New Years Rainbow Waffles

Rainbow waffles and New Years Eve go together like... morning and breakfast? However they go together, they do the trick. Super yummy and festive and easy to make. It's a little messy but worth every colored drop. I used the heart shape on my iron but you can use the normal side if you like. I also made mine a little thinner so the three year old could handle them but if you make them a little thicker it's neat to see the colors in the middle of the waffle. You can use any waffle recipe you want and just add the colors when it's done, here is my favorite recipe;

Ingredients:

1 1/3 flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk 

1/3 cup oil of choice

2 eggs

Maple syrup

Preheat waffle maker. In a large bowl, mix first four ingredients.

Add buttermilk, oil, and eggs to mixture. Whisk until blended.

Pour batter into separate bowls, use as many bowls as colors wanted.

Once the colors are mixed in, transfer each colored batter into a baggie and cut a small hole in one of the corners of the bag.

Spray or coat the waffle iron with a little oil.

Squeeze a bit of each color onto the iron. Cook as manufacturer directs.

Loosen the waffle from the iron and reheat the iron before making new designs with your colors!

Enjoy!

Apple Roses

Apple Roses

As Thanksgiving gets closer, I've been busy trying new recipes and desserts, trying to decide what to make for the actual occasion. Every year we host a mixture of family and friends and it makes for a different experience each time. This year we have other children coming and now that our son is old enough to have his own table, there are all kinds of treats and crafts to make. The first I'm trying out is the breaking the internet apple roses. I've seen these all over pinterest and facebook and every other social media outlet. Clearly, I had to see what the fuss is about. 

Starting out, there is a little prep that goes into them, but overall, they are pretty easy to make. I mixed a few recipes together and came up with the first batch. I could have baked them for about 5 minutes longer, but the taste was pretty epic. These might just be the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving desserts. Beautiful and tasty, yes! 

1. 3 large apples, I used Gala red.
2. 1/4 cup granulated sugar
3. 1 tsp. cinnamon, I used Vietnamese fancy cinnamon
4. 1 sheet thawed puff pastry
5. 1/4 cup+1 tsp unsalted butter
6. apricot preserve, I used a homemade version 
7. 1 egg
8. 2 tblsp water

1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees if using individual ramekins, or 375 degrees if using a metal pan. Butter each ramekin and dust with sugar.

2. Cut the apples into halves and then slice as thin as possible. Heat a tsp of butter in a sauté pan, lay the slices in the heated butter for about 30 seconds each side. The goal is to make the slices flexible to roll into the rose shape but not be soft. 

3. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.

4. Roll out puff pastry to 1/8inch in a rectangle. Use a pizza cutter to slice 3 inch rectangles. 

5. Melt the butter to brush over pastry strips. Then layer a thin layer of apricot preserve across the strip. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Place apple slices across the top inch of the pastry strip. Overlap the slices on each other till you get to the other end of the strip. Fold over the rest of the pastry strip over the apple slices like a pastry "folder". 

6. Mix the water and egg together to form a wash. Brush the outside of the pastry folder with the egg wash and seal the ends. Sprinkle with more cinnamon and sugar to taste.

7. Gently roll the folder into the rose shape, being careful not to tear the pastry or squish the apple slices. Finish the roll by sealing the end with the dough end. Gently put into the ramekin or metal tray. Sprinkle with remainder cinnamon and sugar.

8. Place tray in the middle of the oven. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove the tray from the oven and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let sit until fully cooled. Dust with confectioner's sugar if wanted. Enjoy!

Homemade Vegetable Broth

Homemade vegetable broth is one of the easiest things you can make. Keep a gallon bag in your freezer and any trimmings, scraps, or anything that doesn't look so hot anymore get thrown in. End of onions, leeks, carrot peels, celery, garlic, green onions, shallots. Herbs are really good like parsley, cilantro, rosemary, or thyme. Mushrooms, bell peppers, fennel work as well. Anything with a pleasant flavor. Leave out anything bitter like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, or brussels sprouts. Also, don't use anything that's starting to rot or mold. Ew. For this broth I used an assortment of vegetables but the color came out a dark red from the beets that were in there. A neat difference. I'm going to use the broth to make rice and hopefully it will turn out a pinkish red color. Holiday rice anyone?

Take all your scraps once your bag is full, boil them in a big pot with about 9 cups of water. Basically about 5 cups of scraps.

Once everything is boiling, take it down to a simmer and cover. Add a couple bay leaves if you have them and some salt and pepper, to taste. Let everything simmer for an hour.

Strain out the veggies from the broth and you're set! You can keep the broth in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for later.

Put your gallon bag back in the freezer and refill!

Harvest Quinoa Salad

  This salad has an assortment of fresh, seasonal veggies that remind me of why we live in California. Recently, on a trip to Tokyo, my family and I stayed for 10 days in the middle of the city. Japan has a reputation for being clean, fresh, and simple. The flavors are strong and pure, and al of our meals had an amazing purity to them. We ate ramen, soba, the best sushi known to man, an assortment of seafoods, and the yummiest treats. Everything was delicious, but one thing I noticed was a lack of vegetables. Ok, we were on vacation, and staying at a hotel, so our access to non restaurant food was at a minimum. I've had plenty of salads and fresh food there, just no so much of this trip. Bananas not included, we ate a TON of those.

  When we came home, the first thing I wanted to do was make something that had everything I was craving. I still threw in a little asian flare with the edamame and red cabbage, but everything was from the farmers market i had been missing. This recipe is great for lunches or a side for dinner. It's best room temperature or chilled, and will last up to a week. Add shrimp for a protein if you want it. Yum!

QUINOA SALAD

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped red cabbage

1 cup shelled and cooked edamame

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 cup diced cucumber

For the dressing

1/4 cup tamari sauce*

1 tblsp sesame oil

1  tblsp rice wine vinegar

2 tblsp chopped green onion

1/4 cup cilantro

1 tblsp sesame seeds

1/4 grated ginger

1/8 tblsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add water, quinoa, salt to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil fo r5 minutes. Turn the heat to a simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. 

Place the quinoa in a large bowl and add the cabbage, edamame, red pepper, carrots, and cucumber.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, green onoins, cilantro, sesame seeds, ginger, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad and stir to combine.

*You can substitute soy sauce for tamari, however, make sure to stick with the tamari if you want to stay gluten free. 

How to make your own dry shampoo

As fall and winter peak around the corner and the temperature drops, it’s time to start looking at changes we can make to improve the health of our hair without over doing it. When you wash and condition your hair, it’s a great time to give your hair a little extra love and use a deep conditioner, especially on the ends. However, not all of us have time to perform a 20 minute ritual every day we shampoo. Sometimes your hair is not dirty and not ready for a full wash, but it’s feeling a little oily on the roots and just needs a pick me up. Time for dry shampoo! Many product lines carry a dry shampoo, depending on what type of hair you have will determine which product you need. Being a person who can’t sit still, i decided to look up an alternative to going out and buying one off the shelf and seeing if I could make my own at home. If you are into a personalized, more natural alternative, I think you might LOVE this one. Give it a try! 

What you’ll need: 

2 Tbl Organic Arrowroot Powder

2 Tbl Kaolin Clay

1 Tsp Organic Horsetail Powder

6 drops Essential Oil of choice (more or less depending on the oil and your preference)

Tools:

2 Mixing Bowls

1 Sieve

1 Whisk

2 Spoons, one large + one small

1Tablespoon

1Teaspoon

One Empty Spice Jar

In a glass mixing bowl add the arrowroot powder, the kaolin clay and the horsetail powder. Whisk the powders together until they are well blended.

Next, slowly drip 6 drops of essential oil into your powder and whisk again. The oil will not blend into the powder on it's own so don't be discouraged by any lumping.

Gently scoop your powder mixture into a sieve positioned over an empty mixing bowl. Sift the powder into the bowl until only small, dust covered clumps are left.

Take a large spoon and gently press these clumps through the sieve. Scrape to and fro and continue to press to get all of the oils through. Tap the sieve against the palm of your hand to knock any remaining clumps into the bowl.

Whisk the powder again, make sure all of the oil is distributed evenly.

Take a small spoon and gently spoon your powder into an empty spice jar, cap with a shaker top, label and store.

Take care of your winter hair

We all know in the winter the days are cold, the nights are colder and we do everything in our power to stay close to a heat source. Although it makes our bodies feel better, it doesn’t always do wonders for our hair. Going back and forth from artificial heat to cold wind can dry, frizz, and freeze our hair. Here are a few tips to keep your hair moisturized, healthy, and beautiful while staying warm and cozy through the colder months.

1. 1. Stock up on leave-in conditioners and protective oils: These act as a cozy coat between your hair and the heat. During the cold dryness of the winter months, damage from a curling or straightening iron can be worse than usual. If you're straightening out or curling up, coat your hair with a leave-in oil such as Oi oil by Davines. The smell alone will make you want to coat your locks to keep it soft and protected.
2. 2.Air-dry: If you're not freezing post-shower, try to let your hair air-dry before blow-drying it completely. The less hot air you infuse into your locks with the dryer, the more moisture you'll seal in from your shampoo and conditioning products. However, make sure you don’t go outside with any water left in your hair if the temperature is below freezing. The water in your hair will freeze creating broken ends and “layers or bangs” you never intended to have. 
3. 3.Stay moisturized: Go to a salon for a professional deep-conditioning treatment at least once a month. This is a great way to keep your hair healthy and shiny in the winter months. If this isn't in your budget, use Nou Nou Pak by Davines. Its main ingredient is olive butter which not only protects the outside of your hair, but penetrates in and plumps your hair from the inside out. Put the pak on wet or dry hair, leave in for 15 minutes and rinse. 
4. 4.Be dirty: OK . . . not dirty, but wash your less frequently during the winter. Frizz is a result of dry, broken strands of hair--aka lack of moisture. Washing your hair every day does more damage than good, so wash your hair every third day or every other day if you must.

Handmade curls

Watching the models walk down the 50’s inspired Prada runway in Milan, the hairstyles reminded me of a woman who is polished yet soft. A style that doesn’t look to overworked, that is as subtle on the runway as it would be walking down the street. This hairstyle is incredibly easy, just follow these few steps. 

1. 1.Towel dry your hair and comb a styling cream through your hair. I recommend Invisible Styling Cream by Davines. 
2. 2.While your hair is still damp, part your hair in a deep side part. Either side is fine. Use a bobby pin to pin the heavy side of your hair to the side.
3. 3. Make sure to tuck your hair behind your ears to create a soft wave in the front. 
4. 4.Use a blowdryer on low heat and low air to dry but not create frizz. 
5. 5.Once your hair is dry, start curling starting in the back and working your way forward. This style is just about having the ends curled, so no need to fully curl your hair. Just create a curl middle of the way down to the ends of each section.
6. 6.Once your curls are done, leave them in. Do not brush them out, even with your fingers. 
7. 7.Spray a light hairspray throughout your curls. 
7.