One summer when I was probably around 4 or 5, my brother and I were playing in the backyard when he got the brilliant idea to grab a bucket and mash together a bunch of berries, grass clippings, dead bugs, and daddy longlegs into a strange sort of foul-smelling soup. Being the little sister, I of course followed along gleefully. We began referring to our concoction as our “secret weapon” (though as to why it was secret and how it was to be used as a weapon, I am still unclear). At any rate, that bucket of slop sat hidden under a tree in our backyard I don’t know how long until, defeated, we finally dumped it out a few months later.

Yes, it’s one of my most treasured childhood memories.

All that to say, when I describe this recipe as being my “secret weapon,” my intent is not to evoke images of mauled daddy longlegs languishing in a bucket of pokeberry mush and magnolia pods, though perhaps I’m the only one who would ever make such an association.

*ahem* When I describe this recipe as being my “secret weapon,” what I mean to say  is, it’s my secret weapon of health!

Say hello to my go-to breakfast/lunch/afternoon snack/post-workout/detox green smoothie!

For realsies, I make this smoothie almost every day. It’s like a smack in the face with healthiness, and a great way to detox after I’ve mown through an entire package of golden Oreos in a hormonal frenzy.

If you’re new to the world of green smoothies, this  is a pretty safe  place  to start.  It doesn’t taste like grass clippings (or daddy longlegs), I promise! (more…)

It’s amazing how a newfound dietary restriction makes you long for now-forbidden foods you were never particularly fond of to begin with. Like Nutella.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike Nutella. I’ve been known to put away a spoonful or two. But I don’t miss it when it’s not in the house, and I’ve never found myself craving it. Before today, that is.

We were at the Farmer’s Market. Andy got a crepe from the French Crepe Company. Crepes make me think of Nutella. One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew I was at WholeFoods buying a pound of hazelnuts. An hour later I was making this:

White chocolate Nutella! And I’m here to share the love with all of you! …sort of! (more…)

The Silence is my least favorite of the trilogy by far. This doesn’t speak to its quality; it’s simply a heavy film that, while captivating and (I suppose in some capacity) edifying, can hardly be called entertaining. Watching it is an uncomfortable, albeit oddly engaging, experience, one that I’ve tried very hard to capture in this cake.

My goal for this cake was to make it as bizarre as it could possibly be while still remaining palatable. I wanted the flavor to be somewhat jarring, perhaps even unappealing at first, but ultimately unique and nuanced enough that the courageous taste-tester would end up wanting to come back for more. The flavor is a bit hard to describe without sounding like a hipster–it has exotic notes of citrus, spice, and smoky carob. I aimed to incorporate flavors that would be altogether unfamiliar to the casual cakegoer (also a clever-tie in to the film’s motif of isolation and alienation in a foreign environment).

The ingredient that I think really makes this cake is the cayenne pepper. Even if you’re not a fan of heat, just give it a try. It really ties all the flavors together, and I love the way it lingers even after you’ve finished your bite–like The Silence lingers in your brain long after you’ve finished watching it. See what I did there? (more…)