Last night we went to our new favorite place ever, Hill Cafe, and because of our no drinking challenge, I ordered their spicy ginger juice.

IT BLEW MY MIND.

Naturally, I’m finding myself searching for ginger juice recipes today, and sadly, many of them yield 2 tablespoons. A delightful drink that does not make.

Also, thinking about sipping on ginger juice is keeping this song in my head today.

Have you ever made ginger juice?

This is how homemade Cheez-Its look before you accidentally leave them in for too long while being distracted by the internet and they turn brown.

Recipe via Chicagoist:

Homemade Cheez-Its

1 cup flour
8 oz. cheddar cheese of your choosing, grated
4 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into squares
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until blended and crumbly. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture forms into dough. For us this was about 2 tablespoons. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about half an hour.

Place the ball of dough on a floured surface and roll out with a rolling pin until it’s about 1/8 inch thick. This can be done in 2 batches, if you don’t have enough surface area. Cut dough into squares about 1 inch x 1 inch. Poke center with one prong of a fork for that famous hole in the center. If you want the serrated edges, use a serrated knife to trim the very edges of each cracker. Sprinkle with extra salt on top.

Either line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with baking spray. Place crackers on sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Proud of myself for coming home and making lentil soup despite wanting to just eat cereal for dinner and watch Hulu. My intention was to make H.Swan’s coconut red lentil soup, but we didn’t have scallions, tomato paste, coconut milk, or cilantro, so it’s basically just the lentil/split pea soup with curry that I always make.

Disregard those Christmas stockings in the background. I just got a head start on decorating for next year.

Since silicone-smoked carrots and kale taste susprisingly bad and I ended up throwing this lunch away and buying Cosi, I wanted to at least give its short life some value with a photo.

This meal is my jam this week:

• quinoa or millet cooked in the rice cooker with a scoop of homemade vegetable bouillon
• steamed carrots and kale
• herb feta cheese crumbled on top

Heidi Swanson’s Millet Muffins have been sweetening up my entire weekend. The uncooked millet gives it a surprisingly nice little crunch.

Millet Muffins

• 2 1/2 cups flour (I used a combination of whole wheat and rye)
• 1/3 cup raw millet
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.

 Whisk together the flour, millet, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, butter, honey, and lemon zest and juice until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until the flour is incorporated.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, spooning a heaping ¼ cup (60 milliliters) batter into each one, filling it a bit below the rim.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until the muffin tops are browned and just barely beginning to crack. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn the muffins out of the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

(from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day)

Mighty Grain Salad Recipe

• 2 cups cooked grain (author’s choice: bulgur)
• 2 cups finely diced vegetables (author’s choice:  shallots, carrots and fennel)
• 2 cups beans or lentils (author’s choice:  red lentils)
• 2-3 stalks of leafy greens, chopped fine (author’s choice:  lacinato kale)
• 1 heaped handful of chopped fresh herb ( author’s choice:  dill)
• 1 handful of toasted nuts or seeds (author’s choice:  walnuts)
• 1 handful of dried fruit (author’s choice:  currants)
• 1 handful of crumbled soft cheese (author’s choice: sheep’s milk feta)
• ¼ cup oil (author’s choice: extra virgin olive oil)
• ¼ cup acid (author’s choice:  a mix of orange juice and apple cider vinegar)
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional: 1-2 tsp ground spices (I used some ground coriander)

Combine the grain, vegetables, lentils, chopped herbs, leafy greens, nuts, dried fruit and cheese in a large bowl. Mix the oil, acid, spices, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour mixture over the grain and vegetable mixture and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Our lovely intern is back today from vacation, and I spotted this insanely delicious-looking salad on her desk for lunch today and asked for the recipe. Must.make.asap.

This phone photo does not do it justice, but the other night we made some delicious simple lasagna from scratch, coached by Ms. Swanson.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, 2 cups semolina flour for the noodles (<$1)
2 cloves garlic (<$0.20)
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes ($1.79)
lots of mozzarella (~$4.50, we opted out of fresh since it’s all just melting anyway)
handful basil ($1, but ~free if it’s summertime and we can get it from the yard)
parmesan (<$1)

I love having a pasta machine. For under $10, this was a great meal for 5 people.

Heidi Swanson’s Thousand Layer Lasagna Recipe

likethereligion:

The difference between Adrienne’s cooking (right) and mine (left)

Tonight’s my one free night at home for the rest of the week, so I’m making some soup, even though CR is making some delicious Cook’s Illustrated macaroni and cheese for us tonight. I love having a big stove now.

I’m in love with Heidi Swanson’s quinoa patties to eat with my soup for lunch every day.

Quinoa Patties, Adapted from Super Natural Every Day

2 1/2 cupscooked quinoa (I used the rice cooker for this)
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped
1/3 cupfreshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup/whole grain bread crumbs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 

Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a mixture you can easily form into twelve 1-inch/2.5cm thick patties. I err on the very moist side because it makes for a not-overly-dry patty, but you can add more bread crumbs, a bit at a time, to firm up the mixture, if need be. Conversely, a bit more beaten egg or water can be used to moisten the mixture. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat, add 6 patties, if they’ll fit with some room between each, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply browned. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes and continue to cook until the patties are browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Alternatively, the quinoa mixture keeps nicely in the refrigerator for a few days; you can cook patties to order, if you prefer.

nybg:

This is just one of the few incredible gingerbread houses made by New York City-area bakers for Gingerbread Adventures at The Garden! Throughout the month of December, children will have the chance to explore the spices that make up a gingerbread recipe, step inside a child-sized gingerbread playhouse and decorate a gingersnap cookie of their own. 

I hope grownups can do this, too. CR—Let’s go!!!