#rosecitytable

All this got me thinking about how we miss out on so much in life when we rush through life.  Even our means of transportation can dramatically change our view of a community.  My favorite place to eat in Vancouver, WA, was discovered by taking a nice long walk rather than driving through downtown.  We observe things differently when we take a different route and choose a slower pace.  And all of that had me thinking about how I want to slow down, I want to pace myself and take in more.  I want to see life differently, not just in the fast lane.  

This new perspective requires a willingness to be flexible and to be intentional in the choices I make.  I think that it’s worth a try in life.  

I also think that this recipe is worth a try.  I like Dutch babies.  They are a close cousin of the pancake after all, and we all know that I LOVE pancakes.  I ended up with this recipe when I had some extra buttermilk in the house and it was approaching expiration.  I wasn’t feeling inspired to make pancakes for breakfast because I wanted something I could toss together and throw into the oven while I fed the baby; but there was that buttermilk too... so I decided to replace milk for buttermilk in this recipe and it turned out delicious.  The taste and the texture are similar to French toast.  This recipe is basically the lovechild of French toast and a Dutch baby.  Look at me bringing nations together with food!

French Toast Inspired Dutch Baby - 3 eggs, room temperature - 1/2 cup buttermilk - 1/2 cup flour - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon - 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger - 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg - 2 Tablespoons butter, melted - 1 cup blueberries (optional - or other fruit you may desire)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease a 12-inch-diameter cast iron skillet with butter or coconut oil. 2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl.  Add buttermilk and vanilla extract, stirring to combine.  Gently mix in the flour and spices until completely mixed.  Add in the melted butter and stir until just combined. 3. Pour the batter into the cast iron skillet.  Sprinkle with fruit if using.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 325 and bake for an additional ten minutes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and any other toppings you may desire.

To make normal Dutch babies, use regular milk instead of buttermilk.  

So you see, that's a pretty high bar.  There are things that I have wanted.  Like I have a general low lying desire for sour candy, something that is new.  I also seem to want more and more spicy food than usual, but then I have always really enjoyed spicy food.  I don't think I could honestly say that I have been "craving" anything.

There has been one major shift in me: I want simple.  Normally I am a high functioning "Type A" person.  I would wake up early in the mornings just to do laundry, clean the bathroom, or mop the floor - before going to work.  In the kitchen this craziness manifests itself in finding joy in taking on insanely complicated, detailed, and time consuming meals and treats.  I like the challenge and the sense of accomplishment.  But lately, ugh, I don't want to even open the book I'm reading because it feels like too much work!  This laziness has transferred itself into my kitchen too.  I generally don't want to cook, or do anything that expends energy and requires cleanup.  I kind of feel like the wheels have fallen off!  

One of the things that makes this curry so nice is that it only requires one pot.  Clean up is a breeze.  I would add as a sidebar that I don't keep canned beans, I store dry beans in my pantry.  This dish calls for garbanzo beans, and you can either use a can of cooked beans, or just cook one cup of beans in the crock pot a day or so before you plan on making this dish.  The cooked beans can be put in the refrigerator for a few days if your not quite ready to use them.  

Curry Lentil Soup - 2 Tablespoons lime infused olive oil - 1 Tablespoon curry powder (madras if you like it hot!) - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon - 1 onion, chopped - 2 carrots, chopped - 1 pepper, chopped (you can use a sweet or spicy pepper - I went with spicy) - 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated - 2 garlic cloves, minced - 2 teaspoons salt - 1/3 cup tomato paste - 5-7 cups water - 15 ounces coconut milk (you want the thick milk, not thin kind you put on cereal) - 2 cups dry red lentils, looked through to remove small stones - 1 cup dry garbanzo beans, soaked and precooked, or 1 can - 1 small bunch kale, stems removed and thinly chopped 1. Clean red lentils and set in a bowl and cover with water with at least 1 inch of water over the lentils. 2. In a large dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat until it begins to shimmer.  Add the curry powder and cinnamon and cook, constantly stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. 3. Add the onion and pepper and cook for approximately 2 minutes.  Add the carrots, ginger, garlic, salt, and tomato paste.  Cook, stirring often, for an additional 2-3 minutes.   4. Drain the lentils, and add lentils, water, coconut milk, and garbanzo beans.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15-25 minutes, or until the lentils are tender and the soup has thickened.   5. Add the kale and let cook for for an additional 5 minutes. 6. Serve hot.  This will make about 8 large servings.  Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 5 days, or freeze for longer storage.

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

One rainy Saturday morning I flipped through all these clippings and settled on making the cupcakes below.  I every so slightly modified the recipe which was created by Sandra Palmer and Kiyomi Toda-Burke.  I have additional modifications planned for the next time I make this recipe. 

One more awesome thing about this recipe, the ginger is very calming on the stomach, so these make a tasty snack for moms who are dealing with morning sickness, or to chase a big holiday meal.

Mini Ginger Cupcakes

- 1/2 cup all purpose four - 3 Tablespoons whole wheat flour - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder - 1 pinch salt - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger - 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus 2 Tablespoons sucanat - 6 Tablespoons butter, room temperature - 2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature - 1/4 cup buttermilk - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - zest from 1/2 lemon

Lemon-Ginger Frosting - 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar - 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice - finely chopped candied ginger (or candied lemon peel)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease a 24 cup mini-muffin pan.   2. In a small bowl mix together flours, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. 3. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together over medium speed.  Add the eggs one at a time.   4. Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer and combine at a low speed.  Once thoroughly mixed, add the buttermilk and the vanilla extract.   5. Add one tablespoon of the batter to each muffin-pan cup.  Bake for approximately 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.   6. Prepare the frosting while the cupcakes are cooling, by mixing the lemon juice with the sifted sugar.  Ice the cool cupcakes and top with the candied ginger or candied lemon peel if using.  7. Try not to eat them all.  

Side bar: you know that delicata are ripe and ready when you see some orange in the skin; the orange will be the same color as the flesh.  It's like the outside is declaring the awesome of the inside!

That's what I was thinking about while I prepared dinner tonight.  There were several steps involved in making this worthwhile dish, and while I was prepping it I thought about how wonderful it will be to share prep tips with our kids (to mince garlic, smash it with the flat of the knife first; to clean leeks halve them longways and then rinse and swish under water).  How great it will be plant a garden, and use it as a lesson for patience, and months later harvest some of the crop for the evening's meal.  While I realize that this is years in the future, I am excited about this future.  I can't wait to share this recipe with my future kids, and to have them help me make it.

These leeks were picked fresh from my garden right before I started making dinner.  Leeks are my favorite member of the Allium family (onions).

Apple and Leek Stuffed Delicata Squash Adapted from SeriousEats

- 2 medium delicata squash, halved and seeded - 1/2 cup rice (I used 1/4 cup wild rice and 1/4 cup forbidden rice) - salt and pepper to taste - 1/4 cup olive oil, divided - 2 medium apples, cored and diced - 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, coarsely chopped - 2 garlic cloves, minced - 1 teaspoon thyme - 1 bunch kale, stems removed and thinly sliced - 3/4 cup bread crumbs - 1/2 cup parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Brush the squash with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Turn flesh side down and bake for 25 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing.  Pour the remaining olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering.  Toss the apples and the leeks into the pan and cook for approximately 7-10 minutes, until the leeks and apples soften.  Add the minced garlic and the thyme and cook for another two minutes.   3. Reduce heat to low and add the kale.  Cook for approximately 5 minutes, until softened and wilted. 4. Remove from heat and add to a bowl.  Allow to cool for a few minutes.  Add the walnuts, cheese, and bread crumbs.  Toss to thoroughly combine.   5. Add the stuffing to the delicata squash halves (right the halves when they are done baking).  Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.  Any leftover stuffing can be baked in a greased casserole dish and snacked on at will.  

An interesting fact about delicata squash is that the skin is edible; that's where it gets it's name, the delicate skin.  This winter squash is wonderful and can be stored for several weeks after being harvested.  

If you like fluffy, fluffy pancakes, this recipe is for you! If flipping cakes on the griddle is too much work, this recipe is for you! If you don't want to have to sit babysitting the pancakes as they cook, this recipe is for you! If you love awesome food, this recipe is for you!

Baked Pancakes - 3/4 cup almond milk - 2 Tablespoons butter, melted - 1 egg, room temperature - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 1 Tablespoon sugar - 1 cup flour (or 1/4 cup whole wheat flour with 3/4 cup all purpose) - 2 teaspoons baking powder - 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease a 8 by 8 pan with coconut oil; the slight sweetness of the oil is delicious with the pancakes. 2. Mix the almond milk, butter and egg together in a medium sized bowl.  Add the vanilla and stir gently to incorporate.  Mix in the remaining ingredients and whisk to thoroughly combine.  Pour into the greased pan. 3. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.  I find mine are perfect at twenty minutes.    4. Cut into squares and serve on a pretty plate with a nice pour of maple syrup over the top.

If you want to spice this recipe up for the holidays, you can add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom in whatever ratios make you content