Schichttorte -Paleo style! part 1, the plan

While watching my not so secret obsession, "Chopped", in the final dessert basket there was something I had never even heard of before. It looked interesting, and after a quick google search, I immediately wanted to buy a spit and build a fireplace to use it in. The object of so much interest? Baumkuchen.

Isn't it pretty? It looks like a slice of a tree.

From Teddy Beast, who's actually had it before, he described it as a dense butter cake. A true European pastry, so it's not overly sweet and even a little savory. I didn't really believe him about it, but when we visited a German bakery up North, I understood completely. You can't really describe the taste, just go find a good European bakery and you'll understand.

After a lot more searching, I found out it's called Schichttorte when cooked flat instead of on a spit.

Still pretty, but the layers aren't as pronounced.

Now, cooking it flat means I can actually do it without doing a major renovation on our apartment. It also makes it easier to do flavored layers.

This one is a chocolate and cinnamon one from Korena In The Kitchen. 

I found a tutorial on how to do the rolled version at home. Using a tomagoyaki pan. Why didn't I think of this >.< I've even made tomagoyaki before. I think I need to dig up this pan for more experiments. click here to go to youtube and see it.

I can do this. Or at least attempt to do this. Here is my battle plan. The actual making is going to have to wait for this weekend when I have an actual mixer I can use, as well as a spring-form pan so I don't destroy it when I try to de pan it. And those come with a house full of victims to let me know if it's as tasty as I think it will be.

I'll start with Civilized Caveman's Coconut Cake recipe. It usually turns out a little on the dense side, and isn't too sweet. The coconut oil is being swapped out for Kerrygold or Pulga, whatever's on sale this week. Alongside of it, I'll do a regular SAD version to compare using the recipe from Create Eat Happy.

To cover both of them, I'm going to just do a simple chocolate glaze out of butter and some good dark chocolate.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Citrus Chicken Wings

I kept finding a recipe for lemon chicken floating around on Pinterest. It looked super tasty, but the only chicken we had was chicken wings. The verdict? Next time I'm adding more sugar.

Citrus Chicken Wings
(first draft)
1 c Fresh citrus juice ( I used 1 blood orange and 3 lemons)
1/2 t ground Ginger
1/2 t Salt
1 t Coconut sugar (add more to taste)
1/4 t Chili flakes
1 T Tapioca starch

1. Whisk together citrus juice, coconut sugar, and tapioca starch.
2. Bring to boil over medium heat.
3. Let boil for 5-10 minutes, until no longer cloudy.
4. Add remaining spices.
5. Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes.
6. Add sugar to taste. Sweetness varies greatly between citrus fruits.
7. Toss with cooked chicken.

Just another update- Graveyards, Christmas, same old.

It's been a while, but my schedule is now back to a somewhat normal one, so I have time to blog again.

This last month has been a crazy one. I started a new job on graveyard shifts. It isn't bad. In fact, it's kind of awesome. And working graveyards usually hides the fact it's a 12 hour shift. Because no one else is up, and you just sit and keep doing the same thing all night. It's kind of therapeutic actually. The only bad part about this, is that it's ruined my sleep schedule. And now there's only 4 nights a week I can cuddle with my husband. Small price to pay for an awesome job.

Now, because I don't see my husband for half the week, it started off very stressful. We went from seeing each other all the time, to now having to make time during the week to see each other. And the days I work, I only see him when I take him to work in the morning. It was hard, and then I remembered something. Didn't people used to write letters to each other? Because I know of a lot of historic couples that only lived together for a few months a year. They somehow made marriage work. Of course they did. Writing letters has added a whole other layer to our relationship, and has made us value our time together more. It also has some of a romatic charm to it. How often do you get a handwritten letter anymore? It's been a wonderful change of pace, and it's something I'll embrace even after I move on from this job. It'll also be something for our great grand kids to find when we die. How many people do you know of, that can say they have a stack of love letters carefully put away? Probably not that many.

Anyways. Happy holidays to you all, from us and the puppies! Merry Christmas, and may you find peace during this holiday season.

Apartment Living SUCKS pt 1: Roaches

We've been living in the same apartment for a while now, Teddy Beast has been here for 3 years, and I've been here about 18 months. It wasn't until the last few months that we've really had any problems. In June, they started showing up. You expect some roaches in apartments, it just comes with the territory. I used to see them maybe once a week. I'm usually the first one up and out the door, so they aren't in hiding when I get up. Well, last June I started seeing them almost everyday. Then even during the day they've been out in the kitchen. We all started cleaning everything in the kitchen, and they just keep coming back. It's terrible! Now I've seen some HUGE ones in our bedroom, on the other side of the apartment. We don't even keep food in here >.< . My googlefu says that means the infestation has grown astronomically. Well, management seems to be ignoring stuff around here, and I'm tired of waiting on them. So I've taken matters into my own hands.

I wish they were this cute, but they aren't.

After doing some more googlefu, I've come across several roach killer recipes. Only problem is the dogs, so I can't put them everywhere. I'm just going to make some powder, and some balls, and we'll see what happens.

Roach Killer (attempt 1)

1/2 c Borax

1/2 c Flour (any kind)

1 T Sugar (any kind)

Mix together. Use as is, or add water to make balls.

I'll post an update in a bit with how it's working out.

Paleo "Corn"Bread

This started out as an attempt to make Snickerdoodles. I mixed up the batter, even added some extra almond flour, but it was way too runny to even think about making cookies out of. So I made it into bar cookies. Well, we were having chili that night, and Teddy Beast came up with the great idea to crumble it into his chili. It was a match made in heaven, the perfect cornbread texture and everything. So I played with the seasoning, and here it is. Paleo "Corn"Bread.

The edges are crispy and slightly sweet, the inside is soft and falling apart.

It's sturdy enough to hold up to a good bowl of chili. For an awesome chili recipe, check out Mark's Daily Apple's Texas Chili. We usually just use about 3 pounds of whatever meat we can find on sale. Sausage is really good in this too.

Paleo "Corn"Bread
1 1/2 c Almond Flour
1/4 c Tapioca Flour
1 t Salt
1/3 c Honey
1/2 t Baking Soda
1 t Cream of Tartar
6 T Butter, melted (coconut oil is not a good substitution)
1 Egg
1/2 c Cheese (optional)
1 Diced Jalapeno (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Mix together dry ingredients.
3. In separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, honey, and egg.
4. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients.
5. Fold in cheese and/or jalapeno.
6. Spread in greased 9x9 pan.
7. Let stand for about 15 minutes. This allows the batter to thicken up and give you that crumbly corn bread texture.
8. Bake at 325 for 25 to 30 minutes, until set in the middle.

Weekly Life Update

It has been longer than a week, but who is really counting? The semester is in full swing, and shows no signs of slowing down. Who pays attention to weeks passing anyways?

Not much has happened at all in the last few weeks, just school, work, puppies, and more work. Teddy Beast is loving his new job, and the challenges it actually gives him. It's a nice change to have him coming home happy from work. It's not like we see each other that often, but it's nice that he isn't always angry and frustrated. Funny how when you live together you see each other even less than when you live apart.

The paleo diet has been off and on for the last month, due to lack of planning or lack of time overall. It is a hard diet to maintain because there aren't many quick options. If you don't plan ahead or plan at all, you're just planning to fail. But towards the end, my body was begging to just go back to Paleo. I just feel better. It all makes sense though. In just my immediate family there are allergies to all of the following; corn, dairy, wheat, soy, peanuts, and nitrates. Paleo just makes sense. I feel better and don't have a mid afternoon slump anymore. Really, it's an easy diet if you plan ahead.

Anywho, I have homework to get back to! I'll just leave you with a picture of our vicious killer puppy that attacks the socks with a vengeance.

Vegan/Paleo Chocolate Pudding

This was super quick and easy to put together, maybe 10 min of work, minus the chilling time.

Vegan Chocolate Pudding
1/4 c Sugar (for Paleo sub in 2 T Honey + 1 packet Stevia, or 1/4 c Honey, or any other equivalent)
3 T Coco Powder
pinch Salt
1/6 c Hot Water (This ends up being about 2 1/2 T)
2/3 c Milk (of your choice)
1/3 c Milk (of your choice, yes, in a separate bowl)
1 1/2 T Tapioca Starch
2 T Chocolate pieces (I used Enjoy Life chocolate chips) (optional)

1. In a small bowl, mix together sugar, coco powder, and salt.
2. In another small bowl, whisk together 1/3 c Milk and Tapioca starch. Make sure to remove all lumps at this stage.
3. Heat water in small saucepan to boil.
4. Whisk in coco powder mixture. Reduce heat to medium.
5. Add 2/3 c milk to the saucepan. Bring to a boil.
6. Add 1/3 c milk and tapioca starch to the pan. Bring to a boil, boil for 30 seconds, continuously stirring.
7. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate pieces.
8. Pour into bowl, cover surface with parchment or plastic wrap. Chill.

Keeps for 4-5 days. Makes about 1 c of pudding.