Birthday cake and sea animals...

My son just turned 12 on Saturday.  I can't believe he will be an official teenager next year. sob sob!

We surprised him with an overnight trip to Monterey, CA on Saturday.    We stopped in San Luis Obispo at the Big Sky Cafe for breakfast.  I had a really tasty mediterranean tofu scramble with potatoes.  My son had steel cut oats with cinnamon, brown sugar and soy milk. Before we left SLO we stopped to load up on some vegan chocolate at Sweet Earth Chocolates .  Our next stop was in San Simeon to take one of the tours at Hearst Castle.

The view is amazing from this huge place.  Check out this beautiful pool.  The employees get to enjoy the pool for one day at the end of summer.  Once we were done here we headed up to Pacific Grove, where we stayed the night.  We had dinner at a little Italian restaurant for the birthday boy and they brought out a gelato sorbet with a candle in it for his birthday dessert and everyone sang.  It was nice!!!

Below is the birthday cake I made for my son on Friday night.

 

This is my favorite chocolate cake recipe, it is super moist, from the Moosewood Cookbook.  I use apple sauce for half the oil. It is layered with chocolate mousse and a whipped chocolate ganache.

On Sunday we went to the Monterey Aquarium.

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 The sea otters are too cute!  The otters they have are ones that they have rescued.  A few they released but ended up taking back because of their safety.  The older ones have been surrogates to the younger ones.  I'm not a big fan of having aquariums, my son had one quite a few years ago before I really understood that fish belong in the sea or lakes.  Just like birds belong in the open skies not in a small cage in our home just because we want them.  It is amazing to see up close these amazing creatures of the sea but at the same time it's sad that they are in such a small space.   I know some of the ocean life they have are rescued and they are doing research on how to save these creatures, learn more about them, teach people how to keep the ocean clean because of what it does to these wonderful sea creatures but at the same time there are those that don't really need to be there.

  There is a section of the Aquarium that is on  fishing nets and over fishing.  They show, shark, turtles and dolphins that are caught in these huge nets and how we can write letters to try and stop this type of fishing.  I noticed that instead of asking people to eat less of these fish they tell them what kind you should ask for when you go out to eat or when you purchase them at a market.  How many people really take to heart what they are seeing and reading here at the Aquarium?  There are all of these seafood restaurants surrounding the Aquarium that many of these people will go eat at after visiting it.  It's just kind of weird to me.  Anyways, like I said, it was amazing to see these cool looking creatures but we don't need to go back.

Our next trip up that way will be one spent hanging at the beach, bike riding and hiking some trails.  Can't wait until the weather is warmer!

Yay for raw food!...Global Gardens- olive oil club

One of my goals this year is to try to make more raw food meals. Like raw lasagna, pasta, etc. I don't have a dehydrator yet, that's down the road. When you think of it though, just eating a salad, it's all uncooked, that fruit and those nuts, raw! I guess again it goes back to whole foods.
Also I think in the summer, at least for me, eating more raw foods will make more sense because of the heat, who likes feeling weighed down by a warm and heavy meal. blah!

I usually eat Kale cooked or juiced. At our local health food store, New Frontiers, they have a great deli area with some of the tastiest salads. I tried their raw kale salad and it was sweet and delicious! Now I'm hooked and tried to make one like theirs. I chopped up kale, added cranberries, raw sunflower seeds, carrot pulp, lemon zest. For the dressing I used a
Green Apple Ginger Golden Balsamic Vinegar(see down below for more info on this), agave and sesame seed oil, just a tad. Poured it over and wallah! A light, tangy-sweet salad with a crunch.
Served right along with my kale salad are some Carrot Falafals from Choosing Raw . Now they aren't like the authentic falafals but these are so good! I didn't make the tahini sauce because I didn't have time but I will be making these again and again. I used the oven set at 175 with the door open like Gina mentioned if you don't have a dehydrator.

Regarding the vinegar I mentioned up above. There is this great little olive oil place in Los Olivos, CA called Global Gardens. The olive trees are located throughout the local area. The owner and the employees are very warm, friendly and informative. They do olive oil and vinegar tastings, which is pretty cool! They also have an awesome walnut oil that is so rich and buttery and they have some great tasting spreads and dips. All of their products are pesticide free and mostly organic. You can also join their club and 4 times a year get a different bottle of olive oil, vinegar and a spread, spices, etc. Last time I received(picture above, cat not included) an olive oil, vinegar, a spice mixture and a trail mix using the spice mixture they sent. So if you are a cook it's a great club to join and try different olive oils and vinegars. The bottles everything comes in are also very nice looking. They make great gifts as well. Also if you join the club and happen to have any type of issue they are so quick to resolve the problem. Check out the website clicking here. Let me know if you try them out and what you think!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies w/orange zest

I had a very nice New Years Eve with my husband, son and a good friend of ours who came to visit. We went and had a chinese dinner than came back and played ping pong, I didn't it was too cold in the gargage, and watched a movie until it was time to count the New Year in.

New Years day we went and saw Avatar in 3-D. What a great, great movie! The aliens looks so real! I would actually like to see it again without the 3-D and on IMAX to see what it's like. They need to change those 3-D glasses so they are more comfortable and have them wrap around more, like sport glasses. Maybe I should write a letter. :)

What are some of your favorite sweet combinations? One of mine is chocolate and orange, but only in a cookie. You see I can't eat oranges or drink orange juice because is plays havoc on my body, seriously. No need to go into details, it's just a real bad thing.

So the way I enjoy a bit of orange is, orange zest and chocolate!

If you are looking for a crunchy cookie, these are it!

Hope you like them.

Chocolate chunk cookies w/Orange Zest

3/4 C. pure maple syrup

1/2 C. canola oil (your choice)

2 T. organic sugar

2 tsp. molasses

2 T. brandy(optional)

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

zest from 1 large orange

2 C. spelt flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixing bowl combine maple syrup, sugar, molasses, canola, vanilla, vinegar, orange zest and brandy. Beat with an electric mixer or whisk until throughly combined.

In a seperate bowl combine, flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

Gradually pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and just mix until thoroughly combined. Next stir in the chocolate. The dough will be on the softer, sticky side.

Drop Tablespoon size amounts onto cookie sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

It's a wrap!

So it's the end of another year! A time that we all seem to sit back and reflect on.
I have to say with the issues of the economy and how's it's affected so many of us. I actually think that it has brought more people in the communities together. People seem to be stepping up to help others out and I think that is a great thing. It also makes you think about what is really important. Wants or needs?

I'm sitting here typing and I'm getting a bit emotional because this year I've seen my son who will be turning 12 next month grow up so much! He has made some really good friends up here in our new town of just over a year. He started 6th grade at a new school that he loves and that is accommodating of his academic needs and is forming these kids to be kinder, giving and confident. His love of playing guitar has really increased as well, which I noticed in September. Even though he is becoming more independent he still loves to cuddle with us, hold our hand and give us a kiss in public. I'm hanging on to all of that.

My husband has found a dealership that actually appreciates him and is finally letting him make good changes for them. He no longer comes home not wanting to go to work. It's nice.

I don't really make any resolutions but there are some things I hope to do.
Taking even better care of myself. Try some new things. Try to be more confident, be more positive and enjoy life more! Also I hope my husband and I can become friends with some couples, even one, that we can hang out with.

A new love this year, Mighty Leaf African Nectar. My son was very happy to see this in his stocking and since it's on the pricey side I haven't had one cup, it's all his. It's so good though. You must try!

I hope for the animals this next year that people will WANT to be more informed about how animals are treated and that animals do feel. There have been some great books out this year and more in the news about the factory farms and how animals are treated. One question still remains. Is there such a thing as "humane" treatment of farm animals for food? I'll leave you with that thought and continue next year in another post.

Thanks to everyone for all of your comments on my blog and also for sharing your blogs with lot's of great food and information.

I also want to thank my girlfriends and those who have come to visit us in our new town! Love you all!

Have a very Happy New Years Eve!

The Monday after....

It's Monday and the family has gone. My in-laws left Saturday afternoon. My sister and her family(from Arizona) arrived yesterday afternoon and left this morning to go visit my parents up north. My dad has a lung condition, kind of like that mesothelioma, and it's getting worse. He coughs all of the time and there is no cure. So my sister wanted to go visit because she doesn't know when she'll be able to go back up there.

Anyhooo....here are some Christmas pic's of the family.

My mother in law in her Christmas pj's. My father-in-law has passed over the job of being Santa to my mother-in-law. He says he's retired. I guess retiring from work also means retiring from a lot of other things as well. lol!!!

One of the sweaters we got for my father-in-law. He's a Football coach at Pierce College and he's always wearing the Pierce College sweat shirt, all of the time, even going out. So now maybe he will wear a sweater when they go out with their friends.

A very cool cast iron tea pot for my mother-in-law. She loves red, can you tell? lol! She drinks alot of hot tea and this will keep her water hot. I really wanted to keep it because this is the type of teapot i've been wanting for many years . Oh well.

My son opening up the "big gift" he got from us. He got a microphone and stand that he can hook up to his amp. Cleo dog being nosey as always.

After riddles from the in-laws that took us all over the house. We found an item covered up in the back of their explorer that we had to carry in. What is it?

Our first flat screen tv! Whoo hoo! They got one to fit into our cabinet. My father-in-law kept telling my mother-in-law that he knew they should've gone bigger. I just told them that there is always next year! hee hee hee. They got our first t.v. for us when we got our condo. way back when. Christmas dinner was nice. Plenty of food left over. Let's see there are fresh green beans, grilled asparagus, easy seitan cutlets with chimichurri sauce, bread, stuffed portobellos, butternut squash risotto and roasted root veggies. Yum it was all good!

We had a very nice Christmas as we usually do. It's also nice when you can stay home and don't have to drive anywhere.

Happy Holidays!

Well it's almost Christmas and wow I'm tired. So busy lately baking, shopping, wrapping & cleaning. I need to get as much food prep done before my in-laws arrive later today. Tomorrow my sister-in-law, niece and her boyfriend will arrive.

My husband is cooking something on the bbq spit for all of those carnivores. I will be making seitan steaks, stuffed portobellos, butternut squash sage risotto, salad, roasted root veggies and bread. Apple pie and lots of cookies.

I wish all of you a very happy, warm and safe Christmas.

Yummy holiday treats....

Howdy everyone! I'm running on lack of sleep today, who isn't right now eh? Yesterday I was busy making cookie dough, doing errands with my hubby and shopping. Then last night baking for my son's teachers. More coffee please!!! No I don't really need the caffeine from the coffee but the warm and strong taste hits the spot. Here are some of the baked goods I whipped up.


Pistachio spiced brittle. I'm really not a big candy eater. I do love a good dark chocolate, mabye a bit of caramel and I do love peanut brittle. I've tried to make brittle in the past but it was frustrating and burned just a bit. I was determined to try it again after seeing a picture of Hannah's Chai brittle on her blog. I found this awesome peanut brittle recipe and I got to tell you, this was so easy to make and didn't take long at all! Click here for the recipe. Alterations on the recipe were that I subbed Earth Balance for butter, golden syrup for corn syrup and used organic sugar.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies(Martha Stewart) & Rumnog cookies(VCON).

I so look forward to making and eating these ginger cookies every Christmas. If you love ginger well these use fresh & powdered ginger, and then chocolate!!!! Oh they they make my mouth happy! :) The only change on the recipe is using Earth Balance to replace the butter. There are no eggs in the recipe. I hope you try them you won't be dissapointed!

My next post I'll be teasing you with some pic's of some recipes I've been testing out out for Celine and Joni's new cookbook they are working on. Yes another cookbook from those wonderful girls.