Members of the Tribe

Tonight begins the celebration of the Jewish New Year. This means Facebook statuses proclaiming “L’Shana Tova” and text messages wishing friends and family a happy new year. This is my first Jewish New Year not spent in the state of Florida. I have a good feeling with the beginning of year 5771, as I spent the last hours of year 5770 baking my favorite Jewish cookies.

This year represents the year  that I took everything I had and began to chase my dreams. I wish everyone a year of filled with joy, health, family, and of course, love. And if you can’t celebrate with those you love the most, take five minutes and remind them why they are so important to you. Best wishes to all that celebrate, L’Shana Tova.

Recipe for Rugelach:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature**
• 1 cup Earth Balance butter, at room tempature
• 1/4 cup organic, unbleached cane sugar plus a few teaspoons extra on the side
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon organic, fair trade vanilla extract
• 2 cups organic, unbleached white flour
• a few teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves*
• 1/2 cup raspberry preserves*
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (miniature sized, preferably)*
• 1/4 cup canola oil

**Feel free to substitute a dairy-free cream cheese of your liking

*You can use any preserves or filling of your choice, including raisins, walnuts, poppy seeds etc. These are just my family favorites.

Using a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and the butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the 1/4 cup of sugar, salt, and vanilla. Slowly add in the the 2 cups flour until just combined. Pour the dough onto a well-floured board and roll into a ball. Cut the ball into four even pieces, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour.

Place one of the four balls onto the well floured board. Roll the ball into about a nine inch circle and place the preserves on the flattened disc, about an inch away from the end. Cut the disc in half, then into quarters, and then into thirds (making 12 even triangles). Roll the triangles up, starting from the widest edge, until the top is under. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (recommended to be greased as well, these can be very sticky) and let chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F. Brush each cookie with canola oil. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon (ratio should be about 2:1, but that is a personal preference) and sprinkle on top of each cookie. Bake for 16-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Let sit for about 5 minutes before placing on racks to cool.

Play On,

Tracy Michele ❤

Back in Action

Sorry, fellow bloggers. I’m sure you’ve been lonely and depressed wondering where the rants of Marla &Tracy have been. Graduation tore the best friends and roommates into two different states (thankfully still on the time zone) — and our lives have taken us in two very different, yet exciting directions.

While Marla is off teaching the next generation, I have abandoned everything I know to follow my lifelong dream. I, Tracy Michele, the ultimate foodie, am beginning culinary school in only a few days. Words cannot express my excitement to begin to sauté and julienne my way through New York City.

Of course, living in one of the most crowded cities in the world can happen to be quite lonely. Although my iPhone maps app can take me anywhere I want to go, I’ve be spending my days getting adjusted to my new kitchen. Which is what brings us to my latest recipe.

I decided to come up with a copy-cat-recipe of one of my childhood favorite treats. I used to eat these with my best friend while waiting for our parents to pick us up from the mall. They promise to bring a smile to the most solemn face with their endearing colorful toppers and whimsical frosting.

Recipe:

2 and 1/4 cups organic, unbleached white flour (no one ever said these were good for you)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup organic earth balance butter, softened
3/4 cup organic, unbleached cane sugar
3/4 cup organic brown sugar
2 tsp organic, fair trade vanilla extract
2 large eggs*
2 cups Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
*feel free to sub Ener-g Egg Replacer in order to make the recipe cruelty free

Preheat oven to 375F, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl, set aside. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat together the butter and both sugars until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs*, one at a time. Mix until fully incorporated. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Using a pre-greased, mini cupcake pan, place about 2 teaspoons of cookie dough mixture into pan, roughly 3/4 full. Bake for about 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Cool in pan for about 10 minutes and then pop out of cupcake pan. Wait until fully cooled before frosting and placing your favorite candy on top!

Play On,

Tracy Michele

i’m forgetting my shoes at home monday–will you join me?

I was raised in a typical upper-middle class family. With a hard-working Dad, a caring Mom, and my fashionista older sister, my childhood wasn’t full of anything too unusual. Trips to Disney, new clothes every September to begin the school year, and birthday cakes always from Publix, I would say my life was pretty easy (and pretty good).

But for whatever reason, I’ve chosen to attempt to give up all of that and become a work-a-holic to the non-profit world. I dream of working 12 hours days, canvassing, petitioning, and possibly going to jail for whatever cause I deem to be pertinent that day. But really, I do this all because I, like every other dreamer, seek a world with a little less pain and a lot more love.

So, just like any other job, you gotta start from the bottom up. I’ve dedicated my college career to activism; wearing tye dyed t-shirts that say “vote” and spending way too many hours calling strangers to see if they can donate money to the trendiest cause. And although I would argue that wearing an organic soybean, dye-free shirt that says “save the trees” isn’t enough—sometimes it’s the statement that really matters.

April 8^th 2010, I’m going barefoot. I’m giving up my purple sparkle Chuck Taylors for one day. TOMS, a shoe company, is hosting this global event in order to raise awareness about why every single human being deserves a good life…and that begins with a pair of shoes. I proudly wear my “make art, not war” TOMS to show the world that I bought a pair, and TOMS donated a pair to someone who probably needs them more than me.

Yes, I have work and class to attend to. But if anyone asks me “where are your shoes?” I’ll have a pretty simple response. I’m lucky enough to have a closet full of shoes, in every color you can imagine, and could probably argue my Mom into letting me buy a new pair. But in Ethiopia alone, there are over one million people that don’t even have one pair of shoes.

So, join me and my fellow “t-shirt activists” on April 8^th. Kick off your shoes and tell everyone why you forgot your sandals at home. Become apart of the movement @ www.onedaywithoutshoes.com

Play On,

Tracy Michele ❤

American Dreams

With these odd patterns of weather teetering on the Coast of Absurdity, my yearning for long summer days has turned into somewhat of an obsession. Never before have I realized how much my love of food has put me into sync with the seasons. It’s as if we share a connection I never knew existed until now. Of course throughout the chilliest months I found an excuse to eat anything creamy and rich, and now, at the height of spring (when asparagus is finally in season), I’m already skipping the primavera’s and jumping straight to anything I can put ketchup on.  

Ironically, on my spring break, well before the onset of summer, I found myself at Home Depot with my mom, the two of us badgering the poor salesman with a round of police-grade questioning. Minutes later she was on a ladder shaking display grills to see which one was the sturdiest, naturally. But I believe I’m getting ahead of myself. It all began earlier in the week when our Whole Foods trip yielded some fresh, organic corn on the cob that was just screaming for a grill to be cooked on. Fast forward several hours and several trips to various odds-and-ends stores on a search for the best grilling utensils – and of course, leave it to me to find the only biodegradable, eco-friendly lighter fluid made from food-grade oils produced in the U.S. – and we were in business.

It’s been said over and over again that “the kitchen is the heart of the home.” But I don’t necessarily believe that.  “The food is the heart of the home” seems to be more accurate. Who would have thought that something as arbitrary as a grill – a shiny red one to be exact – could make me feel as if I stepped into “The Sandlot” and sat down for dinner? Is it possible that this American pastime is not just a notion fabricated by the Coca Cola industry with a little help from baseball and the Heinz Corporation?  Decide for yourself.

Play on,

Marla ❤

Oh, you didn’t think I’d end this post without several recipes for those grills, did you?

Grilled Pesto Burgers with Heirloom Tomatoes, Buttery-Grilled Corn and Crispy Steak Fries

For the burgers:

(Makes 4)

1 tube LightLife Gimme Lean “Ground Beef”

1 packet Simply Organic Sweet Basil Pesto

Extra virgin olive oil, fine sea salt, fresh ground black pepper

Rudi’s Organic Bakery Hamburger Buns

Empty the ground beef into a bowl. Follow the directions on the pesto packet, after its ready pour enough into the ground beef mixture to marble it throughout. Leave some of the pesto to spread on top of the burgers. You don’t want the mixture to be too oily because the burgers won’t stay intact. Season with salt and pepper. Mold into 4 evenly sized burgers.

Cook directly on the grill about 2-3 minutes on each side. Quickly heat up hamburger buns on the grill.

We also served the burgers with some big slices of local, organic heirloom tomatoes and large pieces of green leaf lettuce.

For the corn:

½ cup Earth Balance butter

Fresh chopped parsley or basil

1 small glove garlic, finely minced (or garlic powder)

Fine sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

Mix contents together with a whisk or electric mixer

The corn cooks directly on the grill – no greasing required. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, flipping occasionally. Once its ready, immediately spread compound butter on top.

For the fries:

1-2 packages Whole Foods 365 Steak Fries

Bake according to package directions. I broil them at the very end for a minute or two to get that golden, crispy delicious texture. Any Alexia oven fry will do as well – however, these steak fries are currently my favorite!

Condiments: Vegan Gourmet Organic Vegenaise (trust me, you will find yourself dipping your fries into this more than the ketchup! And don’t forget to spread it on those burger buns – hello, heaven.), Whole Foods 365 Organic Ketchup, and any kind of mustard you like – I prefer a grainy, deli-style mustard. Whole Foods also sells real hardwood Charcoal – free of any chemicals. And best of all – the ash from the charcoal can be used as fertilizer for your garden after you’re done grilling!

Only 80 more days till summer…

Product Update

We all have undoubtedly encountered that distinct moment in our lives where we sit back and list the several things that we would enjoy swimming in a pool of. You know – chocolate pudding, ice cream, (all soy of course) to name a few. These items are usually sweet and full-flavored, which is perhaps a wink-and-a-nudge to our at times, indulgent society. Yet, don’t you ever have that moment where you are sitting outside Starbucks or what have you, sipping on a steaming cup of some sort of latte, and you think to yourself, “What would I give to be swimming in a caramel ribbon, fresh-roasted coffee pool of deliciousness?”

A big fan of sugar scrubs, I am constantly in pursuit of one that will cause my bathroom to emit scents of fresh-baked cookies or chocolate. Last weekend at Whole Foods I spent entirely too much time in the “Whole Body” isle unscrewing every top and sticking my nose far to close to the protective lids in a very obvious attempt to determine which scrubs were worthy. When I finally came across Soothing Touch Brown Sugar Scrub in French Vanilla Latte, I knew I had reached the pinnacle of my journey. Of course the true test remained in its actual usage – to which it has upheld all of its promises. At first scrub, you feel as though you are brewing a fresh cup of hazelnut coffee, then deep notes of vanilla and brown sugar kick in, finishing it off with the warm and delectable scent of relaxation. Not to mention, it leaves your skin feeling like a baby’s behind.

Play on,

Marla

why valentines day isn’t a real holiday–and why i still celebrate it.

as an environmentalist who likes to pretend she is a minimalist, you would never think of me to list valentine’s day as one of my top holidays. besides for obvious reasons (the hallmark color is pink), every year i try and pretend like the holiday disgusts me. the outpouring of heart-shaped cookies, love filled facebook statuses, and balloons bursting out of party city–it all makes me want to crawl under my single rock. but really, deep-ridden in my black heart, it is one of my favorite holidays.

every day i’m reminded to count my blessings of how lucky i am to have such wonderful friends and family. valentine’s is a day to remember one of my favorite four letter words–love. granted, it is supposed to be spent with your special someone, but since i’m still lacking in that category, i get to spend it with my best friends.

this made up holiday began how everyday should start; after sleeping in i brewed a fresh cup of fair trade coffee with coconut milk creamer. we then ventured to orlando’s best vegan restaurant, ethos, for chocolate pancakes and their to-die-for cinnamon buns. i enjoyed walking around luxurious winter park basking in the perfect sunny 60 degree weather.  although it may be the most consumeristic holiday out there, it really is a day to sit back and celebrate your loved ones.

i’ll end this post with the best advice i’ve heard in a while; enjoy the ride of life–you only live once. and happy valentine’s day, i hope it was spent with those you truly love.

play on,

tracy <3.