Triple Cheese Scone Heaven

Scones can vary sooo much it taste, texture and looks. Tea time is an invention that very sadly has not been made mandatory in these here rugged states. Why do we choose to skip such an important daily event? What better to look forward to during the long afternoon than a stop, drop and drink tea! In regards to such thoughts I offer you this recipe I concocted this morning in a chaotic frenzy. Very luscious, very luxuriant, and oh, so not for the shy of butter. 

Triple Cheese Scones

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl combine:

1 cup butter soft

1 cup sugar

6 eggs

1/2 cup green salsa

1 cup milk

In a separate bowl combine:

6+1/2 cups unbleached white flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add wet and dry ingredients together and mix gently.

Add and mix:

1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated

1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated

4 oz. cream cheese

Place 1/3 cup size scoops onto buttered cookie sheets.

Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

Brew tea and eat!

                  ~ Marica

So the Winner Is . . .

 Tricia . . . !!!

Woo-hoo!! Never got to say that before!!!

Please contact me at maricathompson@gmail.com

Before February 7th 2011 to receive your doll.

Thanks everyone for passing the word : )

                                               ~Marica

Miso Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts

Simply oh-my-gosh yummy!!! That is, if you're as in love with mushrooms and brussels sprouts as I am.

Miso Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts

In a pan with about a 1/4 inch of water, simmer until tender:

2 cups mushrooms, washed and with the ends cut off

2 cups brussels sprouts, washed and with ends cut off. Peel off any less than nice leaves. 

Once mostly cooked add: 1 teaspoon miso paste

I ate this with quinoa and a lone bunnless hot-dog, but you can doll it up however you want.

               ~Marica

Remember to Look

It is so unstoppable the speed at which we propel forward. Catching a glimpse to remember and hold in my mind hurts almost as much as it is sweet. Feeling my four-year-old's soft little hand in mine, knowing that it won't always be my hand to hold.           

Today my little one ask if he could play croquette. He pulled on his rain boots and pronounced "these boots are all kinds of boots. They are carving boots and rain boots and really good croquette boots."

Just then my friend stopped by, "Marica you have to take a picture . . . " I looked out, yes, I had to take a picture. Several minutes later another friend stopped by to borrow a book. "Marica, you have to take a picture, look at him. . . " What is it about rain boots that makes mothers melt? It's like heat on chocolate. 

Anyway, the point is, we have to stop and look, slow down the wheels and roll down the window. 

To all the "moments" ~ Marica

Giveaway

So I am going to sponsor my first giveaway!!!! A unique doll made by my "company"

 Wasabi Honey Bee

The actual doll will be a surprise. I won't post a photo of it until after the drawing is over.
 The way this works is you leave a comment . . . I will put all of the entries into a metal cooking
 pot . . . shut my eyes . . . and draw!!!! I'll be honest here, I am trying to broaden my audience. As much as I love all you sweet Ojai folk, please don't misunderstand I love your company, but I would also like to reach beyond our luscious valley and penetrate the computer junkies of other lands. My humble request, and I mean that as in "please don't bother unless you have time and feel like it", is that you forward this giveaway opportunity to friends and relatives you think might like to win a doll, or at least win one for their child. The drawing will happen Sunday at sundown, so you have up until then to please comment on this particular post if you want in on the fun.

Best wishes ~ Marica

Banana Bread (Gluten and Dairy Free)

Whoever likes banana bread raise your hand. I told my kids I was making banana bread and they actually sighed "aaaawhhh". What spoiled little monkeys. In an english accent "Oh mother, do we have to eat banana bread? " No, I'm just joking, they didn't say that, but they did sigh, not the least bit excited about my slaving away mashing bananas, and hovering around a hot oven. 

But, then the bread was done. "Ooo banana bread, can I have some?" Breakfast the next day, "Can I have banana bread for breakfast?" A snack later, "can I eat half the loaf all to my self?" Oh my gosh, seriously, they ate two loafs of banana bread in less than a full circle on the clock. So much for sighs. 

Anyway, I made this bread gluten and dairy free and if the ranting before didn't help you to understand, the kids really liked it. So did I. I've been enjoying working with rice flour. 

It's grainer in texture, and way more crumbly, but I like the way I feel when I eat it. 

Banana Bread 

(Gluten and Dairy Free)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl mix:

3 bananas mashed

3 eggs

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups brown rice flour

1 tablespoon guar gum

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup shredded coconut

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pour batter into two oiled bread loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

                                                      ~ Marica

Cream of Broccoli and Potato Soup

It ended up raining this evening. How fortunate we are that the clouds like to shed their happy tears. I assume happy because what else could create such a calm and pleasant atmosphere than sheer joy. I had already started soup before I stepped outside and saw the wet walk way. Why do soup and rain meet so well? This soup is pretty simple and so different than a chicken noodle or vegetable stew. Often my soups tend to be one variation on minestrone to another. 
 I love that my kids loved this, because it adds another meal under my belt that I can whip out when dinner calls.

Cream of Broccoli Potato Soup

In a large pot simmer until half tender but not fully cooked:

4 cups new potatoes chopped

2 cups water

Add:

4 cups chopped broccoli

1 tablespoon better than bullion

2 teaspoons mustard

1 teaspoon paprika

salt and black pepper to taste

Once potatoes are cooked, pulse with a blending wand until desired smoothness. I like it with the vegetables mostly intact, with a smooth creaminess in-between. 

Add:

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Vegan Banana Pancakes

These pancakes are very moist. Very moist. My kiddos ate them quickly and thoroughly which always leads me to believe they passed the most preliminary test. Will my family eat it? The second test was passed when a friend stopped by, hungrily ate two, and proclaimed them yummy. So far so good. My own opinion is, although they are not your typical pancake, they are a pleasant meal and I would make them again soon. Pancakes are one of those amazing foods that can fluctuate between being an extravagant heavy cream, butter and blueberry ordeal, to a humble cupboard cleaner with merely milk, flour, baking powder and oil. My kids have eaten their way through many a morning of pancakes scrapped

 together due to lack of a grocery shopping trip. 

My Experience with Pancakes:

 Bananas tend to give them flavor and a delicate texture. Eggs, if too many are used, tend to make them rubbery and less than desirable. Oat flour is an easy substitute to wheat, but you will definitely appreciate an egg's presence if you choose to do this. I often throw uncooked oatmeal into the coffee grinder, grind it until it becomes flour, all the while reminding myself oat flour costs an arm and a leg, while oatmeal costs next to nothing. Anyway, pancakes are fun, yummy, appreciated by your little hungry companions as well as your larger friends and maybe even you. 

Vegan Banana Pancakes

In a large bowl mix gently:

3 bananas mashed

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

2 cups coconut milk (I like so delicious)

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

 Hope you all have a great weekend ~ Marica

Brownies of the gluten-free dairy-free sort

I bought a bag of rice flour recently and have been having fun experimenting. The brownies below, aged a day were super tasty. When I first pulled them out of the oven, they were crumbly and I thought I'd missed the mark. But today when I tried them I was pleasantly surprised. They also got my gluten-free friend's stamp of  yummy approval. 

Brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix in a large bowl:

2 eggs

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

1/3 cup tapioca flour

3 oz dark chocolate melted

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup rice flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pour into an 8" square oiled baking pan.

Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cheers to 2011 ~ Marica