Scenes

My housemate making coffee cupping style. This is mostly because we don't have any non-espresso coffee making devices in our apartment but also because it's a simple, no frills way to make a damn good cup of coffee.

Update.

At this point I've included the "I'm an incompetent blogger" statement in more than a few posts. I've been neglecting this blog a lot and I get around to posting more and more infrequently as time goes on. I don't exactly feel bad nor do I regret stepping back from blogging, computers, and the endless social media participation required to keep up a successful blog. It's been nice to take a break. I do really enjoy blogging whenever I have the time and motivation but right now my priorities lie elsewhere... and that is exploring and experiencing the food world around me further before I can say much more about it.

Until I reach a point where I find myself inclined to be blogging more often, I wanted to update you on the lull happening around here. Once I come back more regularly I promise I'll have something truly picture and word-worthy. Until then life is still just as food-focused as ever. It's not nearly as sugary but it's still sweet.

Apple Chunk Muffins

Apple pie in a muffin.

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Holiday Gingerbread Biscotti

Never have I looked at a log of biscotti and thought "Yeah, I wanna put that in my face."

Then sometime last week a switch took place in my craving motherboard and all my childhood dreams of eating cookies for breakfast came true.

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Top Blog Discoveries of 2012

 As a blogger it's hard to avoid feeling like a squirrel, frantically gathering and storing the url's of beautiful, nourishing blogs over the span of a year in preparation for the winter: the end of the year. Inevitably, you will lose track of some of them. A lot of them. I constantly scavenge for intriguing content and inspiring aesthetics. It's hard (if not impossible) to pick favorites, but I can pick out some of my greatest discoveries I've gathered and kept this year. Check them out:

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Lingonberry Drop Scones

Dad always got the burnt cookies. In our family it was standard practice to set off the smoke detector during the baking process: the first batch was unevenly baked because we never waited to preheat, the second batch was nearly perfect because we paid attention, the third batch was burnt because we got cocky, and after that we cared just enough to finish the batter without setting off the smoke detector.

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Wine-Cooked Tortellini

Food Illustration #2 - Tortellini Cooked in Wine

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Leftovers Stew

As you can see, this stew was filled with turkey. While I do consider myself primarily a veghead, I don't believe in wasting food - meat or not. This Thanksgiving I knew it was my duty to re-purpose the leftovers otherwise my family would let the turkey would dry out in the fridge and the potatoes would deteriorate into a wet pile of mush.

Solution = stew.

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Leftover Breakfast

The notorious, never-ending Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches don't have to be limited to lunch... I'm sure you probably want leftovers for at least two meals per day, right?

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Spiced Black Beans

Congratulations everyone, we have successfully entered the season of gluttony! Last night I ate more dessert than anything else on my plate and, well, I have no other choice than to be proud of it. Shame is simply not an option. From chocolate ganache cake and hazelnut truffles to pumpkin cannolis and pumpkin pie, I'm certain I achieved putting on my 5-10 lbs the average American gains between Thanksgiving and New Years.

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Beacuse You Need More Thanksgiving Recipes...

 The last thing you need right now is another Thanksgiving recipe, so here's another Thanksgiving recipe: Individual Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Coconut Cream Sauce

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Rum Baked Bananas

Illustration and artwork has been a reoccurring idea for the blog, but it's not like I sat down and thought about how cute an illustration for today's post would be. I am glad I got around to making food-art to post because it was a lot of fun, but my true inspiration came from the fact that this dessert is just ugly. In person you get the appeal, but unfortunately my camera doesn't capture the subliminal scent convincing you to get over the appearance of moist, brown bananas. Don't let me dissuade you, you'll just have to try this one for yourself to believe how tasty it is!

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Peanut Butter Banana Non-Recipe

Well my orange juice looks green...
As winter creeps closer and the temperatures drop I can feel my body craving more proteins and fats to make up for the extra hours and calories I spend shivering everyday. Blood circulation is not my body's forte thanks to genetics (anemia and low blood pressure... woohoo!). I decided it's a good excuse to drink more red wine, but I'm also happy to give in to the healthy-fat cravings. Avocados are my #1 but this week I've been craving this simple little peanut butter banana toast for breakfast.

What you need:
Scrumptious super-multi-mega-grain bread with nuts and seeds
A tablespoon of peanut butter
1/2 banana

-Toast your bread until it's a nice balance between warm and soft and crispy
-Spread the peanut butter on the toast... it will begin to melt so resist all urges to eat it immediately
-Slice the banana and place each round strategically so to fit on the toast (some may overlap)
-Eat

Chocolate on Chocolate

I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache for an election party tonight because I voted for Obama. Hey, it was either that or make blue cupcakes and I have no blueberries or blue dye. I'm also opposed to food dye.

Don't hate me if you voted for Romney, I won't hate you.

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Why You Should Eat Fish This Winter!

When is the last time you thought about Iceland? Oddly, I've found that a lot of people don't think about Iceland too much. Maybe it's not that odd. I spend a lot of time thinking about Iceland, but my yearning for personal vacations to obscure landscapes is beside the point: You should start thinking about Iceland this winter.

Icelanders eat 225 pounds of fish per person each year. That's 78 more pounds of fish than the Japanese are eating per person every year and 177 more pounds than Americans. More fish means more of the infamous omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and more omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid means lower rates of seasonal affective disorder.

Seasonal affective disorder is known to be more common during the winter in areas where the nights are long, yet Icelanders who get six hours of daylight during the winter have the lowest known levels of seasonal affective disorder. The reason these isolated, frosty headed friends of ours are able to party it up in their Lopapeysurs each and every dismal winter has been linked to the levels of omega-3 fatty acids occurring naturally in their diets (fish). It's been observed that those with seasonal affective disorder as well as depression have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their diets, and countries such as The Netherlands, Switzerland, The United States, and The United Kingdom with the lowest consumption of fish (less than 70 pounds) have the highest rates of seasonal affective disorder and depression.

So when you look out your window this winter and see miles of grey, whether it be skinny and naked tree limbs or dirty snow-sludge shoved to the gutter, it might be a good idea to consider cooking up salmon with snap peas, yellow peppers, and dill pistachio pistou or some crispy-skin fillets with wilted escarole.

Read all about omega-3 fatty acids in the book Why Women Need Fat
For more information about fish intake and mood disorders, check out the The American Journal of Psychiatry, VOL. 163, No. 6 and The American Journal of Psychiatry, VOL. 158, No. 2
*Variety of Fresh Fish Seafood In Market - Photo by Kittikun Atsawintarangkul