I painted some old riding boots, and they could be yours! I’m auctioning them off on Ebay. They are entirely decorative, perfect for a conversation piece, or the centerpiece at a race-day party, a polo match, or even just a horse crazy kid’s party.
This post originally appeared in 2015 on my other blog.
I discovered the joys of fresh pesto a couple years ago. Traditionally, pesto calls for pine nuts, but pine nuts are expensive so I have never made pesto with pine nuts. I have discovered, though, that pesto with almonds is even better.
A friend gave me an enormous bunch of basil from her mother’s garden (I believe their exact words were “basil forest”)–I was delighted. Basil is one plant I can’t grow very well (hardly the only one) but it really brightens all kinds of dishes.
And it makes pesto. We love pesto.
The Recipe:
4 garlic cloves
1/4 c raw almonds
1/2 c parmesan cheese
2-1/2 cups lightly packed basil leaves
3/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
Pulse garlic cloves in food processor until minced. Add almonds, pulse till starting to look like coarse sand. Add parmesan, pulse till mixed. Add basil, pulse till minced. Add EVOO slowly while processor is running, add salt, run till it’s basically smooth. Then you’re done and can dip bread it in or pour it on pasta or put little 1/2 cup servings in the freezer for some other day. I think this makes about 1 1/2 cups of pesto. I only put 1/2 cup in my pesto pasta for 4 meal. More gets a bit overwhelming.
Oh…did you notice that the picture shows more like 8 garlic cloves? I promise, it was more like 5 when they were covered in their little papery skins. Five hefty cloves, but only one extra for us anti-vampire garlic lovers that Zorro and I are.
Don’t be alarmed if the top of the pesto gets brown–that’s just oxidation. You can pour EVOO on top before storing to prevent that.
Our favorite way to eat pesto is with pasta (in this case, brown rice and spinach pasta) and chicken. I also sauteed some mushrooms and onions and mixed those in, also.
We have eaten this meal three times in the past two weeks and we’re not tired of it yet.
Mom started making homemade granola right around the time I started college. At the time, I wasn’t into yogurt and granola. But a few years of school and the realization that I really really need sustenance in the morning (dangit) and yogurt and granola became a routine part of the breakfast rotation. When I graduated I needed the recipe, and learned that granola is really flexible. Start with oats, oil, and flour or sugar of some kind to make it all stick, then add whatever you think you might like. I’ve taken to adding dried cherries after its cooked. All part of this complete breakfast!
The Homemade Granola Recipe
Mix in large bowl (8qt)
14 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 c sesame seeds
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1/4 c chopped almonds/walnuts/pecans
1 c powdered milk
1/2 flour or nut flour (I use the almond flour from my almond milk sometimes)
2 tsp salt
1-2 cups dark brown sugar/honey/maple syrup
Add 1 c water
1 c oil (I use olive oil, typically, but you could use coconut oil [melted] or grapeseed)
3T vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Mix thoroughly, spread in two large jelly roll pans and bake for 2 hours at 250 degrees. Add 1/2 c dried fruit if desired. Enjoy!
Ever since reading Calico Captive as a teenager, I have been fascinated with the idea of sipping chocolate.
This year I actually made it a couple times during the holidays, and may very well make it again as the winter progresses.
It’s very good.
So much depends on the chocolate you use, but I’ve actually really enjoyed my Costco brand chocolate chips. Who knew, right? I should really try it with some of the fancy organic fairtrade $4/bar chocolates and see how that changes the experience, but so far the chocolate chips are doing the trick.
One of the really fun parts is garnish–or whatever else you call the last finishing touch ingredient. So far my favorite is cinnamon sprinkled on top, but cinnamon with a spit of hot chili powder is also good. You could also use whipped cream, or whipping cream straight, lavender or rose (if you like drinking flowers), orange zest, fancy salt, vanilla sugar…Lindt bar flavors are great inspiration for chocolate toppers.
Cheers!
The Recipe (adapted from the Tasty Kitchen Blog)
3 c whole milk
1/2 c heavy cream
8 oz chocolate finely chopped
1 tsp maple syrup or honey (I used honey)
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used homemade bourbon vanilla extract)
dash salt (brings out the flavor)
Warning: This is a really, really rich drink. Tasty Kitchen says it makes 4 servings. You have to have a serious capacity to down chocolate to only get 4 servings out of this. You could generously serve 6, or comfortably serve 8. This recipe does alright the next day chilled, though, so leftovers are not the end of the world.
Warm the milk and cream to nearly a simmer, add the chopped chocolate and whisk till melted. Add the honey, vanilla extract and dash of salt. Simmer and whisk about 4 minutes until starting to thicken.
Serve with cinnamon or whipped cream. Or both. Sky’s the limit.
I love peanut butter cups–that is, I love my peanut butter cups. So does Zorro. I always dig out the recipe and then realize in surprise that I don’t follow it.
It’s not that there is anything wrong with the recipe, it’s just that I have a near-celiac friend and started converting things to gluten free. This is one of the rare things which is actually better that way–plus it’s much better for you. What with raw honey instead of sugar, no wheat, and just a bit of chocolate and butter fat. It’s like melted trail mix now.
I forgot I usually use honey and used powdered sugar this time…whoops. It’s what I get for cooking and watching Agents of Shield at the same time.
Tasted good.
I’ve finally gotten better at the art of pouring peanut butter–most of the peanut butter is in the cups this time around! Woot!
So here you go, I’ve now written down what I actually do when I make peanut butter cups. When I’m not distracted by a tv show and trying to remember what I do instead of following the recipe.
