MaternityShare

We accidentally happened across a local whole foods grocery while driving through Redding, California when I entered “Whole Foods” into my google maps app on my iPhone. It searches for something, anything with those words related to the closest business to you. I have been fooled by this many-a-time. I just trust that it will direct me to the thing I want not the thing related to the thing I want. Have I lost you? No matter, thats not what this is about anyway.

So we go into Orchard Nutrition Center to satisfy my “whole foods” requirement and as we are checking out I see this 6 pack of muffins that looked very wholesome and yummy. We bought it for around $4.50 (seemed like a deal to me… the ingredients were near perfect and real, whole foods - a rarity). Will and I feasted off of theses for days.

I would love to make muffins like this at home. After we move out our Summer House I will turn to cooking and baking.

Raisin Bran Muffins ingredient list:

organic wheat flour, bran, buttermilk, honey, rasins, eggs, safflower oil, baking powder, baking soda

I love Sunflower Nut Butter. I get it at Trader Joes. It has evaporated cane juice in it so its extra yummy.

Art my housemate in the triangle likes it too. It took me less than a day to raid his jar. He didn’t have much left so I felt kinda bad. I fessed up and told him I would get him another jar and I got myself one too. I hadn’t had it in quite some time… probably since I was pregnant. Its a luxury. And I feel kind of bad that it had sugar added to it (I try to limit my sugar intake). Art told me that it was a good sugar when I told him he was evil for re-addicting me. He also said that the whole deal was good for me. Ok. I feel better. Thanks Art.

The other day Art told me to have the sunflower nut butter (SFNB) on his challah bread and that it was yummilicous. I raided his bread but used my SFNB this time. Yup, it was good.

I shared with him my secret recipe of bread, SFNB and cheese. I think he said “hm”. A few days later Art caught me in the kitchen with my SFNB with yogurt on bread. PB&Y he called it. I then told him of the master piece I made the day before: bread, SFNB, egg (over-medium) and, yogurt. Mmm.

I am aspiring to become a good cook. I am going to start out with some basic recipes that are more traditional like pastas, casseroles and such. After I get a few of those under my belt (successfully) I will move on to more elaborate dishes.

So, my radar is now primed to be on the lookout for recipes. This one caught my eye the other day from the top of my gmail page:

FRENCH FRY SPAM CASSEROLE

Wha?!
For real?

I had to click on it, so I did. It is for real and I am real scared.

Bon appetit!

How is that in my quest to learn more about food and cooking I have come across some amazing Portland business that I am dying to try out. Here I am in the Bay Area far away from them. Today would be a perfect day to head over to Sweet Pea Baking Company. Mmmm-a-licious. They are Portland’s first vegan café and bakery. “Located at 1205 SE Stark Street, Porltand, OR, Sweet Pea will feature fresh gourmet vegan baked goods, Stumptown coffee/espresso and a light breakfast and lunch menu.” (click this to find out more.) I love vegan eats. I’m not even vegan. They just sit well in my stomach. And I am almost always happy and have energy after I eat a vegan desert. Not so with “normal” desserts (even some of the “healthier” ones). Vegans know how to do it. They have been practicing at it a while. Now, I don’t eat vegan that much but, let me tell you, I notice the difference. It just keeps getting better. All the faux desserts and other dishes they make are great alternatives.

Hm, maybe I SHOULD become vegan.
I’m not ready for that yet. Breastfeeding, money, effort, etc… But I think my life would be better. Anyway…

Here is another cool place I must check out:

Food Fight Grocery a vegan grocery at 1217 Stark St in SE Portland, Or.

ps. Check out these great deals on vegan pies from Sweet Pea.

*salivating*

The other day Billy made me a breakfast that he called Toad In the Hole. It is a piece of bread with a circle cut out of the middle. In this hole goes an egg and the whole thing is fried an a pan. When I looked at it I thought it would be bland tasting but since he used butter on the bread before frying, it was delicious!

A few days after experiencing this curious breakfast I came across this article in Small Magazine (my new favorite online magazine) that tells the story about this very same meal from the words of one of the artists, Amy Karol. She gives her recipe as well as a sweet background history of how she came to love this and other foods her dad made her.