Day 86: Curried Pumpkin Seeds

Yield: 2 cups
Time (Start to Finish): 30 min

Ingredients:
2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp curry powder (maybe more!)
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp salt

Directions:
1. Make sure all the goop is picked off the pumpkin seeds
2. In a pot of boiling water, boil the seeds for about 3 minutes and then drain and pat with paper towels
3. Preheat the oven to 400F
4. In a casserole dish, place the seeds
5. Sprinkle the curry powder, salt, and oil over them and mix with a spoon or spatula. You can add more spices if you want to
6. Bake for about 15 min, stirring about every 5. You will know they are done when they are dried out. You can taste one and add more spice throughout.
7. When finished, let cool and serve! Store in a dry closed container

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: Perfect thing to do after having carved a bunch of pumpkins! I added more spice as they baked, and I thought at first they were over spiced, but it tastes so so good. They taste even better the next day. These were hard for me to make because I had just eaten a huge burger, haha. Well, carve those pumpkins and eat these fabulous seeds. I brought them to work but I think I ate most of them

Day 85: Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Yield: 2 ½ dozen cookies
Time (Start to Finish):

Ingredients:
2 ½ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt

½ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp maple syrup
frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
maple syrup, about 1 Tbsp, maybe more
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a bowl, mix the butter and the sugar until smooth
3. Add the egg, vanilla and syrup
4. Then add all the dry ingredients so everything but the pumpkin is added. Be sure to sift the dry
5. Add the pumpkin and mix until combined and smooth
6. With a small one inch scoop or spoon, spoon one inch balls onto a greased cookie sheet. Make sure they are 1 inch apart
7. Bake 8-10 min until cooked but still a little soft.
8. In a bowl, sift the powdered sugar
9. Add the vanilla and maple syrup and stir with a fork. You want it to be thick frosting, but able to drizzle it. It should drizzle, but not be so thin it falls down the side of the cookie. Add more syrup if you need to to make this consistency. Add more sugar if it is too thin.
10. Drizzle with a fork on the cookies after they have cooled and enjoy with apple cider.

Rating: 5 strawberries
Notes: Happy Fall!!! Today we all went to a pumpkin patch, sat around the table carving and drinking cider and laughing, and Christina said I should make pumpkin cookies, so here they are, and they RULE. They are soft, the frosting is perfect, and they are 2 bites of heaven. I made a huge plate of them and they were gone by morning. Really, I can’t think of any other way to celebrate my favorite season. Then we all went to the beach and watched the sunset and came back and watched movies. Really, these cookies sealed the deal on a great day with friends and snacks! And thank you again my hand model Christina!

Day 84: Coconut French Toast

Yield: 9-10 pieces
Time (Start to Finish): 40 min

Ingredients:

9 slices sourdough bread

2/3 cup coconut milk
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 cup coconut shavings

2 Tbsp butter
syrup
left over chocolate sauce (from yesterday)

Directions:
1. Take the coconut milk, eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk in a shallow bowl
2. Add the coconut, and if it is too thick, feel free to add a little more coconut milk
3. Preheat a skillet to med high heat
4. Add 1 Tbsp of butter
5. Soak the bread in the batter, making sure to get the coconut pieces on the bread and then cook on the skillet until brown on both sides, about 5 min total
6. Repeat this step for all the bread.
7. Serve with syrup, more butter, or like me, left over chocolate sauce.

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: SO good! I might even have added macadamia nuts toasted. It was a great start to the day. The chocolate sauce I think did a lot, as did the coconut milk. You must try this recipe. It is simple, quick, and always a crowd pleaser. You can add coconut to some syrup the night before to make it flavored, or you can even add a little coconut extract to make it a stronger flavor if you like. I ate this and send myself off to work. It is also great if you have company over. I figure its about 1 egg per person for a ratio if that helps you. Enjoy guys!

Day 83: Stuffed Strawberries and Chocolate

Yield: 3 servings
Time (Start to Finish): 30 min

Ingredients:
15 strawberries, large
½ cup mascarpone cream (or cream cheese)

½ cup half and half
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Hollow out the strawberries by cutting the tops off at an angle in to the berry
2. Take the mascarpone (Italian cream cheese) and fill the berries with it with a spoon
3. In a saucepan heat the half and half until it is almost boiling.
4. Place the chocolate chips and vanilla in a bowl
5. Pour the hot half and half over the chocolate chips and whisk until smooth
6. Serve warm and dip the berries into the chocolate. If you want, you can chill the chocolate a little bit, but it will remain soft

Rating: 5 strawberries
Notes: This is hands down my favorite dessert in all the world. I cant think of anything better than strawberries, cream and chocolate. This was a long work day, and I ate these for dinner and then curled up in bed, perfect!!! I give it a 5 because there is really no way to make it any better! Maybe if I made a million more. And my lovely hand model is Christina who helped me polish these bad boys off. This is also probably one of the last times this season I will be using strawberries. They are no more! Sad sad day for those whose favorite food it is…I will survive…

Day 82: Mashed Potatoes with cream cheese

Yield: 6 people
Time (Start to Finish): 1 hour

Ingredients:
2 pounds red new potatoes
½ white onion, chopped
1 head garlic (yes, the whole thing)
½ cup (4 oz) cream cheese
½ cup half and half (may need a little more)
3 Tbsp parm cheese, grated
salt and pepper
olive oil

Directions:
1. Turn the oven on to 450F. cut the top off the garlic head to the cloves are exposed a little. Drizzle a little oil, wrap in foil and bake for about 20 min until nice and soft…roasted garlic. Pop the cloves out by squeezing the head after its cooled a little and smash them up
2. Take the onion and caramelize it. BE PATIENT, it takes about half an hour! Take the chopped onion, salt, pepper and a drop of oil and sauté on a pan on med heat until it turns brown and caramelizes..
3. Take the potatoes, maybe while you are cooking the onion, and cut them up and boil them with a lot of salt until they are cooked through
4. In a pot, throw in the potatoes, the onion, the garlic, cream cheese, cream, parm cheese, half and half, salt and pepper and mix with a potato masher
5. Mix until smooth, and add more cream if needed, more cream cheese if needed, and more salt and pepper if needed. You can even use garlic salt if you want. Serve with a sprinkle of chives if you like…enjoy!

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: cant get better than these…especially when served with a yummy chicken and cooked tomatoes…thanks Bobby and Trash!! These potatoes take a little bit, but are so delicious! The cream cheese is really the trick! You CAN add butter, but the cream cheese adds a tang most people cant place a finger on, but love it when you tell them. There was a dinner party held at our house for Bobby’s friend, and I got to help out and make a dish! And everyone knows how good my potato dishes can be. I guess again that has to do with my irish/polish blood. I hope you like these, and enjoy!

Day 81: Hot Tottie

Yield: 1 sick person
Time (Start to Finish): 15 min

Ingredients:
1 shot yummy whiskey
2 shots boiling water
sprinkle pumpkin pie spice
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemon, juiced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
½ Tbsp sugar

Directions:
1. Boil the water
2. In a glass squeeze the juice of the lemon and add the sugar. You can add a little more if you want it more sweet
3. Add the hot water and the fresh ginger and let steep for a minute or two
4. Add the whiskey, sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice and drop in the cinnamon stick
5. Make sure to serve with a spoon, and enjoy! You can or don’t have to eat the ginger...some thing it is too spicy

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: So, the downer to this is I couldn’t really taste it when I made it, so it was a little too tart when eventually I could, meaning I added too much lemon, but it worked! I had a very stuffy nose and it would not go away, so a hot tottie is the perfect medicine. It was nice and snuggly and ideal. I felt a ton better and slept like a rock. I would maybe add more spices, or even a ginger tea bag to the boiling water, but I do want to give a shout out to Christina my roomie for the idea! Thanks girl! I feel BETTER!

Day 80: Coconut Rice

Yield: 2-3 servings
Time (Start to Finish): 30 min

Ingredients:
½ cup white rice
¾ cup coconut milk
1 cup vegetable stock
1 Tbsp butter
salt

Directions:
1. In a pot, mix the coconut milk, vege stock, butter, salt and rice. Add a big ol pinch of salt
2. Cook on med heat until boiling, then lower the heat and simmer
3. Cook until the rice is soft, and keep stirring. If it runs low on liquid and is still uncooked, add a little more vege stock.
4. Should be creamy when done, like a risotto rice. Stay with it so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Can also be done in a rice cooker

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: you can for SURE add spice to this rice, but I was serving it with left over red curry with chicken, so I wanted it to be mild, but compliment the food. It was PERFECT!! This rice is so creamy and delicious, light and would just go with anything! Id add a little sugar and serve it with fruit for dessert, or in a soup, or with shrimp. It is such a classic side dish. I made this after a long rainy sleepy work filled day, and it really took no time to make. A ricecooker would have been an epic idea, but a pot and the stove is just lovely. Enjoy!!! And I miss you Sarah!!! Thanks for the leftovers! Oh, and you can use chicken stock if you want, or just water.

Day 79: Eggs, Beans, and a Bagel

Yield: 1 serving
Time (Start to Finish): 25 min

Ingredients:
½ cup cooked unflavored beans
1 shallot
salt and pepper
1 egg
1 bagel (I used onion)
2 Tbsp butter
dried basil

Directions:
1. Place the cooked beans on a plate and warm them. Add a lot of salt to flavor them
2. Chop the shallot into small pieces and cook over med heat with a drop of oil (or butter) until soft and browning.
3. Put them on top of the beans
4. With a little oil or butter, but on the pan, and fry the egg until it is over easy, or however you like eggs. Scrambled it fine too
5. Salt and pepper the egg, and place it on top of the beans.
6. Sprinkle with dried basil.
7. Toast the bagel and spread with a thin layer of butter
8. Enjoy together as a sandwich or just eating together

Rating: 3.5 strawberries
Notes: I actually really liked this dish. I used left over beans in the fridge, a shallot I had lying around, an egg, a bagel Christina gave me, so it was really a meal made from things my roomies let me have. Thanks guys! It was a nice thing to eat after a little too much to drink the night before, and a great thing to send me off with when going to listen to much more live music, outside, on a cold day. Yummy! It was flavorful and filling, thanks roomies bobby, Christina and alley! And sorry to my friend who had to go out and get breakfast…I already ate…

Day 78: 3 Kinds of Pancakes

Yield: 14-15 pancakes
Time (Start to Finish): 45 min

Ingredients:
1 ½ cup flour
3 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 ¼ cup half and half
1 egg
3 Tbsp melted butter

½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter chips

3 pieces chopped, cooked bacon
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Cook bacon and set aside. Also shred cheese
2. Preheat a skillet to med-med high
3. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar with a whisk
4. Add the egg, milk and butter and whisk until just together. Should resemble paste, but if it is too thick, add a splash of milk. Don’t overmix or they will come out tough.
5. Separate the batter into 3 bowls
6. The first one is plain. Cook on a lightly pan sprayed pan until little bubbles appear on the surface and they are a light brown on the bottom, flip and finish cooking. About 3 min.
7. The second batch mix in chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, as many or few as you like. Do NOT sprinkle them in while one side is cooking. When you flip them, the chocolate and peanut butter will burn and get messy.
8. The third batch mix the cheese and the chopped bacon, and cook the same way as the others.
9. All go great with syrup or plain.

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: This is actually one of my favorite basic pancake recipes. You can really add anything you like to these and they are spongy and yummy and cakey. I have 3 friends staying at my house for the Treasure Island Music Festival, and to wake them all up I filled the house with the smell of pancakes. It worked, and the day started off perfectly. Tummies filled with food and our ears filled with music. This is a great platter of them too. I called the plain ones the mediator between the vegetarian ones and the meat ones. Haha. Enjoy these, and play with the different flavorings..banana chocolate chip, honey granola, etc.

Day 77: Simple Cinnamon Buttercream

Yield: ½ cup frosting
Time (Start to Finish): 5 minutes

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter, soft
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
milk, optional

Directions:
1. Make sure the butter is soft and the powdered sugar is sifted
2. Mix the butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth. I like to use a fork
3. If the frosting is too thick, you can add a little bit of milk to thin it out, I didn’t need to.
4. Spread on cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, or just eat out of the bowl

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: I love cinnamon, and making it into a buttercream just adds to my love for it. I put this on my chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes, and it was so so yummy, but again, you can put it on anything. It is spicy, and you can even do it with cream cheese instead of butter. Its really simple and can be made with things you find in your cabinet. Friends coming into town today, so I wanted to make something fast that they would like, I think I have a winner. If you are frosting a cake or anything for sure double this recipe, maybe even 4x it. It’s a small batch.

Day 76:Chocolate Cupcakes with PB Cups

Yield: 15 cupcakes
Time (Start to Finish): 45 min

Ingredients:
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup flour
½ cup cocoa powder
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 egg
½ cup half and half
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup boiling water
15 peanut butter cups

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients; flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt.
3. Then add the egg, sugars, half and half, oil, and vanilla.
4. Whisk all together, then add the boiling water and whisk until smooth
5. Line cupcake tins with papers, and fill each a little less than half way with the batter.
6. Place a peanut butter cup in each cupcake
7. Top with a little more batter, and make sure each one doesn’t go higher than ¾ of the way up the paper
8. Bake for 15 min or until cakes are cooked and a little springy. They will be a little sticky on top
9. You can make a chocolate frosting, but I like these just the way they are

Rating: 4 strawberries
Notes: you really can’t mess up chocolate and peanut butter. Again, this is another sick day, and from what I hear of others who have the same ailment, I am on the up and tomorrow should be fine to fight the world…which is good because I need to move my car by 12 tomorrow. I jumped in the middle of the night thinking I hadn’t moved it. This is another recipe I made from things in my cabinet. So good, but the peanut butter cups sunk to the bottom and kind of hardened, which sucked, but they still tasted great. This is also the best chocolate cake recipe. A tweak on the hershey’s recipe, and super moist. These are going fast in this house. I don’t like frosting on these, but go ahead and use my chocolate, or a nice cream cheese icing, and they will be great. Ok, back to bed for me…

Day 75: Salted Walnut Caramels

Yield: 1 8x8 inch pan
Time (Start to Finish): 25 min plus cooling time (2 hours)

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
2 cups brown sugar (light or dark)
1 cup corn syrup
1 Tbsp vanilla
¾ cup walnuts
coarse sea salt

Directions:
1. Grease a 8x8 pan with cooking spray
2. In a big saucepot, mix everything but the vanilla, walnuts and salt over med high
3. When it is all combined and the butter is melted, insert a candy thermometer, or one you would use to cook a turkey. Just make sure it goes past 250 degrees.
4. Constantly stirring, cook the mixture until it reaches 235 degrees, and turn off the heat
5. Stir for a little bit until the bubbles start to go down, then add the vanilla and nuts
6. Stir for a little bit and then pour into the greased dish. Let sit for about 10-15 min, and then sprinkle on top the sea salt. If you do it too early, it will melt it
7. Let cool on counter or in fridge until cold to the touch, then you can cut, and individually wrap. I suggest storing in the refrigerator.

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: I was sick as a dog today. I didn’t leave the house, and barely was awake, so this was something I made from things I found in my cabinet. Luckily, this project has kept me pretty well stocked in random things. These are just the most delicious caramels, but they do tend to melt pretty easily, so keep them chilled and they last longer. I cant wait until I am well enough to taste them. I can EAT them, but no nose is stuffed, so flavor is lacking. These don’t take too long to make, and really aren’t too difficult. Enjoy them!

Day 74: Sausage Cheddar Croissants

Yield: 6 Croissants
Time (Start to Finish):25 min

Ingredients:
1 can crescent roll dough (6 croissants, you can make your own)
4-5 small sausages, fully cooked
12 sliced cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Take the 6 triangles, and place the big side of the triangle at you
3. Place a slice of cheese, then fill with sausage, then place another slice of cheese on top
4. Roll the croissant so all the ingredients are safe inside(poking out is ok)
5. Do this to all the croissants and place on a cookie sheet
6. Bake for 16 min or until they start to brown, and enjoy!
Rating: 3 strawberries
Notes: I love stuffed croissants, and croissant dough is a very temperature specific thing, so these are a great substitute. You can fill them with anything, cream cheese and jam, bacon and gruyere, etc. It was pouring rain this day, so it was nice to fill the house with warmth from the oven and hot little snacks. I didn’t like the sausage I chose, so be sure to pick things you like to fill these, and enjoy. They are fast too which is nice when you are in a rush.

Day 73: Garlic Butter Baked Brie Bread

Yield: 2 peeps
Time (Start to Finish): 20 min

Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp butter
1 4 oz French baguette
¼- ½ pound of brie (varies to size of roll)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Take the roll and cut out the center without piercing the bottom with the knife. Just run the knife along the top/sides of the loaf and then pull the center out with it
3. Slice the center part that you pull out so you have little breads which you can toast
4. Take the garlic and chop it up
5. In a sauce pan, melt the butter with the garlic and let cook for just a minute to soften the garlic
6. Pour into the hollowed out bread and make sure it is even throughout the bread
7. Slice the brie and fill the hole on the bread with it, it may or may not use all the cheese
8. Put on a cookie sheet and bake until the brie is hot and melted
9. Serve with the little toasts as an appetizer. Also serve with crackers and fruit!

Rating: 4.5 strawberries
Notes: If you have good bread and brie, this is a killer snack. I just flew in from the best week in Portland ever, saw my dad take home second in the world handball champs (HE IS SO COOL!) saw some great friends, ellis and Meghan, who helped me a ton in this cooking thing, and can both testify that I cooked every day. I made new friends, like drew and sarah who also helped a lot, and I came home after a long delayed flight, sad and needing comfort. This little dish is PERFECT comfort food. Perfect to snack on while catching up on my blog that I couldn’t work on because I left me computer camera adapter here in san Francisco. Sorry to be gone for so long guys, and I hope these recipes hold true to my promise of some cool cool things. Anyways, guys, this recipe is divine, and although I am a little sad, it is good to be home to clean clothes, clean pants, and catching up…nuthin better than a tummy full of cheese and bread to help me catch up on my sleep. Its 9:14 pm…WAY past my bedtime…