Long Live the Cleanse...The Cleanse is Dead

I started out this week with hope and excitement about the The Food Lover's Cleanse from Bon Appetit. And I do have to say it has worked exceptionally well so far. However, I have decided to end the cleanse.



I will take the lessons I've learned and apply them to my daily eating regime. I've learned that eating a ton of veggies, limiting your dairy and animal meat and enjoying whole grains are the key to a healthy lifestyle.



I've lost 3 pounds so far but that might be due to throwing up on Tuesday and barely eating yesterday since I still felt nausea. My other issue with the prescribed cleanse is the cost of the food but on the plus side, I now have a huge spice cabinet full of flavor.



Scott has rejoiced in the news that we're going off the cleanse. He was never that fond of it but I do know that he enjoyed some of the meals. Speaking of the meals, there are ones that I will be making again. The Salmon in Bengali Mustard Sauce was divine and the Ultimate Winter Couscous haunts my dreams.

Day 3 of a New Year Cleanse

Day Three started out with much promise. I munched on the leftover Warm & Nutty Quinoa from yesterday, packed my bag for the gym and headed to work.



At work, I took a break for lunch and ate the leftover Black-Eyed Pea Curry from last night's dinner. I kept plugging away at work (we have a huge project going on) and took a quick break for some Edamame Hummus with Veggies.

Shortly thereafter, I felt ill. Like nausea ill. I sat still for awhile and still the feeling did not pass. I decided to head to the bathroom and ended up throwing up (I know! GROSS!)

Let's just say after that, I was no longer interested in this cleanse even though I'm not even sure that it made me ill. I do know that it will be a long time before I consume another soy bean, blended or not.



My co-worker brought me a pumpkin cookie bar. She said that she gave pumpkin to her dogs when they felt ill and knew it would make me feel better. Strangely enough it did. I think it was the fresh sugar!

Dinner was supposed to be Koya Dofu and Vegetables but I couldn't bring myself to make it. Instead Scott picked up some Chicken Teriyaki. The rice really helped settle my stomach.

Tomorrow I'll start back on the cleanse and hopefully I'll feel ok. If not, then I am quitting. Oh and tomorrow I will go to yoga. I really, really wanted to go to the gym today but my queasy stomach was not willing to go.

Day 2 of a New Year Cleanse

Day two held some surprises and a few hard moments. I mean when I opened the spice drawer and saw the chocolate chips, I almost dove in like a maniac. There is only so many vegetables that one person can take!

Scott announced that I was serving him bird seed this morning when I dished up 101 Cookbook's Warm and Nutty Quinoa. I actually enjoyed it. It won't replace my first love of oatmeal but it was still good. I liked it enough to not be disappointed that I'll be enjoying it again tomorrow morning.



Lunch was a delicious Celery Root and Apple Salad with Tuna. It was surprisingly good. There was so much though that after eating on the salad for over an hour, I had to stop and throw the rest out. I couldn't finish it!



Dinner was really flavorful and delicious! This will be added into our rotation of dinners. Scott and I loved it!



We had Salmon in a Bengali Mustard Sauce from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey with Black-Eyed Pea Curry from Anjum's New Indian along with a green salad. I added in some sour cream on the side to tame down some of the spices.



I also replaced the fresh tomatoes in the Black-Eyed Pea Curry with canned diced tomatoes as they were easier to work with.

Cleanse for a New Year

Last week I saw the a quick tweet that said, check out the The Food Lover's Cleanse from Bon Appetit. I clicked on the link and fell down a rabbit hole.

As with many, a new year brings a desire to get healthier, lose weight and really focus on eating nutritionally well. I thought on this cleanse for a few days before announcing to Scott that I wanted to do the cleanse with one modification. The cleanse is for two weeks and after purchasing food for week one, I decided that it was too expensive to do for two weeks. Seriously I spent about triple what I usually spend on food for this week. I'm not on to usually pinch my pennies on my regular grocery shopping.



Today was Day One. We broke our fast with two eggs, caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms along with whole grain toast. I then went on a long walk with a friend before returning home for lunch. Scott asked for a free pass on lunches so while he dined on a PB&J sandwich, I had avocado on toast with raw veggies.



After spending the afternoon making Orange-Cardamom Marmalade, I took a break to make our afternoon snack of Vanilla-Date Smoothie. To say the least, it was disgusting! I couldn't take more than two or three sips. Scott managed to drink almost all of his smoothie but it could have been hunger that made him drink it.

For dinner, we dined on the Ultimate Winter Couscous. I thought it was simply delicious and well worth the 45 minutes of prep. I'm pretty sure this dish will be in our regular rotation.

We made it through Day One with happy bellies and a spring in our step. It will be great to see how we feel after Day Two, especially since we'll be back at work and no longer lounging at home.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! May your Christmas be filled with warm wonders and laughs, warm wishes and delicious food.

May all your gifts be well-received and your gifts from Santa be well-loved.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread for Christmas

I've been busy making a holiday food basket for two special people. I do wish I had taken the time to make one for a lot of people but there is always next year. This year, however, this was just time for one basket. So far I've put blueberry preserves that I made this past Summer, lemon curd, kitchen utensils, a mini loaf of banana bread, crackers and this delightful Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.



I read about Chocolate Hazelnut Spread on Angry Chicken's blog and really wanted to try my hand at making it. (Of course we all should remember that Angry Chicken is the Awesome and that I usually want to do what she does).



This was even simpler to make than the Meyer Lemon Curd I posted about and surprisingly fast. If I were to make this again, I might up the sugar as I found this to be a bit too nutty and not sweet enough. It is still very tasty though.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Yield 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients
1/3 cup hazelnut meal (ground hazelnuts)
1/2 cup dry nonfat milk powder
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup milk (low fat)
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine hazelnut meal, dry milk powder, brown sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch. Add in milk and vegetable oil and whisk until smooth.
2. Cook over medium heat and whisk frequently, until mixture begins to thicken and just starts to bubble. Remove from heat and transfer to a heatproof container, preferably one with an airtight lid.
3. Cool to room temperature and, if not eating right away, store in the fridge with an airtight lid on the container.
4. Spread tastes best at room temperature and will keep for several days in the fridge.

It's almost Christmas and as I finish wrapping all the presents while singing Christmas carols at the top of my lungs, I've also been cooking.

Last night I whipped up a batch of Meyer Lemon Curd. It's bright yellow color was the perfect antidote for the shortness of the Winter Solistice.



This recipe is quick to make. I started making this at 10 p.m. and was snuggly in bed by 10:45 p.m. I even washed the dishes before heading to bed. The curd does require at least 4 hours to set and produces an amazingly sunny curd.



I think this would be wonderful as a tart or as Christmas presents to loved ones. I know that a few special people are getting these jars as part of their Christmas presents.

Meyer Lemon Curd from Gifts Cooks Love
Makes four (½-pint) jars

Ingredients
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated Meyer lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Directions
1. Wash the jars and lids in hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, eggs, and sugar. Whisk in the lemon juice. Transfer to a double boiler. Cook over barely simmering water, whisking constantly, until the lemon mixture thickens and reaches 170°F on an instant-read thermometer.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the lemon zest and butter.
4. Using a wide-mouth funnel and filling one jar at a time, ladle the sauce into the prepared jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean. Seal the jars and refrigerate until the lemon curd is thickened and completely cold, at least 4 hours.

Thanksgiving Success!

Thanksgiving was a HUGE success! My Mom told me that my stuffing based on her recipe was the best. People groaned under the onslaught of food and asked for more.



There was the usual Thanksgiving Day chaos and at one point I banned my Mother from the kitchen. Luckily my Dad, the great sous chef stepped in and helped me out.



My Mom's stuffing mix takes so many bread crumbs that I didn't have a bowl big enough for mixing. I quickly thought on my feet and grabbed a new garbage bag for mixing before stuffing the bird and filling two casserole dishes.



As the dinner preparations came to a close, I turned on the boiler and put the sweet potato casserole marshmallow topping under the boiler. Before I knew it, Scott's Mom was busting into the kitchen yelling, "Burning! Something is BURNING!" and sure enough, the casserole was on FIRE! We quickly put it out and I started over on the topping. This time my Sister-in-Law and I carefully watched the topping toast.



Scott even got in the act and learned how to carve a turkey from my Brother and Dad. It was so much fun to watch!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! May your holiday be filled with festival flavor, happy times and great memories!

Pre-Thanksgiving Prep

Tomorrow is the big day! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving!

Today has been full of Thanksgiving Day prep and baking. Yesterday was Turkey procurement day.



After watching the news in the morning, Scott and I determined that it was going to be a bit too difficult to get our turkey from Rain Shadow Meats on Capital Hill. We decided instead to hike up to the Safeway near us and settle for a commercially grown turkey. I mean, I know that the organic, free-range ones are supposed to be better but I was going to just deal with it and enjoy a big-breasted Turkey.



The walk to the Safeway was nice and also gave us a chance to get some exercise in. After being cooped in all day on Monday, it was a joyful walk outside. It was cold too but still joyful.



Scott was also able to wear his new hat. I knit it for him on Monday and on Tuesday, he declared it warm and perfect.



After arriving home, I decided to post on Facebook about our small adventure. My brother saw my post and quickly offered to pick up our turkey for us. I guess he wasn't to be satisfied with just any ole turkey. So he drove over from Redmond in his trusty Subaru (I really need to get one of those myself) and delivered our special turkey to our house.



He also told us that it wasn't that icy out there and that the roads were nice and clear of cars.



Today has been spent prepping for Thanksgiving. I've roasted the beets for the beet salad. Sauteed the celery and onions for the stuffing. Boiled the yams for the Candied Yams and made the sweet potato casserole. I made the cranberry sauce and roasted the garlic. I've also baked up the cherry pie. My dad is bringing the pumpkin and apple pies but my Mom specifically requested that I make a cherry pie.



Now my fridge sits in it's OMG Full state and I think I'm going to knit for the rest of the afternoon. I have to rest up for the big day tomorrow.

Breadcrumbs to Thanksgiving

Yesterday was spent cutting up three loaves of bread into little cubes and drying them in the oven. My Mom insists that this is the absolute best way to make stuffing. It's a three day process. You cut and dry the bread cubes one day, stir and possibly dry them again the next day before you begin on the vegetables.



I must say all the hard work does seem to pay off in the end. Her stuffing is always delicious and I hope to be able to replicate it this year in my home.



I also spent most of yesterday looking out at this scene. I mean if there is one thing I didn't expect to derail my Thanksgiving plans, it would be the weather! We never have snow this early in the year. NEVER!



Oh well, what is one to do but continue on their merry way pretending that all will be OK. Because it will all be OK!

The Road to Thanksgiving

On Sunday, I finished my grocery shopping, printed out my menus and made ice cream. I followed David Lebovitz's Vanilla Ice Cream recipe and it is delicious!





I did however run into an issue. The freezer bowl wasn't frozen enough so I ended up putting the custard back in the fridge overnight and refroze the bowl until this morning. It churned into ice cream quickly this morning and I made sure to have a little taste. It is awesome tasting!



I also appear to have a little helper in the kitchen when I cook. Kato hangs out just to the side of the stove waiting for food droppings. It's almost as if I have a dog and not a cat!

Countdown to Thanksgiving

In just five days, I'll be serving my very first Thanksgiving meal to Scott and I's families. I've always helped my Mom prepare the feast but this is the first year that I'm taking the lead. My Mom has reserved her seat in my kitchen and promises to help out. While we wait to see if that happens, I've begun my preparations.



I've mapped out a schedule of work which started yesterday. Yesterday morning I woke up and dashed outside. My Amazon Fresh grocery delivery was expected. I was greeted with a plethora of Amazon Fresh boxes.



I have one quick grocery trip planned for Monday for the more perishable items but otherwise, groceries have been procured!



I then turned my attention to the other items on my schedule. I ironed my napkins, collected the place mats and brought out the place cards. Thanksgiving is time of year to go all out and ironing napkins just seems right.



My (step) Grandma made these napkins for the wedding. They match my china and are so gorgeous! She also made towels and pot holders which are just as lovely. It's amazing how the bird on the napkins match my china so perfectly.

The table is ready and now the real work begins. Today I make ice cream and pie crust!

Designing a Laundry Room

This is the first place I've lived as an adult that has an actual laundry area. Usually the laundry was in the hallway or in the basement of the apartment building I lived in. I've been so excited to have actual laundry space and a brand new washer/dryer set that I've been doing a lot of laundry.



The space however is in need of a spruce-up. I plan to paint the walls, fix the shelving and update the flooring. My first project though was to re-do the curtains in the area. The previous owners had sewn up some curtains so I used her old ones as a pattern for my new ones.



I found some great fabric in my stash and added some basic white as a border. These curtains were easy to sew up and while the hem may not be the straightest, these are still quite lovely to me.

Next weekend, I'm tackling the painting part of this project!

Will Bake For Food

I'm taking part in Will Bake for Food, a bake sale and food drive benefiting NW Harvest on Saturday, November 20th from 10am until 2pm at the University Congregational Church, Ostrander Hall, 4515 16th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98105. Come out and buy some of the goodies being offered by this awesome group of bloggers. Heck, come on by and say hello to me and buy some of my baked goods. I promise they'll be delicious and you'll be supporting a good cause.