Vegetarian life during HLSR (rodeo) season

This weekend was the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo BBQ cookoff. For those who do not live in Houston, this is one of the biggest cookoffs in the country. It is MAJOR!
I am on a rodeo committee this year, so I participated all three days. I usually brave the crowds one day during this annual meatfest, not THREE! Also, remember that I have only been vegetarian since January, so I have never gone and had such a challenge of finding food....well, actually was not too bad. Most of the tents either had baked potatoes or potato salad and baked beans(although I think a few may of had bacon in them). Lots of beer and people watching made for an entertaining weekend.
I am now resting, doing some reading for work, and getting my hair done( or DID).
Happy rest of the weekend!

Clean Living

What you say? Clean living on a baking blog. Well, it can happen. It is all about moderation.
After an ankle sprain and a over-indulgent holiday season, I pulled in the reigns and cleaned shop. My husband (been so long since I posted, I have since gotten hitched) and I watched the documentary "Fat,Sick, and Nearly Dead". So moved were we by this flick, that we decided that we would do a 6 day juice cleanse. I read the book Three Day Cleanse (Blue Print Cleanse) for strategies and recipes. The plan gives you six juices a day (depending on level, determines the number of green juices). We chose a level 2, which is 3 green juices, 2 fruit juices, and 1 nut milk. It was not too bad, as I was not hungry at all. I only missed the chewing associated with eating. Jimmy (my husband), on the other hand, was starving. I should mention that the calorie count was probably somewhere between 1000-1200, much too low for a man. One side effect we both felt was fatigue. Exhausted. I barely got through the three workouts I completed over the course of the fast. The biggest perk to the cleanse....weight loss. Jim lost 10 pounds over the 6 days, while I lost 11 pounds over 11 days (6 juice days, plus 5 pre-cleanse days).
Post-cleanse life.....
I am now trying out some different ways to eat. I am focusing on a plant based diet (check out doc "Fork over Knives" and it puts American diets under the lense of global effect). So mostly I am a lacto-ovo-vegetarian at the moment. Is this permanent? Well, I love a good steak. BUT .....I feel better eating this way. This is tough, especially considering Jim has not changed his diet as drastically as I. We are testing the waters and will see how we do. I wanted to share two recipes that I have really enjoyed. The first is a juice recipe that was my favorite during the fast. The other recipe is a tasty way to get some protein in your diet, without it coming from an animal. Enjoy.

Spinach-Blueberry-Apple-Lemon juice( from Three Day Cleanse)

2 oz. Spinach
1 pint blueberries
1 granny smith apple
1 lemon

Wash fruit. Core apple and cut into segments to fit into juicer. Cut peel from lemon. Run all ingredients through juicer. Run any wet pulp back through juicer. Scrape foam off and serve.

Homemade Veggie Burgers (based on recipe by Gwyneth Paltrow in My Father's Daughter)

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced and peeled
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 portabello mushroom, diced
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
2 TBSP flour
3 TBSP grapeseed or olive oil

Heat olive oil in medium saute pan over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, and cumin until softened and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Add bell pepper and mushrooms and saute for another 3 minutes. Add salt, pepper, beans(mashed with a potato masher, then added to pan) and rice and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
Let mixture cool until its easy to handle. Form mixture into 4 patties. At this point, you can set the burgers in the fridge for a few hours. Dust on both sides with flour. Heat grapeseed or olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat and brown burgers on both sides , about a minute each side. Serve with spouted wheat buns and your favorite toppings (avocado and ketchup are mine).

Check out jointhereboot , forksoverknives , and blueprintcleanse for more information.

Happy and healthy new year.

Cuppy Cakes

I know I have not updated in a while, so I thought I could catch you up on my tasty concoctions!
I tried my hand at the Hostess Cupcakes.  Very cute and yummy!

I made these for my friend Laura's birthday. I thought it would be fun because she was having an 80's themed slumber party. We played fun music and watched Say Anything and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. We had some games to play and just had lots of girl talk!  The dessert was a big hit later into the evening...did I mention lots of wine was poured?  Pretty sure I never went to a slumber party that booze was allowed....sure made it fun!

Cream-Filled Cupcakes

(adapted from Family Circle)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup (minus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter,softened

2 tablespoons shortening

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

filling and swirl:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter,softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

2-3 tablespoons milk

glaze:

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk to blend.  Combine vanilla and buttermilk in a measuring cup.
3. Beat the butter,shortening, and sugar in bowl with mixer on medium high until light and fluffy (this will take a while,but key to an airy cake).  Add the eggs one at a time, beating gently.  Add flour mixture alternating with buttermilk, starting and ending with flour mixture.
4. Divide the batter among muffin cups.  Bake until a toothpick testing cake comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes (every oven is different- mine runs hot, so I shorten my baking times by 3-5 minutes).  Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and place on wire racks to cool completely.
5. Filling and Swirl:  Beat butter in a bowl until light and fluffy.  Add confectioners sugar little by little.  Add 2 tablespoons of milk and beat for 5 minutes.  Add additional milk if becomes too thick.  Spoon icing into piping bag with round tip.  Insert piping bag into cake 1/2 deep (another method would be to cut out a little of the top into an 1/2 in diameter circle, fill the cake then pop the circle back on) and squeeze.
6. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Heat the cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to boil.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips.  Cover and let stand 5 minutes.  Whisk until smooth.
7. Dip the tops of the filled cakes into the chocolate glaze.  Place back on the rack to cool for another 10 minutes.
8. Change the piping tip of the frosting to a smaller round tip.  Pipe decorative swirls on top of the glazed cupcakes.

So it has been a while....

I am starting new in the new year....I will not say that this is a resolution because they often fail.  My goal here is to document my baking adventures for my friends and family.

I am happy to say that 2009 was an amazing year.  We have two new additions in the family, my nephews Orson and Xander.  They are precious babies and cannot wait for them to enjoy some of the goodies I create.
I have also done quite a bit of baking over the past year.  I have tackled some new delicious recipes and look forward to sharing them here. 

I have to say that inspiration has been coursing through my veins since seeing Julie and Julia (Reine de Saba cake above).  I am reading Julia's My Life in France ...quite the enjoyable read.  I also plan to give some recommendations on some things I am reading.  I just purchased the books My Bread, by Jim Lahey, and The Craft of Baking, by Karen DeMasco. 

I am looking forward to the new year and hope you will join me for the fun to come!!

A little about me..

Well. I am a foodie. There is something about food that connects people. I can only describe that feeling as pure. Something about that first sip of wine or bite of the perfect steak. And when you can share that moment you relish it. It connects you on another level. I feel that way when I prepare something-in particular a beautiful dessert. The pleasure that it brings me when I hear praise. So that is what brings me to this. I want to talk about my love for food. New restaurants that I try, or recipes-anything-will be posted here. I am constantly on the pursuit for perfection. Most of my posting will have to do with things going on in the Houston area, but I do travel for work some....I hope that everyone enjoys my faves!