Mar
11
2010
I’m home sick today. Actually, I came home sick yesterday and thought I would be better to go to work today. Well, I got worse throughout the night. I just got up an hour ago, yes it noonish while I’m blogging this post. I woke up wanting something more than veggie broth, Theraflu, and even my favorite sick-time tea, Traditional Medicinals: Throat Coat Tea. So, I went back to the basics. When I was little and had a sore throat my parents used to give me lemon juice with honey and a tad of hot water.
I thought, I’m up for anything right now. I made my little homeopathic concoction, and I’m currently feeling better and getting rid of the bad stuff in my chest. (I’ll save you the disgusting details). The recipe is below for the concoction if you need it. I know many people don’t like the taste of honey so I would suggest Agave Nectar. I’m not sure if that will coat your throat as well as honey but it may do the trick.
Now back to the title of this post: Tofu Giveaway!
Because I’m home resting I was able to read a tweet from Nasoya. They tweeted that Iowa Girl Eats is giving away a Tofu Xpress, not just one but TWO! Now, the first time I heard of such a gadget was on her site a few weeks ago, (may have been a month or longer) and I shouted to J we NEED this! Of course when we tried to get it it was on backorder or something. I really don’t know, J does all the internet orders in our household. I just email him links and list of what I want. 
Let me take you back to wedding gift registry days. I registered for every kitchen gadget under the sun. I have a small obsession. Yes, most of the gadget don’t do what they promised, but some I are better than I thought they would be. I think the Tofu Xpress would fall in the later category.
(Ours is just like this but not as “new”)
If we won this gadget, we could save our “Tofu Towel” for when we really want to do tofu scrambles. Right now everything tofu is a type of scramble. It’s the only way we can get all the moisture out of the tofu that is necessary for the tofu to taste good. I could actually slice, chop, and dice tofu! So, if you want this handy-dandy gadget (maybe for free) head on over to this blog. You don’t have much time, good luck!
Honey Lemon Goodness
½ lemon
3 tbsp of good quality honey
1 oz. of hot water
Take the seeds out of the lemon and squeeze it right into a mug. Put the honey in. Use less or more according to your preference. The 3 tbsp. keeps it thick to coat your throat. Add the hot water and stir so the honey dissolves. Again, if you think it needs more water go for it. Drink it slow but make sure you drink it all while it’s hot. Enjoy!
Mar
7
2010
I was in Fresno all day on Saturday. I came home around 10 pm. I hung out in the living room with J and around 11 pm I decided to get ready for bed. On my side of the bed I had the following:
Books 
and
Pink Shoelaces
I love surprises! I didn’t even know they were ordered. What types of surprises do you like?
Mar
1
2010
Two days before Valentine’s Day I had the day off. I had to wait for J to get off work before we could head up to Napa, so I decide to post on my Facebook, “Krishna is trying to decide whether to make red velvet cupcakes or sugar cookies.” Well, it was hot topic, fifteen comments later the overwhelming response was for the cupcakes. I knew where to go to get the best recipe. If you want the original recipe go here! The recipe will be copied below but I had to do a lot of modifications, because I’m not a patient baker. I thought I had everything, and of course I didn’t. All modifications will be noted. With that said, I have to say these cupcakes still came out delicious. I didn’t tell anyone the changes I needed to make until after they tasted them and said that they were fabulous! I hope you enjoy these cupcakes as much as we did. The only thing I suggest is make sure you have all the ingredients and the time to make these wonderful confections.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
4. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Yes, it will fizz! Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake cups with cake batter (they should be 2/3 – 3/4 full). You may not fill all the cups, I ended up with 20 cupcakes. Place muffin tins on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check early and don’t overbake!
5. Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting. Frost cupcakes with cream cheese icing (recipe below) and decorate with red sprinkles if desired. The cupcakes above were decorated using the Wilton Cupcake Decorating Kit and Valentine’s Sprinkles. They can usually be found at craft stores like Michaels or Joann.
6. Enjoy the cupcakes with those you love!
Recipe Notes: *Sift cake flour once before measuring, then sift again with the other dry ingredients per recipe instructions. Wear an apron and be careful with the red food coloring–no matter how hard I try, I always end up staining something! As you’re mixing the cake batter, use a spatula to scrape down the bowl frequently throughout the entire process. Since the batter is fairly thick, I have found that an old-fashioned ice cream scoop works best for filling the cupcake wells (also great for muffin batter!). Since all ovens are different, make sure you check the cupcakes a little early. Mine were ready in just over 2o minutes, yours may be done sooner, or they may take a minute or two longer.
Cream Cheese Frosting
16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting softens up, beat with mixer until smooth).
Recipe Notes: If you prefer a sweeter and/or stiffer frosting, more powdered sugar can be added (up to four cups). But remember, the more sugar you add, the less you’ll be able to taste the tangy cream cheese.
***justkrish recipe notes***
- I used one 1oz bottle and a teeny-tiny bottle that comes in the variety pack. The store only had one 1oz bottle left and I was too lazy to go to another store. It was still very red, but maybe not as rich in color.
- I didn’t buy buttermilk so I put 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice in 1 cup of 1% organic Strauss milk. Let it sit for 10 minutes before adding it. I did this at the beginning so when it was time to add it, I was good to go. I’m sure if I used real buttermilk the cupcake would’ve came differently, I just don’t know how. They were still very moist.
-
I have every type of vinegar. Rice, brown rice, balsamic, white balsamic, red wine, sherry, are all in my kitchen. But, of course the one staple that I should have and needed was white vinegar. I ended up using apple cider vinegar. I used just a little less than a teaspoon. I was worried about have an apple flavor. It still made the baking soda fizz and we didn’t taste any apple. J
Feb
25
2010
I don’t have many pet-peeves, but if there is one that I’ve had for awhile, it’s the whole shopping cart in the parking lot issue. I hate to see random shopping carts in the wrong place in the parking lot at grocery stores. I don’t know how difficult it is to return it to the designated area. Most the time I will walk it all the way back to the front of the store. Now I don’t expect everyone to do this, but I do expect people to put their cart in a cart cage that are placed throughout the parking lot. So when I saw this, I had to take a picture. It was the only I could keep for going crazy. I know this sounds crazy but it’s my issue. Of course I placed the cart in the cage when I was done taking the picture. Is there anyone else out there with me on this? If not, what’s a pet peeve of yours?
Feb
24
2010
Here’s another Napa Valley Wine on Wednesday.
This is our wine girl. She’s the lucky one who lives in wine country & enjoys all it has to offer.
I took this picture of my baby sis at the beautiful Sterling Vineyards estate. It was a perfect day to ride the gondola up to the winery and enjoy the spectacular hill top views of the grapevine valley. The terrace was a perfect place to relax a moment, taste our wine & soak up some sun. The pleasant surprise was how much I enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc. The bonus is, Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with all food pairings. May I suggest an angel hair primavera with fresh tomatoes!
Feb
17
2010
One of the first winery’s we ever visited was Cosentino. We always make it a point to stop there when we head back to the valley. The staff is friendly and the wine is good. Towards the end of our tasting the lady threw in a few “extra” tasting of some wines that weren’t on the list. My favorite, The Poet. It was so smooth, I really enjoy the blends they do there. If you ever take a trip to Napa Valley, Cosentino needs to be a must on your list!
Feb
10
2010
I changed Wednesdays’ Weekly to Wine on Wednesday, I hope you don’t mind. We made this change for a few reasons. One, I didn’t know what made Wednesdays’ Weekly different from any other post I decided to make during the week. Two, we love wine but we don’t drink it enough, so hopefully this will encourage us to sip a little more. Third, there’s a lot of good wine out there that needs to be drunk!
Here’s the first Wine on Wednesday, yay! One of our favorite wineries in Napa Valley is Clos Pegase. I love the abstract art that is throughout the grounds, the wine caves and the awesome staff. We are headed up to Napa this weekend and this is definitely on the list. May we suggest, the 2004 Cabernet. 
What’s your favorite wine?
Feb
8
2010
Yesterday was the big game. In house’s across the nation people consumed a lot of food. I received a tweet that on Super Bowl Sunday over 8 Million pounds of Guacamole are consumed & 34 million pounds of Salsa, not to mention all the dip that is being consumed. I thought I would kick of the first Mondays’ Menu of the new year with a new dip I made for the big game. Even though the football is over you could change the name to Three-point Taco Dip for March Madness coming up. I had this dip at a party and I asked for the recipe. I didn’t know the girl who made it but she sent me the recipe. So, thank you Ashley, it came out great! You’ll find my modifications at the bottom of the recipe. Let me know what you think if you try it.
Touchdown Taco Dip
1 can bean dip or re-fried beans
4 oz. cream cheesed softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/2 medium tomato seeded and diced
2 green onions with tops thinly sliced
1/4 cup pitted ripe olives
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro or parsley
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread bean dip over bottom of dish. Combine cream cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning mix and pressed garlic. Mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over bean dip. Put shredded cheese on top of cream cheese mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Dice tomato and thinly slice green onions. Sprinkle tomato, onion, olives, and cilantro over dip. Serve with tortilla chips.
*Here are my modifications: homemade re-fried beans instead of can, plain organic yogurt instead of sour cream, organic cream cheese
Feb
7
2010
Currently on the night stand: The Happiness Project or why I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closet, fight right, read Aristotle, and generally have more fun by Gretchen Rubin.
So here is how I got to making this my first ever Amazon.com purchase. I read this blog pretty regularly and one day she posted that they were picking a new book and extended an invitation to join her bookclub. I’ve been wanting to start a book club, but can’t find anyone to join me. So I thought I’m going to try one online. We officially start talking about this today. I’m curious how it’s going to work.
Anyhow, this book is literally on my night stand. I will not allow myself to move it from there. I’ve already fallen behind in grading assignments for my kids and homework assingments for my night classes, because I’d rather read than grade. Again, this is the reason I haven’t read during the school year in two years. I’m not good putting down the book to teach. I told myself that if I wanted to read this book then I would have to go to bed sooner. Well, it’s been working. I’ve been getting things done so I can get in bed and read. I just started this book a couple days ago and so far I’m not sure if I could be happy with the same thing Gretchen was after her first month. I really don’t think organzing my closet would make a big enough difference to me to make me happier. I think I’m a pretty happy person already.
How about you, are you happy? I’ll let you know how the book club goes. Till then get to bed early and free your mind and read!