Nectar & Light

the weekend that is.  for father's day we had a lovely meal of veggie burgers, roast potato salad with a balsamic-dijon dressing {recipe coming soon!} and this lovely goodness finished us off - quite literally.  it is one of my favorite summer desserts and is another recipe that i discovered in a food & wine magazine in my early 20s.  it always reminds me of my dear friend who is like my baby sister, heather.  while living together in italy, she would ask for it constantly and if you know my dear heather - you know you simply can not deny her... i do hope you enjoy this sweet summer treat...

strawberry mint mousse:

{unless otherwise noted, all ingredients are organic}

~ 4 c. hulled and sliced strawberries

~ 1/2 c. turbinado sugar

~ 16 oz. lite sour cream

~ 1 pint heavy whipping cream

~ 1/4 c. powdered sugar

~ 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

~ sprigs of fresh mint

combine the strawberries and the turbinado sugar in a bowl and stir to coat the strawberries thoroughly.  cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours.  when ready, drain the juice created by the strawberries and sugar into a bowl and set the strawberries aside.  whisk the sour cream into the strawberry juice - set aside.  pour the heavy cream into a mixing bowl and begin to whisk slowly adding the vanilla nd powdered sugar {the colder the whisk and the bowl are - the faster the heavy cream will whip - i always stick my whisk attachment and bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes before making whipped cream}.  when the sugar begins to disappear into the cream, begin to whisk at a greater speed until stiff peaks form.  you do not want to over beat heavy cream as it will break.  when the whipped cream is ready, add about a third of the sour cream and strawberry mixture - folding it in slowly - you do not want to beat or mix this as you will loose all the air in the whipped cream.  repeat this folding action until all of the sour cream mixture is combined with the whipped cream.  repeat this with the strawberries - slowly folding them in.  spoon into a favorite cup - top with mint and savor.

xoox~jla

nearly two years ago - just before the impending holiday season - my husband and i caught the documentary 'super size me' on television.  we watched in awe as morgan spurlock subjected himself daily to the calorie and fat packed diet that was his experiment.  but the profile that exposed the average contents of a child's lunch box, and subsequently what was available to them in the cafeterias at school, is what shocked us the most.  we decided at that moment that we were done.  done with fast food, done with simply choosing the best bargain at the grocer, done with the bliss of the unknown - the unknown being what we were putting into our bodies - and more importantly, our children's.

i became, and still am, a compulsive label reader.  the first victim to be kicked squarely in the pants and directly out of our pantry was high fructose corn syrup {HFCS}.  for those of you who know what this genetically modified sweetener is capable of, you will know this is a good way to start.  but this is also where it ended.  we had expelled HFCS from our lives - and it is a challenge, i assure you; it is in everything from ketchup and bread to granola bars and iced tea.  but, we felt that particular challenge was met and life went on.

after a few months however, on busy days in particular - i found myself steering into the drive-thrus of places i had cursed just months before.  i think i was becoming a little lazy, pretending not to pay attention.  but over the last few months my husband and i have been doing a great deal of reading not only about the problems with the average american diet in general, but it's environmental impact on the world at large as well.  and we have been making better choices because of it.  we have always purchased organic milk, fruit and vegetables as well as cage-free eggs {after reading an expose about the average chicken farm i was mortified} - but it is becoming greater than that - words and phrases such as slow food, back to the earth and carbon footprint suddenly resonate very deeply.  i find myself endlessly inspired by women like heidi swanson, author of All Natural Cooking - her outlook and guidance through the road map of natural ingredients is a resource that should be in every cook's library.

and... we have stopped eating meat.  the reasons seemed to come to a head all at once.  firstly, i ate about a half of a cow on memorial day {okay, not that much - but it was a really, really big hamburger} and that night i read the chapter in this book about extracting the morrow from cow bones - finally, i have been reading and re-reading this beautiful post by nicole.  and suddenly i realized - for so many reasons, some above and some not listed, i really don't want meat in my diet any longer.  i am not saying that i will never eat a hamburger again, but it feels right for our family at this moment.

and this brings me to my final thought - we do everything we can to better ourselves and our environment in the process.  but is there a line and when {or should} we ever cross it?  this thought came to me while ordering breakfast at my favorite greasy spoon, "i wonder if they use cage-free eggs?"  i realized that i could simply ask - but did i want to know the answer?   does every choice we make - no matter how seemingly insignificant, contribute {or possibly take from} the greater cause here?  what choices have you made that impact your diet and the earth, do you allow yourself to toe that proverbial line?  when does responsibility truly challenge resonability?

would love to hear your thoughts...

xoox~jla

p.s. nicole has inspired me to start planting veggies - i am getting ready to bury my hands in the earth!  thank you friend ~xoox

i can't lie.  i was rather giddy with joy when kristina asked me to be a part of the in the kitchen with series on design*sponge.  and i was overcome with giddiness when i saw it posted on d*s this morning.  so if you are in desperate need of some weekend sweetness, head over for my recipe for chocolate-walnut mandelbrot!

have a lovely weekend!

xoox~jla

wednesday mornings have become our saturdays.  to aid to the delightful cloud of stress over my head, my husband has been on 12-hour night shifts six days a week for the last two months.  tuesday is his one night off and gives way to his one morning a week that he can join us for breakfast instead of burying himself under the covers for the day.  this morning, he made - what i truly believe - to be the loveliest pancakes i have ever had.  they are not the light airy pancakes of your childhood, they are dense, rich and rather decedent and would be equally scrumptious drowned in maple syrup or a rum sauce.  the recipe does make quite a few - but they are so good the next morning - just toss them in the toaster.  we can not take sole credit for this recipe - it is {very loosely} adapted from The Joy of Cooking and i can not take credit for making them - breakfast and the barbecue {now used exclusively for portobello burgers and tofu dogs - more on that later} are my husband's domain.  i can, however, take credit for the photo and oh yes, cleaning my plate.

His Pancakes

~ 2 c. flour

~ 1 c. whole wheat flour

~ 2 T. maple syrup

~ 1 T. baking powder

~ 1 t. salt

~ 3 c. organic milk

~ 3 eggs

~ 1 egg white

~ 1 t. vanilla

~ 6 T melted butter

melt the butter in a small pan on the stove and set aside.  combine the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt - set aside.  separate the eggs yolks and whites and beat the whites until they are fluffy and set aside.  mix the yolks, the maple syrup, milk, melted butter and vanilla.  combine the flour and the wet mixture then fold in the beaten whites.  ladle onto a buttered flat top griddle or non-stick pan allowing about a half an inch between each pancake.  after a few minutes flip - they are done when the edges begin to turn gold. 

* These are so rich that you really don't need to butter them before eating - but if you must, you must. 

xoox~jla

p.s.  thank you so much for your support and lovely comments in the black & white post - i responded to all of you individually in the comment section because each of you moved me so - thank you.

it is true, i have been neglecting the recipe section of this blog for sometime.  and there is a very good reason for this; i have not been cooking or baking.  part of it is the thought that my less-than-a-year-old beautiful gourmet kitchen is sitting, lonely, 30 minutes from where i am now, and quite frankly, it depresses the hell out of me.  if the house had sold by now, it might not be such a difficult thought - someone else would be taking great pleasure from the space - but no offers, and alone and cold it sits.  but a thought has occurred to me, a gentle reminder that came dancing up behind me - quite slowly - and whispered into my ear, "bake, it is the only time your mind stops reeling."  and there is so much truth in that fact, laying in bed, taking a hot bath, trying to read a book - it never quiets.  unless, i am baking, then it is flour, the eggs, the vanilla and i.  i wanted to try something this morning that i had never baked and i found a box full of recipe cards that i had filled out in my early 20s.  when my girlfriends were buried in the heat and heavy mascara of cosmo magazine, i was wiping flour off the tip of my nose and the latest copy of food & wine.  so i am unsure the source of this recipe - most likely a food & wine from the mid to late 90's - but it is as easy as coffee cake comes, delightfully comforting and perfection warm from the oven with hot coffee. 

sour cream coffee cake:

~ 1 c. butter

~ 2 c. sugar

~ 2 eggs

~ 1 t. vanilla

~ 1 t. salt

~ 1 t. baking powder

~ 2 c. flour

~ 1 c. sour cream

~ 1 tsp. cinnamon

~ 1/2 c. brown sugar

~ 1/2 c. chopped pecans

butter a bundt pan thoroughly and preheat the oven to 350F.  sift the flour, salt and baking powder together and set aside.  mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans together and set aside.  cream the butter, sugar and eggs - fold in the sour cream and vanilla.  add the dry ingredients to the batter.  pour half of the batter into the bundt pan then top the batter with all of the brown sugar mixture.  top that with the remaining batter and knock the pan on the counter a bit until the batter settles.  bake for 1 hour.  let the cake cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.  flip onto a plate and dust with powdered sugar {after it cools a bit more.}

xoox~jla

I know, I know - I promised I would be getting back to recipes at some point - and I still have every intention of doing so.  But sadly, I really have not been cooking of late.  After Atlanta - I plan on starting to get back into the weekly posting of an original recipe - for both your sake, and mine.  In the meantime, have another cup of your favorite brew, and enjoy some new {or not so new} food finds that I have stumbled across:

~ Tea & Cookies;

~ Tartelette;

~ Milk & Cookies;

~ Fig & Cherry;

~ Shutterbean;

~ 80 Breakfasts;

~ Foodbeam.

Enjoy - these should keep you more than busy until I start to play in the kitchen again ;)

xoox~jla

A beautiful morning - a rare calm in the house this morning - all of the girls seemed occupied in their own little worlds - are rare treat indeed.  And a moment to enjoy a lovely breakfast {smoked salmon with fresh cracked black pepper on cream cheese and oat bran toast - sliced organic cucumber} and enjoying some time to order this, listen to this and discover this.

Have a day of beauty...

xoox~jla

I tough weekend to be sure - but quite therapeutic - we spent the weekend purging.  If you remember my post about things - then you will recall that I have been blessed {most likely temporarily} with the gift to just let go.  And so we did.  But if you linger too long on things - they tend to find a safe haven in the hidden depths of a miscellaneous cardboard box destined for a attic.  So, you just close your eyes and do it.  Then, you take at page out of my friend Jen's handbook and mix yourself {or have your Dad do it} a concoction to put your mind elsewhere.  In the case of this drink it is more likely sugar shock than inebriation.  SO without further ado, I present The Cherry Bomb - my cocktail of choice - because there is no such thing as dinner before cocktail hour at my parent's house:

The Cherry Bomb:

~ 1 part lemon Vodka

~ 2 parts grenadine

~ 3 part tonic water

Combine in a chilled shaker with ice; pour into rocks glass full of crushed ice - insert skewer full of cherries and suck it down.

And a thank you, thank you, thank you to Tracy who named Nectar & Light as an Excellent Blog!  I would like to pass this award on to these 10 blogs who inspire me daily:

Simply Olive - who always makes me feel as if I am front row at Fashion Week;

Becoming a Foodie - it is no secret that I adore her and all she does;

Matt Bites - he simply makes me happy...

Marta Writes - for her beauty, honesty and divine skill at the written word;

The Habit of Being - for beauty in it's purest state;

Soule Mama - for the reminder that mother's CAN do it all;

Bloesem Kids - for the fact that it has become an indispensable resource;

Hei-Astrid - for a beautiful glimpse into the country that always been in my dreams;

True Nature - for her prose, her vision and her true nature;

Enhance the Everyday - my latest find and must read - beauty divine.

Happy reading... and drinking ;)

xoox~jla

Is it too early for Strawberry Shortcake?  Apparently not according to Adie.  Monday night we celebrated the first of several little birthday celebrations for her {her birthday is actually next week} and she insisted on this summer classic.  It is one of my favorites as well - instead of the sponginess of an angel cake base, I prefer the buttery depth of my grandmother's biscuits.  Enjoy friends:

~ 5 c. flour

~ 8 oz. butter

~ 1 c. sugar

~ 1 T. and 2 t. of baking soda

~2 c. milk

~ 2 c. of strawberries hulled and sliced

~ 1/4 c. sugar

~ 1 c. heavy cream

~1 t. vanilla

~ 1/4 c. powdered sugar

For the strawberries:  At least two hours ahead of serving time but no more than two days - combine the sliced berries with 1/4c. of sugar mix until the berries are covered in sugar and refrigerate.

For the biscuits:  These can be made up to two days ahead of time - they are almost better at least a day old as the butter really settles into the layers.  Mix all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Cut in the cold butter and add milk.  Stir until just incorporated and shape into a large rectangle on a greased baking sheet {you will need a bit more flour for this}.  Score the biscuits however you like - it should make at least 12 large squares.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

For the whipped goodness:  You can do this by hand but it is much easier with a stand or hand-held mixer; beat heavy whipping cream with vanilla and powdered sugar - taste to your personal sweetness preference - until semi-stiff peaks form.  Peaks will form much faster if your bowl and whisk attachment is chilled thoroughly.  Be sure not to over beat this as you will end up with butter.

To assemble:  Layer a biscuit at the bottom of a shallow bowl; spread a thin layer of whipped cream atop the biscuit; top with a healthy heap of strawberries and the delicious juice they have created; top with whipped cream.

And in case you were unsure, you can eat this as breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert or at any snacking moment in between ;)

Have a wonderful day!

xoox~jla 

With nearly our entire house under the weather, the last thing I want to do is cook - and truly, there is no better time to do so.  In need of "real" nourishment - {ie. not Jimmy John's turkey sandwiches another night in a row}, I am determined to cook my tired, drained family a meal tonight.  Where do you turn for inspiration when you want to try something new?  I love my old {and new} cookbooks - I keep stacks of them everywhere - but there are some new titles beckoning me as well:

~ I love everything she does - she is beautiful, full of grace and good eats;

~ cover art always seduces me - this looks like a true delight;

~ highly recommended by a certain wonder foodie I know - see here;

~ this has nothing to do with what I need to be cooking, but I am sure the photography is sublime...

Have a beautiful day and stay well!

xoox~jla

Hello Friends!  I would love to share one of my favorite recipes with you today - we are buried in snow once again and Adie and I felt no better excuse to bake yesterday.  I do hope you enjoy - these do not last long in our home!

And thank you for all of the lovely comments this first week back - I LOVE hearing from you!  And through you I have discovered some delightful new wonders to browse - loving this {via Little YellowBird; this Cup of goodness and this delish little find.

Have a lovely day! 

xoox~jla

~ 1 c. butter {room temp}

~ 1 1/4 c. peanut butter {preferably smooth Jif}

~ 1 c. sugar

~ 1/2 c. honey

~ 2 organic eggs

~ 1/2 t. vanilla

~ 2 1/2 c. flour

~ 1 t. baking powder

~ 1 t. baking soda

~ 1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Smooth butter and peanut butter together - add sugar and mix until well blended.  Add honey and mix.  In a small bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla - add to butter mixture and incorporate well.  In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and baking powder together - slowly add to wet mixture.  Scrap the bottom of the bowl several times to ensure all of the dry is properly mixed into the wet.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Place the dough in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes.  Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.  Using an ice cream scoop {or tablespoon}, create {somewhat} equal sized balls of dough - spacing them about two inches apart on the baking sheet.  Return the dough to the fridge between each sheeting.  Do NOT flatten the dough with a fork or any other means.  Bake each sheet for 12 minutes or until edges just begin to turn gold.  Pull from the oven and let the cookies stand for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

*These freeze beautifully and defrost quickly if you really must have one right away ;)

She is back - stretching her long limbs into my kitchen this morning - sweet sunshine.  So it called for celebration; something to honor the warmth and dreams of Spring - a touch of strawberry jam does the trick.  This is one of my favorite ways to eat oatmeal - enjoy, cozy up and allow flowers to dance in your dreams...

1/4 c. McCann's Irish Oatmeal

1/2 c. hot water

1 T. organic maple syrup

1 T. demerara sugar

2 T. your favorite strawberry jam

Add dry oats to a bowl and pour the hot water over them.  Microwave for 1-2 minutes.  Stir, add sugar and syrup - stir until the sugar melts - stir in the jam... sweet perfection...

*And falling head-over-heels for two new finds here and here.

Thank you so much for all of the welcome back wishes!  I have received a few emails asking if I will be carrying over any of the content from Athena Says - no, I don't think I will - I need a fresh start! ;)  However, I have linked the Athena Says archives on the right column if you wish to browse the old stomping grounds. 

One of my short lived projects, but one that was near and dear to my heart was Athena Eats, a food blog in which I shared some of my personal recipes and experiences in the kitchen.  Though I will not be linking that site , I will be carrying some of it's content over as the mood fits.  And on that note, if you are to be snowed in tomorrow as we are {which is especially harsh considering the Spring like weather today} - this will act as the perfect pick-me-up!  Happy Snow Day!

~ 3 c. heavy cream

~ 1 1/4 c. half & half

~ 1 12 oz. bag of the most sinful semi-sweet chocolate you can find

~ 1 t. cinnamon

~ 1/2 t. cloves

~ 1/8 t. ginger

~ 1/8 t. sea salt

~ 3 whole organic eggs

~ 3 organic egg yolks

~ 1/2 + 2T sugar

~ 1 loaf of semi-stale challah torn into good size pieces

~ vanilla ice cream

Place chocolate in a very large bowl and set aside; whisk eggs, yolks and sugar together in another bowl and set aside.  Heat the heavy cream and half & half together until it just begins to boil.  Keep a close eye on this as you do not want the cream to curdle - whisk it frequently.  When it just begins to bubble, remove from heat and pour over the chocolate - whisk until the chocolate is completely melted.  Begin to temper with the egg mixture {this means add a bit of the egg mixture to the cream/chocolate mixture and whisk together - then add the cream/chocolate to the egg mixture and whisk - then add the remaining egg mixture to the bowl of chocolate again - this prevents the possibility of introducing too hot a liquid to the eggs and thus cooking them - ew!} .  Add the cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt and whisk until everything is well combined.

Add torn bread to the mixture a bit at a time ensuring you are submerging each piece.  Let the bread soak for 20 minutes.  Pour into a baking dish and place in a 325 degree oven for 50 minutes {or until inserted knife comes out clean}.  Let stand for 15 minutes before serving warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

... so here I am yet again.  This new year has brought about so many changes so quickly, sometimes I find it difficult to take it all in.  Yet, in this whirlwind of change, I realized how much I missed my little corner of the blogosphere.  For those of you coming over from Athena Says - thank you so much - that experience was so wonderful, you are the most devoted and open-hearted readers - I could not have imagined so much love when I began blogging two years ago.  With the close of Juniper Designs, which was the original catalyst for Athena Says, I was unsure of my place - but now - after some months reflecting - I know I am home once again.  A new look, a new direction and a new voice await you, I do hope you join me.  Thank you again and to my new readers, welcome!

xoox~jla