Time Flies

Where did all that time go? The last few weeks just skipped by me. I've really been enjoying the season though! I went apple picking with my parents a couple weeks ago, and made a beautiful apple pie (now in my freezer). We went to the avocado festival in Carp. and enjoyed the avocado ice cream and lots of guacamole. KU has been playing a decent football game, but the Chargers have not had the best of luck. This past week we have been lucky enough to have brunch with my MIL and dinner with Cam's aunt and uncle, as they were passing through town. I just love living close enough that we get to see family often! I really hope that we don't have to leave Southern California after grad school, but we'll just see how it goes. I've also been contemplating making a Sour Dough Starter, but I'm not quite ready to commit to another pet. : ) These two are enough of a handful for now.

It has been so cold and dreary lately, that last weekend I just stayed in and baked. :) I started with a whole sugar pumpkin and ended up with toasted pumpkin seeds and some pretty tasty muffins! I've been working on this pumpkin bread/muffin recipe for a couple weeks now, and this time they came out pretty well.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

These are pretty much the tastiest treats I've ever had. My mother made them every October, and I swear it's part of what makes this my favorite time of year. Wash pumpkin seeds thoroughly and dry with paper towels. Spread seeds out on a baking sheet and toss with a tablespoon of canola oil, sprinkle with season salt, and bake at 350 degrees. Stir occasionally until browned and toasty.

Maple Pumpkin Muffins with Candied Pecans

Muffins

1/2 cup Grade B Maple Syrup

1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed

1 Sugar Pumpkin, baked and mashed

OR 1 16 oz. can Pumpkin

1 large Egg

1/3 cup Canola Oil

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 cups Bread Flour OR All Purpose Flour

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Cloves

1/2 tsp. Nutmeg

1-2 cups Candied Pecans

Mix maple syrup, brown sugar, pumpkin, egg, oil, and vanilla extract. Add in flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, mixing well. Pour batter into greased muffin tins, and top with a couple candied pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 min.

To candy your own pecans, simply melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a pan. Stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1-2 Tbs. maple syrup and 1-2 cups of raw Pecans. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until liquid disappears.

Happy New Year!

So today is Rosh Hashanah -- Jewish New Year and the begining of the year 5770. Last night I cooked up a big meal before we headed off to the temple. (Jewish holidays begin the night before -- think Christmas eve.) I'm particularly proud of the challah I made. It was only my second attempt at challah, and while the first one was edible, it was not amazing. This time it turned out perfectly! In fact Cameron

said it was his favorite part of the meal, which also included Alaskan Halibut. If you know anything about Cameron, you know that's about the highest praise any food can get. If you're interested in making some yummy bread (and even yummier french toast), check out this recipe.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Challah-235867

I used the pinwheel braiding technique to make a round challah for Rosh Hashanah (everything is supposed to be round on this holiday to symbolize the cycles of life). I really liked this technique and it gives you the ability to "fold in" extras to the bread like cinnamin and sugar or preserves.

On a side note. We found this short video yesterday, and it made me crack up! It was taken by Seth a couple days before the wedding. Enjoy!

What's in a name?

So I'm in the process of changing my name to Kaplan, and I've been really surprised how hard it has been for me. Since I was a child I always knew that I would change my name when I got married. I really want to have the same name as my children, and honestly keeping it just seemed pointless to me. It doesn't make the whole name thing equal between men and women because children take their father's name. Anyway I'm changing my name. It all feels so strange though! My whole life I have been Erin Larive for almost 25 years now, and it feels a little unnatural to introduce myself as someone else. To be honest half the time I still sign my name "Erin Larive", and I haven't quite figured out my new signature yet.

On a lighter note, here's a great recipe that I recently came up with. I'm pretty much in love with Tempeh right now. If you haven't ever tried it, you should!

Thai Tempeh Red Curry (Veagan)

Ingredients

Thai Red Curry Paste

Hot Curry Paste (Optional)

1 can Coconut Milk

1 can Bamboo Shoots

1 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced

1 Package Tempeh

Pineapple Chuncks

Fresh Basil, chopped

Soy Sauce

Vegetable Stock

Lemon Juice

Cut Tempeh into cubes, and marinate for about 30 min. I use a mixture of low sodium vegetable stock, soy sauce, hot curry paste and a splash of lemon juice. (While the Tempeh is marinating I usually start the brown rice cooking.) Simmer the coconut milk and 2-3 tsp. of the Thai red curry paste for about 5 minutes, stiring occationally. I also add a little hot curry paste because we like it a little bit spicier. Add Tempeh and bamboo shoots and simmer for another 5 minutes. This is when I add the red bell pepper and about 3/4 of the basil because I like the peppers to be a little bit crunchy. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Add Pineapple and cook for another minute or so. (NOTE: It is important to add the pineapple near the end because otherwise it gets unbelievably hot.) Sprinkle the remainder of the basil on top, and serve with brown rice and beer.

Home Sweet Home

The house is definitely feeling more like our house. Megan moved out last weekend and we basically spent the last week cleaning, organizing and most importantly, de-clutering. We've also been picking up a few things that we didn't get from our registry, so now the bathroom and bedroom are pretty much complete. :)

One of the most useful gifts that we received is our knife set. I can not believe how amazing the knives are, and how easy they make cooking! Since we returned from our honeymoon, we've been enjoying a lot more Mediterranean style food. I came up with this great dish. They are so good, I just had to share them.

Caprese on Toast

Ingredients

Tomato

Fresh Mozzarella

Fresh Basil

Aioli*

Baguette

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Simply slice bread (about 1/4'') and toast. Slice both tomato and mozarella as thin as possible. Spread a thin layer of aioli on the bread and layer with one basil leaf, one slice of mozarella and then a slice of tomato. Finally, drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve imediately. Between 4 and 6 of these guys is a good sized meal, but they make great snacks as well! Each serving is about 130 calories, depending on the type of cheese used and thickness of slices.

*We make our own aioli using raw garlic which gives these little spicy garlic kick!