Spooky Season
A scary round up, tour tickets and Amaranth Marigold Buñuelos from Bread and Roses.
October might be my all time favorite month. Crisp air, fall fruit, fire colored leaves, scary movies while sipping hot chocolate in your coziest socks. Not being born in this month, I consoled myself with the thought that someday I might have a big day to celebrate in October. 39 years later and October 24 is my books birthday! A few people have already started to get the book from preorders, I really can’t even describe what it’s like to see it pop up in your feed. I can’t wait to see the recipes fill your life with flavor. There are so many that are so bangin for the season:
Brown Rice Donut Bars with Genmaicha Glaze just asking to be made into Frankenstein’s Monster with its bright green glaze
Rye Apple Onion Focaccia with every dinner
Oatmeal Spice Crumble Biscuit Rolls for cozy mornings
Puffed Quinoa Brown Sugar Brownies with Persimmon for snacking on while the trick or treaters come.
As a sneak peek of Bread and Roses if you haven’t gotten your copy yet -below you’ll find my favorite treat of the season Amaranth Marigold Buñuelos, in edibleLA Fall Issue out now! In the spirit of the month, edibleLA’s latest issue is all about Los Angeles ICONS, Mexico, and Dia de Los Muertos. I love this celebration for the its uplifting of family, memory of those we’ve lost, music, and the vibrancy of every occasion. But also for its honest look at loss, death and grief. Alters or ofrendas are laden with candles, pictures, gifts of food and marigolds. These yellow and orange flowers have been treasured throughout the years for their color and healing properties. The sweet fragrance is said to guide the souls back to their families. Find out more about Dia de Los Muertos.
Amaranth is one of the smallest ancient grains. It is blond, both nutty and slightly sour, and tender to the bite. It can be used whole for crunch or ground into flour for balancing sweets. Buñuelos are classic sweet street food! They are paper thin and covered in little bubbles from their brief time in the fryer. There are two ways to get down - DRY with the Buñuelos tossed in sugar (my favorite) or WET with the Buñuelos soaked in a Piloncillo sauce. Amaranth is the perfect foil for this high intensity sweet, giving the overall affect of sour candy. I am a lifelong Sour Patch Kid fanatic and I bet you are too. The Marigold sugar only enhances it by giving it a golden color and honey like flavor. The scent is addictive. It is such a fast easy recipe that can be made by all skill levels. Get ready for riots of laughter as everyone bites into this shattering sweet! Find my recipe celebrating this iconic flour and flower below.
Tickets are up for the first few events of my Book Tour. Get your tickets for Now Serving in Los Angeles, Book Larder in Seattle and Omnivore Books in San Francisco. Stay tuned for more events in each city as well as tickets becoming live.
Catch me on Good Food and KTLA this month sharing recipes from Bread and Roses!
Obsessed with: Kumi Yamashita work with light and shadow creating ephermal and weightless sculptures. Things seen but not there. The ability to change perspective is a gift, and I am blown away by the mind at work here.
Crushing: I can’t stop drinking CULTURE POP. I am guilty of loving anything with bubbles, but what I really mean is champagne and water. I am not a soda person, far too sweet. There has been such a cool renaissance in beverages geared more to adults or in general more discerning palettes. Culture POP is a stand out for me. The flavors are fresh, the fizz is good and the ingredients pronounceable - a little probiotic thrown in there for fun! Can’t stop popping the Orange Mango & Lime flavor. Each can is also so freaking cute with the artwork designed by my friend Marianna Fierro.
Streaming: My vibe is scary funny and in the month of October I am watching a movie every night. I love a classic or fresh take on genre but I do not STAN a horror slasher film. Your girl is a vivid dreamer and doesn’t need that inspo. Stream these…..The Craft, Vampires vs. The Bronx, NEW Haunted Mansion, Practical Magic, Warm Bodies, Monster House, Goosebumps, Hocus Pocus, Jennifers Body, The Babysitter, Witches, Shaun of the Dead and Ghostbusters.
Inspired by: I have been thinking a lot of my time under water in the Red Sea in Israel last month. So many vibrant colors and intricate patterns under the waves. Dreaming up different techniques to replicate this on LAND CAKES for spring.
Just for Fun: I can’t tell you how many Catarina Day of the Dead Makeup Tutorials I have watched. This one is pretty stunning.
Just ordered the amaranth flour and dried marigold petals!