Preface: I should really change my blog title. Because I sort of think Martha Stewart is lame. She has a lot of creative people who work for her, and then she sits around and lives in her five homes and swims in her money bin, oh wait, that was Scrooge McDuck, I got confused.
Anyway, here is an anti-Martha recipe (that is, quick, easy and good). It's Easy Apple Pie from Margarete Dvorak. It's almost more like apple crisp... the sweetness is in the crust, not in the apples.
3-4 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced (I don't bother to peel)
cinnamon and brown sugar (optional: dash each of nutmeg and cloves)
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg
1 c. flour
3/4 c. white sugar
capful of vanilla flavoring (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Spread half the apples in a pie plate. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar (and nutmeg and cloves if using). Repeat with other half apples. (Use enough apples to fill the pie plate up)
3. Mix butter, egg, flour, white sugar and vanilla. Drop dough on top of apples. Do not spread (it will spread as it bakes). Bake 45-50 minutes at 375.
Serving Suggestions:
- Ken enjoys his pie warmed up and topped with a dollop of plain yogurt, just like he likes his apple crisp.
- I like mine covered with slices of brie cheese.
02 March 2007
22 February 2007
Prague
Welp, we are going to Prague in August for 2 weeks! I just found out my own sister did not know that, and I feel very guilty now, so I will share.Ken and I are leading a team of 8 high school and college-age people, who all happen to be girls, to the Czech Republic to visit the Farniks who are missionaries there. We're going to do an English camp and a VBS.
Two of the girls who are going were at winter camp: Vicki and Janna. Two other girls I already know: Suzzanne and Kathleen Winslow. All the girls are from various churches in the Southern California presbytery of the OPC (which includes Arizona).
Anyway... exciting times!!!
21 February 2007
Winter Camp
These are Tim and Matt from my team. For some reason they were really fascinated with weapons. Our skit was a really bad version of Peter Pan. Tim played Captain Hook. We totally lost but I thought we should have got some points for Tim's mustache.
This is Ken's team, El Templo de los Hijos de la Pilar de something or other... El Templo for short. Their skit was the second funniest and the overall best (in my opinion). They had choreography and an original rap.
L-R: Ken, Kyle, Vicki from Phoenix who is coming with us to Prague (whats up!), Kayla, Mike MEIHAUS, Mark Nelson, Thomas the tank engine, Daniel Gandara from Mexico (he also speaks Japanese!), Erika Shaw, and Daniela Munoz.
You will notice that Thomas is wearing a t-shirt... yeah.... it wasn't too cold.
16 February 2007
The Getty Villa
The second best part was seeing Malibu... I have heard all about it of course and that you can live in a trailer there for like a million bucks. There are lots of big fancy houses like SF style, only it is pretty sunny there all the time, I think. The ocean is right there, just like Half Moon Bay... only sunny!!! Good times.
Here's a picture I took out my car window but it doesn't do it justice, of course. It was balmy yet breezy, like you could just wear shorts all the time.
14 February 2007
Dave Elliott's Mom's Pancakes
These are the best pancakes. Dave Elliott was a dude who used to live with my mom and dad, whose mom made the best pancakes. Legend has it that although she passed away, her pancake recipe lives on because it rocks. I made these for Ken this morning for Valentine's day. His favorite way to eat them is topped with plain yogurt, seasonal fruit and real maple syrup.
2 eggs, separated
1 c. buttermilk, plain yogurt, or milk with a little lemon juice added
1 c. flour
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
some vanilla flavoring (about 1/2 tsp - eyeball it like Rachel Ray)
some almond flavoring (1/4 tsp?) (special for valentine's day)
1-2 T. melted butter
1. Add a pinch of salt to egg whites and beat until stiff but not dry. Set aside.
2. Beat yolks until thick and lemon-colored. Add buttermilk; beat together. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Add flavoring and melted butter; stir to combine. Fold in egg whites.
3. Pour batter by the half-cup (approx) onto a pre-heated griddle, at around 275 degrees (or if your stovetop temperature is actually manageable, unlike mine, a large frying pan over medium heat should work).
Makes about 12 - 4" pancakes.
2 eggs, separated
1 c. buttermilk, plain yogurt, or milk with a little lemon juice added
1 c. flour
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
some vanilla flavoring (about 1/2 tsp - eyeball it like Rachel Ray)
some almond flavoring (1/4 tsp?) (special for valentine's day)
1-2 T. melted butter
1. Add a pinch of salt to egg whites and beat until stiff but not dry. Set aside.
2. Beat yolks until thick and lemon-colored. Add buttermilk; beat together. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Add flavoring and melted butter; stir to combine. Fold in egg whites.
3. Pour batter by the half-cup (approx) onto a pre-heated griddle, at around 275 degrees (or if your stovetop temperature is actually manageable, unlike mine, a large frying pan over medium heat should work).
Makes about 12 - 4" pancakes.
07 February 2007
Birth Control Pill...
Interesting how the three little words "birth control pill" immediately spark not only medical, but fiery political and religious discussions! Kind of reminds me of working at the APC. :)
Pizza Florentine!
If I was really Martha Stewart, I would make my own pizza dough from scratch, grow my own spinach and probably even make my own sausage. But... who has time? So, I thank my friend Trader Joe for his help in supplying ingredients.
olive oil
1 bag TJ's plain pizza dough
tomato sauce
1 bag baby spinach (I used about half)
Basil-Pesto Chicken Turkey sausage (I forget the brand name but it comes fully cooked and is about $5 for a pkg of 5 sausages)
mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
Heat oven to 450. Brush about 1 T. (eyeball it like Rachel Ray) onto a pizza pan or baking sheet. Flatten dough and shape into a circle. Spread tomato sauce onto the dough (I used about 1/4 cup)
Rinse and coarsely chop about half the bag of spinach (perhaps about 4 cups?). Pile it on top of the sauce. It will be a tall pile, but it will shrink! Don't worry :)
Chop one sausage and scatter over spinach. Top with mozzarella, then a bit of parmesan. Bake 18-20 minutes; let cool for 3-5.
Serves 4 normal, or 2 famished people
---------
Let me tell you why this pizza is the absolute best. The spinach makes the pizza feel healthy, because you know you are eating lots of greens. Ken said, "should we have salad too?" and I said, "the salad is IN the pizza!" :) One thing I was wondering was if it would be flavorful enough since there is a TON of spinach. But there was enough cheese, super-flavorful sausage and tangy tomato sauce to stand up to the spinach. It was a nice balance.
olive oil
1 bag TJ's plain pizza dough
tomato sauce
1 bag baby spinach (I used about half)
Basil-Pesto Chicken Turkey sausage (I forget the brand name but it comes fully cooked and is about $5 for a pkg of 5 sausages)
mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
Heat oven to 450. Brush about 1 T. (eyeball it like Rachel Ray) onto a pizza pan or baking sheet. Flatten dough and shape into a circle. Spread tomato sauce onto the dough (I used about 1/4 cup)
Rinse and coarsely chop about half the bag of spinach (perhaps about 4 cups?). Pile it on top of the sauce. It will be a tall pile, but it will shrink! Don't worry :)
Chop one sausage and scatter over spinach. Top with mozzarella, then a bit of parmesan. Bake 18-20 minutes; let cool for 3-5.
Serves 4 normal, or 2 famished people
---------
Let me tell you why this pizza is the absolute best. The spinach makes the pizza feel healthy, because you know you are eating lots of greens. Ken said, "should we have salad too?" and I said, "the salad is IN the pizza!" :) One thing I was wondering was if it would be flavorful enough since there is a TON of spinach. But there was enough cheese, super-flavorful sausage and tangy tomato sauce to stand up to the spinach. It was a nice balance.
02 February 2007
Baked Ziti with Sausage
Our friends, the Naves, make the best food. Here is one of their specialties: kind of like lasagna, only better (and easier!).
8 oz. ziti or penne pasta
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese } or plain yogurt... it is still so good
1 cup sour cream }
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 jar of tomato sauce (14-16 ounces)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cook pasta and drain. Combine pasta, ricotta, sour cream, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook sausage and onion, add tomato sauce. Spread half the pasta mixture in bottom of a 2 quart baking dish, top with half the sausage mixture. Repeat layers, and top with mozzarella. Bake until heated through, and cheese is bubbly, about 35-40 minutes. Can be made in advance and frozen.
8 oz. ziti or penne pasta
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese } or plain yogurt... it is still so good
1 cup sour cream }
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 jar of tomato sauce (14-16 ounces)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cook pasta and drain. Combine pasta, ricotta, sour cream, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook sausage and onion, add tomato sauce. Spread half the pasta mixture in bottom of a 2 quart baking dish, top with half the sausage mixture. Repeat layers, and top with mozzarella. Bake until heated through, and cheese is bubbly, about 35-40 minutes. Can be made in advance and frozen.
31 January 2007
Basil-Avocado Soup
So, Brian Cochran decided to link the world of WSC blogs together, which was sort of interesting and nice, except that now people actually look at my blog, which makes me feel like I should post something. On second thought, maybe this is good.
So Sunny said she appreciates recipes. Here is an awesome recipe that I just tested on Mary Hawkins. It is a good summer soup. Not so great for today with all that rain... but still good.
BASIL-AVOCADO SOUP
2 c. carrot juice (if you don't have a juicer, just buy Odwalla or NakedJuice at Henry's)
1 lg or 2 small avocadoes, peeled and pitted
10 fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
juice of 1 lemon (1-2 Tbsp.)
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth & creamy. I love this soup! If you like cold soups I think you will too! You can also make it thinner by using less avocado and make a lovely creamy orange salad dressing. I am thinking about playing with the seasonings of this and will let you know if I come up with anything else good.
Let me know if you try this and what you think! If you need an avocado, please contact me. :)
So Sunny said she appreciates recipes. Here is an awesome recipe that I just tested on Mary Hawkins. It is a good summer soup. Not so great for today with all that rain... but still good.
BASIL-AVOCADO SOUP
2 c. carrot juice (if you don't have a juicer, just buy Odwalla or NakedJuice at Henry's)
1 lg or 2 small avocadoes, peeled and pitted
10 fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
juice of 1 lemon (1-2 Tbsp.)
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth & creamy. I love this soup! If you like cold soups I think you will too! You can also make it thinner by using less avocado and make a lovely creamy orange salad dressing. I am thinking about playing with the seasonings of this and will let you know if I come up with anything else good.
Let me know if you try this and what you think! If you need an avocado, please contact me. :)
27 December 2006
27 November 2006
Thanksgiving in Poulsbo
I was not there, but the picture looks fun. One question: was Lydia there? Just checking.
I love the view out the window. Gorgeous greenery!!
I love the view out the window. Gorgeous greenery!!
15 November 2006
another pic
This awesome picture was stolen from Monica's FlickR. Thanks Mon ;)
L-R: Em, Rachel, Ari. This is right after we finished our rap, OK, Rachel's rap, to which Ari and I beatboxed. The whole idea of Rachel rapping is so ridiculous it's awesome. She is pretty much one of the whitest people around, both in skin color and personality. :)
Anyway, it was so fun. More to come.
L-R: Em, Rachel, Ari. This is right after we finished our rap, OK, Rachel's rap, to which Ari and I beatboxed. The whole idea of Rachel rapping is so ridiculous it's awesome. She is pretty much one of the whitest people around, both in skin color and personality. :)
Anyway, it was so fun. More to come.
07 November 2006
Sus's wedding
Megan Roderick is so hot right now.
The Bride & Groom's first dance as a married couple! (They practiced)
Third North mini-reunion
Getting Ready...
Thanks to Ms. Marie G. for the pics!! More pics at Marie's blog.
03 November 2006
creamy wine sauce pasta
I found this fancy meatless yet delicious pasta recipe. I altered it to be even better and here it is:
2 T. olive oil
3 cups sliced mushrooms (buy them whole and then slice yourself, they keep better this way) OR sliced zucchini... OR both?
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh chopped rosemary
Salt & Pepper
1/3 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. white wine
1/3 c. chicken broth
In a large skillet over medium, heat olive oil. Add mushrooms, minced garlic and rosemary. Season with S&P. Cook for a few minutes. Add cream, wine and broth. Bring sauce to a boil; reduce heat, stirring until sauce is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups.
Serve over hot cooked pasta; top with parmesan cheese.
I did not make this up.
2 T. olive oil
3 cups sliced mushrooms (buy them whole and then slice yourself, they keep better this way) OR sliced zucchini... OR both?
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh chopped rosemary
Salt & Pepper
1/3 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. white wine
1/3 c. chicken broth
In a large skillet over medium, heat olive oil. Add mushrooms, minced garlic and rosemary. Season with S&P. Cook for a few minutes. Add cream, wine and broth. Bring sauce to a boil; reduce heat, stirring until sauce is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups.
Serve over hot cooked pasta; top with parmesan cheese.
I did not make this up.
02 November 2006
Still sugar-free... mostly
So I have been doing pretty good except someone made me these cookies!!! Dang it... they are the BEST! After I ate them I felt slightly ill though. In case anyone cares... I am still not eating many sweets, and feeling better. And when I do eat sweets, I feel yucky.
Pictures of Susan's wedding to come... it was great fun. Chattanooga is beautiful this time of year, all those leaves... it was great to see everyone too. I saw Marie, Peter, Susan, Megan Roderick, Monica, Larry & Nancy, all of Susan's family, Christian & Glenn, the Steeles, Dale Lee and the Williams fam at Cornerstone... it was great.
03 October 2006
Ridiculously good dip
1/4 c. mango chutney
4 oz. cream cheese (1/2 a pkg.)
some plain yogurt - I forget how much - 1/4 cup?
1 tsp. curry powder
Snip any large fruit pieces in the chutney. Mix cream cheese, yogurt and curry powder. Stir well (get all lumps out). Then add chutney.
So Good. We had it last night at Katie Wag's bday party with rice crackers, carrots, celery, cucumber and granny smith apples.
From the Better homes & Gardens Vegetarian cookbook Mom gave me for Christmas. :)
4 oz. cream cheese (1/2 a pkg.)
some plain yogurt - I forget how much - 1/4 cup?
1 tsp. curry powder
Snip any large fruit pieces in the chutney. Mix cream cheese, yogurt and curry powder. Stir well (get all lumps out). Then add chutney.
So Good. We had it last night at Katie Wag's bday party with rice crackers, carrots, celery, cucumber and granny smith apples.
From the Better homes & Gardens Vegetarian cookbook Mom gave me for Christmas. :)
22 September 2006
21 September 2006
Yikes
Remember how mom used to not know how to post pictures on her blog? Well now I don't because I take pictures with my camera phone, and I can't figure out how to upload them to my computer.
Any advice?
In other news, I am on a diet so I will look cute in that green bridesmaids dress of Susan's. The biggest thing is - I am not eating any sugar! Except in fruit. No refined sugar of course, so no sweets - and also no ketchup and other good stuff like that. Not even honey. But bread. Definitely bread.
You will not believe this but Ken is on the no-sugar bandwagon too. We both had a really hard day yesterday. I had a bad headache and Ken was confronted with all KINDS of temptation. But we prevailed! Will power baby.
Any advice?
In other news, I am on a diet so I will look cute in that green bridesmaids dress of Susan's. The biggest thing is - I am not eating any sugar! Except in fruit. No refined sugar of course, so no sweets - and also no ketchup and other good stuff like that. Not even honey. But bread. Definitely bread.
You will not believe this but Ken is on the no-sugar bandwagon too. We both had a really hard day yesterday. I had a bad headache and Ken was confronted with all KINDS of temptation. But we prevailed! Will power baby.
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