Chocolate Molten Cake-sinfully delish!

If you’re a fan of deliciousness & luciousness then you’ve got to make this right now! 

Chocolate Molten Cakes
(makes 4-5 small ramekins, about 4 oz each)

1 stick of butter, real…none of the fake stuff
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour

1.  Preheat oven to 400. 
2.  Melt butter and chocolate chips in microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir and melt 30 seconds more until fully melted.  Set aside to cool.
3.  In another mixing bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and flour together until well blended.
4.  Mix melted chocolate with egg/sugar mixture, stirring until incorporated.
5.  Pour into ramekins.  Place ramekins on baking sheet and  into oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are shiny and cracked.

Note…I like to serve with homemade lavendar infused whipped cream (see below)

1.  Place mixing bowl and balloon whisk in freezer for about 15-20 minutes.
2.  In a small saucpan, place 1Tablespoon lavendar buds in 1 cup heavy whipping cream and bring  just to a boil.  Remove from heat, cover and let steep 15-20 minutes.
3.  Once steeping is done, strain cream into a the chilled mixing bowl.  Add about 1/4 cup powdered sugar and whisk until it forms firm peaks (about 5 minutes)  Serve with molten cakes…yummy!!

Happy Fall Y’all!

October 18, 2009

Whew, we survived the heat and now we’re happy to say, Fall is finally here!  We had a great morning yesterday at the Anahuac Farmer’s Market…a cool 55 degrees and sunny-a gorgeous day!  Vendors were there selling fresh yard eggs, homemade fried pies, fresh veggies, homemade jams, grass-fed longhorn beef, caramel apples and ginger-pumpkin muffins.  Lots of fun, can’t wait for the next one! 

Speaking of fall, we’re easing into this season’s finest: pumpkins, apples, stews, soups, and such.  The holidays are on our minds too…never too early to start planning.  If you’re looking for new ideas for food or gifts, check out our Holiday Class schedule…don’t miss these opportunities to learn and share!

Next time you’re in the kitchen, you’ve got to try this simple red wine strawberry balsamic vinaigrette…so yummy on fresh spinach!

1 ½ Tbls Strawberry preserves
¼ c White Balsamic Vinegar
¼ c extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 clove garlic
¼ tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 c red wine

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend till smooth and emulsified (creamy)…enjoy!!

Wanna know a secret?

Eat yourself thin

 It’s all about choices and metabolism.   The secret is what, how much and how often we feed our metabolism.   

 Secret #1:  eat often (the how often part)

Eat every 4-5 hours…start grazing small portions of proteins, complex carbohydrates and fresh yummy veggies.  NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST!!  The more you feed your metabolism, the more fat it burns.  (no big secret, just thought I mention that sugar brings our metabolism to a screeching halt!)

 

Secret #2:  eat real food (the what part)

• No fake butters: use real unsalted -get a butter crock and leave your real, healthy butter on the counter for true spreadability…just like our grandmothers did!
• Run as fast as you can from processed food (stuff in a box or plastic)- it’s toxic and there’s no way to be healthy with fake food. Period.
• Buy Fresh, live fruits & veggies preferably from a local farmer’s market to get full nutrients & ripening benefits.
• Use extra virgin olive oil on salads and as a finishing touch on anything.
• Eat greek yogurt
• Eat almonds
• Drink water
• Eat cold water fish
• Eat pasture raised chicken and eggs

 

 

 

Secret #3: eat the rainbow (more of the what part)

Eat the colors of the rainbow every day for variety, nutrients and vitamins.

 

• Proteins-fish, chicken, turkey, beef, tuna, egg whites
• Complex  carbohydrates-any carb that’s not processed: rice, potatoes quinoa, oats, barley, cous cous, etc.
• Vegetables-any kind, but the green leafy ones have the most antioxidants & health benefits.
• Fruit-any fruit is better than no fruit but try to stick to dark choices like blueberries, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, kiwi, cherries, etc.
• Water-lots of it.  Sodas, fruit drinks are loaded with sugar and chemicals.  Carbonation makes us swell.
• Caffeine & Alcohol-love it, but in moderation.  Try not to have caffeine after 3or 4pm.  The tannins in red wine are great antioxidants but be aware that wine  is actually a stimulant and can cause restless nights. 

 

Secret #4: Eat smaller portions. (the how much part)

There are so many obvious reasons but to stay with the grazing idea, small portions are key to eating up to 5 times a day and remember: that’s the secret to a happy metabolism.  J

 

Food for thought:        Planning is the key to success.

 

Try this: boil & cool a dozen eggs before you go to bed or while your getting dressed.  Then you have 4 servings of protein on the ready.  For those times when you need a grab and go meal, toss a banana or apple  and 3 boiled eggs in your bag and hit the trail.  (For added help, toss the yolks and eat only the whites)

 Keep fresh blueberries and blackberries in your fridge when their in season…you can buy extra and freeze them too!

Do you know?

Speaking of food, do you really know what your child is eating, where it came from, what’s in it? What about what adults are eating? Is it real? Where did it come from? What’s in it? Have you ever heard of perimeter shopping? That means, when you have to shop at grocery stores, shop the perimeter of it and stay away from the interior aisles. Think about it…what’s usually around the walls of a store? Fresh and/or frozen produce, meat, seafood, bread, cheeses, dairy,etc With the exception of grains, pasta & rice, the stuff in the middle is processed and comes in a box…don’t buy it if it’s in a box! Make it yourself-it’ll be a gazillion times tastier and healthier for you!!!! Read labels; if it has saturated fat, hydrogenated oil or high fructose corn syrup-DON’T TOUCH IT!! Haven’t you noticed the new campaign ads on TV about high fructose corn syrup? The one with the couple who are on a picnic and the girl offers the guy a popsicle. He refuses because it has HFCS and she confronts him with 3 reasons it’s okay…the 3rd reason is not clearly spoken. She mumbles “it’s okay like sugar if eaten in moderation” There’s some truth to that. However, the problem comes in when you consider everything else people eat that has sugar and/or processed food. Once you start  reading ingredient labels, you will see that HFCS is in 99% of our food supply which means 99% has way too much sugar and chemicals. HFCS is a chemically processed by-product of corn. The producers of HFCS are running scared and have launched this new ad campaign to combat the exposure they’re getting from food activist who are concerned about the genetically engineered food supply. If you really want to put your finger on the heartbeat of this issue, read Michael Pollan’s, An Omnivore’s Dilema…it is life changing!! And people wonder why childhood obesity, diabetes, learning disorders, respiratory problems, allergies, and a plethora of other medical conditions are at an astonishing all time high!!! Even more, alot of the fresh produce in the markets aren’t the best because they’re picked while still green, so that by the time they reach the store, they will be the right “color”. This means that they don’t get to stay on the vine for the full ripening  process and therefore lack nutrients and minerals…basically ending up dead food. The obvious 2 problems with this are: 1. we think we’re eating whole fresh food, but we’re really eating “pretty” dead food with little to no nutrients or taste. (have you ever compared homegrown/store bought tomatoes?) 2. We’re not supporting our local economy by buying locally produced food and we really don’t know how many hands, clean or not, have touched that food. No worries, though-you have options You can…Grow your own veggies and fruits, shop at local farmer’s markets, participate in community gardens or all of the above. If you’re not sure what fruits do well in our area, call Tyler up at the Extension Office-409.374.2123-he can help or go onto their website www.chambers-tx.tamu.edu . From personal experience, we’ve successfully grown blackberries, mulberries, lemons, blueberries, oranges, grapefruits, apples, plums, bananas, kiwi, satsuma, and figs. We are what we eat. Eat fresh, eat local, eat homemade. Studies have shown that children who eat unprocessed, balanced meals at the table (that means not in front of the t.v., computer or video game) surrounded by family and conversation perform better in school and become more stable, productive adults. So gather the family, cook together, eat together, talk together-life is not a dress rehearsal-make it count! Know where your food comes from-it matters.

Yummy Granola recipe-enjoy

My favorite snack- ½ cup Greek yogurt with homemade protein-packed granola.  It’s also good as a cereal

 

Homemade Protein Power Granola:

3 cups old fashion oats

1 cup quinoa, uncooked

1 cup pepitas

1 cup almonds, whole, chopped, slivered, whatever you like

¼- ½ cup real maple syrup

1 cup dried cranberries

 

1.    Preheat oven to 350.

2.    In a bowl, mix oats, quinoa, pepitas, and almonds.  Drizzle maple syrup and stir until mixture is moist. 

3.    Spread on parchment lined or nonstick sprayed baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes until dried.  Make sure to stir at least once halfway thru baking process.

4.    Place into bowl and toss in dried cranberries.  Mix well and store in airtight container.

What’s in there?

Welcome back y’all; looking forward to paring and sharing real food.  Let’s get started by taking a look at our pantries.  What’s in there?  What should be in there?  For starters, nothing fake or full of chemicals, nothing with the words, fat-free, sugar-free, low-fat, blah, blah, blah. 

Basics for a healthy pantry/fridge:

1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil-the best you can afford-should have a green tint.
2. Fresh, local chicken eggs-purchase at a farmer’s market, from a cool neighbor or be cool & start your own backyard coop.
3. Butter-real, preferably made from grass fed cow’s milk.
4. Avocados-so incredibly healthy…I use it instead of mayo.
5. Bread-real, artisan, multi-grain bread.  Use it for sandwiches, as an accompaniment, make croutons, bread crumbs, toast, on and on…….
6. Easy, homemade chicken stock: celery, carrot, onion, parsley, chicken bones & trimmings simmered for about an hour, strain-done! Make a big batch, it freezes well.
7. Lemons-add zest to anything to wake up flavors, make lemonade, make easy vinaigrettes, on and on….a real kitchen workhorse!
8. Fresh spices-anything over 6 months loses its flavor and potency.
9. Fresh herbs-too easy to grow to have any excuses!
10. Real cheese-from a wheel, not in vacuumed-sealed plastic and nothing from a round, green can…buy the biggest block you can afford and grate your own.  Tip: the rind of parmigiano-reggiano is a great, natural, non plastic teething soother for babies.
11. Nuts-especially raw almonds
12. Greek yogurt
13. Grains-rice, Israeli couscous, quinoa, oats
14. Dried Fruit
15. Dried Beans
16. Real Vanilla Beans- pricey, but they keep and they’re real-no imitation flavors added J
17. Tomato paste in a tube
18. Real Maple Syrup or Sourghum-sorry Aunt Jemima-just say no to fake food!
19. Fresh, bacon-you cannot believe how easy it is to make it homemade-no swine influenza worries here.
20. Sherry vinegar-for flavor and acidic balance.

Know what’s in your food

Dead food.  That’s what dad said.  He was standing in the produce aisle, looking at all the “perfectly” shaped and colored fruits and vegetables.  After years of research, soul searching, backyard farming and remembering his childhood, (the good old days), when food was grown at home, fresh and full of flavor; he had become passionate about confronting the political BS that controls our food supply.  He had a saying that if it’s government controlled, it’s probably not good for you.   He was the first and most influential person to make me aware of the problems with our current food supply.  That was over 10 years ago. (he was always ahead of his time J)   I’ll never forget one afternoon as we were driving home from a long trip, tired and hungry, dad calls and said he just read a report about genetically engineered corn.  He went on to say how commercially grown corn was laden with pesticides and chemicals and it was being used as feed for commercial meat producers.  In my ignorance, I was resistant to listen at first and joked with him that I had to hang up as were turning into McDonald’s drive thru for a genetically engineered cheeseburger.  Thank God he was smarter than I and continued to educate me and others.  He always said, don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself.   Well, I did.  He was right.  Of course.

Actually, his knowledge and truth about the whole subject started with a vision, if you will, from God.   He later told me that God had spoken to his heart and made him aware of what he was eating and the harm it contained.  Being the diligent Believer he was, he listened.  Thank Goodness!  He spent the next 15 years researching and educating about the difference between dead and real, live food.

So, in honor of dad, I continue to try and carry the torch he handed me.  This blog will be a place of research, soul searching, backyard farming and hopefully, the new good old days as I set out to continue learning and educating about our choices for real, live food.  Kind of a food literacy place…Join me and see for yourself.  Bon Appetite’