Strawberry Cake

Joshua loves strawberry cake, so for Valentine's Day we'll be making a delicious heart-shaped cake.

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups white ultragrain flour (or just unbleached white wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
• 1 3/4 cups fair-trade sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup coconut milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 3/4 cup organic strawberries chopped
• Frosting for after the cake bakes
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup strawberry coconut milk keifer
• Mix the cake. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

raspberry chocolate chip cookies

The Valentine's cooking has begun. I love Valentine's Day! I took a favorite cookie recipe from my stepmom and altered it a bit.

original recipe

1 C. butter softened

1 C. powdered sugar

1/8 t. salt

2 t. maraschino cherry liquid

1/4 t almond extract

2 1/4 c flour

1/2 c. chopped maraschino cherries

sugar for rolling

48 milk chocolate stars

Heat oven to 325. Beat butter for 30 seconds on high. Add powdered sugar and salt. Beat. Add cherry liquid and almond extract. Add flour. Stir in cherries with a spoon. Roll into 1 in. balls. Put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with glass dipped in sugar. Bake for 14 minutes. Add chocolate.

My recipe

(of course i didn't actually measure, so these are my estimates)

1/2 c. non-hydrogenated shortening

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. non-dairy margarine

1 1/4 C. powdered sugar

1/2 t vanilla extract

2 c flour

1 C. raspberries (or cherries for purple cookies with cherry flavor)

1 C. 365 dark chocolate mini chunks or Giradelli semisweet chips

food-dye-free raspberry sugar sprinkles

Heat oven to 325.

Beat shortening, margarine, and oil.

Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat.

Mix in flour.

Mix in raspberries.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon onto baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until they just barely start to brown.

I suppose if you don't like the seeds, you could use raspberry seedless smashed fruit (like jelly). You could also shape the cookies into hearts, but I'm too lazy to spend that much time on something that's going into my mouth.

Curry Chicken

Mmmmm, i love indian food. Here's what we make at our house.

Start a pot of brown rice.

Cook chicken pieces.

Add curry powder (we like yellow curry). Put in maybe a few tablespoons, depending on how spicy/curried you want.

Add maybe about a cup of coconut milk.

Add chunks of potatoes, sliced carrots, chopped onion, red bell peppers, cauliflower, peas, and shredded unsweetened coconut. You can either boil the potatoes and carrots some before to soften them, or start them in first until their softened, and then add the rest.

Add raisins.

Dish up with the rice.