Crazy Simple Cookies

You’ve got to love a recipe with two ingredients. Really, only two.

Take 2 ripe bananas. Mush them up with a fork till smooth. Add 1 cup of oatmeal (uncooked, flakes, regular or large flake). Mix. Form into little cookie patties. Bake at 350 degrees (I put a layer of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, ungreased) for 20 minutes.

That’s it. Aren’t you happy to have something to do with ripe bananas?

Now…having said that, you CAN add stuff….they are good the way they are, but they are also good with other stuff. Like variations such as adding a handful of chopped dried cherries, a ¼ cup of coconut, and/or a handful of chopped walnuts.

Or, like I did this time: a tablespoon of cacao powder, a handful of cacao nibs, and a handful of chocolate chips. Very yummy.

Try ‘em! Start with the simple version, then get creative and add things you like! As long as they hold together, anything goes. If your bananas are on the big side, add a bit more oatmeal. If they are extra moist or runny, you can also add a ¼ cup of coconut flour, which is really absorbent.

They are a great vegan snack, containing no egg, no butter. I don’t dread those ripening bananas on the counter any more.

Beautiful Breakfast

My son ran in the Vancouver Sun Run this last Sunday and needed a good breakfast. It ended up being coconut/banana multigrain pancakes with yogurt.  Yum.

I’ve been experimenting with food photography and Instagram, so I whisked the few leftover pancakes onto mom’s gorgeous old Noritake China and plucked some bluebells from the garden.

This is a new medium for me. It’s a lot of fun to create, to paint, with food and fabric and bits from the garden or the pantry.  I’m loving this new-found form of expression. This practice reminds me that there is beauty in every day and every moment.  And celebrates it.

Frozen

When I told a friend of mine I wanted to get an ice-cream maker to try making my own treats, she gave me hers. She said: “I’ve just never used it – it’s been sitting here forever – you can have it”.

Well, that was a while ago! It then sat in the pantry downstairs with all the other seldom used appliances for over a year…funny how that works. I had a fabulous no-work-and-all-play weekend last week, after coming off a huge all-encompassing couple months of work – and making ice-cream was on my fun list.

I looked at a number of the recipes, but I can’t eat eggs. Many of them are made with a pre-cooked custard. Then I found there were a couple frozen yogurt recipes that were very simple and had only a few ingredients.

So my first try was this: 2 cups of full fat Greek yogurt (vanilla) plus one cup of whipping cream. I flavored it with 2 T of instant coffee and a ¼ c of white sugar, mixed with 2T of boiling water to mix and dissolve it a bit. I whisked this all together and put it in the machine. Presto! 20 minutes later it was thick and creamy and I put it in containers to firm up.

I used tiny little plastic containers for single servings and later, when firm, I held the containers under a warm water tap for a few seconds and then popped them out on to a plate. Great idea for a make-ahead dinner party dessert! And pretty tasty too! Summertime, here we come.

Inspired

I’m having a blast. I’ve gotten organized on Instagram (the_art_part_of_my_heart) and I’m having so much fun, thanks to my friend Alison who showed me the ropes and explained how it works…. She just knew it would be a fabulous medium for me.

Wow! There’s a whole new world out there…I’m exploring food bloggers, stylists and photographers – the Instagrammers I’ve found, from all over the world, are spectacular! I’m in awe and so inspired.

Inspired to play with my blood oranges I was cutting up for a salad last weekend; they were so beautiful…so I grabbed a plate that matched and played with this composition.

I’m also inspired by my wonderful friend, Kathy, who’s doing the photography for my upcoming book. She’s showing me how lovely it is to shoot almost everything in natural light. I’m learning.

Inspired because it’s spring – and the beginning of my favorite six months. What bliss…I will savor each approaching week….and welcome the warmth that comes with the months ahead.

….and thanks Meryl for inspiring me to write this today!

Mom-Son, Art-Heart

Part one:

I love seeing my 20 year old son find himself, in many ways…and he’s started to be interested in the clothes he wears. We are both fierce recyclers, thrift shop hunters, always trying to get the most out of our stuff, often in creative ways.

He had a nice shirt…used to be white…started looking a little yellow. Because it is not 100% cotton, it didn’t respond to bleach too well but it’s one of his favorites so after I tried to “fix” it without success, he asked “what about that shirt, did the bleach work?”…and I said…”ehhhh….didn’t work out too well. I can see why you like it, but some of the areas are looking a touch yellow…. How about we dye it pale yellow?”

“That’s a great idea. I don’t have a yellow shirt. That’s a real Art Part of your Heart thing to do, Mom.”

Yes!

 

Part two:

Will came home around 10pm the other night. I thought he might be home for the night but no, he was just quickly dropping off his music gear from a gig, and then heading out to join friends. I wasn’t sure if he had had supper and asked if he was hungry. Yes, he said, but he was on the fly. OK! I had baked cheddar cheese scones earlier, trying out a gluten free flour blend. I toasted them and put a slice of cheddar inside and then cut up an apple. He grabbed a Ziploc bag and was on his way.

A short while later, my phone chirped that he had texted. Oh-oh, did he miss his bus? Or was something wrong?

Nope. He texted:

This is the best. I love “quick turn-arounds” like that. It’s something I will miss and remember fondly. Lol

We are both very aware of the fact that he’s heading off to travel in Europe for an extended period of time later this year, and our time together is finite and limited. We are savoring every bit and every bite.

Food for the Heart: 3 Movies

I saw a lovely movie about a chef the other night. It reminded me that I wanted to share a second wonderful documentary about three restaurants, which led me to recall a third, very special movie… Here are three terrific movies about cooking, food, passion, art, family, life and love.

Haute Cuisine
This 2012 French comedy/drama is based on the true story of Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch and her appointment as the private chef for Francois Mitterand. In this film Hortense Laborie, a highly regarded chef from Perigord region, recounts her time as the president’s private chef and her work at the Elysee Palace, as she is leaving her post as a camp chef at an arctic research base. The story is filled with rich elements of family food traditions but also control and bureaucracy!

Laborie and the President have a touching connection and a love for traditional, authentic food, much to the chagrin of the machine that runs the palace….and the jealous competition in the main kitchen. Laborie’s indomitable spirit reigns. Actress Catherine Frot does not disappoint in this charming, delightful film.

Spinning Plates
This beautiful 2012 documentary contrasts three restaurants: one of the premiere restaurants in the world, a 150 year old stakeholder in a midwest community, and a small family restaurant run by new immigrants with high hopes and many challenges.

The restaurants are so different, but they all share struggles and agonizing decisions.

I fell in love with Chef Grant Achatz of Alinea in Chicago: an artist and artisan who showcases molecular gastronomy at his stellar restaurant. I marveled at the resilience of the Breitbach family. My heart ached for the immigrant husband and wife who so wanted to create and keep their fledgling family restaurant alive, putting everything on the line….Wonderful glimpses of all kinds of cooking going on! Lots of heart and soul too.

Eat Drink Man Woman
This memorable film was written and directed by Ang Lee in 1994 and was his first critical and box-office success.

This film takes place in 1990s contemporary Taiwan. Mr. Chu is a widower, master Chinese chef, and father to three unmarried daughters who don’t easily fall into line with any definition of traditional Chinese culture.

Each Sunday, Mr. Chu prepares a wonderful banquet for his daughters. This weekly meal becomes the family forum as each daughter brings her issues to the table and struggles with the conflict between their father’s traditional values and their more contemporary lifestyles.

In his review in the Washington Post, Hal Hinson called the film a “beautiful balance of elements … mellow, harmonious and poignantly funny.” Hinson concluded:

As the relationships evolve and deepen, there seems to be a surprise around every corner—for both the characters and the audience. But what is most surprising, perhaps, is how involved we become with these people. As satisfying as food can be, the fullness we feel at the end here is far richer and more complex than that offered by the most extravagant meal. “Eat Drink Man Woman” is a delicacy but also something more—something like food for the heart.

 

Bon appetit!