Orange Carob Scones

I have numerous and legitimate reasons for disliking orange flavored things.

1. McDonald’s orange flavored beverage. Not orange juice. Orange flavored beverage. I have distinct memories of drinking this warm at Bobbie Bradley’s 6th birthday party. At that young age, my palette wasn’t exactly refined, but I knew this drink was trash.

2. Matty B had a girlfriend who used to squeeze orange peels onto her skin as a natural perfume. He still, to this day, remembers this. Whatever, Stephanie 2. (And yes, there was a Stephanie 1. Don’t get me started.)

3. Those awful “chocolate oranges.” You know, the holiday treat, shaped like an orange, but is actually chocolate that tastes just like Mr. Clean? Awful.

Knowing the above stories, today’s recipe might surprise you.

But unlike McDonald’s orange flavored beverage, these scones are lovely served warm.

And I guarantee the flavor is nothing close to Mr. Clean.

Finally, these scones are neither giggly, nor perky. Whatever, Stephanie 2.

As do all my scone recipes, these come together speedy quick in the food processor. Depending on if you want small or large pieces of carob, adjust your pulsing time.

The whole wheat pastry flour and carob make you feel slightly virtuous, but these treats taste super decadent.

Direct quote from Matty B:

“The flavors are actually quite complex.”

Whatever, Stephanie 2.

Orange Carob Scones

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup ww pastry flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS orange zest
5 TBS earth balance vegan butter
1/2 cup carob chips
1/2 cup+1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice,divided
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions
Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and zest in your food processor. Add butter and pulse until sandy. And carob chips and 1/2 cup oj. Pulse until dough comes together. It will be crumbly. Press into a circle on a floured surface and cut into 8 wedges. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

While baking, whisk remaining oj and powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle over warm scones.

;

Advertisements

She & Him, 13/52

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014

She: Giddily enjoying her ice cream (aka frozen yogurt). Toppings of choice? Nerds, jelly beans and sprinkles=color explosion.

Him: iPad time. It’s pretty sad when your five year old knows more about technology than you do…

>

Easy Peanut Sauce

I’m beginning to develop a little bit of a reputation.

I wish my reputation was something like:

“There’s Holley. She’s a fast runner.”
Or “There’s Holley. She’s a good driver.”
Or “There’s Holley. She’s super fashionable.”

I, unfortunately, am none of those things. I do, however, love peanut butter. And that’s apparently what is beginning to define me:

“There’s Holley. That girl who loves peanut butter.”

It probably has something to do with the links that I share with people? 29 ways to eat peanut butter at every meal? Don’t mind if I do!

Maybe it has to do with the copious amounts of peanut butter based recipes I post:

Peanut Butter Couscous Salad

Thai Peanut Cauliflower

Thai Sweet Potato Risotto

Spicy Peanut Noodles

Thai Peanut Soup

Thai Peanut Salad Dressing

It’s become commonplace for friends to bring me recipes that include my favorite ingredient. (Thanks,Renee!)

So I really hesitated about sharing this very simple recipe. I didn’t even take pictures of it, because it was such a last minute, “throw it together” mixture that it didn’t seem worth it. Also, I was really hungry and didn’t want to wait.

But then, after I ate some, and realized how delicious it was and remembered how easy it was, I couldn’t help myself.
And then I took a picture of the leftovers I ate for lunch.

And I will embrace my identity. I will be the peanut butter girl. In fact, I will be super peanut butter girl and all the world will breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that I am the ultimate resource for all things peanut butter.

You’re in good hands.

Easy Peanut Sauce

Ingredients
2 TBS peanut butter
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS maple syrup
1 TBS Bragg’s liquid aminos
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp chili sauce
1/4 cup water

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. The Bragg’s makes this pretty salty, but it’s not meant to be used strictly as a dip. Mixed in with noodles and vegetables or tofu, it’s the perfect concentration.
>

Thursday Thoughts, XI

1. I got an email today from Matty B containing only this link. When I opened it, I was greeted with this picture:

Yes, please.

2. Because:
A) My husband is very talented and,
B) He really wants grilled chocolate sandwiches,
Our children are now the proud owners of an indoor ball pit.

Kids have it so good these days…

3. While going through some boxes, we came across this:

“Brianna’s (Aunt B, my baby sis) Food Likes” as penned by my infamous Grandma V. Love her. And what I wouldn’t give for some of her corn soup…

4. Had a fabulous coffee date with a dear friend tonight.

Gossip is so much better over chai tea.

5. The Bloomsday training officially starts!

Here’s my upcoming week at a glance:

Friday, March 28, 3.5 miles

Sunday, March 30, 6 miles

Tuesday, April 2, 4 miles

Friday, April 4, 4.5 miles

I’ll intersperse some yoga in there to balance it out a little, but otherwise, I’m excited! Is that weird?

Weird or not, with my increased mileage, I’ll certainly need to refuel with a grilled chocolate sandwich…

>

Beef is Cow and other things you may not have known…

We’ve reached a point in our lives where this kid…

…listens to and understands almost everything going on around him. We typically don’t realize that he’s been listening as we discuss things like death, taxes, and other such adult topics. Then, from out of nowhere, a little voice will pipe up, asking for a clarification on the topic of the moment. We’ve come to assign code names for things that we don’t want to elaborate on. So, if you come to our house and we’re discussing the “kitten”, we’re not really talking about cats…

Anyway. Tonight, we were eating burgers for dinner.

Apparently I’m craving summer. I even bought a watermelon for this out-of-season meal.

I typically buy the Morningstar Grillers, but decided to try something new. Enter, Amy.

And they’re vegan!

And we had fries. And we sat around the table. And pretended it was summer.

Now, here’s your opportunity to peek into a real life dinner conversation at my house.

Me: “You know, I haven’t had beef in…”

J Man: (interrupting) “What’s beef?”

Me: “Cow. As I was saying, I haven’t had…”

J Man: (interrupting) “You eat cow?”

Me: “Not anymore, but I used to.”

J Man: (looking utterly horrified) “Were you making a bad choice?”

Me: “Well…”

Eventually, we came to the conclusion that we didn’t want to eat any animals right then and the conversation turned to more important matters like the ducks at the park and how many bites of cucumber were required before dessert was allowed.

But what I was trying to say 30 minutes ago was:

I haven’t had beef in awhile, but these Amy’s All-American Veggie Burgers taste a lot like beef to me. And Amy didn’t pay me to say that or give me free burgers or anything else, I just like the burgers.

And hopefully, long days of sunshine and picnics are just around the corner and I will be bringing these burgers and those who came for “cow” burgers won’t even notice the difference.

And I’m certain J Man would agree that this is a good choice.

Stirfry Sauce

My mom and I have a number of things in common- buying from the clearance rack and Brussels sprouts, to name a few.

One thing that we both love love is reading and collecting cookbooks. This last weekend she brought a “potluck” cookbook on our vacation.

Have I mentioned my feelings on potlucks? They are very very negative. Both my feelings and potlucks. Apparently potluck cookbooks are no better.

My mom’s potluck cookbook had delicacies like pasta/mayonnaise/celery/apple salad (gross) and spaghetti casserole, consisting of canned spaghettios and vegetarian hotdogs, all mixed together and baked (grosser).

The recipes that really befuddled me, however, were the “how dumb do you think I am?” recipes.

For instance, “Tropical Punch” with the two key ingredients of tropical punch and 7up. Really? We need a recipe for this?

What about a recipe for “Spaghetti” that calls for, wait for it…spaghetti and jarred spaghetti sauce? Wow. Inspired.

Today’s recipe might be a perfect candidate for the “how dumb do you think I am?” category.

And I don’t think you’re dumb. I think you’re smart. Super smart.

But maybe you’ve always relied on bottled stirfry marinade. Or maybe you never thought to use maple syrup. Or maybe, just maybe, the above recipe for Tropical Punch was brand new information.

This recipe is for you. And trust me, none of the ingredients are mayonnaise, celery or apples.

Stirfry Sauce
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 TBS Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 TBS maple syrup (the real stuff, boycott Mrs. Butterworth)

Instructions

Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Sauté whatever veggies you have on hand (I used onion, red bell pepper, asparagus and broccoli) in coconut oil (olive oil would work too) until desired tenderness. Add marinade. Serve over steamed brown rice. Feel healthy.

Lake Chelan, the recap

Some notes:

1. Contrary to what you might see in the photos below, I did actually attend this family vacation, but the only evidence is my “compression socks selfie.” I provided a link for those of you anxious to see my legs.

2. We visited Lake Chelan during what might be called the “off season.” You’ll notice that many outdoor photos include hats, coats, gloves, but no snow. Also, we had more than one experience where we drove multiple miles to a destination, only to find it “closed for the season.” No matter- we kept very busy because…

3. I’m a professional vacation planner. I do my homework. I create a schedule. I print off a copy for everyone. Some might call me high-strung. Unk C likes it. That’s enough for me.

4. We aren’t really one of those families who lay around on vacation. Certainly naptime is built into the schedule, but otherwise we’re busy with everything from mini-golf, to cider pressing, to bowling, to good old fashioned “throw rocks in the lake.” And of course there’s food- lots of food.

5. J Man has an uncanny knack for getting “holes-in-one” in mini-golf. He got 7 in the course of two games. I got 1.

6. You should always ask the waiter how much your “special” ribeye steak will cost before you order it (Papa/Unk C). Or you shouldn’t eat ribeye steak. That’s probably the better of the two options.

7. Jumping on hotel room beds is the best.

8. I ran 10 miles in two days. Record.

9. Sometimes you should let your kids eat chocolate chip pancakes for lunch.

10. Fires in wood burning fireplaces > fires in gas fireplaces.

So without further adieu, our Lake Chelan shenanigans (aka Lake Chelanigans):

Back to reality…