Pumpkin Biscuits

We had rain and wind this last weekend in September. Today marks the beginning of October, a month that brims with all the excitement of fall and the holidays without any of the compulsion to buy and stress. And, with the with the opportunity to dress up in costumes waiting at the finish line, October seems like the perfect month.

My parents kept many pictures of Noelle, Pam, Susanne, and I around our home. Pictures of us wearing matching dresses. Pictures of us skiing down mountains. Pictures of us in Italy or at the beach or in our backyard. But one of my favorite pictures rests near my mother’s kitchen sink. Noelle and I stand staggered in our front yard, pine trees stretching high. I’m wearing a gold leotard with a white tulle skirt. Noelle wears a a cotton shaft with a few well-placed adornments that somehow scream “princess.” We hold matching wicker baskets.

Easily, you can identify that we were about to embark on that quintessential childhood activity: trick or treating. But whenever I looked at that picture, I saw two girls in a dark forest, illuminating the night with their presence. And by presence I mean: strength and beauty. Why it is so easy to own that presence at the age of 6 and 2, but then so difficult to hold onto it as you grow into adults says much about our culture and society.

But thankfully, Noelle and I grew up with reminders (the picture) and those that reminded (my parents, older sisters, and friends). We’ve had our share of doubts, but I think we’ve both become women who hold onto that presence.

And what else do we do? We eat good food. Because we learned, along the way, that nourishing our bodies is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our souls.

Pumpkin Biscuits

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and shaping
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen, plus more to spread
3/4 cup pumpkin puree, chilled
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons honey

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with rack in the lower third of the oven.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture. With a pastry blender or a metal fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles small peas.

3. In a liquid measuring bowl, whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk, and honey. Using a large wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, fold into flour mixture until combined (do not overmix).

4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape dough into round and pat to an even 1-inch thickness. With a 2-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out biscuits. Gather together scraps, and repeat (do not repeat more than once as this greatly effects the biscuit’s height and flakiness).

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Happy Birthday Mallory!

This life we live bestows many gifts. For me, the greatest of these gifts will always be friendships. The moments in which you meet someone on a bus, or in a class, and then find yourself walking away with an awareness of a greater force. Someone, something, has brought you together with another human being in this world.

We live for those days.

Five months ago, I met Mallory.  She had just opened a beautiful coffee shop in East Austin (which is, by the way, one of the top 10 hippest neighborhoods in the United States). I ordered my drink at her well-crafted counter and before long, we started talking. We haven’t really stopped talking since then. I have no doubt she’ll remain one of my dearest friends.

And I’m blessed that our paths aligned on that first Saturday.

Mallory is a woman who changes the world in both graceful and tangible ways. It is evident in the way she cares for her customers, from knowing their drink orders before they ask to celebrating their successes and mourning their failures. It is also apparent in the way she treats her friends. The time she spends  considering what would make them feel special and then going out of her way to make her vision a reality. And it is undeniable when you consider how much she’s overcome and how hard she works to make something out of nothing. Vintage Heart Coffee is a physical example of Mallory’s grace under pressure, of her ability to take what this world offers and turn it into something beautiful.

She fosters community by caring for those around her. By making people laugh. By teaching us we are special.

I made this cake for Mallory’s birthday today and I’m happy to say it is one of my favorites. If you live in Austin, I’d highly suggest you visit Vintage Heart Coffee this week and have her pour you a drink or two. You’ll see, in just a few moments, what makes her so special to so many people.

Happy Birthday Mallory! We love you!

Banana Flaxseed Muffins (why I believe in eating breakfast)

Because breakfast should be wholesome and delicious. Should stick to your ribs without adding inches to your waist. Your morning meal should keep you healthy despite the onslaught of fall colds while also reminding you of your immense value.

You are worth something that tastes good.

And if you don’t do breakfast? Well, I think you should. Because there are so many delicious things about starting your day with a plate of food. If we lived closer, I’d make you something. I’m confident I could convert you.

But if you’re like me, mornings can be hectic. I have a cat. I adopted a dog. And I have a wonderful husband too. The four of us circle around each other, meowing, barking, and hastily dividing a list of domestic chores. Some mornings, I have time for a spinach omelet and a skinny glass of orange juice. But most mornings, I take my breakfast with me. This banana flax seed muffin is perfect for on-the-go.

What makes this muffin ideal for breakfast is the ratio of bananas to sugar. With four bananas, this muffin doesn’t need much (or any) of the granulated stuff. Instead, a drizzle of maple syrup makes these muffins naturally sweet. And who doesn’t like maple syrup? Especially with cooler mornings and the distant promise of snow?

And ground flaxseeds offer a warm nuttiness to this recipe that only becomes more pronounced when you learn how good those tiny seeds are for the body. Hailed as a valuable warrior against heart disease, diabetes, and even breast cancer, flaxseeds need to make their way onto your shelf.

Banana Flaxseed Muffins

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup almond or soy or regular milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup ground flaxseed meal

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease well.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large bowl, stir mashed bananas, milk, vegetable oil, maple syrup, and flaxseed meal. Using a rubber spatula, fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide into prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.

3. Place muffins in preheated oven and then lower temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for five minutes before removing to wire rack. Enjoy!

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Vegan Whiskey Walnut Cookies

Listening to Beach House while my animals tussle across the living room floor makes for a good Sunday night. Especially when the weekend held vegan treats, a bottle of whiskey, a few well-timed croissants, visits to Vintage Heart Coffee, and just a little bit of blood.

I stood on 6th street a few hours ago, waiting for Ryan to swing up in our  jeep. He had dropped me off at Alamo Drafthouse minutes previous so I could reserve our seats to see The Master tomorrow night. With tickets in hand, I had a swordfish steak and sweet potatoes waiting at home. Ryan’s car, our car, rounded the corner, and I waved my hands so he could see I had accomplished the mission.

 Waving involved jumping, and before I knew it, I had jammed my pinkie toe into a metal grid that protects one of the larger trees downtown. A deep gash brought forth blood, and I limped into the car, carefully keeping my foot from dripping onto our upholstery. Once home, Ryan graciously cleaned out my toe in the shower as I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Thankfully, a good slosh of hydrogen peroxide and a band-aid took care of my injury.

“Let’s hope this is my only accident for the year,” I told Ryan.

As some of you know, I broke my arm last October. I fell in the middle of a busy five-lane street and landed on my elbow (to save a carton of eggs, of course). When the doctor came in and told me I had broken a bone, my very first bone, in my elbow, my writing/baking/face-washing/bra-fastening/hair-washing elbow, I cried. Because this accident happened six months after my sister and nephew died, twelve months after baby Ryan drowned, and eighteen months after Ryan’s father committed suicide.

I felt trapped in a series of very unfortunate events.

But the good news is this: my elbow is completely healed. And while my heart still isn’t whole, I feel happier than I’ve felt in a very long time. And this weekend, I baked all sorts of vegan sweets for a book launch, I drank some very good whiskey, I ate dinner underneath a half-moon with my husband, and I played with my two animals (plus one very adorable little pup named Magoo).

And I’m ending my weekend here. With these vegan whiskey walnut cookies. Enjoy them. And don’t feel bad if you take a swig or two while waiting for them to cool down.

Whiskey Walnut Cookies (vegan)

*adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

1/4 cup nondairy milk (almond, soy, rice)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons + 2 tablespoons cornstarch, separated

1/4 cup whiskey

1/3 cup canola or other flavorless oil

4 teaspoons espresso powder

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

21/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or spray with non-stick spray.

2. Stir together the milk, both sugars, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch in a large bowl. Add the whiskey, oil, espresso powder, and vanilla extract and mix well with a large spoon or spatula.

3. In a separate bowl, sift in the flour, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold into wet ingredients and mix until a sticky dough forms. Stir in the chopped walnuts and the chocolate chips. Allow to chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F about 15 minutes before baking.

4. Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or until just slightly undercooked. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Pickled Red Onions

Does anyone know the life cycle of a mattress? Because my mattress, the one I’ve had since I left home at eighteen, is fading fast. When Ryan and I were dating, we lived in Denver, where  nights were long and mornings were our only realms of restoration. Ryan and I met at a party and we hosted countless others in the months after our first October together. I recall nights where our friends sat around my bedroom, talking and drinking. I also recall one incident of “mattress jumping” by one of our large and gangly friends.

Let’s leave at this: my mattress received its fare share of attention.

Last night, as I tried to sleep, bed springs poked into my back. Just like the thoughts (the busyness) that refused to let my mind quiet, these bed springs refused to let my body settle into what has now become a much milder evening routine.  I thought of two things when I woke from a fitful night’s sleep:

1. I need to buy a new mattress. One of these.

2. I need to make another batch of pickled red onions. Strange, I know.

Because I consider what else has changed since those early days in Denver, I land on pickles. Growing up, I wouldn’t touch what I termed “those slimy, vinegary blobs.” Thank god, I met my husband, who slowly (but surely) led me into the wondrous world of good sandwiches. The kind of sandwiches that require jars and knives, bottles of mustard and thinly sliced vegetables, fresh cut cheeses and thin slices of meats. And pickles. All sorts of pickles.

Cucumbers are grand. But my true favorite? Pickled red onions. I eat them on sandwiches, on tacos, in salads, and when I’m particularly indulgent–straight out of the jar. This recipe comes straight from one of my most treasured food sources–David Lebovitz. They are sweet and spicy. And they turn the most vibrant shade of pink. I polished off the last few this afternoon, and I’ll be making another batch tomorrow.

Pickled Red Onions

3/4 cup (180ml) white vinegar
3 tablespoons (50gr) sugar
pinch of salt
1 bay leaf
5 allspice berries
5 whole cloves
a small, dried chile pepper
1 large red onion, peeled, and thinly sliced into rings

1. In a small, non-reactive saucepan, heat the vinegar, sugar, salt, seasonings and chile until boiling.

2. Add the onion slices and lower heat, then simmer gently for 30 seconds.

3. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

4. Transfer the onions and the liquid into a jar then refrigerate until ready to use. (So easy, right!?!)

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores