MOCHI, Please!

Another recipe has been added to our Paleo repertoire, namely Mochi (moh-chee) bread.

From the little research I did, the bread originates from Asia. Japan has its version, as does Korea. And from what I can tell after looking at their recipes for mochi, this recipe is definitely a riff on the more traditional bread.

Texture wise, I would call the final result of these little breads similar to the crispy exterior of a pop-over, crossed with the creamier interior of a Yorkshire Pudding, which sadly, I have never made. But, growing up with a mother who embraced her UK roots, I have eaten my fair share of it as she always served it with a roast of beef. WOW! Memory has it that every bite was delicious! Could mochi bread rival a Yorkshire Pudding? Depending on what kind of fat or oil you line your cupcake tin with, it has possibilities.

Here’s your chance to find out, with the link I’ve included at the bottom of this blog. The only substitution I made was that I exchanged almond milk for the whole milk. It worked! And when you look at the Pinterest photo, you’ll notice that my mochi look ALOT different than what you’ll see there. I did not have black sesame seeds in house, so I used what I had. I only wish I had toasted them first. Next time.

One other difference, and I can’t help mentioning it, but in case you hadn’t noticed, my mochi have belly-buttons! I laughed out loud when I took them out of our oven. The appearance of belly-buttons on my mochi could have been caused by an error on my part, but I say, the ‘Belly-Button Mochi’ provides one more place to hide that extra gravy, cream sauce, or whatever suits your fancy!

And no worries regarding your talk-abouts around the dinner table! You’ve got an interesting topic if conversation lags.

Thanks for stopping by!

You are loved!



It’s what’s for breakfast…



Morning rituals vary from house to house. Amidst reading the great devotionals that arrive daily via my email, (I’ll list them below, in case you’re interested.) feeding the jays their daily ration of peanuts, and the less urgent things like making the bed, getting dressed, and going for a long walk, my morning ritual always includes a cup of coffee and a banana.
But my banana-eating ritual got ‘kicked up a notch’ when scrolling through my Pinterest page one afternoon I found suggested, (in all its ‘well-meaning’-snoopy-computer-profiling) this recipe, and I had to give it a try. So, I did! And…I LOVED IT! It’s simple, it’s quick, it’s delicious, it’s Paleo, and most importantly, it compliments my coffee! Today I added blueberries and some extra cinnamon.

Good news! You can make it, too!
You can find the recipe here! https://pin.it/5qhBZKR

Also as promised, here is a list of daily devotionals
that can arrive in your email each day, too! They’re not meant to take the place of reading God’s Word, but their teachings help guide me as I keep the faith on the journey of a lifetime.
“Daily Bread”,
Greg Laurie,
Max Lucado, and
“My Utmost For His Highest” Oswald Chambers

Thanks for stopping by!

You are loved!

So, I made a pavlova…

So, I made a pavlova,
A decadent sweet,
Just saying, ‘pavlova’
Is for this gal, a treat! 

Meringue of white sugar
With egg whites whipped stiff,
What my whisk couldn’t handle,
My stand mixer did; 

The recipe called for
A curd made of lemon,
Chef John, just a taste of it
Sent me to Heaven!

Then I took blueberries 
Reduced into sauce,
Took a spoon and made sure 
It was drizzled on top.

And though I’m not prone
To oblige my sweet tooth,
I did, and will do it again,
Yes, it’s truth.

It made Easter special
As it always is,
With worship and music,
With bunnies and chicks;

But, may I keep first 
In my heart EVERY day,
Is my Saviour, He LIVES!
Jesus conquered the grave!


Our answer to choosing

not to dine out in these troubled times is dining in. Tonight’s dinner featured scallops on a bed of radicchio, kalamata olives, sugar snap peas, and oven roasted fingerling potatoes. Though it’s risky, a Pinterest recipe was my go-to. No disappointments here! Mom would have said that we’re eating ‘high on the hog’. Skip the hog – we’ll do it with seafood.

In remembrance of Mom

If there was one thing my mother was, she was fearless in the kitchen and even into her 90s LOVED to try new recipes. So, in remembrance of her today on her birthday, I’m going to try making hoisin sauce for some Asian meatballs and stir fry I’ll be making later for dinner.
I’m not sure it would meet the approval of your childhood friend Fung-toi, but I’m hoping it would yours.

I’m catching on, Mom…I’m catching on.

Memory Maker

Dec 8
In other news…what a three-ringed circus it was making our afternoon coffee yesterday when we discovered that our former Mr. Coffee suddenly went kaput. I pulled out this vintage aluminum dripolator that I had stashed in the back of a kitchen cupboard, and between the three of us (me, Mike, and a YouTube video) we figured out how to use it enough to eek out two cups.
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The struggle with this very simple piece of kitchen memorabilia, made us both feel like a couple of dummies, but after yesterday’s fiasco, we were smart enough to know we had been beaten and needed to buy a new coffee maker. Chances are we will forget the new machine as quickly as we have forgotten all the former ones, but the little bit of a memory made over the little aluminum coffee maker, standing front and center in this photo, will stick with us long after this newly bought machine behind it decides its brewing days are over.

Sweet Pickle Memories

After the slurping, after wiping the dribbling of sticky juices off our chins, and the excitement of watermelon seed-spitting competitions amongst my older cousins were over, a voice would rise above everyone’s conversations. “Save your rinds! Don’t throw them away!”, she’d say after any summertime family get-together that featured this seed-studded, sweet pink-fleshed melon as our dessert. Thinking of dear Aunt Audie and her watermelon rind pickles.
Gotta get that recipe…