BIG news!!

They're engaged!!!

 

Last Saturday, Drew asked Stephanie to be his wife!  We are completely thrilled, excited, happy, thankful... there are just not enough words to adequately describe how we feel.   We have loved Stephanie from day one (which was about 9 years ago) and she is already like a daughter to us.   The two of them have never had eyes for anyone but each other since they first met, and they have patiently waited for this time in their lives where they can finally get married.  They are both 21, Drew is graduating from the Master's College in May with a degree in business/accounting and works at an investment firm, and Stephanie has been working full-time at Grace church for about a year.  They have submitted themselves to the Lord and to their parents over these years and have a beautiful story of friendship.  They are just perfect for each other and we couldn't be happier!

Rich and I are overwhelmed with God's kindness in giving our son such a godly and beautiful girl to have as his wife.  Stephanie's parents are dear friends of ours and we know that their faithfulness in raising Stephanie translates to incredible blessing for Drew and our family.  As parents we pray for our children and their future spouses, and when God answered that prayer of ours, He really did so above and beyond what we could have ever imagined or dreamed of.    We are so very thankful.

So, I guess I should give a few details of the engagement...  well, many years ago, they met at San Clemente State Beach campground.   San Clemente is our favorite camping spot, and we were on a trip with our bible study, using the large group campsite.  Our friends, the Brooks, had recently met the Tubbs family, and had invited the two oldest girls, Lindsay and Stephanie, to come along on the trip.  I still remember the girls coming out of the van and thinking that they were adorable.  Well, apparently Drew set his sights on Stephanie.  As she describes, he "stalked" her the whole trip.   They got acquainted and Drew even engaged her in a card game of "Go Fish" to have her attention.   They stayed in touch over the next year or so, and then her family began attending our church and joined our bible study.

There were many more camping trips after that, in which our family took with the Tubbs family.  There were trips out to the desert where the kids could go on motorcycle rides, and also trips to Yosemite and our local beaches.  They had the wonderful opportunity of spending time together not alone, but in the context of our families being together.  When they got their drivers' licenses, sisters Emma and Lindsay were often part of a foursome when they went places together. 

Suffice it to say, by the time that they were about 18 (and possibly earlier), they knew they were heading in the direction of marriage. However, that still being years off, there were challenges. I am really proud of Drew for the way he submitted himself to Stephanie's father in pursuing her during that time.  Robert was amazing in coming alongside Drew over those years, and really discipling him in a way as their relationship slowly progressed.   The Tubbs warmly welcomed him into their home often and really took the time to know Drew.  Meanwhile, we did the same with Stephanie and she easily became part of our family as well.   There were ongoing conversations between Robert & Luci and us over the years and we are so thrilled that we will now be "family."  

OK, well back to the engagement... so on Saturday, Drew planned that he would take Stephanie to San Clemente for the big question.  I think he has had this idea for some time, as this is truly their spot.  He asked her to come down and spend the day here, and when she arrived, he had a new outfit ready for her.   :-)   She changed and he said they were going somewhere for the day.  They hopped in Rich's cute little car and headed for San Clemente.

He took her to a cute little crepe place for lunch, then they headed over to the campground.  San Clemente is situated on a cliff, and there is a spectacular walk down to the beach.  You head down a steep path, and when you round a particular corner, the whole Pacific ocean comes broadly into view and it truly is spectacular.  A little ways down from this is a bench which is the most perfect spot to sit and admire the beauty.  They made their way there and Drew pulled out a deck of cards.  He asked her if she wanted to play "Go Fish."  They began to play, and at the end there was one card left in Drew's hand.  She asked why there was a card leftover, and he handed it to her.  It said "marry me" on it. :-)  He then got down on one knee, and proposed.   He had a beautiful ring made for her and handed it to her in a black box.  Somewhere in there she must have said yes!  Then, Emma popped out from a hiding place where she had been taking pictures!  They took some more photos together and then spent some time calling their families and friends, and of course updating their social media! They eventually headed to our house, where the Tubbs family and us were anxiously awaiting their arrival!  We had a big dinner with Stonefire Grill and Porto's desserts waiting for them.  It was a great evening celebrating and hearing them tell the story.  A truly happy occasion.  They are planning to get married in the spring!

 

 The happy couple and their parents.

 

I love this pic of them with all Stephanie's sisters! 

 

Candle Sale Today!

Update: the candle sale is now over.  More holiday scented candles coming with my soap sale Dec. 3rd!

As promised, I'm selling some of my homemade fall candles on the blog today!  Click here if you missed the info on this sale.

To recap, these are 100% soy wax, highly scented, clean-burning candles!
I'm offering two sizes - 14 oz and 8 oz jars.   

Burn time on the 14 oz is 80+ hours, 8 oz. is 40+ hours.

The 14 oz size is $12, and the 8 oz size is $8.
 Supplies are limited but more are coming for Christmas!

 

The scents and availability are:

Macintosh apple 
14 oz:  sold out
8 oz:   2 jars

Cranberry woods
14 oz: 4 jars
8 oz:  8 jars

Pumpkin & vanilla
14 oz: sold out
8 oz:  sold out

To place your order, please email me at harasick@ca.rr.com.

~other details~

Payment:  I accept PayPal at harasick@ca.rr.com, cash, or personal checks (checks only if I know you, please).
Delivery:  I can arrange delivery if you are local, but I am glad to ship if you are not.  I can ship up to 6 candles for $11.35 in the USPS medium flat rate priority shipping box.

Perfect brown rice!

FINALLY!!  Perfect brown rice - in about 45 minutes!  I cannot describe how elated I am!  This has truly changed my life!

Confession:  I have always struggled with cooking brown rice.  It's never turned out right, and most of the time I wouldn't exactly classify it as edible.  I did the standard rice cooking method - adding water and rice together in a saucepot, bringing to a boil, covering and cooking on low 45 minutes.  It was gummy. Soggy. Chewy.  Yukky.  Desperate, I became addicted to TJ's frozen brown rice.  Definitely not economical, and cooking a plastic bag in the microwave didn't sit well with me.  But what was a brown rice loving girl to do?

Recently, I even put out a plea on facebook for advice on rice cookers that did brown rice well.  I got plenty of advice - most suggested a $275 rice cooker named Zojirushi.  Somehow I couldn't justify a machine that cost that much to make 30 cents worth of rice.  Besides, I didn't need another machine in my kitchen (especially a one-trick pony).  There had to be a better way.

Anyways, so in my continued search, I came across a new method - boiling the rice.  Sounded weird, but I was desperate enough to try it.   It looked easy enough so I followed the simple directions. I think I truly jumped for joy when I tasted it!  Cooked perfect, it was light and fluffy even.  You've gotta try this!  You will feel like such a winner, I promise. 

PERFECT BROWN RICE

1.  Rinse 1 cup brown rice (I used medium grain, but any kind 

     should work) with water for 30 seconds.

2.  Bring 12 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.

3.  Add the rinsed rice to the boiling water, and boil for 30 

     minutes, uncovered.  

4.  Drain the rice for 10 seconds over a sink.

5.  Return the drained rice to the pot, quickly cover and let sit 

     10 minutes.
6.  Fluff.  Voila! Perfect brown rice. 

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Mascarpone Icing!

Welcome fall!  I usually go a little pumpkin crazy at this time of year.  After our date last Saturday night, I made my husband stop at Trader Joe's where I proceeded to buy a full cart of assorted pumpkins for the front porch.  And, I also grabbed a generous supply of canned pumpkin, still remembering the tragedy of the pumpkin shortage of a few years ago {shudder}.  Rich put three dark chocolate candy bars in the cart.  We were quite the pair - pumpkins and chocolate!  As you can see, we compliment each other very well.

The first recipe of the season for me was these pumpkin cupcakes.  I would like to thank Martha for the recipe as it is super yummy and just what I was looking for.   I wanted to use up some extra mascarpone cheese I had, so I whipped up this frosting and it was divine!  Regular cream cheese would work, but if you want magic, buy the mascarpone.    Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese and is a vital ingredient in Tiramisu.  TJ's carries it.

 
 

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Mascarpone Frosting

8 oz. mascarpone cheese, softened

10 tbsp. soft butter

¾ tsp. vanilla

¾ lb. powdered sugar (or a little more if needed)

Whip mascarpone, butter, and vanilla until creamy.  Slowly beat in powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency.

Makes 2 dozen

Soap and candle announcements

First, I would like to announce that I will be having my annual Christmas SOAP and CANDLE sale this year on Monday, December 3rd at 9:00 am PST.  Please mark your calendars.  :-)  I will post the selections a week or two ahead of time so you can have the opportunity to "shop." 

However, due to popular demand (okay, well maybe a few people asking), I have decided to offer some fall scented candles now.  I mean, who wants to wait until December to burn Macintosh apple, cranberry woods, and pumpkin & vanilla?  I know that when October rolls around I am ready for fall scents.  At December's sale, I'll add some holiday scents such as eggnog, gingerbread, and vanilla & cedar to the line-up. 

And, while I'm partial to clean white candles, I made these a warm, creamy ecru color to blend in more with the fall season.  I think they're pretty yummy.

By the way, these are  homemade, clean-burning 100% soy wax candles.  They are highly scented and hand-poured in small batches in my own kitchen.

But since this is just for fun, I do have a limited selection and supply.  Last spring, I only offered the 14 oz size, but this time you can choose the 14 oz jar or the smaller 8 oz size jar. Burn time on the 14 oz is 80+ hours and the 8 oz is 40+ hours.  The 14 oz sells for $12 and the 8 oz for $8.  There are three scents:  Macintosh apple, cranberry woods, and pumpkin & vanilla. 

 

8 oz. jars - burn time 40+ hours - $8

 14 oz jars - burn time 80+ hours - $12

The fine print:  I'll be taking orders first-come, first served, through email (harasick@ca.rr.com), on Wednesday, October 10th, 9:00 am PDT.  I usually arrange to meet my "customers" in person, but these candles ARE available for shipping, too.  For $11.35 I can ship up to 6 candle jars (USPS Priority).

Foods I love: Exciting new sprouted grains products!

I know it's not every day that you hear the words "exciting" and "sprouted grains" together.   But, I am really excited about some new products I recently got the opportunity to try.

The kind folks over at Essential Eating asked me if I'd be up to trying and reviewing some of their sprouted grain products.   A quick look at their website and I could see that they were a company whose products I would definitely desire to try.  So, I agreed and in a short period of time I received a box containing several of their pastas, their pretzels, and their breakfast cereal.   Just for the record, I was not paid for the review of their products, but I did receive everything to try courtesy of the company.  I was only asked to try the products and give an honest review on my blog.

If you aren't familiar with the idea of sprouted grains, you can check out this post of mine, and see my love of sprouted grain bread.   Sprouted grains are very nutritious.   When grains are unsprouted, a lot of their nutrients remain unlocked for consumption.   And, the phytates they contain (also known as "anti-nutrients") keep you from getting the vitamins and minerals from your food.  Sprouting is a process that deactivates the phytates and unlocks the nourishment!  You can think of sprouting a grain much like a plant that would grow.  Seeds (grains) lay dormant until they are planted and grown.  A tomato seed doesn't contain much nutrients if you eat it, but a tomato sure does.  In the sprouting process, seeds become plants and the nutrients are now digested the same as vegetables, not as seeds or starches. 

Essential Eating has pioneered an organic process that duplicates nature's balance of sunshine and rain to sprout whole grains into plants, and mill them into flour for their products.  These one-of-a-kind products are 100% whole grain fiber, high in protein, and are organic, kosher, and vegan!  I was surprised to read their pasta label and discover that for one serving (2 oz dry pasta) there is 7g of fiber, 9g of protein, and 10% of your RDA for iron.  Plus, they contain 57 grams of whole grains which is 100% of your RDA.  And how nice to read the ingredient list:  organic sprouted 100% whole wheat flour.  

The first product I tried was the Pretzel Puffs.  Emma had already opened the package upon arrival, and said that she liked them.  When Rich and I tried them, we thought that they were a great whole grain snack.  Nice fresh crunch and good flavor.  I would definitely buy these. The ingredients of the pretzels are:  organic sprouted whole wheat flour, water, organic extra virgin olive oil, salt, yeast, and soda.

The next product I tried was the Sprouted Wheat Cereal.  We have always loved Cream of Wheat, but in recent years have come to realize it's just a processed food (ever wonder why it has to be "enriched"?). I liked the idea of the sprouted grain version but wondered if it would be too "grainy" or bland.  Last year I tried a "cream of buckwheat" cereal that I found at Whole Foods but we were less than thrilled with it.  When I opened the package and saw the rugged texture, I honestly wasn't thinking I would like the finished product.

 

I went ahead and prepared the cereal with water as directed and topped it the same as I do the Cream of Wheat- with good Irish butter, brown sugar, and some almond milk on top.  Much to my surprise, I instantly fell in love with it's delicious flavor and comforting texture!  I served it to Emma and her friend, and they loved it as well.  I will definitely keep this cereal as a staple in my pantry for fall and winter.   We have almost gone through the whole box already!  The ingredient of the cereal is: certified organic sprouted whole grain spelt (wheat).

 

 If you like Cream of Wheat, I promise you you'll love this cereal!

 
Then I moved on to trying the pastas.  First, I tried the Sprouted Linguini.  I decided to do a roasted salmon, broccoli, and linguini dish.  While the pasta water came to a boil, I prepared to roast some salmon and broccoli in the oven.  I brushed 2 pieces of wild salmon and 1 bunch organic broccoli (flowerettes only) with a quick Asian marinade that I made out of 2 cloves garlic, a small grated piece of fresh ginger, 2 T. soy sauce, 2 T. rice vinegar, 2 T. olive oil, a squeeze of honey, and some S & P.   They took about 10-15 minutes to cook at 450 degrees.  When done, I tossed them together with the cooked linguini, squeezed a little lemon juice over, and topped with some grated Parmigiano cheese.  My whole family enjoyed it very much.  We are normally not "whole grain" pasta fans, but all agreed that we could totally eat this instead of "white" pasta.

linguine with roasted salmon & broccoli 

The next pasta I tried was the Sprouted Penne.  The kids were out and I wanted an easy Saturday dinner for two, so I just prepared the pasta as directed and tossed it with sauteed rainbow chard, fresh garlic, fresh basil, chopped fresh raw garden tomatoes, olive oil, S & P, and grated Parmigiano.  It was simple and delicious, and again we really enjoyed the taste and texture of the pasta.

penne with chard, tomatoes, & basil

I had some leftover pasta, so the next day I made a cold salad with organic frozen corn, black beans, chopped garden tomatoes, chopped bell pepper, feta cheese, and a basic vinaigrette made with lime juice as the acid, and spruced up with some of my Penzey's adobo seasoning, and a little S & P.    It was a hot day, and was the perfect lunch for Emma & I.  The ingredient of the pasta is: certified organic sprouted whole wheat flour.

 
Lastly, I tried the Sprouted Elbows.  I cooked them as directed, and tossed them with sauteed crimini mushrooms, garlic, onion, yellow bell pepper, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, and a couple handfuls of baby kale.  I then stirred in a couple generous spoonfuls of mascarpone cheese and a couple ladlefuls of the pasta cooking water to form a light, creamy sauce. The dish was delicious, came together fast, and seemed like something you would get in a fine restaurant! The texture of the pasta was perfect, and this shape could possibly be my favorite of them all.  The ingredient of the pasta is (you guessed it):  certified organic sprouted whole wheat flour.

  elbows with sauteed mushrooms & kale in creamy sundried tomato/mascarpone cheese sauce

Essential Eating also sells sprouted whole grain flour that I am anxious to try.  What appeals to me about the flour is that it has a 6 month shelf life (unlike unsprouted whole wheat flours that lose their nutrition soon after milling).  The reason for the longer shelf life is because when grains are properly sprouted, the germ cell is consumed by the endosperm and is no longer in a state that can become rancid.  And what else that is amazing about their flour is that it digests like a vegetable and not a starch!  You can read all about it on their website. They sell their flour under the name of Shiloh farms and I believe some Whole Foods markets carry it.

In conclusion, these are great products!  And right now on the Essential Eating website they are offering an amazing deal!  They are selling a sampler box for only $33.00 which even includes shipping! You receive one of each of the seven sprouted products including: a one pound box each of penne, spaghetti, linguini, & elbows; a one poung box each of the sprouted wheat cereal and sprouted spelt cereal, PLUS an 8 oz. bag of sprouted Pretzel Puffs.  I've already ordered mine so I can be stocked up once again on these fine products.  They also sell a cookbook called Sprouted Baking which looks fab!  Happy sprouted eating everyone!

Snapshots of San Clemente

Nothing says summer like a camping trip to San Clemente!  We've been doing it for more than 25 years and have no plans to stop anytime soon.  The beach there is one of California's finest, and the town is simply adorable.  It's a little slice of heaven and our home away from home.  Here are a few snapshots from our lovely trip last week.    

Of course we did a little (okay, actually a lot) Bagel Shack action.  I really haven't had a better bagel than theirs. I was raised in a Jewish home so I'm in the know on such matters.

   

I watched a few sunsets sitting next to this hunk. It was quite nice.

We discovered this great new place for an off the hook burger.  This shot is enhanced with my fun new app deluxe fx.



Speaking of good food finds, may I present La Galette Creperie. If you want to pretend you're French you can pronounce it "crepp-ree."  But if you try and order a "crepp" you will be perceived as an idiot by your server. Not that I would know.

I really felt like I was in Paris until the stunning Pacific ocean view I had burst my bubble(it was rough). 

Yes, that's us kissing on demand for our hopelessly romantic daughter.   


If the ambience above wasn't enough for you, this might further compel you to go.  These were some righteous crepes!

 
There is always a bit of trailer dancing going on.  

 

I love eating lunch on the beach but I'm not much of a sandwich girl.  This was easy to tote and on the menu a few days.  Just some tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, avocado, some good feta, lemon pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice, and drizzle of evoo. 

We always love it when Kait joins us and we surprised Emma by having Catherine come down as well!  She just "showed up" in our trailer one afternoon! 

We always try to do a group shot of "the kids."  We have so many shots like this from over the years- but a lot of them contain beached-out, cranky, crying babies.  It's a nice benefit that they can now all stand still and look happy.

It's our tradition to have a Pedros-on-the-beach night and watch the sunset, and it didn't disappoint this year.  We usually have the beach all to ourselves at this time and it's lovely.

It basically works like this.  The wives lounge on the beach while the hubbies go get the food and bring it right to us on the sand.  After all, someone has to save our perfect spot on the beach.

It was great that Nick could come spend some time with us.  He's a lot of fun and also happens to be really good at carrying large coolers to the beach.

On our last day we bumped into our dear friends, the Shoemakers, in the parking lot of the beach!  For many years we camped together and our kids spent their babyhood drooling on each other. The kids had a great time playing volleyball and an inventive form of Smashball.  Roxane and I just took pictures and threatened to instagram them all.  We still know how to annoy our children.

And "beach church" on Sunday morning is always awesome!  We all get together at one campsite and begin by singing praise songs.  This always draws interesting looks from nearby campers. 

 Then, Rich usually teaches, and he mainly caters to the littles. He even brings coloring pages from our Sunday School curriculum for them.  But as you can see, coloring is for all ages! 



8:30 pm Sunday evening. Well, maybe just one more Pedros run before heading home.  :-)

 

WDW - Homemade Larabars!

I'm super excited about these!  Have you gotten hooked on Larabars yet?  They are these wonderful, healthy little bars. They taste amazing, and the ingredient list is so clean.  All they contain is cashews, dates, and depending on the flavor, other natural ingredients.  Plus, they are raw.  They are a great product indeed!

Awhile ago, my niece Amy's sister in law Katie (got that?) posted a recipe for homemade Larabars and I thought they looked good, but I hadn't really tasted one yet so I didn't take an interest in making them at the time.  THEN, I tasted one and all I could think of is when can I make these!!


I did a bit more research as well, and found this website which is fabulous in showing how to go about the process.  I like the build-your-own formula they have:  

1 cup pitted dates(I use Medjool)  + 1 cup raw cashews 

+ flavoring (if desired)

+ 1 cup add-ins of your choice

They have also listed the ingredients needed to make some of the more popular Larabar flavors.

The first ones I tried, I used 1 cup dried apricots and 2 tsp. vanilla extract.   YUM!   Then I got on a roll and made another one:  coconut-lemon-blueberry (1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, 1/2 cup dried blueberries, 1 tsp. pure lemon extract).   That one was really good!  Then I made a variation of one from Katie's site - the chocolate almond (substituted half almonds instead of all cashews, leaving some in big pieces + 1 Tbsp. raw almond butter and 1/8 cup chopped dark chocolate).  Rich was sitting at the kitchen table as I worked and at one point I just blurted out, "this is so much fun!!" :-)  He was happy too, because I kept bringing him samples.   I was having such great success, it was starting to become addicting! There are endless combinations I'm eager to try.

The method is easy - I used my trusty big 'ole Cuisinart food processor and first pulverized the dates and cashews together.  You have to let it go awhile so it's like a paste.  Then, I added in the flavoring (the extracts) and pulsed some more.  After that was all incorporated, I added my "add ins" and pulsed just enough to incorporate.  You don't want to totally break up the add ins or turn them into a paste.

I turned each batch onto wax paper and shaped into a square shape about 1/2" thick with my hands.  I cut them into bars and wrapped each one in waxed paper.  I'm storing them in Ziploc bags in the fridge.  I'm not worried about their shelf life because they won't last long around here.   But I would guess it's several weeks.   Emma LOVES the blueberry ones, and has already asked me to make more.   She said "this is pretty much the best bar I've ever had."


These little powerhouses of energy will be great to grab as breakfast on-the-go or as a mid afternoon pick-me-up.  Here are some of the health benefits of these bars:


Cashews:
-protein 
-fiber
-minerals:  magnesium, selenium, copper, zinc, manganese,   potassium, and iron
-vitamins:  B5, B-6, vitamin E riboflavin, thiamin
-antioxidants
-cashews are also one of Dr. Oz's 4 anti-cancer super foods (for whatever that is worth.)

Dates:
-fiber
-tannins (anti inflammitory)
-vitamin A, B-complex, vitamin K, riboflavin, niacin
-antioxidants:  beta carotene, lutein
-minerals:  iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper

Plus did I mention these are INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS??  Good tasting and good for you = my kind of food.  :-)