Kitchen Nightmares!

I need to confess Kombuchas are taking over my kitchen. That’s a good thing (other than the fact I’ve spent $50 on them in two weeks), but it’s pretty crazy considering a few months ago I couldn’t stand one! (Can you tell the green one is my favorite!?)

I enjoyed one as I ran some errands mid-morning. I had some fun redeeming a gift card at Bed Bath & Beyond, getting dog food, picking up essentials at Target, grocery shopping at Whole Foods and finally picking out some bike gear at our local Orange Cycle! Whew!

I was starving for lunch by the time I got home from all my shopping. I enjoyed last night’s leftovers. I was so excited to get in the kitchen and play with my food processor! I bought my heavy-duty, extra large food processor off Craigslist for $45- and it retailed for much, much more! I think this is an appliance that many people buy and never use (shame!), so you can find some cheap ones in your area.

Homemade Raw Almond Butter

First up was almond butter! AB is sooooo easy to make at home. I just can’t bring myself to fork up the money for the store bought version! All you need to do is put almonds in your food processor and blend, occasionally scraping the sides. Really!

I like to spice my version with any of the following: cinnamon, vanilla, turbinado sugar, cocoa, flax. I wait until about halfway through to add the mix-ins.

It’s fun to watch the almonds turn into a rich, creamy butter right before your eyes. Plus, warm, fresh almond butter is so yummy! I store mine in an old AB container.

Homemade Larabars

Boy was this a delicious thing gone wrong! I’ve been known to be impatient and to have trouble following directions. Sadly, I was both when trying to recreate Angela’s version of Banana Bread Larabars.

Mistake #1: I took out the bananas before they were done. I had to leave and didn’t want to wait until later to finish drying the naners so I went ahead with the mushy naners. Too mushy :(

Mistake #2: Accidentally leaving the food processor on for about five minutes when the almonds should have only been in for one! It turned into nice baby food ;)

The overall taste was incredible. They tasted just like banana bread- and like the real Larabar! Unfortunately my mistakes led to a way too mushy bar. They’ve firmed up a bit in the fridge, but I know it’s nothing like they should be! No worries- I will definitely be making this again! And maybe following the directions next time? :)

There was also some raw almond milk in the mix, but I think I’ve humiliated myself enough for one post. We’ll save that story for next time!

Honestly, I make a lot of mistakes in the kitchen but I am okay with that. I’m moving into new territory with lots of raw and homemade foods and that means I’m experimenting a lot. I’m having fun while doing it, so who cares if it takes me a few tries to get something right! I think venturing to create foods in my own kitchen is already cool!

Do you experiment in the kitchen or do you prefer following recipes?