Carin McKay

My favorite Cookies

carinmckay — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 06:21:03 +0000

I love these because you use all brown sugar, which makes these cookies so nice and chewy. I use spelt flour with these cookies because it is easier on folks who do not want so much wheat. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies with Pecans

1 ¼ cup spelt flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups rolled oats
1 cup pecans (or walnuts) toasted and chopped
1 cup sour cherries, rough chopped
¾ cup chocolate chips
1 ½ stick unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Heat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease 2 cookie sheets
• Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add oats, pecans, cherries and chocolate chips.
• In a separate bowl or with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until no lumps remain, about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla and mix.
• Gradually add the flour mixture until incorporated.
• Divide dough into 20 cookies, and roll into balls. Place on baking sheets and press balls to one-inch thickness.
• Bake for 12 minutes, pull out cookies and rotate, and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until the cookies are medium brown but the centers seem wet.
• Let cool

Note:If you choose not to add nuts to this recipe, add 1 cup of oats to the batter to hold the cookies together. The nuts add structure to the cookie.

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

carinmckay — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 06:11:04 +0000

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

I just watched Steve Job’s 2005 speech to Stanford. I am very inspired and find myself looking at the path my life has taken with new eyes.

Check it out.

I highly recommend Robert’s Improv Class in Berkeley

carinmckay — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:23:13 +0000

When I am at my best, teaching, cooking, or hanging out with people, I am improvising. This improv class looks excellent.I have done some structured improvisation with Robert at it was really fun and freeing. Check it out….

Robert\’s Improv Class

Scapes

carinmckay — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 06:12:14 +0000

What is a Scape? A scape is the green shoot on the garlic plant that turns into a garlic flower if left to its own devices.If you ever get in a garlic patch, pick off those scapes, toss them in olive oil and salt and pepper, roast at 400 for about 15 minutes(until nice and brown) and munch on them like a yummy, garlicy, snack. There is nothing like them.

California Witchcamp, Paella for 100

carinmckay — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:40:37 +0000

I am reveling in the wonderful time we had cooking up at California Witchcamp this year. Located in the redwoods 1/2 hour from my home town, we truly made the most amazing food. With a high powered crew of 13 of us, and with a guest paella master, we can do anything.

Here are some photos from that week with cute Kevin, Rascally Jodie and Kirk, and Paul(ie) on his way to Hawaii .

Here’s Kirky proudly making his fireroasted salsa, Smart Sepe, and me trying to make my first Paella(is it crazy to try it for 100 for the first time?)

Intentionally putting the peas in the paella with Paella Maestro Michael Rauner.

EarthCafe Class #3

carinmckay — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:35:11 +0000

We had a fantastic final class of the Spring Earthcafe Series. Savrah Kramer, owner of Savrakraut in Los Angeles, came up to teach us delicious Raw Cuisine.Her Approach to raw food was so balanced and easy to integrate no matter what a person’s choices are around food. We made a Sea Palm Alfredo, Raw Kale Salad, Cacao Macaroons, and a delicious Green Smoothie. She also taught us how to make our own Saurkraut. Later that day, we talked about how to stock up and create an herbal first aid kit. It was a beautiful day on the farm in Bolinas. I look forward to more food adventures out there.

Here is Savrah Kramer and her delicious beginnings of her Raw Kale Salad. The orange fruits are cherries in the bowl

EarthCafe Class 2

carinmckay — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 05:55:07 +0000

K. Ruby taught our second Earth Cafe Class at the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas, California . We made homemade yogurt, lemon cheese, and grapefruit lemon sodas made with whey. It was an excellent

day,and I have been feasting on homemade yogurt and sodas ever since…I am looking forward to our final class in the series where we will learn how to make excellent Raw Food with Savrah Kramer and Herbal First Aid….

Scuba Diving and Mayan Cuisine

carinmckay — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 05:24:42 +0000

How does one survive eating at buffet resort in Cancun? I did great for a day with all the “free food and drinks”, until the headaches started to kick in. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for all the food I get to eat, and that I don’t go hungry. But please, monogrosssmooth guacamole in Mexico? The pain was too great. One day my family and I escaped and found ourselves very happily at Market 28 in Cancun proper. I, in my excitement, ordered everything on the menu. We had guacamole(of course), ice cold beers, Nopales salad, enchiladas with mole, and coconut crusted shrimp with a tamarind/chipotle dipping sauce. I was, to say the least, psyched.

After Cancun I made it to Cozumel, Mexico to learn to dive. Cozumel is a little island off the coast of Mexico, and apparently Jacques Cousteau said this was some of the best diving in the world. I took a three day course, and braved the deep crystal clear waters. It was exciting and terrifying and peaceful all at once. Here you can see my instructor Luis, myself, and a turtle.

After diving, I would wander the streets of Cozumel for some good food. I found here some Tickinchik, fish with Achiote. This was excellent. Strangely, like so many coastal places, this fish was not local.

Of Course, there was the Argentinian Empanada Place, called Del Sur, with Chocolate Banana Empanadas. Very Excellent! Check out this link if you want to see photos of the empanadas.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g150809-d1575579-Del_Sur_Argentina_Empanadas-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html#24195810

Kirk and I Pick those Nettles

carinmckay — Sun, 09 May 2010 21:32:46 +0000

A friend of mine was telling me the animal totems he most identifies with. I realized in that conversation that a nature entity I identify with are Nettles. I am not sure if that is good or bad, but it is kinda true. Tasty, nutritious, abundant, likes riparian zones, superfood, medicinal, and wild. And of course stingy from time to time. It is possible to pick nettles barehanded but it is very important to be aware when you do it. Here I am with Kirk picking Nettles barehanded in my secret nettle spot on a beautiful day. Picking food in the wild is high on my top favorite things to do.

Here is a nice Nettle tea recipe:

Nettles-Mint Tea

1 Tbsp fresh or dried nettles and mint to each cup boiling water OR ½ cup nettles-mint mixture to each quart boiling water. Best made 24 hours ahead so it can steep (infuse) for maximum potency. Serve sweetened or unsweetened, hot or cold.

First Earth Cafe Class

carinmckay — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:12:10 +0000

In a glorious break in the rain, we held the first Earth Cafe class of the spring last Saturday. The Commonweal garden in Bolinas was in full form that day, and I was in awe of how alive and beautiful everything was. We had a great class. I taught students how to gather nettles and cook them with phyllo dough. Nettles are the essence of spring itself. The amazing Chef, Jeremy Peckham, came out and taught us knife skills and how to make yin/yang sushi. I learned many things I did not know before about how to make sushi from him. Tammy, the farm manager, taught us how to prepare soil and plant seeds . Each student has taken home several seedlings and will be learning how to grow food from seeds. After a day on the farm, eating seasonal and wild foods, and being with great people, I felt healthy and alive. I look forward to the next class May 1 when Ruby teaches us about urban homesteading.

I returned home to be further trained in the art of paella by my teacher, Michael Rauner. And the next day I tried out my first attempt at making german style potato pancakes. I am so lucky to get to learn and teach all of this!!!