Costa Rica!

This is pretty funny!

Organico Darling!

I got my business cards! Lane designed these for me and they are perfect. I am officially a baker and I love it. My family is not that happy with all the baked delights that are available 24/7 but I do enjoy feeding them with tofu, in the shape of chocolate mousse, vegan cakes and cookies.

It also helps that I have so many people from craigslist come over to take a look at my stuff, we don't have a left over problem! Seriously, I will be in Costa Rica in less than 2 weeks and the only thing that I know is I am going to take a week off and just surf and read! Moving sucks, saying goodby is even worse and i am tired...

Lemon-Mint Sorbet

I love using my ice-cream machine for healthy treats. This lemon sorbet recipe is a snap to prepare and is perfect in between meals (before real dessert:)

3/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of lemon juice
1 cup boiling water
zest of one lemon
bunch of fresh mint, chopped fine (optional)

Mix all the ingredients, chill for at least 2-3 hours, or overnight. Use an ice-cream machine according to directions.

Enjoy!

the secret

from We Like it Raw:

The movie The Secret has been a huge underground hit. In the legacy of What the Bleep!?, The Secret entertains, educates and inspires viewers by showing them the true possibilities of the Universe. I watched the movie about 1 month ago by paying $4.95 and viewing it online. It was totally worth it! It was a great and inspirational film that doesn't necessarily teach you something new, but rather reminds you of what you inherently know. And just what is that? Well... you'll have to watch to find out!

Check this out!

on being human

Herman Melville - "We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men....

5 Things to eat before you die...

Melissa at The Traveler's Lunchbox started a project in August, asking fellow bloggers to name 5 things to eat before they die. Cenk just posted his list and I wanted to do mine, but it is hard to come up with only 5 things...So I cheated and created two lists, one for me and one for you...

 

Here is mine:

 

1) Breakfast, lunch or dinner or scraps at the French Laundry

2) Pierre Herme Macaroons Paris or Tokyo

3) Summer Rolls at Kai's Vegetarian Restaurant in Thailand

4) Dinner at Pure Food and Wine in NY

5) The 5 Elements shake at Organico

 

Here is yours (feel free to substitute from mine:)

 

1) Zen Dinner at Minako

2) Dinner at Playa des Artisans in Montezuma

3) Dhamma Bread (www.dhamma.org)

4) Bread from Freestone Bakery

5) Bread Pudding at Tartines (18th and Guerrero)

 

Runner Ups

5.a. Mom's sour cherry dessert

5.b. Mochi ice-cream (green tea)

 

Here is yours if you go to Istanbul

1) Ciya Kadikoy Carsisi

2) Hala Manti Beyoglu

3) Imza Pastanesi Ciftehavular (Ekler, Acibadem Kurabiyesi, Balli Pasta ve Milfoy Pasta)

4) Rokoko, Divan

5) Kumpir, Ortakoy

 

 

Organico Recipes: Julayne's Blueberry Muffins

Julayne started blogging about her experience in Cambodia. Her blog is really cool and I can't wait to see her pictures. I met her through Lane and she has been such an inspiration to me on this Costa Rica deal...Quoting wonderful Ann, cheers to the citizens of the world!

Julayne loves blueberry muffins and she is on the Organico menu, as long as she keeps her promise to come and taste the real thing:)

I used Mendocino Mornings cookbook for the base recipe and veganized it by replacing the egg with flax seed, milk with soy milk, butter with coconut oil and mashed bananas...I also used a mix of corn meal and wholewheat flour with regular flour...It is fun to be a fairy!

Also, special thanks to Phil for the latest and the greatest addition to my bakeware collection...The ultimate muffin pan- in red and silicon...It rocks!

And also special thanks to Mama Boothby for lending me the cookbook. Highly recommended!

Berry Cheesecake (Shhhhhh, it is raw!)

The raw cheesecake...Keep on reading, seriously, it is not a joke. Compared to my old favorite (8 packages of 8oz cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, butter), this gem recipe only has raw ingredients that blends smooth like silk (Vita-Mix again) and it is just a pure pleasure to eat. Even in the shape of a skull...Come'on now, that is something!!

Step by step pictures from Matthew are here. All you need is almonds and date paste for the crust, fermented cashews, agave nectar, lemon juice, almond milk, vanilla for the cheesecake. You get the ingredients ready, I will post the recipe later tonight.

You are Dead to me NOW!
What's up with the skull? I changed my religion, I now worship the God of Pinwheels and the almighty has requested this cake on May 19th...


Credits on the handsome marzipan skull go to Fagerstorm. We first tried to do a free hand model but it was hard to get it smooth. So, we decided to roll it and pressed it right on to the model...That worked like magic!

The cheesecake took 10 minutes to prep, and we used strawberries with some cherry pie filling for a more realistic blood look. And, it also helped that I cut my hand while opening the damn can! It turned out really ugly, I am so proud of it!


They are dead to me now...There were tears at the airport, but it is all good, quoting Rumi, death is our marriage to eternity (via John).

God of Pinwheels and Cupcake Laniest...

Adventurous Stranger

"Make your choice, adventurous stranger:
strike the bell and bide the danger
or wonder, till it drives you mad,
what would have happened if you had"

–the quote is from C.S. Lewis, author of
"The Chronicles of Narnia".

Daily Lit

Reading one of my favorite novels via Daily Lit...Highly recommended...(both the book and the service)

 

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. " Anna Karenina, p.1

Begin it now...

Sera just sent me this...I can't agree more....

Until one is committed,
there is hesitancy,
the chance to draw back,
always ineffectiveness.

Concerning all acts
of initiative and creation,
there is one elementary truth
the ignorance of which
kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
that the moment one definitely commits oneself,
then providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur
to help one that would never
otherwise have occurred.
A whole stream of events
issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner
of unforeseen incidents,
meetings and material assistance
which no man could have dreamed
would have come his way.

Whatever you can do
or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius,
power and magic in it.
Begin it now.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Finally....

I am finally doing it...Moving to Costa Rica and opening my own place. Got my ticket for November 7th. There is a lot of work to do, but I am so ready, (and relieved!)

Bhavatu sabba mangalam.
"May all beings be happy."

Update: See my first post from Costa Rica...I can't believe I am doing this!

Happy Friday!

From Barney's Desk:

 

"You don't become a master by learning 4,000 things...you become a master by learning how to do a dozen of the right things 4,000 times"

 

Right on!

 

P.S.:

 

I recommend Krav Maga highly to everyone. Though, Sutter thinks that I should print this picture and ask for a refund:) Mac is also not convinced that they know what they are doing, since I did kick him bad on his face, while trying to show-off my skills...(it hurt though:)

 

It is really cool to throw a jab with a bunch of hunks and it is fun to practice Uma's moves from Kill Bill.

 

More on Krav Maga here...

 

 

Mom's Most Requested Recipe (in love)

Mom doesn’t like to experiment with different recipes, but she does have specials that are very good! I remember her crème caramels, (we even had individual metal molds), her tiramisu is also very good and this sour cherry dessert is probably the most requested recipe from her.

When I saw this picture on Flickr, I emailed it to her immediately. Cenk has been asking for it for a long time, but the recipe had some problems so we couldn’t share. It is the damn sour cherry pudding! They took it off the shelves a couple years ago. (We were probably helped them clear the inventory in less time than they have forecasted. I remember dad running around every grocery store to find the last remains of this treasure. Of course, they didn’t last long.)

Until now…We are proud to bring this dessert back to life…with a homemade cherry pudding…I haven’t tested this recipe yet, but it looks very good on my sister’s blog…Mom is coming next week, so I will make sure to lock her in the kitchen…Crap…sour cherry juice…..is as hard to find as the pudding itself…Will figure out something…

1 pack of cookies (petit beurres work the best, LU brand is good)
1 pack of pudding (make according to directions)
1 envelope of gelatin
1.5 table spoon corn starch
1.5 tablespoon sugar
2.5 cups sour cherry juice

Line a 9 by 13 baking sheet with the cookies.
Pour the warm vanilla pudding on top. Let it cool for 10 minutes and add another layer of cookies.
Sprinkle the gelatin over 1 tablespoon of cherry juice and let it dissolve, appr. 10 minutes.
Cook the sour cherry pudding by mixing all the ingredients over medium heat.
Carefully pour the pudding over the cookies.

The jelly hearts are so adorable, but I don’t have a clue how to make them. Cutting heart shapes from strawberries sound extremely difficult...but I will try it soon:)

My sister used cherries instead, it looks nice but hearts are just so adorable...They also topped this with a spoon of vanilla ice cream….Needless to say, we don’t mess around when it comes to dessert!

Photo Credit: Varf
I can't post from Flickr...something wrong with the beta settings...Don't switch to Blogger beta...Be warned.

A happy day...

Blissful is passionlessness in the world,
The overcoming of sensual desires;
But the abolition of the conceit I am --
That is truly the supreme bliss.

Udana II, 1

Request for better food!

This is so cool! I agree that an all organic, veggie cafe would do well in the Space:))) wink wink;)

P.S:Lane, lets change that hummingbird with Apollo-13:)

Featured Shake: "Phraxos Nights"

John requested a shake to be named after him back in Montezuma, but John Sullivan as a shake name, ummmm not that catchy??? Hence, Phraxos Nights, for him!

It is very easy to make and you don't even need a Vita-Mix! Here is the recipe:

1 small papaya

1 tablespoon of agave nectar

1 tablespoon of flaxseeds

1/2 cup coconut water (from young Coconuts)

Papaya seeds and mint for decoration

Blend all the ingredients and taste...add more agave if you like...Decorate with papaya seeds and mint...Hupurrrrt!

Why Phraxos?

Phraxos is for imagination...It is the Greek island of Spetses, where another John (Fowley) wrote the Magus and made up the name. We had this heated debate one night whether it really existed or not. John read the novel long time ago and remembered the name of the island, Costas he is from Greece and insisted it didn't exist. What are names after all? Aren't they all made up? I found the pictures of Phraxos, quite nice actually.... :)

Yummy Posts!

I have been posting from Flickr since last week but someone over at Blogger ate my posts.... This really sucks! I have been getting confirmations via email...Grrrrrrrrrr...oh the beauty of WordPress....soon! Stay tuned!

Quote of the Day....

Samuel Smiles - "The shortest way to do many things is to do only one
thing at once." I am struggling with this one....

You are an adult now!

Sutter is 30....I don't believe that...(see picture on the left!)

Still, happy birthday! He has requested this wonderful cake from me a while ago, but took of with Lane to party in the Midwest...So, no CAKE!

(Lane's photo)