconds), add ice water through the shoot in a slow steady stream just until dough forms.  Do not add too much water. 
3. Dump out contents onto a sheet of plastic wrap.  With minimal touching of the pastry and using the sides of the wrap to shape, form dough into a flat disk.  Let dough rest in the fridge for about 1 hour.  Roll out on a floured surface to desired thickness, transfer to pan, and prepare edge.


Crumb Topping
 Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp butter

Directions:
1. Stir together flour and sugar. 
2. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. 

Berries with sugar.  This step brings out the fruit juices.

Berries mixed with flour to make filling.

Before...

After!

Polenta Fries

Here is a great way to use up leftover polenta (the kind that comes in a tube).

Polenta Fries
Adapted from: Whole Living Magazine May 2011
Yield: 1 tube makes enough fries for 3-4 people

Ingredients:
Polenta (prepared in a tube)
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Slice polenta into large sticks, about 1/2 inch thick. 
3. Toss  the polenta slices with the olive oil to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Roast on a baking sheet, rotating the tray once, until golden and crispy.  This will take about 30-35 minutes depending on thickness of fries.

Notes:
-Try to make the fries as uniform as possible.  I failed at this and my results suffered because of it.
- These fries have an excellent crunchy texture when finished and a flavor reminiscent of popcorn.  Enjoy with mustard!

Vegan Herb Potato Salad

I love creamy potato salad AND I love vegannaise, so I made my own version.  Results?  A huge success!  I really doubt anyone would be able to tell that this is vegan.
I love baby potatoes, especially the purple ones.  I try to eat several different colors everyday and the purple potatoes definitely fill in a void for purple foods in my life.

Potato salad!

Look at those colors (read: vitamins)

Vegan Herb Potato Salad
By: me!
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb of baby potatoes, scrubbed clean and chopped into large bite-size pieces
1/4-1/3 cup vegannaise
1/4-1/3 cup vegan sour cream (look for non-hydrogenated versions)
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
2-3 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 small lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Place potatoes in bottom of a large pot.  Add water to just cover potatoes.  Salt the water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are just tender.
2. In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup vegannaise, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 tbsp olive oil, dill, salt and pepper, lemon juice and onion.
3.  While potatoes are still warm, mix with vegannaise mixture.  If the potatoes need more dressing, adjust the amounts of vegannaise, sour cream, and olive oil.  Season to taste.
4. Chill salad for at least 1 hour.  The flavors work best after it has chilled for several hours.  Season again before eating as flavors will combine and change over time.

The Best Vegan Banana Bread

Okay, so this may not truly be the best vegan banana bread ever.  There is no way of knowing until something tops it...
If that never happens, this will recipe will keep me satisfied.

(Side note: I just saw that my friend Molly made this same recipe too...Weird but not surprising as we both love vegan recipes.  Check out her post here.)

Vegan Banana Bread
Adapted from IsaChandra on Post Punk Kitchen
Yield: 1 8x4 inch loaf

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter, at room temp
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well
2 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups white and 1/2 cup stone ground wheat)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup almond milk, mixed with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 8×4 bread pan with non stick cooking spray, or lightly coat with margarine.
Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
Cream together the vegan butter and sugars. Add bananas, almond milk and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well. Pour batter into pan. Bake for an hour to an hour 10 minutes.

Heavenly Orange Macaroons (Vegan)

Here is a new take on a good recipe from the past.  You can see the original here.  I love pairing dark chocolate with orange.  Don't get me wrong, if I had to choose between the original coconut-y goodness and the orange version, I'd go with the former.  But, if I can have them both....  I just love coconut so much!  Sea salt adds a tingle to your tasting!

Heavenly Orange Macaroons
Source: Adapted from The Willy St Co-op Reader

Ingredients:
2 1⁄2 cup shredded coconut
1⁄2 cup pastry flour (whole wheat, spelt or alternative) - I used stone ground whole wheat
1⁄4 tsp sea salt
1⁄2 cup brown rice syrup
1⁄4 cup maple syrup ( or honey)
1/2 tsp orange extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/3 cup water
1/2 cup chocolate chips for melting

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and grease lightly.
3. Mix flour, sea salt, and coconut in a bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together.
5. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Add extra water if the batter seems dry.
6.  With wet hands, form batter into 3/4 inch balls.  You may have to squeeze some liquid out as you roll the batter in your hand.  Keep wetting hands to keep batter from sticking.  Place balls on prepared sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden on top.  Remove from oven and cool completely.
8. Melt 1/4 cup chocolate chips in a double boiler or very carefully in a saucepan.  When melted, remove from heat and add other 1/4 cup.  Stir until melted.
9. Dip cooled macaroons into the chocolate as desired.  (I just coated the bottoms.) Place on wax paper to cool.  If desired, sprinkle wax paper with sea salt prior to placing macaroons down.

Caramelized Onion Pasta Salad (Vegan)

I love that certain foods like onion and garlic get even better under conditions that would cook other foods to death.  When cooked or roasted for almost eternity, these foods sweeten and turn into ooey gooey brown candy.  I experienced caramelized onions for the first time a couple of years ago and have craved them almost daily since then.  Like cheese, they make everything better.
It's been insanely hot here.  It's been in the mid 90s outside.  Inside, well our AC isn't working, so it's worse.  It is disheartening to go outside and realize it is cooler and there's a breeze! Anyway, the conditions have forced me to get creative.  I can't bake because I can't use the oven. That would be torture in our tiny space.  I know at least one person who would kill me for it.  Unless, of course, the heat got him first. 
Here is a pasta salad I made after a day of contemplating.  It was very savory and delicious. 

Sliced onions in a dry pan.

Onions beginning to caramelize!

Mmm... Pasta Salad!

Vegan Caramelized Onion Pasta Salad
Yield 2-3 servings

Ingredients:
2 medium onions (I prefer yellow or sweet, but they will all work)
2-3 tbsp olive oil + 2-3 tbsp
1/2 lb uncooked-farfalle pasta (cooked, aka bow-ties; you can really use whatever)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
3oz tofu, cubed and fully cooked (I froze mine for texture and then thawed and fried.)
Parmesan cheese (for non-vegans only) or vegan shaky cheese substitute to garnish.

Directions:
1. Thinly slice the onions.  I used a food processor because you want the slices fairly uniform.  (A mandoline would also work, but I don't have one of those for the sake of my own personal safety...specifically that of my fingertips)
2. Put onions in a large dry pan over medium-low heat and cover.  The goal is to let the onions spread out so everybody heats evenly.  Stir about every 5 minutes.  The onions will get juicy before they begin to dry out and stick to the pan.  At this point, the onions should begin to brown.  Uncover, and the oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Stir and turn the heat up to medium.
3. Stir onions every few minutes until they are uniformly light brown (caramel color).  Remove from heat and cool.
4. In a bowl, combine vegan mayonnaise, 2 tbsp olive oil, and caramelized onions.  If the mixture is thick, add more oil.  Mix with pasta and tofu.  Eat it hot or cold. Season and garnish to taste.

Enjoy.

Perfect for a 90 degree day: Easy French Press Iced Coffee

Brent and I both love iced coffee in the summer, but paying for a glass of it that mostly contains ice is always frustrating.  Last summer I discovered a method for making iced coffee concentrate in my french press.  This year, it was the first thing I thought of when the temperatures began to creep up.

Easy Iced Coffee
Yield: about 1 cup of concentrate or 4-6 cups of iced coffee

Ingredients:
1 cup of fresh coffee grounds (because iced coffee is naturally less acidic, feel free to use cheap coffee and save the good stuff for hot brewed coffee)
2 cups cold water

Directions:
1. Place coffee grounds in the bottom of a 3 cup french press.
2. Add cold water and stir with a non-metal utensil.  (Metal can react with the coffee and result in an unpleasant taste).  Let the mixture sit for a few minutes and stir again. 
3. Place the french press in your fridge and leave for at least 8 hours and up to 14.
4. When concentrate is ready, press the plunger of the french press down and pour concentrate into a clean, resealable container.
5. To make iced coffee: Fill a glass with ice.  Add concentrate to fill about 1/4 of glass.  Fill the rest with water or milk.  Stir to combine.  Add more concentrate as necessary.

Coffee grounds in french press.

And the bride wore Keens...

 On Friday, June 3rd, Brent and I married each other in a simple ceremony on top of a rock on the side of a mountain in Golden, Colorado.  While it didn't go off without a hitch, it was still perfect.
What hitches? You ask.  Here are a few of the more entertaining details:
- We got about an hour and a half out of Madison and realized we forgot our wedding outfits back home (outfits we had helped each other choose and had painstakingly steamed and placed in a garment bag only to leave on the steamer rack when we departed).  Seemed a little silly to be so upset about a shirt and a dress when we were going to visit a friend who just lost everything in a wildfire.  We ended up going to Target in Colorado and finding new clothes that did the trick.
-The woman at the courthouse called me Carrie the whole time and spelled Brent's name wrong.
-Vultures and giant black crows circled overhead during our little ceremony, but they also led us to the bobcat, which was pretty cool to see.
-The hot tub was somehow electrified and shocked our friend repeatedly (the repetition was kind of his fault).
- We had no hot water.
Did any of it matter in the end?  Nope.

If anything, it added to the story we will someday tell our grandchildren.  We had an awesome road trip, a very special and intimate ceremony, and are very happy to be husband and wife!

We went for a hike in the Golden Gate State Park and walked until we literally couldn't breathe.

Brent and I at the courthouse in Central City, CO.

This is the trail we got married on.

This was the path we set out on to find the perfect ceremony spot.

We marched on until we couldn't see any sign of civilization and found a nice rock.

Another view of our rock.

My favorite photo of my new husband.

Group shot: (l-r) Dan, Maggie, Adam, me, and Brent

We wanted to see some real wildlife, but a dead bobcat was still interesting.

Signing our certificate.

Examining the error... I married someone named Bret?

Bret...I mean Brent, wasn't too thrilled, but we're married and very happy!