Sunday, March 30, 2014

Berry Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding







Introducing the latest trend in our kitchen: chia seed pudding. It has proven to be the perfect everything. It can be made as a sensible dessert, a middle of the day snack, and even a light breakfast. So far we have tried two versions: Mexican chocolate and berry vanilla. Before you stands the winner of our taste contest. 

Disclaimer: don't discredit the Mexican chocolate version! As the hubs loves chocolate pie, I assumed that he would love any chocolate pudding. It became apparent that neither of our fans of adding spices to our chocolate. The pinch of cayenne was pleasant but threw off the dessert vibe. I would love to make this again, sans the pepper, and topped with cherries. If you're a fan of Mexican hot chocolate- give the original recipe a go! Plus, it's fun because of the mousse-like texture. 

This vanilla based chia seed pudding is made with vanilla flavored almond milk and low-fat Greek yogurt. Since I only buy unsweetened almond milk, I tried to compensate by adding a splash more of vanilla extract. I'd imagine vanilla bean would be absolutely yummy! 

Simply mix the wet ingredients with the chia seeds and a little maple syrup, pop it in the fridge over night, and enjoy the next day! Why the wait? The chias need time to expand. When wet, the seed can expand nine times its original size. Hence, they're great for conscious eaters because they're filling as well as full of nutrients. Even Autumn wants in on that action!


What really makes any chia seed pudding shine is the toppings. Berries are a must! They're naturally sweet and make everything better. Use toasted almonds, shredded coconut, or dark chocolate shavings. The possibilities are endless-ish! You can blend berries in soy milk as a base liquid or supplement with coconut milk. I'm excited to try them all, particularly this recipe that uses bananas and peanut butter. This is only the beginning of an obsession. 

If you're looking for a light and tasty snack, try chia seed pudding! For the Berry Vanilla recipe, check out the Food Network!

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

The Red Truck Bakery





Several months back, the husband and I had the opportunity to explore the quaint town of historical Warrenton, VA, thanks to our friends, Harold and Yen. As a wedding gift, we got to enjoy a one night stay at the Airlie, a conference/wedding venue tucked away in the lush shadow of the Shenandoah.  There were so many pictures from this tiny trip, it only made sense to break it down into segments. There's magic everywhere, it's just a matter of appreciating it. 

The first thing that we do when visiting a new area is scope out the local bakeries. I'm forever curious to see life in someone else's kitchen. After a quick internet search, the top hitting spot in this area stood out loud and clear:

The Red Truck Bakery

What's the fuss about this bakery? Oh I don't know... to start, there is the mountain of praise it has received from sources like The Washington Post, New York Times, Andrew Zimmerman, and the Oprah Magazine. Plus, there is the matter of the prestigious "Best Pumpkin Pie" award from the Washingtonian. Sounds like it's all the rage and should be teeming with hipsters, right?

Much to my delight, it's a down to earth, ol' fashioned bakery. It's nestled near the center of the historic section of town in a renovated 1921 Esso filling station. The iconic, Red Truck is parked right outside. When we arrived on a Saturday afternoon, there were no other customers and it was still as a church. This quiet, laid back store is the cause of so much fuss? Turns out this was the eye of the storm since it's usually bumpin on the weekend.

The variety of baked goods was dazzling, especially for the simplicity of the set-up. There are no frills- this a real kitchen. There was a myriad of breads distributed across the counter plus loaves, pies, and cookies. I wanted to try everything in the display window when the coffee cake caught my eye. There's a nostalgia associated with coffee cake as my mother often served the Entemann's version to her Portuguese rosary group. Goodness gracious... 

Just look at this beauty! 


A slab of Red Truck's coffee cake is bigger than Mike's fist, and I don't call him Monster Mitts cuz it sounds cute. It was moist, lightly sweetened, and heavenly. There must be some sour cream in this bad boy because it was really nice texture. Honestly, this is one item that I would not mind purchasing through their online delivery service. They ship nation-wide and their spring flavor, a meyer lemon cake, is teasing for a tasting. 

We took the famous pumpkin pie to share with the family as a thanks for watching Autumn during our excursion. It is indeed a solid, all-American pumpkin pie! The filling is smooth and mild with a clean crust. What's the cause of this magic? Instead of dumping in white sugar, the owner, Brian Noyes, uses a caramel of sugar, water, and cream then adds orange zest to brighten things up. Pretty slick, no? 

There are so many other confections to try- we just scratched the surface! Check out their online store or make it a day to visit Old Town Warrenton. 

The Red Truck Bakery
22 Waterloo St, Warrenton, VA 20186
(540) 347-2224

Thursday, March 20, 2014

A Little Green Tea Cake



Truth be told, my sweet tooth is not very sweet. When we go to Georgetown, I proudly march pass the acclaimed Georgetown Cupcake and head straight to Pie Sisters. Spare me the mountain of frosting! I want mixed berries in my tummy! Plus, the miniature pies are freaking adorable and perfectly portioned. It's just the right fix.

Now that's not to say that I don't enjoy a good slice of cake. I am known for having a profound weakness towards German Chocolate Cake, anything with chai, coffee, or Kahlua in it. What's your kryptonite? It's a hardline to walk- it shouldn't be too sugary but still needs that to be that slice of good ol' fashioned cake.



That's why the Little Green Tea Cake is so gosh darn great! It was made for a joint birthday celebration. Luckily, the birthday boys have a similar preference in terms of food and neither like super sugary desserts. I was straining to think of a flavor that would translate well and recalled a conversation about the Korean bakeries in Annandale, VA. The shops are not filled with sinful donuts or on-contact-diabetic cupcakes. Instead, the selection is much more mellow with fruits, red bean, and gelato. Matcha, ground green tea leaves, is a common ingredient because of its signature light flavor that does not tip the scale into savory. Perfect!


After searching the internet and some cook books at home, I selected this version by Tiramisuki's from All Recipes. It is a subtle, green tea cake with a cream cheese based frosting. Don't let the cream cheese fool you; it's easy to work with and keeps that subtle tea profile in tact. I could see this with an almond based frosting as an alternative.... yum. The cake itself is very moist because of the use of yogurt as well as vegetable oil in the batter.  All the components came together into a lovely confection. It was an instant success! Feel free to use sugar pearls to add some texture. 

Note: some folks have a hard time finding matcha tea powder. I used "Tea's Tea" Matcha Powder which can be found at Wegmans. An alternative is to buy green tea bags with loose leaves (i.e. Stash Green Chai or, what I drink at work, The Republic of Tea Double Green Matcha Tea) and grind them into powder form in a coffee grinder.

This version is ideal for a small group because I halved the original recipe and used two, 6-inch round pans. For the recipe, check out Tiramisuki's post on All Recipes!

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Ultimate Banana Bread by America's Test Kitchen


There are so many versions of banana bread it makes my head spin- each is wonderful in their own right. I've enjoyed making it with roasted bananas and pumpkin seeds, to lemon and olive oil. Heck, my mom used to make it all the time filled with chocolate chips. It's simply a matter of preference. What's your favorite banana bread recipe?

Naturally, my curiosity was piqued to see America's Test Kitchen's, "Ultimate Banana Bread." There are lot of claims on the internet for the "ultimate" or "best" of anything- but when it's from America's Test Kitchen, you have my attention. I watched part of the online episode and was intrigued by their method of heightening the banana flavor.

For starters, there are six bananas involved- SIX! That's a double the amount of most recipes. If you were to simply stuff all these in your standard recipe, you would essentially get banana brick bread. The texture becomes way too dense because there's wayyyy too much moisture in five bananas. So how do you make it more banana-y without adding more bananas? This is where the madness begins.

Using the microwave, a new-to-me method, you create what is essentially "banana juice" by extracting the liquid from five bananas. The microwave cooks from the inside out and it's quick so the flavor remains in tact. There's all that moisture that would otherwise weigh down the loaf. You reduce the banana juice over the stove to create about a 1/4 cup of concentrated syrup. Genius.


To top it all off, you add the sixth banana on top as a lovely lining in the pan. This really made my heart swoon because it's such a nice aesthetic compared to my usual, plain-jane sort of loaf.

In terms of flavor, this was the most banana-flavored bread that I've ever tasted. It stays true to its namesake because it's simple, there are no bells and whistles aside from toasted walnuts. Sneak in any other flavors you usually enjoy like chocolate chips or dried fruit. My only qualm is that I make banana bread when there are too many lying around on the verge of expiration. Generally you don't see six bananas on that cusp in our two person home.

This recipe is brought to you by America's Test Kitchen. It can be found on numerous sites and you can catch the video here!

Pro Tip: I finally learned the reason behind the age old requirement of using super ripe bananas: they have more sugar! The younger the banana, the more starch, which as it ripens, converts to sugar.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

No Bake, Peanut Butter Mousse Pie with Cookie Crust and Hot Fudge



Peanut butter makes for a lousy cake. At least that's been my experience to date. It's fantastic as a frosting or filling but in the actual batter, it tends to make the consistency crumbly. That's never a good thing. 



Bearing this in mind, I threw convention to the wind for my brother's birthday. That man's palette is hard to peg; he's surprised me more than once with his commentary on desserts.  There is one thing I know to be true and I have relied on heavily on this fact: his love for peanut butter. 

Sorry traditional cake... not this day! Or should I say, not this birthday! This Peanut Butter Mousse Pie won the spotlight this year. It's from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, one of my favorite cook-books for sweet treats. This pie don't play.



For starters, the crust consists of smashed chocolate waffers mixed with butter. Yes, cookies are built in! There's a thin coat of chocolate ganache spread on top to ensure that the filling doesn't moisten the crust. The filling is a sinful mousse comprised of creamy peanut butter, dark brown sugar, whipped cream, and cream cheese. I feel heavier just typing that list. As if all this isn't trouble enough, the fellas of Baked go hard and add a thick, luscious hot fudge topping. These elements combined make for a sincerely awesome pie. Not too heavy... smooth and balanced. 

Oh, and did I mention that this is a no-bake recipe? Measure, mix, and pop it in the fridge. Grab a tall glass of milk and attack. Doesn't get any better!



This pie was a hit. The birthday boy and the rest of the family gave high praise; it's in the husband's Top Five of Squirrel's and Sweets. That should tell you something since he gets to taste everything that I bake! 

Happy birthday again Joey! You are loved! 

Out of respect for the hard work the authors of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking put into their craft, it doesn't feel right to post this recipe. However, it can be found on the internet from other sources. If you like this pie, you'll love the entire book.