Sweatin' to the Oldies

It's been a while, but some of you may remember our Richard Simmons Dazzling Desserts cookbook series.

No, really. This is real. And here are some of the recipes we've made:

• Apple Cider Pound Cake
• Coconut-Carob Pie
• Purple Sticky Rice Tart
• Pomegranate-Dream Bundt Cake
• Fortune Cookies (though, they didn't turn out so well)
• Pear-Strawberry Faux-Pie

I think I mentioned at one point that I actually danced on stage for the better part of an hour with Richard. The problem with this fabulous story was always the proof. I didn't have any. Until now!

My dear friend Meg just sent me some photos from our days at Ithaca College. Included were several sweet shots -- and many of them embarrassing -- of us on stage. I'll try my best to only embarrass myself.

The anticipation was intense before Richard entered the room.


I was already warming up on stage. I knew I didn't want to miss this opportunity for ANYTHING.


(It's hard to tell. But I'm the dancing dork in purple.)


Richard didn't disappoint. He was full energy from the moment he stepped onto the stage in his little short-shorts (and I stood right behind him most of the time, they were SHORT).


By the end of the event, we were tttired. I'm not sure if my abs hurt more from sweatin' to the oldies or from laughing so hard. But joking aside, he was an incredibly passionate guy, dedicated to his life's work.

We had a great time :)


So, if that post wasn't enough fun for you -- feel free to join in our excitement today as we celebrate yet another pregnancy milestone: The Anatomy Scan!


We no longer need to call baby (never home)maker an "it" because we now know that "it's" a . . . (CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT)!!!

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Accidental Blondies

We ate these blondies so fast, I almost didn't have time to snap a photo of them. Inspired by one of Richard Simmon's recipes (in his Dazzling Desserts cookbook we have all come to know and love), we've made these treats vegan.

They were supposed to be rocky road brownies . . . but after I had mixed together the wet ingredients, I discovered we didn't have any cocoa powder.

AHHHH!

The whole reason I was home on a Wednesday with time to bake (it was crazy wonderful to actually have time to do stuff I wanted to do) is because there was a horrible ice/snow storm. So, I wasn't exactly gunning it to the grocery store to replenish my supplies.


No cocoa powder? No problem! That's one of the best pieces of advice I can give you. Generally, what I mean is -- if you don't have the specific ingredients a recipe, don't worry. You can always substitute something else in a pinch. Just get creative!

ACCIDENTAL BLONDIES
(Print This Recipe!)

What you'll need . . . 

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Bob's Red Mill egg replacer (whisked with 3 tablespoons water)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup hazelnut meal
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Spritz an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with canola oil. (My pan is glass, I don't really know if that matters much, though.)
2. Whisk together the oil, sugar, maple syrup, egg replacer, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Combine until smooth and well incorporated.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the hazelnut meal, coconut flakes, flours, salt, and baking powder. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just incorporated. (I mixed by hand -- don't over-mix.)
4. Fold in the chocolate chips and peanuts. Then pour mixture into the pan.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes -- until edges are golden brown and middle is set. (You can test middle done-ness by sticking a toothpick in and seeing if it comes out clean.)

Richard Simmons recipes? Yes. This is for real. And we've been baking our way through the book for a few months now. If you want to check out other recipes, follow these links:

• Coconut-Carob Pie
• Purple Sticky Rice Tart
• Pomegranate-Dream Bundt Cake
• Fortune Cookies (though, they didn't turn out so well)
• Pear-Strawberry Faux-Pie
• Apple Cider Pound Cake

In other news, I finished my cowl-neck scarf. I had planned to make it longer, more of a double-wrap, but I got inpatient. Plus, if I had made it longer, I don't think it would have turned out as nicely.


If you'd like to make one, all you need to do is:

1. Get some colorful yarn (I used Stitch Nation "Full O' Sheep" in passionfruit pink and poppy red).
2. Get some knitting needles (size US 9 / 5.5 mm).
3. Learn the basic cast-on, knit, and cast-off methods (you can find links to instructions on my eternity scarf tutorial).
4. Cast on 50 stitches. Then knit your scarf until it is your desired length (basically, it just needs to fit over your head with about a 2 inch gap on all sides so it will drape nicely).
5. Cast-off and then stitch the two ends together with a basic whipstitch.

What are your weekend plans? Our treadmill is being fixed tonight! Otherwise, I want to organize the house more. I'm addicted to tidying up right now, so I must take advantage! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Apple Cider Pound Cake

It's been a while since we've featured a recipe from the Richard Simmons Collection of Dazzling Desserts. So far, we've made a vegan coconut-carob pie, a purple sticky rice tart, a pomegranate-dream bundt cake, fortune cookies (though, they didn't turn out so well), and a strawberry-pear faux pie.


Today's recipe comes from page 60. It's actually for a lime pound cake ("It's a Fine-Lime Pound Cake," as he calls it), but as I mentioned in my last post, all the fall ingredients were bursting out of the aisles in Wegmans this weekend. So, I had to use apple cider instead of lime. Cinnamon instead of lime zest.

And vanilla instead of lemon extract. And though I used Greek yogurt in my cake, it's the only non-vegan ingredient in the mix. Just substitute your favorite vegan yogurt (I imagine the coconut varieties would work incredibly well!).


Here's what Richard has to say about this recipe:

When you eat a regular pound cake, you're walking a fine line, because you're starting with a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of . . . a pound of . . . But with my cake, you're just eating fine limes, and you'll be divine.

APPLE CIDER POUND CAKE

What you'll need . . .

• 1-3/4 cups wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Greek yogurt (or non-dairy, I just didn't have any on hand)
• 3/4 cups sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw pulsed a couple times in my food processor)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used Earth Balance, non-soy kind and omitted salt)
• 1 large egg (I used 1 tablespoon Bob's Red Mill egg replacer plus 3 tablespoons wateR)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1-1/2 tablespoon apple cider

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8x8x2-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt (or replacement), sugar, oil, butter (or replacement), egg (or replacement), and apple cider.
4. Stir flour mixture into the wet mixture. Stir until just moistened.
5. Spoon into the prepared pan. (I was worried that the batter seemed to stiff -- but it won't pour. And it's OK. It turns out beautifully!)
6. Bake until golden -- just around 30 to 35 minutes. Cool cake completely on a wire rack.

If you'd like to make the glaze (but it's seriously not necessary), just whisk together 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar, 2 teaspoons Greek yogurt (or substitute), 3 teaspoons of apple cider, and a dash of cinnamon. We stored ours in a little dish and spooned it out as desired.


Don't forget to check out our other Richard-inspired recipes!

• Coconut-Carob Pie
• Purple Sticky Rice Tart
• Pomegranate-Dream Bundt Cake
• Fortune Cookies (though, they didn't turn out so well)
• Pear-Strawberry Faux-Pie

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Recap Week, Day 5: (never home)maker Favorites

For our last day of recap week, we decided to throw a central theme to the wayside. Friday is all about doing what you like, so today's all about (just a few of) our favorite posts. As random as can be, too. We get ideas for what to write all the time. Sometimes, what we publish is well planned. Sometimes we get a burning question in our inbox, passionately type up an answer, and 30 minutes later have a new post. What can I say? Blogging can be quite a roller-coaster.

Whenever we get emails (and lately, we've been getting quite a few! so THANK YOU for writing us!), we let people know if they ever have ideas or things they'd like to read about . . . LET US KNOW! We want to write what you want to read. What you want to comment on. So, leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com.

• Of course, who can forget our first video post: the (never home)makers versus food, chubacabra style. It's an omelette inside a burrito.
• I forgot to add this one to the budget recap, but it's some of our best tips: Cut back on workweek spending. It's as easy as PB&J!
• We transformed our boring, storage-less entryway last year. Took it from this awfully drab and cluttered BEFORE to this polished, pretty AFTER.
• This Vegan Challah Bread recipe is seriously to die for! It uses banana for egg, which makes the bread perfect for challah french toast.
• This Richard Simmons-inspired Purple Sticky Rice Tart is so good, it even earned us a spot for a few hours on AOL.com. Woah!
• OK. We love ALL our Richard posts, modified from his book: Sweetie Pie: The Richard Simmons Collection of Dazzling Desserts. So far, we've made vegan coconut-carob pie, a pomegranate-dream bundt cake, fortune cookies, and strawberry-pear faux pie.
• A Good Time Costs Only Dimes when you scope out thrift stores for board games and other cheap thrills. Check it out!
• We'll always remind you that Being Healthy is All About Choices. You have the power to turn your health around TODAY!
• More Man versus Food-inspired posts full of delicious dinner ideas: Veggie Behemoth, The LOVER is piled high . . . as is our Vegetarian Juicy Lucy.
• More food -- but this no-knead Crusty Garlic Loaf is well worth the wait. May even be the best bread we've ever made!
• It's never too late to weigh in our our Skirting the Issue post -- do you like running skirts? Or . . . not? Let us know!
• One of my favorite series of posts was our Day in the Life of My Stomach. You can still catch up on it, too! Check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, and the recap.
• I guess for this last one . . . we'll keep the focus on food, because this Chili Noodle and Cashew Stir-Fry will knock your socks off!

Sad, but true -- this post concludes our recap week. I'm sure we'll do it again in the future -- it was fun looking back on the variety of posts we've had in the eight months we've been live.

If you missed the other days, get caught up now:

• Day 1: A Budget-Friendly Life
• Day 2: Sumptuous Soups
• Day 3: Running Tips and Tricks
• Day 4: Reader Spotlights

But now onto future fun projects. We want to share YOUR story for an upcoming week celebrating healthy living. No story is too insignificant or unimportant. Silly or boring. It's ALL good. All you need to do to be included is to email us (neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com) what made you care about your health/fitness/nutrition. Anything goes, really. And if you have a blog address, be sure to include that, too. And a photo would also be fantastic (can be of anything related to what you write).

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!!

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In the Garden of Eden: Strawberry-Pear Faux-Pie

It's been a while since we've posted a Richard Simmons-inspired recipe. Those of you new to us may not know about our love affair with his yummy book: Sweetie Pie: The Richard Simmons Collection of Dazzling Desserts. But, so far we're made some tasty recipes, including a vegan coconut-carob pie, a purple sticky rice tart, a pomegranate-dream bundt cake, and even fortune cookies (though, they didn't turn out so well).


Today's recipe comes from Richard's section titled "In the Garden of Eden" -- all fruits. And typically, I don't enjoy fruit desserts. Well, that's not entirely true. But if you ask me to choose between a packaged chocolate doughnut and a cherry pie, I'll likely choose the doughnut(ugh, really? -- yes, really). Here's what Richard has to say about his cherry-pear cobbler (which I turned into a strawberry-pear faux-pie):

We all know the story about George Washington cutting down the cherry tree. But why did he do it? What was he so angry about? Did he still harbor ill feelings toward the British? And did you know that he actually butchered an entire orchard, including pear trees? Martha heard all the racket, hiked up her skirts, and ran outside. There was George, surrounded by all this fruit on the ground. Being a good housewife who hated waste, Martha gathered up all the fruit, raced inside, and made cobblers for the whole family and the entire staff. And here's the recipe I've adapted from Martha's cookbook.

Strawberry-Pear Faux-Pie

What you'll need . . .

For the crust:

• 1/2 plus 2 to 3 tablespoons wheat pastry flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons butter substitute (I used Earth Balance), chilled
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk

For the filling:

• 14 ounces frozen strawberries
• 2 medium-sized pears, peeled, quartered, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/4 cup sugar (again, Sugar in the Raw)
• 4 teaspoons corn or potato starch
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Method . . .

1. Make the crust by mixing together the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Then cut in the chilled butter substitute -- or use your fingertips -- until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in the coconut milk until everything is just combined. Add a bit more flour if you need to. The mixture should not be sticky. Then shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate while you prepare the fruit mixture.
2. In a medium bowl, toss together the strawberries, pear slices, sugar, corn or potato starch, and lemon juice. Let sit for ten minutes. Pour into a pie plate.
3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Take your dough out of the refrigerator and place between two sheets of wax paper. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a circle that is the size of your pie plate (you'll be placing it on top of the mixture, like in the photo above).
5. Place the round atop your fruit mixture and press in the edges to your pie plate. Then with a sharp knife, gently cut faux-strips to let the steam escape. (Again, see the photo above.)
6. Bake anywhere between 25 and 30 minutes -- until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Serve warm.

And if you haven't already -- go check out this month's Blog Love Fest. It's a special edition because we're not only sharing the links in a list this month. We're creating a categorized blogLOVEroll. For all the gooey details, just visit the BLF post.


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The Great Fortune Cookie Fail

I set out not once, but twice this weekend to create a healthy, vegan fortune cookie inspired by the recipe included in Richard's Private Collection of Dazzling Desserts. I failed miserably at both attempts. To review, this is the texture and shape I was trying to achieve . . . you know, your basic fortune cookie.



Stephen made the fortunes, including one of his favorite quotes from Jurassic Park: "Stay perfectly still! Their vision is based on movement." Uh, we're both dorky weirdos. I think it's hilarious, though.

On the first try, I was too bold -- cocky, if we're being completely honest -- with my substitutions. I tried to be a hot-shot and make 'em fancier than ever. I used all wheat pastry flour. Replaced egg replacer with flax egg replacer. I added lavender, agave, and date sugar. I changed the darn thing so incredibly much it definitely wasn't a fortune cookie recipe anymore. What resulted was a moist, spongy cookie that immediately tore apart when I picked it up. Forget about trying to fold it.


This is what I got:


The second try got me much closer to Richard's gorgeous example. I mostly just substituted the flax egg replacer instructions for the egg (I didn't have any Ener-G in the house) -- and that was my only change. But . . . apparently I didn't spread the batter thinly enough on the first couple tries. Mushy cookies. And when I did finally get the hang of it . . . I folded the cookie the wrong way. However, it TASTED like a fortune cookie. I declare try 2 a fail, as well. And I'll definitely need to continue my quest this coming weekend.


And, again, my failure:


Has anyone had success making vegan fortune cookies? I'd so appreciate if you shared your tips and tricks with me. Better yet, has anyone else ever failed so completely in the kitchen that not only once, but twice they've spent hours trying to make something with zero success?

If you'd like to read our other recipes inspired by the Richard Simmons Private Collection of Dazzling Desserts, just click below:

• The Cake Walk: Pomegranate-Dream Cake
• Puddin' on the Ritz: Purple Sticky Rice Tart 
• Pie in the Sky: Vegan Coconut-Carob Pie 

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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The Cake Walk: Pomegranate-Dream Cake

Good morning, everyone! Hope you all had a lovely weekend. We definitely did -- though, it seems to have blown by way too fast. Highlights include: Stephen got me flowers Friday night (!!!), we baked this amazing pomegranate cake (and various other treats I'll share soon), we went to dinner with new friends . . . then brunch with even more new friends, and -- the biggie -- we began half marathon training.

We also had an exciting weekend on the blog front. Last week, our Richard Simmons post about the Purple Sticky Rice Tart was picked up on Slashfood. And, in turn, it was picked up on the site's owner, AOL.COM! That's right, folks. We were linked and got like a ga-zillion visits this weekend. So, if you're joining us as a result -- thanks!



Though you can't really see it, I got proof! We were linked near the top of the page. And if you go to the Slashfood site, you can see all the really mean comments, too -- someone said the tart looks like "chuncks of beef tongue on top of dead bugs on top of regurgitated popcorn" -- fun, fun! But that person also apparently can't spell the word "chunk" -- so I'm not letting it bother me too much.



But enough about us. Back to the pomegranate cake! Which also happens to be this week's Richard Simmons Dazzling Dessert post (inspired by his Tangerine-Dream Cake). When I arrived home Friday night, I had received a gift from the kind folks at POM Wonderful. Some of their 100% pomegranate juice to bake with. How exciting! I got right to work picking out a recipe worthy of this delicious stuff (which is also packed with tons of antioxidants, so -- even when put in cake is kind of, well, healthy? Maybe?).

What's better is -- several months ago, I read a post about making pomegranate molasses. (Found it on this site), it's simple: Just mix together 1 cup pomegranate juice, 1 tablespoon raw sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice. Simmer until reduced and thick (coating the back of a spoon is a good measure of thickness). Just look at the gorgeous stuff (which can be used, I learned, in place of agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, or regular molasses).



Of his Tangerine-Dream Cake, Richard writes: "Take a nibble of this cake, close your eyes, and you'll dream you're in old Tangier, surrounded by baskets of fragrant tangeries." I hope our version is as transformative for you.

And even if it isn't, you'll still benefit from the superpower antioxidants that make pomegranate juice king even red wine in kicking butt against free radicals and oxidative stress. In human terms, this means it'll help you body get rid of bad stuff . . . which is oh-so good! 





POMEGRANATE-DREAM CAKE


What you'll need . . .

• Mini bundt pan (or you can make them as cupcakes)
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance (or your favorite butter substitute)
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1-1/4 cup wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
• 2 handfuls carob chips

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease your bundt pan (or line your cupcake pan).
2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together the Earth Balance and sugar on medium speed. Until fluffy -- approx. 4 minutes. Add the applesauce, beat well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, flax meal, baking power, baking soda, and salt. I like to give mine a nice vigorous whisk to get it all incorporated.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with 1/4 cup of the pomegranate juice. 
5. Fold in the carob chips.
6. Fill bundt pan about 2/3rds full. Same with cupcake, if you're doing it that way. And bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool cake in pan.

POMEGRANATE ICING


What you'll need . . . (obtained, but modified from the one here)

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses (see recipe earlier in this post -- and you can use what you have left over for a recipe I'll post later in the week)
• 7 tablespoons pomegranate juice

Method . . .

1. Stir everything together until smooth. You may need to add a bit more powdered sugar, consistency should be thick, but not too thick so you can't drizzle it. 
2. Wait until cakes have fully cooled (you might be able to tell I didn't wait long enough because the icing sank into the cake), then top off each one generously and refrigerate.

If you'd like to read our other recipes inspired by the Richard Simmons Private Collection of Dazzling Desserts, just click below:

• Puddin' on the Ritz: Purple Sticky Rice Tart 
• Pie in the Sky: Vegan Coconut-Carob Pie

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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