Goats in Guatemala

May 19, 2013May 19, 20138 Comments

Hi friends! I’ve been MIA a few days (almost 2 weeks?). I apologize. I’ve been in Guatemala visiting family. I’ll tell you more about it when I get back but first… Goats

This morning we heard the neighbors dogs barking like crazy. So I peeked outside to look and it was a bunch of goats.

So I got some goats milk because 5 quetzales for a cup of fresh milk (less than US$ 1) seems like a good deal. Plus I’ve never had fresh goat milk, so why not.

The guy milked the goat right there in front of the door

Then handed me a cup of milk

Then I realized I should probably try it and for some reason that freaked me out…

I took a sip, then thought about it

Tried it again

I won’t lie. It was tastier than cow milk, but the fact that it was warm and foamy was a little off putting.
But in the end, glad I tried it.
See you all when I get back!

Epic Banana Bundt Cake

April 16, 2013April 17, 201310 Comments

I’ve rewritten this post about three times, trying to come up with something as epic as the recipe to come. But I can’t. My brain is asking me for a rest.

Between work and blogging, my creative juices are dried up, in terms of writing that is. Because recipes… I’ve got sooooo many for you to look forward to. But first let’s talk about bananas.

I’m a banana fiend. I eat one daily. I learned it from my mother, she probably eats two daily. That’s ok.

Bananas are on the top of my list of things I think are out of this world, let’s talk about my other favorite thing on the planet: cake.

And combine the two… Banana Cake! Why not? In fact, this cake was so good it had to be made twice. It really was THAT good.

Ok I’ll be honest. I really made this twice, because the first time around I hated my pictures. It was a labor of love (or gluttony or vanity?) to make it again, but that just means I know the recipe is extra perfect for you.

I know everyone and their mother has a recipe for banana cake (and no, this is NOT banana bread).

Even if you think it looks similar, trust me. This is definitely banana cake. What’s the difference?

Texture. Banana bread is dense. This is lighter, and it has an icing. Icing goes on cake. True story.

Epic Banana Bundt Cake

2 cups + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp corn starch
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon plus pinch of salt
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 bananas, very ripe and mashed
1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1 package vanilla instant pudding (3.4 oz)

Icing/Glaze:

3 tbsp butter, melted
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp heavy cream (or milk)
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
1-2 tsp of water for thinning, if necessary

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

In a bowl, sift together flour, corn starch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Grease and flour a bundt pan (or any other pan you choose to make this in, I’ve also made this in two 9 inch pans, baking times adjusted).

Using a mixer beat together sugar and oil. Beat in eggs, one at a time until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in vanilla and bananas. Start adding some of the flour mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time, alternating adding milk. Once all the flour is in the batter, beat in the instant pudding. Once combined, pour batter into prepared bundt pan.

Bake 45 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 325F and continue to bake until golden and cooked through (usually another 15-20 minutes, but this will depend on your oven). Once fully baked, remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Once cooled, make glaze by combining all ingredients. The pour glaze over cake.

I didn’t actually pour, I did the spoon/drizzle method, because I think it looks better than pouring.

Serve and enjoy!

This cake goes great with a cup of coffee and a good book. It’s also fantastic served to a friend with a little bit of gossip.

Truth be told, I’m not sure if I’m half monkey or something, but I want to keep making this cake, over and over and over. It’s a good idea, because I seriously think this might be my new favorite cake.

Stay tuned for lots of good new recipes and other fun things… like maybe some trip planning. How does that sound?

Crazy Good Biscuits

January 27, 20133 Comments

My boyfriend confessed to me that one time, I ate his biscuit.

That sounds totally gross. Let me back up. Once night, we had a crazy hankering for KFC. So like any normal couple, we satiated the craving with a bucket, 4 biscuits and 2 sides. Apparently, after dinner, I wrapped up the leftovers and told him to take them. When he went home, he forgot them.

The next day, lunch rolled around and I ate the last biscuit, but left Jesse the remaining chicken and sides. At least that’s how I remember it.

Yesterday, he confessed. I ate the last biscuit and he was silently sad about that for a while.

Naturally, I laughed and apologized profusely. Then, of course, made some biscuits to make amends for my biscuit-devouring habit.

Crazy Good Biscuits

adapted from Epicurious

2 cups flour (plus extra for rolling out)
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
5 tbsp butter, cold
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1-2 tbsp melted butter (for brushing)

Preheat oven to 425F. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add butter and using your fingers work the butter into the flour until you get coarse crumbs. Next, add yogurt, cream and milk and stir with a spoon until combined. Turn onto a floured surface and knead 2 or 3 times, then form into a disk shape. Pat it down with your hand until it’s about 1 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or the bottom of a cup (I used the bottom of a mason jar I use to make pies in jars, so mine were small biscuits), cut out biscuits and place onto a parchment paper lined baking pan. Repeat until all dough is used up. Brush with melted butter and bake 10-15 minutes (this will vary depending on the size of your biscuits) until golden brown. This will make about 2 dozen biscuits (depending on size).