Best Eats of 2013

I am not generally a fan of these posts on other blogs; it is just too hard to compress a whole year into something concise and readable.  Case in point: my "Sayonara 2012" posts where I tried cramming everything about my year into long, monthly recaps.

This year I am sticking with my culinary exploits, and went through my photos to choose the best dish from each month.  Some decisions were more difficult than others; where applicable, the runner-ups also get a mention below.

1. Pumpkin Roll Cake--really not as difficult as I thought it would be.
2. Sausage & Potato Calzones-- similar recipe here. Coming home to Keizo making gyoza was a close second.
3. Simple but delicious Falafel Salad.  This was also the month I started weekly meal roundup posts.
4. Learning to make Pad Thai at home was a pretty big deal.  I have made it several times since.
5. Spanish Tortilla; in the baking category, Joy the Baker's Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies takes first place.
6. Should really be a tie between hiyashi chuka (cold summer noodles) and "Fingerling Potato-Leek Hash with Swiss Chard and Eggs" with homegrown chard. .  Yum X 2.
7. Peach Cobbler with Blueberry Topping made the most out of summer produce.
8. Homemade Pickles--not these exact pickles, but others can be found here
9. These versatile Black Bean Quinoa Patties made good veggie burgers as well as crumbled salad and nacho toppings.
10. I could probably eat these Eggplant "Meatballs" at least every other week and not get sick of them.
11. Apple Slab Pie--roll cakes and pie crusts, oh my!  I think I brought my baking to a new level in 2013.
12. Christmas Tree Cookies--similar recipe here

2013 saw a vast improvement in blogging from 2012, and I am excited to continue experimenting in the kitchen and documenting it all here in 2014.

Thank you for reading & Happy (almost) New Year!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

..for baking!  And eating dessert after every meal!  Or any time you happen to wander through the kitchen!

There are so many things to love about the holidays.  Some of my favorite activities include wrapping presents, looking at Christmas lights, and holiday baking.  Most people do not need any more sweets around the holidays, but when it comes to simple, homemade gifts I cannot resist giving baked goods.  I get to do something I enjoy, while also assuring I will not be eating an entire batch of cookies by myself!

Last year, I made easy peppermint bark and packed it in recycled glass jars to give as gifts.  With no final presentations to give or papers to write this year, I got a little more ambitious and baked a few of my favorites:

• Foolproof Fudge
• Peanut Butter Blossoms
• Christmas Tree Cookies--> the link goes to a similar, but not exact recipe.  I added green food coloring and shaped the dough into triangles before slicing.  Christmas trees, right?

Collage template from pizap.com

The adorable packaging came from the dollar bins at Michael's, and turned out even cuter that I thought it would be.  The gift tags were cut out from Trader Joe's (2011?) holiday bags and tied on with red yarn. 

Since being home in AZ, I have made another batch of PB blossoms, since they are a family favorite, and baked a quick batch chocolate chip cookies from refrigerated cookie dough.  However, I have not been as good about shopping for gifts as I have been about baking them!  How is it that there are only 4 days left until Christmas?!?!

Rise & shine

While simple (and easily portable if I happen to hit the snooze button a few too many times) cold smoothies are not the most appealing winter breakfast.  I have made an exception for "pumpkin pie" smoothies, but lately I am much more likely to eat something warm for breakfast.  Oatmeal and eggs are nearly as easy to made as a smoothie and don't leave me with brain freeze.

Clockwise from top left:

Oatmeal with raspberries, yogurt, granola and honey

My embellished oatmeal usually has 4 components:

• Vitamins--fruit or canned pumpkin
• Protein--yogurt or cottage cheese
• Sweet--honey, a spoon of peanut butter/Nutella or raisins/craisins
• Crunch--granola, nuts or on particularly bleak mornings a sprinkle of chocolate chips :-)

Egg & cheese "patty" on whole wheat bagel with sweet potato butter

The sweetness of the sweet potato butter is a great counterpoint to the saltiness of the eggs and cheese.

Sometimes I make my eggs by cracking one or two into a bowl and microwaving them for 45-60 seconds. If you want to go this route, be sure to cover the eggs while they cook and start with less time than you think they will need.  This method is quick, and results in a perfectly sandwich-sized egg patty.


Eggs & cheese topped with salsa and served with tortillas

These eggs are made in a small fry pan on the stove.  Before I met Keizo, I only ever made scrambled eggs, but he taught me how to make medamayaki (sunny-side up eggs).  Non-stick skillet and a little bit of patience highly recommended.


Pumpkin pie protein smoothie

This could be easily made without the protein powder.   I have also substituted orange juice for the milk, and it was still good.  The handful of ice is the key to achieving a nice, thick texture.

Holiday classics with a twist

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!  Mine featured plenty of delicious food, spending time with members from both sides of my extended family and truly a lot to be thankful for.  November 28th was also the 3rd anniversary (birthday?) of "Two Betsu Bara," and it couldn't have fallen on a more fitting holiday!

As in previous years, I had two opportunities to try out Thanksgiving recipes.  The first was the potluck at work the week before the actual day; wanting something simple and easy to tote to work on my bicycle, I made homemade cranberry sauce.

The recipe I used (from an old issue of Family Circle magazine; I can't seem to find it online) called for chunks of apple and ginger in addition to cranberries and gelatin.  Everything was boiled together in a sauce pot for while and made my whole apartment smell amazing.  There ended up being an abundance of cranberry sauce at the luncheon, but mine was the only homemade one.  While I enjoyed mine and I liked the different textures and addition of the ginger, I don't think I would go to trouble of making it again if I were also responsible for the rest of the meal.  The canned stuff is pretty good, and one less thing to worry about!


For the actual holiday, I got started the weekend before by cooking down my old Halloween pumpkin.  I had never cooked down a pumpkin before, and was a little intimidated by the prospect.  I followed the instructions from The Pioneer Woman and the process ended up being easier than I thought.  The most difficult part was getting it smooth in my blender.  I am sure a real food processor would make the task even easier.



My pumpkin was about 8" in diameter and cooked down to about 3 cups of pumpkin puree.  I used half of it in the pumpkin cheesecake I brought with me to dinner at my aunt and uncle's house.  I made the same recipe last year, and was afraid I might not be let in the door without it this year!  Using homemade pumpkin puree changed the texture (less firm) and flavor (less pumpkin-y) a little bit--note all the fibrous bits stuck to the mixer above--but this year's cheesecake was also well received.  I have one piece left in my fridge; tomorrow's breakfast perhaps?

My uncle also put a twist on one of his holiday classics:  before filling the crust of one of his pecan pies, he added a layer of chocolate chips.  Probably the best pecan pie I've ever had!