My Home Grown Garden

10/26/10

It has been a few weeks since I planted these little balls of seeds that I got from the farmers market. If you plant the balls in soil and water it, it will eventually break open and herbs will start to grow!! It's a great idea right?

Day 1

(Well, nothing new so far.................)

 Day 7

(I was so hyped when this happened)

Day 9 or 10

(GETTING REALLY REALLY HAPPY)

AAAAHHHH!!! Marry Christmas!!!

10/25/10

MARRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
But it wasn't the most wonderful time of year for me...
As you get older, the less exciting things seem to get eh?

Chocolate Cake with a Non-Vegan Meringue Frosting
recipe by me!

Sorry vegans, the cake might be vegan but the frosting is made with eggs!! Oh well...

ingredients:
1 1/4c. all-purpose flour
1/4c. whole wheat flour
1/4c. brown sugar
1/4c. cane sugar
1/4~1/8c. sweetener (like stevia)
1/4c. cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/8 t. salt
1c. water or soy milk
1/3c. oil (like canola or grape seed)
3 T. agave nectar or honey
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 T. coffee, stronger the better!
2 t. balsamic vinegar
1 t. vanilla

1. Mix all the dry ingredients (from flour to salt) set aside
2. Mix all the wet together (from water/soy milk to vanilla extract)
3. Sift in the dry to the wet taking turns from whisking to sifting
4. Bake for 20~30 min for until a tooth pick comes out clean from the center. Let cool for frosting

meringue frosting:
1 egg white
1/2 c. powdered sugar

1. with a hand mixer or my hand whisk the egg white until stiff peaks form. SIFT in the powdered sugar and keep whisking until a dense stiff peak forms. Remember, fluffy not dry!

Now frost the cake that has been cooled and serve!

BEST oatmeal cookies EVER!!!

12/20/10

How long has it been since I posted something?...
Anyways, I made almost no progress in my diet...
because I ate three of the cookies I made today...

These may be the best oatmeal cookies EVER!!
Thanks to Oh She Glows blog by  Angela Liddon.
She makes the BEST cookies!!

Oatmeal Cookies
recipe by Angela Liddon

I didn't have some of the ingredients that she used, so I used what I had in the pantry. Yet they turned out so perfectly!!

1 3/4 c. pecans, the original recipe calls for walnuts
2c. oats, any kind works
1/2 c. flour
1/4c. whole-wheat flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. agave
2 T. soy milk
3~4 T. grape seed oil
2 t. vanilla extract
2/3 c. raisins

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When preheated toast the pecans (or walnuts) for about 5~10 min or until they are nicely toasted and golden brown. Set aside to cool. The temperature to bake the cookies is the same (350).
2. In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of the oats, the two types of flour, sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix well. Set aside.
3. In another separate bowl, whisk together agave, soy milk, oil, and vanilla. Set aside.
4. In a food processor pules the nuts until fine. Add the dry mixture and pules until combined. Then add the wet mixture and pules again until combined.
5. Scrape the dough into a bowl and add the rest of the oats and the raisins. Mixing it by hand is the best way to go people!!!
6. On a parchment lined baking sheet, make 20 cookie dough balls and flatten with your hands. Bake for 12~15 min. or until nice and drown. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 5~10 min.