Blackberry Galette with Cornmeal Crust

I'm sorry, dear readers for the unannounced hiatus, but I'm happy to report that I have returned! And with a great recipe to share! It's been over a month since I was last here and I've got some good excuses. First, there was a pretty serious family emergency. Everything is fine now, but things were a bit shaky for some weeks. Then, we had our first real family vacation! We just got back from Hawaii a few days ago. We three are tanned and relaxed and ready for a return trip.

I'd been checking on the wild blackberries before we left and I knew they'd be in full fruit when we returned, so it was nice to have that to look forward to at the end of our Hawaii trip.  Jack and I went out hunting this morning, and look what we found...

One teensy little bush yielded 6 cups of juicy blackberries! I've been long wanting to make a galette, and I thought that cornmeal and blackberries would be a great match. I found this recipe in Cooking Light and tweaked it a bit. This stuff really calls for some vanilla ice cream, or at least a healthy dollop of whipped cream. Alas, we were out of both, but it was still definitely worth eating on its own. Maybe I'll have it for breakfast tomorrow...

Blackberry Galette with Cornmeal Crust

The rich, buttery pastry dough is easy and forgiving. I rolled it out between two pieces of parchment to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin, and it also helped for transfer and cleanup.

 
Yield: 10 servings (or 8 big ones!)

 

Pastry:

• 1 3/4  cups  all-purpose flour (about 7 3/4 ounces)
• 1/3  cup  granulated sugar
• 1/4  cup  cornmeal
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/3  cup  fat-free buttermilk (or pour 1 t. white distilled vinegar into measuring cup first, then fill up with milk and let sit for 10 minutes before using)
   

Filling:

• 6  cups  blackberries (or mixture of berries)
• 1/3 cup  granulated sugar
• 3  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 2  tablespoons  lemon juice
• 1  large egg
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  turbinado sugar (honestly, I just nab an extra packet of raw sugar at the coffee shop here and there for dusting the tops of my pastries)

1. Using the spoon and level method to measure flour, combine flour, sugar, cornmeal and salt. Cut in butter (I use my handy dandy pastry cutter) until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add buttermilk and gently mix just until dough forms a ball. Gently press dough into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover. Chill 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350° and place oven rack on the lowest level. I find this helps my pies cook really well in the center and I don't end up with a pale, soggy center.
3. Unwrap and place dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll dough into a 15-inch circle. Place dough and bottom piece of parchment on a baking sheet.
4. To prepare filling, combine berries, flour, sugar and lemon in a medium bowl; toss gently to coat. Arrange berry mixture in center of dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover berry mixture).
5. Whisk egg and brush onto dough. Sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over dough. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until pastry is golden brown. Let stand 30 minutes; cut into wedges.

Mmmmm. Tastes like summer!

Just a thought...

to help enlighten Monday.

The Freebie List

So for those of you who may not know, a freebie list is a list of celebrities with whom, were you given the opportunity, you could hook up with no negative consequences from your partner. My husband and I were discussing our's yesterday on a long drive to Oakland. Here is my list:

Russell Crowe

Once, I saw an interview with Mr. Crowe on Inside the Actor's Studio. When asked the infamous question, "What turns you on?" he replied "A well-constructed sentence." Humuhnuh humuhnuh humuhnuh. And Russell, "The tree was aglow with iridescent lights that shone on the myriad onlookers with proud luminescence." Now how's that for a well-constructed sentence?  

It also goes without saying that all of my choices would be plucked from their prime and would of course, still be alive. I'd choose Russell from his LA Confidential days, not the perhaps more popular Gladiator days, and most certainly not now, because well, he's just too old. Sorry Russell.

Next, we have

Adam Brody

This guy is just smoking hot. And this outfit kills me. In fact, this picture was once my desktop background when I briefly worked an office job. I love Adam Brody because he's got the hot nerd thing going on and that is such a turn on, no? I even watched that stupid show, The OC, just because he was on it. Where have you gone, you hot nerd?

River Phoenix

My only blonde entry, and perhaps the only blonde I ever truly loved-- the fiercely talented River Phoenix. He was my #1 childhood crush: I had his posters on my little girl walls, read the Teen Beat articles in which he talked about being a vegetarian (which was like, the coolest thing when you're 11.) I loved him so much that on the day he died, my mom let me stay home from school. He was the guy with real character--a blonde with a dark aura--the sensitive, tortured artist. I miss him.

Robert Pattinson

I know, I know. I'm a little embarrassed. But seriously, I can't help it if this guy is ridiculously hot. He smolders. It may have something to do with the fact that I read all the Twilight books and really, I see him as Edward (again, I know, I'm so ashamed.) But in my defense, there are moms everywhere dreaming about this guy every night, so I am not alone. And have you seen him in interviews? He's just plain odd, and that's kinda sexy too. I wouldn't kick this greasy-haired kid out of bed for eating crackers.

So ladies, I'd like to know--who's on your freebie list?

Homemade deodorant

I love this stuff. I've been using Amy Karol's recipe for homemade deodorant for about a year now and I really, really love it. Like Amy, I had long been a long-time hater of women's anti-perspirant/deodorant combos. The aluminum in the stuff is just plain toxic, and while I didn't want to smell like a hippie, I also didn't want to get Parkinson's disease either.

Once I swore off anti-perspirant, I tried 'the crystal.' This stuff just plain didn't work for me.
From there, I moved on to Lush's aromacreme which was awesome until it gave me a rash. Bummer.  I used men's deodorant after that, but didn't like the man smell it gave me...so....I was so pleased when I finally found this recipe.

I don't add any fragrance to my deodorant because I love the natural smell of cocoa butter (yep, my pits smell like chocolate!)  The last time I whipped up a batch, I poured the contents into an empty deodorant stick and now it's easy peasy to apply. As you may see from the picture, I tried mixing some of my beloved Chanel Chance in to see if I could get a deodorant that smelled like my favorite perfume. It didn't work, so don't waste your perfume! The deodorant works very well, but for those days when I know I'm going to be working really hard, I use my husband's deodorant spray--it just works that little bit better. But as far as everyday needs go, this homemade deodorant is really awesome.

How rad is this?

The Bay Area Discovery Museum

This is Jack at The Bay Area Discovery Museum, a totally awesome place that we finally made it to over Memorial Day weekend. And it was on a free day (!) in honor of the Asian Heritage Festival that was held, in part, there.  I was worried that the museum was going to be aimed at older children, but Jack thought it was totally cool and we had a great time enjoying the beautiful, sunny day in Sausalito.

Here he is trying to build a boat, maybe a bit too young for that at 17 months old!

This awesome fort was inside the 'Tot Spot' section of the museum, a place for the little ones to explore that includes (content from museum website:)

Wetlands
Balance to stand, walk, roll or jump on a wobbly, water-filled pond. Crawl through the waterfall. Try on a fish costume.
Woodlands
Crawl and climb among the “roots” of a tree. Scale a baby-size mountain. Dress up as a bumble bee.
The Stream
Splash in a stream that flows through a multi-level faux rock stream bed.
The Meadow
Explore a gently rolling, grassy area. Meet a wood rat in his nest of sticks. Crawl like a gopher through a tunnel.

How fun does that sound?

 And no, this isn't a creepy dead frog, but it kinda looks like one.

It was a great place to bring a child maybe eight years old and younger; there are kids and strollers and sippy cups all over the place. Despite the fact that our visit fell on a free day and a Saturday, it didn't feel crowded at all, probably due to the outdoor layout. The museum has a cafe that had already closed for the day, but lots of families had brought their own lunch. I love it when places like this allow outside food, especially when you've got kids.

Hope you had a good weekend!

Things to do in York, Pennsylvania

So a few days ago, the monkey and I returned from a one-week trip to York, Pennsylvania. I had looked online for some ideas on things to do, but only found some pretty generic ideas. After a week of spending time with family and checking things out, here are a few ideas for things to do on a visit.


Explore Amish Country

Lancaster County, just a few miles from York, is a great place to explore.  The countryside is peaceful and green, with lots of cool, albeit touristy shops.

The monkey sure liked this old wagon though.

But the shops have lots of cool crafts, like the world famous Amish quilts...

and some pretty good food. Anyone up for some homemade sauerkraut?

These pretty bottles of extracts would make nice gifts too, don't you think?

Go to 'Market'
Every Friday, my family in York visits the Eastern Market. Housed in an old warehouse, this place is only open on Fridays and is a meeting place, cafeteria, craft store, farmer's market and tourist destination all rolled into one.

We flew back home on Friday, but we made sure to stop by 'the market' to pick up all of the York foods we had to bring back, like soft pretzels.

These are nothing like the ones in the mall, believe me. They are chewy and soft and filling, and they freeze very well (hence the dozen I brought back in my suitcase.)

And then there are the sugar cakes which crumbled into a mess in my bag, so no pictures. But these are soooo good, great with coffee in the morning.
A real York dish is this Chicken Pot Pie, which I don't eat (being vegetarian,) but my family said this stuff was awesome.

Still, there were more than enough things to tempt me here...

Are these hamburger buns or something else called Hamburg rolls? Who knows.
And to top it all off, I found this awesome pin for $2!

And two jars of buttons for $3!

Relax and unwind in a quiet neighborhood

I was lucky enough to have my grandmother's house from which to go out and explore. But I wasn't prepared for how much I would love her neighborhood. The maple-lined streets, the symphonies of birds, the fireflies, the neighbors who brought over food and smiles...Pennsylvania was such a warm and welcoming place to be.  Jack and I went for lots of walks.

I always forget how different the architecture is out East. All the red brick is so pretty.

And now that we're back in California, all I do is dream about being back there. I guess that means it was a good vacation.  And next month--Hawaii. I love vacation season!

Cocoa brownies

I love brownies, especially ones that have a deep, dark, cocoa-y flavor. I rarely make them from scratch though--for a few reasons. One-I am usually horrified by the amount of butter that goes into an 8-inch square pan. I read a recipe and just say to myself 'yeah, there's no way I can allow myself to eat these.' Two-why make them from scratch when the ones from a box aren't all that bad? I know, I know, and I call myself a baker.

But this recipe has me sold on the homemade variety. The deep cocoa flavor and dense fudgy texture are awesome. They are not as easy to make as the boxed ones, but they definitely taste homemade, and that's what I'm all about.

I would never make cookies out of a box, so why brownies? Plus, I think half the reason I bake is the enjoyment of the process, not necessarily the outcome. And there's just something in me that feels wrong when I rip the top of that box open and dump the sugary powder into a bowl, add some eggs and oil and voila--a half hour later get brownies.

So come on, let's make homemade brownies! Here's the recipe. If you require more incentive--not only do these brownies freeze very well, all the ingredients can be found in your kitchen right now. I promise.

A wedding and a trip

Today my husband and I are going to a wedding. It's going to be one of those sprawling country weddings with meadows and a creek--the kind of wedding I always wanted. I am sooo excited! Plus, my sister is doing the wedding cakes, so I have legitimately delicious cake to look forward to, not the usual pretty but dry and kind of gross cake that most people have. 

And tomorrow, Jack and I fly to Pennsylvania for a family reunion. This will be his first time on an airplane and I am a little bit nervous. I've downloaded checklists for traveling with a toddler, and have compiled a master list which I will post soon.  Before going, I searched 'things to do in York, Pennsylvania' and found this funny video.


I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

My favorite breakfast...lately

Before I had my lovely son and became a full-time mom, I held many serving jobs. Oh yes, the soul-sucking serving job. Don't get me wrong, I have friends in the city who don't really mind waiting tables (probably made all the sweeter by the $250-plus in cash they take home every day.) But that crap was not for me. One thing that I hated about serving was the schedule: you walk into the restaurant, run around like a chicken with its head cut off for eight hours and you leave--frazzled, sweaty and generally pissed off. Or I did at least. There are people out there who do it with grace but that was never my style, I would lose it over someone who would ask for a straw and then wait for me to bring it before they'd ask for the ketchup. Retards.

Anywho, another thing I really disliked about the serving industry was the way the managers at these places somehow got to make us work eight plus hours at a time with no break. What the?? Isn't that illegal? No lunch/smoke/coffee/call your boyfriend to cry and complain about how much you hate your job break? Again, so lame.  So before one of these fanatical shifts I would have to put something in my tummy that would keep me going for hours without stopping. Now mind you, I'm a hungry girl and nothing out there can fill me up for eight hours (except maybe lead, which I never tried) but this healthy breakfast made me smile before the bastards had the chance to take it out of me.

First I start with toast.

Then, I slather on some nut butter, this stuff is my favorite.

Ok, so you've got your toast and butter-- in this case, almond butter. Peanut is totally worthy too.

Then I add some sliced apple...

In this case, day-glo apples if you've got them. The apples cut down on the sticky nut butter and add a nice juicy crunch. Plus, you're working towards that five a day that we're all supposed to be having.

A healthy breakfast=healthy outlook, right? Plus this snack is nutritious enough to share with my monkey, which is an added bonus since he simply must try everything his mama eats.

May Day in Geyserville

This weekend was beautiful and warm and we celebrated this gorgeous spring at the local May Day Festival. One of my favorite things about living in a small town is community events like this. We met some friends and shared a potluck picnic, some laughs and some very yummy chocolate cherry cookies.

One of the highlights of this year's festival was the dance around the Maypole, performed by a local third-grade class. I've never seen a maypole dance before, but this one was exactly as I'd imagined it would be: children dancing in a field, weaving these beautiful ribbons around and around the pole.

The kids seemed to love it...

And this is how the Maypole looked when all the dancing was over. Pretty, no?

Our little monkey especially enjoyed the dancing by Ballet Folklorico...

Ahhh, small town living.

Reversible Placemats

The other day, I woke up and just had to sew. We got a 'new to us table' that seriously needs some place mats to make the table more...us.  My fabric stash is appallingly low and somehow full of fabric that doesn't match (am I schizophrenic?)  So instead of waiting until I could make it to a fabric store to buy coordinating cloth, I thought I'd make do with what I had.  These is crazy place mats!!

Hip on one side...

French country on the other!

These were easy to make and are so handy to have. You can flip them over, depending on your mood (or company.)
I used four fat quarters. I cut each quarter in half and trimmed it to placemat size. Mind you, these are rather skinny--I'm thinking of adding extra-wide binding tape all around just to flesh them out a bit more. I matched up the fabrics right sides together, pairing one modern piece with one country piece, and sewed three sides with a tiny seam.  Then I turned them right side out and pressed flat.

Next, I cut some batting so that it was 1/2 inch shorter than the placemats on all sides.

I inserted the batting.  The easiest way to do this is to fold the batting in half and place one side flush with the inside of the fabric 'envelope' and then unfold it. Then I turned the open side under about 1/4 inch and sewed that up.

Here they are, before getting their batting.

And here's the monkey waiting for them to dry!