Two topics:  The Thin Man and Cinnamon Apple Buttermilk Scones.  Firstly, my parents got Michael and me hooked on The Thin Man recently.  We’ve only seen two of the movies, and we’re smitten.  If you’re looking for something to rent, please please please try this 1934 detective/comedy flick.  Oh, maybe you’re all modern and use that netflix thing that the pop-up boxes keep offering me.  I’m sure they’ve got it, too.

Here are the basics (about The Thin Man, not scones).  Nick Charles is a retired detective who repeatedly gets dragged back into the mystery-solving game, despite his protests.  His wife, Nora, is a crack-up–she matches his wits line-for-line, plus she’s adorable while she does it.  They have a dog named Asta.  What more do you want?  This is good stuff.

Aaaaand on to the scones.  These scones taste like dessert, but I think they’re healthy enough for breakfast; the sugar content isn’t too high, and neither is the butter.  Plus, they contain fruit.  In general, I prefer a crumblier, drier scone than this recipe produces, but these are so completely satisfying just the way they are.  They don’t actually require any jam or other embellishments, other than maybe a mug of tea on the side.  The scones are moist, sugar-crusted on top, fruity, and just a little cinnamon spicy.

Cinnamon Apple Buttermilk Scones  (adapted from Easy Breakfast & Brunch)

Yield:  8 large scones

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup turbinado sugar, plus extra for topping

6-1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

2/3 cup buttermilk, plus extra for brushing

1 large or 2 small sweet-tart apples, peeled, cored, cut in eighths, then sliced 1/4″ thick

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425°.  Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.

Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/2 cup sugar to the food processor and pulse until combined.  Add the butter to the processor and pulse until the mixture looks like crumbs.  While the food processor is running, add the 2/3 cup buttermilk through the feed tube and continue processing until the mixture comes together to form a dough.

Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface.  Knead the apple slices into the dough.  You may feel like there is more apple than will work for your dough; in that case, reserve 1/4 cup of the apple slices for snacking.  Squeeze the dough into a ball, then flatten the ball into a 9″ round, making sure there’s plenty of flour underneath it so it doesn’t stick to the work surface.  Brush the top of the dough with buttermilk, then sprinkle extra sugar over the top.  Using a large knife, cut the dough round into 8 wedges.

Use a flat spatula to help you transfer the dough wedges to the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 1″ between the wedges.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the scones from the sheet and let them finish cooling on the wire rack.

Eat or freeze these scones within two days.  If you’re not consuming them soon after baking, I recommend heating them up under the broiler.

Tae’s Low-Commitment Project this week perfectly exemplifies our title–I love that she found her materials (a dirty car and I assume her finger) and made something amazing out of practically nothing.  Check out her Wash Me Dirty Car Drawings.

I spend a fair amount of time trying to fool myself into thinking I’m not really eating dessert.  I know I consume more cookies, bars, and tarts than one should, so I’ll set a mental goal of not making any dessert Monday through Friday in a given week.  As Monday afternoon approaches and my sweet cravings grow unignorable, I start plotting fruit-based after dinner snacks.  Don’t call them desserts.

This Ginger Tapioca with Mango is one such post-supper bites.  It is fairly healthy compared to chocolate- and butter-laden treats, plus it contains fruit.  That means healthy, right?  Really, this is on the lighter end of my dessert spectrum, and it is super delicious.

I don’t use whole milk to make my pudding, so any richness comes only from light coconut milk.  The coconut and ginger flavors wake up the old classic tapioca, and the lime- and chile-spiked mango transports you to a sunny clime, far from the rainy day-to-day winter.

Coconut Ginger Tapioca with Mango  (heavily adapted from epicurious)

Yield:  6 servings

Note:  you need to start this recipe the night before you plan to serve it, or at least make it in the morning and serve it in the evening.

Ingredients:

1 piece of fresh ginger, about 1″ x 3″

2 cups water

2 cups milk (I used skim)

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup small pearl tapioca

14 oz can light coconut milk

1 large mango, peeled and cubed

1 Tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Small pinch of salt

Instructions:

Peel the ginger root and slice it about 1/8″ thick, against the grain.  Chop the slices finely.  Put the ginger and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 20 minutes or longer.  Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a medium saucepan, discarding the ginger.

Add the milk, sugar, and salt to the water in the pan and bring to a boil.  Stir in the tapioca and return to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the mixture, uncovered, until the pudding thickens, about 35 minutes.  Stir the pudding frequently while cooking.  Stir the coconut milk into the pudding and transfer to a separate container.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Combine the mango, lime juice, cayenne, and salt in a bowl and toss until the mango is evenly coated.  Spoon the tapioca into six serving dishes and top with the mango cubes.

Add milk and sugar to flavored liquid in pan; bring to boil. Stir in tapioca; return to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until pudding thickens and is reduced to 2 1/4 cups, stirring frequently, about 35 minutes. Stir in coconut milk (pudding will be runny). Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

I feel like such a February cliché.  ”It’s been winter for awhile now, we’re all sick of starchy root vegetables, and we need something to brighten up our taste buds.  Sounds like it’s high time for citrus salads!”  Ugh.  Well, I can’t help it.  I’m giving in and sharing my own current citrus salad favorite.

I really like grapefruit, but what I love is grapefruit doused with enough honey to keep the whole family of Berenstain Bears occupied for an afternoon.  I realize that isn’t the healthiest way to enjoy it, so this salad is my new method of grapefruit consumption.  It has that whole sweet, tangy, bitter thing from the grapefruit, but it is mellowed by the neutral and almost savory avocado, not to mention the dressing that enhances the pairing.

This is such a versatile salad.  I served it at dinner, but I think it would be just as welcome for brunch or lunch.  One note–the original recipe is swimming in dressing.  I changed the proportions a bit, but not too much, because that dressing is so delicious slurped up with a grapefruit segment and chunk of avocado.

Grapefruit Avocado Salad  (adapted from Ina Garten)

Yield:  4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

Juice of 1 lemon

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

4 grapefruits, supremed

2 avocados, peeled and cubed

Instructions:

Combine the mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small container.  Drizzle the olive oil into the mixture while whisking to combine.

Arrange the grapefruit segments and avocado chunks in a serving dish.  Pour the dressing over.

If you didn’t manage to pick up a kitten, galloping horse, or inspirational saying by anonymous calendar yet for 2012, you’re in luck.  Not only do I still have a few 2012 Hot Bikini Ladies Calendars in my shop–they’re on sale for a super steal at $6 a pop.  You can’t beat that with a stick.

This week’s Low-Commitment Project, Oysterville Wallpaper Patterns, has a backstory.  I had this idea that I would visit the Beard’s Hollow beach at low tide and the sea would have magically deposited at my feet all of the beautiful shells I would need for my project.  I wanted to make elaborate, fanciful, colorful wallpaper patterns out of the variety of shells that were bound to wash up, just for me.  Beard’s Hollow was pretty, but the lone crab shell we spotted didn’t lend itself to a diverse array of pattern-making.

After a consoling crab roll at Captain Bob’s Chowder in Long Beach, Michael, Gretta, and I returned to the bay house, a little deflated because I wouldn’t be able to fulfill my project dreams.  Over dinner and WT Bars, I worked up a new scheme.  Why wouldn’t I just use oyster shells?  I mean, we’re only a few miles from Oysterville, after all.

The next morning, we arose before the sun.  After I collected my shell loot, Michael drove me to the beach.  This was not a pleasant beach day by any measure, even for hearty north-westerners.  I hoisted my shell bags out of the car, and in the whipping wind and rain, poured them onto the beach.  Immediately, immediately, I was surrounded and swarmed upon by a massive flock of rabid seagulls.  They wanted my shells, or probably whatever had resided in my shells.  I was worried they’d hound me and poop on me as I worked, if they didn’t just beat me about the head with their wings until I collapsed senseless, an easy target for their blunt orange beaks.  Michael and Gretta watched from the warmth and safety of the car as I flung myself into the air, waving my arms and shouting, “Get away!  These are my shells!  Go find your own shells, jerks!”  Not my finest moment.

Are you ready for this?  Maybe you should sit.  I’ll wait… go get a chair.

Ok.  Here it is.  I made my own Magic Shell.  Are you leaping around the room in delight yet?

You do know what Magic Shell is, don’t you?  It is a chocolatey ice cream topping that squirts in liquid form from it’s squeezey bottle, but hardens instantly once it hits the ice cream.  The resulting shell of chocolate isn’t the tooth-shattering kind you may find in mint-chocolate chip ice cream; rather, it yields to gentle pressure from the spoon and melts pleasingly on your tongue.  It also tastes somewhat fake.

The fake-ish flavor is part of the allure of Magic Shell, but is also the reason we only buy it every other year in our house.  We should time it with the Olympics.

If you celebrate Valentine’s Day in any form, and maybe especially if you don’t celebrate it at all, you should consider making this.  It will win you adoration and admiration if you share it, and it will garner deep satisfaction from your belly if you keep it for yourself.

As it turns out, people have been making their own Magic Shell for quite awhile.  Not quite as far back as the cave drawings at Lascaux, but almost.  I’m not sure how I just found out about this kitchen alchemy, but now that I know, I want to share the magic.  This is the easiest thing ever.  It involves the microwave, a bowl, and a spoon.  That’s all of the equipment necessary.

DIY Magic Shell contains three ingredients.  They are:  chocolate, coconut oil, and salt.  The coconut oil gives the sauce its liquid/solid properties, plus it makes it taste like the original product.

One warning–this stuff is hard to stop eating.  If you must resort to pouring it over ice cubes and peeling it off, don’t do it when anyone else is home, or wait until they’re in the shower.

Magic Shell  (I learned about this from Brownie Points)

This is just a general formula.

Ingredients:

3 parts chocolate, in small pieces (say, a cup of decent quality chocolate chips)

2 parts refined coconut oil (say, 2/3 cups)

Large pinch of kosher salt

Instructions:

Put all of the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is about 2/3 of the way melted.  Stir the sauce until the chocolate is completely melted and it comes together in a smooth consistency.  Transfer to a small pitcher for easy pouring.

Serve over your favorite ice cream.  I made my own mint ice cream this time for a classic combination.

If your magic shell hardens at room temperature, microwave it again for just a few seconds to restore it to a liquid.

I just asked Michael, “Wouldn’t it be fun to make about five papier-mâché versions of Gretta in different positions?”  While he liked the idea, we both agreed it would be tough, given my status as a non-sculptor.  Sometimes it would be nice if my ideas were easier to bring into fruition, but at least I have soup.  This cauliflower soup with pecorino romano truly is easy, and the results far outweigh the effort required.

The other outstanding quality of this soup is that it tastes super rich.  I mean, you’d swear it was full of cream.  I think cauliflower is a tricky vegetable like that–you can whirl it up and it stays full-bodied.  This recipe uses skimpy amounts of some flavor-packed ingredients; two slices of high-quality bacon, a little cube of cheese, and a light drizzle of truffle oil impart the entire soup deep with umami.  The original recipe does contain heavy cream, but it just isn’t necessary.  In fact, it’s overkill.

Note:  you must garnish this soup.  It is not optional.  Unfortunately, no matter how good it tastes, this soup isn’t photogenic or company-pretty without a garnish or two.  I used a little smoked paprika (extra umami) and parsley (the only edible green thing still alive in our garden), but you could crack some pepper on top and shave some extra cheese over it, too.

Cauliflower Soup with Pecorino Romano  (adapted from epicurious)

Ingredients:

2 medium-thick-cut slices of applewood smoked bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/4″ strips

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 large clove garlic, smashed or chopped

6 cups cauliflower, cut into 1″ pieces (from one large head)

4 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth)

A 1″ cube Pecorino Romano

Small drizzle of truffle oil

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large soup pot until mostly cooked through and the fat starts to render.  Add the onion and celery, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  Cover and cook until the veggies are soft, stirring occasionally, about seven minutes.  Add the garlic and continue to cook and stir for a minute more.

Add the cauliflower, broth, and cheese cube, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes.  Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender.  Stir in a drizzle of truffle oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Over the last couple of years, my sister, Summer, taught herself to use a CAD program.  I think I was busy making cookies and petting my dog, so maybe I should think about learning a useful skill, too.  After mastering the program, Summer then designed jewelry with it.  She has her designs 3D-printed, and they’ve turned out beautifully.

My favorite in Summer’s collection are the Future Victorian Emerald Earrings, at the top.  Each of her designs comes in white or black.  They make me think of jewelry skeletons.

Summer’s work is available through her Etsy site and at Fiat Lux and Love & Luxe in San Francisco.