Olivia's Giant Birthday Cookie

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Capellini Pomodoro with a Poached Egg

For some reason, I was craving capellini with a poached egg even though I have never eaten such a thing before. I googled it and apparently people put poached eggs on pasta all the time, so I didn't feel so weird. I also cooked up some chard from the garden. I did some 'scissor-cooking' tonight and chopped all the greens with kitchen scissors. So easy!
Max and I got Italian food last week and on top of the pasta was freshly chopped parsley. For some reason, it totally changed the dish and tasted fantastic! Olivia kindly picked some basil and I cut that up with some parsley from my aunt and uncle's garden. So delicious. And the egg really was just what I was craving (:

And Olivia found the camera! But I really haven't gotten the hang of indoor pictures yet, thanks for your patience with the funky photos.

Capellini Pomodoro with a Poached Egg
you will need:
capellini, cooked
your favorite tomato sauce
two eggs
chopped parsley
salt and pepper

I poach eggs in a pasta strainer, you know the ones with a handle? I think that's called a strainer...no, it's called a spider! My mistake (: I set the spider into the boiling water and crack the egg into it. That way the egg doesn't get everywhere and when it's done, you just lift the egg out and tip it upside down onto a dish.
So, warm the sauce in a pan and add the cooked pasta. Stir to ensure an even coating of all the pasta.
Plate the pasta, then set the egg on top. Crack fresh pepper over the top and add a little salt over the eggs. Sprinkle with parsley et voila!
Bon Appetit

Popcorn Balls and Halloween Fun!

Mmm yummy...want to make your Halloween sweeter? Like you need anymore sugar on Halloween, I know but guess what? I found a recipe that uses honey instead of corn syrup, so it's really healthy if you think about it (;
This recipe is on The Red Mountain Post website, by the Skinny Gourmet
You will need:

Roughly 8 cups popped, plain popcorn (don't get butter-flavored or salted)

1 slight cup honey
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup water
1 1/2 tbs salted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Makes 8-10 medium popcorn balls.

Directions

Combine honey, white sugar, brown sugar, water, and salt in saucepan. Place over low heat, stirring until mixture begins to boil. Add butter. Stir and add vanilla just as the mixture begins to thicken. Cook to firm ball stage (248 degrees). 

Pour over popcorn and stir until all of the popcorn is coated. Wait for it to cool slightly, then compress with your hands. It might help to coat your hands with some butter,oil, or dip your hands in cold water. My boyfriend just squished them with a lot of force and they stuck, but I needed the water (:

Drizzle with chocolate and let cool. Store wrapped individually in plastic wrap at room temperature.

Olivia also made some pumpkin seeds:

Pumpkin Seeds

Wash the seeds and the pulp under water, to help separate the seeds. Olivia used a colander to strain the water out.

Then, we oiled a cookie sheet and heated the oven to 400 degrees F. She put a little salt on the seeds and I finished them up when she went to bed. Bake the seeds until golden, then use a spatula, spoon or tongs to move them around and let them get baked on both sides. Remove when dark and crispy and salt to taste. I've been grabbing handfuls all night, I can't even stop, they are the perfect snack!

Hard at work!

Sweet sisters

Macy

punkins!

Amani, looking serious

Me, Jordan, Max and Avonlea

My Pumpkin, Mr. Cupcake

Happy Halloween!

Oatmeal Cookies and Bay Leaf Tea

Today my siblings and I took a long walk to get the mail and observe nature. We saw lizards, ant hills, yellow-faced birds, rescued a moth and collected lots of acorn caps ( : When we got home, we made a little display of our findings and brewed some Bay Laurel leaf tea. I have a book called "Kashaya Pomo Plants" that has natural remedies in it from Northern California plants. I will add this book to my book list for your convenience.

Bay Laurel Tea
Made from the leaves of the California Bay Laurel or "Peppernut" tree, this tea can be used to wash sores or taken internally to treat colds and sore throats.
Brew 3-4 leaves per cup of water to make a dark tea.
We found that when we brewed it briefly the resulting liquid was strong enough to make us sneeze! So, we drank it rather weak, but we're hoping it will help clear up some of the colds around the house.
(NOTE: It's important when making teas or using the zest or peel from fruits that you make sure they are organic and have never been sprayed with pesticides, or you could become ill.)


After the tea, Amani and I made up our own recipe for oatmeal cookies!

Mixing! This is the only one that wasn't 100% blurred, he's a very dedicated mixer!

Waiting for the cookies to be done: Licking apples always helps.

They're done!

Olivia approves

Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbs maple syrup

1 egg

1 cup instant oats

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 salt

1/2 Tbs baking soda

1/2 cup chopped, dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Cream butter and sugars together. Add syrup, egg and oatmeal. Add dry ingredients. Chop cherries and stir into dough. It should hold together.

Roll into balls about the size of a golf ball and slightly compress onto oiled cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. The edges should be golden and crisp, but the middle may still be a bit wet. That is actually perfect! Let them cool for a few minutes on the sheet and then transfer to a wire cooling rack. The edges will be slightly crispy while the center of the cookie will stay soft and chewy! (:

This was an experiment that worked for us today, but it has only been tested once. I'll try it again another day and make sure it still works well!
Bon Appetit!