couple things.

hello.

just a couple of things for today.

1. I do not like duck. I thought maybe I would try it out, you know keep an open mind to new foods and no, no luck. I just do not like it.

2. Tarts:











and as much as I love the kitchen, it just does not provide adequate food photography lighting.

3. I poached apples in apple cider tonight, we will see how they turn out.

4. Dehydrated a few things:
.spinach w/ a drizzle of coconut oil & salt
.squash seeds w/ a drizzle of coconut oil & salt
.pumpkin pie cookies w/ coconut, hazelnuts & pecans
.apple skins
.tomato multi grain & seed crackers

I cannot wait to see how they turn out considering this is my first time using a dehydrator.



ugh - i am hungry, but do not feel like eating anything.

baked goods

little update from being in the kitchen for a week.

this morning I made Pumpkin Muffins:







adapted from Krista's Kravings:

1 cup WW flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)
1/4 cup agave
1 egg white
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut

Combine dry ingredients
Combine wet ingredients (except coconut)
Combine wet into dry
Stir in coconut
Pour batter into muffin tins
Bake for 15 mins at 350


SPRITZ COOKIES:







Filled with a little raspberry jam, these spritz cookies make the holidays complete.
Oh and then there is chocolate gnache spritz cookies:






CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES:








ALMOND MACAROONS:





and these are just a few eats that have been made.

Now I start on week two in the kitchen.

yes!

black beans & dessert

I approach this challenge with a question: how can I made black beans into a sweet raw dessert?

my answer:

1. Brazilian Date Cookie







100 percent raw.

Brazilian Date Cookie made dates,agave nectar, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, salt, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, black beans, Brazil nuts, and coconut oil.


2. Honey Roasted Sesame Sweet



100 percent raw.

Honey Roasted Sesame Sweet made with a honey roasted sesame stick, black beans, pumpkin, dates, Brazil nuts, and coconut oil.


3. Agave Date Sweet





100 percent raw.

Agave Date Sweet made with dates, black beans, agave nectar, honey roasted sesame sticks, Brazil nuts, cinnamon and raw sugar.


4. Brazilian Date Cookie





100 percent raw.

Brazilian Date Cookie made with Brazil nuts, coconut oil, dates, and black beans.


5. Cinnamon Date Truffle





100 percent raw.

cinnamon date truffle made with black beans, honey roasted sesame sticks, Brazil nuts and agave nectar.

Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

October 14, 2009.

today is blog action day.

the topic: climate change.




Upon reading the Top 100 Effects of Global Warning a few thoughts came to mind:

I would be a different person if there was no Christmas trees, I mean come on. Not to mention baseball?!?
How about no lobster or salmon? WHAT!?!

Climate change is a real thing, granted the rapid melting speed of polar ice caps may or may not be true, but that doesnt discount that it is happening.

FACT: our world is not as fresh as it once was. this is true. pollution is true. we live, we create waste and often times, we do not clean up after ourselves.

Solution: Living as "Green" as possible

whether this is just turning off the lights when not in the room, turning off the water faucet when idling standing at the kitchen sink, or not driving around town just to drive around town.

Today I shall conserve as much as I can.

more great tips from Conservation International:

1. Be Informed
The first step toward being a responsible green citizen is knowing the issues and taking time to think about them.

2. Travel Sustainably
Next time you go on vacation or need to take a business trip, consider ways you can cut down on carbon emissions.

3. Be a Green Consumer
It is becoming easier and easier to know what effects the things you buy have on the environment.

4. Eat Green
Environmentally friendly eating habits are easy and healthy.

5. Explore Biodiversity
The diversity of nature is everywhere. So why not roll up your sleeves and see what’s been living right outside your door?

6. Enhance Your Local Biodiversity

Contributing to diversity in your own neighborhood can go a long way toward feeling good every day.

7. Minimize Your Carbon Footprint
By reducing the energy and fossil fuels you use, you are saving the environment from further damage.

8. Offset Your Carbon

After you have done everything you can to minimize your carbon footprint then you can think about how to offset what residual impacts remains.

9. Influence Your Friends, Family, and Community

A green You is a great role model for your friends, family, and colleagues.

10. Support CI
By supporting CI you are maximizing your efforts by joining larger team.

11. Be a Conservation Advocate
Do a little or do a lot, but raise your voice today.

mini raw pumpkin spice pie

mini raw pumpkin spice pie w. a brazillian nut crust compiled on a freshly sliced fuji apple.

brazillian nut crust:

brazil nuts.
aguave nectar.

grind brazil nuts. add aguave nectar to taste.


pumpkin pie spice filling:

pumpkin puree.
pumpkin pie spice.
nutmeg.
cinnamon.
raw sugar.
aguave nectar.

combine everything in a bowl.


slice an apple, add a little lemon juice for preservation.

add brazillian nut crust.

and top it with the pumpkin spice pie filling.

fall.

fall is in the air.

a little piece of autumn bliss arranged on my coffee table.

and from the kitchen, a little arrangement:


in other news: trying something new ::

CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON

.first i started off with chocolate.

.and bacon.
.cooked the bacon.



.and melted the chocolate.


.cut the bacon into bite sized pieces.


.and dipped the bacon in the chocolate and chilled in the freezer.

the result: i got positive results from the tasting crowd.


ive been eating a lot of soup lately. i absoutly LOVE squash! and its in season. This is perfect.




Roasted squash seeds are tasty too. :)



I was at work today and I was thinking: I could never work at a job for the rest of my life that I didnt love. I do not have a passion to work in retail. This is true. It is just a filler job and however much I enjoy working with the people I work with and no matter how much enjoyment I feel at times, I still desire to be doing something I love - BAKING. Being in the kitchen, thinking about the people I love and how much they will love what I am making for them.

School is going well! I successfully completed my ServSafe class (took the certification test) and now I am waiting for the results. Now that ServSafe is under my best, I progress into Hotel Management. I like this class so far, we are working on building our portfolios and presentation.

There is more I want to say, more I want to expel from my head. However I am exhausted and I feel that I need sleep. Church tomorrow. and work.

Goodnight.

is it really tuesday already

hello.

happy tuesday to you. this weekend flew by.

and so I come out of the world of HACCP plans, foodbourne illnesses, minimum internal cooking tempertures, and pests to write about a little of what I did this weekend.

Friday night, Charlie and I went to my parents house in North Georgia. Here, the air is fresh and the eggs are even fresher (my parents own a small farm). My mother cans her own vegetables, soups, and on occasion she'll even make apple butter.

Saturday morning was spent with my mother, as the men went to run into town. :)
I taught them how to make a soffuled omelet (which I HIGHLY recommend, if you're searching for new egg ideas), while dad grilled the maple turkey sasuage and mom set toasted the bread. Served with sides of cottage cheese and frozen fruit, we sat down to brunch as a family.
lovely was the morning.

Later Charles and i visited this lovely bakery called Alons.

a little peak at the selection of goodies they offer:

and of course, one had to be tried.
Taramisu:

The final rating:

After Alons, we headed on.

Here are a few little things I snapped:

DOLLAR SUSHI at HARRY AND SONS on N.HIGHLAND = very yummy!
That is where I ate dinner tonight and it was delightful. The atmosphere is hip, the service is quick and very nice, and the food tasted GREAT! (not to mention at a great price too)


_SOMETHING TO BE TRIED_

blend together:

.Frozen Banana
.Tad bit of Vanilla Coffee Creamer
.Peanut Butter (I used sunflower seed butter)

I promise this is better then ice cream.
no lie.

Enjoy.

goodnight.