Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.     

Oh gosh. I need to try these. 

"Batman taught me there will always be evil in this world.  Our choice is only how and if we confront it.  If James Holmes imagines himself The Joker then there will just have to be more of us who imagine ourselves as Batman.  It’s true these stories inspire people, but it is our choice as to how we are inspired." Don’t Blame Batman for the Colorado Shootings

Tamar Adler's A Recipe is Not Always the Place to Begin: The hows, whys, and joys of cooking from what you already have on hand (via Heidi at 101 Cookbooks)

Virginians! Cheer on the16 Olympians native to your state. I'm especially interested in Kellie Wells, Quanitra Hollingsworth (a VCU Basketball alum! now in Turkey) and Gabrielle Douglas (I always love the gymnastics. Duh.).

Where Did All The Watermelon Seeds Go? I agree that all truly ripe watermelon is tasty, regardless of seeds. My test for ripeness? Knock and find a hollow sounding watermelon.

Recipes Bookmarked
Peach Salad with Sweet Mint Pesto at Gilt Taste
Spanakopita Casserole at Clean Eating
Sun-dried Tomato Cheezy Kale Chips at Oh She Glows

Virginia Beach, VA, July 2012

#shamelesspopfan

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.   

I too am sad for those in Aurora, CO. I hope those injured survive and that those surviving their loved ones and those related to the gunman can find peace and comfort as time passes. New York City's Mayor Bloomberg had some frank words to say about gun control and the incident as well as the need for presidential candidates to be less general. (via Leslie) 

Yeah, Ladies! The Forgotten Fighters: Richmond's lost spies, belles and heroes from the Civil War.

Though I shouldn't have been, I was surprised that some of the Greek yogurt available is made with food science not the traditional methodology. "To duplicate the Greek yogurt, they started with regular yogurt, then added different versions of starch, obtained from corn or tapioca..." (from High-Tech Shortcut To Greek Yogurt Leaves Purists Fuming) I'm not sure where I stand on this...Other than I'm trying to stick to unsweetened yogurt and add my own sweetener since there is SO much added sugar in most flavored yogurts.

Embrace Them Thighs. Something we all should do - Crossfit participants or not. I'm working on it.

Wait. Daiquiri's weren't/aren't always a frozen, super sweet beverage? I had no idea. This version, the original, sounds like delicious alcoholic limeade. (via NY Times Diner's Journal).

Recipes Bookmarked
Party-Pan Pizza at David Lebovitz
Sunchoke and Cashew Stir-fry at 101 Cookbooks
Watermelon Sorbet or Granita at NY Times' Recipes for Health


Beautiful music and dance via Paul

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.  

"To be clear, having more goldfish (or more gold) doesn’t decrease our happiness — those first few crackers may provide a genuine burst of delight. But rather than focusing on how much we’ve got in our bowl, we should think more carefully about what we do with what we’ve got — which might mean indulging less, and may even mean giving others the opportunity to indulge instead" from Don't Indulge. Be Happy. (via Marie)

Fashion News 1928. 2:15 is likely my favorite, though the last one is pretty great too! You can't beat an airplane as a photo prop.

"The care and love that went into that pie has become emblematic of how I approach life, and people in particular. It is the touch that says, 'I took the time to do it to the best of my ability because you matter to me.' It is the antithesis of the quick-fix solutions that have become so fashionable in today's world where it is all about volume and speed." A Second Helping Of Pie Week: How Pumpkin Pie Turned My Life Around 

"What did you do with the hair?" "I hid it under the radiator." Five-Year-Old Gives Her Sister Terrible Haircut Because It Was 'Really Itching Her Hips' (via Carielle)

The Chap Olympiad looks amazing. My favorite event from the looks of things would be a toss up between Umbrella Jousting and Ironing Board Surfing. (via Elliot)

Recipes Bookmarked
Broiled Fish with Summer Grape Tomato Sauce at Skinny Taste
Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup at Food and Wine
Vanilla Malt Cupcakes at The Cupcake Project

Mermaid, Norfolk, VA, July 2012

Hope your weekend is a Great Escape!

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture. 

So I meant to post this ages ago and now it isn't timely but RIP Ray Bradbury. Here's a great Ray Bradbury quote and an amusing prediction related to his passing at the Onion (via Chad). Also, RIP, Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally is one of my favorites) and Andy Griffith.

"Johanna Quaas, 86, isn't taking old age lying down. Instead, she's taking it spinning, jumping and twirling -- on the parallel bars, no less." I recommend the parallel bars video over the floor routine if you watch one.

It is all about perspective.

"Yet I think there’s something going on here beyond microsavings and entrepreneurship. Esther Duflo, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-author of an exceptionally good book called 'Poor Economics,' argues that outside interventions sometimes work partly when they give poor people hope." from Doughnuts Defeating Poverty

Can This Photograph of a Himalayan Glacier Persuade People That Climate Change Is Happening? I better get to Patagonia soon.

Recipes Bookmarked
Frozen Blackberry Souffle
Ricotta-Honey Gelato with Orange 
German Chocolate Pudding
(All from the LA Times!)
Marshmallow Ice Cream at Baking Bites
Summer Pear Cocktail at Vital Juice

The Sky Just Before the Tornado! Mechanicsville, Virginia, June 2012

Battenberg Cake

Mandy of What The Fruitcake?! came to our rescue last minute to present us with the Battenberg Cake challenge! She highlighted Mary Berry’s techniques and recipes to allow us to create this unique little cake with ease. Our cake had to be "[the traditional shape (square oblong) and had to have at least two different colored checks as well as be covered in a firm edible covering like marzipan.]"

I hadn't seen a Battenberg Cake before this challenge. Its appearance and the long list of directions wowed me (and gave me pause). But I shouldn't have been intimidated. This cake is genuinely easy* to make and doesn't require any special ingredients, outside of the marzipan. Its uniquely thick batter results in a slightly sweetened cake that I thought wasn't sweet enough... Then I added the jam and marzipan and was SO thankful that it hadn't been sweeter since the combination of the three resulted in a major sugar rush!

Needless to say we got way more than 8 slices out of this baby...and I have quite the sweet tooth. I'd make Battenberg cake again, though likely with a different base cake recipe as this one was a bit dry for my liking. With a bit more time, and tweezers, I'm confident I could have had a more professional product but this version was perfectly fancy for a family day at the river. Especially after Russell did some marzipan magic and made roses to decorate it. 

For the full skinny from Mandy and photos of some crazy, awesome checkerboard cakes, visit Daring Kitchen. I have placed a slightly adapted recipe below the photos but there is more info to be had. I substituted non-strained local spiced peach preserves for the apricot jam (Thanks to Nancy at Red Dog Farm); otherwise I followed the provided instructions. You could barely taste the peach over the delicious almond/cherry flavor, which I was fine with but beware.

*We'll just ignore my failed attempt at making marzipan. If anyone has ideas for how to use almond flavored sugar/almond meal "sand" let me know. Rescue tips would also be welcome, of course.

I used a plastic knife to make swirls on top of the marzipan. Then I started to fill them in with silver sprinkles. The 90+ degree weather, looming dinner and fumbling fingers quickly killed that idea. Russell's decorative roses saved the day.

 Yep. The sprinkle swirls wouldn't been super classy. Note: This cake doesn't love heat. 

Cake & Cannon

Traditional Battenberg

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened & cut in cubes
3/4 cup Caster Sugar
1 1/4 cups Self-Raising Flour
3 Large Eggs, room temp
1/2 cup Almond Flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon Almond Extract
Pink Food Colouring, neon pink liquid and rose gel

To Finish: 1/3 cup Spiced Peach Preserves and 1 cup / 8 oz Marzipan, natural

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to moderate 350 degrees Farenheit.
2. Grease an 8” square baking tin with butter
3. Line the tin with parchment paper, creating a divide in the middle with the parchment over a folded solid square of foil. (Or prepare Battenberg tin by brushing the tin with melted butter and flouring.)
4. Whisk together the dry ingredients then combine with the wet ingredients in a large bowl and beat together just until the ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth
5. Spoon half the mixture into the one side of the prepared baking tin
6. Add a few drops of red food liquid/gel/paste to the remaining batter, stir until the colour is thoroughly distributed, add more color if needed
7. Spoon the pink batter into the other half of the prepared baking tin
8. Smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula, making sure batter is in each corner
9. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until the cake is well risen, springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean (it should shrink away from the sides of the pan)
10. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out to cool thoroughly on a wire rack
11. Once completely cool, trim the edges of the cake with a long serrated knife. It will look unstable, if it is like mine, but will stand strong!
12. Cut each colored sponge in half lengthways so that you are left with four long strips of sponge.
13. Neaten the strips and trim as necessary so that your checkered pattern is as neat and even as possible
14. Brush jam onto the strips of cake to stick the cake together in a checkered pattern (one yellow next to one pink. On top of that, one pink next to one yellow)
15. Dust a large flat surface with icing sugar then roll the marzipan in an oblong shape that is wide enough to cover the length of the cake and long enough to completely wrap the cake
16. Brush the top of the cake with more jam.
17. Place the cake on the marzipan, jam side down (Either in the middle or to the one side of the marzipan.)
18. Brush the remaining three sides with jam
19. Press the marzipan around the cake, making sure the join is either neatly in the one corner, or will be underneath the cake once turned over.
20. Carefully flip the cake over so that the seam is under the cake and score the top of the cake with a knife, you can also crimp the top corners with your fingers to decorate.
21. Neaten the ends of the cake and remove excess marzipan by trimming off a small bit of cake on both ends to reveal the pattern

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.    

Washington State privatized its liquor stores. I wonder if Virginia will follow suit? Per the article, we are one of seven states left with state-run retail liquor sales.

"Armed with the right resources, Ilissa and Dori launched the business that would allow women all over the world to design their own shoes. To the sisters being able to have perfect shoes is like reaching paradise… or the land of Milk & Honey." Awesome.

I loved this sentence from Frank Bruni's How I Fell for Lisbon. “In Lisbon it occurred to me that maybe our favorite places are simply those in which our expectations are routinely exceeded, happenstance cuts in our favor, and it doesn’t matter which fork in the road we take. It leads somewhere we’re happy to be.” And, yes, I now want to visit Lisbon too.

Katy Perry is cute without make-up.

Read Are You As Busy As You Think to understand why I keep telling people I'm not as busy as I seem. I'm definitely going to try the tip about reframing language.

Recipes Bookmarked
Bacon, Egg and Leek Risotto at Smitten Kitchen
Frozen Nutella Chobani at Chimes Design
Haupia at Serious Eats

 Cyprus Sunset, July 2006

(I didn't actually sit still and watch the video. But I like the artist's voice and the song, which you can download for free on their website.)

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the LONG weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.   

48 Things That Will Make You Feel Old. These sure worked on me; #14 was my favorite. (Thanks, Ben-Boy!)

Tiny Turtle in a Shell (via Kim)

Extreme motivation - The difference between being uncomfortable and exhausted (via Motivation into Habit)

Recipes Bookmarked
Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Lemon Cream Sauce at Simply Recipes
Glazed Doughnut Muffins at My Baking Addiction
Spinach Sweet Potato Egg Nests at PaleOMG

 Mountain Laurel, Syria, VA May 2012

Kimbra's mashup of "Two Weeks" by Grizzly Bear and "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears for Triple J's Like a Version program.

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.   

The 5-Second Rule Quantified! (via Jeff Wilser)

"To find that training on a working-memory task could result in an increase in fluid intelligence would be cognitive psychology’s equivalent of discovering particles traveling faster than light. ... 'Do we think they’re now smarter for the rest of their lives by just four weeks of training?” she asks. 'We probably don’t think so. We think of it like physical training: if you go running for a month, you increase your fitness. But does it stay like that for the rest of your life? Probably not.' ... Just like physical exercise, cognitive exercises may prove to be up against something even more resistant to training than fluid intelligence: human nature." excerpts from Can You Make Yourself Smarter? by Dan Hurley

As someone who enjoys sushi but is on a budget, I found Marion Nestle's Tuna Scrape, a case study in International Food Safety, to be thought provoking and a little scary. No, make that straight scary. See the follow-up post too.

Fake It Till You Make It. (via LFM)

Dr. Carson C. Chow hypothesizes that the U.S. obesity epidemic is caused by food overproduction in A Mathematical Challenge to Obesity.  


Recipes Bookmarked
April Bloomfield's Lemon Caper Dressing at Food 52
Spicy Lemon Coconut Sauce at 101 Cookbooks
Veggie Chips (!) at NPR's Open Window

(Didn't want to skip twice in a row so no photo!)

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.    

Never-before-seen photos from 100 years ago tell vivid story of gritty NYC. Boardwalk Empire fans - there is a mug shot of Charles 'Lucky' Luciano!

"Does Hollywood create a false expectation that love conquers all? Does the 'meet cute' story line have some play in the long-term success or demise of a marriage? Maybe it would help to realize that we do not know what happens to the happy couple after we leave the theater." Read Jane L. Rosen's hypotheses about how some popular romantic comedy relationships turned out in Are Harry And Sally Still Happily Married? (via Jeff)

"We’ll inevitably face challenges in life. The best defense is believing that we are strong, we will survive, and we will be better for it." Tiny Wisdom: Believe That You Are Strong

Peter Dinkelage doesn't like the word luck. His thoughts reminded me of the Thomas Jefferson quote Chris S. shared with me a few years ago -- "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it."

Angel cleverly highlights that we may be eating more than we think. Yikes.

Recipes Bookmarked
Pineapple Upside Down Cake via Vital Juice
Saffron Rice Pilaf at Simply Recipes
Spicy Guinness Mustard at Saveur (via Chessa)


I need to go on a hike. Thanks for the beautiful visual, Coach Matt. 

Nazook

The Daring Bakers’ April 2012 challenge, hosted by Jason at Daily Candor, were two Armenian standards: nazook and nutmeg cake. Nazook is a layered yeasted dough pastry with a sweet filling, and nutmeg cake is a fragrant, nutty coffee-style cake. Like most hosts, Jason provided background on the recipes and detailed step by step instructions. He also went above and beyond to make instructional videos as well.

I chose to make nazook as it sounded more challenging, I am not crazy about nutmeg and it was Jason's Aunt Aida's recipe. Since, God knows, I didn't need 40 pieces of pastry I halved the recipe. Then I split the filling to make two versions so I could try the traditional vanilla-scented filling and experiment with a brown sugar cinnamon filling inspired by my Mom's favorite Pop-Tarts. 

I was a bit nervous making it. Nazook was unlike any pastry or yeast recipe I previously made. It had yeast but didn't require proofing, the addition of warm liquid or rising time. The filling involved flour as well as the standard butter/sugar/flavoring combination. But I shouldn't have worried! The resulting pasty had an irresistible buttery, flaky crust with a scent that made me heady.

As for the fillings, I can't tell you which version was better in spite of many side by side tastings... Maybe I'll to decide next time. ;) If you have any suggestions for avoiding the semi-exploded appearance below in the future, please leave them in the comments. 

Nazook
Yields approximately 20 pieces

Pastry dough
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose (Plain) Flour, sifted
1 1/4 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) Softened, Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

Vanilla Filling
1/3 cup All-Purpose (Plain) Flour, sifted
1/3 cup Sugar
6 tablespoons Softened, Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Filling
1/3 cup All-Purpose (Plain) Flour, sifted
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
6 tablespoons Softened, Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Wash: 1 Egg Yolk

Directions:

Make the Pastry Dough
1. Place the sifted flour into a large bowl.
2. Add the dry yeast, and mix it in.
3. Add the sour cream, and the softened butter.
4. Use your hands, or a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, to work it into a dough.
5. If using a standing mixer, switch to a dough hook. If making manually, continue to knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl or your hands. If it remains very sticky, add some flour, a little at a time.
6. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 3-5 hours, or overnight if you like.

Make the fillings
7. Mix the flour, brown or white sugar, and the softened butter in a medium bowl.
8. Add the vanilla extract or cinnamon as appropriate.
9. Mix the fillings until they looks like clumpy, damp sand. It should not take long. Set aside.

Make the nazook
10. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
11. Cut the refrigerated dough into two halves.
12. Form one into a ball. Dust your working surface with a little flour.
13. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle or oval. The dough should be thin, but not transparent. I find it helpful to cover the dough with plastic wrap while rolling to prevent it from sticking the rolling pin.
14. Spread one of the filling mixtures across the rolled-out dough in an even layer. To get it started I rolled the filling out on top of the dough and then spread it with my fingers to get it close to the edges on the short sides while keeping about 1 inch of the pastry dough uncovered along the long edges.
15. From one of the long sides, start slowly rolling the dough across. Be careful to make sure the filling stays evenly distributed. Roll all the way across until you have a long, thin loaf.
16. Pat down the loaf with your palm and fingers so that it flattens out a bit (just a bit).
17. Apply your egg yolk wash with a pastry brush.
18. Use your crinkle cutter (or knife) to cut the loaf into 10 equally-sized pieces. Put onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I used a silipat!)
19. Repeat with the other variation or additional portion of the dough and filling. 
19. Place in a preheated moderate oven for about 30 minutes, until the tops are a rich, golden brown.
20. Allow to cool and enjoy.

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.   

Getting your first pointe shoes is a very big deal! I'm amazed at the customization for the shoes highlighted in New York City Ballet's "Pointe Shoes." (via Victoria)

"Self-compassion and self-esteem both involve positive emotions toward the self. But self-esteem is about judging yourself positively: I am good. Or, unfortunately, if you can’t keep up that self-definition: I am bad. Self-compassion does not involve judgment or evaluation. It’s not about, “What type of person am I?” It’s just about: I’m suffering—can I respond to my suffering with kindness, understanding, caring, and concern?" from The Power of Self-Compassion

Elizabeth Taylor's diet is more interesting than many of the New York Diet's profiled in  NY Mag. It turns out she ate (and drank). (via Alejandra)

Interesting... ElliptiGo, an outdoor elliptical trainer, looks like a standup, seatless bicycle.

"If you, too, were fooled into thinking that sweet, chocolatey, hazelnut goop was actually good for you, visit nutellaclassactionsettlement.com for more information." People actually fell for Nutella being healthy? This makes me sad. Read your labels! (From here.)

Recipes Bookmarked
Chocolate Flourless Cake (health-ified) at Andrew Weil, M.D.
Ground Beef Gyro Meatball Lettuce Wraps with Tzatziki and Tomatoes at Kalyn's Kitchen
Rhubarb Compote at Culinate

Mountain Goats, Glacier National Park, August 2010

I'm psyched to see the Dum Dum Girls, or at least hear them, while working at the Shadrock Music Fest tomorrow!

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

This was ready and scheduled for Friday, but didn't post. Hope your weekends are off to a great start! I bought rhubarb at the Farmer's Market this morning and I can't wait to braise it.

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.   

Oh no! An eel shortage? Dragon Rolls are my favorite sushi roll. This could be sad.

Kathy Martin started running at 30 and now "has set nine American and two world records." She's proof that it is never too late to find your passion and succeed. Here's her profile in the NY Times: After Late Start, Runner Is Speeding Through Records.

Matilda, a 94 year old, is still performing the quickstep. She could teach those young-ins on So You Think You Can Dance some moves. Watch the video if only the few seconds around 3:32 where the fringe on her dress begins swirling in a hypnotic manner. 

"And there is no relationship between the type of food being sold in a neighborhood and obesity among its children and adolescents." I never expected to read that quote. Studies Question the Pairing of Food Deserts and Obesity

Spice things up for better heath. 

Recipes Bookmarked
The prettiest S'mores Cupcakes I've ever seen at Pastry Affair
Homemade Jelly Beans at The Cupcake Project
Seaweed Salad at NY Times

Bright Flowers, April 2012, Red Dog Farm, Old Church, VA 

Chairlift's 'Met Before' is a choose your own adventure music video. Awesome. (via Frontier Psychiatrist)

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.  

Dream Conference: Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives (via To Heal, First Eat Doctors Learn to Cook Healthy, ‘Crave-able’ Foods)

Love Padlocks! The concept is so sweet, though I must admit on some level it reminds me of the lock and key best friend jewelry of my childhood. Hopefully one day I'll get to check them out in person.

['Feeding a child is not charity,' says Shridhar Venkat, who directs the lunch program through the Akshaya Patra Foundation. ... To him, a child like Suchitra is not a hungry 13-year-old girl in poverty. She's an opportunity, and giving her lunch is an investment. Tomorrow, an educated Suchitra could produce a huge return on that investment to her community]." Indian Engineers Build A Stronger Society With School Lunch Program. I really enjoy his spin on the program's value and am glad India is having such success with their school lunch program.

Stop Being Full of Shit When You Celebrate Strong. (via Coach Jason)

"We’re all on different time lines and need to realize that life isn’t a race. It’s more like one of those huge charity walkathons, where everyone’s ambling along at her own pace, wearing a really dorky hat and lots of sunblock." Turning 30: On Your Thirtieth Birthday, You Suddenly Become An Old Person, Right? Wrong. (via Elizabeth Rincon)

Recipes Bookmarked
Party in a Glass at Eat Make Read
Raspberry Coconut Macaroons at Smitten Kitchen
Whoopie Pies (& more) at NPR's Kitchen Window

 Williamsburg Waterfront, NYC, July 2009

How (Album Version)

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.    

"Clothes invade the body and brain, putting the wearer into a different psychological state." Mind Games: Sometimes a White Coat Isn’t Just a White Coat

I hope to visit the Jelly Belly factory one day. In the meantime 10 Questions for Jelly Belly's Lisa Brasher had some interesting facts about Jelly Bellys. I'm not surprised that Buttered Popcorn is their most divisive flavor. I can't stand it; Mom loves it.

The disease called 'Perfection' was bittersweet to read. (via Emily Miller)

"Procrastinators often follow exactly the wrong tack. They try to minimize their commitments, assuming that if they have only a few things to do, they will quit procrastinating and get them done. But this approach ignores the basic nature of the procrastinator and destroys his most important source of motivation. The few tasks on his list will be, by definition, the most important. And the only way to avoid doing them will be to do nothing. This is the way to become a couch potato, not an effective human being." How to Procrastinate and Still Get Things Done 

I had no idea that there was a controversy regarding what can be called a Community Supported Agriculture program. Thanks, NPR. If it is more efficient for local/regional farms to bond together and sell their goods while staying transparent with their supporters, then that is fine with me.

Recipes Bookmarked
Akoori (Indian Scrambled Eggs) at Food Republic
Cream Cheese Pancakes at I Breathe...I'm Hungry...
Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots at Epicurious via Meg
Shrimp, Mango, and Avocado Salad with Sweet Chili-Ginger Vinaigrette at Epicurious via Meg

 Belle Isle, Richmond, VA, March 2012

Halcyon (And On And On  Live)

Halcyon (And On And On) is still good 12 years later. I can't believe it has been that long!

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.    

"[Sentayehu Teshale] can do things with his legs that we can't do with our hands." Indeed.

"Literature doesn't just make us smarter, however; it makes us us, shaping our consciences and our identities." A Slow-Books Manifesto: Read books. As often as you can. Mostly classics. (via Mike Dell'Aquila)

Wegmans is great! But I still buy groceries at Wal-mart too. I'm an equal opportunity shopper (and on a budget).

Aaron's Wish: VCU's bioengineering and physical therapy students worked together to grant his wish of riding a bike in spite of a congenital condition that severely limits his joint movement. Amazing.

A Growing Generation: Crops of young farmers are redefining the Central Virginia landscape and changing the way we think about food. Passion put to work by brave, industrious souls.

Recipes Bookmarked
Chocolate-Apricot Nut Bars at Vital Juice
Grapefruit and Rosemary Cocktails at Eat Make Read
Sesame Almond Brown Rice Balls at 101 Cookbooks

Cherry Blossoms at Maymont, March 2012, Richmond, VA 

Paddling Out

I'm glad Miike Snow has a new album that sounds just as upbeat as their last one.

Dutch Crunch Rolls

Sara and Erica of Baking JDs were our March 2012 Daring Baker hostesses! Sara & Erica challenged us to make Dutch Crunch bread, a delicious sandwich bread with a unique, crunchy topping. Sara and Erica also challenged us to create a one of a kind sandwich with our bread! You can read the full challenge here.

I wasn't entirely successful I fear. The Dutch Crunch adhered to the rolls and browned, but it seems to have granules present that others don't appear to have in theirs. Perhaps I didn't beat it vigorously enough? Or I didn't grind the homemade brown rice flour enough? Either way the topping still contributed an interesting texture to the rolls and its flavor was reminiscent of beer bread.

Sadly, I didn't heed the storage instructions and, by the time I remembered I needed a photo of a sandwich,  mold struck rendering the remaining rolls inedible. Heed the storage advice, y'all, and refrigerate the bread if you don't devour it all within a day or two.

I ate my rolls with tuna salad prepared with tuna, mayo, hard boiled eggs, finely chopped celery and Arby's Horsey Sauce; it wasn't photogenic but it tasted good. For my second sandwich, I inverted the buns so the dutch crunch faced the tuna salad. The crunch disappeared but so did the tiny crumbles that made me fret making this change worthwhile. 

While I doubt I'll make Dutch Crunch Rolls or Bread again at home I'll definitely seek out the real thing whenever I make it to San Francisco. I need to experience an expert version to form a real opinion on it.

Soft White Rolls
Yields: approximately 6 rolls

1 tablespoon (1 packet) Active Dry Yeast
1/4 cup Warm Water (105-110º F)
1 cup Warm Milk (105-110º F) (I used skim.)
1 1/2 tablespoons Sugar
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil (plus additional oil for greasing bowl)
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
Up to 4 cups All Purpose Flour

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer or large mixing bowl, combine yeast, water, milk and sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit for about 5 minutes to ensure the yeast proofs (the mixture should bubble or foam and smell yeasty).
2. Add the vegetable oil, salt and 2 cups of flour. Using the dough hook attachment or a wooden spoon, mix at medium speed until the dough comes together.
3. Add remaining flour a quarter cup at time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 4 minutes, until smooth and elastic. (I let the dough hook knead it for another 2 minutes.)
5. Place in a lightly greased bowl, flip once and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour, or until it has at least doubled in size.
6. Then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 6 equal portions to make rolls. Shape each portion, handling it as little as possible, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 15 minutes while you prepare the topping. (or much longer if you're slow like me!) Turn on the oven to preheat to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Coat the top of each roll with the topping as described above.
9. Place the rolls in the oven on the middle rack for for 25-30 minutes, until well browned. Cool completely on a wire rack, then eat.

Dutch Crunch Topping 
Yield: sufficient for 6-8 rolls

1 tablespoons (2 packets) Active Dry Yeast
.5 cup Warm Water (105-115º F)
1 tablespoons Sugar
1 tablespoons Canola Oil
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3/4 cup Rice Flour (I used brown rice flour made my whirring up brown rice in the Vitamix. Since my flour was home-made I actually used approximately 1 1/2 cups of Rice Flour)

1. Once your bread has almost finished rising, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat vigorously with a whisk to combine. The consistency should be like stiff and spreadable, not runny. Add more water or rice flour as needed. Let stand 15 minutes.
2. Coat the top of each loaf or roll with a thick layer of topping. (I patted it out in my hand then placed it on the buns. It was that thick and rumor has it that this is necessary or you won't get the cracked effect.)
3. Let stand, uncovered, for any additional time your recipe recommends. With the Soft White Roll I chose to use we were advised that the rolls could go directly into the oven after applying the topping.
4. When baking, place pans on a rack in the center of the oven and bake your bread as you ordinarily would. The topping should crack and turn a nice golden-brown color.

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.    

"In his first assignment, another writer I know had to produce a book on Japanese cuisine based on two interviews with a chef who spoke no English. 'That,' he said, 'was the moment that I realized cookbooks were not authoritative.' " from I Was a Cookbook Ghostwriter

Where the Wild Things Are as read by Christopher Walken

Saturday can't come soon enough for me! Go Rams, Go! "From the outset, many tabbed this Virginia Commonwealth-Wichita State contest as an underdog handoff, with last year’s least likely national semifinalist (VCU) matched against the team voted most likely to succeed it. Funny how that worked out." from VCU Defeats Wichita State to Continue Tournament Success

Seven Lessons for Becoming a Happier Runner that are worth considering...especially if you are like me and have a 10k looming that you didn't actually train for because you just don't like running.

I had no idea what differentiated Halal Meat from other meat and I'd rather not have known. See In France, Politicians Make Halal Meat A Campaign Issue if you'd like to know too.

Recipes Bookmarked
Paleo Diet Carrot Cupcakes at The Cupcake Project
Chipotle's Beef Barbacoa Slow Cooker Recipe at Elite FTS

Sending off the VCU Rams to Portland, March 13, 2012, Richmond, VA

Monster Energy had this sign up at the Mechanicsville Wal-mart before yesterday's win.

Paddling Out

Also exciting this week was discovering that Miike Snow has a new album releasing at the end of March. I like the single so...

 

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.       

The Myth of Eight Hour Sleep... I've often wondered about the eight hour recommendation as the number doesn't make sense given our 90 minute sleep cycles, but this article's proposal really puts a twist on things.

International Slutty Women's Day: A Story in GIFs (via Courtney)

Share your sorrows and they're halved. Share your joys and they double. Illustrated and so true.

Photography of Food Under a Microscope is much prettier than the MRIs of food I posted a few months ago and just as neat.

"The lesson from this is a simple one, the researchers concluded: Don't set up rigid rules that require food to be bought in any particular place. Buy food wherever it makes most sense."  When Food Aid Goes Local, Some Say It Works Better

Recipes Bookmarked
Ginger Grapefruit Curd at 101 Cookbooks
Homemade Butterfingers at Serious Eats from Bravetart
Slow Cooker Recipe for Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos with Lime at Kayln's Kitchen

Daffodil in Snow, (a very confusing) March 2012, Mechanicsville, VA

SexyBack [Explicit]

Can Justin Timberlake focus briefly on music again? I miss this.

Friday Distractions -- Random Links & Recipes Bookmarked

Ready for the weekend? To help you pass your Friday here are the highlights of what distracted me this week online, what I bookmarked that I hope to one day eat, and a picture.      

This Is My Home enchanted me. I wish I had stumbled across this man's space while I lived in NYC.

As someone who took daily outfit pictures for a few years I found  Log On, Coordinate, PoseVirtual-Closet Web Sites Revise Online Fashion Shopping interesting. Things have come a long way since StyleDiary and yet they are still much the same.

A list of flirting rules from DC's Anti-Flirt Club circa the early 1920s.

"The result of this setup, as Zizek explains most succinctly, is that on a big-picture level, TOMS (and other buy-my-product-and-donate companies) are busy building the exploitative global structure that produces economic inequality, while on the other hand pretending that supporting them actually does something to fix it. It doesn’t. It just gives people shoes." from 7 worst international aid ideas, an article that provides food for thought about international aid efforts. (via Emily)

The Anti-Diet - so wise!

Recipes Bookmarked
Bacon Maple Marshmallows at Blondie and Brownie
Black Bean Chocolate Chili Cherry Cookies at My New Roots
Coconut Milk Tonic at The Nourishing Gourmet
Twisted Cookies at Cook and Be Merry

Pointe Shoes from My Adolescence

Kiss Me
Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer has stood the test of time much better than She's All That, which featured it. I probably haven't watched that movie since 2000, but I'm still psyched when I hear this song.

Coconut Banana Bread

The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles. You can find the full challenge and photos of (almost) everyone's quick breads here.

"Quick bread is called just that as it doesn't require kneading or rising time." (Epicurious via Lis) As is one of the few things I manage to prepare quickly and it lets me pass off cake for breakfast, quick bread is definitely one of my favorite things to make. This Coconut Banana Bread is adapted from Orangette's Banana Bread with Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar, which has been my starting point for banana-based bread since making it in 2007.

That said I always halve the sugar, skip the topping, swap half the unbleached all-purpose flour for whole wheat and add a little salt every time I make it...at the minimum...so it isn't that much like the original. But I still credit Molly for my ongoing obsession with banana bread. This time in addition to the usual changes, I  worked in some coconut, a touch of coconut oil and papaya thinking tropical would taste as good as it would feel in February.

Other than the banana overwhelming the papaya, this Coconut Banana Bread didn't disappoint. It is moist and dense with a subtle sweetness and a touch of a crunch from the coconut. Best of all you can almost feel virtuous eating it as the refined sugar and added fat are minimal and there is plenty of fiber. Temperatures upwards of 70 degrees Fahrenheit might still be a ways away but at least I have this bread to comfort me.

Coconut Banana Bread (with Papaya You Can't Taste :/) 
1 Ripe Banana
1 cup Diced Papaya (I'm pretty sure you could use another banana or two in place of the papaya as its flavor wasn't really present.)
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
3/4 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (like this reduced fat one that I use)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a mixing bowl, mash the banana and papaya well with a fork or the back of a spoon. Place the tablespoon of coconut oil in a 9 x 5 loaf pan and melt it in the microwave. Pour it into the bowl and use whatever remains to grease the pan.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Then add the flours, sugar, salt, baking soda and coconut. Stir to mix.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake approximately 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack until cool to the touch before serving (or it will stick to the bottom of the loaf pan and kind of fall apart...or at least that is how it worked for me after a mere 20 minute holding time.)