Good Karma in Atlanta

I love when Scoutmob leads to me to an awesome new place.

That's what happened Sunday afternoon.

This place is in Avondale Estates, and reminds me why community coffee shops are the best.

First, check out this spread. All vegan. Coconut yogurt with in-house made granola, pumpkin spice latte with soy milk, and the finale - a chocolate chip vegan muffin that is so most you might not have to chew.

They also have many more non-vegan items, but all gluten-free.

The staff was friendly and the people coming in was Atlanta at its best - all ages, types, etc. This is not your college kid-only or hipster-only coffee shop hangout (thankfully). Lots of light, a good selection of music, and a good wifi connection will have me coming back for more muffins.

Kitty Foods & Meowing Holidays

My sweet Charlie cat has been on a diet. It has meant more meowing, a definite attempt at herding me into the kitchen every time I walk down the hallway, and much more interest in what I'm munching as I sit on the couch watching TV. But it's also meant a reduction belly, which means a healthier kitty. He has also been a lot friskier!

After Thanksgiving, Charlie got the remains of the chicken. He gets two treats a day and for a whole week this was chicken bits. He loved it! And his coat got super soft and glossy. He put back on a little bit but is still slimmer and trimmer.

But there are the Christmas trimmings to go....the holiday season is just beginning....

Thanks to the Patch, I've got some ideas of what Charlie can (and can't) have.

NO: Onions, garlic, chives, alcohol, caffienated drinks or food, grapes and raisins, liver in large amounts (a tiny bit is okay), milk or excessive dairy products, candy, gum or baked goods containing xylitol

YES: Baked carrots, steamed asparagus or broccoli, cooked green beans, winter squash, or chopped greens, small amounts of cottage cheese (if your cat tolerates it), small portions of cooked fish or poultry (no bones)

Will Charlie eat baked carrots? Cottage cheese? Broccoli? I guess there's one way to find out. To be continued......

Nori Gato Cookies

Nori is a sweet little calico cat who lives in an apartment on the upper (upper) west side. She used to be an alley cat, begging passersby for scraps, until my sister scooped her up and gave her a forever home.

Little Nori became fat and cantankerous and had to be put on an eating regimen and diet. Now slim and sleek, her new new look has brought out a sweet side and more gentle temperament.

These calico cookies are named for Nori.


Nori Gato Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
250 g flour
1 tsp baking soda
225 g granulated sugar
200 g brown sugar
225 g oats, ground in a blender
3oz of each: semi-sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, & white chocolate chips
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter. Add sugars and blend until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture and blend. Add vanilla and blend until all ingredients are well incorporated. Fold in chips. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.

Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins

Using up the remains of my sister's kitchen before the move, we made a whole army of cookies and a delicious raspberry pound cake. All good stuff, but nothing that seemed like breakfast this morning.

Plus, I just read an article on BBC about how sugar ages your skin. Oh mon dieu, if they're right, I'm going to look ninety soon!

Soaking the oats in buttermilk turns it to oatmeal pre-baking and helps incorporate them into the muffin batter. A great little technique. I'm wondering what else I can use it in. These muffins are not too sweet, making them perfect for a little honey or fruit preserves.

Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins
1 cup oats
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/3 packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground flax seed
2/3 cup raspberry, fresh or frozen

Mix the oats and buttermilk and let set 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add egg, sugar and oil to oat mixture and blend. Blend in dry ingredients, then gently fold in raspberries. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-17 minutes.

High Tea Time @ Dr. Bombay's in Atlanta

I love high tea. It makes a day feel special, and makes it totally acceptable to eat dessert in the middle of the day.

I've only had high tea a handful of times. I studied abroad in England, and we would go in between classes to a lovely little tearoom in Oxford that had something to do with Alice through the looking glass although I can't remember exactly what. I have searched for years for recipes similar to their little granola and honey bar treats!

I've been hearing about Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party for awhile. It's one of those places that I've been meaning to go, but never do. So I made a date with a friend for High Tea!

It was as lovely as I had heard. It has an ecletic arrange of books, games, tables, pillows that fits East Atlanta and gives a very laid back vibe - all mish mashed in and set to some wonderful jazz music. It took a little time to get our dish of finger foods and sweet treats because the scones had just been put in the oven. But the still warm scones made up for the wait! The peanut butter scone completely took me by surprise, as its nutty flavor was perfect smothered in Devonshire clotted cream. We almost finished the entire bowl of cream. Good thing I was going to swing dance classes afterwards, except that I could barely move I was so full!

Showering Sweets on Baby S

Yesterday, we threw a baby shower for a very dear friend. She flew in from California this weekend for a baby-filled weeked bash! She's having two showers and lots of lovin' coming her way!

I was in charge of the punch, the favors, and the tableware.

For the favors, I got different colors of pink nail polish...because we're tickled pink about the baby! Yes, I go for the silly puns.

I also made cake pops for people to take home. I made red velvet cake, crumbled it, and added cream cheese frosting. Then I used a tablespoon to make balls. These went into melted pink chocolate and then dipped in sprinkles.

That's how it was supposed to work. In actuality, the balls fell off the sticks in the chocolate. I guess I made them too big, ahem. Putting them in the freezer helped some, but by then the chocolate had been on the stove too long and started separating. At this point, it's midnight and my mom (who had just come up that night to help and go to the shower) voted for going to bed and grabbing some pastel jelly beans on the way to the shower. Give up on the cake balls? No way. Not until ultimate defeat. I grabbed a rubber spatula and used it to brush on the chocolate. Then covered the balls in sprinkles to hide any defects. We kept them in the freezer overnight and in the morning...they were cute. And yummy.

These cupcakes are adorable! Warning: the pacifier is not edible.

I'm not a fan of punch, so I was a little nervous about making it. I went with something simple, and stayed away from the sherbet! The foamy sherbet punches remind me a 70s perfume! Yuck.

Pretty in Pink Punch

1 can frozen cranberry juice concentrate

1 can fronzen orange juice concentrate

one bottle of ginger ale

water to taste

Mix all together until the frozen juices are melted. Taste. Add water if too tart.

Add rubber duckies right before serving.

Baked Pimento Cheese Dip

This weekend the entire family is at my mom's house to celebrate Mother's Day. My sister is down for a visit from NYC, so it's extra special that we can all get together. My mom used it as a reason to make this yummy dip. I'm keeping it in mind for any future pot lucks. The fact that we all liked it best at room temperature means I can make it ahead.



Baked Pimento Cheese Dip
from Southern Living

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 (12-oz.) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
1/4 cups chopped green onions
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 (8-oz.) block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (8-oz.) block pepper Jack cheese, shredded

Served with pita and tortilla chips

1) Stir together first four ingredients in a large bowl. Add cheeses and stir.
2) Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish.
3) Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

This is best eaten at room temperature.

Caramel Corn

I've been looking for a way to make sweet and salty popcorn using air popped corn. I couldn't really find one, but they all seemed to have a few things in common.

This version makes a crispy caramel that won't get soggy.

Caramel Corn

1 cup popcorn kernels
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
Salt

Pop the corn in an air popper. Salt to taste.
Over medium-high heat, melt the sugar until it becomes a dark amber.
Stir in the butter until it smoothes out.
Pour over the popcorn and stir/toss to coat.

Enjoy!

twd ~ Rewind: Pumpkin Muffins

This week, we're mixing it up. All twd bakers will be rewinding to a recipe of their choice.

My pick was easy. I made Pumpkin Muffins for my sister's visit at the end of October. I made them ahead and froze them. I just had to read that again, it sounds so funny coming from me. Ms. Last Minute made muffins ahead of time and prepared. Well, this was a month ago when life (and work) was a little less busy.

Back to the muffins, which were delicious! I added dried cranberries instead of raisins, and they worked great.

Berry Muffins

In addition to the savory, Pumpkin-Feta muffins, my sister baked sweet Berry Muffins using a recipe from Southern Living. These were delicious with both blueberries and blackberries. Real berries...not the Jiffy faux berries that gave blueberry muffins a bad name and convinced me that I didn't like them until I was in my 20s.

Pumpkin-Feta Muffins

This past weekend on my trip to NYC, my sister welcomed me in with wonderful treats. I felt very special that she baked something especially for me, and had it there waiting under a cute little welcome sign.

One of the treats were Pumpkin-Feta Muffins. They were absolutely amazing! These are savory muffins, but can were great for breakfast with Dave's famous cheesey eggs as well as an afternoon snack. I really like the bits of pumpkin and feta coming out, and the seeds on top.

The recipe is from 101 Cookbooks. My sis used an old trick from Martha Stewart by cutting 5x5 inch squares to line the muffin tin. It made for a very rustic, pretty presentation.

Fried Plantains - Kelewele Style

Fried plantains are one of my ultimate comfort foods. Of course, I haven't been able to get it quite like I had in Ghana. The kelewele there was a mouth smashing hit! Kelewele is essentially spiced, deep fried ripe plantain. The best is found on the street, dished out in that day’s newspaper or yesterday’s magazine.

I tried my best though, and was pleased with the result this time. I’ve had to throw away attempts a few times before. This time I chopped fresh ginger, and put it in a bowl with some cayenne pepper and salt. Then I cut the ripe plantain in wedges and tossed the pieces in the spices. Plantains are similar to bananas and show they are ripe the same way, by getting darker and softer.

I fried some in a nonstick pan with no oil just to see if I could create a healthier version. Hmmm, no. Some things are just not the same. I guess it’s like trying to make a funnel cake with frying it, it just doesn’t work. So I poured in an inch of oil and fried those babies up. Yum!!!

Tuna Slaw

This combination has been in the back of my mind for a few weeks. It's one can of tuna, chopped cabbage, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper. I made it last night and could have eaten the entire thing in one sitting with a few whole grain Ritz crackers.



I didn't measure anything out, just mixed it to taste the way I normally do with tuna salad and cole slaw. It's a combination of the two, and is a great way to use the leftover cabbage from the cole slaw my mom sent me home with last week after a family dinner.

twd ~ Gingered Carrot Crunchies

Dorie set out to make carrot cake cookies, and ended up with a cookie unlike carrot cake but still very good.

I set out to make Dorie's Gingered Carrot Cookies, and ended up with a sweet unlike cookies but still very good.

I quartered the recipe, and evidently got the proportions wrong. I had an inkling when the dough was supposed to be thick, and mine wasn't. But hey, it's hot. So I popped it in the oven anyway and came back 16 minutes later to find, not four individual cookies, but a mass of crispy dessert spread thin over the pan. It was too late to try again, so I broke it up into a bowl and let it cool.

Then I munched on it as I watched the finale of The Bacholette. Oh Roberto, you are too cute! It was very good for munching, and would be very good over ice cream or added to popcorn. The problem with making again is that I'm not sure exactly where I went wrong. But either way, it was a nice mishap!

Thanks to Natalia of gatti fili e farina for the great pick this week! Check out her blog for the recipe, and the real thing as it's supposed to be.

Homemade Clif Bars

There are so many ways to make these. I'm ready to try all kinds of combinations after my first batch. The basic recipe is:

1 1/4 cups cereal (puffed, like rice krispies, I used Kashi's 7 Grain Puffed Cereal)
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 Tbsp ground flax seed (I used wheat germ instead)
1/4 cup dried fruit (I used raisins)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used sliced almonds)
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used 62% cacao chunks)
1/3 cup syrup (I used agave)
1/2 cup peanut butter ( I used natural chunky)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla (I also used 1/2 tsp almond extract)
A few pinches of salt1: Mix cereal, oats, wheat germ, dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate in a bowl and set aside.
2: Heat agave/syrup over medium-low heat. Add nut butter, cinnamon, salt, and extract. Melt, stirring occassionally to prevent burning.
3: Add the melted mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Let it sit and cool off about 10 minutes, until it begins to stiffen.
4: Pour into a pan and press even. I used a 9x9 pan and got 12 bars approximately 1.5x3x.5 inches.
5: Let the mixture cool completely. Cut into bars. I wrapped mine individually in aluminum foil and put them in a air-tight container for storage and easy picking.
These were very good, though crumbly. That's part of the reason I put them into little foil packets. The other is so that I can grab and go easily, and take them to work to replace the Hershey kisses I've been into. Everyday at around 3pm I know I don't want to be at work anymore, I have too much to do get out by 5, and pop a little chocolate to make those last few hours a little more bearable. And I actually like my job, most of the time.

Homemade Granola

I can eat bags and bags of granola and feel like I'm not eating a thing. It's weird - and dangerous. I've tried before to make my own granola, but I failed miserably by burning the whole thing and having to dump it in the trash can. This time I somehow managed to get it right, and ration it out for many breakfasts. Oh, happy day.

Granola

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup agave

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp peanut butter

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup cranberries

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cinnamon

1. Melt butter. Add peanut butter while hot and stir to mix. The peanut butter will melt into the butter.
2. Next add agave and vanilla to butter mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, mix other ingredients.
4. Add the liquid to the dry and mix until well combined.
5. Spread the mixture in one layer on a baking sheet sprayed or coated with oil.
6. Bake on 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Using All the Pumpkin: Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

We started with pumpkins for Halloween, painted them into a witch and a cat, gutted them for Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds, then baked them into Pumpkin Bread. I suppose it would be called 'getting the most out of your pumpkins.'


There was no thinking about what to do with the seeds. While the orange pumpkin muck was still clinging to my fingers, I could almost taste Martha Stewart's Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds (found here). Just like the name, they are sweet, and spicy, but it's the cumin that really does it for me. The aroma and taste really add another dimension to the sweet/spicy combo that puts them in a league all their own. Definitely worth digging through the strings and fleshy bits to get to the seeds.