Baked

Happy hump day! It is Wednesday, isn't it? I'm a bit thrown off this week. Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post about Palm Springs - it was quite the adventure.

If you've been reading my blog for a bit, you may have noticed that I do like a good cracker. Any kind, really. Today I offer up rice crackers with wasabi and nori. The wasabi just gives them an extra kick, and who doesn't like that?

Rice Crackers with Wasabi & Nori - makes about 24-30

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup brown rice, cooked
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon wasabi - either from a tube or powder (I used the powder-follow instructions.)
1/4 cup chopped/crushed nori (sheets of dried seaweed)
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place rice flour, rice, wasabi, and oil in a food processor and process until finely ground. Slowly add the water while processor is running. Mix until a ball of dough forms. Transfer to your work surface and knead in the nori until well combined.

Roll into small balls, the size of a marble, and place between two pieces of wax paper. I used a small baking pan to flatten ball. You want to make sure you flatten the dough very thinly. 

Place on baking sheet and bake for about 5-6 minutes, then flip over with a thin spatula. Bake for another 6-8 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown around edges. Remove from oven and turn oven off. Mix tamari and honey together, then brush onto each cracker. Place in turned off oven for another 4 minutes, allowing them to dry. Allow to cool on a wire rack. These are pretty addictive - enjoy!

Have a great day. Back soon!

janis

Weekend Observations

Hello All! How was your weekend? I just got back from 5 days in Palm Springs, and despite the massive wind storm it was great. Here's some of the weekend...

After the chaos of the Saturday wind storm (to my knowledge, there were no injuries), Sunday was a lovely day of calm...

Links:

•The Backyard Oasis exhibit, at the Palm Springs Art Museum, was fantastic. Click here for more info.

•Salton Sea is a pretty crazy place to visit. Loved it. Click here for info.

•The Hideaway is mid-century hotel, with large rooms and a lovely pool. So quiet and peaceful! Check it out here.

•Would loved to have used the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, but that wind. Click here for more info.

That kind of wraps up the weekend anyway. What did you get up to? Let me know!

Much more Palm Springs fun to share with you - will be posting on Poppytalk soon!

Back soon,

Janis 

A very warm Friday

Still in Palm Springs, and the shoot is going really well.  I have to say, it is kind of nice to experience some warmth for a few days too. ;) Such a pretty place. To all of you that have given me tips on what to do here, merci beaucoup! I really appreciate it.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Back soon,
janis

Baked

It's hump day! How's your week going so far? I got a bit snowed in today (anyone who has experienced real snow would laugh at us here in Vancouver), which worked out well as it was a huge post production kind of day for me.

Here's a treat that's not too hideous for you, and it's perfect for a day like today. Oatmeal, Chocolate, Cherry bars can be made with regular flour or they can be gluten free, which is the way I went. Pretty tasty.

Oatmeal, Chocolate, Cherry Bars - makes one 8"x12" pan

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)*
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 teaspoon guar gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups whole oats (not quick oats)
1 cup dried sour cherries, chopped
8 oz dark chocolate, chopped
* you can use 1 1/2 cups regular all purpose flour then omit the almond meal and guar gum

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray an 8"x12" pan with oil and line bottom with parchment paper. Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, almond meal, baking soda, cinnamon, salt.

Gradually add dry mix to butter mixture and stir in until just combined. Fold in oats, chocolate and cherries. Place dough in prepared pan, and press down. Bake for about 25 minutes until a light golden brown. Enjoy!

By the way, I'm off to Palm Springs tomorrow for a shoot, and I'd love to get a list of shops and restaurants to check out. If any of you have some helpful hints, please pass it on. Thanks!

Back soon!
Janis

Weekend Observations

Are you ready for the week? Did your weekend go by as fast as mine? Yikes. Here's a bit of my weekend....

I had to create a card for my mom, to let her know that we are taking her to Las Vegas for her birthday. I've only been once, ages ago, but did find these pics that I took of old motels. I was obsessed with them. Las Vegas looked so cute and innocent, way back then. ;)

Worked on images of Lily Ellis' (Birch and Bird) home that we shot for HGTV.ca. Here's a sneak peek for now...

Did a some grocery shopping down at Granville Island. The aqua ferry is the handiest mode of transportation.....

That was my weekend. What did you get up to? Please share!

Back soon,

janis

Hello Weekend

Another busy week wraps up. Thanks for popping by!

Have a lovely weekend, all!

Back soon,
Janis

Baked

Well, I completely missed Wednesday! How's your week going so far?

It was my husband's birthday yesterday so I hung with him and baked him chocolate pavlova. He's Australian, so he grew up having summertime birthdays, hence the summery pavlova ;)

Chocolate Pavlova with Raspberries - makes 4 small, or one large

4 egg whites
3/4 cup berry/caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
50g dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

To top:
fresh raspberries
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
shaved chocolate

Preheat oven to 275f/140c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add sugar mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in cocoa, balsamic vinegar, and chopped chocolate.

Spoon mixture onto baking sheet and form into mini round(ish) pavlovas. With the back of a spoon, make a little well on top of each pavlova.

Bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Turn oven off, open door a little, and allow to cool completely in oven. Should be crunchy on the outside and kind of like marshmallow inside. So good.

Top with a little whipped cream, raspberries and shaved chocolate. Enjoy!