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Recently I went out west.  It had been a really (reallllly) long time since I had been on a real trip anywhere, and I relished every moment.  First Philip and I went back to 95 degree summer weather in Austin, TX.  We wandered through an enchanted park, explored a cavern full of stalactites and stalagmites and tiny sleeping bats, ate delicious breakfast tacos from a food trailer (check!), visited the flagship Whole Foods (I know… but it is actually really cool), hung out on a rooftop with a friend from home, visited the capitol building, marveled at grackles, drank delicious coffee and juice, and interacted with friendly locals who would not seem at all out of place in a Linklater movie.  Then it was on to Los Angeles, a city which had long been on my list of places to visit.  Ever since I was Weetzie Bat books loving kid, I dreamed of LA’s hills and canyons, its punks and starlets, its purple jacaranda trees and old Shangri-LA magic.  Now that my friend Charles was getting married at the Malibu West Beach Club, I had an excuse to go.  And while I wasn’t crazy about all the driving and big box/chain stores everywhere, I was indeed enamored with pretty much everything else: the dessert hills juxtaposed with the blue Pacific, the coyote we saw one night casually trotting across the street, colorful flowers and equally colorful homes, teetering palm trees, winding roads, charming plant-enveloped alleys, the incredible architecture and landscaping of the Getty Center, dreamy Mulholland Drive, the PCH… I want to go back!  Best of all I got to spend time with dear friends at a truly lovely celebration.  The day after the wedding, we checked out of our hotel, got some iced coffees, and went back to Malibu Beach.  After soaking the bottoms of our jeans (despite our best cuffing efforts), we decided it was warm enough to go all the way in the water and besides, when was the next time we’d get to go swimming in the Pacific?  We changed into our bathing suits in the car and took turns holding the car keys while the other went in the water.  Then it was fries from In-N-Out, a quick drive through Echo Park, and finally LAX, where we returned the car and waited around for our after midnight flight home.  Naturally it took us some time to get back into the groove of things.  (I literally did not know where I was when I woke up in my own bed the next day.)  And the erratic weather– 80 something degrees and sunny followed by total blustery cold dreariness and full on fall– certainly didn’t help.  Still, home is where the cat is.  And the seasons, too.

These vanilla maple tahini truffles are perfectly autumnal and so tasty.  They’re easy to make, too, unless you count the waiting parts.  I’m pretty crazy for tahini and maple syrup (see my recipe for vanilla maple tahini spread)– so much so that sometimes I’ll skip the mixing and simply heap the two ingredients precariously onto a spoon and then shovel it directly into my mouth while standing over the sink.  Because you know, dishes.  Anyway, it was only a matter of time until chocolate entered the mix.  These truffles are sweet and salty and feel just indulgent enough, the kind of treat I think we could all use right about now, wherever we are.

½ cup tahini

• Use a food processor to mix tahini, maple syrup, vanilla, and fine sea salt until well combined, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary. With the machine running, slowly pour in the melted 1½ tbsp coconut oil and process until smooth. Transfer to a dish and freeze, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, or until firm but not totally frozen.
• Line a plate with parchment paper. Use your hands to roll tahini mixture into balls, approximately 1” in diameter, and set on the lined plate. Freeze for 25 minutes.
• Melt chocolate with scant 1/8 tsp coconut oil in a double boiler over low heat, stirring frequently. Alternatively, melt in the microwave in short increments. Once melted, remove chocolate from heat. One at a time, drop each tahini ball into the chocolate and use a fork to roll it around, then gently lift and let excess chocolate drip back down through the fork tines. Place back on parchment lined plate and sprinkle with a little flaky salt. Freeze for 10 minutes, then transfer to a container and store in the refrigerator.

Yield: About 15 truffles

This easy 7 layer dip is quick to put together and always a hit! Refried beans, salsa, and veggies snuggle under a blanket of cheese. Serve it with tortilla chips for a great party starter, or take it along to your next picnic, campout, or potluck dinner. (Skip to recipe.)

Sometimes I think how unbelievably lucky I am to have the life I have, and other times I think; how can there be one more stress or another bad thing that happens to me?

Right now, though, I’m thinking how unbelievably lucky I am.

By this time tomorrow I will be on a plane, heading away for a whole month of wonderful, exciting, relaxing, invigorating vacation in Spain, Portugal, and France. Yes, we’re leaving it all behind – all that last minute stress and preparation and craziness – for a chance to just explore and adventure. Raymond and I are flying to Barcelona and renting a car, then driving a winding route all around Spain (Madrid, Seville, Santiago de Compostela), spending a week in Portugal (Porto and the Douro Valley) then spending some days in the French and Spanish Basque country and back through the Pyrenees for a few days in Barcelona before we head home. We’re even staying in some nice hotels this time (we usually tend to rough it in youth hostels and simple B&Bs)! We’re going to be traveling like grown-ups!

I am soooooo excited. I’ll be taking a few cooking classes, too, so I’ll be sharing some of those experiences and photos here, once I get back.

Before we head off on this grand adventure, I want to share with you a very tasty, easy dip that is always a hit.

can’t wait to dig in

It’s unassuming and simple to put together, yet always seems to be the first dish scraped clean when there’s a selection of appetizers on offer. My friend, Elsa, has been serving it for years and we’ve always gobbled it down greedily at her parties and gatherings. She always told me how simple it was to make, and I meant to make it more often, but never got around to it. This spring I finally did, and I’ve made it several times.

we enjoyed it with friends out on the deck (until the mosquitoes chased us back inside)

Yum, yum, yum. It will now be a staple for us, too. It’s the kind of appetizer trick you can easily pull out of your bag to feed a crowd while you’re busy cooking the rest of the meal.

It’s easy peasy. Just open a tin, chop a few veggies, grate some cheese, and pile it all in a dish. You can heat it or leave it to eat at room temperature. You can cover it with plastic wrap and pack it to take on a picnic, potluck, or barbecue. Bring along a dish of this tasty Southwest 7-Layer Dip and you’ll be invited back again any time!

Spread a can of refried beans in the bottom of a dish. Add a layer of your favourite salsa – mild or spicy – your choice.

Then sprinkle on some chopped tomatoes and bell pepper,

and green onion. Slice up half a block of cream cheese (or spread on a layer of sour cream if you plan to serve it without heating it),

and sprinkle on a few generous handfuls of grated cheese. Pop in the microwave or under the broiler, and hola, hola, hola! You’ve got a fantastic dip to dig into with crispy tortilla chips.

Happy summer feasting everyone. See you when we get back!

* * * * *

Kitchen Frau Notes: 7 Layer Dip is also delicious served without heating it up. Use sour cream instead of cream cheese. See the note below the recipe for making the fresh version.

For the heated version, make sure not to cook it too long, or the vegetables release some of their liquid, making the dip a bit more watery (but still tasty).

This dip is also easy to customize to your liking. Feel free to change up the vegetables, add canned corn kernels, diced avocado, or red onion instead of the green onion.  You can add diced pickled jalapeño pepper, or add a sprinkling of chipotle pepper powder for kick.

7 Layer Dip

• 1 can (400ml) refried beans
• 1 cup (240ml) salsa, your favourite kind, spicy or mild
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 1 sweet bell pepper, any colour
• 3 to 4 green onions/scallions
• 125 gms/4 oz. cream cheese (½ of a regular package)
• 2 cups (200gms) shredded cheddar cheese (old or extra old give the most flavour)

Remove the seeds from the tomatoes: cut them in half horizontally across the ‘equator’, then use your fingers to dig out the seeds and juices from each section. This will prevent your dip from being watery. Dice the remaining tomato flesh in small dice (about ¼”/.5cm). See here for photos of how to de-seed a tomato.

Dice the bell pepper into small cubes, about the same size as the tomato.

Slice the green onions thinly.

Cut the ½-block of cream cheese into thin slices.

Now layer all the ingredients in the order given into a large pie plate or baking dish. Spread the beans on the bottom, then spread the salsa over the beans. Sprinkle on the diced tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Lay the cream cheese slices over the top, then cover the whole thing with the shredded cheese.

You can finish the dish off in either of two ways:

1.Microwave the dip for 4 to 5 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted. (If you cook it too long, you’ll start cooking the diced veggies and they’ll release water into the dip. Still tasty, but just a bit watery.)

2. Or set the dish under a preheated broiler and broil for 4 to 5 minutes (only if you use a broiler-safe dish), just until the cheese is melted. Again, don’t cook it too long or the vegetables will release their water.

Fresh version of 7 Layer Dip: Make the dip the same way, except replace the cream cheese with a layer of sour cream (1 to 1½ cups) which you dollop over the vegetables and spread around as well as you can. Top with the shredded cheese and serve the dip without heating it. This works well if you want to bring the dip to a picnic or potluck, or if you just don’t want to be bothered heating it.

Guten Appetit!

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Pico de Gallo 3 Ways

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Holy Flaming Guacamole

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Ghiradelli Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yields about 4 dozen cookies

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Stir flour with baking soda, salt and set side.
• Beat butter with both sugars at medium speed until creamy; turn mixer to low and add vanilla and eggs one at a time. Mix until smooth.
• Gradually blend the dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts (if desired).
• Drop by tablespoons onto parchment lined cookie sheet, or plain ungreased sheet.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes or till golden.  I like to check at 9 minutes, but we like ours on the very chewy side.
• Important: Enjoy every bite!

Source: https://thecozylittlekitchen.blogspot.com/2017/05/ghiradelli-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

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