Tag Archives: citrus

Kumquat and Poppy Seed Pancakes

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Danguole| 3 Comments

You know what? Weekends were a fantastic idea.  Just wonderful.  A Sunday morning is one of the few opportunities I have to be as polite with myself as with everyone else–instead of mentally barking out orders to my sleepy brain to get out of bed and do X, Y and Z immediately, I can politely ask.

“Hey, self…  You look awesome today–I like how your bangs are pointing to the left AND right…  It’s visionary.  Cutting Edge.  Genius.  Say, what do you feel like doing today?”

Well, this weekend, I wanted to (A) brush my hair and pin my bangs back into an acceptable situation–all hail dry shampoo!– and (B) make a cappuccino and a fat stack of pancakes.  Citrusy ones, with poppy seeds.

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Posted in Breakfast, Main courses, pancakes, Vegetarian, weekend, Winter

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Orange-Ricotta Pop Tarts

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Danguole| 16 Comments

Holy crap, I am obsessed with Weeds. These things tend to happen in the winter: Netflix streaming and dark evenings somehow make me extraordinarily motivated…  To sit on my couch and catch up on pop culture.  Watch all the things!  Yes!

I’m not doing so hot; Weeds premiered in 2005, you know?  I would have an easier time forgetting just how late I am to the party if it weren’t for the cell phones.  Old-school flip phones with that familiar greenish-grey/black display.  Shows about drug dealers feature phones A LOT.

On this schedule, I’ll be ready to discuss Girls and Downton Abbey in 2021.  Let’s make it a date, okay?

I’ll bring homemade pop tarts.

This has been on my to-do list for a while.  First thanks to the ever-brilliant and inspiring Deb from Smitten Kitchen. Then I had this killer homemade sweet potato pop tart at Dottie’s True Blue in San Francisco.  I guess I tend to get around to baking projects slightly more quickly than I catch up to cool TV shows.  Slightly.

And so, here they are!  And they’re beauties.  Tender,  buttery pastry crust, and zesty, slightly sweet, citrusy, creamy-dreamy-cheesy, slightly vanilla-scented filling.  A swirl of powdered-sugar icing on top.  Pop tarts!  Made from real food!

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Posted in Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Vegetarian, Winter

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Orange and Cardamom Infused Cold-Brewed Coffee

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Danguole| 7 Comments

Guess who went to a concert 3.5 hours away on a Monday night…  Then came back the same night…  Then went to work Tuesday morning and stayed for almost 12 hours?  Simple math tells us: that is too many hours of traveling and rocking out and working.  And not enough of sleeping.

I don’t know if I’m bragging or telling you that I’m a GIANT IDIOT.

Maybe not that much of an idiot, because this was waiting for me at home.  A pitcher of coffee in your fridge can fix anything.

So, just what is the deal with cold brewing? To recap, it’s making coffee without heat–mix and let it sit, then filter.  I first posted it early last summer, but it’s been a year-round staple for me ever since.  And believe me, I love nothing more than steaming milk for a cappuccino on a winter morning, but that kind of luxury ain’t suited for the M-F of a busy life, baby.

Cold-brewed coffee is an easy, convenient solution, and even the plain-Jane version tastes far superior than hot-brewed and iced coffee.  This time, we’re taking things to a fancy new level: infusing our concoction with orange and cardamom.  Fragrant citrus and warm spice: good morning, sunshine!  It’s so, so very lovely.  I normally drink my cold brew black, but this version, combined with some unsweetened (sweetened would be great too, obviously) vanilla almond milk, is just out of this world.

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Posted in Drinks, fruit, Healthy (?)

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Double Chocolate and Candied Orange Peel Cookies

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Danguole| 6 Comments

You guys…  I have never pawned off  a batch of cookies with more urgency.  Normally, baked goods will hang out on my counter for a while, waiting for me to meet up with a friend or catch my neighbor when she’s going out for a walk.  I will enjoy one here and there in the meantime.  But this was what you might call a Dangerous Situation.  Janeane Garofalo would rightly make fun of me, but the cookies had to go!

I’m all about the orange-chocolate combo, you see.  The fragrance, the bitterness of the orange, plus rich, dark, swoon-worthy chocolate…  It’s all so dreamy.

And man, these are good.  Chewy, rich and fudgy, with tons of texture courtesy of crunchy pecans and toothsome, chewy candied orange.  That’s two kinds of chewy for those of you who are keeping track!  Flavorwise, need I say more?  My goodness.

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Posted in Baking, Cookies, Dessert

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Thyme Paloma Cocktail

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Danguole| 5 Comments

But wasn’t I whining about the cold a couple of days ago?  Why, yes.  But alcohol is delicious!  Also, I make zero sense.

What does make sense is taking beautiful, in-season, ripe, juicy grapefruit, and putting tequila on it.  Nature’s most tart, refreshing citrus graces us in the winter.  We may not need refreshment from the heat, but we do need refreshment from…  Everything else.  So let’s drink.

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Posted in Drinks, Mexican, Winter

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Lemon Gelato

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Danguole| 4 Comments

I don’t know what it says about me (well, I have a pretty solid idea), but some of my best friendships have been cultivated while in a food coma.

Once in a while, a few of my best and closest get together to cook, chat and eat.  It doesn’t happen often, because our eating is legendary (to us, anyway); so much so that going home right away is not an option.  At every such event, someone eventually wanders to the couch, or even straight to the floor; wherever looks like a good place for digestion.  The rest of us follow.  There are usually blankets and pillows, ridiculous conversations and, often, naps.

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Posted in Dessert, Spring, Summer

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