Family Dinner Friday: Goat Cheese and Walnut Hors D'oeuvres & Spring Quinoa Salad

Good morning, everyone. Have you had a good week? Not so much? Well I've got the perfect thing to start your weekend off right, a simple dinner that is healthy, light, and flavorful. I got the salad recipe from here, though I decided to take out the olives because this salad really does not need them. That and I absolutely hate olives. This salad has so many complex and delicious flavors, the saltiness of the olives would definitely detract, in my opinion. The hors d'oeuvres are an original recipe that is the product of my girlfriend experimenting in the kitchen. She first tried them with a drizzle of honey, but since this particular brand of goat-cheese already had honey in it, that was a no-go. 

I realized after I had taken the pictures of the salad that I had forgotten to add the chickpeas! Silly me, but luckily it just took a quick stir and they were fully incorporated. 

Walnut H'ors D'ovures:

Roasted Vegetable Ritz Crackers

Honey Goat Cheese

Walnuts

1. Smear as much or as little goat cheese on a Ritz Cracker as you would like

2. Stick a walnut on top

3. Enjoy - these are delicious, easy, with priceless presentation value

Quinoa Salad:

1 1/3 Cup Uncooked Quinoa

2 2/3 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Red Onion

1 Cucumber

3 Medium Tomatoes

1 Can Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)

Feta

2 Ripe Avocados

For the Dressing:

1 Lemon

Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic

Salt/Pepper

Oregano

1. Wash the quinoa, and boil it in the water until cooked

2. Chop the cucumber, tomato, and red onion

3. Combine with the Garbanzo beans and Feta

4. Stir in the cooked quinoa

5. Add the juice of one lemon to a separate bowl. Add an equal amount of Olive Oil to the juice. Press the garlic into the same bowl, add a dash of salt, a crack of pepper, and a few shakes of Oregano. Whisk until fully combined.

6. Drizzle over the entire salad and stir to combine. 

7. Cut up the avocado whichever way you see fit, I find it easiest to make a grid pattern across the avocado with a knife, and scoop out the rectangles with a spoon.

8. Disperse the avocado around the bowl, or incorporate it with the rest of the salad.   

642 Things- Whittemore (actually) Writes!

This blog is titled Whittemore Writes not just because I believe it rolls off the tongue and I'm a fan of alliteration, but because it was originally meant to be a blog to showcase my writing! However, for the past eight months I haven't wanted to write at all. I always admired Flannery O'Connor because she would get up early every morning and sit at her typewriter for a set number of hours, or all day if she was on to something good. Writing is about habit, not inspiration as so many think, and I'm finding that to be more true every single day. I don't think my lack of writing had to do with a lack of inspiration. I find inspiration in even the smallest things: an off-handed comment, small notebooks, unexpectedly good conversations with friends, to name a few.

I was shopping with my girlfriend a few weeks ago when I picked up this book. 642 things to write about. 642 things. 642! That's a whole heck of a lot. My goal: to completely fill up this book, cover to cover, in a year. I'll be posting one or two things a week depending on length, and for the first time, really opening myself to critique. I'm apprehensive because I know the internet can be often times a mean place. However, I want to hear it all. Everything you've got to throw at me, I'm ready to hear it! If you think something sucks, tell me! But also, tell me why you think it sucks. Also understand I am very rusty as far as putting pen to paper, and hopefully these segments will improve over time. Without further ado, here is the first one!

Prompt: Write from this quote from Claude Levi-Strauss, "I am the place in which something has occurred."

My response: I am the place where this love happened. You touched the valley of my waist, kissed the basin of my collar bones, traversed my spine with your fingertips. You jumped ship after one night, you are climbing someone else's mountains. I am a place- my body a battleground of medication and my own corrupt chemistry. There is no "favorite" -money is not being exchanged on the sidelines. Soon my body will be memorialized with a plaque, dates and a name over useless earth. How does it feel to have razed a city, exploited an ecosystem, and carried on seeking your own ends? How does it feel to have had someone who drank your poison disguised as love, so you could exploit their resources?

-

What do you guys think? What could I have done better? Differently? How would you have answered the prompt? Leave me comments!

Treat Yo-Self Tuesday: Breakfast in Bed Muffins

My girlfriend came up with this recipe one morning in February. She likes to call them "Aunt Jemima and Haphazard Decisions Muffins" because these were made originally out of everything in the kitchen we needed to use up! Milk about to expire? This recipe uses a full cup! Have extra walnuts from that salad you never ate? Toss 'em in! Have those golden raisins been sitting in your fridge for longer than you would like to admit? Well thankfully, those get thrown into the mix too. Surprisingly, this mix of strange ingredients comes out to make a delicious muffin. 

Breakfast in Bed Muffins:

1 Cup Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix

1 Cup Flour

1/3 Cup Sugar

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 Cup Milk

1/3 Cup Oil

1 Egg

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Apple

Walnuts

Golden Raisins

Maple Syrup 

(Use as much as you see fit of the above three ingredients)

1. Set oven to 400 degrees

2. Combine all dry ingredients (pancake mix, flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon)

3. Whisk together wet ingredients (milk, oil, egg, vanilla)

4. Chop apples into small, but chunky bits. Combine with walnuts (I used the jumbo pieces and crushed them in my hand before putting them into the mix), and raisins. 

5. Mix all of it together, and put in a lined muffin tin.

6. Sprinkle with sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw) and bake for 14 minutes, or until cooked throughout.

Do any of you all have breakfast in bed traditions? Comment below and share! 

American Sign Museum

If you would ever think to cross the Las Vegas strip (as seen in movies) with a history buff's garage, you would get the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. Without even entering, you can already tell you're in for an intriguing journey.  

When you walk inside, your eyes adjust to the numerous illuminations of in-candescent and neon bulbs shouting advertisements for businesses that have long since closed their doors.  

However, businesses that have stood the test of time also have a larger than life representation. See: Big Boy. There was also a moving neon- light McDonald's sign that was larger than 5'5'' me and 5'2'' Lauren standing tip-toed on each other's shoulders! I could not get a picture that did it justice, you're just going to have to go see it for yourself. 

One thing I really liked about the set-up of the museum, is that they created entire scenes for the signs they acquired. Under the "Drugs" sign, there was a small store front. Instead of items for sale being displayed in the windows, there were historical items relating to drugstore advertising. For a gas-station sign, they created a simple gas station that looked like it could be parked right off the road in a small town. 

I think my favorite sign was this "Pops" sign in the room used for private parties & gatherings. Its lettering was a glittering white which scattered the light from the flashing bulbs that flashed across the calligraphy. 

I also really loved all of the interesting reflections the bright lights created against the glass panels that protected the historical material. 

Surprisingly, this place is also very educational about the transition from old-school advertising to what we see on the side of the road in the modern day. It takes you not only through different types of lettering, but the shift on how these letters were made over the years. They have definitely struck a good balance between lit and unlit signs, between fun and educational.

Over all, this was a wonderful stop to make. Admission was slightly over priced ($15), but I do not regret having the opportunity to look at an interesting history of U.S. advertising.  I hope some day that there might be an international sign museum, examining the contrasts of how different areas developed their advertising practices. 

Remember, if you would like prints of any of these photographs, you can message via Etsy or e-mail me. All information can be found on my contact page. 

Have a wonderful day! 

Treat Yo-Self Tuesday: Bunny Cake

Easter is almost here already! How?! It seems like February just ended and, wow, it's almost time to start dying eggs! My roommate's birthday was on the 7th of April and I made her this cute, coconut-cream cake shaped like a bunny. Shaping the cake like a rabbit was the least of my worries, how to make coconut cream pie (her favorite) into cake form was my main challenge. Luckily, pinterest came to my rescue and I found this recipe. Like always, I didn't follow it completely. I attempted it to the letter, especially after reading the comments. One claimed this cake saved her marriage! However, the filling it asked me to make turned out absolutely abysmal. It was yellow, lumpy, and downright gross looking. I didn't even want to taste it to see. Instead, I made my own filling to compensate and I think it turned out much better. 

The Cake

3 1/2 cups Flour (All Purpose)

2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

2 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1 lb Butter

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

7 large egg yolks

7 large egg whites

1 3/4 cup coconut milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 and butter two circular cake pans

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.

3. Beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy using a hand mixer. Add 2 1/2 cups of sugar and the seven egg yolks, (one at a time, y'all). 

4. Add one tablespoon of vanilla and beat until the mixture is fluffy. 

5. Mix half of the dry ingredients in, add the milk, and then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.

6. In a separate bowl, whip the 7 egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the whites to the batter, folding in gently to avoid breaking them down. 

7. Divide the batter into separate pans and bake until cooked all the way through. 

The Filling

1/3 cup Greek Yogurt

1/3 cup Cream Cheese

1/3 cup Butter

1/2 tsp Almond Extract

5 tsp Cornstarch

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 cup Toasted Coconut

1/3 cup Coconut Milk

1. When I did this, I added things on the fly and these might not be exact measurements. Combine the greek yogurt, cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer. 

2. Add the granulated sugar, almond extract, and cornstarch- throughly combine

3. Mix in the coconut milk and toasted coconut. 

4. Let chill for at least an hour before spreading between the layers of the cake.

This will create a slightly runny, but delicious filling. 

Even out the layers of the cake so that they are flat on both the top and the bottom. Spread the filing liberally and stick the layers together.

The Frosting 

1 stick Unsalted Butter

4 ounces Cream Cheese

3 cups Confectioners' Sugar

3 tbs Heavy Whipping Cream

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

1. Beat together the butter and the cream cheese until fully incorporated and fluffy.

2. Slowly add in the confectioners' sugar, until thick

3. Add the whipping cream, vanilla extract and the salt

4. Beat until combined 

Bunny Construction

1. Cut the finished layered cake a bit more than one half, but less than two thirds of the way across. This will be the body of your bunny. 

2. With the remaining cake, sculpt a head and one foot. The head will utilize the two layers still stuck together with the filling. 

3. Separate the two layers of cake from the one foot you sculpted and stick them to either side of the body. Your cake should look like my unfrosted construction above. 

I did not use anything to stick the layers together other than the filling. My body leaned one way, but with a few trimmings from what I had already cut off the the cakes to even them out, I was able to create a cake-shim of sorts to even them back out.  

4. Frost the entire thing. Frosting can be forgiving, so if your construction is not perfect, simply layer on the frosting! 

5. Bunnies have fur, so cover liberally with coconut shavings! 

6. Cut index cards into ear shapes that best fit your bunny and either color the inside pink strip with markers or paint with acrylic paints.

7. Stick the index cards into some cake or excess frosting

8. Add two black beans for eyes

9. Optional: Decorate with easter grass, peeps, chocolate eggs, or whatever tickles your fancy!

My roommate loved the cake, not just cause it was a bunny, but because it turned out being very delicious and it captured her dreams of coconut cream pie. I hope you all enjoy and have a lovely Easter! Take Care!