Garlic Sauteed Tomatoes and Edamame over Barley

Getting back into my training program and also wanting to not eat meat poultry or fish everyday, I thought I'd make a vegetarian dinner yesterday. I didn't have time to go to the grocery store so I'd wondered what I could make with things I already had in my fridge and freezer.

My husband wanted broiled Tilapia, so I made something I thought he could have as a side dish and  I could have it as my main meal.

I found some fresh tomatoes, frozen shelled edamame and uncooked barley, and obviously there is lots of garlic and also onion.

To make the sautee you need the following:

2 firm, ripe tomatoes cut in cubes
1/4 large onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped or pressed
1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh edamame
tsp sesame oil (just for flavor)
salt & pepper
tbsp soysauce



Start out with chopping your onions and your garlic and set aside, then cut you tomatoes into small cubes. You can take out the seeds if you like, but I didn't do that, as the Roma tomatoes I used didn't have a lot of seeds.

Once you are done with all the prep work, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large pan or a wok, sautee the onions and the garlic until the onion becomes translucent. Add the edamame and the sesame oil and let sautee for about 5 minutes, add the tomatoes and cook a bit longer until they are soft but not mushy, season with salt, pepper and a splash of soysauce.

Serve on a bed of cooked barley, brown or white rice, or even over pasta if you like!

Bon Appetit!

A day at the San Diego Safari Park / Stacked Rhinos

Two weeks ago the opportunity arose to drive South to San Diego County and visit the San Diego Safari Park, which is the sister institution to San Diego Zoo. The 405 towards the North was closed so Horseback Riding was a no go for the weekend and a Zoo visit had been on the agenda for a while. We get a Membership every year, which by the way is a great deal as it lets you visit the park and the Zoo as often as you want. So driving down to San Diego County to spend time with dear friends and seeing some wildlife at the same time was a no-brainer.

I made it to the Safari Park in no time and met up with my group of friends right as they were heading to the Elephant exhibit. It's beautiful to see these giants being so gentle with there babies. We saw that the herd had had 3 new babies this spring and compared to their mothers they were just tiny. Everything was great in Elephant Kingdom, with the exception of Dad, he was very unhappy that he had been separated, but he's a treat to the little ones and he has to be kept away.






On we went down the hill to check on some acrobats and then it was up the hill to get something to eat and look at a few other things....

Always amusing are the Meerkatz. The play with their boxes, play hide and seek or sit casually in the sun and amuse themselves. I am sure they think of us as their personal entertainment. We watched them for a while and moved on to feed the Parakeets. Well I didn't because for some odd reason, I just can't handle flying critters that close to me at all. Not even Butterflies! I love to see them and they are beautiful, but the thought of them landing on my head, my arms or shoulders just freaks me out.... I guess we all have our cross to carry. Arriving at the wooden bridge we made our way over to the Gorilla enclosure and passed some pretty domestic ducks on our way. They were were curious and didn't even care a camera coming within inches of them.

I think I woke her up.

And this little one wants something to eat.

We didn't see much of the Gorillas as they were all taking naps. The only one really visible was the Silverback and he was napping as well, so unfortunately I did not get a good shot of him. Slowly we made our way down to the tram Safari and there was almost no waiting, on a Saturday.... WOW!

The tram takes you along the large enclosures, and we had the opportunity to see the baby Giraffes, some Somali Wild Ass with their babies, Water Buffalo, Zebra's and Gazelles. Our Tram driver gave us a lot of information about the different species and the breeding programs the Zoological Society is involved it.



We saw a lonesome Rhino in an enclosure and she explained to us that this is their oldest bull and that he had had a lot of babies with the females they have at the Zoo already, so they brought in a newcomer and had to separate him from the herd. Hoping the new bull would mate with the ladies to keep genetics fresh...... Little did we know what we would see at the end of our ride.

We were almost to the end of our ride, passed by the King of the Jungle and then suddenly the herd of Rhinos comes into view......


Looking over to the herd we noticed that the new male was already impressing the ladies. I guess we don't have to worry about the genetics of the Rhinos in the Safari Park anymore, as he was already mating with one of the females.


Getting off the Tram we asked our two youngest visitors of the day which animal they liked the most to which one answered.... "The ASS", the other little girl took a bit more time with her answer until she finally said:

 

"The STACKED Rhinos"!

Oatmeal Cake with Apples n Honey

Hello my fellow bakers,  I know it's been a while, but we're busy at work and then we are looking for a home to buy, so baking has taken a little bit of a back seat lately. But I figured something out that is super easy to make and tastes delicious.

This cake is super easy to make and doesn't even require you to take out a mixer. All you need is a measuring cup, a bowl and the most basic of ingredients...

1 cup rolled oats or instant oats (I used BetterOats, Instant Oatmeal in Cinnamon Spice)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk (I use fat free)
butter (or pam for spraying the pan)

Then you add in what you like, depending on taste:

I added:

1 medium size apple diced
2 tablespoons of Honeyville Apple Cinnamon Whipped Honey (dissolved in the milk).




I tasted Honeyville Honey the first time almost a year ago, while on vacation in Durango, CO. We drove by the store and I just stopped by to check it out, even though I usually don't like honey. Honeyville totally changed that! I bought multiple jars of their "Whipped" honey and I was hooked. I didn't have luggage to check on my flight out to California and stuffed the jars in my carry on, forgetting I couldn't take them in the cabin. But I wouldn't be parted with this little jars of liquid gold so I checked my bag and kept my honey. THANK GOD! Unfortunately you won't be able to find this delicious treats in your grocery store, but you can order Honeyville Honeys on their website at www.HoneyvilleColorado.com or by clicking directly on the logo.

OK, after the little detour and my story about how one taste of Honeyville deliciousness changed my opinion about honey, lets get to making the batter:

Mix the oatmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and if you use unflavored oats add in two tablespoons of cinnamon. Once you mixed that well add in the egg and the milk, stir well so everything is well combined. Add the diced or grated apples and bake in a pre-heated 375F oven for about 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer/toothpick comes out clean.

Cool and enjoy! The cake tastes even better if you wrap it in foil and let it sit in the fridge for 2 days as the aroma gets better!


And the result is this:

Variations: Leave out the apple, add in apricots, cocoa powder chocolate chips, sliced almonds, any kind of nuts. The options are endless!

Grilled Chicken Breats marinated in a Coconut Milk/Jamaican Jerk Marinade

YUMMY is all I can say. I adapted this recipe from it's original and it turned out just fabulous. As we all striving to get in shape for the summer season we're eating a lot lighter for dinner and this is a great variation on your regular, "Bla" Chicken Breast.

Oh and did I tell you it's easy to make. Lately Chicken Breast have been on sale in bulk packages and we eat a lot of it. But it does get boring when it all tastes similar. So I thought this would work well next to a salad instead of in cubes in a salad.

You will need:

2 -3 Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Coconut Milk
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
Red Pepper Flakes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Pepper
Salt
Allspice

Put the coconut milk, soy sauce, a generous amount of jerk seasoning, allspice (a few dashes), ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and a little salt in a blender (I like the BULLET) and combine well.

Clean your chicken beast, put them in a clean ziploc bag and pour in the marinade in the bag. Make sure all the chicken is nicely coated and refrigerate for a couple of hours, or better overnight.

When you're ready to use them, fire up your grill or preheat a grill pan and cook the chicken breast until fully cooked (about 7 minutes each side) and serve with a nice side salad.

I sprinkled some almonds on my plate and garnished the salad with some roasted sunflower seeds and sprinkles of parmesan. Use your favorite low fat salad dressing..... And there you have it!

Bon Appetite!

I used:

 
Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk
 
The Magic Bullet
 
Jamie Oliver Knives

Mini Lime/Sour Cream Pound Cake with glazed Limes

This is my first try at this little cake and it looks nice doesn't it.... However it came out a little dry. So I'm going to have to perfect the recipe before I publish it..... maybe throw in some coconut too.....

Lime and Coconut should work well together or what do you think? Let me know!

Semi-Homemade Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake

Look at this beauty! Super easy to make and nobody will ever know that it's not made from scratch. I wanted to make a quick cake to take to the office and didn't have time to make something from scratch, so I searched through my cupboard and dug out a box of Betty Crocker Devil's Food Cake mix. I used the regular version, but the gluten free one works just as well.


I then proceeded with the instructions on the box, switching out the water for milk, an adding a cup of roasted and ground hazelnuts, as well as about a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Pour your batter in a prepared baking dish, sprinkle with slivered almonds and bake as instructed or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool and serve.

Best with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk! Enjoy!

Tip: If you don't have hazelnuts use almond meal, it tastes just as nice.

All the Pretty Horses

Chloe our Haflinger, she's a bit bouncy but still a fun ride. Somtimes we give her a little ponytail in the front, cause she has such a nice mane. And just because she's a bit smaller doesn't mean she doesn't have spunk. If anyone tries to get at her hay, she'll make it know that it;s hers

Isadora "Izzy" is the newest addition to the stable a beautiful Percheron mare. I rode her last Saturday and it was quite nice being on such a big horse. he's still a bit stubborn and getting used to her new home, but she'll be just fine.











And then there is Zeppelin, everyone knows he's my favorite. He gets spoiled with cookies, apples, new blankets and other stuff. He's a very smart cookie!

UPDATE: I told you Zeppelin was a smart horse and now to prove it he managed a little trick. Low and behold he took off his bridle! There I was tying him up to help one of our guests with her horse Captain, I turn around and BAM! Horse on the loose...... My baby stuck his head under the fence, hooked the bridle and pulled it over his ears. After that he had a little fun, stretching his legs, jumping a bit and playing cat and mouse!  I let him enjoy his freedom for a few minutes, then called him and he came right over. Good Boy came back to Mama!

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Clouds

YUMMY!

I have to work on getting the chocolate glaze to get right, but otherwise delish!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day I made some cute little green Cheesecakes.....

What do you think? Cute? Yes! Yummy? Yes! Green? Definitly!

Grandma's "Black" Cake ~ Added Fiber Version

My childhood memory is filled with times when I helped my Grandma bake this cake. I LOVED IT! It is to this day my absolute favorite Chocolate Cake! If I could I would eat it everyday! It has cocoa, it has coffee, it has chocolate chips, how could you not like it!

Grandma's "Black" Cake

So to make it a bit more healthy I replaced some of the flour with wheat germ. You CANNOT taste the difference. It's still chocolaty, tasty deliciousness!

Here is what you need:

2 eggs separated

100 g butter, soft in pieces

200 g flour

50 g wheat germ

2 tsp baking powder

300 g powdered sugar

5 tbsp cocoa (dark)

2 tbsp ground coffee

125 ml Latte (half strong coffee, half milk)

2 tbsp Rum (if you like)

Start by separating the eggs, reserve the yolks and whip the egg whites until firm and stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Combine the flour, the baking powder and the wheat germ in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl start beating the butter with the egg yolk and the sugar until creamy and soft, then alternating add the latte and the flour mixture in small batches while continuing to mix. Do this until all the flour and latte is used up. Once that is done add the rum, the cocoa powder and the ground coffee, keep stirring until everything is combined well.

Once you have done this you can add in some chocolate chips or slivered almonds for added texture. Then using a spatula fold in the whipped egg whites.

Fill in a prepared loaf pan and bake in a preheated 180 C/ 350F oven for about 45 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.

Let Cool and ENJOY!!! 

Sweet Bread with Almond Filling

Recipe coming soon...... but be sure this will taste great with a nice hot cup of coffee from


https://www.1850coffee.com/

And here comes the recipe:

You will need the following for the dough:

300 g flour sifted
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar

60 g butter, soft in small cubes

1 packet of dried yeast (I prefer Red Star)
100 ml milk, lukewarm

1 egg, beaten (keep a little aside to brush the bread before baking)

Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the salt and the sugar and combine well, add the soft butter. Dissolve the yeast in a little bit of milk and let proof for a few minutes. Add the mixture, the rest of the milk and the egg to the flour and stir the ingredients from the middle. Once it all starts coming together and knead the dough until it is very smooth and elastic.

Cover, set it at a warm spot and let rise until it is doubled in volume. Then roll it out into a rectangle to approximate 3 mm thickness.

Filling:

150 g almonds, ground
3 tbsp sugar
1 apple, grated
1/2 lemon, zest and juice
4 - 6 tbsp heavy cream or milk (half and half works too)

**Apricot Preserve

Combine the almond meal and the sugar in a bowl, add the finely grated apple, the lemon zest and lemon juice and combine well. Add the cream and stir until everything is well combined.

Spread the almond mixture evenly over the rolled out dough, leaving only a small edge. Then roll the dough from both sides toward the middle and place in a prepared 13 to 15 inch cake form. Brush with the reserved egg and sprinkle with some slivered almonds.

Let rise again, then bake in a pre-heated 425 F/ 220 C oven for about 35-40 minutes.

ENJOY!

** if you like the tart/sweet flavor of apricot preserve, spread the apricot preserve on the rolled out dough before you spread the filling.

Also if you like you can glaze the baked, still hot bread with a sugar glaze. You'll need 100 g powdered sugar, 1/2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp water. Mix and brush the baked bread with it.

Almond/Nutella Macarons - Gluten Free

Finally.... I took the time and made Macarons.... and I think they turned out great and they are easy to make. Just look at these gorgeous and tasty little things!

Finished Almond Nutella Macarons!

You don't need a lot of fancy tools and crazy ingredients... A mixer, parchment paper, a spatula and a pastry bag with different size tips is all you need. Oh and of course the ingredients and a bit of time.

Almond Nutella Macarons

Here is what you need:

2 egg whites

100 g sugar (superfine)

100 g almond flour

2 sprinkles salt

Nutella for filling

Prepare two baking sheets, by covering them with parchment paper. You can either use a shot glass or any other small round object to mark small circles on the paper or you can just pipe the mixture as you go, keeping them as close to the same size as possible.

Unbaked Macarons

Start by placing you egg white in a mixing bowl and beat them with the salt until they are super stiff and peaks form (you should be able to turn the bowl upside down and nothing will drop out), then beat in half of the sugar, beat until the egg white is very shiny.

Once you have done that, take your spatula and slowly fold in the remaining sugar and the almond flour (to get rid of any clumps in the almond flour, sift it), add in the almond flour a little at a time so you don't get any lumps in it. Fill in a pastry bag and pipe on the prepared baking sheets.

Then let the macarons dry for about 15 minutes, while they dry, preheat your oven to 325F. Once your oven has reached the correct temperature, bake the macarons for about 12 minutes, after the first 5 minutes open the oven door to let out steam.

Macaron Assembly

Take your macarons out of the oven and let them cool, while they cool down, fit your pastry bag with a small tip, or you can just use a plastic zip-loc bag and cut off a tiny bit of the tip, fill it with Nutella and then pipe some Nutella on one macaron, taking another one and twisting it on to make a little sandwich.

Repeat until you've filled them all...... then serve on a nice platter or package and give them to your favorite people. I'm sure they'll love them! Who can resist something that's made with LOVE!