blackbottom cupcakes

Ingredients for cream cheese mixture

1-8 oz cream cheese

1 egg

1/4 c evaporated cane sugar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

6 oz  semi-sweet chocolate chips (which is half a bag)

Ingredients for cupcakes

1  1/2 c all-purpose flour

3/4 c evaporated cane juice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 c organic cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 c water

1/3 c canola oil

1 T white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*

In a medium bowl, place cream cheese, egg, evaporated cane juice and salt and beat well. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a large bowl add flour, evaporated cane juice, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt, water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. With an electric mixer, on medium speed, beat well.

Fill cupcake liners until 1/3-1/2 full. Top each with a heaping teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture.

Bake cupcakes for 25-30 mins. Always best eaten warm.

Makes 18 cupcakes.

abandoned miniature golf course

xploration lab

 world war II japanese american experience

you can only take what you can carry. what would you take with you?

los angeles rooftop icon

east los angeles

neon near hollywood & vine

"going nowhere fast"

by british street artist D*FACE at the Corey Helford Gallery

let's go fly a kite!

With tuppence for paper and strings,
you can have your own set of wings.
With your feet on the ground,
you're a bird in flight!
With your fist holding tight,
to the string of your kite!

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height
Let's go fly a kite
And send it soaring
Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear
Oh, let's go fly a kite!

When you send it flying up there,
all at once your lighter than air!
You can dance on the breeze,
over 'ouses and trees!
With your fist 'olding tight,
to the string your kite!

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height
Let's go fly a kite
And send it soaring
Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear 
Oh, let's go fly a kite! 

pop tarts are for big kids too!

Dough

1¾ sticks butter

1/2 c cold water

1 3/4 c  flour

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 T sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg yolk

1/2 t cider vinegar

Directions

Cut the butter into medium-sized cubes and put it in the freezer. Put half a cup of cold water in the freezer too while you assemble the other ingredients for the recipe. Put two sheets of plastic wrap, about 24 inches long, on a work surface, overlapping them lengthwise by a few inches so that they form a big triangle.

Put the flours, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor, then pulse it once or twice to make sure the ingredients are combined. In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolk and vinegar. When the butter is quite hard, after about one-half hour, add the pieces to the food processor. Pulse it a half dozen times, until the pieces of butter are about the size of jelly beans.

Take the ice water out of the freezer (it should be very cold but not frozen) and mix it into the egg and vinegar mixture. Immediately add this to the mixture in the food processor and pulse until the mixture begins to come together. The bits of butter will still be visible.

Dump the mixture out into the middle of the plastic wrap. Pull the edges of the plastic up around the dough, squashing it together and blending in the streaks of butter, which you should still be able to see in the dough. Don't overwork the dough or blend in all the butter: it should be streaky and just come together.

Using the plastic to press the dough, form it into a rectangle, wrapping the plastic tightly around the dough in the process. Put the dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour or overnight. (you can keep it the refrigerator for a few days and up to a month in the freezer).

Putting together your pop tarts

a ruler

dough

3/4 cup filling of your choice (I made my own strawberry jam)

1 egg, beaten

Take the chilled pie dough out of the refrigerator. Divide it in half, and put both portions on a floured work surface.

Roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a rectangle until it measures 9 by 12 inches and about 1/4” in thick. (Don't worry if the rectangle isn't perfect as you can re-knead left over dough).

Using the ruler, divide the rectangle in half lengthwise, pressing the ruler down slightly so that you can see the lines. Divide the rectangle in half, then in half again width-wise, so you have 6-8 rectangles of 3 1/2” x 4 1/2” each. Do the same thing for the other piece of dough. Cut each piece of dough into rectangles, following the lines from the ruler. You can also pre-cut a rectangle from a piece of clean paper, which is what I did.

Using a pastry brush, brush half of the squares with the beaten egg, making sure you get to the edges.

Spoon a heaping teaspoon of filling into the center of each brushed rectangle, spreading it out a little but making sure that there's at least one-half inch of dough around the edges that does not have filling on it. Gently lift a second rectangle of unbrushed pastry on top of the one with the filling on it, pressing down along the edges so that the two pieces of dough stick together.

Using a fork, press the tines around the edges of all the tarts (you can dip the fork it into a little cup of flour to keep it from sticking). Prick the tops of the tarts in neat rows, to let the steam escape during baking. Place the tarts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the tarts in the freezer for half an hour.

Preheat oven to 375*

Before putting the tarts in the oven, brush the tops with some of the remaining egg wash. Bake the tarts on a rack in the middle of the oven until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool a few minutes and eat warm.

"no guilt" brownies

OK, these aren't your typical brownies. They are made from 'black beans"! They are moist and almost fudge-like and are less than 100 calories per square! So if you can't have all that sugar, this may be the alternative for you.

Ingredients

15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained


1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder


1 tsp expresso powder


3/4 cup liquid egg substitute


3 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour


3/4 cup agave nectar


1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted


1 tsp vanilla extract


Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Place the black beans, cocoa powder, egg substitute, espresso powder and flour in a food processor. Blend until the mixture has no lumps at all. Add the vanilla, agave and butter. Blend again until everything is fully mixed.


Pour the brownie mix into the greased 8×8 pan and bake for 20 minutes. Also, make sure to turn the 8×8 baking pan halfway through.

Turn the temperature down to 300 degrees and bake for another 5-8 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Be careful not to overcook the brownies either though!

Let the brownies cool completely until they reach room temperature.

Place the brownies in the fridge for 3 hours.

Cut them into 12 squares and serve.

Make sure to refrigerate any of your leftovers.

12 pieces=88 calories each! Moisture, texture and are low calorie!

real trees or wall of ivy?

texting while driving!!!

the ticket should be much higher

fyi...new driver on the road

spicy turkey sausage biscuit drizzled with honey

Ingredients

2/3 c cold buttermilk

1 large egg, cold

1  3/4c all-purpose flour

1 T cane sugar sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into 8 pieces

1/2 lb sausage, any type to your liking

Directions

Cook sausage, cool, then crumble or cut into small pieces. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400*

In a small bowl, stir together buttermilk and egg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the butter pieces and cut together with a pastry blender or t

2 knives until pea-sized flour coated pieces form.

Make a well in the center and use a large spoon and add buttermilk mixture to form a soft dough. Stir in cooked sausage.

Using a large spoon, drop the scooped dough about 1/4” apart into the 8”x8” greased pan. 3 scoops of dough on top and bottom of pan and 2 scoops in center

Bake about 18 mins or until the tops of biscuits are golden. The biscuits will spread to fill the pan. Serve warm and drizzle honey over biscuits, if desired.

Makes 8 biscuits

moroccan pot roast over couscous

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 T paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon dried mint

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 c cilantro stems, finely chopped, saving the leaves for garnish

4 c water

1-14 oz canned diced tomatoes,

2 T lemon juice

1 4-6lb boneless chuck roast

2 c cauliflower florets

4 carrots, cut into 1" chunks

3 c butternut squash, cut into 2" chunks

2 cups instant couscous

Honey glaze

1/2 cup honey

3 T braising liquid, reserved

2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried mint (you can take fresh cilantro and heat them in the oven on a piece foil, til crisp, then crush).

Garnish

cilantro leaves

Directions

For the pot roast: Preheat oven to 350*.

In a 6-quart Dutch oven, toss onions and garlic with spices, salt, and cilantro stems combine well. Pour in water and stir in diced tomatoes and lemon juice. Lay in meat, cover, and bake 1 and 1/2 hour.

Remove lid and bake 1 hour more. Ensure there are 2"-3" of liquid in pot, adding more water as needed.

Cover and bake 30 mins or until meat is tender. If not tender, continue to bake, checking every 15 minutes. When it is fork-tender, remove meat to a platter.

Add cauliflower, carrots, and squash and place pot over a medium-hot burner. Bring to a light boil and cook until vegetables are medium done, about 10-12 mins. Remove from heat and degrease the top.

Remove the vegetables and taste the liquid. If too watery, return to heat, bring to a boil, and reduce to concentrate the flavors. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 450*

Honey Glaze

In a small saucepan, combine honey, reserved braising liquid, lemon juice, and mint. Heat 1-2 mins to form a light syrup. Place roast in a roasting pan and brush on glaze. Place in oven and brush on more glaze every 5 minutes until the glaze has become bubbly and shiny, about 15 mins total. Remove immediately.

While meat is roasting, prepare couscous as per directions on box.

To Serve

Put couscous in a large serving bowl. Put vegetables and plenty of braising sauce on a large deep serving bowl or platter. Remove roast from roasting pan and slice or cut meat into chunks and place on top. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 6-8