Tag Archives: Carrot

Calla turns 1

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Last week Calla turned one. I had envisioned her first party to be something magical.  Decorations everywhere, a cute theme with matching food to nibble on, and a spectacular cake to smash and eat.

Time got the best of me, as it usually does, and the party went on in a smaller, simpler scale.  A delicious carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for the guests, and an individual Carrot Frosted Cupcake for Calla to smash and taste.

Heirloom tomato & Boccocini salad, Quinoa Black Bean and Corn Salad, Greek Layer Dip, Spinach and Bacon Dip, Pasta Salad, some veggies, candies and Chocolates, and a few Pizzas ordered last minute, was the menu.

It was a warm September evening, friends and family mingled on the deck, and a few kids played amongst us. Calla, unaware the celebration was in her honor, had fun chasing the other kids, checking out the new toys and didn’t mind one bit as everyone watched her attack her cake inquisitively and lick the creamy sweet icing.

Over this last year, the phrase ‘this too shall pass’, has never rung so true. From laying, rolling, crawling and walking. To squealing, giggling, gibbering, laughing and talking. And of course, cuddling, playing, hiding and hugging.  The moments pass too quickly. Change comes and more excitement is welcomed. Each day is fun.  There is frustration, there are tears, some confusion, and doubt.  But there is also pride in being a mom, joy in playing with Calla, gratitude in having a healthy little girl, and love. So much love.

The only thing I know about this next year is that it will bring more of the above, in greater amounts. I know there will be some hard days, and some incredible days.  I don’t really know what to expect, but I can’t wait for it.

To Calla, the cutest, happiness little girl I know.  I’m so proud to be your mom and so grateful to have you in my life. I love you! xoxo Mom

I went back and forth deciding what kind of cake to make for Calla.  Healthy, no sugar, no fat, no excitement?  Well a first birthday is a pretty special occasion, one that happens only once, and so we decided a little sugar would be fun.  So we went with an incredibly moist carrot cake.

Carrot Cake  (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Makes 2 – 9inch cakes

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups finely grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350F

Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter, then lightly flour them.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. In a large bowl, whisk sugar and oil until blended. One at a time, whisk in the eggs. Then combine flour mixture to wet mixture. Stir in carrots.

Divide batter between two cake pans, as evenly as possible.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks. Let cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt

With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until combined and smooth.  Mix in vanilla and salt.  Gradually add powdered sugar one cup at a time, and beat on high until light and fluffy.  For a sweeter icing, add more sugar if desired.

Morning Glory Muffins

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Around 6, 6:30 we wake up.

Heading into Calla’s room she’s standing, smiling and bouncing on the bed, ready to be picked up and hugged.

Let Cliff out to do his thing, change Calla and start the coffee.

While preparing Calla’s breakfast I pulled out one of these muffins.

Pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds and it’s ready to be enjoyed with Calla as she eats her breakfast.

Carrots, apple, yogurt and sunflower seeds make you feel pretty good about eating these muffins.

They taste pretty great too.

Change the sunflower seeds for pecans, the yogurt for sour cream and I could be going out on a limb here, but maybe even change up the apple for pear.

Add raisins, flax seeds and coconut and you’ve got one heck of a versatile muffin.

Morning Glory Muffins (adapted from Confessions of a Tart)
Makes 12 large muffins

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Salt
2/3 cup Brown Sugar
2 1/2 Cups Grated Carrots
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
3 Large Eggs
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup Plain Yogurt
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Large Apple, cored & shredded

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 12 Cup Muffin tin, or line with paper cups.

Mix together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.  Whisk in brown sugar.

Toss shredded carrots, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries in flour mixture.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, yogurt and vanilla.  Mix in shredded apple.

Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until batter just comes together.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  About 20-25 minutes. Cool in muffin tins on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove from muffin tin and cool on wire rack completely.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 30 days.

Lemon Poppyseed Coleslaw

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Switching it up a bit here, because we can’t always talk about food all the time.. ok well I can, but here’s a new story for you.

Out on a dirbike ride with Scotty a few days ago, I did something a tad embarrassing.  Coming down a hill, not an extremely steep hill by any means, but a bit gravely, and loose I was fixed on an object in front of me.

Something big and ugly, not something that should be or belongs in the middle of nowhere.

Something that I was so confused by, and taken aback trying to figure out what it was, that I actually ran into it.  I wish I could say there wasn’t anywhere else I could go, but I would be lying, the trail was wide, with at least 10 feet on either side of it.

I hope you will be as dumbfounded as I was, when I tell you, it was a hot tub.

I ran into a stranded hot tub, on a dirtbike, in the middle of no where.

Luckily, I was going quite slow that only my pride got hurt.

Even being a new dirtbike rider, I am still ashamed this happened, obviously not that ashamed though, or I would not be telling all of you.

And definitely not as ashamed as the person who dumped their old used hot tub in a forested area should feel. Whoever you are, seriously, have you any respect for yourself or the environment??

This is the second coleslaw we made to use up our abundance of cabbage, and it was really really good!

The dressing seemed like more of a vinaigrette, and the addition of apples, walnuts and raisins added just the right touch.

For Dressing
3/4 cup Plain Yogurt
2 tbsp Mayo
3 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tsp dried drill
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp poppyseeds
For Salad
1/2 Purple Cabbage, thinly shredded
1/2 Green Cabbage, thinly shredded
1 Apple
1 Carrot, peeled
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
In a small jar, with a lid, add all dressing ingredients and shake well.  Taste for seasoning and set aside.
Shred the purple and green cabbage as thinly as possible, add to a medium size bowl. Cut the apple in quarters and remove core.  Slice into strips and add to bowl.  Peel carrot, cut in diagonal slices, then again into strips, add to bowl. Add raisins and walnuts.  Mix together, then add dressing and mix again until salad is coated.

Creamy Avocado Coleslaw

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Wow, 1 Cabbage produces copious amounts of shredded cabbage!!  Having bought 1 green and 1 purple cabbage, I had no idea what I was in and needed to get a little innovative so we wouldn’t be eating the same salad for days and days.

With two salads in mind, I started out with a Creamy Avocado dressing.

No oil or mayo needed, this green salad dressing was made entirely of veggies, some herbs, lemon and buttermilk.  Cream-y!!

You could use this dressings for many salads, or even add a few more avocados and use it as a dip for veggies.

Biggest mistake I made with this salad, was not shredding the cabbage thin enough, I made sure to do that for the second salad though, which should be coming up tomorrow, so please stay tuned

(Adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook)

Creamy Avocado Veggie Salad

Small Handful of Parsley
Handful of Spinach
1/2 a zucchini, chopped
A few fresh basil leaves
1 clove Garlic
1 cup Buttermilk
Salt
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2 Ripe Avocados
Small Handful of cilantro

1/2 Small Purple Cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 Small Green Cabbage, finely shredded
1 Carrot, peeled in strips
1 Cucumber, sliced

In a blender or food processor, add all dressing ingredients and pulse until smooth.  Taste for seasoning, then pulse once again.

Finely shred both cabbages and arrange in a bowl.  Add sliced cucumber and peel carrot pieces.  Pour dressing over salad and mix together.