return of the pancake

with no posts for five months, now seems like the perfect time to crawl out from under this huge rock i've been hiding under. and what better way than with pancakes? pancakes make any meal a party. or brinner.

for my edible flags, i relied on the "perfect pancakes" recipe from vegan brunch (find the recipe re-posted here. my preferred pancake recipe--also one of chef isa chandra moskovitz's--is on her website, but i was afraid that the excessive rise in those might make the hotcakes plus fruit too difficult to flip!).

i subbed in gluten-free flour mix, as i'm dabbling in mostly gluten-free dining. going (almost) totally GF has really opened up my eyes to how much wheat and gluten there is in EVERYTHING. soy sauce to veggie broth to pizza dough (well, duh) to most vegetarian meat substitutes to licorice to beer (and i had just found some sour Flanders ales that I was starting to really love!).

over the past few months, i've experimented with millet and barley. i've made a lasagna using rice noodles. after being disappointed by several local GF bread options, i found bready love in the form of Udi's (especially the loaf with a chia/millet base). i now own a pound of tapioca flour. and after thinking burritos and anything wrapped was beyond reach, i found a delicious tortilla made from teff, the African grain use in injera.

with all of these successes, i encountered a few bumps (like the flourless chocolate cake that, on both attempts, refused to get past the fudgy goo stage), but really, i've enjoyed the change. and physically, i feel a lot better without all of the heavy wheat and gluten.

but back to the pancakes... any guess what day these were made? if you chose arbor day, you're totally sparkly spankingly wrong.

p.s. these looked way cooler before they're flipped. but the important thing is how they tasted: like little bits of fruit-filled heaven!

trashed

a coworker posted this on our work fridge the other day. as he's a data analyst, i was slightly disappointed that he didn't provide some kind of regression analysis of the mold spores and how, based on the amount of compounded growth and factoring in the average fridge temperature over a given work day (allowing for so much variance via a 10-second opening of the fridge door for 40 employees), he had determined that the rotting fruit had been in the fridge for x days. maybe this would be accompanied by an explanatory graph. or a colorful comic. but the note was a good start. and yes, he signed it.

raise the roof

last night, i prepped waffle batter, using a recipe from the veganomicon cookbook. it calls for  active dry yeast and a two-part rise. this morning, in just ten minutes, we had warm, delicious waffles. these may be the best waffle recipe ever, and the homemade blueberry sauce doesn't hurt, either!

to make a quick buckeye

at the nintendo summit, i met nora, and we hit it off over (other peoples') tales of the rock and an amazing chocolatey mint dessert. somewhere in the middle of the conversation, we discussed oreo truffles, which got me thinking about buckeyes--mainly, both are messy attempts at rolling things into balls.

two hours of flight time home allowed me to deeply ponder the inner workings of cocoa and peanut combinations AND watch two episodes of the real housewives of orange county. during that time, i figured i might as well take my own whack at buckeye bars (aka butch bars to anyone who frequents hot cookie). becca's buckeye bars

ingredients

• 1 bag (16 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips


• 1 tablespoon shortening


• 1 (18 oz) jar creamy peanut butter


• 1/2 cup butter or earth balance, softened


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

directions

• line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.


• clear out a flat space in your freezer.


• melt half of the chips and 1/2 tablespoon shortening over medium heat (use a double broiler or your own microwave method. stir every few seconds, and don't burn the chocolate!).


• poor the melted chocolate into the bottom of the lined pan. spread evenly, and place in the freezer for 30 min.


• place the peanut butter, butter, vanilla extract, and 3 cups of powdered sugar in a large bowl. mix until smooth (use fingers, fork, a hand mixer, whatever). depending on taste and consistency, perhaps add the last cup and mix until smooth (i used 4 cups, and feel that my final product was a little too sweet).


• remove pan from freezer.


• line the chocolate mixture with the peanut butter mixture. flatten/smoothen the top of it and return to the freezer for another 10-15 min.


• meanwhile, melt remainder of chips and shortening.


• remove pan from freezer, and layer with melted chocolate mixture. smoothen, and return to freezer for another 45 min.


• remove from freezer, slice, and keep in fridge!

oh no you di'int

i'm prissy. yes, i admit it. i don't intentionally do anything illegal (accidentally totalling an suv and get my nose bashed in by police in riot gear are in a category all their own) . the seatbelt is fastened, i don't carry a concealed weapon, and i file my taxes. for example, a few years ago, i took my mom and kevin to rainbow, a super-duper vegetarian (minus the supplements and cat food) grocery down near the mission and soma, and parking was atrocious. kevin parked right next to the city sign that said "no parking" in big letters and i got all snippy. "oh, no you don't! it's illegal!" i sqawked, to which he scoffed and cackled, especially when we left and didn't find any little envelope with a fine stuck anywhere near his car. but back on topic...

there's a thief at my place of employment. not a jewel thief or a prince of thieves. it's a food thief! when i was first hired, one of the first things one of my new colleagues said was, "watch out for your lunch! someone has a knack for stealing things left in the fridge or freezer." riiiight, i thought. at least, until my amy's vegan meatloaf was stolen from the freezer. and then someone started helping themselves to spoonfuls of my vegan butter tub (which had my name on it). and then my "this is becca's" labeled soy milk. and it wasn't just me; other people said the same things were happening to them, and yeah, i don't really care that their chicken salad and leftover bbq ribs were missing, but hey, it still sucks to be w/out lunch. many of us complained to facilities, which prompted lots of mass emails of "keep your hands and mouth where they belong" and such.

but i don't condone illegal things, sneakery, or cruelness, and a few weeks ago, when i found out that, of all things, my veggie "chicken" nuggets had gone missing, well, i fought back the best way i knew how. with a sword! er. with microsoft word and a laserjet printer!

my note said:

Earlier this week, I bought a box of Quorn Southwestern Chik’n Wings (and if you must know, Quorn products feature a mycoprotein, are fungus based, and are meatless). I added a few of the “wings” to my lunch on Tuesday, closed up the box, and put it back in the freezer. Today, Thursday, I went to heat up a few more, and lo and behold, the box is gone. No where to be found. Kaputsy.

This is the third time something like this has happened to me in the past six months; I’ve also had a whole tub of vegan butter go missing, and a significant amount of my new vegan butter tub as well as ½ a carton of my oat milk. Now, I don’t want nor expect a repayment, yet I know that this has happened to other kitchen users as well (and, as "[a colleague] knows, I ate her string cheese, left her a very apologetic note, and promptly replaced it).

We all know accidents happen. Glass jars tip over and crack, something spills, perhaps someone’s having a bad day, etc. But what I’m trying to address is the ghost of the kitchen aka “things mysteriously disappearing” that seems to constantly happen in this lovely fridge/freezer combination.

So to whomever out there is secretly helping him/herself to foodstuffs that aren’t his or hers, be a good doobie and stop! Your actions aren’t cool.

Becca

P.S. To the facilities staff: Please don’t remove this. Thanks!



has this stopped things from going missing? no. but it did help prompt a very stern email from the facilities staff, which stated that "this sort of disrespect for what belongs to others will not be tolerated. I am taking some surveillance measures so this sort of activity can be more closely monitored and if a person is caught taking what belongs to another, whether it is food, drink, desk contents, or whatever, the repercussions will probably be severe."

surveillance measures? repercussions? what could those entail? and would a tux, audi, and ice palace fit into the mix? or maybe just a nanny cam, fridge-style like salad dressing that's also a super sekret spy camera. so far, i've checked the milk, dishwasher, and sofa, but i've yet to find any surveillance devices. or my nuggets. boo.

uppers

after my downer yesterday, i feel an urge to lighten things up a tad, and it's also time to clear out some space on my slowly dying camera phone. so here goes killing two birds with one stone...

did you know that...

your local video store offers some stellar (and never-before-seen) films? no, not those movies. i'm talking about "mega shark vs. giant octopus", featuring ms. electric youth, debbie gibson.

even at lucky grocery, you can purchase trader joe's funghi (well, only if the shipper has a little mix up)?

making chocolate soufflé cupcakes with white chocolate peppermint cream is easier than pie?

the dog whisperer has his own magazine? but there's not one article instructing me in the proper etiquette of quietly whoofing (aka dog whispering).

sweet potato soup recipe

i've been playing with my new immersion blender (thanks, ali!), and last night created my first homemade soup recipe. if you try it and have feedback, please let me know!

becca's sweet potato soup

serves 2-4 (4 bowls of soup)

ingredients
2 lbs sweet potatoes
1 can light coconut milk
1-2 teaspoons concentrated vegetable broth or bouillon cubes
1 tablespoon Earth Balance or similar
1-3 cups original flavored oat milk
2 apples (pink lady or similar), cored and diced (leave skin on)
curry powder
fennel seeds
ground cloves
ground cinnamon
salt


directions
preheat oven to 450 F.

wash and poke holes in sweet potatoes.
place directly on rack in oven until thoroughly cooked through, about 40-50 min.
remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

place coconut milk in large pot and stir in broth/cubes.
place lid on pot and heat over medium heat.
when simmering, turn off heat.

turn oven up to "broil", or turn oven off and broiler on.
place diced apples on a pan and broil for 8-10 min, flipping halfway through, until warm and puffy.
remove and put aside.

de-skin potatoes. compost or toss skins.
place potatoes and Earth Balance in pot with coconut milk.
using immersion blender, puree until smooth.
the soup will be very thick. add in oat milk and puree until a thinner consistency (whatever you prefer).
toss in approx. 2 teaspoons curry powder, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. puree one last time.
taste and add spices to taste. stir in with a silicone spatula.
place pot back on stove over medium heat and reheat.
add additional salt if desired.
place diced apples in bowl and ladle soup over it. serve!

don't throw me in a cell

this thanksgiving, i went all out, and by that, i mean that i made an excel spreadsheet to organize my cooking/baking.


go ahead and call me crazy. i don't mind.

my nutracker contest entry!

i submitted an entry to sf ballet's magical memories nutcracker video contest. the gist of the contest is to submit a video, via youtube, that:

• reenacts or re-imagines a magical scene from nutcracker OR create a video depicting your favorite magical nutcracker memory.
• contains at least one nutcracker character.
• is 65 seconds long (reason: that’s one second for every year nutcracker has been a holiday tradition in america, since sf ballet first staged it on christmas eve 1944).
• mentions or displays “san francisco ballet” visually in the video.
• is creative and/or funny--"innovative characters, dancing, scenery, costumes, and props will be judged favorably." "featuring san francisco settings or a san francisco landmark in your video in some way will be judged favorably."
• is tasteful and family friendly.

my favorite part of "nutcracker" is always act II, the land of the sweets section, so my video is an ode to all that is sugar, spice, and everything nice about san francisco (at least that would fit into 65 seconds). music, used with permission, by christmas at the devil's house (thanks, john!)

tour stops include tcho, the ferry building, i preferiti di boriana, miette patisserie, recchiuti confections, bart, mission pie, tartine bakery, saratoga chocolates, hot cookie, the f-car, miette confiserie, and the war memorial opera house.

you've been a very bad boy

wonder what this server's brother's name is...


in case your eyes can't deal w/the blur, the server's name was "Good".

sand witch bored

someone at bistro gambrinus, the new bar/pub around the corner, is really trying to screw with my mental spellcheck.


exhibit one
borstch: for $6/bowl, you should be getting something authentic, like borscht. or borsht. or barszcz. or borshch.

exhibit two
hand maid: women's hands for dinner. eek.

exhibit three
avokado: is gud spelling supposed tuh bee a sekret?

exhibit four
vegiterian: well, then. i'm too vegit, too vegit to quit (hay haaaaaay!).

beau thai

it's my sister's 26th birthday today, and the following is from our most recent, rambling, and birthday-centric conversation.

b.: have you eaten?
e.: yeah i ate leftovers from last night
b.: darn.
e.: why?
b.: i was going to surprise you with a hot cycling guy delivering thai food.
e.: where would you find that?
b.: idea first, practicalities later.

it's the thought that counts, right?

the perfect multi-tasker

cool giveaway notice! river over at wing it vegan is hosting a giveaway for the healthy chef 4-in-1 kitchen appliance. lexen product's healthy chef is a food dehydrator, rice cooker, steamer, and yogurt maker all in one. pretty nifty! now go enter.

my new view

this morning i noticed a newish billboard outside of my office window, and funny enough, sfist posted about it today, too. the cool part: it promotes vegetarianism! the sort-of-downside: it's sponsored by the supreme master, who many believe runs a religious cult. i'm not quite sure she's all genuine (c'mon, she's not a natural blonde!), but her disciples run golden era, one of the best vegetarian restaurants in the city, and she's trying to encourage green living as opposed to most other religious groups. for now, i give her a thumbs up.

berry good

brooke's latest post reminded me of the crazy-ass strawberries we bought from a farm seller peddling $10 flats of massive fruit over on page street a few weeks ago. i've never seen street corner fruit sellers in our neighborhood before, and while the berries weren't the weekend farmer's market/organic type that i prefer, they were still quite tasty.

the shopping cart song

while waiting to check out at whole foods the other day, i mentally composed a grocery-related rap. song. rhyming thing.

i got 'chu egg to the plant, some leeky leeky leeks,
some mush in the rooms, no potatoes- they go squeak
when you heat them in the oven
check it-- two kinds 'a tofu dogs
a bottle of tasty EVOO
and some yellow popcorn
[pause to review receipt and tap foot: 1-2-3-4]
gotta toast the israeli couscous over *bang* low heat.
then warm up some buns
made of honey whole wheat.
four meals for three* plus today's vegan soup lunch
add in some staples,
it came to seventy bucks.
not too bad
not too shabby
maybe now my tummy won't
be so crabby.

*me, todd, and his other appetite.

you're my pump'kin

pumpkin bread pudding, served with champagne, part of a compete v-day breakfast
variations from martha s.'s recipe: i baked the entire batch in a 9x13 glass pan. baking time should be 40-50 min., depending on moisture preference. i also substituted egg whites for eggs and trader joe's soy creamer for milk. this version is made with brioche.

cinnamon sugar puffs

puff pastry can make any valentine's day special, even for those with very little baking skillz. this morning, as a trial run for v-day, i made these cinnamon sugar puffs without using a recipe, and todd didn't keel over. phew.

ingredients

• puff pastry (regular or whole wheat)
• flour
• ground cinnamon
• sugar
• cold butter (salted), sliced into thin slivers

directions

• put frozen puff pastry in fridge the night before to thaw.

the morning of:

• preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• take your rolling pin and dust it with flour.
• on a clean work surface, unfold the puff pastry and dust it with flour, too.
• roll out your puff pastry a little bit (not too thin) until it's 1/8" thick.
• slice the pastry into 2 1/2" wide long strips (you can make them thicker if you chose to. just keep an eye on the baking process so that they cook evenly and thoroughly).
  
• cover the pastry slices with a thick coating of cinnamon.
• do the same with the sugar.
• press the topping into the pastry.
• top the sugar/cinnamon mixture with a light sprinkling of butter slivers.*
• place a silpat over a large oven-safe pan (spay a pan with baking spray).
• carefully, roll each coated strip from end to end, and place seam-side down on the silpat/pan, about 3 inches from each other.
• sprinkle the tops of them with leftover sugar and cinnamon.
• bake for approx. 10-18 minutes. time will vary depending on size and pastry.

*you can also add raisins or other dried fruit, chocolate chips, jam, etc.

special forces

we stopped by café gratitude for a quick bite last week. on the way out, i stopped to look at the attractive display of olive oils and plates in the retail section (i'm a sucker for all things sea salt, organic, and/or artisan), and todd proceeded to the register to pay.


hostess: do you want to answer the question of the day?
todd: sure.
h: what makes you special?
t: oh, there are too many good things to count.
h: good answer!
(i wandered in from the back room)
becca: what did I miss?
h: do you want to answer the question of the day?
b: ok!
h: what makes you special?
b: all the people around me.
h: hmmm. yeah.
(todd and i head out the front door)
b: todd, what was your answer?
(silence. total crickets.)
t: um... not that one.

did you read that closely (notice the proper usage of the adverb! love your modifiers, and they’ll love you back)? i gave credit to everyone in my life with making me who i am today, and todd pretty much credited himself with tons of infinite specialness. on the way home, i called him on it. who wears the special pants now, mister?

cookies make the world go 'round

i wasn't too productive yesterday, what with an entire day off and a large list of "to do's" that never quite got tackled (vacuuming, cleaning the fridge, flea treating the cat, and getting new dsl service, to name a few). but one thing i did accomplish was making inauguration chip cookies. finally, a good use for white chocolate chips! pair these cookies with a glass of chilled hazelnut milk for a very presidential experience.




Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Source: Baking Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen)

Makes about 18 large cookies.

These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Oversized baking sheets allow you to get all the dough into the oven at one time. If you’re using smaller baking sheets, put fewer cookies on each sheet and bake them in batches.

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
• 1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used one cup of semi-sweet and 1 cup of white, totaling 2 cups!)
  

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.