Happy almost Mother’s Day to all the mamas out there! If you’re still pondering a menu to whip up for your mother on her day, think about adding a sweet finish to the meal with this ethereal lavender + vanilla bean whipped cream. Or, start her day off on a sweet note and dollop it over some fluffy buttermilk pancakes and fresh berries. No one deserves some special treatment more than a mother….
sweets
Dark Chocolate Balsamic Roasted Pears
Feliz February, friends! With Valentine’s day right around the corner, I thought I would share a super simple dessert that is as healthy as it is nutritious (well, sans the ice cream..but really, who’s guna leave that out?). These dark chocolate balsamic roasted pears truly hit all corners of the palate. The rich, tangy dark chocolate balsamic vinegar* infuses the fruit with a sumptuous depth of flavor. When spooned over your favorite ice cream (I am a sucker for Lick’s Caramel Salt Lick flavor) and topped with salty pepitas, this dessert is some serious melt-in-your mouth perfection. You won’t even miss all the fat and calories. Enjoy!…
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
Merry Christmas to you and yours! I hope your holiday is full of love, laughter, great food and fellowship, and celebrating the reason for the season. Jesus Christ is born! Buen provecho, y’all!…
Pumpkin French Toast with Bacon Maple Syrup
The easy thing for me to do right now would be to talk about fall, cooler weather, leaves changing, and all things pumpkin- including this delicious french toast. I think I talked about all of those trite (yet wonderful) fall topics in my half-hearted blog post last week. I get it though. If anyone is guilty of breaking out the boots before the temperatures have even dipped into the 70s, it’s me. Autumn is my favorite season. However, I feel like there are much bigger things going on in the world than my pumpkin spice latte or who won the football game yesterday. In my heart of hearts, when I write about those things, I feel a searing jab in my soul. It’s like when the nun in Madeleine starts singing “something is not right.” Kind of? (Oh man, my points of reference are becoming a dead giveaway for my profession!)…
Chocolate, Coconut and Peanut Butter Energy Truffles
You can already taste the excitement in the air for one (now two) of Austin’s most beloved weekends, ACL fest. It’s a sweet time of year when the weather starts to cool if we’re lucky, and when renowned and latent musical talent reverberates throughout the city on a gargantuan scale, whether you like it or not. As an Austin native, ACL certainly holds a special place in my heart. However, my concert-culture has “shifted” over the years, to put it nicely. Nowadays, as opposed to my 17 or 18 year-old, dare I say impetuous self, I like to think I’m a little more practical when it comes to, well, most things, especially food things….
Sweet ‘n Spicy Pecans
Hello and Merry Christmas from snowy Steamboat Springs, Colorado!
It’s a winter dreamland up here. There are snowcapped spruces and pines everywhere your eyes settle, and the snowfall hasn’t ceased since we arrived two days ago. While I “should” be out taking advantage of these perfect skiing conditions,unfortunately (and fortunately) I am confined to a bedroom of our beautiful, rustic chalet due to a pesky virus–yuck. But you know, I am kind of okay with it. In fact, I am grateful for it….
Cinnamon Peach Butter
Isn’t it mind-boggling to think about how the brain so tightly intertwines memory with sense of smell? I’ve always wondered why that is. After a little investigation, I learned that the olfactory (sense of smell) cortex is embedded within the brain’s limbic system and amygdala, where emotions are born and emotional memories stored. That’s why smells, feelings and memories become so easily and intimately entangled (Natalie Angier @ NY Times)….
Chocolate Chip Coconut Delights
Hey Austinites! Tomorrow from 10am-2pm the Austin Food Bloggers Association (which I am a part of) is holding a city-wide bake sale to support AmeriCare relief efforts in West, Texas. We will have 8 different locations across town, so click the link find one near you! In addition to supporting a good cause, there will be an abundance of savory and sweet baked goods to tempt the eyes and taste buds alike. Knowing whose talented minds and hands are at work behind these culinary creations, I can confidently proclaim that this will not be your average bake sale. (Sorry Girl Scouts! I still love you and your crack samosas.) Yours truly will be contributing these gluten-free Chocolate Chip Coconut Delights (scheduled for Stiles Switch BBQ and Brew on N. Lamar), so get ’em while they’re hot! Their crisp outside and soft, airy inside make for an impossibly delightful juxtaposition, (the antithesis of most chalky, gluten-free baked goods I’ve ever tasted.)…
Kahlua Chocolate Mousse
You probably know by now that I am not a vegetarian or a vegan. I’m not gluten-free, dairy-free, fat-free or anything like that. I understand and respect diet restrictions and food sensitivities, but I don’t believe in diets. I believe in moderation, not limitation. I believe in the power of regular physical activity, of yoga and meditation, and in the axiom, “You are what you eat.” I find that the body tells you exactly what you need (or don’t need) if you really pay attention. It’s pretty incredible, actually….
