Category Archives: Food

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Chocolate Cake

I’m not a big chocolate cake fan. I know, that is practically sacrilege, but it’s true. I find chocolate cake to be either too sweet, too bitter, too dry or just very one note. I will admit my preference of vanilla cake with vanilla icing can be very one note also, but vanilla tends to have more depth of flavor all on its own. Chocolate, at least in cake, doesn’t. Don’t get me wrong – I love chocolate and will happily eat it. But don’t be surprised if I pass on the chocolate cake.

This being said, I needed something to make me feel a little better this past week. It was a rough week, but I did manage to finish my Educational Law class (yippie) and I am up to date on everything at work (a minor miracle) and the Leia and Arthas are actually (fingers crossed) seemingly getting along well enough. Well enough as in the walk past each other, sniff each other a little, and hang out on the couch without incident. It’s a precarious peace still, but definitely getting there.

So why chocolate cake? Well, because I saw the recipe and decided that it looked good. Really good. The creamy filling should keep it from getting too dry, the cake itself has coffee in it, which gives it a little interest and the chocolate whipped cream adds a nice element to it. So why not? What is the worst that could go wrong? … I won’t actually answer that because it didn’t and if I decide to make this again, I don’t want it to go wrong. It’s also a pretty cake – from all angles.

So this was pretty good. If I make it again, I am using regular whipped cream for the topping instead of the chocolate version. For me, I needed something to break up the chocolate and add another layer of interest. But it is good. Darn good. Bob had it for lunch several days good.

And because I love my babies and how cute they are and how far they have come over the last three months ….

Arthas is now going for walks approaching two miles. Tigger is hanging out with the family and not running away every time I walk by him. Yes, he started doing this about two weeks ago – not exactly sure what caused him to freak out suddenly, but he did. Leia is trying to get to know Arthas and be nice to him. She will hang out near him (see above) and even sniff at him every now and then. He is letting her, as long as she doesn’t try to sniff his face. It’s progress. I’ll take what I can get.

 

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Tomato Kale Quiche

I’ve been lax in the food creativity department lately. I would like to say something pithy as to why I’ve been lax, but really, this Ed Law class and work are keeping me busy. Add to that the stress of trying to get Leia and Arthas to get along (I’d settle for feel neutral feeling from Leia at this point) and well … dinner is what dinner is. What I can remember to make, that is fast and does not require a lot of effort or brain power.

But … but I did make a very pretty quiche this weekend. I went to the farmer’s market with Mom and picked up some tomatoes and kale. I saw this recipe and wanted to try it, so … with modifications, I did.

I followed the crust recipe fairly closely, but I used a sheep gouda for the cheese since I had it on hand. (Yes, I have weird cheese on hand – Sarasota has a lovely little cheese shop that I like to patronize frequently so my on hand cheeses tend to be … different than most people’s.) But I mixed the egg white, the rice and the cheese together with salt and pepper and pressed it into a pie pan. I baked it at the requisite temperature and then mostly cooled. I say mostly because I was hungry and impatient and the quiche itself has to bake for 45 minutes or so … so … mostly cooled.

The final product was good. Really good. I can’t wait to have leftovers good. There was enough cheese in the crust to get a bit of cheese flavor, and I added a dash of mustard to the egg mix for a little more flavor. It worked. Bob didn’t complain about the kale in this – he really likes eggs – and I got another vegetarian dish that, if not exactly fast, is still really easy to make. Win!

On the pet front … Leia took a mini vacation to Mom and Dad’s for a few days. Bob and I decided to give everyone a chance to relax and not be on guard all the time. I felt horrible doing it, but it was necessary. Leia came home Saturday morning and she and Arthas are doing better. She is still watching him intently a lot, but she has stopped stalking him and has not (knock on all wood available) attacked him since she returned. He is still ignoring her for the most part, so we are seriously hoping this works.

I mean, really.  Look at how cute they are? They are so good individually and I’m hoping they can get to be really good with each other. Leia took a little while to warm up to Jessie, so there is hope. And Arthas does well with the other two (and they with him) so we are almost there (fingers crossed).

 

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Spaghetti and “Meatballs”

I have been on a mission lately to make childhood favorite dishes, but without the meat. There was the mac & cheese, the tacos , a BLT sandwich, and a variety of pizzas that I have made over the last month, all in a vegetarian version. The quinoa tacos are still a favorite although the eggplant bacon is a close second. But pasta and meatballs is a little more difficult. Yes, I could go the soy crumble in sauce route and make “meat” sauce, but I really wanted spaghetti and meatballs, but without the meat.

So I found this recipe for zucchini meatballs and it intrigued me. The review were pretty good, so I thought I would give it a try. I do tend to forget to follow recipes exactly, and this was no exception. I missed a part in the very beginning about salting and squeezing the water out of the zucchini, but I made up for it later by shaping the meatballs with a paper towel and squeezing the excess water out then. I did do an initial squeeze, but it wasn’t enough.

So I started with two large zucchini and I grated them well, then squeezed out the water with paper towels.  To that I added the pecorino cheese (because I like it), the garlic, basil and panko. To that, I added an egg then salt and pepper. I mixed everything together then shaped the meatballs and pressed them with a paper towel again. They then got fried in olive oil for about ten minutes, turning a few times.

Since I was going for childhood food memories, I added tomato sauce and put the whole things over pasta.

img_1833This surprisingly worked. I was skeptical and thought for a minute or two we might be ordering pizza, but it worked really well. So well, in fact, that the leftover “meatballs” will become meatball sandwiches later this week! They have a different flavor and texture than meat, but the overall feeling is spaghetti and meatballs. And since that is what I was going for, I’m calling this one a success.

And I had to add the pet pictures.  Just cause.

 

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A Very Fall Salad

In my quest to find different flavors and to make something that I have not made a thousand times before, I found a few recipes for a salad with the flavors of fall. It may not technically be fall, but since school is back in session, I decided to go for it. Fall salad is here!

img_1822I started with a sherry mustard vinaigrette and then diced the apples and a little red onion and coated them in the dressing. From there, I added some dried cranberries, walnuts and a lettuce mix. To top the whole thing, I added a gouda cheese – a nice, nutty gouda that went perfectly with the whole thing. Yes, this was a simple dish, but it was something a little different than what we have been doing for the last few months, and it got me in the fall mood.

Recipe:

  • 1/2 apple of choice
  • bit of red onion, diced
  • handful of dried cranberries
  • handful of walnuts, chopped
  • ~2 ounces gouda cheese (or other nutty cheese)
  • lettuce mix

Dressing:

  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoons mustard (Dijon)
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • salt and pepper to tast
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Make the dressing. Mix everything except the olive oil. Add and apple and red onion, toss to coat everything. Right before serving, add the olive oil to the dressing/apple mixture, and whisk. Add cranberries, lettuce and walnuts to the apples and dressing and mix together. Coat the lettuce, then plate immediately. Top with cheese.

Like I said, a very simple dish, but one that really works. 🙂

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The Rest of Portland

The stated purpose for the Portland trip was a beer festival. Val and Bill decided they wanted to see Portland and found a large beer festival to determine the timing. Since Portland has been on our list, and Bob loves beer, we decided to meet them out there.

So the beer festival. It’s big. There are a lot of beers and a lot of people. While beer is not my thing (see post on wine tour) I still had a good time watching everyone else enjoy their experience. And honestly, the people watching was pretty fascinating.

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In addition to the beer festival, we wandered around Portland and did a few of the things everyone says you should do when you go to Portland. We toured the Japanese Gardens, which were beautiful and serene. They are not as large as you might expect when looking at a map, but they do take you out of the city and transport you to a different place.

We had a number of recommendations to visit Powell’s Bookstore. This is the largest independent bookstore in the country and it is massive. Taking up an entire city block, and four or five stories, if you can’t find a book here, you aren’t trying. Or, if you are like me, you gave up because of the crowds and minor claustrophobia issue. Had there been a few less people, I could have wandered the aisles endlessly. But … I experienced and Bob found some books he wanted.

No trip could be complete without a good meal. Bob and I ate at Beast one night. This is one of the few restaurants that people tell you to try and you worry that it won’t live up to the hype. It lived up to the hype. The menu was light and refreshing and downright delicious. And for a restaurant called Beast, there was surprisingly little meat on the menu – yay! We also found a cute little place called Picnic House that had the best sandwiches. We also tried Higgins – a place not far from our hotel that several local’s recommended as a Portland experience. It was good, and the restaurant itself was very pretty on the inside, but it didn’t hold any magic for me. It could have been because it was our last night and I really just wanted to be home by this point. it could have been that I was tired from walked all day for several days. It could be that it was meat heavy and I had already had meat that week. It could have been any number of things, but it was good, not great.

So Portland … the city was interesting and I love the transit network and how walkable the whole city is. I’m not in a rush to get back to the city itself, but I really do want to explore the wine country more and some of the other natural areas outside the city. Maybe even check out the coast.

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Soba noodles

Noodles.  How can anyone not like noodles? I fully admit, I’m a sucker for good noodle dishes, and once I stopped overcooking soba noodles, they have become a real favorite. I can make them a little like a stir fry – make a sauce, lightly cook up some vegetables, maybe add some nuts on top – and you have dinner. Or lunch, but usually dinner.


I looked around at a lot of recipes – I wanted something spicy but maybe a little sweet. I wanted peanut for some reason, but not a heavy peanut sauce. I read a lot of recipes, but when it came to making dinner, I decided to just wing it. After all, if it doesn’t work, we’ll just order pizza.

So I started with what I had in the fridge. Snow peas, bean sprouts (was going to make pad thai and I changed my mind), carrots, yellow pepper, scallions. Amounts … here is my best guess:

  • 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
  • 3 scallions, white and light green parts
  • 1/4 yellow pepper
  • one handful bean sprouts
  • 2 handfuls snow peas

Ok, that works for the vegetables. Canola oil to cook them in – have that. Now for a sauce. Here is what I went with (Bob had me write it down as soon as we finished dinner – he really liked this one):

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
  • 1.5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Cook the noodles slightly less than the package says – I went with 2 minutes. drain and run cold water over to stop the cooking.


While the water boiled I chopped and then quick sautéed the vegetables (not the bean sprouts) – about three minutes cooking. Once the noodles were done I added them to the pan and tossed everything in the sauce. Add the bean sprouts, toss again. Done.

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Falafel Burger

Every now and then I want a burger. It doesn’t have to be a hamburger, but just that patty on a bun thing. With fries.  Have to have the fries. It’s probably all about the fries and not really about the burger, but it might be a little bit about the burger.

The grocery stores have a good variety of veggie burgers these days, but there is something about making your own that appeals to me. And since I had a little bit of time I decided to try it.

I found a recipe that looked pretty appealing. I still had leftover chipotle bbq sauce that I made the other week and this recipe called for BBQ sauce in the burger mix. I like bbq burgers, so why not. I did modify the recipe a little – in place of breadcrumbs I used oats. Not to make it gluten free but because I didn’t have breadcrumbs on hand. (Weird, I know) I also used less of some ingredients and more of others than the recipe called for – in other words I did exactly what I always do with recipes, I use them as a suggestion and basic guide.

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And because I was making burgers, I made fries – my favorite kind of fries, homemade sweet potato fries. These are stupidly simple to make – cut up sweet potato, coat in oil, salt and pepper and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. Done. Slightly salty, slightly sweet and comfort food in its best form.

I froze the remaining burger mix as patties so I can just pop them in the oven and have a quick meal when needed. If I make them again, I will remember to not use the food processor on the vegetables – give the burger a little more texture. But overall, I really liked these and like that I have a simple home made burger base to work from. Bob liked them too, but to him they were more a variation on falafel than a burger, so we’ve dubbed these falafel burgers.

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Catching Up

It’s been busier than anticipated around here. I can’t pin point exactly why, but every time I think about making a post, the time gets away from me. Here it is – half way through July – and I’m still feeling like I have a thousand things to do. Part of this is school (cramming semester classes into eight weeks will do that).

I did manage to make a few delicious things over the weeks. I took leftover quinoa taco filling and made nachos. Oh my! I think in the few weeks since I discovered this, I’ve made these four or five times. Yes, they are that good.

It’s a simple concept, really. Chips – the kind we usually use for dipping with salsa – into a buttered pan. You probably don’t need to butter the pan, but I’m always afraid of things sticking and the burning, so buttered pan it is. On top of the chips I added roasted corn (or pan roasted if I’m being lazy) and the quinoa taco filling. To that I added regular queso and some shredded Gruyère because that is what I had on hand. A cheddar or cheese mix would work just as well here. I then repeated with a second layer of everything and tossed them in a 375 degree oven for ten minutes.

While the chips and cheese were melting, I made the salsa topping. I used the leftover tomato, red onion and lime salsa from the tacos, added a little more tomato and some scallion and tossed. I did add a little salt, but no more lime juice. Once the chips were out of the oven, I plated them and added the tomato mix on top. The results … perfection. I had these about 20 minutes before Bob got home for lunch, and the man is lucky I love him so much or I would not have saved him any. Seriously, it was almost the Truffle Mac & Cheese incident all over.

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It is also mango season and I had to get a mango at the farmer’s market the other week. I wasn’t sure exactly what to do with it, but I decided on Mango Panna Cotta. I love this stuff and it is stupidly simple to make. I started with half of David Leibovitz’s recipe and puree’d the mango that I had on hand. I did use regular gelatin in the recipe because I still had some in the cabinet, so these weren’t exactly vegetarian, but it works for now. If I can find Agar in my grocery, I’m swapping the next time I need a gelatin like ingredient. But I digress … I made the basic mixture then added about a half cup of pureed mango to it, poured into glasses, let it set for an hour and then added more to the top of each panna cotta. Dessert.

We also took the kitties to the vet last week. Yes, all three at once. They are all healthy and doing well and the vet was impressed with how well Ms. Leia was doing. It’s hard to believe they are all nine years old now!

 

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EMT (Eggplant, Tomato, Mozzarella)

I love bacon, but I don’t like eating meat. I love the salty, smoky flavor bacon can give a sandwich or a salad. Given this, I got really excited when I saw this recipe for eggplant bacon. I like eggplant, I like smoky, I like to experiment in the kitchen, so let’s try it.

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I wasn’t exactly sure what I would do with the bacon once I made it, but I knew I would come up with something. I borrowed mom’s mandolin and Bob sliced the eggplant very thin for me. The fist baking went ok – but I have to remember to only use one rack in the oven at a time. The marinade was easy to make and the eggplant strips looked so good waiting to go in the oven.

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My first sheet, I way over cooked. The recipe called for a 350 degree oven and about twelve minutes. By 8 minutes my eggplant was charred, so I reduced my oven temp to 325 and kept the next sheet in for five minutes. This worked well. Really well.

I’m also a sucker for a good tomato mozzarella sandwich. I love the combination and decided – why not add bacon? I had some bread from lunch Saturay and I toasted those and then added a little pesto, the eggplant bacon, mozzarella, and tomato. I did begin to add some cabbage, but ended up ditching that – it just didn’t add anything. The result – fantastic. The eggplant actually added something really delicious to the sandwich and it satisfied the minor bacon craving without requiring that I eat meat. This is a definite do again, but I have to be cautious with the slices and the cooking time.

I also have a cute picture of Leia and Tigger. They do like to curl up together and I think it’s just adorable.

 

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Cake

I fully admit I love cake. It’s more the icing or filling, especially if it is a creamy filling that I just find myself slightly addicted to. I also get cravings for specific cakes – strawberry shortcake, lemon cake, vanilla cake with vanilla icing.

Lately I’ve had a craving for a specific cake, but I have no idea what it is called. I had it in Austria and at our local German restaurant, but they just call it a Cream Cake. I looked up Cream Cake and Creme Cake, but didn’t find what I was looking for. Well, I found a picture, but not much else. oThis is about as close to the cake I had in Austria as I can get – slightly thinner layers and more cream, but it’s about what I wanted. The picture, however, is about as close to the actual cake (or a recipe) as I got. But I did find a different recipe that looked promising and since I had a little time between school assignments, I decided to give it a try.

My first clue that this was not going to be the same should have been the cake batter. This is brioche cake, which is a cross between a bread and a cake. It’s light and has a good taste, but the texture was wrong. Not bad, just not what I was looking for. It also took a long time to make. I mean a really long time. Because this is a yeast cake, there is rising to be done. Three rises to be exact, which means multiple hours. I started the cake at 11 am and it went into the oven about 8pm. That is a long time to be waiting for cake.

But there is a cream filling. Caramel cream. I do love caramel and I do love cream, so I kind of figured, how bad could this be? (Not bad at all, it turns out.) So I start by making a caramel because well …. it’s in the recipe and its caramel. I then made the caramel into a custard and put it in the fridge over night. Before I assembled the cake the next day, I mixed up some whipped cream and folded the custard and the cream together. This worked. I could have happily eaten just the cream filling.

I asked Bob to slice the cake in half for me as my knife skills are not nearly as precise as his. He did, and we got nice even layers. I added the caramel creme to the middle and sprinkled some powdered sugar on top.

Results were good. Not amazing, but good. The filling is a keeper, but I think I still need to do some more searching before I try again.