On This Thanksgiving Eve

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You Tart!!!

Tart sure has a lot of definitions. For this post's purposes, we'll stick with one: "A pastry shell with shallow sides, no top crust, and any of various fillings."

Last weekend I decided to bake my first tart. A few weeks before, I had picked up a copy of the October issue of Lola. It's a cute little pocketbook sized free magazine that you can find in the Boston area. I still need to grab this month's copy, which is the food issue.

Lola was launched in 2007 by Boston Globe Media and is a nice little publication. It's described as "a lifestyle magazine aimed at women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s." I fit their target for a few more years. Then I guess I just drop off into the ether. Oh well.

I do enjoy it for now. At least some of the content appears to be repackaged from The Boston Globe and Boston.com, where I found the online version of the recipe that I tried.

So back to the recipe. The original is a Chocolate Pine-Nut Tart. And such pretty pictures of it too!

This was my first time using my tart pan. I got it years ago and kept planning to use it, but it just never happened.

I don't know why I was suddenly so inspired by this recipe, but something clicked. Maybe because I also remembered that I still had really good Sharffen Berger chocolate from the BlogHer conference. Good chocolate is always an inspiration!

I made several changes to the recipe. Like usual, I used Smart Balance instead of butter. I don't normally keep cream in the house, so instead I used half vanilla rice milk and half Nestle Coffee-Mate Italian Sweet Crème. For the filling, instead of using one egg, I used the two left over egg whites. I'm not a huge fan of pine nuts in a dessert, so instead I sprinked the top of the tart with 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut.

The recipe isn't difficult to make, but there is some waiting involved. For those of you who have seen me on twitter, you know that I'm a real night owl. I started baking this late and didn't realize that I should have started earlier.

The tart crust went well, but I had to refrigerate it for 30 minutes and bake it for 15 minutes before adding the filling to bake the final tart. When I poured on the filling, it started dripping out the bottom of the pan. I couldn't believe it! I had to grab the tart pan and put it on a cookie sheet to bake it.

Well, the tart came out okay, but I don't think that I'll be rushing to make it again. I made a lot of changes, so the original recipe may be perfectly fine. I was hoping for more of a pudding texture and a thicker layer of it. That just was not to be. Much of the filling leaked out of the bottom, so that could have been it too. Maybe my tart pan is defective?

Well, my first tart experience could have gone better. It didn't taste too bad though. I mean how bad can good chocolate be?


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No Need For Waffle Withdrawal

I was reading the news last night and saw a story about an Eggo frozen waffle shortage. A waffle shortage? Hmmm. Okay.

According to the article, one of Kellogg's facilities was closed for a time due to historic amounts of rain in the area. On top of that, a bakery in another location is closed for repairs. With the two of these things happening together, it seems that it could take until mid-2010 before store shelves have sufficient quantities of Eggo waffles.

Apparently, some customers are already seeing dwindling amounts of Eggo waffles on store shelves and are considering rationing their waffles.

Well before people go crazy for lack of waffles, I hope they remember that waffles aren't a staple food like rice or corn. Waffles don't grow on trees or in a field. Waffles can be made at home people!

I'm going to try and not get too snarky. I'm much snarkier and more sarcastic in real life than on this blog. Or maybe I'll just let the snark rip!

Here are some waffle recipes. Waffle irons are sold all over the place and aren't too expensive.

With the money saved on not buying frozen waffles, probably after a month, the price of the waffle iron will already be covered. Plus homemade waffles are much healthier and tastier than frozen. I do admit that cleaning the waffle iron is a tedious task. But sometimes we have to buck up and do the hard work. Yeah. I think we can handle it.


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The BloggerAid Cook Book

Some of you might remember a book that I mentioned in a post a few months ago. Well, it's finally published!

The BloggerAid Cook Book is now for sale. You can purchase it by clicking here.

I contributed a recipe along with many other food bloggers from all over the world. Over 60 countries are represented!

Food bloggers are a very generous bunch of people. ALL the money from sales will go towards a very important cause. Read an edited excerpt from the book website below.

"Food does not simply nourish the body; food also celebrates what makes the world diverse, as well as, what unites us. The BloggerAid Cook Book is a collection of international recipes illustrating that we can work together and unite for a greater cause. The authors of this cookbook are food bloggers from around the world who have endeavored to make a difference by raising funds for the World Food Programme and encompassing their passion for "all things foodie" at the same time. ...

We chose the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) to receive the funds generated by the cookbook because of the wonderful work this organization does. The WFP has touched the lives of our members, many of whom are from countries where poverty is often a way of life. More specifically, 100% of BloggerAid's proceeds from the cookbook will benefit the WFP's School Meals Programme, which benefits an average of 22 million hungry children each year."

I hope that we can all spread the word about the cookbook. And for those who are able, any purchases would be appreciated as well. Wouldn't this make a great holiday gift? I think it would!

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The Simple Things

This post is proudly brought to you by the letter S.

Belated Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street! Watching that show when I was a kid, was a simple thing that made me happy.

Here are some simple things that make me happy as an adult.

Trying new sweets when I visited San Francisco.

Meeting Norbert Yancy and listening to the gentle strumming of guitars.

Signs in the blue sky.

The smell of Leaves by Elizabeth W. One of my favorite scents.

Read more simple things from other bloggers over at Soul Aperture.


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Banana Carrot Cupcakes + Maple Mascarpone Frosting

These cupcakes were inspired by a carrot, old banana, and mascarpone surplus. When ingredients are sitting around for a while, they scream to be used for something.

I remembered this carrot cupcake recipe from Pro Bono Baker and another carrot cupcake recipe from Pictures & Pancakes. I printed out both recipes and started looked for the similarities and differences. Then I started marking them up with my pen, figuring out what I had available and had a taste for, then created a new recipe based on the two.

I loved these cupcakes! So did my parents and my brother. These may be the best cupcakes I've ever made. They're fairly quick to make except for the carrot peeling. But with all the time you spend on the carrots, you can feel good about eating these cupcakes. You're getting your veggies! And with the bananas, some fruit too. What's not to love? I hope you give them a try.

Banana Carrot Cupcakes
(Inspired by Pro Bono Baker and Pictures & Pancakes)
Makes a dozen cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (I used grapeseed)
2 ripe bananas (mashed)
3 medium carrots (about 1 cup peeled and finely shredded)

Place baking cups or liners in a muffin pan. Set oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine ingredients as you like. Part of my baking philosopy is that most recipes are very forgiving. Many cookbooks insist that you mix things in a particular order, but I'm not too keen on that. If I had to follow all the directions to the letter, I would hate baking.

So if you're a new baker, relax. If you prefer some direction, I combined the bananas, eggs, sugar, and oil, then mixed well. I added the carrots and mixed again. Then I measured and added the nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir well again. Then I added the flour and stirred until combined well.

Pour the mixture into the lined pan and bake for about 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Maple Mascarpone Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/8 cup maple syrup
pinch of salt

Combine these ingredients in a small bowl until creamy. Frost cupcakes after they have cooled. Enjoy!

*Updated 11/13/09* I just learned about Bon Appétit's Blog Envy Bake-Off and decided to submit these cupcakes. They are pretty festive after all. Wish me luck! : )

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The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook Winner Is...

Eve! Congratulations to you!

With all your entries, the odds certainly were in your favor. Also maybe your spreading the word on so many contests generated extra good karma.

Well, whatever the reason, your number came up! It was the facebook entry that did it. I'll be contacting you by email to get your address and send you the cookbook.

Again, thank you to everyone who participated! Best of luck next time. Remember there's still another contest going on here. You can still enter to win a $150.00 Spa Gift Card. You have until November 30th to enter.


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A Steamy Cookbook Giveaway

*Updated 11/13/2009*
Please note that the giveaway has ended. The winner was Eve!

Several blog posts ago, was the Supa Dupa Giveaway Part 1.

I was holding off on Part 2, which was the cookbook part, because I wanted to make sure that I had the cookbooks to actually give away.

Well, one of the cookbooks arrived! And I remember exactly when. It was last Tuesday, November 3rd, which was Election Day. It was warm out, so I had decided to walk. I saw the UPS truck driving around, but didn't think much of it.

It turned out that one of the deliveries was for me! I returned home to a box from Tuttle Publishing! Part of my BlogHer Food '09 swag included a coupon for a free copy of Jaden Hair's new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook. This was it!

I also got a really cute green tote bag. While I'm keeping the tote bag, I'm giving away the cookbook to one of you lucky readers.

On her blog Steamy Kitchen, Jaden describes her cookbook as "stuffed with dozens upon dozens of foolproof Asian recipes that are quick and easy to do—all in time for tonight’s supper!"

Just from quickly looking at the book, the pictures are beautiful. Not only are there amazing food pictures, but there are lots of pictures of Jaden and her family sprinkled throughout.

Another nice blogger that I met at the conference, Jackie of Foodie Reflections, recently blogged one of the recipes from the cookbook -- Quick Shrimp & Pea Omelette. It looks really good!

*Updated 11/11/09* While blog hopping, I found another recipe from the cookbook. Helen aka Tartelette just made some Chocolate Wontons. Also, here is a cookbook review written by Elise of Simply Recipes.

So if you'd like to win the cookbook for yourself, please let me know!

The Rules: All you need to do is to leave a comment here letting me know that you want to win. You need to be at least 18 years of age and a U.S. resident. I will do a random drawing for the winner.

If you want an extra chance at winning, you can tweet, facebook, or blog this contest for additional entries. Just come back here and leave the urls for each of them in a new comment. I do check! Please also make sure that I have an email address where I can reach you.

Oh, and this Steamy Contest is a quickie! You have until 11:00 pm EST tomorrow, November 11th to enter. So act fast! I'll announce the winner by Saturday, November 14th.

Thank you Jaden and Tuttle Publishing!


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Bloggers In Boston

Thursday night, I finally got the chance to meet Carol Gillot, the blogger behind Paris Breakfasts, one of my favorite blogs.

She had the opening reception to kick-off an exhibit of her paintings called Paris Façades at the French Library in Boston.

Paris Breakfasts was one of the first blogs that I discovered. I remember looking at her paintings wishing for one. Then a couple of years ago she did a swap. I traded a tea cup for an original watercolor. I love it so much!

And last night it was such a joy to finally meet Carol in person. She was so nice to take time out to sit and talk with me, when so many people wanted to see her. It was a beautiful exhibit and I recommend taking a look if you're in the area. If you love Paris, then you really should see Paris Façades , which runs through November 28th.

The day before, I met another blogger for lunch. Mary Kate, writes the delicious blog Kitchenbelle. Even though she lives in the Boston area, I didn't meet her until attending BlogHer Food '09 in San Francisco. She was one of the first people that I met. Such a small world!

We had a quick lunch at L'Aroma Cafe on Newbury Street. The seafood quiche and my chai latte were really good. They didn't announce our food as it became ready and was put out on the counter, so that was odd, but other than that, I really liked the place. Everyone was very nice.

Mary Kate and I had a great conversation about blogging, writing, work, and how the economy has changed. She even saw another food blogger that she knew of, but didn't end up talking with her. L'Aroma Cafe was just teaming with food bloggers!

I also found out that Mary Kate interned at Flour Bakery and did recipe testing for Joanne Chang's upcoming cookbook. I love Flour Bakery and previously did an email interview with Joanne for my old blog, And Razzleberry Dressing. She was so nice and gave me a wonderful bread pudding recipe. When I spoke to Mary Kate about it, she knew the recipe! Again, such a small world.

Well after our lunch, we parted ways and I met up with a non-blogging friend. On my way to meet her, I walked through Boston Common.

There were so many squirrels scurrying about in the fallen leaves. I had to take a few pictures.



Well that's it for now. I was going to add more to this post, but I'm beat. Have a great weekend everyone!

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Macoun v. Braeburn: The Results

Before I get to the taste test, let's look at some more pictures of fall here in Massachusetts. So pretty!





And now to the apples. I'm not a huge apple fan. I like them. I know they're good for me, but berries are really my fruit of choice.

But it's apple season. So I'm going with the flow. Both Macoun and Braeburn taste pretty good.

Ultimately, my vote has to go to Braeburn. Side by side, I noticed a clear difference in taste.

Braeburn apples are very sweet. And for someone with a sweet tooth like me, they hit the sweet spot perfectly. Next time I get some apples, I'm going for the Braeburns.


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