Smile

I think the universe is conspiring to deliver a message in my life. This week I was making a sandwich and talking on the phone when a mishap occurred and half the bottle of dressing spilled all over the counter. I instantly belted out an expletive and then commenced cleaning. After wiping up the counter without much thought, I looked at the plate that was left and here's what I saw. Ryan and I laughed.

Pineapple Upsidedown Cake

I've had pineapple upside down cake on the brain lately. When we invited several friends over for a small dinner party and I knew wanted to make some kitschy, special dishes that seemed 1960's fabulous.

We decided on chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and fresh thyme (think homemade chicken cordon bleu), pan roasted asparagus, boiled red potatoes and this pineapple fabulousness. For some reason I only ended up with pictures of the cake and a few of us pounding out the chicken with a meat hammer before stuffing and rolling them up. So, I'll focus on the cake.

I used an internet recipe, credit to someone named Vetrusha here. I selected it because it called specifically for fresh pineapple, which I thought a must, and garnered many positive reviews. I had some trouble following this recipe the first time around and made some booboos. These mistakes changed the character of the cake, reducing the amount of browned carmelly goodness.

We served the first attempt to our guests and it tasted okay but didn't look very pretty. This afternoon I tried it again, making sure I followed the recipe to a T. Overall, I am happy with this recipe. I'm consistently amazed when I make a cake from scratch just how easy it is. I always find myself wondering why on earth we pay for pre-mixed box cakes which are inferior to a combination of simple items from the cupboard. Just to have the dry ingredients mixed ahead of time? Better living through chemistry? Who the heck knows.

While the second cake was more caramelized, in the future when I make this recipe I am going to put the caramel ingredients in the pan first and brown them in the oven for a few minutes before adding the other ingredients. I think the sticky, little bit chewy, caramely goodness is what makes this cake special and needs to be underscored.


Arranging the fruit in the pan. The recipe author says no maraschino cherries. I say, "Heck yes, maraschino cherries!"


Gooey caramel goodness.


Fluffing the egg whites.


Beautiful golden brown cake with caramel bubbling up the sides.


Finished product hot out of the oven and flipped.

Winter Blahs Photo Essay

Winter is just a dreary, rough time for me. I'm looking forward to our upcoming beach and mini-civil rights tour road trip. Until then here is a photo essay of a few things that have made me smile this January and February. You can see that cats, sunshine, french cooking and cocktails figure prominently. Also, I cannot forget to include the Hunger Games series, of which I have no pictures..."may the odds be ever in your favor."


What's going on out there?


Lovely bud vase from Poland.


Meet Tom Collins.


Wish I could curl up so tight.


Old Fashioned and French 75.


Artisinal mac and cheese.


Coq Au Vin on buttered noodles.


Sassy notes by hubby.


Old Fashioned redux.


Christmas cactus in bloom.


Gin, basil lemon bomb.


Somebody spoils this cat, and it ain't me.

Five-Spice Sesame Sliced Tuna & Avocado

Back in 2007 my Aunt gave me a Rachael Ray cookbook called "Just in Time" for my birthday. The whole premise is finding the right meal to fit in your available window of time: 15, 30 or 60 minutes. I have to admit I haven't used it as much as I could have, but the four or so recipes I've made have been absolutely scrumptious. A fact which reminds me that simply owning a cookbook library is not enough...it pays to read them too. I should take a cue from my hubby who reads them in bed like I read novels.

Tonight's pick was also most certainly scrumptious: Five Spice-Sesame Sliced Tuna & Avocado. Really easy, relatively inexpensive, minus the splurge on decent fish. I even left out the avocados by mistake and it was still nummy.


Slices of seared rare tuna steak encrusted with toasted sesame seeds and chives, all drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction.

1/3 cup aged balsalmic vinegar
3 T honey
1/4 cup tamari
2 avocados
juice of 1/2 lime
2 T vegetable oil
4 (6oz.) tuna steaks
2 t Chinese five-spice powder
salt
black pepper
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/2 head napa cabbage, shredded

Combine vinegar, honey and tamari in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 6-7 minutes until syrupy. Remove from heat.

Halve and peel the avocados, slice them lengthwise, squeeze a bit of lime over them.

Heat oil in skillet over high heat. Season tuna with five-spice powder, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side for rare finish. Combine sesame seeds and chives in shallow bowl. Slice tuna in thick pieces and turn each slice in the sesame/chive mixture.

Scatter napa cabbage on plate, top with avocado, then tuna steak. Drizzle with dressing.

A little bit of rice on the side would have been a nice addition.

On a final note, neither of us made any firm resolutions this New Year's. However, we are now tracking every purchase in an online budgeting program and trying to stick to a budget. Our hope is to get our financial house in order so that we can be more free. Who wants to keep paying the man forever, right? Cooking at home is a natural corollary to this goal as we waste a lot of money eating out. So, you will likely see an even greater abundance of cooking posts, if you weren't already sick of 'em.