it snowed like crazy last week here in seattle. and ok, i know that many of you (i’m talking to you, sister), live in much colder climates and deal with way more snow than we do in seattle. but it was still quite an experience for this california native!

and when it was snowing outside, all i wanted to do was bake yummy food and watch the snow fall instead of, you know, doing that whole studying-reading-writing papers thing. so i figured it was the perfect time to make this dessert that smitten kitchen posted a few weeks ago.

friends, despite having a funny name, this apple sharlotka is sooooo yummy! it reminded me of a cross between an apple coffee cake and german pancakes. and because it has so many apples in it, and not too much sugar, we ate it for both dessert and breakfast the next morning. and the two of us polished the whole thing off within 24 hours. yeah, it’s that good. go make it!

one year ago: tofu saag
two years ago: spaghetti sauce
three years ago: butternut squash and sage risotto

apple sharlotka

borrowed from smitten kitchen

• butter (or oil) for greasing
• 6 large apples (we used a mix of fujis and honey crisps, but smitten kitchen recommends Granny Smiths)
• 3 eggs
• 1c sugar
• 1t vanilla
• 1c flour
• ground cinnamon, optional
• powdered sugar, optional
  ______________________________

1. preheat oven to 350º
2. place a circle of wax or parchment paper into a 9″ springform pan, buttering the paper and the sides of the pan
3. peel, slice in half, and core your apples
4. chop the apples into medium chunks, placing them into the buttered pan
5. in a large bowl beat the eggs with the sugar, using electric beaters, until the mixture is very thick
6. add the vanilla and beat a little more
7. stir in the flour until combined (it will be really thick)
8. pour the batter over the apples, using a spatula to press it down and spread it so it covers all apples
9. bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean
10. cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then flip out onto a rack or a plate and peel off the wax or parchment paper
11. put a serving platter on top of it and flip it off the rack or plate so that it’s right-side up
12. sprinkle with ground cinnamon and powdered sugar, if desired, and enjoy!

well friends, believe it or not, my blog just reached its three-year anniversary! i cannot believe i’ve been blogging for three years! or that the past three years flew by so fast!

for those of you reading along with me since the beginning, you know a lot has changed, especially in the past year: mike and i moved to seattle, i began grad school, and unfortunately blog posts were a little lighter this year due to enormous amounts of reading, papers, and exams.

what’s also changed, albeit more subtly, is the way we eat and the meals we cook. this is something that a reader commented on last week – she stumbled here looking for vegan recipes, and was disappointed in the selection (and just as an fyi, all vegan recipes are here, and vegetarian ones – that include dairy and eggs – are here).

when i began blogging in 2008 i was avoiding most dairy, substituting soy milk, soy cheese, and earth balance for milk, cheese, and butter. i also avoided most eggs, feeling a little bit squeamish about eggs in general and using bananas or flax seeds to replicate eggs in baked dishes. after reading some great books about food (including in defense of food and food rules), i decided to bring more whole foods into my diet, reducing some of the soy products i was eating at the same time. i discovered that i feel really good when i eat yogurt. and eggs. and so i decided to nix most of my vegan substitutes. i still try not to rely too heavily on eggs or dairy – there are so many other protein sources out there – but i do enjoy eating them in moderation, of course.

i’m sure you’ll see more recipes on here that include eggs and dairy than there were a few years ago – including this delicious recipe for french toast. but if you’re not eating certain foods and want to see if i can make something that follows your dietary guidelines, please feel free to contact me!

in the meantime, i hope you enjoy this recipe – my mom pulled off this tasty breakfast while we were in hawaii, and i was lucky enough to be able to document the process and learn how both she and my sister make this dish! yum!

one year ago: blondies
two years ago: summer lasagna
three years ago: couscous “tabouli” salad

french toast

yields 10 slices of french toast, serves 5

• 8 eggs
• 1-1/3c (soy) milk
• dash of grated nutmeg
• dash of cinnamon
• 1t vanilla
• 10 slices of bread
• 2-3T butter
• 2-3T oil
• maple syrup and powdered sugar, optional
  ______________________________

1. whisk eggs, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla together in a large bowl
2. add bread to the bowl (as many slices as will fit the bowl and the pans) and allow to soak for approximately one minute per side
3. heat a pan over medium heat and add some butter and oil – the oil will prevent the butter from browning
4. once the butter is bubbling, place french toast into the pan
5. allow to cook 5 minutes per side, until toasty brown
6. flip and allow to cook up to 5 minutes on the other side, until brown and a little fluffy
7. serve with maple syrup if desired and enjoy!

hi friends! after a fun whirlwind trip through atascadero, santa cruz, vacaville, and maui (pics here), we’re back in seattle, missing our friends and family in california but happy to he home.

mike and i literally ate our way through the trip, eating out at delicious restaurants and cooking up a storm of old favorites with our family (including cabbage tacos, coconut lime cinnamon rice, fresh spring rolls, and skewers with peanut sauce). what can i say? our friends and family like food just as much as we do!

we made some new dishes as well, including this recipe for cranberry orange scones i made with my dad.

i’m lucky enough to have learned almost everything i know about cooking and baking from my mom and dad – both techniques and how to modify recipes. case in point: the original recipe we used was for basic scones. but my dad decided to make them cranberry orange, substituting orange juice for milk and adding dried cranberries.

i hope you do the same with the recipe if you don’t have all the ingredients on hand – have fun with what you include and just make sure that you use liquid and dry ingredients in the same quantities!

next up: french toast in hawaii!

one year ago: spinach souffle and corn fritters
two years ago: vegetable pancakes and vegetable gratin

cranberry orange scones

yields 8 scones
adapted from joy of cooking

• 1¾c all purpose flour
• 2¼t baking powder
• 1T brown sugar
• 1/2t salt
• 1/4c butter
• 2 eggs, beaten with a fork
• 1/3c orange juice
• zest of one orange
• 1/3c dried cranberries
• 1T white sugar
• 1t cinnamon
  ______________________________

1. preheat the oven to 450°
2. mix the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and salt together in a large bowl
3. using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is the size of small peas
4. stir in the orange juice, orange zest, and cranberries until combined
5. turn out onto a lightly floured surface and press into a 3/4″ thick circle, using one hand to press down and the other firmly against the sides of the circle so the edges are not too thin
6. use a knife to cut the dough into 8 triangles
7. place onto a greased pan
8. mix the white sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the tops of the scones
9. bake for 15 minutes, until the under side is golden, and serve!

tomorrow is my sister’s bday!! and to wish her a very special day, i’m finally posting a recipe for crepes – something she asked me to do a looong time ago. i’ve been meaning to make them since she asked, but this quarter was a killer and i ran out of steam to try new recipes. but now i’m done! one-half of my masters program is complete! and i knew it was time to turn my attention to the important things in life, like crepes.

you see, crepes are an old favorite in our family – my mom cooked crepes at the magic pan when she was in high school (and college?), my dad made them regularly for us throughout our childhood, and mike and i used to go out to the crepe place in santa cruz for all of our special occasions. despite all that, i’ve only made crepes at home once or twice. but i loooove them.

the batter itself is really easy, and it’s adapted from the joy of cooking by my dad. but making them is a little bit trickier. i’ve discovered the trick is all in the wrist: you need to lightly oil a hot pan, pour about 1/8c of batter into the pan and swirl the batter, fast, so it thins out and cooks evenly. i pull the pan off the stove and tip it around in a circle to get the batter to spread evenly and quickly.

i like to stuff mine with sauteed onions, mushrooms, and spinach, plus some cottage cheese. but you could fill them with anything! mike stuffed his with salmon and asparagus this time around. and for dessert, i made a cinnamon-applesauce-cottage cheese crepe (not pictured here because it was eaten too fast), and mike made himself a peanut butter-jelly-chocolate chip dessert crepe (also not pictured due to eating too fast).

so linn, here’s the recipe for crepes – let’s make some together soon! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER!!!!

one year ago: beans and greens over barley and rice pudding
two years ago: chickpea tacos and creme brulee

crepes

yields approx 1 dozen crepes
adapted from joy of cooking

• 6T all purpose flour
• 1/2t salt
• 1t baking powder
• pinch of sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2/3c (soy) milk + 2T (as needed to thin the batter)
• 1/3c water
• canola oil, olive oil, or butter
  ______________________________

1. stir the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl
2. whisk the eggs, then add 2/3c milk and 1/3c water and whisk well
3. add the liquid ingredients to the dry and whisk to combine
4. if the batter is thick, add up to 2T more milk
5. heat a skillet or non-stick pan over medium-high heat
6. grease the pan lightly and add  1/8c batter
7. pick up the pan and rotate in a circle to allow the batter to spread out in an even, thin circle
8. allow to cook until the batter is darker and a little bubbly (approx 4 mins), then flip to brown the other side (approx 2 more minutes)
9. repeat until all batter is used up, and fill with your favorite ingredients!

this month’s vegetarian times included a whole section on making a sourdough starter from scratch. it’s a 72-hour process in which every 12 hours, half of the starter gets discarded and replenished with more lukewarm water and flour.

i know this process isn’t something most of you will try, and heck, it’s not something i thought i would try before this spring break. but, faced with some time on my hands and a dearth of great bread options up here in seattle, it seemed like the perfect spring break project. it turned out to be a MUCH easier process than i initially thought – the 72 hours flew by.

and the starter yielded the MOST DELICIOUS pancakes i’ve ever eaten. i do not say this lightly. i love pancakes, and many a chef has made stacks of mouthwatering pancakes for me and with me, including banana pancakes, pumpkin pancakes, oat pancakes, persimmon pancakes, blueberry-rice pancakes, you name it. but these take the proverbial (pan)cake. they’re tart and slightly sour from the starter, crispy on the outside, and chewy on the inside. i couldn’t stop eating them this morning, and even snacked on them cold this evening!

if a small piece of you thinks you can commit to the 72-hour process, i strongly urge you to go for it! you won’t regret it, i promise. i’m including the recipe for the starter in addition to the sourdough blueberry pancake recipe, and just so you know: when i made the starter, i saved the first few discards so that i had enough starter for this recipe, two loaves of sourdough bread (that recipe will be up here soon – it’s some of the best bread i’ve ever made!), and another portion to keep in the fridge so i (hopefully) don’t have to make a starter again….at least not for a little while.

one year ago: sweet potato tacos
two years ago: banana chocolate chip bundt cake

sourdough starter

yields 1¼c starter
**this recipe requires 72 hours of rising time
borrowed from vegetarian times

• 1c all-purpose flour
• 1/4t yeast
• 1c warm water (110º)
• 2½c flour for additional starter feedings
• 2½c warm water for additional starter feedings
  ______________________________

1. combine the flour, yeast, and warm water in a bowl and stir well
2. cover the bowl loosely with saran wrap and allow to sit for 12 hours
3. after the 12 hours are up, discard half of the mixture (or keep it and double the amount of flour and water you add from here on out, see my note above), and add 1/2c flour and 1/2c water, then stir, cover, and leave it alone for another 12 hours
4. repeat this process for 72 hours total (5 total feeding times after the first one)
5. after the yeast mixture has fermented, you can keep it in the fridge or use it in recipes (such as the one below). if you keep the starter in the fridge, discard half and feed it equal parts flour and water once a week.

sourdough pancakes

yields approx 1 dozen pancakes
**this recipe requires an overnight rise
borrowed from vegetarian times

• 1¼c sourdough starter (see above)
• 3/4c all-purpose flour
• 3/4c warm (soy) milk
• 2T brown sugar
• 3T melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2c flour
• 1t baking powder
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/2t salt
• 1¼c fresh or frozen blueberries
• oil and butter, for frying
  ______________________________

1. stir together starter, flour, milk, and sugar in a medium bowl
2. cover the mixture and allow to sit overnight
3. the next morning, whisk in the butter and egg
4. add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
5. stir in the blueberries
6. heat a pan over medium heat and add about a teaspoon of canola oil
7. add a teaspoon of butter to the oil – putting the oil in the pan first will prevent the butter from burning (thanks for that tip, mom!)
8. pour batter into the pan in 1/4c scoops, and allow to cook until bubbly and browning around the edges, then flip (approx 2 mins per side)
9. serve hot, with maple syrup and butter, and prepare to enjoy some amazing pancakes!

ok, so i know i’ve been complaining a lot about chard and all the greens we’ve been getting in our csa box, but we have another csa box problem: pears.

i know, i know, all it seems like i do is complain about the csa box – but i really do love it! we just get more produce than i would normally buy in the store, and we’re trying to find recipes to keep up with all the good stuff!

i was lucky enough to have monday off of school for president’s day, so we had time to whip up a batch of these delicious muffins, full of sweet pear chunks and spicy ginger. (caveat: these muffins are NOT sweet – they’re healthy, breakfast style muffins!!)

i don’t think i’ve ever made ginger muffins before, but they were amazing – i can’t wait to try different spins on this recipe – i can imagine using lots of different fruits…or maybe zucchini or carrots? hmmm…can’t wait for spring break, so i can spend some more time baking! 2.5 more weeks!!

one year ago: apple crisp
two years ago: wild rice and chickpea soup

ginger pear muffins

yields 12 muffins
borrowed from vegetarian times.com

• 1c white flour
• 1c whole wheat flour
• 1T ground ginger
• 2¼t baking powder
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/2t salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3c canola oil
• 3/4c white sugar
• 1/4c brown sugar
• 1t vanilla
• 3/4c (soy)milk
• 3 pears, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
  ______________________________

1. preheat the oven to 350°
2. line a muffin tin with paper muffin liners, or grease the tin with oil or butter
3. stir white flour, whole wheat flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl
4. whisk eggs and oil in separate bowl, then beat in the white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and milk
5. pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined
6. stir in the pears and use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter into the muffin tin
7. bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted off-center comes out clean, and enjoy!

i know you’ve all heard me talk about our csa box and how awesome it is – but really it IS wonderful! i love getting fresh veggies delivered to our house every other week, and it’s fun to try new produce.

but we’re running out of ways to use chard. don’t get me wrong – i love the stuff. but there’s only so many things we can do with it, and it’s in our box every other week. do you have a favorite chard recipe, dear readers? we could use some more ideas!!

after weeks of chard sauteed in pepper flakes (thanks to my sister’s patented method), chard in spaghetti sauce, and chard in black bean tacos, mike found a delicious quiche recipe that not only used the chard, but also broccoli and mushrooms from the csa box. the quiche was delicious – savory and filling but light. if there are other vegetables you’d rather use than chard, broccoli, and mushrooms, feel free to substitute them – this recipe is very flexible! enjoy!

one year ago: chana masala
two years ago: kitchari

winter csa box quiche

yields 6-8 servings
inspired by food-on-our-table

• 2T olive oil
• 1/2lb cremini mushrooms, diced
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 small heads of broccoli (or one large!), diced
• 3 leaves chard, finely chopped and stems removed
• 2c (soy) milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/4t salt
• 1/4t pepper
• dash nutmeg
• 1 8oz tub of feta
• 1 9″pie crust (if using this recipe, make sure you halve it)
  ______________________________

1. preheat the oven to 375º
2. heat the olive oil in a saute pan
3. add the mushrooms and saute 5 minutes
4. add the shallot, broccoli, and chard, and saute another 5 minutes, until most of the moisture has left the veggies
5. heat the milk in a pan and remove right before it begins to simmer
6. whisk the eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl and add the milk slowly, whisking rapidly to ensure it doesn’t cook the eggs
7. put the feta into the pie crust in an even layer
8. place the veggies over the feta
9. pour the milk and egg mixture over the veggies
10. place the quiche into the oven and bake for 45 minutes
11. enjoy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner with a side salad!

i hope you all enjoyed the guest post from my amazing husband last week! i’m a lucky woman to be married to someone who loves cooking as much as i do, and who offered to write a guest post so i could work on a paper!!

so, as i imagine you can tell, the second quarter of grad school is well under way, and i’m in the eye of the storm – one round of homework and papers is behind me, and the next round of midterms is lurking on the horizon, but thankfully not here yet!

somehow, despite all the reading, studying, homework, papers (we call them memos), and projects, this quarter is feeling much better than last, and i feel like i’m finally starting to maybe (i don’t want to jinx myself!) get the hang of grad school.

the transition from working to grad school was definitely more challenging than i expected – i desperately miss lazy weekends and evenings that consisted of nothing but planning the next outdoor adventure, activity with friends and family, or making great new recipes.

but we were able to sneak in a quick hike this afternoon, and enjoyed the amazing views on a rare sunny january day at discovery park. (more pics here. they were taken on an iphone. don’t judge!)

and i’ve been sneaking in more cooking and baking this quarter, too – although i made this recipe and took these pictures waaay back on our first snow day in november.

so what are german pancakes? they’re a delicious breakfast treat that my parents made almost weekly when i was a kid. the best description i can give you is that they’re a cross between a pancake and an omelet, puff up gloriously in the oven and take less than 30 mins to pull together, including baking time. they’re also pretty healthy and light on number of ingredients, so they’re my go-to when it’s a grocery shopping day and the cupboards are a little bare. i always serve them with cinnamon and sugar poached apples, and i suggest you do the same! ok, break time is over – back to reading econ for me!

one year ago: lemon poppyseed scones
two years ago: banana bread

german pancakes

yields 2 large pancakes

• 4 eggs
• 1c (soy) milk
• 1c flour
• 3T powdered sugar
• 1/2t salt
• 1/4t nutmeg
• butter, for greasing the pans
• lemon juice and cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling over the top, optional
  ______________________________

1. preheat the oven to 375º
2. place a pat of butter into two 9″ round pans and place the pan into the oven for a few minutes to melt the butter
3. whisk the eggs together, then ad in the milk, flour, powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, whisking until the batter is smooth with just a few lumps
4. pull the pans out of the oven and pour half of the batter into each one
5. place the pans back into the oven (with potholders if they’re still hot!), and bake for 20 minutes, or until the german pancakes are fluffy and starting to brown
6. sprinkle with lemon juice and cinnamon and sugar, if desired, then top with poached apples (recipe below), or your favorite topping (yogurt, fresh fruit, applesauce, jam, etc, etc)

poached apples

yields 2 servings

• 2 apples, cored and diced (and peeled if you want)
• 2c water (enough to cover the apples)
• 1/4c brown sugar
• 2t cinnamon (or more to taste)
  ______________________________

1. boil the apples in the water, sugar, and cinnamon for 20 minutes, or until the apples are tender
2. drain and serve with german pancakes

whew, it’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks! finals are done, one quarter (out of 6) of grad school is complete, we went to victoria on a spur of the moment mini-vacation, then we packed our bags, hopped a flight, and we’re back in ca!

it’s a little strange being back – in some ways it feels as though nothing has changed…except, of course, we live in seattle, i’m in grad school, and mike’s building up his own company!

speaking of seattle, we received persimmons in our csa box, and decided to make a quick breakfast for dinner a few weeks ago. this recipe whipped up really fast, and i loved the flavor – there are some spices, but they’re not so overwhelming that you can’t taste the delicious natural sweetness of the persimmons!

since persimmons are in season, i think you should try this recipe out now!! and if you’re looking for another way to use up persimmons, try this spice bread. ok, i’m off to spend time with friends and family now – i hope that you’re all spending time with your friends and fam during the holiday season, too!

one year ago: sugar cookie cut-outs
two years ago: butternut squash lasagna

persimmon pancakes

yields 3-4 servings (12-16 pancakes)
borrowed from eat this house

• 1¼c flour
• 2T sugar
• 2t baking powder
• 1/2t salt
• 1/4t cinnamon
• 1/4t cardamom
• 1c (soy)milk
• 6T persimmon pulp (1-2 fruits, either mashed with a fork or blended with a hand held blender)
• 1 egg
• 2T butter, melted
  ______________________________

1. place all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom) into a bowl and stir together
2. in a different bowl, whisk the wet ingredients (milk, persimmon pulp, egg, and melted butter)
3. pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until the mixture is combined
4. heat a pan or griddle, grease with butter, and pour the batter onto the surface in 1/8c to 1/4c portions (your choice!)
5. flip when there are bubbles on top and the edges begin to brown
6. serve with your favorite syrup, and enjoy!

you guys, i don’t think i’ve ever been this busy before. well, maybe i was this busy during manic weeks at work. but back then, i could leave work at the office, and rest in the evenings and on the weekend.

but grad school work comes home with me – i feel like i should be working away 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! grad school is going to keep me busier than ever. i just have to keep reminding myself that this is going to help me in my future career, and that i’m lucky to have this opportunity.

and i really do feel lucky to be beginning this adventure, at a new college and in a new city. although the workload is crazy, and i’m reading and studying more than i ever have before, i’m excited about what i’m learning. my family who live in seattle and my iphone with gps (sorry, don’t mean to lump you in the same category!) have helped to orient me to the geography of this city, and towards new restaurants and grocery stores. i know that i need to run or swim to stay calm and focused. and, i know i need to eat well to continue learning at this marathon pace.

i keep thinking back to my time at uc davis as i begin this process – the last (and only other) time that i lived outside of santa cruz. i remember feeling pretty lost as an undergrad at ucd, unsure of what major i wanted to pursue, unclear on the layout of the town, not sure where to eat or shop, anxious about learning to get around without a car, and trying to figure out how to feed myself at home. now this might surprise most of you, but even though i helped my parents cook throughout most of my life, when it came time for cooking on my own, i didn’t have much imagination. i only ate dry cereal for breakfast. and for dinner, i went through a cycle of spaghetti, stir fry, burritos, and repeat. i wish i was joking.

so what did i do? well, since it was before the era of food blogs and i didn’t have a ton of money for cookbooks, i emailed my parents and asked them to send me their recipes and suggestions, stat. my lovely parents both sent me emails chock full of ideas, many of which i still make today: banana bread, pizza, pancakes, tortilla stack casserole, cornbread, big green salads, and baked squash or yams with tofu, amongst others (you don’t need recipes for the last two, right?) oh, and this recipe for biscuits from scratch, too.

we made these biscuits for breakfast last weekend after a nice long run to greenlake, and served them alongside leftover items from our csa box: nectarines, potatoes, and an omelet stuffed with cheese and arugula (you might recall the potatoes and arugula from my last post).  but over the years since my dad sent me this recipe, i’ve served them along with soups for dinner, tofu scrambles for dinner or breakfast, and even next to fake sausages and smoothies. they’re super quick to put together, and bake in under 12 minutes. so that means that i can get them out of the oven before i have to head back to the books! speaking of, i need to get back to it. see y’all next week!

one year ago: chickpea patties
two years ago: potato salad

biscuits from scratch

yields approx 1 dozen biscuits

• 1½c flour (i often use 1/2 whole wheat and half white, but feel free to use all white or vice versa)
• 1½t baking powder
• ½t salt
• ¼t baking soda
• 2T sugar (i usually use brown, but white’s ok, too)
• 5T butter
• 2/3c (soy) milk
• extra flour
  ______________________________

1. preheat the oven to 375°
2. stir the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar together in a bowl so that everything is combined
3. use a fork or a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal
4. add the milk and stir until combined
5. turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and add flour until not sticky
6. pat the dough out until it’s about 3/4″ thick
7. use a cookie cutter or an upside down glass (that’s what i did in davis) to cut out biscuits
8. place the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes, until golden on the top and bottom
9. serve hot and enjoy with butter, jam, and/or honey!