FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Archives for July 2012

Princess Pie

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I am… such a sucker for little kids.  They have the ability to disengage me from the adult world in about 90 seconds flat.  So when Matt told me his sister and 4-year old niece were coming to visit this weekend, I was super excited to meet the munchkin.  Oh, and make her a pie.  Because every little kid loves chocolate peanut butter pie, right?

After a busy day of errand running, boat dock scheming, and friend lunching, Miss Kristin put on her baker hat and entered into the world of chocolate, peanut butter, and whipping cream.  “You’re working too hard!”, Matt said.  I hardly considered this work.

Of all the pies I had baked over the years, none of them had been chocolate or peanut butter.  Not having a go-to recipe wasn’t ideal, but after browsing through books and sites I knew what needed to happen.  I cherry picked from a few recipes, avoiding steps that involved microwaves, Cool Whip, and corn syrup.

FoodFash Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie (adapted from Better Homes & Gardens)

1 9″ pie shell, baked

1-1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 – 8 oz package of cream cheese

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons sifted powdered sugar, sifted

Place a mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge.  In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips, 2/3 cup whipping cream, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  When all chips are melted, pour chocolate sauce into the pie shell and place in the freezer while you whip up the peanut butter topping.  In another mixing bowl, beat together peanut butter and cream cheese.  Add 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of whipping cream, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Beat until super blended and set aside.  In the chilled mixing bowl, beat 1 cup whipping cream and 2 tablespoons sifted powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.  Fold portions of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mix until all of whipped cream has been absorbed into the peanut butter.  Remove the pie shell with chocolate bottom from the freezer and spread the peanut butter topping over the pie.  Refrigerate for a couple hours and then serve.

And that, my friends, is the face of a princess that’s excited for some chocolate peanut butter pie!

Savory Cakes

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Savory waffles have been on my mind a lot lately.  Not enough to actually buy a waffle maker, but enough to gab about them, dream about them, and make pancakes that resemble them.  And since I woke up this morning with no desire to go to the market and a huge desire for savory something, I dug around in my spice cabinet until something clicked.

FoodFash Rosemary, Garlic, and Onion Pancakes (yields 7, two tablespoon pancakes)

3/4 cup sprouted wheat pancake mix (I suppose any mix would do)

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon crushed rosemary

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until spices are evenly distributed.  Heat a pan over medium heat and then spray with olive oil cooking spray.  Use two tablespoons of batter for each pancake.  Prepare as you would an ordinary pancake.  When pancakes are finished, top with a fried egg and enjoy!

Savory pancake topped with an egg??  Completely.  Magical.

I’m off to drop the extras off to the boys and get my paddle board on.  Happy Saturday!!

Total 180

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I went to sleep before fireworks even thought about exploding in the sky last night – I was beat.  I woke up approximately 12 hours later, unsure of when it was, where I was, what was going on at all!  Sunday?  Monday?  Thursday!!  Ugh…  Needless to say, I was entirely too disoriented to pack a gym bag for a lunchtime workout.

I was freakishly motivated after work though.  I changed into running gear and created a super upbeat playlist.  I was convinced that all the circuit training I’ve been doing lately had prepped my body for a three mile run, maybe even four.  I was about halfway to the gym when I received a text from the boys “Headed to El Arroyo”.  There was no thinking involved.  The 180 degree turn was immediate, my workout was derailed, and I was on my way to eat, of all foods, Mexican.

I managed to keep it pseudo healthy by ordering a bean stuffed avocado with mushrooms and spinach.  I ate about a third of the chips I would normally inhale and chugged water like nobody’s business.  I honestly thought I could still work out after dinner, but as I approached my apartment, I couldn’t resist.  And then my phone rang.  And then it was over.  No gym.

I caught Hansell up on what he needs to pack for his visit next week (hooray for another visitor!) and then packed my gym bag and prepped some halibut for tomorrow’s lunch.  With preparation like this, certainly there will be lunch gym tomorrow!