Lemon Blueberry Ginger Bundt Cake: Gender Equality and Marriage

For Husband

Before marriage, kids, and the life that I have as I know it, I considered myself to be a liberated woman, with definite feminist leanings.  In fact, when Husband met me, I was pretty hard-headed about where I thought a woman's place was in the world, and I strongly advocated to him that WOMEN were just as good as men in almost any situation.  I even made a point of saying that I didn't need a man to do anything that I couldn't do myself.  He mentioned to me after we were married that when we first met, my feminist leanings sort of turned him off (probably scared his quasi-chauvinist self) and is to this day, somehow unclear as to how he ended up giving me his undying love.  (Probably the food, I'm guessing, but I'm not sure.)

However, I don't have much time these days to think about my own personal understanding and acceptance with feminism in any sort of thoughtful way; I do however, think more about gender equality how it affects Daughters and Son.  I spend a great deal of time trying to treat both genders equally, giving them equal opportunities in whatever they want to pursue, and really show them some measure of equality between the sexes.  I kill the spiders, I change the light bulbs, I climb up high to get things, I plunge the toilet.  I figure out what is wrong with the car and as much as possible, do not defer jobs to husband as saying, "That's a man's job."  I do say, "Ask daddy to do it because Mommy is tired" but never do I say, "That is what a man needs to do."  On the flip side, I try and make it clear to Son that he needs to do things around the house like pick up his toys (he's very good at this), put his dishes in the sink, take care of the laundry, and really actively participate in the day to day running of the house.  (By the way, this slightly disturbs Husband.)

However, it was Daughter #1's conversation with me while brushing my teeth that really gave me pause.  She asked (with her toothbrush in her mouth), "Mommy - I know you had me and sister in your tummy.   You carried us because you are a girl.  But does that mean Daddy carried brother?  Since they are both boys?"

"No.  Only women carry babies.  Men don't carry them."

"Well, if they don't carry them, then what do we need them for?" she questioned.

I was not ready to give the sex education answer, but rather just went with, "I always need Daddy.  Even if he doesn't carry the baby."

And it is true....at the end of the day, I will always need Husband, not because he does things better than I do (although he does) or because he thinks he is smarter than I am (he does), or because he doesn't carry the baby (I do), but I need him because he's my half that I am missing when he is not around.  Not that I can't do any of the things that he does (Truthfully there are many things that I cannot do), but more because doing it with him, or watching him do it, or coercing him to do it is all the more sweeter when we are together.

Ah yes, I will always need him.

This cake is a marriage of delicious flavors and a really simple glaze on top.  Each on its own is very good and delicious, flexible, but together...they are a power couple.   Don't skip the glaze as the cake will be sad without and don't be scared of the ginger - it really sits in the background but you sense its presence.  I made this cake on one night and it was gone. Just like that.

Lemon Blueberry Ginger Bundt Cake
Adapted from Tish Boyle’s The Cake Book

Makes 10-inch bundt cake, serving 12 to 14
Cake
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ cups fresh blueberries, washed and picked over

Syrup
Ingredients
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (use the lemons leftover from zesting)
⅔ cup granulated sugar

Method
Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour inside of 10 inch bundt pan.

Whisk together flour, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

Using either a stand mixer (paddle attachment) or a hand mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar and beat at medium-high speed until the mixture is light in texture and color, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating for 30 to 40 seconds after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in grated ginger, lemon zest and vanilla extract. At low speed, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with sour cream. (Add a bit of flour, a bit of sour cream, a bit of flour, a bit of sour cream, a bit of flour.)

Scoop half of batter into pan and spread with spatula. Sprinkle with blueberries evenly over. Scoop remaining half of batter on top of blueberries. Smooth with spatula.

Bake care for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then invert it onto another rack. Place the cake, on the rack, over a baking sheet.

While cake is baking, make syrup. Combine lemon juice and sugar in a small non reactive saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Using a pastry brush, dab syrup generously all over surface of the warm cake, allowing it to soak into the cake before reapplying. Let the cake cool completely.

Printable recipe

the pan I have













Still LOVE LOVE LOVE this book

Allergy Friendly Fried Chicken Wings (No gluten, egg, dairy, corn, soy): Flashbacks

For my cutie pie nephew JC and his momma JC!

My brother and his new family (new baby) came up to visit me this past week stayed with me for an extended period of time.  Unfortunately my new nephew suffers from some pretty severe eczema so both Brother and Sister-in-law spend a great deal of time trying to figure out WHAT causes it and different ways to treat the condition.  It brought back so many sharp and difficult memories of my time breastfeeding Son, navigating all the different food allergies and trying to decipher what was making him have such horrible skin.

Sister-in-law has given up many of the same foods I was forced to give up while breastfeeding, and also eats very similarly to Son.  I wanted to cook for her foods that wouldn't affect her son and at the same time make it delicious and appetizing.  I remembered all too well the amount of sacrifice and determination it took to give up all the foods that were potentially affecting Son's skin.  At one point, I had given up dairy, soy, nuts, eggs, sesame, shellfish, fish, corn and wheat, and was basically surviving on fruits, vegetables and proteins.  It really wasn't much fun to be around me because I was so hungry for other things (cheese mostly) but I also had some strange grit that was determined to live with the situation until I weaned Son.  I was grouchy and craving the forbidden.  I know what it is to walk in my Sister-in-law's shoes, to feel frustrated when the diet isn't working, to watch another flare-up hit, and to wait anxiously, eagerly, feverishly for improvement, any improvement, no matter how small.

I decided to cook a very allergy friendly dinner, motivated by the memory of my own deprivation 3 years ago.  That thought alone, remembering how things were so hard to eat really lit a fire under me and I got cranking on a new chicken wings recipe.  I wanted it to be crispy, flavorful, but at the same time, soy, egg, dairy, corn, wheat free - which was going to be an interesting challenge.  Turns out all of those restrictions pushed my cooking into a new and really delicious direction - the wings were a hit!  I even did them side by side against flour coated wings, and hands down, people preferred the light airy crispiness of the sweet rice flour, and even loved the special texture that comes from cooking with mochiko.

These are not any harder than a wheat based fried chicken recipe but are equally as good.  I'd even encourage people to try making them even if they don't have allergies, because it really is just that tasty!

Allergy-Friendly Asian Fried Chicken Wings
Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients
6-7 lbs wings, separated into drummettes and wings (tips reserved for use another time)
2 cups coconut milk
½ cup chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped ginger
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 tablespoons sambal oelek (fresh ground chili pepper - available at your local Asian market)
6 tablespoons fish sauce (if you cannot do fish sauce, use 3 tablespoons of sake, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt as a substitute)

3 cups mochiko (sweet rice flour)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon salt

Vegetable oil for frying (I like safflower oil)
lime wedges for serving

Method
In a large bowl mix together coconut milk, cilantro, ginger, garlic, sambal, and fish sauce. Once combined, add chicken wing pieces. Stir to submerge coat chicken well in marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

In a heavy pot or deep fryer, heat oil and bring to 325 degrees.

While the oil is heating, in a large bowl, whisk together mochiko, garlic powder, ginger powder and salt. Remove wing from marinade and toss in rice flour until fully coated. (A light even coating is what you are going for). Set aside on rack and repeat with remaining wings. Once the oil has reached 325 degrees, add enough wings so that you have room to stir them if necessary. Fry for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Serve hot with lime wedges.

Printable recipe

Breastfeeding women, first dibs!

not a great price, but so you can see what it is













My choice brand of fish sauce













My choice for Sambal Oelek (available much more cheaply at your local Chinese supermarket)

Caprese Crostini: A mother's pride

Every mother knows the moment their child is born, that hers is the perfect child.  She thinks that her child is the best, the smartest, the greatest, the cutest - just plain the "-est" regardless of the context.  As their child gets older, and then other children enter your world with whom you can compare your own child and suddenly it's not as clear.  I find myself noticing the kid who is better behaved than mine, or the one who seems to have a better handle on math, or the one who writes better.  Suddenly, when comparing with others, it's harder to harder to see that your child is the "best."

However, I know that comparing with others is not the way to go and I force myself to compare Son and Daughters against each of themselves, without comparing them to anyone.  I remind them that they need to be better than they were yesterday - in everything that they are doing, whether it be their behavior, their eating habits, their swimming, or just their attitude.  Whether they improve every single day is up for debate, but I try and keep in mind that they are on their own individual race against themselves.

As Daughter #1 had her first piano recital, I thought about it with a lot of trepidation. I thought back to my own performances as a young child, and realized I did not play in my first recital until I was 8 years old; Daughter #1 had been asked to play, and she was only 6.   I worried about her stage fright, her confidence, her poise in front of an audience of other parents and musicians and my major panic crisis mode kicked in, where I imagined the worst case scenario.  (It went something like she would perform, make a huge mistake, burst out in tears in front of the audience, cry audibly during the rest of the recital, and on the car ride home staunchly say that she would no longer play piano, ever again.  Her musical experience of less than two years would be over.)  My solution was to make sure she practiced, over and over and over again until she had mastery of the piece.  I reminded her every single day to practice her piece, with dynamics, with precision and with accuracy. When she complained I told her, "If you make a mistake during the recital after a lot of practice, that is fine.  But if you make a mistake because you DID NOT practice, that is something entirely different." She seemed to understand my point and dutifully practiced.  (Not quite to my exacting standards, but they must have met hers.)

The day of the piano recital loomed and I think I was more jittery than she.  I was pressed to get her to the performance ON TIME, and dashed around the house preparing everyone in their recital nice clothes.  After I started the engine, mother-in-law tapped my shoulders and whispered to me in Korean, "I think something is wrong with her front tooth.  It looks like it is going to fall out."  I turned and looked at daughter, and sure enough her front tooth was jutting out of her mouth.  I said, "Honey, I'm going to have to pull your tooth out right now," and proceeded to run over to her side of the car, grab Kleenex and yanked out her front tooth.  I shoved two tissues in her mouth and told her to bite, and then gunned the engine and drove off to the recital.  (Mommy, dentist, chauffeur, talent manager in one day - that's stress.)

She was sixth to play, and the five students who preceeded her made mistakes and did not play as well as I had expected.  My stomach bottomed out as I began to realize that these kids were nervous, jittery and terrified about performing.  When Daughter #1 went up to play, my heart thumped wildly and threatened to stop beating.  The 45 seconds of her brief performance were some of the most nerve-wracking, and then it was over.  She played well, very well, perfectly even.

My chest puffed up and swelled with pride.  My smile threatened to split my face in two.  My mother's pride just welled up and threatened to take over my body.  After it was all over, I simply hugged Daughter #1 and said, "You did a great job, because you practiced hard.  That's why you did so well."  And I knew this to be true, and my heart was full because all of her effort was well worth it.

After being exhausted from enforcing all the piano practice, my brain and my body have not been able to do complicated cooking - in fact, I'm looking for the EASIEST most delicious things to cook.  And I found it in these Caprese Crostini.  Simple ingredients, simple preparation and a delicious "party in your mouth."  Even better, you can make these perfectly, with no practice at all.

Caprese Crostini
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis’ book Everyday Pasta
4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 loaf crusty bread like pugliese, sliced ½ inch thick
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 small mozzarella balls (bocconcini), cut in half
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, stemmed

Method
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Arrange the sliced bread on a baking sheet. Brush with some of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake until the bread is pale golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Top each slice of bread with a few cherry tomato halves and mozzarella halves and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Return the baking sheet to the oven until the cheese and tomato are warmed, about 5 minutes.
Arrange the toasts on a serving platter. Top each toast with a basil leaf. Using the brush, drizzle the remaining olive oil over the basil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve.

Printable recipe

Bonus - it's delicious without any dairy.

Vanilla Coconut Cake in a Pan: Turning 39 and 1/2

For JEL, who made me older before my time.  It was worth it!


May 1st was the day that I officially turned 39 1/2 years old.  It passed without any notice form anyone, without any hoopla, cake or presents.  It was, as they say, just an ordinary day.

However,  40 looms much closer than it did before.  Suddenly I am closer to my 40's than my 30's.  Suddenly, I realize my time has come.  I will be 40 and as time marches on, I cannot avoid it any longer.  Somehow I have started celebrating a birthday that has yet to come.  Earlier this week, friend JEL treated me to something of a dream -  GLEE live tour!  As a professed GLEEK, my heart was eagerly anticipating the event.  I counted down the days to going to this concert, asked mom in law to watch the kids for me, planned the day down to the minute as coordinating three kids, meals and an hour drive to the concert location takes some effort.

When we arrived to the concert arena, JEL reached over hugged me and said, "Happy Birthday!"

"Are you trying to turn me 40 before my time?"

Laughingly she asked," "Do 40-year-old women have mid life crises?"  (This question probably because we've both watched our respective husbands display some erratic behavior after turning 40)

"Yes.  I'm planning mine.  I've made some appointment to see some plastic surgeons for some work on my face," I responded jokingly.  Mentally I thought, why would I have a mid-life crisis?  I'm so mature, accepting and at peace with the whole 40 thing.

We ran into the concert and waited eagerly for all that was to happen.   I scanned the audience and it was clear that I was one of the oldest people there without a child.  There were clearly many moms present, but they had their kids with them as an excuse.  I had come with three other people, none of them under the age of 35.  I sat down in my chair (EXCELLENT seats) and prepared to enjoy the concert, much as one would enjoy a play, quietly, in my seat as mature people do.

But it seems that the true crowning moment of the evening was when I jumped up screaming Finn's name until I was hoarse and acted like an insane teenager.  (Truthfully I think I might have been worse than the calm teenagers around me.)  I grabbed JEL's hand and forced her to do the same maniacal behavior for about 10 minutes until my aging body could do it no longer.  Ah...it seems that I am primed for a midlife crisis.

As I prepare for that very crisis, I'm going to make this cake.  It's the perfect cake which defines my coming 40's - elegant yet casual, simple yet special, portable and ready to move at the drop of the hat.

It is coconut with lovely vanilla notes, with an incredibly moist texture.

Vanilla Coconut Cake in a Pan
adapted from Ina Garten’s Coconut Cake
Makes a 9X13 cake (12 to 16 large pieces)

Cake
Ingredients
¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean split, seeds removed
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup coconut milk (from the carton, not the can - I like So Delicious brand)
¾ cup shredded sweetened coconut

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9X13 pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the coconut milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the ¾ cup of coconut with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter evenly into the pan and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes..

Frosting
Ingredients
2 sticks (½ lb) of unsalted butter, softened
8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups of confectioners sugar
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Method
Cream together butter and cream cheese until uniform consistency. Add vanilla extract and mix again. Add confectioners sugar and beat until everything is incorporated.

Spread frosting over cake in a single layer over fully cooled cake. Sprinkle top with coconut.

Printable recipe

Pasta Pasta Giveaway!: The best presents...are given

I love presents.  I do love receiving them and this year is a double whammy for Husband.  He has to contend with 10th wedding anniversary AND my 40th birthday, and in desperation he has asked me repeatedly, "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"  I haven't really decided yet as the list of possibilities is pretty long (new camera, new computer, new office, new kitchen....you get the picture) and I can't seem to CHOOSE.

As much as I love receiving presents, I also think very much about what I am going to give.  For Husband I have a few ideas in mind (although he continually insists that NO he wants NOTHING), and for any person who has a birthday I mull over and consider deeply what nifty or cool gift I can give them.  The planning and thinking around the gifts always makes me excited and eager to hurry up and just give the present already!

I'm very excited about this opportunity to giveaway, as it's been a while.  I do wish I could give a prize to EACH blog reader, but alas, I am not independently wealthy in that way.  (I've yet to reach Oprah status.)  However, I sometimes do get really generous sponsors who are willing to give me great products to giveaway.  This time the sponsor of this really wonderful giveaway are the folks over at Golden Grain Pasta.   They are allowing me to give away a Cuisinart four piece pasta/steamer set and four boxes of their brand new whole grain pasta line, which is heart healthy and fiber-full.  As I am a frequent user of the pasta insert on my pot, I can tell you that it is a great way to cook pasta to perfection.

Even if you don't win, you can get a $1 coupon to try the NEW, fiber-full, heart-healthy Golden Grain whole grain pasta line, by going to their Facebook page and "liking" it.  

Unfortunately this blog giveaway is only open to those who have a US or Canadian shipping address due to shipping restrictions. (However, if you dont't live in either of those places but do have family or friends who live there who would be willing to hold on to your item for you, please enter!)

Pasta Pasta Giveaway Rules! 

To enter to win a Cuisinart 4 piece pasta steamer set... you MUST do the following:
Leave a comment below telling which pasta dish on the blog is your favorite.
(Try and leave a name and at least an email so that I can contact you to let you know that you are a WINNER.)

For an extra entry - Facebook!
You can have an extra entry if you take a picture of a pasta dish that you made from Week of Menus and post the photo on the Week of Menus Facebook Page. Leave a comment below letting me know that you've posted a photo. (previous photos do not count. Post something new) THIS IS an EXTRA COMMENT from the one above.

A winner will be chosen at random on TUESDAY, May 31st at midnight.
(I am a former high school English Teacher, so I am bit of a stickler for rules. Entries which do not follow the instructions will be disqualified.)

Can't wait to read about your favorite pasta dish!

What the winner receives!

Pomodoro Sauce and Whole Wheat Pasta: Bathing suit season? GASP?

Thanks to the folks at Golden Grain Pasta, I received four boxes of their new Whole Wheat Pasta line to try.

I actually don't really gasp about bathing suit season.  I swim year round and I've been showing off a winter FLABulous body for months on end. But then again, the pool isn't really teaming with that many people because most people consider summer to be the bathing suit months.

Which makes me pause and think, perhaps, just maybe, I should gasp a bit about bathing suit season, and stress a bit about it as well.  Maybe I should try and think about how I might want to look in the bathing suit in front of more people than I do now.  Sigh.

Summer approaches and although it is the time of vacations, barbecues, and lots of fabulous outdoor eating parties, it is also the time of the all fearful bathing suit.  So I'm trying.   Just a little bit.  I've been increasing my vegetable intake and salad intake and decreasing the other stuff.  I'm drinking more water, exercising harder, all for the thought that maybe I will go somewhere fabulous (no plans as such yet) and wear my suit.  (I actually don't even have a nice suit.  I keep buying mine from costco and thrashing them in the chlorine rich water of the pool I swim in.)

When the folks at Golden Grain Pasta, sent over 4 boxes of their whole grain pasta, I knew I wanted to try and make a very basic tomato sauce to serve on top of it.  I tried a delicious pomodoro from the book On Top Of Spaghetti which turned out really yummy and is a great thing to freeze and have on hand, any time you want a quick pasta dinner.  The Golden Grain Pasta was also pretty tasty - I did notice a difference in both flavor and texture, but it wasn't enough to stop me from eating a nicely moderate bowlful of the pasta.

 100% whole wheat flour

Pomodoro Sauce
adapted from Johanne Killen and George Germon’s Book On Top of Spaghetti
Makes 6 cups of sauce (for about 1½ lbs of pasta)

Ingredients
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup dry white or red wine (I used whatever I had open in the house)
1 cup chicken stock
5 cups chopped canned tomatoes with their juices
½ cup fresh basil chiffonade (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Heat olive oil, garlic and salt in a medium saucepan over moderate heat, stirring often. Watch carefully because you do not want garlic to burn - you want it to be slightly translucent without any browning. Once translucent, add wine and stock carefully, as the oil may splatter. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, until the garlic is soft and tender and the liquid has reduce to half. (about 15 minutes)

Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Toss basil on top and give a quick stir. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve on top of freshly cooked pasta.

Printable recipe

Chai Infused Shortbread Wedges with White Chocolate: One box at a time

My personality is one that if I get started on something, I want to FINISH it right then and there.  If I start a blog post, I want to finish it that night.  If I start a project, I want to get it done.  I'm all or nothing. If I don't think it's going to get done right then and there, sometimes I don't even want to start it for fear of not being able to finish it.

But it's something I've been trying to let go of a bit, because my life is forever interrupted.  Aside from the few hours at night where I might have a stretch of time to try and do something, most of my day is spent doing various things piecemeal.  I do try and plan my cooking to get it done all at once.  I often prep two days or three days worth of chopping into one day in order to get more things done.  I try and get Daughter's homework done in one shot, and piano practice as well.  The rest of things I have to do?  It gets split up and I'm trying to be okay with that.

Currently my major project is decluttering the house.  What I'd really like to do is kick everyone out of the house for 24 hours and give me free rein just to throw stuff away, without having to ask anyone's permission.  I just want to rip apart the house, get rid of all the collected junk and treasures (especially of Daughter #1) and have a space free of little tiny things that I'm supposed to save.  My kitchen counter perpetually ends up as the holding tank for such things, and there have been more than a few occasions where I have moved my trashcan to the holding area and threatened to sweep all of the stuff into the garbage in one fell swoop.  However, I just don't have 24 hours of uninterrupted time.  I have instead, begun eliminating a box at a time, or even a trashbag at a time.  Sometimes in the morning, I just walk through the house with a trashbag and start dumping stuff in it.  Today, I spent 25 minutes in the garage, collecting all the hazardous chemicals (for some reason a lot of lighter fluid leftover in our garage from the previous owner/tenant), throwing away empty tennis cans (Husband likes to collect these it seems) and recycling some old boxes that were too crumbled beyond repair.

It's a box at a time, a bag at a time, but I have to make that good enough for me right now.  Eventually, maybe by the year 2020, I'll be done, and I have to be okay with that.

I managed to find a few uninterrupted moments this afternoon to quickly whip out these chai infused cookies.  I probably should have spent the time picking up and getting rid of another box of junk, but the desire to make these cookies which had been an idea in my head for a while wouldn't leave me.  The came together super quickly and the result - yummy shortbread. The taste is a subtle chai note with the sweetness from the chocolate.  If you want more of the chai note, then DRIZZLE the chocolate and don't put too much on top. 

Chai Infused Shortbread Bars with White Chocolate
adapted from Tish Boyle’s Book The Good Cookie
Makes 16 wedges

Chai Shortbread
Ingredients
3 tablespoons chai tea leaves (I used Tazo Brand chai tea bags)
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Method
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch round cake pan or tarte pan.

In a medium saucepan, combine tea leaves and butter and heat over low heat, stirring occasionally until butter is completely melted. Remove pan from the heat and set aside to cool and infuse for 10 minutes.

Strain butter through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Discard tea leaves. Stir in sugar, vanilla and salt. Add flour and stir until just blended. Scrap dough into prpared pan and pat into an even layer. Cover surface of dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm. (or up to 2 days).

Position rack in center of the oven and preheat to 325 F.

Bake the chilled shortbread 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven. Spread white chocolate over while still warm.

White Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients
3 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (or use chips)

Method
In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt chocolate stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread quickly over shortbread. Allow to cool. Cut into 16 wedges.

Printable recipe

A treat before I continue decluttering.

My tea...which I buy at Target














The book which I think is a great cookie book!

Rice Salad with Artichoke Hearts, Tomatoes, and Olives: The elephant (futon) in the room

When we moved back to the Bay Area from Korea, we almost doubled our home square footage. Our apartment in Korea was a very comfortable 1400 square feet and our new home almost doubled that. We were increasing our family by another 25% (I was pregnant with Son) and the bigger home in the neighborhood that we loved was God's blessing to us.

But the bigger home suddenly meant that all the stuff that had been stored and squirreled away in Sister-in-law's home, Parents' home and Brother's home all suddenly had a place to come to - our home. Father in particular, upon hearing of our pending move and our larger home in the Bay Area, bellowed to Mother, "It's time to move all that stuff up there" and essentially sent two Brothers on an errand from the other side -move up all your sister's stuff and help the 7 month pregnant sister in unpack and organize the house. The two dutifully came up with boxes upon boxes of things that I had stored in Parents' home for the past 7 years of living abroad. All of it came and Brothers were awesome at unpacking, carrying boxes and basically taking orders from a very very cranky sister.

Along with the move of my personal effects came Husband's series of things that had been in storage. Keep in mind that he had already dragged things TO Hong Kong, and then TO Korea and then BACK to the Bay Area, but there were things that he had left behind - many many things. Some were boxes of books that he had read in college to clothes that he had worn in college and refused to throw away. On top of those things came lots of personal mementos and memories with which he could not part. Husband, in that regard, is far more sentimental than I. (He has in a box, all the cards and letters I have ever written to him. If he asked me for the reciprocal same, I would say, "I recycled them.") Sister-in-law and Mother-in-law had stored for him, golf clubs, books, towels, dishes from his bachelor days...and the pièce de résistance, a futon he had used in business school on the east coast, that had somehow made its way to the Bay Area. I remember distinctly at one point, Sister in Law mentioning that she had found a buyer for it (this is while we were in Korea) and Husband bellowed into the phone, "DO NOT SELL THE FUTON! I LOVE IT."

Initially I tried to fight the futon. I said, "It's old. It's dusty. We don't need it." Husband had an answer to each of my protests. It eventually made its way into our expanded space. The mattress? Lumpy and uncomfortable. The frame? Still in decent condition but not really anything to want to cling to. The functionality? Not much as I can't stand lounging on it (the most uncomfortable thing ever) and occasionally I will catch Son or Daughter passed out on it. The look? Ugly...and just takes up too much space. When people come and see the space it is in, which is the children's play and work room, they say, "Oh - a futon." They don't really know what to make of it, and honestly, neither do I. (I mean what - is this a college dorm room?)

Finally over the weekend, as Husband insisted I sit next to him and watch TV (and not blog as I normally would have been apt to do) I quietly said, "I don't want to sit on the futon. I'll sit on the floor in front of you, but not on that lumpy uncomfortable thing." The haze over his eyes suddenly seemed to clear and he said, "You're right. It's time to get rid of it. It takes up too much room and isn't really that useful." I shook my head in disbelief and said, "What? You're ready to let it go?" He nodded, and we started looking at sofas. "It's time to move on," he said.

Now officially, we haven't actually BOUGHT a new sofa, nor has the futon officially LEFT the space - but the idea - it's out there. The idea of letting these old things go and moving on to new things, and that idea, of getting rid of this old lug of a thing, is exciting to me. I thought in the back of my mind that for the rest of my adult life, that futon would be a part of my living area, a complete eyesore testimony to my inability to eliminate it from my life, but I am happy to say that I am wrong.

In celebration for all things new, I decide to attempt a completely new recipe that I had never tried before - rice salad. Prior to this attempt at making it, I had eaten it ONE time at a school/work picnic, and the person who made it, made it fantastically. I wanted to pick up the bowl and run home with it. But I never saw that rice salad again, nor have I ever eaten rice salad since. (I think it's almost 17 years ago I ate it.)

I simply went with the flavors and things I remembered from the rice salad that many years ago. I don't remember basil being in that salad, but I thought it would be a great addition. I do recall tasting mayo in the original version, but I wanted to lighten this one up (and make it Son friendly as he loves rice) and I decided to use arborio rice in order to get a better texture.

The result? Yummy. Really yummy. If you like fried rice - this is not for you. This is completely different from what you expect - but it is, in many ways, similar to a pasta salad - just made with rice. IT is gluten-free (YAY) since it's not pasta and a great side dish to any summer that you have.

Come to think of it, I may have to grab a bowl, sit down on the futon and celebrate all things new.

Rice Salad with Artichokes, Tomatoes, and Olives
Serves 10-12

Ingredients
3 cups water
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
1 tablespoon salt
12 oz marinated artichokes, drained, liquid reserved
16 olives, sliced in half
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
¼ cup basil chiffonade (thinly sliced basil)
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons reserved artichoke liquid

Optional - 1 cup of feta cheese (use if you desire)

Method
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is translucent. Add water all at once. Bring water to a boil and then add rice and salt. Cook, stirring, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for 20 minutes.

Spread rice onto a rimmed baking sheet. Let cool to room temperature.

Combine olives, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes. In a large bowl toss rice and with olives, artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Pour over lemon juice and reserved artichoke liquid. Sprinkle basil and do a final toss. Season with black pepper if desired. Add feta if desired (Salad can be made up to this point and refrigerated overnight.)

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Sausage on a Roll with Peppers and Onions: The opposite of me is...

In numerous ways, Husband and I are polar opposites.  I am friendly whereas he is more reserved.  He sinks in the water while I float.  He loves all sports involving round ball-objects, when all those balls want to do is hit me in the face.  He has a quick-firing temper, while mine is far more slow-burning (but mine is the scarier one).  He favors thinking that is cerebral and logical while I definitely go on the "how it feels" aspect.  The list could go on for quite a bit longer. 

We also differ in our eating styles.  I HATE food in bed.  I don't understand breakfast in bed, bringing food into the bedroom, snacking in the bedroom - anything related with food in the bed grosses and freaks me out.  Husband is always trying to bother me by sneaking chips into the bed, eating ice cream in bed, and snacking in the bed.  It makes me nuts.  Husband does NOT enjoy "street fairs" and "food fairs" as he doesn't enjoy eating standing up and walking.  He likes to be seated properly on some sort of table with the food laid out in front of him in some sort of order and he can see the exact landscape of his meal.  I, on the other hand, love the idea grabbing something to eat that I have to walk to enjoy.  I love the sheer piping hotness of the food and the slightly precarious experience of eating while walking.  This may explain why I am so effective at running around my kitchen, feeding my kids and getting my lunch down my throat all at the same time.

11 years ago, while Husband and I were engaged, I visited him in NYC where he was doing some training.  It was a weekend of just spending time together in the city, and one of the things that we did was end up at some Italian Food Street Fair.  The smell was incredible and I was dying to eat something at the fair.  I must have looked very hopeful and eager because Husband asked if I wanted to eat something, to which I emphatically replied YES.  We walked around staring and studying the many many choices, and then I saw what I wanted -these thick crusty rolls stuffed with a homemade sausage and topped with a mixture of peppers and onions.  I pointed out my heart's desire, and Husband gallantly purchased the most delicious mix of flavors that I had ever eaten on a street.  I think Husband was slightly shocked at how quickly I took down the sausage on a roll, but it was just THAT delicious and that amazing that I couldn't stop eating it.

With three kids in tow, the days of street fair eating have pretty much come to a screeching halt.  But I still think about that sausage on a roll, and I decided I really wanted one, even if I had to do it at home and walk around me kitchen to recreate the effect.  I made some using Ina Garten's Sauteed Onions and Peppers recipe and just toasted my own buns and heated up some sausage.  I served the kids, I served myself and I walked round my kitchen eating it.  It was...near perfect.  (only thing missing was the freedom to enjoy my roll walking around and not having to help Son and Daughters do the same.)  They loved it as well, and all in all - a great big, huge hit!

By the way, if you can find it, this is one of my favorite things...tomato paste in a toothpaste tube!

Sausages on a Roll with Peppers and Onions
adapted from recipe by Ina Garten
Serves 8 (or fewer depending on how many you can eat)

Ingredients
5 large yellow onions (you need about 10 cups)
¼ cup olive oil
2 red bell peppers, julienned
2 yellow bell peppers, julienned
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (leave out if you don’t want spicy)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 sweet Italian sausages, cooked either on the grill or in a pan
8 buns, toasted on the grill or in a toaster


Method
Cut the onions in half, and then slice them into 1/8-inch-thick half-rounds. (You will have about 10 cups of onions.)

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the peppers, garlic, vinegar, tomato paste, pepper flakes, salt and pepper and continue cooking an additional 10 minutes.

Top each heated bun and sausage with a mound of the pepper onion mixture. Stand up, walk around and enjoy.

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