Elderberry syrup

Made an attempt at elderberry syrup... and it tasted a little bit burnt and said so to Zoe, then I said: "at least it's good for you" to which Zoe said, "yeah, but isn't dirt good for you too?"

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Amy Ashurst Gooch          http://www.sci.utah.edu/people/agooch.html
Chief Operations Office

​r                 ​

                  amy.a.gooch at gmail.com
ViSUS LLC          

​                                        ​

                     amy@visus.net
               
801 828 5038    (Cell)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quotes

M: Zoe, you confound me

Z: yes, that is what I do. Eat, sleep, confound; whatever that is

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Amy Ashurst Gooch          http://www.sci.utah.edu/people/agooch.html
Chief Operations Office

​r                 ​

                  amy.a.gooch at gmail.com
ViSUS LLC          

​                                        ​

                     amy@visus.net
               
801 828 5038    (Cell)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3rd and 5th grade wrapping up

It's getting real.. end of school is almost here.. Finn just told me, as he was stowing his guitar:

"I figured it out Mom, I am going to put a bottle of water in my pocket for the final program and if I don't cry when Zoë graduates, I will put some on my eyes"... silently to myself I acknowledged that Diana and I will cry enough, and I don't think it will be hard for him...  he is going to miss her very much at school and mentions it every day.  (They have been in the same small school for 4 years, same annex building for 3, same classroom this year)

--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Amy Ashurst Gooch          http://www.sci.utah.edu/people/agooch.html
Chief Operations Office

​r                 ​

                  amy.a.gooch at gmail.com
ViSUS LLC          

​                                        ​

                     amy@visus.net
               
801 828 5038    (Cell)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best Banana Bread

I made this for you and you said you'd eat it every day for breakfast!

(I used Rum and I doubled the recipe and put it in a 13x9)

Amy

From SmittenKitchen

jacked-up banana bread

3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup (75 grams) melted salted butter
3/4 to 1 cup (145 to 190 grams) light brown sugar (depending on the level of sweetness you prefer, I always use the smaller amount)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla
1 tablespoon (15 ml) bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon (3 grams) cinnamon
Up to 1/2 teaspoon (1) nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cups (190 grams) flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Note: Due to my unhealthy obsession with tiny things, I split this into two mini-loaf pans. It took 45 minutes to bake two perfect halves, but of course, may run longer or shorter in your oven.

--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Amy Ashurst Gooch          http://www.sci.utah.edu/people/agooch.html
Chief Operations Office

r                

                  amy.a.gooch at gmail.com
ViSUS LLC          

                                       

                     amy@visus.net
               
801 828 5038    (Cell)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vanilla Chai Cupcakes

These are keepers! 
Finn and I just made these... delicious..! (of course, I added two eggs, used greek yogurt, but I did use my coconut almond milk... oh so good!)

Makes 18 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

1. • 1 cup almond milk
   • 1 teaspoon vinegar
   • 1/2 cup Earth Balance, at room temperature
   • 1 1/2 cups sugar
   • 1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt
   • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
   • 2 cups all-purpose flour
   • 1 teaspoon baking powder
   • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
   • 1/2 teaspoon salt
   • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
   • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
   • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

PREPARATION

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the almond milk and vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the Earth Balance and sugar and beat with an electric mixer until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in the yogurt and vanilla extract and mix on low until combined. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the almond milk mixture to the creamed butter, mixing on low speed until everything is mixed together.
   2. Pour the batter into the cupcake liners until each liner is about two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Amy Ashurst Gooch          http://www.sci.utah.edu/people/agooch.html
Chief Operations Office

r                

                  amy.a.gooch at gmail.com
ViSUS LLC          

                                       

                     amy@visus.net
               
801 828 5038    (Cell)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~