5 Minute Gazpacho

I've finally found a use for my inordinately long cutting board. Chopping up lots of different vegetables... and arranging them separately.

Magic Ice Cream

I'm going to share a secret ice cream recipe with you.

Okay, it's not really a secret. I found it on a really amazing baking blog who got the idea from here.

Here you go: 2 ingredient ice cream. No ice cream maker. Fluffy, creamy, delicous (and a heart attack in a bowl, but it's worth it on the whole). Condensed milk, whipping cream, and whatever flavors float your boat.

I went with chocolate peanut butter. Never fails.

Soft Pretzels & Chem 101

I've made soft pretzels twice in the past two days, and I'd make more tomorrow if I hadn't run out of flour out here in the middle of nowhere where the local mini-market is open at 6:45 but closed by noon.

But not to worry, these pretzels are so fun to make that I don't even mind being baking handicapped. They are chewy and salty and delicious, and easy enough for a 4-year-old to make. 

The first thing you do is proof your yeast. This step isn't essential- if you continued and added all the ingredients, the yeast would still multiply and make your dough rise. But it does make sure that you know your yeast works and that you didn't use water that was too hot.

Good Boy Plum Pie

I love wandering around and exploring all the stores in our new area. Although considering how expensive it was to move, about the only shops I can afford to actually buy from are the vegetable ones. 

Lucky for me, there's a place nearby that sells everything  for 3.80 NIS/kilo. That's $0.49/lb, American people. I sort of went overboard grabbing fruits and veggies and I don't even know what I'm going to do with all of this. 

But it sure is purty, ain't it?

Plum pie, anyone?

The way to a man's heart

I was all ready to write about the amazing fruit store I found nearby, but after today's breakfast I just couldn't help myself.

My family bought me a mini waffle pan when I passed my thesis defense. Kind of a sneaky gift, dontcha think? It's like when I bought my husband an espresso machine... I think I probably end up drinking more coffee than him. And with the waffles, they don't even have to make them!

At first I was skeptical that waffles this small could be satisfying, or that they would even come out of the pan in tact.



Sometimes it's good to be wrong.

So, this morning, instead of our usual Friday morning pancake extravaganza, I whipped up a batch of my favorite waffle recipe from the Settlement Cook Book.