Thanksgiving Baking

I Love baking; the smells, tastes of the remaining batter after the bowl has been emptied, and the magical dusting of flour that coats the kitchen and my very being come the end of the endeavor. Since we would be hosting on Thanksgiving Day, I decided to do the baking the night before so as not to compete with the turkey for oven space. I also know that there is a lot of cleaning after I bake so this way I didn't have to worry about creating a miniature disaster zone immediately before company was expected to arrive.

This Thanksgiving I made the tried and true Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Pie because it is always such a hit. One of the aspects of this pie that makes it so over-the-top amazing is that after you finish baking the graham cracker crust, you immediately put chopped dark chocolate (80% dark in the case... woah) on the bottom.

The chocolate crust then gets put back into the oven for 1 min and ends up hardening after it comes out so that when you eat the pie later there is a distinctive chocolate graham cracker crunch with every bite. Oh my!

I like to make pecan pie, and it's the only recipe I have bought corn syrup for in the past, but I thought I would see if this year I could find a delicious recipe that was corn syrup-free. I struck gold when I came across Trisha Yearwood's Pecan Pie recipe. While this recipe lacks corn syrup it was not found lacking in the taste or texture departments.

Here is the pie before it went into the oven:

I prefer making pie crust from scratch to avoid processed ingredients that are unnecessary and unhealthy. I really like Martha Stewart's recipe because it almost tastes a bit like shortbread, it's so delicious.

Perfecting pie crust is an art form and like breads, biscuits, etc. the key is in the short duration of actually handling the dough. I like using a food processor to incorporate the butter and water so as to not overwork the dough and make it tough. I used 2 Tbsp of water at the end to make the dough come together and then formed it into a disk and refrigerated it for an hour. I poured the pecan pie filling into the unbaked crust and put the whole thing in the oven for the directed time. One trick I use in baking to ensure I don't over-bake anything is to set my timer for 5-10 minutes before the product is expected to be finished since each oven is slightly different.

After putting the last of the two pies in the oven, I noticed how enticing the house smelled and realized it would be a shame to not have anything delicious that night for dessert after all the hard work, so I made my tried and true Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. To put a festive spin on the traditional loaf I used a decorative baking mold and sifted confectioner's sugar over the top of it to give it a wintry appearance.

Here is the end result of my three desserts sitting so decadently on the counter, waiting to be consumed:

Yum yum. A happy Thanksgiving indeed. When I bake I try to put positive energy into everything and imagine people enjoying what they taste. That is my favorite part of baking, even more so than eating the results. I love to make people's taste buds happy, knowing everything is made with wholesome ingredients and lots of Love!

It Flows Like a River

It Flows Like a River 

by Marisol Maddox

The River Speaks.

The River speaks if you have ears enough to listen,

Some intrinsic understanding of

The cochlear resonance of an aquatic snail.

The River flows.

It spins tales,

Tells histories and legends.

Take a gander.

Peer into the riverbed.

See how the rocks reveal the faces

Of those who have come and gone,

Of those whose blood has spilled, and

Mixing with the alluvium

Has manifested new life.

Broken stone; Bone

fragments.

The reflection of light.

Rivers converge.

A momentarily perfect fractal.

I see the ancient fish of time

Their echoes still resonate off the banks,

Their faint whispers are like secrets.

The cold, clear water is

Beautiful without trying.

Perfect without trying.

The sagacious River flows on,

A casual lesson in persistence.

The Tao of the Kitty

Lulu's Laissez-faire Library

Lulu remarks at the brilliance and beauty of a New Day:
"for the sun always in the morning shall rise." Wise equatorial kitty.

Tin Tin says, "Don't wake me from my slumber!"

Plant Intelligence & Neurobotany

I just read the article, "If Peas Can Talk, Should We Eat Them?" by Michael Marder and had to say a few words. Here's the link to the article so you can read it for yourself: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/28/if-peas-can-talk-should-we-eat-them/?hp#.

I find the research in this realm of study to be absolutely fascinating. I have read similar studies before concerning trees that communicate similar information through their root systems.

Since people obviously can't just stop eating for fear of killing something, I think what is to be gained from this new knowledge is instead a firmer respect for all living things- people, plants, and animals- and to be grateful for all that dies so that we might live. This just makes me appreciate, even more, all of the food that I eat and re-enforces my desire to not be wasteful. Additionally, I think it is interesting (and important) to view ourselves as a part of life's energy flow, instead of existing outside of it. We are not the end-point for energy; when we die our nutrients are recycled into new life, and so on and so forth. Essentially it's a way of regarding the law of the conservation of energy- energy being neither created nor destroyed but rather changing form. I think that is a beautiful thing.

I've been intrigued for some time by the ideas presented in The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird but I have yet to read the whole book. I'll add it to my ever-growing list of books to read!

If any of you have read it and have any ideas that you would like to share I'm interested to hear what you think!

Banana Breakfast Bread

I'm always searching for the right ways to tweak recipes to make them "perfect" in my eyes. I came up with this recipe recently and having just made it yesterday I can attest to how delicious it is!

Since this is a breakfast bread it's not super sweet but all of the ingredients give it a subtly complex taste. I think eating this in the morning is a great way to start the day. If you're a big breakfast person you can have something additionally on the side, like yogurt with fruit, or an egg scrambled with spinach.

Banana breakfast bread has lots of fiber making it both satisfying and healthy!  I hope you enjoy it.... And remember to bake with love! :)

My breakfast: piece of Banana Breakfast Bread and a fried egg with tomato, mushrooms, and garlic. Delish!

Banana Breakfast Bread Recipe


Ingredients:
1/2 C all purpose, unbleached flour
1 C toasted oat bran
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C applesauce, unsweetened
2 eggs
2 large bananas, mashed
2 Tbsp unsweetened peanut butter
1/4 C chopped almonds, pecans, or walnuts (unsalted)

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9" springform cake pan (or whatever you have that is closest to that).
In a bowl combine, flour, oat bran, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In a separate, large bowl combine brown sugar and applesauce; blend well.
Add eggs, blending well in between each addition.
Add mashed bananas, peanut butter, and nuts, mixing thoroughly.
Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Pour batter into cake pan and bake on middle rack for 23-25min.
Test with a toothpick in center or cake to make sure it is thoroughly cooked before turning off the oven.
Enjoy with loved ones! :)