I decided to buy a lemon from work.  I responded to the curious wonders of my co-workers: “I’m making Lemon Thyme Olive Oil cookies.”  Snicker.  “Hmm… Yes…” one replied.  “I only make normal things.”

I had to laugh (at myself mostly), because it’s rather true – despite the my ability to memorize recipes for basic chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, and pudding, I don’t really make “normal things.”  Experimentation gets the best of me.

…In Baking.  But not in the realm of cooking, mind you.  Sure you’ll find a stovetop savory recipe on this site now and then, but like I said, I’m not much of a cook (hate cooking.. love baking), but I’ll do it, and the unexpected results will be as raw as ahi poke.  Experimental ahi poke.

Maybe these cookies are a way of redeeming that.  Maybe these cookies are a way of bridging the gap between experimental baking and experimental cooking.  Maybe I just wanted to make something savory, and savory baked goods was the only way of achieving this desire.

In any case, one reason I made these was because I grow Lemon Thyme.  That thing grows like a weed, I tell you.  I’m much more fond of English Thyme – one of my absolute favorite spices! But lemon thyme: it looks like English/French thyme, feels like thyme…. smells and tastes like lemon.  Reminds me of baby food.  Or frozen pizza.  Or Michael Jackson.  Looks can be deceiving.

It’s a fantastic herb to grow, especially if you like to cook fish or chicken (fish in my house).  But how often do I cook?  Yeah.  Exactly.

(Ahem.  Fish cooking = parents.)

Anyway, I’ve been hankering to make olive oil cake, but figured that instead, I’d like to make cookies.  So I found this recipe and decided that YES, it needs to be made.  The result of this recipe is a sweet lemon cookie with a warmth of pepper to comfort your mouth.  This would be perfect with a cup of tea.  Or as a nice gift.

Wait… what?  There’s no salt in this recipe?  And it calls for PEPPER?  You read right.  But OH that’s what makes it so savory!  The use of lemon thyme in this recipe means that you won’t get an overpowering herb-like taste, though if you did use English Thyme, that flavor will be pronounced.  And even if it did, the pairing of thyme, lemon, and olive oil is a match made in (the oven) heaven.

Of course you won’t get the texture of a buttered cookie.  But olive oil renders a nice crisp on the edges, and still a moist, flavorful center.  Variations to this recipe?  Try toasted pine nuts.  I’m also sure you could substitute the little bit of milk and make this dairy free!  No need for a normal recipe, right?

SAVORY LEMON THYME OLIVE OIL COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Pepper (lessen to 1/2 tsp if you don’t want a strong peppery taste)
1/2 Tbsp fresh Lemon Thyme, minced
1/2 cup Olive Oil
3 Tbsp Milk
1 large lemon, zested and juiced

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350*.  Oil a baking sheet, or use parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, pepper, and thyme.
In another bowl, whisk together olive oil, milk, and egg.  Stream this into the flour mixture, blending thoroughly.  Roll rounded tablespoons of dough in your hand and flatten on baking sheet.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges are crisp and golden.

My little brother is sick.

Ok, so he’s not little, but he is my brother.  These are two things I must constantly remind myself.
He is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, and I’m not his mom.
Nevertheless, as his manang, or “older sister,”  I can’t help but want to make sure he is provided with things that could help him get better.

Medicine.  A thermometer.  Soup.

Part of his illness is a dry cough.  He has congestion, but stubborn mucous won’t come out.  So I decided to make spicy soups of sorts, such as today’s feature, smoky southwestern butternut squash soup.

Butternut squash is one of those wonderful foods so full of vitamins (and low in calories! though that doesn’t matter for a sore throat).  This recipe also calls for apples, which gives it an additional texture and a subtle sweetness usually brought forth from honey or a sweeter squash.  I used what we had on hand – golden delicious.  Definitely- this looks like a typical autumn-ish food, but today seems fitting – it’s rainy, windy, chilly.  It’s as autumnal as we’d get in the tropics… yes, in April.

The measurements in this recipe are pretty rough, and like most every soup, can be customized to your palette’s content.  I like to put other things in it (black beans, corn, cabbage), and make it a chunky soup, but bro isn’t too big of a fan of black beans.  So I opted out and blended it a little smoother to get the jalapeño nicely integrated.

If you’re wondering how I attack the butternut squash, I typically microwave it for about 1:30 – 2 minutes.  Then, I do as a pineapple: cut a smidge off of the top and the bottom, then peel all the way down.  Afterwards, I chop off the neck, which is enough of what I needed for the soup.  With the bottom half, I plan to make a vegetarian chili, then roast the seeds.

I probably should’ve kept it chunky- there is no way of taking a pretty picture of this blended mush apart from embellishing.  In fact, bro’s soup bowl didn’t have any apples.  He got his straight up.

But what can I say?  I love the kid, but I’m his older sister, not his mom :)

SMOKY SOUTHWESTERN BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup diced shallots
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
2 apples, diced
3 cups butternut squash, cubed
3 cups stock (beef or vegetable)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cocoa
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)

Optional vegetables:
1 can black beans, rinsed/drained
1 can corn
1/2 head cabbage, cubed

Warm the vegetable oil.  Over medium heat, saute the garlic, shallots, and jalapeño until fragrant.  Add the apples and squash and saute for a minute or two.  Add about 1/2 cup of the broth and the spices to the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the remainder 2 1/2 cups of broth and any additional vegetables.  Once the soup comes to a boil, turn down the heat and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes.  Using a hand blender, pulse the soup a few times until you have the desired consistency.  Or keep it chunky, and mash about a third of the soup with the back of the soup ladle to give it some thickness.

That’s it!
A nice, spicy soup.

With a cake batter ice cream milkshake for later.

kep.

The past few weeks have been cray-zay.  cray cray, zay zay.  NONSENSE.  What I could handle (kind-of sort-of) was the extended work hours (training a whole bunch of newbies!), plus mentoring at the DNA discipleship class (why I made this treasure book).  What threw me off the edge was when my tire blew out.  On the H-1 Freeway.  During morning rush-hour traffic.  When I’m supposed to open up the shop.

Car trouble is never fun, and it only means a lot of financial punches.  Sigh.

Yep… there it is, ugliness and all.  And that light is not the burst of morning glory.  That is the burst of angry, horn-honking, oncoming traffic.

Anyway, as much as possible, I tried to position my heart in a place of faith and trust and peace.  Sometimes verbal repetition helps your heart believe something your mind does not.  So more than re-telling this unfortunate situation to others, I tried to talk about the moments when God HAS provided miraculously for me.

Case in point: Just THREE days prior, I prayed about my car registration which is due this month.  God, I have no money! Yes, that was my vent to the Omnipotent One.  He told me to count my tips which I have been saving for no designated reason. I found that I had EXACTLY how much I needed – with FIVE CENTS left over!  This is the faithfulness of God!  So there is no doubt in my spirit that, if God proved He would take care of my car right before it broke down, then He will take care of this too.

I’m still in a place of trust, and I still fight for His peace to guard my mind.  It’s definitely a wrestling in my mind.  In fact, when my body is stressed, it responds by giving me allergy symptoms, and I must take benadryl for it.  I am, in fact, allergic to stress.  So I asked my boss if I could have the next few days off – to regroup, to calm down, to get my car fixed.  I’m glad I have this time.  I didn’t realize how much sleep I needed.

In the meanwhile, I decided to bake! When’s the last time I baked for fun, anyway?  So I decided to make vanilla bean browned butter blondies.  You totally read right.  What?  Browned butter?  You just won me.  Anything with browned butter just steals my affections.  In fact I not only use browned butter, I used brown sugar and a brown egg!  Is it because I’m brown?  *snicker*… no, silly…. ;P

Here, I will post the BASIC recipe – because I just wanted some plain ol’ sweetness.  In fact, I’m much more fond of the raw batter!  Nonetheless, from here you can customize to your heart’s content: Chocolate chips on top?  Done.  Prefer Butterscotch or White Choco chips? Done.  Extra maldon sea salt sprinkled on top?  Done!  Swirl some caramel and make it a turtle? Double done.  I’m planning to make this at work and add some chai spice, toasted coconut, and toasted mac nuts.

I’m going all cray-cray.

(plain)

(CHOCOLATE CHIP VERSION!!)

VANILLA BEAN BROWNED BUTTER BLONDIES

6 Tbsp Butter
1 1/2 C Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste (or Beans from 1 Vanilla pod, or 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract)
1 C + 2 Tbsp Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt

1.  To brown butter: place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir constantly (it will begin to foam).  Once browned bits start forming on the bottom of the pan, remove it off the heat.  There is but a moment between BROWNED butter and BURNT butter!  We like browned.
2.  Mix together the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla.  Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.
3.  In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.
4.  Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter batter.  (Ha! butter batter…)
5.  Spread evenly onto a greased 8×8 pan.  (Now is the time to add chocolate chips and other toppings)
6.  Bake in a 350∘ oven for 25-30 minutes.

ENJOY.  With ice cream.

There are countless wonderful things about this chilled dessert.  So much, that I couldn’t take a good picture of it before it reached the mouths of the hungry folk.

Founded on a base of roasted macadamia nut shortbread, this naturally deep purple layer of buttery Okinawan sweet potato pairs delicately with the creamy coconut haupia, to make a dessert that is favored partly for its flavor, and partly because those flavors call us back to memories we love about being a local in Hawai’i.

Although the sweet potato is Okinawan, it’s loved by many Filipinos too because we’re so unbelievably fond of Ube (pronounced OOH-beh)- mostly the Ube ice cream.  The two are similar in color, nearly similar in taste, but Okinawan sweet potato and Ube, or purple yam, are not the same thing (yam ≄ potato).
So if you ever see a sign for ice cream that says: “Okinawan Sweet Potato (Ube) Ice Cream,” either:
1. They are wrong and missed this concept that yams and potatoes are different; or..
2. There actually are both yam and potato in that ice cream recipe; or..
3. They used “ube” as a color word.  Doing this happens in the Tagalog language, but as wrong grammar.  In other words, take for example:

All of these flowers in this photo are fuchsia-colored.  But none of them are the actual fuchsia flower.  Likewise, the ice cream can be “ube” (color), but not necessarily contain “ube” (purple yam).

Regardless, Ube ice cream is a must-try.  At the shoppe I work at, we do sell Okinawan Sweet Potato (Ube) ice cream.  And tourists flip out at the color, only remembering sweet potato as the orange mush you serve at Thanksgiving with marshmallows.  Nope, this is the real color, my friends.

source

Back to the pie.

The haupia is not a mix.  I proudly take the time to make it from scratch (and it’s quite easy), which means you have a lot more control of the results, and you learn much about patience.

I usually make this pie whenever my dad boils a bunch of sweet potatoes for breakfast (yes) and we have enough leftovers (see second photo).  At that point, we typically have all the ingredients I need for this pie besides the macadamia nuts, and if I’m really wanting to make it at the moment and help my wallet, I’ll skip out.  But in the trials of making and sharing this, you won’t regret adding the mac nuts.

It’s worth the wait!  Please do make it.  And send some thanks to Happy Little Bento.  I’ve seen the same recipe elsewhere, but I liked her notes on it the best.  I also suggest you blend the sweet potato to make for a nicer consistency.  In the first photo, I only mashed it and it wasn’t as smooth as my subsequent trials.  And when you’re done, serve generous proportions.  Otherwise your pie will look like mine after my brother-in-law kept on nibbling for more…

OKINAWAN SWEET POTATO HAUPIA PIE

CRUST:
3/4 c cold, unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 3/4 c flour
1 c macadamia nuts, well chopped (I used a food processor)

Butter a 9×13 inch glass baking dish.
Mix the dry ingredients together, then add nuts and butter, cutting with a pastry cutter until crumbly.
Press into dish.

OKINAWAN SWEET POTATO layer:
1/2 c butter, softened
1 c sugar
2 c Okinawan sweet potatoes, peeled, boiled and cut up into small pieces (about 1 big or 2 small potatoes)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 c evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar until smooth in medium bowl.
In a blender, whip the sweet potatoes, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and salt.
When the consistency is smooth, add it to the creamed butter and sugar.
Spread into the crust but leave a half inch for the haupia on top.
Bake the pie at 350F for 40 minutes until the crust is golden and the potato filling is lightly browning.
Let cool before starting the haupia layer.

HAUPIA layer:
1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz.)
1/2 c water
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c cornstarch

Put the milk and water into pan and bring to medium heat. Mix sugar and cornstarch together and gradually sift them into the liquids, stirring constantly. Take your time! You don’t want it to turn clumpy.  I think it took me about 15 minutes or more. Quickly pour haupia over pie evenly and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Cut and share GENEROUS portions. :)

enjoy!
xo

oh snap… i haven’t posted in ages! but life has been so crazy.. i’m working for a new special ed agency, my brother moved back from cali, and my friends and i moved into a new house!  when’s the last time i had a day off?  a few hours ago?  mehh.

anyway, i made this cornbread a while back when i was at a peak of stress, and usually baking is a successful catharsis – except for this time.  i accidentally substituted an ingredient and forgot another, resulting in the most deathly-aluminum-tasting cornbread of sorrow you’ll ever taste in your existence.

“mok-chi-ma.”  i’m terrible at korean.  but that would mean, “don’t eat.”  and i labeled it because i live in a home so full of affirming people who ate that against my beggings to save their mouths from exploding.  pregnant mama ate it too.  EEEH. but i was so adamant about getting it right, that i made a brand new batch….. i made it right, and it absolutely proved that it’s a good recipe, and they should’ve not eaten the metallic cornbread.

BLAM.  check out that ridiculous comparison!  the new batch is heavenly, lovely, moist, and with a wonderful crisp of honey glaze on the top.  it’s truly a dessert.

doesn’t that just look spongy and delightful? sigh…. why’d i have to mess up in the first place…. take a look at these comparisons:

 yuck on the bottom.  yum on the top.

my misery aside, this is an excellent cornbread, a recipe i’d use repetitively as a staple in my collection.  i had raves about the second batch (of course), and i myself was grabbing seconds and thirds and.. fourths.  thanks to spago / “dessert by the yard” and food gal, the recipe’s up for grabs. however, the recipe calls for buttermilk (and do i ever have buttermilk?), so i had to do a little substituting:

1 tbsp vinegar for 1 cup milk, let it sit for 10 minutes / til it curdles.  (for this recipe, 1/2 tbsp for 1/2 c milk)

other than that, you’re all good to go!

Honey-Glazed Spago Cornbread
found on Food Gal

INGREDIENTS
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cake flour
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs (room temperature)
3 ounces (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by13-inch baking pan with foil and spray with pan spray.

Sift together cornmeal, all-purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together eggs. Melt butter and immediately whisk into eggs in a slow stream. Whisk in oil, milk, and buttermilk. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined.

Scrape batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate pan from front to back and continue to bake for 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

To make the glaze:

INGREDIENTS:
3 ounces (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup water

While cornbread is baking, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add honey and water, and whisk until blended.

When cornbread is done, remove from oven and poke holes all over the bread, about 1/2 inch apart, with a toothpick. Brush with the glaze and let it cool.

all done!

xo