Morning Brick

I don't know about you, but when I hear "Morning Brick" I think of something...get ready for it, I'm going to be unpleasant...something you "drop" in your toilet after your a.m. coffee, but this is the contrary, it's something you eat. Hmmm. This isn't coming across quite the way I planned, but I'm half-awake and have to finish this post before the kids get up, so no time for editing. This is unrated, folks. Alright, that was about it. Actually, nothing too exciting. You can tell I'm a mom. I will say, I do tend to have the humor of an 8 year-old boy at times.

So! What's a Morning Brick, other than what I've described above? (and if this is your first time visiting this blog, please, please don't think I start all my posts this way.) It's my version of protein bar, or Clif bar or energy bar or some sort of protein/carby health bar that will get you going in the morning (oh my gosh, not another pun. Okay, didn't mean that.)

It all started when I was getting tired of being shaky in the morning after drinking my coffee on an empty stomach. I noticed that if I ate a protein bar first, I would not feel bad. So I started buying Clif bars every week. When on sale, they are a dollar a piece, when they are not, it's more like $1.50. Take that times 7 and your looking at quite a hefty price for just some nuts, fruits and oatmeal, which is only 30% organic. GASP! I then became determined to make my own out of what I had in the pantry. Mine end up being, oh I don't know, maybe 60-70% organic. Better and cheaper.

Since I love chocolate and peanut butter, I grabbed those (not chocolate chips- cocoa powder and unsweetened peanut butter) and some old-fashioned oats. Started adding agave for the sweetener, flax seed just 'cuz, and started mixing. First batch was too cocoa-y. It was like chalk. But the second time it was better. Six tries later, I think I actually have good base, for which many other flavors could start.

Morning Brick- A Foodie House Original

Makes 6-8 hefty bars depending on what pan you use to form them

No BAKE!

2 c. organic, old fashioned oats

1/2 c. organic peanut butter, unsweetened

1 tsp. organic vanilla

1/4 c. cocoa

1/3 c. organic agave nectar

2/3 c. your favorite protein powder (I use whey)

2 tbsp. flax seed meal

1/4 c. hot water, plus a tbsp. more (but reserve for the end)

Mix together peanut butter, vanilla, cocoa, agave, protein, flax seed meal, 1/4 c. hot water. A nice paste will form. Add oats and mix really well. It will be dry and crumbly (you can do this in your mixer if you want). You want it to be in big crumbles, not tiny uber dry ones. If it's too dry add that tbsp of water. If it gets too wet it will be hard to form but still taste good.

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Put mixture in and using parchment flaps, press mixture down into pan. Take a second loaf pan and press down on top of the mixture to make a solid "brick". Let it firm up in frig for at least an hour (or overnight) before cutting with a very sharp knife.

Oh, guess what? Voting starts today! So, if you liked my Emergency Cake Video for the Project Food Blog contest...

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Thank you so much for your support!
Love ya, Foodies!

PFB Challenge #7: Emergency Cake Video

It was an emergency...where I just happened to be wearing false eyelashes.

VOTE HERE!

With each challenge we get stretched in a new way...and I am loving it! This challenge #7 for Project Food Blog: Video 411, tapped into my long-time desire to have my own cooking show. Since I was a little girl, I've practiced having a cooking show in the kitchen with my mom. Together we came up with skits and characters to show off our cooking chops, all done with tons of laughter and plenty of good memories.

My heart is to show you that cooking always has a story behind it. I love bringing that story to life in a fun, dare I say, campy manner, but not without plenty of how-to information and accessible, drool-worthy recipes.

Every bit of this video was done by me and me alone. Seeing how naptime (once again) is my only time to do blog stuff, it was me, the camera, my imagination and some editing software. If I waited for the Hubs to come home to film for me, it would be too late in the evening, resulting in bad lighting, too much giggling and not enough baking.

The original post for Emergency Cake was done out of a real-life chocolate craving emergency. Nothing would satisfy my craving except for a freshly-baked, dark chocolate-drenched, slightly warm, slice of the moistest, richest, easiest cake ever. Go from mixing to your mouth in just over an hour- well, that's faster than most chocolate cake-toting ambulances.

As I went around and around with ideas for this challenge, what I continued to come back to is one, BE MYSELF and two, make a recipe I dearly love. So that's what I did.

Enjoy the show.

Emergency Cake

(click HERE to see the original post)

adapted from Divvies Chocolate cupcake recipe

Oven: 350 degrees

Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 cake pan with parchment and spray with pan release; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or just use a whisk, works just fine), mix together oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water until well combined. Add flour mixture to the mixer and mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary. Batter should look and feel more watery than normal cake batters.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Transfer to oven and bake for 35-37 minutes. Cake is done when the center bounces back when gently pressed.  

Let cool 10 minutes in pan then invert to serving plate or wire rack to cool completely...but if it's an emergency, you can eat it warm. Nothing wrong with that, especially if you are pouring warm ganache over the top.

(Honestly, who uses a fork in an emergency?)

To cut it into 6 snack-size pieces, simply cut the cake into thirds then in half. Pour ganache over each slice individually. Serve or cram.

Ganache

1 cup heavy cream, brought just to a boil

1 cup good quality chocolate of you choice (I prefer 60% cacao)

Pour chocolate into hot cream. Whisk until well combined and glossy. Use immediately or let it stand for 15 minutes for a thicker topping. Pour over cake, one slice at a time or over entire cake- your choice.

Thank you so much, Foodies for taking time to watch my video! Voting for this post will begin on Monday the 15th. I will send out a reminder post for you!

I appreciate your support through this entire contest. Your kind words and comments have kept me going and enjoying it all the more. You've gotten me to this challenge, let's continue on to Challenge #8! I've got something delish for you that is pumpkin-licious!

Love ya, Foodies!!

Did You Know? Fun and Free.

So several weeks ago, I got an okay from Williams Sonoma to take photographs during one of their technique classes that they do on the weekends. I wanted to share this with you because it's fun and free, with a dash of product information, of course.

The Williams Sonoma store here in Sugar Land, Texas, is such a friendly place. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and super helpful. I want to give a special "shout-out" to Maria, who did the actual demonstration- Thank you, Maria!

I tend to get hung up either in the gadget section (either wondering who really needs a strawberry slicer or greatly coveting an expensive, hand-carved wooden spoon to stir my marinara sauce) or at the knife wall. I love knives.

So back to the classes, did you know they had these? I've been on their mailing list for some time now and recently realized that these were free and involved getting to taste food too. Not too bad. Many of you may be saying, "Where's she been? I've know about this for years." If that's the case, please remember, mommies sometimes get very out of the loop, regardless of their foodieness.

I had such a blast taking photos. I felt like a pro...or something.

We all drooled as Maria, the most passionate baker I have ever met, talked to us about apple varieties, showed us different techniques for slicing and chopping. She showcased gadgets and got us all "oohing" and "ahhing".  

I believe the class is to be approximately an hour long. This class went on to be and hour and half. Normally, I would not mind, but the Hubs was trying to keep the 3 tots happy with a bag of graham crackers that just ran out. Needless to say, they were getting antsy. He had already walked them all over the outdoor mall twice, but I wanted to stay long enough to thank Maria, so we waited. The kids kept running up to me and yanking on my leg. I promised them treats that she was making if they were quiet. They did really well. 

The peeps snacking on the goods...see the Hubs in the background (far background) trying to look interested in something? Such a good guy.

Maria made fabulous cakes and a beautiful pie: an apple coffee cake with glaze, pecan muffins, pumpkin pie and that gorgeous molded cake...so pretty.

That was the cake mix she used for the coffee cake...delish.

Isn't this mixer gorgeous? It's a Breville. I didn't bother to look at the price tag, but it did have a timer and a paddle attachment that had mini rubber spatula type thingys on the side to scrape the bowl down as it works. Love that.

This is the apple coffee cake in their "gold" pans. I would love to have a set of those.

Delightful little pecan muffins.

This was the coffee cake made in the speciality pan.

Glaze for the coffee cake, but let's be honest, I was really focusing on that copper pot.

She did not make the pumpkin pie in front of us...

but she did show us how to use those adorable leaf-shaped cutters for the crust. Another favorite thing...

Tasty trio.

I simply wanted to share this because it is a lot of fun, you get to sample the treats, and they have classes on all sorts of things...not just baking. Here's the LINK to check out the schedule. They ask that you call to get your name on the list so they know how many to expect, but other than that, just show up!

So if you spend all your Christmas money at Williams Sonoma like I do, they you may want to check this out and get your foodie on.

P.S. There has been a lot of interest in when the videos will be up for the next challenge of Project Food Blog. I got an email last night saying they are extending it another week, something about issues with copyrighted music. Anyways, you'll have to wait one more week...wish it weren't so. I'm ready to get on with this! But until then I will try to keep you happy with other tidbits.

Love Ya, Foodies!

Mama Needs Some Comfort

Challenges tend to be challenging...right? This last week's preparations for Challenge #7 for Project Food Blog have left me a bit frustrated. I completed one video last week, then found out we had an extra week to prepare, so I decided to do something different...which lead to more time to think, which in turn, led to more ideas and another video. In that time, I lost two days of filming (well, two naptimes worth) to a "corrupt" disc. I don't know how that happened. I had my 15 minutes of pouting and got back to work. I'm really hoping you like what I've done. It's one part campy ridiculousness and one part informative recipe demonstration (kinda like the blog), which hopefully will equal your enjoyment.

I found myself furiously chopping zucchini innards, for the recipe I'm about to share with you, and realized how stressed I was. What I needed was a really comforting, cozy meal to get me back on track. So I give you these adorable stuffed zucchinis, which are a marriage of Italian and Lebanese flavors, baked to tender perfection and served piping hot. Oh! Did I mention that we actually had some cool weather to serve these with? Yes, a chilly 55 degrees outside. Finally! Some appropriate seasonal weather- cannot stress to you how happy it makes me.

Stuffed Zucchinis

6 servings

Oven 400 degrees

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp. allspice

pinch ground clove

salt and pepper

2/3 cup favorite marinara sauce

2-3 slices provolone cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

6 small round zucchinis

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degree. Brown the meat with the spices, salt and pepper. Add the marinara sauce and let simmer. Meanwhile, cut the tops off of your adorable zucchinis. Scoop out the insides and chop up approx. half of them and add it to the meat mixture. Let this simmer for another 5 minutes.

Inside of the hollowed out zucchinis, place a good amount of provolone cheese (as much as you like) and then fill to the brim with the meat mixture. Top each one with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. Place in a deep baking dish with an inch of water. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until zucchinis are tender but not mushy. Serve with a salad and crusty bread.

Love Ya, Foodies!

P.S. I should be posting my video on Saturday. I'm excited to share it with you!

Pirate Booty

Ahoy me hearties! These here pirate booties are the cutest around!

We didn't do much for Halloween this year. I threw some costumes together at the last minute. Being a pirate is cheap, easy and adorable. Put a wife-beater shirt with some old jeans that you have shredded around the bottom, slap on a bandana and a kohl-liner moustache...TAH-DAH!

Isn't she lovely? I think she may need a smidge more ribbon.

Being a Princess/Ballerina is easy too. Tu-tu with some make-up and a bow. Word to the wise: Avoid applying make-up (especially eyeshadow of the purpley-black persuasion) while holding a squirming, screaming, irritated 15 month old. It makes for uneven application and a subsequent black-eye look on your princess. Ugh. Sorry, Boo.

Always look tough when you are pirate, even if your a big softie. (He's my little marshmallow)

Can you guess how many takes it took to get this okay photo? Try fifteen. Tiny was determined to scream the whole time. I don't know what was going on with him, but he was a pirate mess. I was directing Bubba and Boo to run and stand next to Tiny wherever he stopped in the yard. So when he actually stopped moving, I would start yelling, "Go! Go! Go! Stand next to him! Hurry!" And then I would furiously snap away. This was the only pic that had all three looking at the camera. It was pretty hysterical.

Pirates don't steal lawnmowers! (He does look a little confused.)

I hope you all had a great weekend. I am working on my video for Challenge #7. (that's why there is no recipe in this post, just shameless plugging of my overly-cute kids.) Think theatrical and indulgent. It will be up this weekend. They gave us an extra week to make our videos! 

Hopefully I get another post in before that...

Love ya, Foodies!

A Spicy Little Number

The Hubs LOVES hot peppers. He puts them on everything. When his last jar of hot peppers ran out, he quickly started gathering more peppers from the garden and dropping hints about how much his pizza, meatballs or bowl of cheerios (kidding) needed some spice.

I donned the latex gloves and started chopping and chopping and chopping. Oh, my god! Could he have picked more peppers? Is there nothing left but stems out in the garden now? Will my eyeballs still be in my head after I finish this pot of peppers? Or will they be dissolved by the fumes?

I survived. But I will say, this was the hottest, frickin' batch of peppers I have ever made! What kind of peppers did she use, you say? Well, jalapeno, Anaheim, Hungarian Wax and some mini hell-peppers (yes, long lost cousins of the tiny hell-cakes.) I don't know what the red ones are called, but they grow in my garden and are unbelievably hot.

Use whatever peppers you like:

Pickled Hot Peppers

Keeps for weeks in the fridge. Will keep spice-hungry husbands happy for the same amount of time.

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp. salt

1 tsp. cracked pepper

1 cup cool water

2 cloves garlic, smashed but whole

2-3 cups sliced peppers

In microwave, cook vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in glass bowl for 2 minutes. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Pour over garlic and peppers. Add water and stir.  Pour into glass jar (I used a washed applesauce jar) and store in fridge.

Have fun burning your face off. If you don't do that, you can always do some voting for Work It, Girl!...HERE.

Love ya, Foodies!

P.s. Can I tell you, once again, how much I love each and everyone of you? Can I tell you how much your support and votes mean? Your comments have been a joy to read and have touched my heart. Thank you, again and again and again!

Totally Rad Voting

After the whirlwind of blog post construction, I sat down with my kids and we did some pumpkin painting. I figure this form of pumpkin decoration is safer for the tiny tots and possibly mommy too. (I'm notorious for cutting and burning myself in the kitchen) So we broke out the washable paints, that smell really weird. It's like rose-scented bathroom spray. So gross.

Initially I had just the two older kids do the painting, fearing Tiny would indulge in some paint-inspired amuse bouche before dinner, but it was killing me that he was not included in the festivities. So I armed him with two Q-tips dipped in a tiny dose of paint. He did great!- no snacking.

Bubba and Boo, dressed in their over-sized t-shirts, got to work choosing colors and creating pumpkin works of art. Boo was more interested in feeling the "squishy-squishy" paint and Bubba was focused on his craft...or "craps". Even mommy got into the painting and did a strange tribal-esque pumpkin.

I hope you all are enjoying the 80's inspired Road Trip entry for PFB Challenge #6, Work It, Girl!. If you thought it was totally rad, then you can click the link below to vote!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has voted! Your kind words and encouraging comments have meant so much to me!

Love Ya, Foodies!