monday musings

"Perhaps imagination is only intelligence having fun."
...George Scialabba

P
~ Follow The Rainbow Road to a great sale.

The most wonderful boutique

(created by our extraordinary c.f.)

for boys & girls; including adorable infant wear.

There are also some pampering gifts for Moms.

Don’t miss these bargains!
http://www.therainbowroad.com/

featuring:
Albert
Baby Legs
Disney Couture
Harajuku Lovers
Hula Mula
Jack and Lily
Knuckleheads
Meg Dana & Co.
Mini Fine
Mullins Square
Party Hats
Shubx
The Bitterstrums & Urban Baba & Co.
P

~ Due for DVD release 2-10-09.
Cute as a 10.0 earthquake,
a movie titled “Chocolate”
in time for Valentines Day…
Not for your faint of heart
though.
~ An action tale from Thailand. A little Yakuza, a little Muay Thai. This young autistic girl, Zen, is to martial arts, what Rainman was to math. Take a peek::
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axf_EXzF_qM&eurl=http://bigjimindustries.com/wordpress/
P

~ We're so proud of our
DD, BB, KK ~ back hittin' the books,
all at different colleges.
We wish you 3 great success!

Gambare!
b.q.

Monday Musings

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that

within me there lay an invincible summer"

Albert Camus

~ Weather – the forecast is possible 90+ degrees by Friday. Whew! Where is our Autumn?

~ mmmmm… Try Trader Joe’s Organic Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats, or their Lumpy Bumpy Bar. Or, how about any of Trader Joe’s dark chocolate covered treats?
”All you need is love. But a little chocolate now & then doesn’t hurt” Charles Schultz.

~ WARNING!:: NO SCHOOL BAKE SALES !
School bake sales victims of nutrition rules
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/27/BALJ13NP31.DTL
A twisted compliance to this::
The state guidelines, passed by the Legislature in 2005 and gradually being implemented at districts around the state, require that snacks sold on campuses during the school day not contain more than 35 percent of calories from fat, 1 percent of calories from saturated fat and 35 percent sugar by weight. Snacks must also not exceed 175 calories at elementary schools or 250 calories at middle and high schools.
Wow. Are the candy fund raisers next? The state better beef up the school budget, before they remove the best way for the schools to make up some of the deficit.

A liver & onions fund raiser isn’t going to provide much liquidity.

~ Looking forward to Thanksgiving. Joyful Family gatherings are priceless. Glad everyone gets the day off to celebrate & enjoy the feast. We always count our Blessings. Love the aroma of a roasting turkey warming up the house all day long. What do I wear on Thanksgiving?
An apron!

b.q.

Just Add Chocolate

In my family there are some super picky eaters. My hubby's cause is too late, but my kids can still be saved from all too familiar fast food comas and card board box dinners. This is where I come in. I am not the greatest cook, in fact my cooking at best is OK. I try hard and watch the food network a lot, but I will never be the Next Food Network Star.

As my children ate their first meals, I introduced all the fruits and vegggies. I steamed and pureed, smashed the avos and bananas, organic, made the super oatmeal, you get my drift. Now hardly a veggie passes their lips. What and where did I go wrong.

So now I am back to square one and my goal is to cook better and more. I want to cook with fresh and healthy ingredients. Simple, tasty, seasonal meals. Oh that sounds like a dream.

My daughter, the most picky of our crew, loves chocolate. So we add chocolate to many things. Here is a recipe I found on www.101cookbooks.com ( a beautiful recipe journal), and modified a bit to use what I had available. It turned out great! Super moist and not too sweet.

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcake Recipe

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 vegetable oil
2 tblsp Nutella
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk + 1/2 tblsp white vinegar ( buttermilk substitute)
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (heaping)
1/3 cup wheat flour
2/3 cup unbleached flour
pinch salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
2 bags instant hot cocoa.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with cups.

In a bowl mix together the sugar, butter and oil. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Stir in vanilla, milk, vinegar, zucchini, nutella, and chocolate chips.

In a separate bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients. Add the liquid ingredients and mix until well combined. Spoon batter into large muffin pans. Bake in the center of the oven for about 25 minutes. Cool. We ate them without icing but sprinkled a bit of powdered sugar on them. My little girl ate 2 at one sitting, that's unheard of!

xo, c.f.