Clementine and Walnut Tea Cake With Honey

It’s citrus season which means if you aren’t indulging in crates of those little Cuties, you are missing out! They are easy to peel and typically seedless making them the perfect snack when you’re craving a little something but trying to avoid sheer junk. I’ve been known to down them three or four at a time resulting in odd looks from others in the room. But that’s only until they get their hands on one and next thing you know, they too are deep diving into a citrus bender. Although, I’m not sure there’s such thing as a “citrus bender”. Fresh fruit is nature’s candy and I give myself a free pass when it comes to loading up. But, sometimes you want a more traditional bender. Something with a hint of “bad” diet so you can enjoy the feeling of indulgence. I personally don’t subscribe to any particular diet crazes but I still “get it”. Junk food is a guilty pleasure, the optimal word here being p l e a s u r e…

Aside from the artificial ingredients, it’s the guilt that’s gonna kill us. I heard somewhere that guilt is linked to chronic pain. I have no idea if that’s true, but my gut tells me it is. I developed a relationship with caregiver guilt while I was taking care of my parents and I know it’s something moms also experience when they need to step away from their children. We give ourselves permission to hurt with guilt, acknowledging our “less-thanness” without ever honoring the courage it takes to choose more.

I wish I could say that I’m done with guilt. It’s gotten much better now that my folks have both passed, and I can say that I feel relief and satisfaction from the choices I made along the way. Those choices have not been without consequences and everyday since, I am reminded that my current situation is the result of having CARED for my aging parents. I imagine how different things would be if I didn’t care. I imagine that version of myself would have more money, more success, more stability… But I also imagine that she would have some mental health issues around being a disappointment. I’m not sure I’d be able to look at her squarely in the mirror without shame. I can imagine that my not caring would have manifested into crippling guilt as when a life passes, you realize you can never go back. Amends for mistakes can no longer be shared with those that may have been on the receiving end, ultimately creating more work for you and your psyche. Do you see the problem here?

As we age, we start to lose things. We lose our health, our youthful good looks, and in cases of dementia, even our minds… In some instances maybe that’s not the worst thing. Depending on how we live, we might want to forget, as the anguish of regret becomes its own debilitating burden. Guilt is mental junk food and we need to stop feeding our minds with it! But what does that mean for guilty pleasure? Is there no room? Of course there is! The difference is we own it. We know our indulgent behaviors coax our pleasure receptors and feeling good IS our WHY. So why not? Choose pleasure and stay conscious of the guilt while remaining mindful that you have the c o u r a g e to chose yourself first!

The way I see it, the route to aging better is to care more about the care “giver”. The caregiver is the link between an ailing individual and their quality of life. Whether that means YOU or someone you’ve hired, invest in that person. Take care of that person so they may continue the selfless work they are doing. They are the ones keeping the person, the culture, and ultimately the system from deteriorating. They are the greatest representation of our civil society, filling the crack spaces of social services, many of which flounder in neglect.

Caregivers are destitute. They are working for pennies, if not for free! So good gawd, let them cake! Let’s help them eat some effing cake!!!! Let’s remind them that the village is here, fully intact, and they can rest without guilt because we are here too… sharing the burden because this is how situations get better. People care…

Close-up of all the caramelized citrus goodness…

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp clementine zest
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/8 cup heavy cream
• 3 round slices of clementine
• 1/8 cup juice from clementine
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 to 2 tsp of honey

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a bread pan and lay your clementine rings in the bottom
3. Take two bowls and in one add all the wet ingredients (except the honey) and in the other add the dry. Mix both separately then combine.
4. Carefully pour the batter into the bread pan (so as not to shift the rings) and bake for roughly 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5. When finished baking, carefully remove the bread and cool on a cooling rack.
6. Once cooled you can slice the dome that formed while baking, off the "top" and invert the loaf so it rests easily with the celementine rings on full display.
7. Then lightly drizzle the honey over the top allowing it to absorb into the cake before cutting into slices.

Honey Nut Chocolate Fudge Bars

Snack’s up! This is what I say every day, twice a day, when I am at sea. My post-caregiving life has me back out to sea cooking for sailors rather than seniors and as a chef who has now cooked for both demographics, I never would’ve thought “snack” would be such a big part of adult life? Seniors are notorious for having a sweet tooth, and well sailors? They are just starving individuals, weathered by the elements and craving an energy boost.

After crew members have been standing watch in the blazing sun for hours on end, it’s no surprise they are obsessed with snack. The thing with snacks though is they’re strategically timed between meals to give the “on” Watch some energy, helping to keep them alert until they turn over their shift. That shakes out to three snacks a day: morning, afternoon, and midnight snack which is affectionately called “mid-rats”. I know that sounds like a LOT of snacks and on occasion it can feel that way from the galley’s perspective but generally speaking, a snack is just a snack. It’s not a meal and not something you would intend to get full on. It’s just a little something to tide a sailor over until the meal bell rings. I like to approach the three snacks as follows:

1. Something fresh

2. Something savory

3. Something sweet

Typically I stick with the fresh item in the mornings which is often sliced fruit or something of the sort. The afternoon snack might be a savory cheese board or chips and salsa, fresh bread rolls, etc. The sweet item is often the midnight snack. Whereas morning and afternoon snack I deliver I deck, midnight snack is organized in containers for each Watch, allowing the crew to fetch theirs when they need it. Watch rotations occur during the night so having something accessible is key. Often times that’s in the form of baked goods like cookies, brownies, muffins, rolls, etc. As the steward/cook, I get to decide what that looks like and have discovered a few favorites along the way. These Honey Nut Chocolate Fudge Bars are always a hit so I thought I would share the recipe with you!

First I should say that these definitely fall into the sweet category but these would be an afternoon snack and not something I prepare for mid-rats. That’s because they are made with coconut oil and are best stored in the fridge to keep from getting melty. This should be no problem for all you home cooks. If your household doesn’t eat them all immediately, just keep them in an air tight container taking one out when you need a chocolate fix. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 oz chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup cashews or almonds
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder + more for dusting the top
• 1/3 cup honey + 1 tbsp
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup rice crispies
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Line a bread pan with parchment paper and then top it with the chocolate chips.
2. In a food processor combine the cocoa powder and nuts, and pulse to combine until you have a course sand like consistancy.
3. In a medium sized pot, heat the honey and oil until it gently boils.
4. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and mix.
5. Add the nut mixture along with the rice crispies and stir in the pot to combine.
6. Gently pour the mixture into the bread pan over the chocolate chips.
7. Let cool for an hour in the fridge and the remove and dust the top with cocoa powder.
8. Remove the parchment from the pan and cut the block of chocolate into bars.
9. Serve immediately or store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Enjoy mates!

*If you wanted to make these for seniors rather than sailors I would pay attention to the nuts. As I mention in the recipe, you can pulse them until you have a sand like consistency. In the ones I created above, I left the nuts a little chunky. Seniors with sensitive teeth might prefer the nuts ground more so really pulse them in the food processor. You don’t want to pulse the mix into a paste but elderly individuals might prefer a little less nut texture than than the the bars photographed above.

October 2020: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Swirls of creamy peanut butter and a smattering of chocolate chips turns this simple banana bread recipe into a decadent affair. I know the word “decadent” seems like a stretch of a description for the humble banana bread but you gotta trust me here. Warm chocolate and gooey peanut butter? Yeah… there’s not much more to say… You’re gonna want to make this recipe!

A close-up of all the gooey goody in this banana bread.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 overripe bananas
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil or melted butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and grease your bread pan and lay a piece of parchment paper inside.
2. In a large bowl, mash your bananas.
3. Then, add in the coconut oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla and combined.
4. Next add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and mix until the batter forms.
5. Gently fold in the chocolate distributing the chocolate chips throughout.
6. Using teaspoon size amounts, dollop 3/4th of the peanut butter into the batter and gently swirl it throughout.(Don't over mix. You want them swirls!)
7. Pour the batter into the prepped pan with parchment paper.
8. Dollop your remaining peanut butter on top and gently swirl it through the batter.
9. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until center is set being careful not to over cook. (Cover with foil if necessary.)
10. Remove the bread from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes in the pan.
11. Gently lift the bread with the parchment out of the pan and let cool for another 15 minutes on a wire rack before cutting into it.

Clementine + Walnut Tea Cake With Honey

Just this...

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp clementine zest
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/8 cup heavy cream
• 3 round slices of clementine
• 1/8 cup juice from clementine
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a bread pan and lay your clementine rings in the bottom
3. Take two bowls and in one add all the wet ingredients and in the other add the dry. Mix both sepretly then combine.
4. Carefully pour the batter into the bread pan (so as not to shift the rings) and bake for roughly 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5. When finished baking, carefully remove the bread and cool on a cooling rack.
6. Once cooled you can slice the dome off the "top" and invert the loaf so it rests easily with the celementine rings on full display.