cranberry apple crisp

Times are hectic, friends.  In the best way possible.

I'm cooking and baking away for my new job.  That's got me in other people's kitchens two days a week, and it's got my brain wheels a crankin' at least another three.  The alarm clock is still doing its annoying electronic jingling a few times a week at an awful hour of the morning, reminding me that there are mounds of groceries waiting to be shelved for my other source of income. I'm also immersed in my health coach training, with my fancy little i-pod broadcasting lectures and videos about things like whole grains and the importance of drinking water (have you had enough today?). 

Sprinkled in with those responsibilities, I'm starting to practice health consultations with my classmates.  It's really exciting to have conversations with people about what's going on in their lives.  But who knew it could be such a challenge to shut my own, relentless brain up and really listen?  Not just wait while the other person talks.  Not just think about what I want to say next while they jabber on.  But truly pay attention to everything that's coming from another person's mouth, and then listen some more.  No nervous silence fillers, no finishing sentences in a "you're so predictable" kind of way.  Just listening to someone spill it. 

Bourbon Peaches 'n Cream

Peaches, peaches, peaches! They may, in fact, be my favorite fruit.  They've been making their way into my smoothies, onto my dessert plates, and into my mouth with striking regularity this summer. My little farmers market must have at least a dozen vendors selling these fuzzy, juice bombs.

I love the luscious explosion that forces me to eat peaches over the sink.

When I started buying peaches from Billy's Gardens this season, my mind began working on ways to take the perfection of a lone peach and make it even better.  Peaches...  and, oh, I don't know. How about some cream? (cue Beck)

Well, I'd already mastered the art of whipping cream, so now it was just a matter of adding peaches.  Or so I thought.  Then I came across a recipe called Boozy Peaches.  This recipe is super-duper special because it calls for my most favorite of all liquors to be whipped into the cream.

Grapes

I went grocery shopping yesterday, as I typically do on Friday afternoons, to stock up on staples for the coming week.  As the automatic doors of the super-market parted in welcome, the first thing I was confronted with was a display of grapes.  Bunches upon bunches of organic purple and green little fruits all bagged and beckoning with their "Sale!" sign perched up above to entice shoppers into adding some to their fresh, empty carts.

I was definitely enticed.

As someone who tries to eat locally as much as possible, I don't go for grapes too often these days.  They do grow here in Washington and wind up at the farmer's market on occasion, but I can't remember the last time any grapes could be found in my refrigerator at home.

These grapes were obviously exceptional.

Today I brought my plastic bag full of green grapes out of the fridge, rinsed them in a colander, gently shook off the water, and proceeded to... well, to photograph them, of course.

What?  Did you think I would actually eat something before recording its portrait?  Maybe in the past, but definitely no longer.  My boyfriend laughed and said, "All you want to do is use those new plates and take pictures of your food."  He's right.  I found these large, square, white plates at Goodwill a couple of days ago and needed to use them for something.

One plate became a platform for my succulent grape shots.

I can't help it that food blogging has become central to my thought processes when it comes to the things I consume.  I know from my extensive list of feed subscriptions to other food blogs that I'm not the only one out there who makes their partner wait "just a few more minutes" for dinner so that a perfect photograph can be taken.

There may be a thin line between interest and obsession, but I think I'm doing a hell of job riding it.  I hope you enjoy the grapes as much as I did.

Raspberry Lassi

It has finally started to feel like summer in Seattle.  The sky is clear enough that I can reap the benefits of a third floor, west-facing balcony - sunsets over the Olympic Mountains, a slivered moon hanging low above the peaks. The city is also noticeably more active.  Folks are out and about, lounging on porches, sporting in parks, rightfully wearing sundresses and sandals.  It's about time.

In honor of this shift in season and temperature (hellooo box fans), I whipped up a tasty yogurt drink.  The typical lassi, in the U.S. anyway, is flavored with mango pulp and can be found on the menu of just about any Indian restaurant.  It's sort of like a fruity milkshake made with yogurt instead of cream.  They are amazing.

I wanted to make my lassi a bit more local than the mango variety would allow, so I picked up a pint of fresh raspberries at the farmer's market.  Another sure sign that summer is here... plump, ripe, succulent raspberries. 

This is such an easy beverage to make.  Dump a few ingredients into the blender, a couple of minutes on high, and blam! Fruity, yogurty lassi ready for your taste buds.  Here's the recipe I came up with after looking over a dozen or so on the web.

Raspberry Lassi
makes 2 servings

1 C. plain yogurt
1/2 C. milk
2 large ice cubes
1 C. raspberries (give or take)
4 tsp. sugar (to taste)
pinch of sea salt

• Place all ingredients in your blender
• Turn that baby on high
• Blend until smooth, a couple of minutes
• Pour into two glasses and drink right away

Try adding different types of fruit to this recipe for variation. Some of the recipes I saw called for a pinch of cardamom or cinnamon.  Oh, the possibilities.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Crisp

Since I've already waxed poetic on the whole strawberry picking adventure and the tastiness of the fresh, plump, juicy fruits of my labor, this post is going to be dedicated to my new view of the world. What view is that, you might be asking? Well, I've recently been forced to see things, specifically my dinner plate, through the eyes of one who is gluten intolerant. I haven't discussed it here, but I gave up gluten a couple of months ago as an experiment after dealing with a surge of unexplained headaches and severe exhaustion. Well, the headaches ceased almost instantly, my skin cleared up significantly, and my energy levels have jumped up a notch or two. So now, much to my bread-loving dismay, gluten and I can no longer be friends.

We had a good run, gluten and I. We grew up together in the kitchen and meals of my family, although I am definitely guilty of under-appreciating this old chum of mine. In my adult life we've spent many an hour working together in the kitchen to conceive of delectable baked goods like this one, and this one. It's true what they say - it's so easy to take your gluten for granted until you just can't digest it anymore (that is something they say, isn't it?).

So now I'm beginning to dip my big toe into the waters of gluten-free baking. It's intimidating, what with those long lists of unfamiliar ingredients. Tapioca starch? Xanthan gum? Those bear a striking resemblance to the sorts of ingredients that I've been avoiding for years. If I don't know what it is or if I can't pronounce it then it shouldn't be going into my body, right? I guess I need to tweak that ideal a bit. Xanthan gum, here I come.

My first official gluten-free baking attempt happened two nights ago. I'm sure you're already aware of the form it took from the inconspicuous title of this post and the giant, crumb-covered dessert pictured above. I am proud to report that the recipe was a resounding success, even by the standards of two gluten-tolerant guys, one of whom doesn't even eat desserts. A little pat on the back for moi.

I started out with a crisp because they're fairly easy to make. There's no rising that needs to occur as with bread or cake, and they are the perfect place to put berries, of any flavor.

So here you go. One delicious, gluten-free strawberry crisp recipe. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Strawberry Crisp

makes 6 servings

1 C. gluten-free rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 C. all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp. xanthan gum
3/4 C. brown sugar
7 T. butter, diced
1/4 C. sugar
3 C. strawberries, sliced

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Mix together the first four ingredients in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter (I use my fingers to rub it in - it's the most effective way I've found) until mixture is crumbly.

In another bowl, mix the sliced berries and sugar together.

Grease an 8-inch square baking dish, and spread half of oat/four mixture on bottom. Lightly press the mixture down to form a bottom crust for the crisp. Don't worry if there are holes or cracks, it doesn't matter if it's not perfect.

Cover the bottom crust with the berries and spread evenly.

Crumble the remaining oat/flour mixture over the berries. Pop it into the oven and bake 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the berries bubbly.

Serve warm or cold. Vanilla ice cream is optional but highly recommended.

Strawberry Picking

This past Friday we finally had a break in the clouds here in Western Washington, so some friends and I decided to take advantage of the sun and the season to go and pick strawberries. I'm not a total stranger to farm life. I spent several months living and working on organic farms in Hawaii a few years ago, so I have eaten all sorts of tropical fruits straight from the tree or vine. Fruits that I had never heard of before spending time on the islands. Egg fruit? Durian? Sapote? They became common place. But strawberries. I don't know if I've ever picked more than one or two at a time from a small garden plot.

Picking strawberries is like a treasure hunt. Searching for rubies in a sea of leafy green, hunched over on your hands and knees. They shade themselves from view, so you must be diligent until you spot that blazing red nestled underneath the emerald foliage. They hide themselves, but once found, these fruits just beg to be plucked from the vine. And popped into your mouth. The four of us filled our baskets with sixteen pounds of strawberries that afternoon.

We visited a farm called "Garden Treasures" for our little picking party (goes well with my previous analogy). The green houses and fields were set against a backdrop of snow-capped mountain peaks. It was incredibly peaceful and a much needed break from the urban chaos that is my day-to-day. Not only did this farm/nursery have berries for our eager, little hands to pick, but they also had rows and rows of green things to harvest. Cabbages, broccoli, romaine and butterhead lettuces, chard, kale and a dense thicket of pea vines. Two of my ambitious friends must have picked ten pounds of sugar snaps.

Now that my berry loot is washed and waiting in the fridge to be eaten, there are decisions to be made. I'm busy thinking up ways to best savor them. Jam? A crisp or cobbler, perhaps? Both are on my mind, although, this morning I decided to keep it simple and just toss a few whole berries on my yogurt with some walnuts and a drizzle of honey.

Breakfast was a resounding success. Hopefully strawberry season will hold on long enough for another trip to the fields. I could use fresh berries in my yogurt everyday.