Part 3: Return of the Fortune Cookies!

"God, I think I've got 'em, I think I've got 'em! 

Such yummy cookies all the time! 

What's coming next ? What's happening now? 

Still it isn't over; I've gotta imagine what she wants! 

It isn't over; I've gotta imagine what she does... 

God, I hope I've got 'em, I hope I've got 'em! 

I've come this far, but even so: 

It could be yes; it could be no. 

How many cookies does she...?

I really need this fortune- 

Please, God, I need this fortune- 

I've got to get this cookie! 

I have to get it just right! 

I knew I had it, from the start..." 

-from "A Cookie Line" 

[All my musical nerds will get this joke... I think...]

So. Part Three of the Fortune Cookie Escapades. Usually, my second trial of a new baking recipe goes smoothly and wonderfully and I never have to change it again until I feel like it. But fortune cookies are hard, can I just say? Especially when I don't have any special tools for 'em. 

However, nevertheless, I think the impossible has been accomplished!

Here is the final (I think) and accurate (I hope) fortune cookie recipe as it was completed this evening. 

Super Fortunate Ginger Fortune Cookies

(Makes ~24 cookies)

3 egg whites

3/4 cups organic powdered sugar

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1/2 tsp pure vanilla

1/2 tsp chopped ginger

8 tbsp whole wheat flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Mix the egg whites, powdered sugar, coconut oil, vanilla, and ginger together in a large bowl with a handheld mixer on low. Slowly add the sifted flour. Grab a small spatula and make sure you've gotten any excess flour that sprayed onto the sides of the bowl; stir. 

Spoon 2 teaspoons of the batter onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and spread it out in a very thin, wide circle, using a flat knife. You're only going to want to put a maximum of 4 (2 or 3 is better) cookies per sheet at a time. 

Place in the preheated oven, on the second to top rack, for ~6 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.

Now you have to move very fast! Put on a pair of *thin* cotton gloves to protect your fingers. Remove the tray from the oven quickly (but carefully!) and immediately:

1) flip each cookie over using a small flat knife (not the same one you spread with)

2) place a fortune on top of each flipped cookie, perpendicular to the direction of the wrinkles in the baked dough

3) fold each cookie in half over the fortune and then fold them back together into usual fortune cookie shape, pinching the top to hold it in shape

4) place each cookie inside a muffin tin to cool

This recipe will make about 24 cookies. You'll want to flip the parchment paper on your cookie sheet every batch and switch it out for a new sheet every third batch. Otherwise, the wrinkles that form from the moisture of the batter on the parchment paper will cause weak spots in your finished baked cookies. 

The cookies will need to cool for 1-2 hours. They harden and crisp as they cool. 

These little guys do not taste like normal fortune cookies. They're a little less sweet and they don't score the inside of your mouth because they're just not that uber hard. The ginger gives them a little zing, but not too much. 

Raintime

There is little I love more than listening to the rush and roar of rain on pavement, breathing in the cold wet air, and smiling out at a roiling gray sky from the cozy comfort of my home. 


Days like these, Elizabeth Gilbert narrates my life. 


I wake up at seven a.m. to the gray of early evening and go to the gym in lieu of my usual outdoor. I stretch in the rain-cooled air, climb onto the treadmill, and run. My muscles heat, my heart sings. And when I'm winded, I walk back home - feeling the water coat me like a combination of Mary Magdalene's tears and the sweat of cherubic Buddhas. 


Home again, cold and shimmering tired, I change into a baggy, mustard-colored sweatshirt I've had since middle school, pull on a pair of sweatpants and thick cozy socks, and make a pot of herbal tea. 


For a while, I sit and watch the water falling through the air outside and just breathe the rich scents of hyssop and mint and sage until the mere scent of them is not enough. Life is a diaphanous, wonderful thing when it's simple and quiet and you can luxuriate in each individual moment, drawing each one out and stretching it into the next.


If every day were a rainy day, I wouldn't get much done - but oh, what a beautiful, drizzly lack of accomplishment that would be.

Banana-Walnut Muffins

So there I was, looking at a pair of wilting bananas and I thought - banana bread? No. Too big and heavy. I know! I'll make muffins!

Banana-Walnut Muffins
(12 servings)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 overripe bananas
1/8 cup Splenda-sugar baking blend
3 tbsp egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
~1/4 cup walnut "baking bits" *you can get these in bags at Trader Joe's

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Mash the bananas in a bowl until they're really mushy. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir well with a spatula. Add the applesauce. Stir again. Add the baking powder and baking soda and salt; then slowly add in the flour.  Stir until well combined (don't forget to scoop up the bottom and the sides).

Next, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups and put in your preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Ta da! All done! And in no time at all. You can replace the walnuts with raisins or some other nut or fruit as you prefer. Carob chips would probably be awesome too. :) Enjoy.

Garlic-Sunflower Chicken, with a side of Garlic Roasted Veggies

Let it be said: poultry is awesome.

I was afraid of chicken for a long time, mostly because of my terrible fear of e-coli and death. The key to healthy poultry (which is, by the way, one of the best meats - ever - if cooked properly) is taking the time and care to be safe and clean. These rules apply to messing with any raw meat:

1) Clean your counters and your hands before unpacking the meat.

2) Make sure that your cutting board is clean.

3) If you can, use one specific cutting board for meat, or for each type of meat. There are some nice, inexpensive sets you can get from Williams-Sonoma and Bed, Bath, and Beyond that have little pictures on each cutting board, denoting whether it's for fish, chicken, beef, or vegetables.

Now. All that out of the way, here's another yummy chicken dish for your savoring pleasure.

Garlic-Sunflower Chicken
(3 servings)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp olive oil
Garlic-sunflower mix (Remember this? I made it for the bass dish. I still had a bunch leftover, in a sealed container in my fridge, so I used about a quarter of it here)
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
5-8 button mushrooms, sliced in threes
1 handful spinach, shredded with knife

[Garlic-Sunflower Mix: Now take 1 cup of sunflower seeds, 3 tsp salt, and 3 tsp garlic powder and blend together in a food processor until all powdery and delicious smelling.]

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Rub sunflower-garlic mix all over the chicken. When the skillet is hot, add the chicken and sear. Then turn it over and sear the other side.

Meanwhile, chop your veggies and mix them in a small bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil. Now, if you're using a baking dish, spread these olive oil mixed veggies over the bottom of your baking dish. I used my brand new La Creuset - happy sigh - but you can also use a baking sheet with lips if you're really stretched for tools.

When both sides of your chicken breasts are nice and scorched, remove the chicken to the rectangular baking dish and rest them on top of the veggies; next place the baking dish into the preheated oven (on a low rack) to cook through; this should take about 15 minutes.

When finished, plate your chicken and strew a little of the spinach/tomato/mushroom mix over top prettily. You can serve this with a side of veggies or brown rice.

Speaking of veggie sides... This is what I did and it was quite tasty. :)

Garlic Roasted Zucchini and Cauliflower
(3 main dish servings, 6 side dish servings)

1 zucchini, sliced into 1 inch slices, then halved
1 head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cloves roughly chopped garlic
1.5 tbsp jarred, pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 tbsp
~15 cherry tomatoes

Preset oven to 400 F.

Slice cauliflower into one inch slices and mix in a bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and pour the cauliflower out onto the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, on the top rack.

Meanwhile, chop the zucchini into 1 inch pieces, then halved. Set aside.

Chop garlic, olives, and tomatoes.

Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the skillet you just used to sear the chicken, add the garlic and olives and olive juice. Saute for about 2 minutes.

Next, add the slices of zucchini. Stir.

Remove, the now roasted cauliflower from the oven and add it to the skillet. Stir until the cauliflower has a chance to soak up all the other flavors in the skillet - about 2-3 minutes.

Remove from heat and presto: veggies as a side.

You can also serve over pasta or brown rice as a main dish in it's own right.