Clam linguine

It's been quite a week. I'm just glad that it's over.

Clam Linguine. If you have clams on hand (canned or fresh), it's a pretty easy recipe. 

clams, olive oil, garlic, white wine and parsley

who doesn't love sprinkles

Clam Linguine 

1 pound of pasta 

1/4 cup of olive oil 

3 to 4 Tablespoons of garlic, finely chopped 

1/2 cup of white wine 

1/4 cup water 

3 Tablespoons chopped parsley 

either 2-6.5 ounces cans of clams in clam juice (drain the clams and save the clam juice)or 2 lb small cockles (5 to 6 dozen), scrubbed well 

salt and pepper to taste

optional: 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and a pat of butter

1. Heat olive oil & butter on medium heat and add the garlic. Cook the garlic until soft.  Then add the red pepper if you are using them.  

2. Add the water, wine, and the clam juice (if using canned clams). Increase the heat (do not cover the pot) and stir occasionally until sauce is a bit reduced. About 3 minutes.  Add the clams. If you aren't using canned clams then toss in the 2 lbs of clams and cover the pot with a lid.  Shake the pan occasionally until all the clams open, about 5 to 6 minutes. 

3. Add the drained pasta to the clam sauce. Add the parsley.  Season with salt to pepper to taste.

Red Velvet

E requested red velvet cake for his birthday.

 

 

iced and ready to go

 

yes, i had it for breakfast the next morning

Red Velvet Cake

Recipe adapted from Baked

1/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder 

1 1/2 tablespoons red food coloring (I found some at Smart and Final) 

1/4 cup boiling water 

8 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 2/3 cups sugar 

3 large eggs 

1 cup buttermilk 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

2 1/2 cups cake flour 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon cider vinegar 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting.

 

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and boiling water. Whisk together and then add the food coloring. Set aside to cool. 

3. Sift the flour and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.

4. In the kitchen aid with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Scrape down the bowl and add the sugar. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Stir the buttermilk and vanilla into the cooled cocoa mixture. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture, alternating with the cocoa mixture, to the butter mixture in three separate additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until incorporated. 

6. In a small bowl, mix the vinegar and baking soda and whisk until the baking soda dissolves; the mixture will fizz. Add to the batter and stir until just combined.

7. Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans, and let cool completely.

Cleaning products

It's Spring cleaning time!

I've been researching cleaning products. I like to keep a clean house, though it doesn't happen all the time.  I try to use natural cleaning products, but I discovered that some of the products on my shelf were not so great for one's health.

Here are some websites I used.

http://www.womensvoices.org/science/fact-sheets/dirty-secrets/ 

http://www.trashcancer.org/#iframe-container

The best kind is homemade cleaners.  I mixed baking soda (I buy a big bag from Costco) and Castile soap to clean my bathroom sinks.

from Simple magazine

For my windows I've been using Windex for years and more recently Windex without ammonia.  Windex got a 4 out of 10 (10 being the best and 0 being the worst).  Yikes! I made the switch to Method Glass cleaner which got a 10. 

I was using Pledge & Orange Glo wood cleaner.  Not anymore.  Now I am using Method Wood for Good polish.

I use Scrubbing Bubbles Soap Scum Remover with Orange Action to clean my bathroom sink and tub.  This one scored well so I put it back on the shelf.

I also use Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day all purpose cleaner. I have the unscented one and I add a couple of drops of orange oil in it to give it a fresh smell.  This was rated 10 as well.  I was surprised to see that not all of Mrs. Meyer's products didn't receive a 10.

I'm still looking into granite cleaner.  I use Granite Gold daily cleaner.

If you want to make your own cleaner here is the recipe that I have used:

2 teaspoons Castile soap (I use Trader Joe's scented with peppermint oil)

1/4 cup 70% Isopropyl rubbing alcohol

water

32 oz spray bottle

Place 1 teaspoon Castile soap, 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol, and fill the remaining 32 oz spray bottle with water. If your Castile soap isn't scented you can add a teaspoon of essential oil. 

Make sure you wipe down with water once in while do you don't get soap build up. 

Happy Spring Cleaning!

 

Marmalade

I really enjoy making jam.  I'm not that good at it yet so I'll just keep practicing. Oranges are in season so I made marmalade.

the first orange i cut into thin wedges, but i decided to cut the rind into smaller pieces

after adding the sugar and water, let it sit on the counter for 24 hours

i got these from a friend who went to bora bora for his honeymoon...i only have one bean left :(

throw the vanilla bean into the pot before you start cooking

start cooking!

Orange Vanilla Marmalade
Recipe from Ina Garten (The only change I made was throwing in a vanilla bean)

4 large seedless organic oranges 

2 organic lemons 

8 cups sugar 

8 cups water

1 vanilla bean (optional)

1. Cut the oranges and lemons into very thin half-moon slices and then place them into a stainless-steel pot. Remove seeds if there are any.

2. Add 8 cups water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Cover and allow to stand overnight at room temperature.

3. The next day, throw in a vanilla bean (split the bean, scrape the seeds and throw it all into the pot) and bring the mixture back to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 2 hours. Turn the heat up to medium and boil gently, stirring often, for another 30 minutes. Skim off any foam. It will turn into a golden orange color.

4. Place some small plates in the freezer.

5. Cook the marmalade until it reaches 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer or you can put a little bit of jam on the cold plate. If it's firm, not runny or too hard then it's done. If it's runny then keep cooking and test again on a plate.  If it's too hard then just add some water and retest. 

Pour the marmalade into clean, hot Mason jars (I threw them into the dishwasher the night before to clean and sterilize them) wipe the rims thoroughly with a clean damp paper towel, and seal with the lids. Could be stored up to a year.

I left my heart in San Francisco

We took a trip to SF/ Berkeley for spring break & E's birthday. *sigh* The trip made me miss the bay area even more.

view from our room

another view

time for some coffee at the ferry building

blue bottle coffee & waffles

earl grey ice cream at bi rite

coconut passion fruit cake & berry bread pudding & croissant crumbs at tartine

beautiful loaves at tartine

eating pizza at the cheeseboard in berkeley

live jazz music at the cheeseboard

A in one of the lecture halls at Cal

breakfast to go at bette's diner

view from indian rock park

my friend D's cousins store

cherry blossoms in japan town

the oldest business (they sell mochi)  in j town

goodies from benkyo-do

Korean Perilla Leaves

I am loving Instagram. Currently, I don't have a camera so all the pictures are either from the iphone or the ipad.

On the kitchen front...

perilla leaves aka kenip washed and ready to go

this is the marinade

just spread a little marinade on each leaf

Round one...I found a recipe on the internet and tweaked it a bit.  I thought it was too gingery.  Next time I will add more green onions, omit the carrots, and decrease the ginger (or add ginger powder) & decrease the sugar.

On the donut front...

I checked out this donut shop which had good Yelp reviews.  They have red velvet donuts, pumpkin spice and my favorite blueberry donuts. 

On the garden front...

sunflowers sprouting

meyer lemons

sweet peas

PEACHES!!!

rearranged my succulents into one big container

french lavender

santa barbara daisies

tomatoes (3 different varieties)