It says “Can’t sleep, Clowns will eat me!” And, may I just say, it’s pretty much impossible to get really black icing {red is no cake walk either…ha ha, cake walk, see what I did there?}. But, whatever. I still had fun in class, even if my colors were a bit disappointing. Did you notice the angry eyebrows? I added those myself with black nail polish, for that extra evil clown touch. I also piped a “666” on his back in red icing.

1 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup sugar

whip until fluffy then fold in

1/2 package chocolate pudding mix

an equal amount powdered cappuccino mix and

2 tbs. espresso

whip until fully blended and fluffy

chill at least 30 minutes and try not to eat it all straight from the bowl

• Chocolate Crinkles
  combine in a mixing bowl:
  3 beaten eggs
  1.5 cups sugar
  4 squares baker's chocolate
  1/2 cup oil
  2 tsp baking powder
  2 tsp vanilla
  gradually add:
  2 cups all purpose flour
  chill 1-2 hours {or overnight if desired}
  roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sifted powdered sugar
  place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet and bake @ 375 for 8-10 minutes
  cool on rack
  makes 4 dozen

Last night we had one of Adam’s classmates over for dinner. We served her one of our favorite recipes, nori wrapped salmon. Usually we make it with white fish because white fish is cheaper (tilapia is our normal fish of choice). But we found some cheap, wild Pacific salmon at the store and grabbed it up. The recipe comes from Mothering magazine. We use wasabi paste and like to use a lot of it (instead of just a pinch of wasabi powder). Wasabi has a bit of kick, so be careful with it if you’re not into that. I just had to share the recipe because it’s really yummy, and it’s even yummier with salmon than it is with tilapia! We had ours with Brussels sprouts, brown rice, and sake {which we were trying for the first time - verdict? meh.}. And we had a cappuccino cheesecake for dessert. In fact…I think I hear the leftovers calling my name. I’d better go check on them….but before I go. Here’s the recipe!

When you wrap salmon in mineral-rich nori seaweed, the wrapping not only adds nutrients to the dish but also keeps the salmon moist. Serve atop brown rice, quinoa, or kasha, with sauteed baby bok choy on the side. Wheat-free, dairy-free.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped mixed herbs: thyme, basil, garlic, parsley, mint
salt and pepper to taste
2 8-ounce salmon fillets
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
pinch wasabi
2 sheets nori

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Mix oil, herbs, salt, and pepper. Rub salmon with mixture. Mix mustard and wasabi together. Spread on nori. Place salmon at one edge of nori sheet and wrap. (The nori will stick to itself and to the fish.) Place wrapped fish in a slightly oiled baking dish. The general rule for fish is to cook it 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. The nori will lightly flavor the fish and seal in the juices.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Makes 4 small or 2 regular servings

recipe via Mothering

So…despite the fact that it’s 93 degrees right now  {seriously…I’m in CANADA! Shouldn’t it be nice and cool?} Autumn is here! And what better way to celebrate the season than with food? So I’m going to share my mom’s awesome pie crust recipe with you {hi, Mom!} as well as the secret to getting the crust to turn out great! You can squirrel away the info for Thanksgiving, or make a pie now, just because pie is yummy.

Also…I’m sharing this picture of me in which I look like I’m twelve. You’re welcome.

Pie Crust

• 3 cups flour
• 1 and 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 tsp salt

mix together then add

• 1/2 cup very cold water
• 1 beaten egg and
• 1 tsp vinegar

bake at 475 degrees for 8-10 minutes

Now, for the “secret!”

When it calls for “very cold water” it means very, very, VERY cold water. Get that water as cold as you possibly can!

This recipe should make enough dough to do a lattice or to make dough leaves like the pie in the picture. Just use leaf-shaped cookie cutters or cut them freehand with a knife. You can also glaze the leaves with egg white if you’d like, or sprinkle them with cinnamon-sugar.  When I was a kid my mom would roll out the leftover dough, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, then bake it on a cookie sheet. We could then break off pieces as “pie-crust cookies.”

What’s one of your favorite “fall foods?”

I'm well aware of the fact that not everyone is a carb junkie like I am. But most people enjoy good bread right? Who doesn't enjoy a soft, chewy loaf of bread right out of the oven? I'm a lucky gal because my mom bought me a bread machine a while back. We use it to make pumpernickel, banana bread, etc. And I plan on continuing to use the bread machine until it is, or I am, dead. That does not mean I was not (perhaps overly) thrilled when I stumbled upon a link to this video.

This is NO KNEAD bread. And the recipe is SUPER easy! We've already made our first loaf and we like it! And, this is possibly the most exciting part, it can be used to make a variety of bread products including (but not limited to) bagels, naan, and pitas! I think I'm in bread heaven folks!*

But, word to the wise, if you don't have a broiler pan you should get one. And whatever you do, don't use your favorite, Pyrex casserole dish as a substitute; that is, unless you want your favorite, Pyrex casserole dish to go all Death Star on you.

*The Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Blog