"Wow, It Doesn't Taste Like Soap!"

...exclaimed one of my co-workers after taking a bite of the hit of the holiday season...pumpkin lavender bread!!

A few years ago, I met Annie, a lavender farmer in the greater Triangle area, and bought some awesome hand cream, an eye mask, and culinary lavender.

It exists!

Having not used the lavender in awhile, I decided to find a recipe. I checked out the farm's facebook page and spotted the pumpkin lavender bread. I had all of the ingredients at home...can't get much better than that!

I first took the bread to the office. I figured this was a safe bet because students are not too discerning about free food. If it did not taste good, the bread would still get eaten.

First bite...awesome! It has now made the rounds of Christmas Eve and Day, the Framily Dinner, a baby shower, leftovers at Bible study, a fraternity retreat, and somewhere else that I can't remember!

Here's the recipe...

3 cups all-purpose flour (I bake with 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour to all-purpose)
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon (or to taste) finely ground Culinary Lavender
1 15-ounce canned pumpkin (or about 2 cups homemade)
2/3 cup salad oil (I use Smart Balance)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
extra dried lavender
sugar crystals, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease well, two 9” x 5” loaf pans. In a large bowl,
with fork, mix flour with next 5 ingredients. (For the Culinary Lavender, try
adding 1/4 teaspoon at a time since a little goes a long way. Some like the
subtle taste, some like a little more. If you add too much, bitter will be the
result, so add carefully and like all great cooks, taste as you go.) Add
remaining ingredients and mix just until blended. Pour batter into pans.
Sprinkle some dried lavender and sugar crystals on top, for a really nice
finish.

Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool
in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on
racks. When cool, wrap each loaf and store at room temperature. Makes 2 loaves.

Yum!

Lentils...One of the Best Foods Ever!

Lentils are one of my absolute favorite foods! Seriously, they are amazing... versatile, stick to your ribs full of protein, easy to prep, cheap when bought in bulk....I could go on and on and on.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes to get started. Even meat-lovers will go for these!

Snobby Joes - http://www.theppk.com/2009/11/snobby-joes/

I have to credit this find to my fellow simple-living friend and co-worker Jill. She discovered the great vegan cooking/baking blog Post Punk Kitchen. This recipe was a hit in her house (with two elementary age children), and she knew I would love it. Why? The lentils! It is easy to prepare, a great blend of flavors, and freezes and reheats well.

Lentil Soup (via my mom and a Trader Joe's recipe from a years ago)

To tell the truth...this recipe has been the hold up on this post. I kept forgetting to bring a copy of the recipe to the office. This morning, I remembered that the recipe is also on my computer.

¼ c olive oil

4 c diced yellow onions

4 c chopped leeks (optional)

2 large minced garlic clove

1t kosher salt

2 t ground black pepper

1 T minced fresh thyme leaves*

1 t cumin or to taste

3 c medium-diced carrot

3 c medium-diced celery

2 quarts liquid (water, leftover lentil water, vegetable broth, or chicken broth)

4 T tomato paste (preferably double concentrate in tube - really, it is worth the money and the hunt)

3- 4 cups prepared lentils

2 T red wine or red wine vinegar

Parmesan cheese

If wanting meat: 1 lb uncured polish kielbasa or a similar variety

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and cumin for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add celery and carrots and sauté for another 10 minutes. Add stock, tomato paste, cover and bring to a simmer for about 30 minutes. Add lentils and wine to pot. Slice sausage into desired shapes and add to pot, keeping it at a simmer to warm sausage and lentils. Check for seasoning.  Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

* I just throw in a sprig or 2 or 3 thyme and fish out the stems later!

Chicken and Lentil Tangine - http://leitesculinaria.com/5329/recipes-chicken-lentil-tagine.html

Mark Bittman is amazing, and that is a topic for another blog post. Anyway, this recipe is in a couple of his cookbooks. I can't find my exact version right now so I found this one online. I know the combo of flavors looks interesting, but they blend so well. I made this with chicken once, but now I usually prepare it without the meat.

I know this is a boring post without pictures, but I know that a few people have wanted me to post recipes for a few weeks now. The camera will move the kitchen tonight!