Let’s just close out eyes and pretend we’re sitting under an orange tree. An orange tree heavy with fruit… but with the occasional late blooming blossom. There are honey bees too. Just a few. The friendly kind. The kind of honeybees that remind you that life is full of creatures big and small… and we all have tasks to do.

Let’s just hang out under our orange tree for a while. Right here in the shade, greeted by little spots of sun as the wind spreads the leaves.

It’s nice here.

Sweet. Thanks. I’m glad you’re here.

Simple.  Big.  Bright.  Tangy.  A game changer, taking your day from overcast to bright and shiny with just a sip.  

Thank you to Tracy and Sunset Magazine for the inspiration.  

Super Citrus Smoothie

     adapted from Sunset Magazine

     Print this Recipe!

Here’s what you’ll need for one big smoothie:  

A juicer

A blender

2 Tablespoons Meyer lemon juice

the juice of 1/2 a grapefruit (save the other half for tomorrow’s smoothie?) 

1/2 cup fresh orange or tangerine juice

2 tablespoons honey

heaping 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 frozen banana (they blend better when frozen)

1/2 cup ice cubes

In a blender, combine juices, yogurt, and honey.  Blend for a few seconds.  Add the ice cubes and blend until smooth.  This recipe makes one giant smoothie.  Yumtown. 

The kitchen.  It’s where I do a majority of my… standing.  

Standing and staring.

Standing and staring and spreading cream cheese onto Wheat Thins.  

Standing and staring and eating cream cheese and Wheat Thins until I come up with a recipe and post idea.  

If you were a fly on my kitchen wall… well, I wouldn’t like that very much… but you would probably think that a) I have very few brain cells firing with all of the standing and staring I do and b) I have an unhealthy relationship with cream cheese.

You might be right about the brain cells…  I won’t argue that the standing and staring is a strange process.  But the cream cheese?  Yea… I’ll admit I have a bit of a problem with cream cheese and crackers.  I’m trying to break the habit with chick peas and olive oil and mint and parsley.  I think it’s working.  I really think it’s working. 

Delicious.  Delicious.  Crazy delicious.   This spread is hummus meets pesto meets lemon meets delicious.  

Ooh… and it’s totally healthy too. Dang! 

This spread  is creamy without the cream, a little tart, a little herby and all sorts of satisfying.  On warm spelt tortillas… it’s my new favorite thing.  For serious. 

Chickpea, Mint, and Parsley Spread

     Martha Stewart Living, May 2007

     Print this Recipe!

1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

4 small garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

fresh ground black pepper

warm pitas, bread or crackers

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until very soft, about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the rinsed and drained chickpeas and cook for another 3 minutes.  Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes.  

Put the chopped mint and parsley into the bowl of a food processor.  Add salt, pepper and lemon.  Add the chickpea mixture.  I have a smaller food processor and did this in two batches, dividing all of the ingredients in half and blending it twice. 

With the machine running, blend all of the ingredients and add the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil in a slow and steady steam, allowing it to emulsify.  Spread can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or transferred to a serving dish, drizzled with olive oil and served with warm pita or warm spelt tortillas (pictured).

Ok… first of all, stop looking at me like that.

Yea, I can see that crazy look of your face.  But it’s me.  The same person that brought you amazing Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls and Perfect Lemon Pound Cake. We trust each other.  We have an understanding.  Just go with me on this.

Something about hot summer weather gets me to thinking (or melts my brain) and brings some strange recipes to the surface.  Remember last year’s Blueberry Ice Cream with Homemade Hot Fudge?  Yea… I got a few strange looks for that too.

Because I still see those raised eyebrows on your face, let me tell you a little about this beast of a cake.  Believe me, I was super skeptical too.

The vegan chocolate cake is dense and moist, and everything you might want from a chocolate cake minus the eggs and butter.  The fat in the cake is almond oil (or anything you have on hand) and one whole mashed avocado.  It’s lovely, and I didn’t taste a lick of avocado in the cake.

The avocado buttercream is a dash more strange.  Yes, it’s bright green.  Yes, the only fat in the buttercream is avocado meat.  It’s sweet with slight hints of citrus.  I had my doubts, but when combined with the chocolate cake… holy wow!  It actually worked!  It was honest-to-goodness delicious!  Not to mention vegan and full of healthy fats!

Your thoughts?  Have I scared you off?

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Avocado

makes 2 8-inch rounds or 2 thinner 9-inch rounds

from Vegetarian in the Middle East

Print this recipe!

3 cups all-purpose flour

6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used almond oil)

1/2 cup soft avocado, well mashed, about 1 medium avocado

2 cups water

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour two 8 or 9-inch rounds.  Set aside.

Sift together all of the dry ingredients except the sugar.  Set that aside too.

Mix all the wet ingredients together in a bowl, including the super mashed avocado.

Add sugar into the wet mix and stir.

Mix the wet with the dry all at once, and beat with a whisk (by hand) until smooth.

Pour batter into a greased cake tins. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting with avocado buttercream.

Avocado Buttercream Frosting

from Alton Brown

8 ounces of avocado meat, about 2 small to medium, very ripe avocados

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 pound powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peel and pit the soft avocados.  It’s important to use the ripest avocados you can get your hands on.  If the avocados have brown spots in the meat, avoid those spots when you scoop the meat into the bowl.

Place the avocado meat into the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment.  Add lemon juice and whisk the avocado on medium speed, until slightly lightened in color and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat.  Add vanilla extract until combined.  If not using right away, store in the refrigerator.  Don’t worry.  It won’t turn brown!

I used to keep a dream dictionary by my bed.  Fact.  I thought that I could wake up from a vivid dream all about pansies and weasels, broken clocks and cotton candy to thumb through a book and answer all off those deep subconscious questions.

It never worked.  I was lucky enough if I’d remember the dream, and luckier still if I had the wakefulness to actually reach for a dictionary first thing in the morning.

My dreams are trying to tell me something, I just leave it up to my sly and cunning brains to figure it out or leave it a mystery.

In the same way, my body was trying to send me a message early this morning.  I hadn’t been awake and in the world for more than an hour when I found myself standing at work in the restaurant saying exactly this, completely unsolicited:

I want potato salad.  I want potato salad exactly now.  Potato salad sound SO good.  I want pounds and pounds of potatoes in my belly right this second!

How’s that for a craving!?

I know what you’re thinking.  But Joooooy!  You didn’t make potato salad.  What’s all this cabbage business!?

Well,  my body and I have figured out that when I have a crazy potato attack, my body really just needs a comfy sweater, a cup of tea with loads of honey, and a good long hug.  It’s not about the potato, it’s about comfort and warmth.

See it’s just like that dream I had the other night about my teeth falling out.  It’s not about my poor teeth, maybe it’s just my brain telling me that I should talk to that girl at work who says mean things to me, I should tell her how I feel instead of simply ignoring her everyday.

um…..  does that make sense?

With that, I bring you Spicy Sweet Cabbage Salad.

It’s everything I wanted from the world, without the heavy potatoes.  I save the potatoes for a time when I know I won’t completely gorge myself.  This salad has got spice, sweetness, and a salty crunch.  Throw on some tuna and its like  healthy, expensive spa food.  Super pleasing!

Sweet and Spicy Cabbage Salad

adapted from Bon Appetit

Print this recipe!

2 lbs shredded cabbage

3 medium carrots, grated

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/3 cup chopped scallions

1 3/4 teaspoons fine grain salt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger (I grated mine on the fine side of a bod grater)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Best canned tuna you can find

Toss together cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, scallions and salt in a large bowl .  Let stand until cabbage is slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.

Bring vinegar, sugar, grated ginger and red pepper flakes to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Pour over cabbage mixture.  Toss to coat.  Top with canned tuna and lightly sprinkle tuna with salt and pepper.  Enjoy!

Sometimes what I need from the world manifests itself in the strangest ways.

Truth be told, I think I might need a hug. I know… that phrase has tinges of lame and needy all over it. I could easily go find a hug, that’s not the issue. I’m looking for a very specific hug.

I need to kind of hug that I imagine comes from the husband I don’t yet have. The kind of hug that you can completely relax into. The kind of hug where you are exactly who you are without any self conscious discomfort. The kind of hug that I imagine comes with familiar husband neck smells, synchronized breathing, and maybe a whisper in the ear. The kind of hug that softens everything in the world- that’s the kind of hug I need.

Since I don’t exactly have that soul changing hug at my everyday disposal, I decided to take to get in my kitchen and make myself exactly what my soul wanted to eat. Ironically enough, my soul didn’t wax on about chocolate, or pudding or fresh doughnuts. All my insides wanted was a big, fresh, home-crafted Caesar Salad.

Funny how that works.

If you’ve never made a homemade Caesar Salad, consider this your formal invitation. There is something unbelievably satisfying about grinding garlic and anchovies into a paste, then working the dressing into the most luscious salad topper with egg yolks and olive oil. It’s lovely. It feels like the salt of the earth, like I imagine those husband hugs.

Oh! This salad is perfect with homemade pizza. Now that’s good lovin’.

The Perfect Caesar Salad

from Martha Stewart

Print this recipe!

If you don’t like the idea of using egg yolks for this dressing, feel free to substitute one tablespoon of mayonnaise. Don’t skip out on the anchovies as much as you think you might dislike them. They add so much flavor and depth, you’ll miss if you leave them out. I skipped the fresh croutons, mostly because I didn’t have any bread on hand. I’ve included the crouton portion of your recipe for your tummy. Enjoy!

• 6 slices (1-inch) ciabatta or another crusty white bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
• Coarse salt (to taste)
• 2 cloves garlic, halved
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 4 to 5 anchovies
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 heads romaine lettuce, washed and dried thoroughly and torn into 2-inch pieces
• Grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-size bowl, toss bread cubes with remaining crouton ingredients. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, toast croutons until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. In a large wooden bowl, using a wooden spoon, mash halved garlic cloves to a fine paste. Stir in egg yolks and Dijon mustard. Add anchovies, and grind to a paste. Add lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Slowly stir in olive oil until dressing is creamy
3. Add lettuce to bowl, and toss to coat leaves thoroughly with dressing and grated Parmesan. Sprinkle croutons over salad, and serve topped with Parmesan shavings.

With a deep breath and a big fat smile I welcome you to National I’m a Maniac and Posting On My Blog Everyday for and Entire Month, also known as NoBloPoMo.  

Well…. here we are.  Now what do we do?  Can we just sit and stare at one another for an entire month?  No?  You mean you actually want me to cook things, take pictures and tell you all about them?  Ooooh.  I guess that makes sense.  What’s that?  You want my crazy good Apple Pie recipe?  Ok… we can do that.

What else?  I’m coming to you with an empty bowl and a clean spatula.  What would you like to see come from Joy the Baker in the next month?  Do you have a recipe you want to share?  Do you want me to make more pancakes?  Do you need some sort of tutorial?  Leave a comment announcing your deepest baking desires and we’ll see if I can make all your dreams come true.  It’s going to be just like Disneyland, with shorter lines and fewer mice.  

And now…. oatmeal.

This oatmeal idea comes from Joy the Baker fanatic Elizabeth.  She claims to not have much baking prowess but I thought her oatmeal idea was pretty clever.  See, Elizabeth needs an instant oatmeal concoction that she can throw in a zip lock to take to the office and then microwave in a bowl once at work.  The packaged oatmeal is often packed with sugars and preservatives and barely there dried fruit.  We can do much better than that.

Here’s what you do.  Take down that 18 ounce canister of quick cooking oats from your top shelf.  Take out three cups and throw together a batch of oatmeal cookies.  Into the remaining oats add 1/2 cup of dried cranberries,1/2 cup of chopped almonds and 2 tablespoons of flax seeds.  Throw the lid back on the canister, give it a good shake, and you’re good to go.  

Now every morning before you rush out the door, you can quickly measure out a serving of dried oatmeal mixture, carry it off to work and serve it up nice and warm once you get to the office.   Mix 3/4 cup of quick cookies oats with 1 1/2 cup of water in a microwave safe bowl, microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir and enjoy.  Healthy breakfast in a flash!

Thanks Elizabeth!  

Now what do you want to see on Joy the Baker?

It all started out so beautiful and promising- with diced dried fruit, wholesome nuts and old-fashioned oats. I was my day away from the bakery, and I thought I’d use my kitchen to experiment with homemade granola bars. I seem to have trouble eating normally, standing on my feet all day, working in front of a mixing bowl. I notice that I’ll turn occasional bites of dough into a meal. To help solve my intake dilemma, I thought I’d make granola bars to have on hand when hunger strikes but break time does not.I had the greatest of intentions, and the stickiest of results.

Granola bars are simply the goodness of oats, fruit and nuts in convenient bar form. My granola was a hands down winner in the wholesome goodness department, but a total failure in the bar department.

When my pressed granola had baked and cooled and it seemed like slicing time, that’s when my cookie (granola bar) crumbled. It didn’t want to hold it’s bar shape at all. It wasn’t even thinking about it. When I gave up the fight and mounded the cooked granola up on a plate, I noticed that it looked almost exactly the same after it was cooked as it did before I popped it in the oven. Hmm….. not good. But still a deliciously edible treat.

The above picture is the granola mixed with warm honey syrup ready to be pressed in the pan and put in the oven. The picture below is the failed bars turned delicious breakfast cereal.

Thank goodness some mistakes are still mouth watering!

I’m debating whether or not I should give you the recipe. This obviously wasn’t the keenest granola bar recipe. As a granola, while it was still gloriously edible, it was really sticky from the honey. This made is slightly hard to store, because it’s kinda one big sticky mess.

Do you have a good granola or granola bar recipe I should try? I need a little help with this one.