Surprise Baking Fiend

Because we do have a lot of people coming and leaving, we also have a lot of going-away potlucks. In all of those, I've not only enjoyed celebrating others, I've discovered I'm actually quite good at baking.

One of our veteran volunteers, Kaki, moved out last month and was known for her amazing chocolate cake. So in her honor, I was enlisted to bake something for her going away party. I admit, I was quite nervous in my attempt to impress Kaki's refined palate. Still, I'm happy to say that on that rainy Monday evening all anyone could taste was success (and a hint of mocha).

my first made-from-scratch chocolate creation and I

After tasting that cake, Municky, a yoga teacher here from Brazil, requested--nay, demanded--I make something similar for her birthday. However, this time around I lacked powdered sugar, so I went for a recipe that used granulated sugar. That was almost a lumpy disaster, until I had a perfect epiphany moment and dumped it all into a blender. What ensued was smooth, rich chocolate perfection that I could easily spread on top of this cake.

The coconut detailing was done courtesy of Sarah.

I definitely didn't expect to be baking (or be any good at it) this summer, but here we are and it's undeniable I'm awesome.

That's all for now!

Sylvia

Just call me Sylv Master Fresh

Okay, okay. I know what you're thinking. Yes, I'm really that cool. Here's why:

leftover diced potatoes, fried sweet potatoes, onions, greens, and sliced apple

salad with caramelized onions, carrots, quinoa , and avocado

whole wheat pasta with sauteed chard, tomato, and oregano cheese

salad with quinoa, carrot, pomegranate, and avocado

These creations are all mine, I'll have you know. I feel quite happy with my progress as a cook. Part of harnessing your creativity happens in the kitchen. It's about feeling out the ingredients you have and deciding what you think will pair well. Because I have all those vegetables, I just make a lot of stir fry, soup, and salad. Still, some things you might not expect work really well together, like sliced apple in your with your hash browns or pomegranate in your salad. 

I've gotten a lot of inspiration from Sarah, another one of the volunteers here, who after hearing about my giant vegetable bag decided she'd like to split it with me. I admit that was really awesome, for two reasons. Not only is it now a lot easier now for me to get through my veggies before they wilt, but Sarah actually knows what she's doing in the kitchen. After all, her Strawberry Oatmeal bars did win our baking contest. And check out this creation of hers:

And that's not even her very best. So, I'm so excited to keep on trying different things and learning from the others here.

Well, I'll keep ya posted!

Sylvia

Top Chef - Veggie Style

So, I've started ordering my vegetables from this organic farmer comes to town a few times a week. He sells his stuff in huge, basically surprise bags with different greens, herbs, and roots that vary  from week to week.

The bag was actually really enormous.

I'm really excited to start trying to cook with these veggies, because some of them (like Chard) I've never had before, and I have no idea what I'm doing.

An impressive array of veggies, is it not?

I sort of feel like I'm on one of those crazy cooking shows where they give you weird, random ingredients that you have to incorporate, except, I have no real experience cooking. Thank God for the internet.

We'll see how this one goes. I'll keep you posted!

Sylvia

Going nuts for milk

So, this past year I got pretty hooked on our dining hall's soy milk back at school. It's so much better than regular milk. Still, the soy milk you can buy here has a ton of sweeteners and stuff. The other day I saw Selene, who lives here in the house, making her own Brazil nut milk. She explained to me that it's actually pretty easy. All you essentially have to do is soak the nuts in water, blend them, and then strain them. I tried it the other day and it actually came out pretty good.

Alright!