The Mysterious Barmbrack from Valentine's Day 2014

 Valentin Rekunenko

I love quick breads - banana, hummingbird, soda -whatever really, but none so much as the Barmbrack.

I first had Barmbrack (a sturdy quick bread meant to be eaten or used as a weapon for it's density) in Ireland years and years ago. A friend made it for me and she served it with a good knob of butter and a cup of strong Earl Grey tea. In the picture above I've generously topped it with Mascarpone - a nod to the Italian liqueur that's in it.

It's traditionally served for the celebration of Samhain (Halloween - to you and me) and some cooks add wrapped treasures - coins, rings, keys etc. The name is Gaelic - Bairin Breac - speckled bread. I made it for the St. Valentine celebration.

I can't think of anything more comforting actually. Except perhaps, on a cold winter's day like today, a sunny beach in Hawaii.

With that said, this bread is not as sweet as banana bread but it's hardier than most quick breads save for the soda bread. It's excellent for breakfast. And the recipe could not be easier...

Barmbrack (Sometimes also called Brack, Barnbrac, Samhain Cake) Adapted from Edible Ireland.

Ingredients - Makes 1 Loaf

• 3/4 cup dark raisins
• 3/4 cup white raisins
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup dates
• 1/4 cup chipped dried apricots
• 1/4 cup Frangelico
• 1 cup hot, very strong Earl Grey Tea
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 1/4 cup self-raising flour
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon all spice

Instructions

1. Pre heat oven to 350.
2. Brew the tea.
3. Mix all fruits together in large bowl which at the end will accommodate the other ingredients too.
4. Add hot tea and Frangelico to the fruit. Let fruit sit for at least 30 minutes, although overnight is best.
5. Spray only the bottom of the loaf pan with baking spray.
6. After the fruit has soaked, add all the rest of the ingredients. Stir until the dry ingredients are just combined.
7. Pour batter into prepared loaf tin and bake for roughly an hour and a half or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool on a wire rack before turning it out to slice.
9. NOTE: This recipe literally takes 5 minutes to make after the fruit finishes the soak.

P&P is Getting Updated!

Hi guys!
It was brought to my attention yesterday (Thanks Chicken!) that I have not posted anything since Detox Week. I thought I should explain...
While I have taken other hiatus,' this one is different because it is not that I have not been writing. Coming soon are posts about Bulent's pickles, a fashion app for organizing your closet (That's for you, Joanie!) and really creative and talented friends. Plus a new place for something healthy (Sun and Soil) and a Frabjous Find (Amsterdam Woodworks) which I haven't written about in a really, really long time. And a new music mix on the horizon "Hero Rock!"
So, I have been a busy bee.
But I have also been busy updating the appearance of Poppies and Paperbacks. I love what I have going on right now, but I like a tweak here and there in love and in life; keeps things fresh and interesting. So check back in a week or so for new surprises like a great recipe for homemade mac and cheese!

Detox Week at Poppies and Paperbacks in 10 Easy Steps

Sometimes life gets a little crazy which in turn, makes us a little crazy, too. Instead of following a wholesome lifestyle which would help keep the crazies at bay, we tend to turn to junk food and adult beverages and get completely lazed on exercise. When things settle down we then wonder why we are tired, bloated and irritable. We wonder why our BM's are irregular (I know gross - but true) and we wonder why we aren't sleeping well.

Last week was a crazy one for me in fact. Work was nuts, my house was a mess and I was just coming off the nutty birthday week. I ate cake, cookies and a whole box of sees candies. I think I might've exercised twice to my usual everyday. I wasn't keeping myself accountable in any way, shape or form. And when I woke up yesterday morning, I knew I had to visit a detox plan.

Listen this is my own plan. I am not a nutritionist but I do read regularly about health and I have several doctors and nurses that I consult. This plan is in no way to be used to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. But it does help me trim down and get back on track with healthy!

Every morning I make a green drink:
1 Tbs. honey, Juice of 1 lemon, 6 oz. water, Wheat Grass powder.
Add all ingredients to a drink shaker and pour into a glass.

I sort of do a clean eating plan.  But I alter it to suit my needs. for instance, I drink 16 oz. of coffee everyday. I do not eat any dairy (no milk, yogurt or cheese) on the recommendation of Jackie Warner. Plus I only allow myself brown rice (a whole grain) and quinoa (a seed). And I also allow myself apple cider vinegar and a touch of soy sauce.  A typical day looks like this:

1. Make a green drink. (Directions above). I think this gives me some get up. It's also light on the stomach.
2. After I finish that, during my morning ablutions, I sip a protein coffee. I mix 2 scoops of the plant based protein powder with my coffee and some stevia, then blend. As a grown woman I should be getting roughly 60 grams of lean protein a day. While I do not reach that goal, with a double scoop of this stuff, I am at least packing 30 grams into the start of my day. It keeps me from getting hungry, builds lean muscle and increases my metabolism!
3. When I get to work, I turn on my computer and go straight to the kitchen to brew some Roasted Dandelion Root Tea. I love this tea! It aids in digestion and cleanses my liver and kidneys, plus it de-bloats like a boss and, bonus, it tastes yummy!
4. While I sip my tea I gear up to take a battery of vitamins: Magnesium (with calcium and zinc), Oregano Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Biotin, Vitamin D, Sublingual Vitamin B12, CLA Tonalin, Acidophilus pearls, and the almighty multi.
5. At around 11am I start to feel hungry. When I get hungry it is no joke. I start to panic if I let it go too far. When this happens, I ordinarily reach for something unsavory to put in my mouth...like a Twinkie. But since I am detoxing/clean eating, I peel and cut up a peach.
6. For lunch, I will have roughly 1 cup of brown rice (seasoned with salt and pepper), one cup of quinoa (seasoned with a teaspoon full of walnut oil and balsamic vinegar) or three organic egg whites (seasoned with salt and pepper) or a green smoothie called the Iron Giant at Sun and Soil (a coming blog post). I will also eat a cut up cucumber.
7. For a snack, at around 3:30pm, I'll cut up a pear and dig into some fresh peanut butter or almond butter. I like to watch anything with  the word 'butter' attached, though, because I do not care how healthy any fat is - fat is fat. At 4.5 grams of fat per teaspoon and 40 calories, my word that can pack a pretty caloric punch! So sometimes I'll ditch the nut butter and eat a good wholesome piece of fruit.
8. For dinner, I will steam a four oz. Tilapia filet with olive oil, crushed garlic, sliced green onions and a tsp of soy sauce and white pepper. I serve the fish with my Kale Salad with Pine Nuts:  One head of organic kale - chopped, put in a microwave safe bowl with 2 tbs. water and cook for 1 minute 40 secs. remove from steaming bowl and transfer to another bowl, add 1 tbs chili powder, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbs olive oil and 3 tbs pine nuts. Toss altogether and serve. This meal is light, high in protein, high in phyto-nutrients and tastes delicious. Also, it's easy to cook. Anything that takes the pain in the ass out of being domestic is a great deal in my book.
9. Finally we get to the snack part of my evening. I'm a terrible night eater unless I have something really special that has the power to hold me back from my terrible hand to mouth compulsion. I can eat a lot of watermelon and at only 45 calories a cup, my word, you could wolf down an entire melon and still have only spent about 300 calories. But if I am feeling really dessert-ish, I will make a mock Dole Whip (a recipe from my Dirtay -she's the one that introduced me to the wicked THUG KITCHEN!!!)  1 Cup frozen pineapple, 1/2 - 1 Cup almond milk and 1 Tbs honey or agave, whir it up in the blender serve in a tall glass and enjoy!
10. Some final notes: you can vary this in limitless ways: scramble your egg whites in the morning, eat a giant salad of mustard greens with lemon juice and salt and pepper. Clean your intestines with a fruit fast but the two most important things are DRINK PLENTY OF WATER and EXERCISE. Do I really need to delineate the benefits of these things?

The Inspired - Measurement

Measurement

 Is one person bad because another person takes their expression in a negative way? Am I not an artist if I do not create everyday? Am I not a mother if I do not have a living child? Am I not rich if I have no money in the bank? Can I not be afraid in the plain light of day? Must we all carry shame with us? Do we need to be shaped by our regrets? If we are questioning are we also adversarial? Is there no cure for being human?

Yin Yang Cereal Bars by Christy

I told you it has been a big food week at our house.

In addition to the pickles, my husband made home made pizza dough for home made pizza on Sunday. And I was a busy baking bee in the kitchen for all the birthdays.

I was inspired by my friend Chirsty who brought me these Yin Yang bars. She calls them Yin Yang bars because while they have corn syrup and sugar in them, they are also chock full of good stuff because she makes them with a variety of cereals and whole grains. See Below

So here is what I (think) is the recipe for the Yin-Yang Cereal Bars… this is modified from a recipe off of the GrapeNuts Cereal box. And she has provided her variation below. Thanks, Christy!

You can combine any dry cereals, grains, seeds, and nuts you like, and will want to have about 5 to 6 cups of dry mixture to the 3 cups of sticky/sweet mixture for the recipe:

This batch I used:

Combine the dry ingredients in a very large bowl.

2 ½ C  Grape Nuts Cereal

2C Kashi Go Lean Cereal

1C Kashi Puffs Cereal

1/2 C Melaleuca Cinnamon Clusters Cereal

2 handfuls Rolled Oats

½ C Chia Seeds

Handful Sunflower Seeds (Raw)

½ C milled flax seeds

¼ C Cinnamon

¾ C Caramel Balls/Bits (Consider Chocolate Chips, Cinnamon Chips,  Raisins, Craizins, etc.)

In a separate bowl, combine and microwave in one minute intervals, stirring in between micro-ing, until you get a smooth consistency and all sugar has melted (is not grainy):

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Peanut Butter

1 Cup Corn Syrup

Once the peanut butter mixture is smooth, pour over the dry mix in a very large bowl.  Mix well to coat all of the cereal mixture.  Pour into a buttered or parchment papered 13 x 9 in. pan and press down…

Let cool and cut into squares.

  

Delicious!!!

I call them Yin-Yang, because…

Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary (rather than opposing) forces that interact to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts. Everything has both yin and yang aspects, (for instance shadow cannot exist without light). Either of the two major aspects may manifest more strongly in a particular object, depending on the criterion of the observation.

Oatmeal Cookies - The Real Kind

It's been a big food week around here at our house. This week the husband made his pickles (it's own post I'll save for later) and I have been a baking fiend because it's the birthday season (Dad, Husband and Brother in Law) not to mention it's our Anniversary today!

My husband loves those Mother's Brand Oatmeal Cookies. But I don't love it when he eats them because they are full of preservatives that he really doesn't need. Also, the un-frosted ones are difficult to find.

So I made some for him from scratch today and they are off the charts! They are raisin free (not everyone loves raisins) and great with coffee or tea.

I adapted the recipe from Smitten Kitchen for my taste buds. The recipe she uses and adapted from "Good to the Grain" cookbook, uses icing which I omitted. The measurements are funny because everything in "Good to the Grain" is in grams.

Raisin Free Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients 

• 2 1/2 Cups + 1 Tbs. quick cook oats
• 1 1/2 Cup all purpose flour
• 1 Tbs + 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 Cup brown sugar
• 3/4 Cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 Cup butter, melted (she calls for unsalted butter but instead I omitted the salt in the recipe and used what I had in the fridge - plain 'ol butter.)
• 2 large eggs

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line cookie sheets with parchment.
3. Sift all dry ingredients together.
4. In a separate bowl, cream together butter, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs.
5. Fold in dry ingredients.
6. Round into balls that equal 2 Tbs. or use a cookie scoop (she uses a #40 scoop).
7. Bake at 350 for about 15-18 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to cool on a wire rack.

Pickles!

It's pickle season!

Tomatoes, Peppers and Cucumbers! My husband challenged me to a pickle off so I made a batch last night.

It's the easiest recipe and they are quick fridge pickles, BONUS. No toiling over the stove on these hot summer nights. Eat them within a week or so, unless you do a traditional water bath and then they'll last on the shelf without refrigeration for up to a year. Directions are below:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound cucumbers
• 6 large cloves garlic
• 1 bunch dill
• 2 Tbs. black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 Tbs. salt
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1 Cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 Cup water

Directions:

1. Collect 1 pound of cucumbers from the garden or get them at the farmer's market. We grew "Mercury Persian," in our garden this year. They're small (between 6" and 8" long), seedless, completely burp-less and very tender, with a thin, mild skin. But you could do equally well with any Persian or Persian Hybrid which are similar to the English variety of cukes, such as "Sweeter Yet."
2. Wash a large mouth pickling jar and lid/band with warm soapy water.
3. Let the jar air dry.
4. While the jar is drying, cut the cucumbers and the garlic cloves into quartered pieces.
5. Place half the peppercorns, garlic cloves and dill in the bottom of the jar.
6. Add half of the cucumber slices.
7. Add the rest of the peppercorns, garlic cloves and dill.
8. In a separate jar with a lid, mix the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Shake jar until salt and sugar are dissolved.
9. Pour pickling solution over the cucumbers.
10. Place lid on the pickle jar and refrigerate overnight.
11. Enjoy!

Summer Salsa

I hate it when I am so busy with work and housekeeping and merry making that I cannot find the time to sit down to write a post (Joan, I'm sorry!).

So to keep myself accountable, let me say that I have a couple good ones on their way which include: Santa Cruz for the 4th of July and Nectarine Plum Preserves with Cardamom.

Today it is my summer salsa.

The garden is brimming with Cilantro and tomatoes and while I love salsa anytime of the year, it is especially good in the summer with tons of Cilantro. I truly cannot live without my chips and salsa. Plus, we live in California! Let's represent! Not just for our farm to fork culture but the embracing of the diversity we share.

Summer Salsa

Ingredients

• 5 medium very ripe tomatoes (skin and seeds removed)
• 5 large cloves of garlic 
• 3 green onions chopped
• 1 ENTIRE bunch Cilantro (Coriander) including stems - wash bunch well.
• 2 roasted Anaheim peppers - To roast peppers: put in broiler for 10 minutes turning often or if you have a gas stove put the peppers directly on the flame and turn frequently.
• Juice of 4 limes
• Salt generously and pepper to taste 

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients in the blender or food processor 
2. Blend well very well, scraping down sides of processor or blender
3. Chill for an hour to meld flavors
4. Serve cold with your favorite chips, or use in eggs or put on grilled chicken or make a steak sandwich and use this as the condiment!

Chia Pets

I love Chia Seeds. They are something I learned to incorporate regularly into my diet from Tara. You know Tara; I have blogged her bathroom re-model and her little North West Cottage and a host of other cool things that her spirit has touched. The next post I will do with her will be about home economics. Keep your eyes peeled if your interested in saving money and diminishing your carbon footprint - she is a maven!

In any case, when I went for a visit to Portland last month, she made smoothies every morning with Chia Seeds. I have had many a Kombucha with Chia, my friend Kendra said once that it's great before a workout - she was right. But I had never actually considered Chia as a nutritional supplement until Tara and I discussed it. Chia seeds mixed with a drink will help you sail through cravings with hardly a notice. Here is a recipe: 1 Tbs. Chia Seeds, 2 Tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 Liter water mixed with lemon juice to your taste and stevia for sweetness: and I promise - YOU WILL NOT BE HUNGRY!

Chia seeds also grow into cute tiny sprouts that the whole family loves including the cat! I discussed the possibility of growing Chia Seeds (as in Chia Pet) with Tara. During my last day in Portland, my sweet friend took me to an antique shop. She spied a tiny ceramic duck and showed it to me, exclaiming that all I'd need is a cheap sponge inside the duck and a daily watering.

Here are the results:

The materials: Cheap sponges (you'll discard after each sowing),  cute planter, and chia seeds (Costco $13.99).

Cut the sponge so that it will fit inside the planter.

Insert the sponge so it creates a little planting mound.

Mix 1 teaspoon chia seeds with 1 tbs water.

Here is a better angle so you can see consistency.

Day 2

Day 3

Day 5

Day 7

WARNING - EXPLICIT - Fun, Exciting, and Unusual for Poppies

But I had to share this. It's a music video some friends shared on Facebook and while I am not on Facebook (I have an account but can't be bothered to engage), my husband often shares things with me, especially when it might evoke a giggle. He showed this to me just this morning and giggle I did! It involves a party. It starts with a tiny earthquake which rolls into a full out emotional, rageful, sexy romp coupled with a catchy beat. The video/song is DJ Snake and Lil Jon, "Turn Down for What."

I'm not heavy into rap per se, but every once in a while, something turns up which becomes (to quote German phraseology) an ear worm. This is one such "song." And the video is how I feel inside sometimes. I hope lots of people feel this way otherwise (and unfortunately) I suspect I may be certifiable.

Enjoy!

"The Women"

I have some really talented friends.
Stacy is a music maven who is well equipped to rock a turntable. She is the type of hostess who plays just the right playlist for every gathering and finds creativity in all kinds of music.
It was our latest book club meeting that inspired this post with her as a guest blogger. I hope you love this mix as much as I do. Her words below match this playlist epically and I recommend listening to this as she would, "Laying on the living room floor,  next to the speaker."

The Women from poppiesandpaperbacks on 8tracks Radio.

"The Women"

1.  Painful Like by Austra

2.  Wolf & I by Oh Land

3.  If Looks Could Kill by Camera Obscura

4.  Marilyn by Bat for Lashes

5.  Landfill by Daughter

6.  Falling by Haim

7.  Iota by Angel Olsen

8.  Running Up That Hill by Chromatics

9.  Silver Soul by Beach House

10.  Sprawl II by Arcade Fire

11.  Call Out by Kaskade featuring Mindy Gledhill

12.  I've Been Let Down by Mazzy Star

Night driving.  Needing just 5 minutes away from the kids,locked in my room, with my headphones on.  Going through a divorce.  Running at 6 AM.  Crazy, addictive love.  Singing without reservation in the car.  Laying on the living room floor close to the speakers, feeling desperate and lost. Late nights with a lover.  Feeling feelings!  It's all in this emotional roller coaster of a playlist.  Enjoy.  

Curly Girl

I learned lots of things by reading the original book "Curly Girl" and for most of my life I had no idea how to deal with this mop. I often still have difficulty and sometimes look like a fraggle or Animal the Muppet.

 I have consulted The Curly Girl Method and only of late feel confident about my curls. Thank goodness for Lorraine Massey!

So I invented this half up/half down do that's fast, easy and pretty for the curly girl! Especially on a rainy day like today! 

Instructions:

Wash hair as usual; product (I love Deva Curl Firl Hold Gel) and diffusion (without touching) is essential.

Leaving several tendril around your face, loosely gather your hair at the nape of your neck.

Pin, being sure to hide the bobbies as well as possible but using as many as you feel comfortable with to make your hair stay.

And Voila! Ready for your day.

Moonbeam Chili

You've never had chili like this before - music in your mouth.

Moonbeam Chili

Ingredients:

1 Tbs Butter

1 Tbs Olive oil

1 Large yellow onion, chopped

3 Large Garlic cloves, minced

1 package ground turkey

2 Cans S&W lightly seasoned white beans

1 can Herdez Salsa Verde

1 can chopped black olives

1 package Uncle Bens Spanish Rice

1 16oz. container of Sour Cream

1 Tbs. Chili Powder

1 Tsp. Garlic Salt

1 Tbs. Cumin

1 bunch green onions

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or similar sauce pan, heat butter and olive oil on medium heat, add chopped onions and minced garlic. Cook until onions are translucent about 7 minutes.

Add turkey, chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Cook turkey until browned and cooked through.

Turn heat to low and add beans, Salsa Verde, black olives, Spanish Rice and 1 cup sour cream and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until chili is heated through.

Serve in a bowl with dollop of sour cream and garnish with green onion cut on the bias.

Adrien Broom - Surprise!

I have seen a few things. Not tons of stuff, mind you - a few things - more than the average Joe...well, Josephine in my case, I suppose.

I've been to a few other countries. I speak (albeit marginally) another language, I can cook world cuisine and I married a Mediterranean man. At this point, I feel like I've been surprised, titillated, hypnotized, mesmerized, wowed, and awed as much as I can be. It's disconcerting to walk into middle age thinking this.

I went to art school knowing full well that I need - no, thirst for - stimulation; that's just me. As, I've grown older, I find that it is harder for me to feel viscerally stimulated. And then there was today...

Today, I searched #somethingnew. And what came up was a world of color by Adrien Broom. She is a Connecticut artist whose imagination matches that of Erin Morgenstern in The Night Circus. Her creativity and vision is captivating at the least.

She has started "The Color Project" which I found on My Modern Metropolis. Her art is nothing short of genius. As I look at my Art History background, I remember studying artistic movements. We are in a new movement currently but which lacks a name. In a world where Dystopic novels are translated to the screen and where electronics have taken the place of relationships, it is comforting to see that imagination and expressiveness still win out. Enjoy this part of her series but please follow the links above so you can see more of Adrien's fascinating virtuosity.

You also know how much I love Vimeo. So here is a film that chronicles a behind the scenes look at this artist and her art.



Behind the Scenes of Orange from Adrien Broom on Vimeo.

Minted

There are hundreds of ways to announce your new baby's arrival. You can text it, email it, tweet it, Facebook it, Instagram it or e-card it. My favorite way to announce anything whether it's a birth announcement or a birthday celebration is the old fashioned way. Get a beautiful card customized for a reasonable fee and send it by snail mail!

Minted has literally hundreds of options for birth announcements and celebrations to fit any taste and most budgets!

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, it dawned on me that with all the holiday hullabaloo, perhaps a great idea next year, instead of Christmas cards how about Valentine's cards? Why not? Who says we have to stick with the Christmas card?

Or, if you sort of a stickler for tradition, how about a New Year's card? Check these little sweeties out! I especially love the Roman Numerals!

Just go see Minted. You can live chat if you need help. And there are plenty of possibilities not just with cards and stationery. You can also get party decorations like bunting flags and art prints too!

I can't say enough about he goodness that is this company! They have an affiliate program which helps launch living, breathing real people to artistic success. And a separate affiliate program for photographers as well. It's a savvy company for savvy customers.

The Inspired: Being Human

Flickr

Pain that just sits

Like a lazy student shits

all over respect for others

it burns like brothers

who steal wives

it festers like wounds that take lives

It's human I guess

I wear it today like an ugly dress

apathy runs in me

I don't care about the handsome man

I don't care about the giggling girl

I'm Free

Except for the 

Pain that just sits.