cumin seed roasted cauliflower. yogurt. pomegranate. basil. fennel quinoa



well...
i have nothing to report but lunch.
a use-the stuff-before-it-goes-bad lunch.

a fat yellow cauliflower, roasted in whole cumin seeds. a dollop of yogurt, shower of pomegranate seedlings, and basil.

and an extremely straightforward fennel quinoa salad with a lemony mustard vinaigrette.
and some little roasted radishes for tits and giggles.


i love you melissa clark. are you out there? can you hear me? no



Cumin Seed Roasted Cauliflower
adapted from Melissa Clark Cook This Now

1 big head of cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
kosher salt
black pepper
greek yogurt
lemon
pomegranate seeds
few basil leaves, chiffonade

preheat oven to 425 degreesF. on a large baking sheet, toss cauliflower with olive oil, cumin seeds, about 1 tsp kosher salt, and some fresh ground pepper. arrange so its in 1 even layer and roast til it's nice and caramelized, about 30 minutes, tossing halfway through baking. 
stir some greek yogurt with a generous squirt of lemon juice and salt. dollop yogurt on top of cauliflower and top with pomegranate seeds and ribbons of basil. 
serve with quinoa or rice or any other grain. 


Makeshift Fennel Quinoa

1 cup tricolor quinoa, cooked 
1 bulb of fennel
couple large handfuls of arugula
parmesan
salt 
pepper
lemony mustard vinaigrette 

shave fennel very thin using a mandolin or very sharp knife. toss with warm quinoa, arugula, and a handful of grated parmesan. toss with vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. 

for lemony mustard vinaigrette: juice half a lemon into a jar. stir in a small dollop of dijon mustard, about 1/2-1tsp. add a clove of minced garlic, a tablespoon of white wine vinegar, a tsp of honey, and salt and pepper. close jar and shake well. then add 2-3 tbsp olive oil. shake. taste and adjust to your liking. 




'it's sunday, so kick your feet up and have a nice cold beer out of a starbucks cup'
...is what i always say.

coconut pastry cream + a cake

hello.

questions and statements.

is it bad if i don’t put neosporin on cuts from metal things?

smoothies are $6-$7 now.

as i was waiting outside a restaurant the other evening, two tipsy older ladies asked me to take their picture. 5 minutes later, one was touching my arm, referring to me as her mini-me, and assuring me that things will get better.

teeth clenching when you sleep. why?

are you in los angeles? if yes, have you heard about the new flour mill in town? it's called grist and toll and let me tell you, it is legit.

it is by time there were some recipes up in this house.

i had a birthday cake request of coconut and banana.

i made some pastry cream with coconut milk. i stirred a giant handful of shredded coconut in, and after it chilled,  folded some whipped cream in to lighten it a bit.

so, coconut pastry cream. slices of banana. soft white cake. layer the crap out of them.

frost the whole thing with coconut swiss meringue buttercream, press coconut up the sides, and a birthday cake, you have!

cakes are lovely and all, but if you are to take one thing from this, it is to make some coconut pastry cream.

it would be a great filling or topping to mostly everything that acts as a dessert vessel.

cake. of all different kinds...lemon. a buttery chocolate chip cake. i think it'd be cool with gingerbread.

fill a donut or cronut or beignet with it.

sandwich it in a whoopie pie.

layer it in a trifle. with graham cracker crumbs and lime curd and maybe some blackberries.

trifles are coming back aren't they?

alright. is that enough for you to make the damn pastry cream?

have a pleasant rest of the week!

Coconut Pastry Cream

from Zoe Bakes

1 (14 oz can coconut milk)

3/4 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean

pinch kosher salt

3 large egg yolks

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup heavy cream

heat coconut milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla bean in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. in a metal bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the cornstarch. once the crema is hot, remove the vanilla bean, scraping out any seeds into the cream. slowly add about 1/2 cup of the hot cream to the yolk mixture while whisking. continue pouring more of the cream slowly into the yolk mixture while whisking. Pour the now warm yolk mixture back into the saucepan and whisk. continue to whisk with heat on medium for a 3 more minutes. the mixture will turn thick and bubble. Continue to whisk for the full 3 minutes or the pastry cream might separate as it cools. 

After the 3 minutes, whisk in the butter. then add the coconut flakes. pour into a shallow dish to cool, and place a piece of plastic wrap right on the top surface so that a skin doesn't form. refrigerate until cold, at least an hour. once it is cool, stir it to loosen. whip the 1/2 cup of cream to medium peaks. Stir in 1/3 of it into the pastry cream to lighten. then fold in the remaining cream until the pastry cream is nice and light. 

Soft White Cake

adapted from multiple sources via

Willow Bird Baking

2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 oz)

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp whole milk, room temp

1/2 cup coconut milk

6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), room temp

1 tsp coconut extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp granulated sugar

4 tsp baking powder (1 T+1tsp)

1 tsp table salt

12 tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) softened

set rack in oven to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degreesF. grease 2 9inch round cake pans, line the bottom with parchment paper and grease the parchment. 

Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts in a small bowl and whisk gently until blended. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and continue beating with the paddle attachment until the mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks left. 

Add all but 1/2 cup of the milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. add the remaining 1/2 c of milk and beat 30 seconds more. scrape down the sides of bowl before beating just a bit longer. divide batter between cake pans and smooth tops with a spatula. rap on counter to eliminate air bubbles. 

Bake until a thin skewer inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, 23-25 minutes. If you wait until the toothpick comes out totally clean, the cake could be dry, so don't over bake! 

Let cakes rest in pans on a wire rack for a bit, until running a knife around the edges of the pan and inverting the cakes. Let them cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours before wrapping in wax and plastic wrap and freezing until pretty firm, about 30 minutes. 

Coconut Swiss Meringue Buttercream

 1 cup sugar

4 large egg whites, room temp

24 tbsp (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut extract

Few cups of shredded coconut for pressing into sides of cake

Combine the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil without stirring until syrup reaches 240 degreesF on a digital thermometer, about 5-6 minutes. 

meanwhile, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. with the mixer on medium speed, slowly pour in hot syrup in a thin stream. Increase to medium-high speed and beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is completely cool, about 8 minutes. reduce speed to medium and add butter 1 tbsp at a time, beating after each addition. Once all butter is added, beat on high speed until buttercream is smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. beat in vanilla and coconut extract. 

Cake Assembly: with a long serrated knife, carefully slice each cake layer in half.  set one bottom layer on a cake circle or plate. spread 1/3 of the pastry cream on top. then top with a layer of sliced bananas. line up another layer of cake on top and gently press it down into place. repeat with pastry cream and slices of banana in between each layer and top with the final cake layer. refrigerate for a few minutes to let it chill and set a bit. then do a thin crumb coat of the coconut swiss meringue buttercream to seal in all the pesky crumbs. refrigerate for 15 minutes. then frost the cake fully with the buttercream. press shredded coconut onto the sides of the cake and boom, cake. 

serve at room temperature. 

the actual cake seems firm and not moist enough when it has been in the refrigerator and it's cold and hasn't had enough time to sit out on the counter. room temperature cakes for premium moistness, always. 

it's pink and cute week

tonight i went to get sushi with my fam and we talked about usual things like old age, green tea ice cream, and the bee that was found in a packet of honey in Sochi.

it rained in los angeles and i was so happy! and some exciting stuff is happening!

exclamations! gumballs!

have a wonderful weekend.

ps. order whole grain mornings and realize your entire life is incomplete because you haven't yet made every recipe in the book.

brunch

the hart and the hunter

.brunch.

named after an aesop fable, a moral lesson of: "We often despise what is most useful to us."

it's looks like a bright dainty tea room, full of clean hip people.

i must say, this one actually measures up to it's trendiness.

and their biscuits. dude. i truly appreciate these biscuits, and whoever it is in the back making these biscuits everyday. from one former biscuit bitch to another, they are art.

points off for no bloody mary's.

i tried to get a photo of the smoked trout on avocado toast. (phenomenal.) except my phone was going slow and i got self-conscious about being that douche. we also got the cornmeal fried trout. word up.

(that design on the left is by Hannah Schultz)

grapefruit olive oil pound cake

i continue to ruin my favorite tshirts with olive oil. 

Grapefruit Olive Oil Pound Cake

from the smitten kitchen cookbook

this is a delight in a loaf pan, a simple cake perfumed with grapefruit tang and softened with olive oil. 

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp finely grated grapefruit zest (from 1-2 grapefruits)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 large eggs

2 tbsp grapefruit juice

1/3 cup buttermilk

syrup:

2 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup grapefruit juice

glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tbsp grapefruit juice

pinch of table salt

preheat oven to 350 degreesF. butter and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. 

in a large bowl, rub the grapefruit zest into the sugars with your fingertips to help release all the grapefruit flavor. whisk in the oil until smooth. add the eggs one at a time, and whisk until combined. scrape down the sides. 

combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a second bowl. in a liquid measuring cup, combine 2 tbsp of grapefruit juice and buttermilk. add the flour and buttermilk mixtures, alternating between them, to the oil and sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. 

spread batter in pan, rap the pan on the counter to release trapped air bubbles. bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a tester comes out clean. 

syrup: combine 2 tbsps of sugar with 1/3 cup grapefruit juice in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. when the cake is finished, let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan before inverting it onto a rack set over a tray. poke holes in the cake with a skewer or toothpick, then spoon or brush the grapefruit syrup over cake. let the cake cool completely while it absorbs the syrup. 

make glaze: combine the confectioners sugar, grapefruit juice, and pinch of salt in a bowl and whisk until smooth. pour over the cooled cake. 

hi, 2014

today is the first day of 2014 that i am a functioning person.

illness. stomach flu. worst.

so hello 2014, you are here and i am a person.

and i can breath in oxygen and drink ice water and feel it go down.

and reading this beautiful letter again brings me such satisfaction with right now, with my nest of hair, with bodies guided by brains, with my few but entirely irreplaceable people,

with a blank slate of living ahead, the appeal of what it could be, what i could make it with a few tweaks of the brain.

so, satisfaction, 2014.

if there is one thing i resolute, it is to allow myself to Not.

i spend a gross amount of time (my time, my dwindling time!) agonizing over all the things i'm not doing.

i have the ability and tools to paint but rarely do. why aren't you painting? 

why aren't you writing letters to people you like? seriously. why are you here?

i dwell, and feel guilt.

and while i realize that this dwelling and angst will never fully go away, i need to tone it down because it's a complete waste of time.

how are we to be satisfied in 2014 if we keep being dwellers?!

so if i want to take an evening to squash into a couch, binge watch a tv show (i mean..read) and bounce the remote on my stomach, it is cool.

how about no guilt necessary?

and a secondary resolution..stop saying awesome so much.

but also don't dwell on that conversation earlier when i said awesome too many times.

last year at this time i was making almondy pancakes, this time i'm eating eggs and they're awesome.

no..

magnificent, wondrous, stunning !

merry christmas + cranberry cream scone breakfast

merry christmas to you!

i hope you are snuggly warm with mugs of hot spiked liquids and listening to vince guaraldi trio and spooning with your favorite person at the same time.

on this lovely day, i'll be wearing the same thing for the 3rd day in a row because my bag has been lost by the airlines.

again.

i'm thinking i must have done a terrible thing at the airport in a past life. 

these cranberry cream scones would be a joy to have on Christmas morning.

they're so good that eating one might make me momentarily forget that i might be wearing this same stupid dress for another 6 days.

they are my most favorite basic cream scone. with some sliced sugared cranberries, some orange zest. 

as they sat out to cool, i brushed the tops with maple syrup. not necessary by any means, but, c'mon.

Cranberry Cream Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

3 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

bit of orange zest

5 tbsp cold butter, cut into cubes

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup fresh cranberries, halved (i used leftover sugared cranberries)

maple syrup (optional), for brushing

preheat oven to 400. place flour, baking powder, sugar, zest, and salt in bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. whisk together or pulse six times. 

if making by hand, use a pastry blender or fork to quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few larger butter clumps. if using a food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. transfer dough to a large bowl. add in cranberries and toss to distribute. 

stir in the cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough just forms together. transfer dough and all the dry, floury bits to a floured countertop and knead dough a bit by hand until it comes together in a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds.  pat the dough on a floured work surface into a 3/4 inch thick circle, and cut circles out with a biscuit cutter. 

place scone rounds on an ungreased baking sheet lined with parchment, sprinkle the tops with white or raw sugar, and bake until tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. serve warm or at room temperature. 

brush tops with some maple syrup. 

avocado smoked salmon cucumber toast



my leg is asleep but i'm too lazy to change positions.


i still love stripes.
i still love baggy clothing.
i still like Subway.


but i'll take avocado toast over subway any and every day.




thick toasted bread. avocado mashed with a bit of lemon juice and salt.
drizzle of olive oil.
more salt.
hot smoked salmon.
a little siracha.
two basil leaves.
thin slices of cucumber.

boom. cool.

salty caramel ice cream + julia's banana bread

ice cream is my favorite dessert in the world.

for someone who thinks about flavors as much as i do, the

jeni's

book is most definitely inspiring.

i definitely nod to myself each time i look through it.

i chose salty caramel to make first. it's close your eyes good. it's gone now and i miss having it in my arms.

having 2 pints of ice cream was an excuse to make a banana loaf to pile it on.

having a banana loaf was a reason to keep shoveling back salty caramel ice cream.

damn you life and your vicious cycles!

julia's banana bread. not mine, this julia is far more tan.

julia's banana bread is a green hut on the side of the road in hawaii. they only sell banana bread.

the recipe was published in bon appetit about a year ago and i've finally gotten to it. the recipe couldn't be simpler. no butter, just oil for fat.

julia's banana bread is Exactly what banana bread IS

no nuts, no glazes. dense and sturdy, tender, full of squiggly banana flecks.

banana bread and salty caramel ice cream, an easy win.

i will say though, sometimes i can get distracted by an oil flavor in “neutral” oil-heavy cakes. making it not my favorite banana bread recipe ever, but still a classic.

Salty Caramel Ice Cream

from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

2 cups whole milk

1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch

1 1/2 ounces (3 tbsp) cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2 tbsp light corn syrup

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Dump sugar into a medium pot and place over low-medium heat. Stand over the pan of sugar with a heatproof spatula ready, but do not touch the sugar until there is a full layer of melted and browning liquid sugar on the bottom with a smaller layer of unmelted white sugar on the top. When the edges of the melted sugar begin to darken, use the spatula to bring them into the center to help melt the unmelted sugar. Continue stirring and pushing the sugar around until it is all melted and evenly amber in color — like an old penny. When little bubbles begin to explode with dark smoke, give the sugar another moment and then remove from the heat. Immediately but slowly pour about 1/4 cup of the cream and corn syrup mixture into the burning-hot sugar. Be careful! It will pop and spit! Stir until it is incorporated, then add a bit more cream and stir, then continue until it is all in.

Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.

Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

Mix the cream with the corn syrup in a measuring cup with a spout.

Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

Heat the sugar in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat until it is melted and golden amber in color (see note above). Remove from the heat and, stirring constantly, slowly add a bit of the cream and corn syrup mixture to the caramel: It will fizzle, pop, and spurt. Stir until well combined, then add a little more and stir. Keep adding the cream a little at a time until all of it is incorporated.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and add the milk. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.

Bring back to a boil over medium-high and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. If any caramel flecks remain, pour the mixture through a sieve.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and whisk. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

Pour into frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid.

Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Julia's Banana Bread

from Julia's Banana Bread Treehouse in Kahakuloa, HI,

recipe here

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp kosher salt

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)

3/4 cup vegetable oil

preheat oven to 350 degreesF. Coat a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick spray. whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a large medium bowl. whisk eggs, sugar, bananas, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir just until combine. scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. 

bake until a tester inserted into the center of bread comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. transfer to a wire rack; let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes. run a knife around inside of pan to release bread. turn out onto rack and cool completely. will keep  stored at room temperature of for 3 days. 

december, what?

oh what?

hey..

i've been making a lot of pie and testing out lipsticks at cvs.

november has come and went and i miss it. november is better than december.

see: november beach.

and thanksgiving.

it was a good time. every year we have the same 40ish person thanksgiving with neighbors and friends. there's always a cocktail hour with stray pitchers of margaritas.

there's always smoked turkey and drunk parents.

someone attempted the twerk.

and i made round dessert.

the larger bear is me and the little bear is a day-after-thanksgiving sandwich.

here is the part where i geek out on desserts. 

01.

this

pumpkin layer cake.

sugared cranberries

for the top. dang these are good, they win best holiday garnish.

02. the pumpkin pie.

in actuality it's a butternut squash pie. i'd been wanting to try out this butternut squash pie recipe

no one would know it's not pumpkin pie, and i dig the pinch of cayenne in the spices.

03. sticky toffee puddings baked in mini bundts at work.

04. salted caramel cheesecake pie. base recipe found here.

i used a graham crust insted of gingersnap.

i cut the sugar to 1 cup. i used an extra salty caramel for the caramel puddle. and sprinkled the top with maldon

i think this pie could be even better. it's screaming for you to throw caution to the wind and add in a dense cakey brownie layer.

to serve it, i showered the top with them sugared cranberries to cut some of the richness. i didn't get to try it with the cranberries because i was too full and it disappeared fast. but in my head it tastes awesome.

05. apple crostata. aka. free-form apple pie with crumb topping. i used

ina garten's recipe, it was straightforward and classic ina buttery deliciousness.

apple hazelnut frangipane tarts

frangipane is essentially nut goo.

nut goo: a nut paste that is enriched with butter, sugar, and eggs. that becomes soft cream to fill in pastries and tarts and things.

frangipane tends to be almond, but goo can be made with any nut really.

these tarts could be the easiest thing to happen to your thanksgiving. and the cutest.

Apple Hazelnut Frangipane Tarts

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted

a couple apples, fuji or granny smith, peeled, sliced 1/4 inch

sugar, for sprinkling

apricot jam 

for the hazelnut frangipane: i mixed together half a can of hazelnut paste, a beaten egg, 2 tbsp melted butter, a couple tablespoons of sugar, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons of flour. 

preheat oven to 400 degreesF. cut the pastry into 6 rectangles. prick with a fork in the centers. spread on a few dollops of the frangipane down the center of each tart. lay the apple slices along each one. sprinkle sugar over apples. 

bake until puffed and golden. 

press a dollop of apricot jam through a strainer, brush the smooth jam on the apple tarts to give them a pretty glistening look. 

eight




roses are red. tulips are pink or orange.
joseph s.
you are awesome.

happy 8 years of driving around in this truck together.

i want to make you coconut things forever and ever.

vanilla bean bourbon pudding

baking is comfort, the warmth from turning on the oven,

the dries and the wets melt together.

watching things rise and puff.

but some days are pudding days.

days for turning the flame on low and lurking over a pot of hot liquid. stirring and stirring, babying it, never leaving it's side.

and now, when it's november and the weather keeps doing what it's doing, any day can be a pudding day.

vanilla beans and bourbon make this pudding a luxury.

the moment milk transforms into gloopy beautiful custard...it's like whoooaaaa, this is totally pudding man.

i ate some and soon realized i had too much and in a stroke of productivity, tipped it into a graham cracker crust layered with sliced banonos.

top it with whipped cream and you have a damn classy bourbon banana cream pie.

Vanilla Bourbon Pudding

adapted from smitten kitchen

2 2/3 cups whole milk, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

1 large egg

2 tsp bourbon

bring 2 cups of the milk to a soft boil in a medium saucepan. while it is heating, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and the vanilla bean (if you're replacing it with extract, don't add it yet) in the bottom of a medium, heatproof bowl. gradually whisk in the remaining 2/3 cup milk, a little at a time so lumps don't form, then whisk in the egg. once milk is boiling, very gradually add it to the cornstarch mixture in the bowl, whisking constantly. 

return the mixture back to the saucepan, stirring constantly with a silicon spatula. once it comes to a simmer, cook for one minute longer (which will cook the cornstarch and egg fully.) stir in the bourbon and vanilla extract (if using). divide pudding in a bowl or among individual dishes and chill in refrigerator until fully set, about 2 hours. press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the top surface of the puddings so as to prevent a skin from forming. 

eat some. then make a pudding pie.

to make a Vanilla Bourbon Pudding + Banana Cream Pie:

Make a graham cracker crust by mixing graham cracker crumbs with a bit of sugar and pinch of salt. then slowly stir in melted butter until it resembles wet sand and clumps together if you squeeze it in your hands. press it into a pie plate or tin and bake for about 10ish minutes. 

oR buy a pre-done graham crust. whatever gives. no one's watching. 

fill the bottom with sliced bananas. then pour in some pudding over the top. then top with some barely sweet whipped cream. 

caramel would be good too. also pecans...a pecan graham crust, do that. 

i'm eating too fast again

The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. it is on the contrary born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. when we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else - we are the busiest people in the world.

.eric hoffler.

i find myself feeling hurried a lot. and then more anxious about feeling hurried.

tomorrow i will try to not feel hurried. i will go to work and make peace with the morning and then make bagels and brioche and feel the ease of a sunday.

and later in the night, feel the ease of a sundae.

with birthday cake. wassup now

paris

paris is most definitely everything. that is why, it's paris. 

the absolute aesthetic perfection of this place makes my brain hurt. 

we rented a small bright studio in monmartre. 

it overlooked a lovely cemetery. le sacre coeur peaked out from the trees. 

it obviously felt like heaven. 

we ate croissants in the morning, roasted chickens at night, and cheese all the time. 

we hung around Pigalle, with all its little shops and cafes, bookstores and bars. and rose bakery

. 

we saw youth lagoon play in parc de la villette. Parisian hipsters are the most chic hipsters. 

we were there for bastille day. fireworks out our window, parisian rejoicing, and a bloody mary bastille afternoon. 

oh, those 8 days in paris. when life was simple and well-lit.

tres bien fucking times.

thai curry butternut squash soup

1. SOUP

2. i'm reading about "weirdly simple cures for insomnia" on ladies home journal. 

3. how are you?

1. i expected this to be good because butternut squash soup is usually brilliant.

but this right here, is classically delicious butternut squash soup impregnated with thai vibes.

coconut milk. ginger. red curry paste. lime.

my kind of party.

2. ladies home journal instructs me to give up lying in bed at 3 am still awake, and to get up and do something. it could be laundry or house things or watching a show. this will apparently make better use of my time and hopefully, eventually tire me out.

the only problem is that i need to wake up at 4 to be at the bakery.

(i continue to have an incessant need to be a baker person.)

so, ladies home journal, you have failed me.

3. you. how are ya doing this november time? hows the good stuff going? hows the shit going?

my best friend just moved to france and it continues to not rain here.

so..bummer for me. but a win for france and most people in la!

alas.

i still have squash.

so fulfilling it is, to churn up an amazingly good, flavorful, and well-balanced soup.

right now; this fall, this soup

Thai Curry Butternut Squash Soup

adapted a touch from how sweet eats and cooking light

3 tbsp coconut oil

1 sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger

2 tbsp red curry paste

3 cups stock (chicken or veg)

4 cups butternut squash, peeled/diced into 1 inch cubes

1 14 oz can coconut milk (regular or light)

1 lime, juiced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

fresh torn cilantro, for topping bowls

limes

sriracha!

heat a large pot over medium and add coconut oil. once melted, add in the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt and stir. cook until the onions are translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. add in the ginger and curry paste and stir until incorporated. cook the curry and onion mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. pour in the stock and add the squash cubes. cover the pot and increase the heat to medium. 

once the squash is soft, turn off the heat and very carefully pour the entire mixture into a blender. blend until the soup is smooth and pureed. pour it back into the pot and turn the heat to medium low. add in the coconut milk, lime juice, salt and pepper. stir. cover and cook the soup for an additional 10 minutes, until it's completely warm. taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. serve soup topped with a bit of cilantro and squeeze of lime. and sriracha if you please. 

apple pecan cake


we're bundting.
this is as classic as it gets, this apple bunt.

if i was dared to finish an entire cake in two hours, this is the one i would choose.

so. there's my grandest dessert endorsement.

eat four slices accidentally, you everything-in-moderation fools!



Apple Pecan Cake
adapted from smittenkitchen

 *it gets even better on the day after it's made, i believe, so do consider holding out until tomorrow. 

5-6 apples, i used a mix of honeycrisp and fuji
1 tbsp cinnamon
5 tbsp sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped (optional)

preheat oven to 350. grease a bundt pan. peel, core, and chop apples into chunks. toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside. 

stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. in a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar, and vanilla. mix wet ingredients into the dry, then add eggs, one at a time. scrape down the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated. 
spread half the batter into the bottom of the bunt pan. top with about half of the cinnamon apples. spread the rest of the cake batter over and then top with the rest of the apples. 
bake until a tester comes out clean, about one hour. 



oh. so i was scanning through the archives, thinking about Apples:


lay thin slices of tart apple on top of a salted caramel tart.
dip apples in peanut butter.
replace the corn with apple in this salad