A Dose of the Delightful

Happy National Pancake Day! Recipe: Giada de Laurentiis' Almond Pancakes

In honor of National Pancake Day, I thought I'd post a pancake recipe the folks at A Bullseye View sent over: Giada's almond pancakes!

Here's the how to, along with some modifications I'd make:

Almond Pancakes (makes 16) 

½ cup (4 oz.) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ cups water
1 tablespoon sugar (I'd try organic coconut sugar for a healthier option)
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups buttermilk pancake mix (I'd use Pamela's gluten-free buttermilk pancake mix or try this almond flour pancake recipe)
4 ounces almond paste, cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Maple syrup (optional)
Fresh raspberries (optional)

Recipe steps:

1. In a food processor, combine the mascarpone cheese, water, sugar, almond extract and vanilla extract. Process until mixture is smooth.

2. Add pancake mix and pulse until just combined.

3. Add almond paste and pulse once to incorporate.

4. Preheat griddle or large, non-stick skillet over medium-low heat.

5. Grease griddle or skillet with 1 tablespoon butter.

6. Working in batches, pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake onto griddle. Cook for about 1 ½ minutes each side, or until golden.

7. Repeat with remaining butter and batter.

8. Arrange pancakes on a platter. Serve with maple syrup and fresh raspberries.

Yum!

 

Remembering Why I Created This Blog

Today is a tough day. The toughest. Today marks two years since my sweet baby brother passed away at the age of 12 after a short but incredibly grueling battle with leukemia.

Jonathan is the reason why A Dose of the Delightful exists. And while this blog doesn't often spend time on serious issues, it means so much more to me than just fun crafts and pretty pictures.

Though he was half my age, Jonathan taught me more than I ever taught him, just by virtue of being himself. He was always the type of child who thought of others before himself. I remember that on his 8th birthday, just a month after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast, he told my parents that he didn’t want presents for his birthday party. Instead, he asked that his friends and family donate money to aid victims of the disaster. And during his illness, he commented that although having leukemia was no picnic, many others were dealing with worse problems than his. He remarked that one day he might want to be a doctor or nurse, so he could help kids who were going through what he was.

The one time Jonathan expressed dismay at the situation, he commented to my mother, “I wish this had never happened.” That is a wish that I, and the rest of my familiy, will never be able to let go of. It is a terrible feeling to wish with all your heart that something had never happened. I am reminded of a conversation in The Fellowship of the Ring, which Jonathan, my brother Paul and I watched each year together:

Frodo confides in Gandalf: “I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

Gandalf replies: “So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

That is the message my brother Jonathan has left with me, and that I will carry throughout my life. In his short time here, Jonathan spent every moment he had pursuing what interested him, excited him, and made him a wonderful person. He was never found sitting in front of the TV unless he was ‘traveling’ to another country while watching Globetrekker or the Travel Channel. The sounds of his clarinet and piano were familiar music around our house. During the summer, he was found perfecting his pencil dive in our backyard pool. Jonathan was intentional about doing what he loved, and he has helped me to embrace the time I’m given in the same way he did.

During Jonathan's illness, I turned to things I had been passionate about as a child and in high school, but had let go of in college and never picked up since. I would often sit next to his hospital bed, working on something special I wanted to give him for his 13th birthday - a set of pillowcases embroidered with the musical instruments he played: clarinet and piano. My method of embroidery is to draw what I'd like to embroider on tracing paper, then pin it or use sticky spray to adhere it to the embroidery surface. I'd already finished the clarinet part of one pillowcase, but wanted to add musical notes from Jonathan's favorite song to play. One day, as I sat next to Jonny and drew a succession of musical notes, I stopped to show him the pillowcase I'd be adding the notes to. He admired the green outlines of a clarinet I'd created, exclaiming, "Wow - you're really good at that!" He shared how difficult he'd thought it was when, for a class project, they'd all had to cross stitch a pillow. His sweet compliment really made me stop and think to myself "I do enjoy this, and I'm not half bad at it. Why don't I do it more?"

I started thinking about all of the things I used to do that I'd just dropped because life was too busy. I realized that the fact of the matter is, you have to make time to do the things you love until the day you're lucky enough to do those things for a living. What was I going to get more satisfaction out of - coming home from work and vegging on the couch? Or coming home and working on a project I wanted to do? The answer was obvious.

I had simply forgotten/pushed aside how things like drawing, embroidery, sewing, and DIY projects really made my heart sing. The incredible way I feel when doing these things, and admiring my own handiwork after, is absolute confirmation that these pursuits are a big part of what makes me me.

I started this blog purely for me, as a way to document my evening and weekend creative pursuits. The fact that people actually want to read it is an unexpected, but incredibly appreciated cherry on top. And the warm fuzzy feeling I get when someone tells me I've helped them in some way, caused them to think, encouraged them to try a craft - well, that's truly unparalleled. Who knows - there may be a time when I get to spend my days doing this stuff all day long!

Now and always, I'm thankful to my brother for showing me that life's not much unless you actively pursue what you love. If you don't know what that is yet, make a real effort to find out. It's only by being the best version of ourselves - the truest version, not what we think we should be - that we find genuine happiness and success. I'm not quite there yet, but every day I feel closer and closer to it. 

Recently Captured: What I've Made/Eaten This Month

Lots of Instagram-crazy folks joke that if you didn't Instagram it, you didn't eat it. I'm not quite that die hard, but lately my Instagram photos have been pretty food-focused! Here are my food shots from the past month - it's fun to look back and see what I've made/eaten.

Top Left: I decided to make this for brunch one recent Saturday morning. I popped over to Essex St. Market for some fresh baked seven-grain from Pain D'Avignon, topped with organic ricotta, organic sautéed kale, and an organic fried egg (recipe here). 
Top Right: My other culinary experiment that day was baking this super delicious, nutritious, grain-free bread using a recipe from Elana's Pantry. It's made of coconut flour & almond flour (flour meaning just finely ground coconuts and almonds) and ground flaxseeds. 
Bottom Left: I'm definitely a crunchy/salty fiend! These baby kale chips were incredibly easy to make, saved me some wilty kale, and stave off those junk cravings. Here's how to make them. 
Bottom Right: Although I've recently been considering cutting way back on dairy to see how it makes me feel, I do love Greek yogurt. Chobani recently opened a SoHo retail shop that whips up delicious creations a la Pinkberry. In the past few weeks, I've had plain yogurt with dark chocolate crumbles, toasted pistachios, mandarin orange slices, and mint. Yum. Even better, the store has made some great choices to further sustainability - all of its creations are served in infinitely recyclable glass. If you take your yogurt to go & later bring back the glass bowl, you get 25 cents back!

Top Left: One of Mongolia's staple foods is mutton. Mutton?!? Yes, mutton. I'll admit we got pretty tired of it after 2 weeks, but these mutton dumplings and pretty red cabbage salad were tasty. 
Top Right: The food in the Seoul airport was delicious - not a McDonald's in sight (at least in my terminal)! On my flight back from Mongolia, I got this tasty, spicy veggie bibimbap. Side note - it's also the cleanest, sparkliest airport I've ever been to. 
Bottom Left: Have you guys ever had dragon fruit (pitaya)? Isn't it pretty? I'm lucky enough to be able to find it in Chinatown, though it's native to East/Southeast Asia. There are two kinds - one that's pink on the outside with white flesh, and one that's pink on outside with hot pink flesh. Unbeknownst to me, I picked the kind with hot pink flesh. It was mildly sweet and reminded me of a kiwi - but the juices were definitely a hazard for clothing if you're not careful!  
Bottom Right: Chia pudding I made using homemade almond milk. This was delicious, but a more exciting meal than I'd have preferred. In recent years, I've developed an allergy to apples and occasionally other things that it's hard to pinpoint. With apples, my mouth gets really itchy and swells, and I've occasionally had the same reaction with almonds. I don't know if my allergy's getting worse or what, or if the almond enzymes were just extra-concentrated in the milk I made, but after a few bites of this, my voice started getting hoarse! I popped some Benedryl and all was fine, but I've learned that what makes me 'sometimes' allergic to almonds is when they're raw. Roasted almonds don't give me any trouble. Bummer!

There you have it - some of what I've made & eaten in the past month. As you can tell, I'm not big on overly complicated recipes & prep, but I've found that doesn't limit me from making something tasty & nourishing. All of the above recipes are very easy - let me know if you try one and what you think!

How to Make Kale Chips

I had some unused baby kale that was looking pretty wilted, but I really didn't want to throw it away because I hate wasting food I've paid for! Rather than sauteeing it like I usually do, I decided to give making kale chips a whirl. I buy them often but they're just so expensive. Turns out these are one of the easiest things ever to make - a monkey could make them - and they're soooooo good (and crazy healthy). 

Here's how to make kale chips:

Wash kale.

Dry it completely (use a salad spinner, paper towels, or air dry for awhile).

Toss it with olive oil (just a bit) and salt to taste.

Bake on aluminum foil or a cookie sheet at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Eat them!

I love that they're a solution for making sure less than fresh kale doesn't go to waste - and they taste fantastic. They definitely satisfy my crunchy/salty urge.

DIY Peanut Butter Update: Sweetened With Maple Syrup

When I posted my DIY peanut butter recipe, I mentioned that I had plans to try a version sweetened with maple syrup instead of honey. I finally did, and the results are in: I like it even better than the original! It's subtly sweet, and not at all too mapley. I also decided to cut back on the coconut oil this time since you can definitely taste the coconut. Instead, I used a mixture of coconut and safflower oils. If you're not familiar with safflower oil, get familiar! It's an incredibly healthy oil and has no noticeable fragrance or taste - making it a perfect substitute for canola oil.

Here's a modified version of the recipe:

3 cups unsalted roasted peanuts
1 tbsp coconut oil 
1 tbsp safflower oil
Sea salt to taste
Maple syrup to taste

You'll also need a food processor. Process peanuts one cup at a time; add coconut & safflower oil as you go.

This really is incredibly easy to do once you've done it - it takes literally 5 minutes, and the reward is some of the best-tasting peanut butter ever (at least that I've had). It's so good I'm definitely guilty of getting out a spoon and going to town - another reason I'm glad it's so easy to make more!

DIY Peanut Butter:Tastier, Safer, & Just How You Like It

Ever since my colleague Neal brought his own homemade peanut butter to our office, I've been dying to make my own. There are so many great reasons to avoid commercially made peanut butter - chief among them that homemade tastes wayyyy better!  Plus, most of us don't have time to make things from scratch and therefore have to sacrifice knowing exactly how our food is prepared and what's in it. I like that it's so easy to make such a staple food myself - I know exactly what's in it and under what conditions it was made. No salmonella here! Finally, it's insanely cheap to make.

I decided to try my first batch with a few thoughts in mind. I'm not a huge fan of having to stir the oil that usually sits at the top of natural peanut butter, and I know a ton of people who won't eat natural peanut butter because of this, so I wanted to make it as smooth and solid as possible. Coconut oil, in addition to being super good for you, is also solid at room temperature, so would theoretically help me achieve the consistency I was after. Just so you know, it's the partially hydrogenated oil added to commercial PB that keeps it solid but also makes it pretty bad for you (it turns into trans fats). 

I also wanted to avoid using refined sugars, so I chose to sweeten mine with honey! Maple syrup seems like it would be another yummy option. 

You can also avoid using oil altogether and just process the peanuts until they're nice and smooth - but the peanut butter will be a bit more difficult to spread.

You'll just need the ingredients below and a food processor! 

Ingredients:
3 cups unsalted roasted peanuts
2 tbsps coconut oil - Try a different oil if you don't like a hint of coconut - safflower oil is another super healthy alternative that's tasteless. 
Sea salt to taste
Honey to taste

A whopping 4 ingredients, plus my favorite measuring cups 

 Process peanuts one cup at a time; add coconut oil or oil of your choice as you go.

 Once the peanut butter begins to get creamy, add salt and honey (or other sweetener) to taste.

Blend until it's as creamy as you'd like - mine took about 4-5 minutes. How simple is that?

Transfer the peanut butter to an airtight container, and you're done! The PB should last about a month, and up to two months if kept in the fridge.

I really like that this is completely customizable. For example, if you like chunky peanut butter, process one cup of peanuts until they're finely chopped, then set aside while you process the other two cups until creamy. Then mix the chopped peanuts in. You can also sweeten with other ingredients (like maple syrup) - my colleague Lib even suggested mixing in some Nutella!

This really is one of the easiest and most delicious things I've made in a long time - anyone can (and should) try it!

Nautically-Inspired Tablescape + Announcing Mason Made!

I'm super excited to share what has kept me so busy during my free time over the past few weeks - I couldn't be happier with the results so far! I'm helping my friend Sarah Mason launch a gluten-free baking business called Mason Made, so have been lending a hand with the design & marketing aspects of the business. Just last week, we were lucky enough to have a big, exciting debut as a sponsor for a very worthy cause: The Harbor School. The Harbor School is a New York city public school located on Governor's Island.What sets it apart is its educational principles: 

1. The marine world provides an ideal forum for an education based on excellence, discipline and interdependence.
2. Hands-on, inquiry-based learning in a natural environment stimulates curiosity, critical thinking, and vision, all of which lead to improved academic performance.
3. All students have the desire and intellect to reach their highest academic standards when given the right opportunities and clear expectations.
4. Small schools allow students a larger stake in decision making, as well as increased personal attention, alternative assessments, and easier access to the staff.

Just last week, the Harbor School held a Regatta and Bash to fund the aspects of the school that aren't funded by the public school system, and we were thrilled to be a part of it. Over the course of about 7 crazy days, I pulled together business cards, a banner, stickers, napkins, t-shirts, and a little tablescape, and Sarah absolutely baked her face off to provide enough gluten-free goodies for 500 people.

We decided to really embrace the nautical nature of the event, incorporating maritime-related elements into our table. I chose natural canvas reminiscent of sailcloth to cover the table, as well as homespun-style kitchen towels with a marine blue stripe for stand covers. Sarah very patiently showed me how to tie a square knot about 15 times, and I used this to accent goody stands with rigging-type rope, as well as tent cards with marigold cording. Various bottles & vases in sea glass-inspired shades, some with sand inside to steady them in the wind, held sweet william & billy balls, chosen to add a dash of bright color. We even gave the treats nautical names: Man Overboard Mint Thins, Salty Dogs (chocolate chip cookies with sea salt), The Siren's Song (dark chocolate sugar cookie sandwiches), and Regatta Red Velvet mini cupcakes.

 

How pretty do these Man Overboard Mint Thins looks against the citron glass cake stand Sarah picked up at Fishs Eddy? It's a good thing I wasn't with her, because that place is like kryptonite to me.

Our Regatta Red Velvet mini cupcakes (with cream cheese frosting, of course) were quite a hit, and since it's easy to pop a whole one, we had many, many repeat visitors!

The Siren's Song: Mast Brothers chocolate sandwiched by light sugar cookies. Mmm.

I threw together some nautically-themed recipe cards for our Man Overboard Mint Thins, which included delish Mast Brothers chocolate.

Sarah had the fantastic idea of using branded burgees (yacht flags for you non-seafaring types), so I made these out of some canvas scraps and marigold tape from Purl Soho. I'd never hand-grommeted anything before, but it turned out to be pretty easy (with the help of a little muscle from my man friend). At first I thought I needed to buy a grommet punch, but I was assured by the friendly folks at M + J Trimming that a hammer was all that was required. I stenciled the Mason Made monogram on with pencil and then painted over it with Pebeo's Setacolor Fabric Paint in Royal Blue. We strung them on either side of our banner, and I think they turned out pretty well!

Sneak Peek Part 2: HomeGoods in Manhattan!

Whew! It's been a busy weekend, but I've finally had time to share the rest of my finds from the press preview of the new HomeGoods on 99th and Columbus.

Today's the opening day of the store, and I'm sure it's an absolute madhouse. I just hope some of my finds are still there next weekend!

I really like the retro-inspired fabric on this slipper chair - but the chair's so inexpensive, it'd also be fun to reupholster. The rattan tray would look great atop an ottoman or coffee table, and the cute pouf on the bottom right makes a great footrest or additional seating in a pinch.

The bright colors of these sheets and duvet really caught my eye. I particularly like the kaleidoscopic pattern on the top right. Polka dots have been popping up everywhere lately, and these periwinkle dotted sheets are a cheap way to update my basic bedding without making major changes.

My love affair with stripes will never die, and these red and blue striped pillows are incredibly classic. The marigold print pillow on the bottom right would work well with a few other patterned pillows with hints of that pretty golden yellow.

 Like mirrors, rugs are another piece I'm hesitant to shell out lots of money for, but are pretty essential. A large sisal rug might cost $500 or more, but these faux versions work just as well, and I wouldn't constantly worry about ruining them.

These fun outdoor chairs have CB2 written all over them.  

 Yep, that's Kate Spade china on the left and the bottom right. I love the playful patterns in combination with elegant gold edging. I'd fill each of the old-fashioned glass candy jars with anything that struck my fancy, like a collection of discarded wine corks, shells from a vacation, or clementines and lemons for an outdoor dinner party in the summer.

 Not too long ago, I was in the Conran Shop drooling over olive wood serverware. These items from Arte Legno are stunning - the marbled grain is so eye-catching. 

The happy hues of the cutting boards and colanders on the top and bottom left would make any prep job less of a chore, and they're made by sustainable brand Preserve to boot.  Preserve, which also sells everyday tableware and food storage items, makes everything from 100% recycled plastic, and the items themselves are recyclable. The set of nesting mixing bowls & measuring cups from Joseph Joseph would be great for my teeny tiny apartment-size kitchen, which lacks any real storage.

What do you think of these finds? I was really impressed with the selection (and the wallet-friendly prices) and will definitely be back.