I was packing up my kitchen this afternoon and I got to thinking.

I got to thinking about my box grater… which is totally weird.  

As if thinking at length about my box grater weren’t odd enough… I’m now going to shovel my box grater thoughts onto your lap.  

There’s butter.  There’s cheese.  There’s roots and veggies.  All the drama and intrigue you could want from one little box grater.  

aaaand… seriously… thanks for playing along.  I realize I’m ridiculous. 

First things first: carrots.  

These are Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting.  These are best when unwrapped and shoved into your face.  

Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Spread.  Totally and completely  out of control.  

Cheese.  Just say yes.  

Homemade pizza and a movie rental with your honey… just the best night ever.  Take note. 

Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits.  Because biscuits are the answer to every problem.  

Grated greens and roots for Zucchini Sweet Potato Bread.  It’s the goodness.  

While we have the zucchini out.   Pancakes.  Zucchini Pancakes. 

Take frozen butter to the box grater.  It’s a wonder in pie and scone dough.  It’s a secret weapon from me to you.  

This No Roll Pie Crust recipe I came up with… it’s dang amazing!

Oatmeal Raspberry Scones with cold grated butter.  Big, scoopable yum.  Do this. 

I do this thing when I’m filled to the brim with tasks and opportunities and responsibilities and stresses…. I add more.  I really just pile it on.  I somehow think that adding new responsibilities and stresses will erase the ones I’ve already loaded on my shoulders.  

It’s illogical.  It’s a terrible idea.  It’s downright crazytown.  

I’m in Crazytown and I’m about to move into Lost My Marblesville.  Someone please send a straight jacket.  

In related news, I’ve decided to move into a loft in downtown Los Angeles.  I’m driving to Seattle in a Uhaul next week with my little sister… pray for us.  Aaaand I’m teaching my first cooking class in Sonoma this weekend!  

More on all of these things soon.  For now… here’s what I’m stress eating.. no joke.

Mini Chocolate Dipped Bananas rolled in crushed honey roasted peanuts.  If you really commit to your stress… I mean, really just get in there and wallow in it… I’m sure you can down a cool seven bananas in no time.  Just.  Like.  Me.  

Half spongy souffle cake, half warm pudding, all lemony goodness.  Lemon Souffle Cake.  Maybe I ate this whole souffle right out of the pie pan.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But… yea, definitely.  That totally happened. 

I have bathed in this Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.  

I like to eat brownies right out of the freezer.  Dense, cold chocolate cake with melty frozen marshmallows?  Yea… I never said I was normal.  S’mores Brownies.  Friends for life. 

Giant Vanilla Sugar Cookies.  There’s nothing like a cup of tea and a cookie the size of your face to wash your troubles away.   Dreamy.

Note:  Am I encouraging emotional overeating with this post?  No.  Yes… No.  Well… maybe a little.  I’m half kidding, half overcommitted and definitely stuffing cookies in my face at every opportunity.  That’s just the honest truth.  I hope you can handle it. 

Is it just me, or are there butterflies everywhere?  

Maybe it’s butterfly hatching season…. that’s a technical term: butterfly hatching.  Obviously.  

Exhibit A:  On a particularly rough day at work, a butterfly just about the size of my hand fluttered around me showing off its black, yellow and red wings.  Absolutely gorgeous.  

Exhibit B:  Just this morning a butterfly whizzed past my nose as I rode a bike through the Oakland hills.  High speed butterflying.  

I don’t even need an Exhibit C, I’m tellin’ you… there’s something in the air:  butterflies.  

So, all of this beautiful fluttering action has lead me to, well… look for a little meaning in all of it. 

I know… totally cheese ball, right?  It’s just that I feel something in the air.  Maybe it’s the change of season, or maybe it’s my sun sign doing God knows what to my moon sign.  Who knows?  I just feel a flood of change coming my way.  I think that’s what all these butterflies are trying to tell me.  Change is a’comin’, in more ways than I might already think.  That… or it’s just butterfly hatching season.  I don’t know.

In other news:  I have a fridge full of zucchini and I made zucchini pancakes.  

You probably know me well enough by now to understand my lengthy and well documented affection for pancakes.  

That being said… these pancakes aren’t the sweet breakfast treat that you might expect from me.  Think of them more like a potato pancake… the kind you might top with sour cream or apple sauce.  These are the zucchini version of potato pancakes.  They’re super easy to throw together and all sorts of fun to eat.  I topped mine with a bit of sour cream and sweet paprika.  Dinner, made so easy.  

Zucchini Pancakes

     makes about 18- 20 2-inch pancakes

     adapted from Stephanie Gallagher

     Print this Recipe

• 4 cups shredded zucchini (or a combination of shredded zucchini and shredded yellow squash)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
• a few dashes of Tabasco
• 1/4 cup onions, finely diced and grilled
• 2 Tbsp. plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Grill diced onions in 2 teaspoons of olive oil until they are slightly browned and set aside.

Place zucchini and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt in a colander. Drain for ten minutes, pressing down with paper towels to push out all the excess water.  You can also place shredded zucchini in a very clean dish towel to squeeze out excess water after it has sit with the salt for 10 minutes.

Whisk the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, Tabasco, and eggs together in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, garlic, grilled onions and zucchini. Mix until all the ingredients are well-combined.

Place the olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, drop the zucchini mixture by rounded tablespoons. Flatten gently with a fork. Cook 2 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Flip and cook another two minutes. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Serve immediately.

This little bee sure is living large in my one pot spring garden!

But enough about spring.  Spring is so… um, last season?  No… not exactly.

Let’s talk about summer!  What’s your favorite way to kick off summer?

Me?  My favorite way to greet summer is to have a rip roarin’ good time Memorial Day Weekend!

I’m diving into this one, two, THREE day weekend by celebrating my birthday and throwing down with my family in the kitchen.  My Dad is making chicken and waffles.  Holy heck!  Chicken and waffles will be  followed promptly by family board games and… nap time.  What could be better?  A pool!?  You’re right!  How is it that I don’t have a friend with a pool in this town!?

My weekend will be full of family, fun and loads of kitchen time.

I hope that you’re able to take time this weekend to enjoy your families.  Maybe you’ll even have a moment to hop in the kitchen and throw together a late breakfast or gorgeous cake.  Do it… it’s important.

Here’s some inspiration.

Click on the picture and go to the recipe… that’s how this whole deal works.

Above: Mocha Coffee Coffee Cake

Below: Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes

Above: Cardamom Scented Sugar Paper with Strawberries and Cream

Below: Raspberry Almond Cupcakes

Above: Mint Chocolate Chip Mini Ice Cream Cupcakes

Below: Southern Style Strawberry Cake

Have a most lovely holiday weekend!

I feel like there’s food everywhere.  Literally everywhere.  Let’s see… it all started when someone sent a fairly innocent fruit basket.  Then the neighbor dropped by with a pound of chocolate candy.  Then I somehow thought it a good idea to whip up some fudge.  Then there was the five course holiday party, and the debauchery at a bar after.  Milk Chocolate Chip Pancakes were thrown in the mix, and right now all I can think about is tacos.  

See, there’s food exactly EVERYWHERE.  

It’s not that I’m complaining.  Oooooh no.  I think I’m just looking forward to a little after holiday broccoli.  For the sake of my tummy.  That’s all.

It would seem that people in blog land are bringing out the big guns.  

Mike of Mike’s Table whips up some Hazelnut Brittle.  Um… yes please!

Peabody of Culinary Concoctions by Peabody sets the world ablaze with Butterscotch Banana Chocolate Swirl Cake.  She also admits to having a very sneaky way with Christmas presents.  I’m glad I’m not the only one.

Nicole of Baking Bites makes Mexican Hot Chocolate Linzer Cookies and I love her for it.  

When did Gingerbread Popcorn enter the world?  I’m glad it did!

Linda is obviously trying to get me to move to Australia for her Churros with Dulce de Leche Sauce.  Her plan might just work.

See?  Food everywhere!  Good food too!  

Enjoy the links.  I’m going to go find some tacos.  It feels like the right thing to do.

Oh and one more thing.  Yes, that’s a random picture of my morning coffee up top.

I feel like I’ve been haunted by the three bags of fresh cranberries I bought about a month ago.

You’d think I’ve baked enough cranberry filled goodies to make these cranberries a thing of the past. Nope. Between the Banana Cranberry Bread, the All Purpose Cranberry Apple Cake and the Cranberry Sauce, how did I still have a lone back of cranberries dancing around in my fridge?

I’m happy to say, that with this deliciously moist and golden Cranberry Coffee Cake, my days of withering cranberries in the fridge are over. But… um… I kinda miss them. I’m thinking numerous Prosecco and Cranberry Cocktails are in my future, which means… more fresh cranberries! I hope you’re not sick of cranberry recipes yet. It ain’t over, this baker would really like a cocktail.

The thing about this coffee cake. The thing that makes it over the top, crazy delicious is the crunchy streusel topping. And I’ve got tricks. I take a few handfuls of the streusel topping and swirl it into the coffee cake batter. Yea! Awesome! Delicious! I take the rest of the topping, which is seriously ample and layer it on top before baking. The coffee cake bakes up a delicious golden color, the streusel topping is perfectly crunchy, and the cranberries add the perfect bright tartness. For reals.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

Print this recipe!

bake in a 9 x 13-inch pan

Cake:

4 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup sour cream mixed with 2 Tablespoons of milk

4 cups fresh cranberries, roughly chopped

Topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, well-softened
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 cup quick oats

Put a rack in middle oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Combine butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in almond extract. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and sour cream mixture in alternate batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and mixing until just incorporated. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into baking dish and spread evenly.

For the topping, place the flour, brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and oats in a large bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon. Work the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed. Take two full handful of the topping and spread it over the cake batter. Use a knife to swirl the topping into the batter. Spread the rest of the topping evenly over the cranberry cake batter.

Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Serve in big warm slices with a cup of creamy coffee.

Pumpkin is upon us.

It’s a fact friends.  Deal with it.

I went a little pumpkin crazy at the store this week.  Something comes over me when the seasons change.  Because I live in a city where the weather insists on staying virtually the same temperature all year round, and the palm trees know nothing of seasonal changes, I feel like I’m forced to express the change of season in very outward, often very expensive ways.

When early October hits, and the hint of a cool night beckons me to turn my bedroom fan off, inevitably, the next day I’m out shopping for scarves, tights, knee high boots, and yes….. pumpkin.

We had a chilly night this past weekend (I’m talking low 60’s) which prompted me to take out my winter coat (yes I have one, and it’s fantastic).  This also prompted me to go on a pumpkin bender at the grocery store.

I’m giving you the heads up.  It’s pumpkin time people.  Are you with me?

Consider this pumpkin recipe as your Fall lemon bar.  Think of this pumpkin recipe as reason not to have to roll out a pie crust.  Think of this pumpkin recipe when you want a nip from the Bourbon bottle while you’re baking.  Is that a crime?  I think not.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

adapted from Kraft

Print this recipe!