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lately i've been eating
less white flour, less refined sugar, less butter...

but when i recently discovered the recipe behind this famous little cookie
(usually found sitting humbly in Blue Bottle's pastry case
alongside those perfect Sesame Absinthe Cigars, Rosemary Shortbread, etc.),
i immediately put on my apron and mixed up a double batch.


Saffron-Vanilla Snickerdoodles

Read this on Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks. Apparently there is a Blue Bottle recipe book lingering in our near futures. Exciting. These cookies are gems. They aren't the type that appeal to everyone, given their unique saffron flavor, but I love their subtlety. Heidi recommends making a double batch and freezing half of the pre-scooped dough for later baking. I think this is a great idea.

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giving new life to succulents
+
planting winter garden
+
starting tiny seeds

(( in love with dirt under my fingernails ))

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this one...
this one's a good one.


Lemon-Coco Tart with Buckwheat Crust 

I decided to get adventurous with my traditional standby Tartine lemon tart recipe. I completely adore Tartine's lemon tart and have made it time and time again. However, due to my obvious obsession with buckwheat as of late, I decided to mix things up a bit. I used the exact recipe from my Buckwheat Moon cookies as the crust for this birthday tart. I also experimented with the lemon cream recipe, using coconut oil instead of butter. (I think it turned out great!) Crust can be made ahead of time (I made mine the day before and covered tightly with plastic wrap) and so can the cream (stored in a container in the fridge). Once both components are made, the tart can be assembled quickly.

Buckwheat Crust
 
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 c buckwheat flour
1/4 c walnut/almond/pistachio meal
1/2 c unsweetened finely shredded coconut, very finely minced
1/4 c extra-virgin coconut oil, softened
1/3 c fine-grain natural cane sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten

  
Whisk the flour, nut meal and shredded coconut together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a separate medium bowl, beat the coconut oil with the sugar and salt until it's smooth and looks a bit like a brown sugar frosting. Beat in the egg until everything is uniform in appearance. Add the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. Turn the dough out onto the counter-top, knead it once or twice and gather it into a ball. Flatten the dough, wrap in plastic and and refrigerate for at least an hour. When you are ready to bake the crust, preheat the oven to 350F degrees. On a floured work surface roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick. If the dough cracks, let it sit and warm up for a couple more minutes. Roll into a circle, large enough to line the bottom and edges of a springform pan. Gently transfer the dough to the pan. (I had to do quite a bit of patching since the dough broke in a few spots, but don't worry--it still turns out great.) Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork. Place in oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

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 (( ! ))

i haven't had curls this curly since
living in santa barbara

i got to test out my new
herbal shampoo today

and a seemingly obvious method
i tend to keep forgetting about:

a simple post-shampoo saltwater rinse
(conveniently stored in a sugar dispenser)


<<< DO IT NOW >>>

(even if you have straight hair)

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a few figs
inherited from a nearby tree

made a perfect little batch of
preserves

no recipe/no measures
>>>
fresh black mission figs
some lemon juice
a little bit of granulated sugar
1/2 a large vanilla bean
ground cardamom & nutmeg
a dash salt

(( come winter i'll be reaching for this ))
 

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many hours of concocting
yesterday in the kitchen

and my bathroom is now filled with
a plethora of natural, herbal goodness


anise-myrrh toothpaste
rosemary-yarrow shampoo
ylang ylang bath salts
the most luxurious cream
oatmeal almond face grains
masa-olive oil face scrub
cocoa-lavender dry shampoo
lavender-rose body powder

<<< more to come >>>

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my latest favorite morsels


Buckwheat Moons
with Coconut and Pistachios 

This recipe began as Heidi Swanson's "Animal Cracker" recipe. However, due to my obsession with buckwheat and lack of almonds in the pantry, I made a few adjustments. I loved how these turned out, with the richness of the coconut oil, the slight nuttiness of the buckwheat, and the delicious flavor of pistachios. As Heidi notes in her recipe, "you can make your own walnut (or almond meal) by pulsing almonds in a food processor until it is the texture of sand--don't go too far or you'll end up with almond butter" I used mostly pistachios with a few walnuts to make my nut meal. 

3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 c buckwheat flour
1/4 c walnut/almond/pistachio meal
1/2 c unsweetened finely shredded coconut, very finely minced
1/4 c extra-virgin coconut oil, softened
1/3 c fine-grain natural cane sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
 
a few tablespoons big-grain turbinado sugar
  
Whisk the flour, nut meal and shredded coconut together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a separate medium bowl, beat the coconut oil with the sugar and salt until it's smooth and looks a bit like a brown sugar frosting. Beat in the egg until everything is uniform in appearance. Add the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. Turn the dough out onto the counter-top, knead it once or twice and gather it into a ball. Cut the dough in half, flatten each piece, wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Place the racks in the middle and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper. On a floured work surface roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick. If the dough cracks, let it sit and warm up for a couple more minutes. Stamp out shapes with floured cookie cutters and place the cookies an inch apart on the baking sheets, sprinkle with a bit of the turbinado sugar. Bake until the cookies are just beginning to color at the edges, 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on racks. Yields at least 2 dozen, depending on size of cookie cutters.

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late summer lunches
on the screened-in porch

savoring
the sweetest golden
heirlooms from our hillside garden


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the green-smoothie maker
is at it again

this time with a solar-powered blender

(( i'm getting hooked ))