Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Pies

What’s better than homemade strawberry rhubarb pie? The miniature version of course! May is here, and it always seems to put strawberries on my mind. I really can’t think of another food that I enjoy eating more than pie. It should be it’s own food group in my opinion. There are just so many ways you can stuff it – fresh, baked, savory, sweet, (even meat!), the hand-pie version, the traditional version, or the mini version. I’ll take it any which way. But nothing is quite like the timeless combination of sweet strawberry and tart rhubarb.

I got the recipe for the crust from my dear friend, JoNelle. She makes the best pies and is such a good friend of our family’s, I forget that we’re not related sometimes!

Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Pies

Crust (from my friend JoNelle, adapted from relishmag.com)

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1-1/4 cups shortening

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vinegar

1-2 tablespoons cold water

Mix flour, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening. Stir in egg and vinegar. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl. Gather pastry together and divide dough into 1/3 and 2/3 size balls. Set aside 1/3 size ball. Grease muffin tin. Gather 2/3 size ball and divide into 12 smaller rounds for the base crusts. Shape and flattened each round on a lightly floured surface and press into each greased muffin tin.

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

Mix together:

2 cups rhubarb diced

2 cups strawberries diced

1/2 cup sugar (may add more depending on desired tartness)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Scoop strawberry rhubarb filling into each mini pie crust. Take 1/3 dough ball that was set aside, and divide in 12 smaller rounds. (I topped my pies with a lattice pattern, but you can cover them however you like.) Shape and flattened each round on a lightly floured surface and cut into 6 thin strips. Weave each strip into a lattice on top of each pie. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Let cool before removing from tin. Optional: serve in cupcake papers. Makes 12 mini pies.

There you have it! Another way to serve a favorite dish. Enjoy! …and try not to eat them all in one sitting.

Love,

Aiko & Aiko

Clean Eating // Homemade Gluten Free Granola!

Who am I kidding? I’m definitely not the poster child for clean eating. I enjoy my pop tarts, oreos, and mac ‘n cheese like the rest of us normal people, but every now and then I press reset and try to start a new trend. The idea to make homemade granola sprang from my need to clean out my bulk food cupboard. Seeing as we are moving in the next week (more on that at the end of this post), it seemed like the smart thing to do. All of the ingredients for this granola are ridiculously healthy (I mean…Ridiculous!), and when mixed together, provide the perfect pow to your day. I know this because I’ve been eating it for weeks now. Take that as fair warning that it makes A LOT.

Homemade Gluten Free Granola

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pecan halves

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/2 cup chia seeds

2 cups gluten free oats

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup agave nectar

1/2 cup applesauce

2 Tablespoons canola oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium size bowl and mix. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread all of the ingredients out into a thin layer. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn ingredients. Bake another 10 minutes. Turn ingredients. Bake another 5 minutes. Total baking time is about 25 minutes or so. Flakes should be a toasted golden brown. Cool and store in an air-tight container.

These little hands make for a great stirring partner. She practically begs to do all the dumping and stirring. My work here is done.

All spread out and ready to get toasted! Clean food photographs quite nicely, eh?

…Now on to the BIG NEWS! We are moving to Bend, OR! It’s been a dream of ours for many years and we’re finally taking the leap. My husband got offered a fantastic job with other like-minded people, and I am able to continue my architecture career working part-time from home. Folks, I can’t believe how evident it is that this is God’s plan for our family. We were so nervous about going out on a limb, relocating our family, and giving up the lives we have built in Portland, but we’ve never felt more excited and invigorated in our marriage about embarking on this new adventure together. If there is one thing I’ve realized, it’s that change is constant and almost always uncomfortable, but sometimes necessary in order to allow God’s guidance in our life.

Love,

Aiko & Aiko

Los Dos Aiko’s 1st Anniversary; Year in Review

This month marks our one year anniversary of Los Dos Aiko’s! What started out as a New Year’s resolution in 2012 to be a little more creative with Audrey everyday, quickly lead to new self-discoveries, joys, challenges, and the creation of this blog. It’s been real.

3 things I never thought would happen once I started a blog:

1) I never thought I would connect with so many people all around the world in one short year. Thank you blogging community!! Your feedback, encouragement and camaraderie has been staggering. I hope I can give back to you as you have done to me.

2) I never thought I would be so sleep deprived and happy/content at the same time. I’ve spent many a night while the household is asleep, trying to edit just the right photo, re-shoot something, fix a seam, or re-bake a recipe that went completely wrong. But that’s what makes me tick. I think when you are truly enjoying the moment, time becomes obsolete.

3) I never thought it would be so fulfilling – creatively and emotionally. Having Audrey be such an integral part of the journey has been a special experience. It’s challenged me to put more “creative juice” into our day to day and set goals. Plus, now we have a visual diary for our memories.

So since this is an anniversary post, I thought some kind of “Year-In-Review” was in order. Here are a few of our favorites from the past 12 months:

In January we started the blog with so many ideas. The first post was simply about the DIY Floral Crowns I made as Christmas gifts. For many years, my family has long suffered through my “Crafty Christmas” gifts, so a post of this nature was definitely a must.

In February we celebrated Bryce’s birthday in Bend. We made our first Valentine’s bunting. We discovered Perler beads again, and learned it’s much easier to make a mess than to get them on the peg board. Nonetheless, Oh Deer! was created.

We also discovered that the best way to re-style an old sequin top is to sew it into a Sparkle ‘n Shine pillow cover!

In March we tried out all kinds of quinoa and vegan recipes. We prepared for Easter and got in touch with our earthy side with Naturally Dyed Eggs. Audrey went on her first Easter Egg hunt and loved it so much she went on two more.

In April we went on many day hikes and to the zoo a bunch. Audrey started her first swim classes. We party prepped and got crafty with these Dino Egg Jars.

In May we celebrated my birthday at the beach in the sun. We made DIY Paper Poppies for our Moms on Mother’s Day.

Then we rounded out the month by celebrating our sweet baby girl’s second birthday at the park. She ran around the house the days prior yelling Audrey is “Two Old!”

In June we drove around the state going to many of Bryce’s trail running races. Then we couldn’t wait to get out to the farms and pick berries. We hit up Sauvie Island for a day of strawberry picking and came home and made this Handpicked Strawberry Pie.

In July the weather was really heating up. We went on a ton of hikes and went back to the beach for a vacation. We went to Crater Lake and many outdoor BBQs. I made Fruit Cube Mocktails.

In August we attended our cousin’s beautiful wedding in Seattle. We also finished up Bryce’s last race of the season and wrapped up all the adventures of the summer in one simple post Lately…

In September we took advantage of the last month of summer to go to the fair. What resulted was County Fair Style. We made peach handpies for the first time and picked flowers at the dahlia farm.

In October we took Audrey to the pumpkin patch and learned how to carve pumpkins with a drill (oh yah!). Audrey got excited for trick-or-treating. We made a Felt Flower Necklace and I realized that felt might be my favorite medium.

Also in October we finally perfected a Pumpkin Spice Scones recipe. It definitely rivals Starbucks.

In November we marveled at the fall colors and tried all kinds of new baking recipes. We were just plain thankful, thankful and more thankful. So we wrote about Thankfulness.

In December we attended our other lovely cousin’s wedding in Los Angeles. We love weddings! Audrey went to the Long Beach aquarium for the first time and we went to zoo lights…(twice). It was time to decorate for the holidays and we made this DIY Rosemary Wreath for our front door. Then it was crafting madness making Christmas gifts for our family…and the rest is history.

Whew! That was lengthy! We hope you are having a great new year so far. We can’t wait for all that is in store for 2014. Lots of BIG changes for this little family.

Here’s to new beginnings!!

Love,

Aiko & Aiko

Pumpkin Spice Scones

When fall is in the air, there’s no denying my craving for pumpkin-flavored everything. Actually, who am I kidding? I have a craving for pumpkin deliciousness all year round. It’s hard for me to pass by the beautiful orange and white varieties at the grocery store, or walk into a Starbucks without leaving with a pumpkin spice latte or a scone in hand. The best part about Starbucks is they have those perfect pumpkin scones available all year round. Well maybe that’s not the best, because I crave them all year round. So this season I vowed to wise up a bit, and bake them at home. (I figured if I’m going to eat them, I might as well know what’s in them and hopefully save a pretty penny too, right?) I searched high and low for a good recipe to try, and this one from We Heart Food promised to be near identical to the real thing. So I gave it a whirl…

…and it did not disappoint. Booya!! We had little homemade pumpkin scones in no time. Of course I can’t take all the credit, my little helper in the kitchen did all the dumping and stirring. She’s even getting pretty good at measuring! Once these scones came out of the oven, Audrey was begging to ice them. We made a simple powdered sugar glaze to start. We iced each scone twice, to ensure each was completely covered. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

Then we mixed up the spiced glaze and drizzled it over the scones in a zig zag. We added twice the amount of spices to the glaze. I wrote the actual amounts we used in the recipe below. It just tasted better with more spice. Then we sat back and tried not to devour them all in one sitting!

Pumpkin Spice Scones (adapted from We Heart Food and modified a bit )

Scones:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons half-and-half
2 large eggs

Powdered Sugar Glaze:
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

Spiced Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Add the butter and break up with a fork to coat with flour mixture. Mix until the butter pieces are no larger than small peas.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, half-and-half and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and form the dough into a ball. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a 1-inch thick rectangle about 4 inches by 12 inches. Use a large knife to slice the dough making three equal portions. Cut each of the portions in an X pattern (four pieces) so you end up with 12 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.
While the scones are cooling, make the powdered sugar glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and milk together until smooth. When scones are cool, spread plain glaze over the top of each scone twice. Allow to firm.
While the powdered sugar glaze is firming, combine all of the ingredients for the spiced glaze. Drizzle over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving.

12 scones

We hope you enjoy! We’ll be making these again for sure.

Love,

Aiko & Aiko

Fruit Cube Mocktails

This time of year I usually have a hankering for something cool and refreshing in my glass. If you’re like us, by mid-summer you are waist-deep in backyard BBQs, trips to the lake, beach bathing and heat-wave hiking. Nothing is better than a cool beverage in hand when summer turns up the heat.

This year I figured “why not make it fun?” with some HEART and STAR shaped ice cubes. Afterall, I’m always looking for ways to engage Audrey in food preparation. Then I thought “why not make it funner?” with FRUIT ice cubes?

We started with two toddler arms full of fresh fruit. We chose peaches, raspberries, blueberries, mango and strawberries, mainly because we liked the color combo. Try whatever fruity combination you want. You can’t go wrong!

I minced each fruit into a puree and scooped them into the trays.

Then stuck them in the freezer for about an hour, until they were hard.

Popped them out and…Voila!! A cluster of colorful fruit ice cubes in fun shapes!

They’re kind of nice on their own, aren’t they?

I had some girlfriends coming over for a party, so I added them to a mocktail. This recipe is really just a random combination that I ended up loving. Nothing fancy, just plain and simple.

Mocktail Recipe:

1 part limeade

1 part pineapple juice

1 part orange juice

3 parts lemon-lime soda (I used Squirt)

Add as many fruit cubes as you like. As the fruit slowly melts, it creates a smoothie!

Garnish with muddled fresh mint leaves

Don’t forget to add a cute straw and citrus slices, because well, they make every summer beverage look better, right?

Love,

Aiko & Aiko

Handpicked Strawberry Pie

I must admit when it comes to desserts, I’m a very simple girl with simple tastes. This fresh strawberry pie is the only thing I asked for for my birthday growing up, and year after year my mother would make it for me without hesitation. No a la mode to distract from the berries, just pie for me.

This year we were excited to pick the berries ourselves. We headed out to Sauvie Island for an afternoon at Bella Organic Farm. It was a real “farm to fork” experience and we soaked up every minute of it! With buckets in hand, we set out to find the ripest berries the Willamette Valley had to offer. Here’s a little photo journal of our adventure:

What a great day to be on the Island! Picking with Dad…he’s a pro!

Audrey was overjoyed to be in the “sawberry” fields. I think it took everything in her power not to eat the berries before they made it in her bucket…and impressively she made it till the end.

Combing the fields for those perfect juicy red ones! And boy, they were good!

Finishing up for the day, but already eager to return again…maybe next week?

One happy girl in a wagon! Here’s our haul and Audrey’s haul. We got just enough for one heaping pie.

Now…let’s get down to business and make this pie!

Fresh-from-the-Farm Strawberry Pie

Real Simple Crust

1-1/3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup shortening

3-4 tablespoons cold water

Directions

Preheat oven to 475°F. Mix flour, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl. Gather pastry into ball; shape into flattened round on lightly floured pastry mat like so! Place in pie dish and prick bottom and side of pastry thoroughly with fork. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light brown; cool on wire rack.

Strawberry Glaze  (from food.com)

2 lbs fresh strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

Blend strawberries to make at least 1 cup pulp. Place pulp in medium saucepan; add 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat 2 minutes or until mixture boils, thickens and is clear. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon butter and lemon juice. Cool to room temperature.

Mix the glaze with the desired amount of strawberries for the pie (about 2 lbs). Place in the baked pie crust and serve to a crowd of happy people!

Hope you enjoy our family favorite!

Love,

Aiko & Aiko

Wonton Madness!

Wontons are a family favorite in our house…or anything wrapped up in rice skins and deep fried, for that matter! So it was a no brainer for me to try making these delicious morsels from scratch.

We first made them last Christmas, and it was a family affair. My husband and daughter had the stuffing and wrapping down like a well-oiled machine. Since then, we unanimously decided to make it a tradition.

We like to experiment with what we stuff in our rice pockets: shrimp, tofu, bean sprouts, ginger, basil, cilantro etc. You could try anything really. (How about sweet potato and leek?) It’s a great way to get a toddler to eat her veggies. I’m eager to try it all, but for now here is our tried-and-true recipe:

Wonton Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound pork, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup shredded cabbage
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 8 oz. can water chestnuts, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 (16 oz.) package wonton wrappers
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Directions

1. Combine pork, cabbage, carrots, water chestnuts, green onions, cilantro, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch and salt in medium bowl; mix well. Place 1/2 tablespoonful pork mixture in center of each wonton skin. Fold wonton skin over filling to form a triangle. Turn top of triangle down to meet fold. Turn over; moisten 1 corner with water. Overlap opposite corner over moistened corner; press together firmly.
2. Heat oil in wok or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Deep-fry wontons, a few at a time, 2 to 3 minutes, or until brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with gyoza dipping sauce or sweet chili sauce.

Makes about 3 dozen

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Love,

Aiko & Aiko

Irish Soda Bread & Pistachio Butter

We just made this unbelievably simple bread this morning. This is probably a St. Patrick’s Day staple for many, but it was the first time we’ve ever baked it. I got the original recipe from Rachel Allen and made a few tweaks…

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 fl oz buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F

2. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in most of the buttermilk (leaving about 2 fl oz in the measuring jug). Using one hand with your fingers outstretched like a claw, bring the flour and liquid together, adding more buttermilk if necessary. Do not knead the mixture or it will become heavy. The dough should be fairly soft, but not too wet and sticky.

3. When it comes together, turn onto a floured work surface and bring together a little more. Pat the dough into a round about 1½ in deep and cut a deep cross in it. (The cross is a tradition to let the fairies out!)

4. Place on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the heat to 400°F, and cook for 30 minutes more. When cooked, the loaf will sound slightly hollow when tapped on the base and be golden in color. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

We also enjoyed pairing it with Pistachio Butter:

Pistachio Butter

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter
50 shelled, salted pistachios, finely chopped

Directions

Toss all the ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until the butter is softened and everything is combined. If you’d like the butter slightly sweet you can add a teaspoon of honey or confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract to the butter before mixing.

This is the only time of the year that we traditionally eat Corned Beef and Cabbage, so I am excited to add Irish Soda Bread to our table!

Bon appetit!

Love,

Aiko & Aiko

Spinach Feta Quinoa Cakes Recipe

A number of you asked for the recipe for these tasty cakes I made a while ago. (posted on Instagram)

Here it is:

Spinach Feta Quinoa Cakes

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, at room temperature
5 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 shallots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup spinach, finely chopped
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

In a large bowl, mix cooked quinoa and eggs together until combined. Stir in salt, chopped shallots, garlic, and spinach. Next, mix in bread crumbs and feta. Mixture should be wet enough to mold into cakes, if not, add more water or another egg to moisten it up. Same goes if it is too wet, add more bread crumbs until it reaches the right consistency.

In a large skillet over a medium-high heat, drizzle pan with olive oil and let it heat up. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of mixture into the heated skillet, lightly pressing it down with the back of a spoon to flatten it slightly into a cake. Cover and cook cakes for 3-5 minutes on each side, until both sides are golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

They also go well with lemon dill yogurt sauce:

Lemon Dill Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt, (Greek-style)
1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together all of the ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This yogurt sauce should be used on the day that it is made.

Bon appetit!

Love,

Aiko & Aiko