Pink Cake!

The last day of last month was my birthday. Happy belated birthday! I decided to share with you the awesome pink cake I made for myself. I know you are not supposed to bake your own birthday cake, but this desert had my eye for some time and I was waiting for a worthy occasion to try it out. It did not disappoint! We had people over to our place for a small party and my parents were able to come, which was special.

This was a strawberry cake with real sliced strawberries mixed in. And I thought I did a pretty awesome job icing it. This was the first layered cake that I have made, you know- actual special occasion cake, that was both pretty and delicious. The recipe came from this fun to read blog. Happy end of July!

Sushi

Konnichiwa!

I made sushi last night and it was so fun!  My friend, also named Lauren, shared with me that recently sushi has been her go to meal so I decided to try it.  I made cucumber rolls and Philly rolls. The Philly rolls had a combination of smoked salmon and cream cheese and I added cucumber to some of them.  I was amazed at how good the sticky rice turned out, I was eating it straight out of the pot before making up my rolls.  Here is the directions for the vinegared rice also known as sumeshi from the cookbook Easy Sushi by Emi Kazuko. 

1 3/4 cups Japanese style short grained rice
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt

- Soak rice in clear cold water 10-15 minutes, then drain.

- Transfer rice to a deep saucepan, add 2 cups water.  Cover and bring to boil over high heat, about 5 minutes.

- Lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes or until all water has been absorbed.  do not lift the lid.  Remove from heat and leave, still covered, for about 10-15 minutes.

- Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in small bowl.

- Transfer the cooked rice to a large shallow dish, if you have the set-up a Japanese handai can be used, I had used a pie plate. 

- Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the vinegar dressing into the rice.  Do not stir.  Let the rice cool to body temperature before making sushi.

Tea Time

Mmm banana bread and Irish Breakfast tea.  Nothing is better than a pot of Irish Breakfast, more flavorful and all together more delicious than its English counterpart, served with my classic Fiesta Ware.  I don't often follow in the British ways of enjoying an afternoon tea, but my overly ripe bananas were calling me and so I whipped up a little chocolate chip banana bread.  What a treat for Mr. Johnson and I.

Happy Friday for everyone!  I am off to a girls weekend in Seattle, all of us haven't been together in the same spot since high school so this should be a blast.

Salt and Pepper My Mango

Mr. Johnson and I invented a new drink.  We called the M.I.A. inspired drink Salt and Pepper My Mango.  While it is a compilation of everything tropical we imagined M.I.A. to drink, its name originates from the line in the song Sunshowers.  And yes, it does have salt and pepper.  First we were after recreating the Rubicon, it just sounds so delicious when she sings "I was sippin' on a Rubicon, thinkin' 'bout where I come..." After further research we realized that the name Rubicon is already in use.  It is a tropical fruit drink, similar to a fruitier Capri Sun that can be found in England.  As well as the name of an ancient Italian river that flowed into the Adriatic and is famous for being crossed by the Roman army.  What other river is famous solely for being crossed?  This obviously had no correlations to the drink we were about to invent and so the  mango and jalapeno-infused rum drink took on a more literal name.  All in all I think we discovered a gem, or at least came very close.  I am not going to disclose the recipe now. One, because it may undergo improvements and two, because some of you reading this may be trying it over the Christmas vacation and we wouldn't want to take all of the mystery out of it would we?

Oh Christmas Tree. Oh Chistmas Tree...

We have a lovely wreath hung given to us by my parents, and our Christmas tree is all set up!  It was fun setting up the tree together for the first time.  Each of us had slightly different takes on tradition and they blended together in a fun way.  The night we got the tree I made Butternut Squash Soup served with homemade bread.  For desert I made a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake which seemed to fit the occasion.  Very classic and colorful.  Here are some pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

Pizza Night

I had fun making some very delicious pizza for dinner.  Growing up, for a while Mom would make pizza every Friday night.  She would make Italian bread and use part of the dough for pizza dough.  She would also make the sauce, which I actually made several times, and then we all would have fun deciding which toppings to dress our pizzas in.  We got pretty creative.

Since being married I have made bread several times, but this was the first time to make pizza.  I took some time in deciding the topping combination and I think it paid off!  I made one pizza margherita with Greek olives to add an original touch; it helps living in the city where you can buy fresh mozzarella.  The other pizza was more American in style, it had a generous helping of red onions, some roasted red peppers, and half Italian sausage, half mushroom.  Mr. Johnson admitted this was the best homemade pizza he has eaten, and better than Ken's Artisan Pizza (our favorite here in Portland) and rivals with the pizza we ate for my birthday in Naples! 

 

 

 

 

Hearty Fall Cooking

Last week was a very Moosewood week in the Johnson kitchen.  I tried several recipes from the New Moosewood Cookbook.  Being a rather blustery fall set of days, I hit up the casserole section.  My favorite was Cauliflower-Cheese Pie with grated potato crust.  How can you go wrong with a cauliflower and cheese combination?  This was very satisfying, and would also make a delicious special-occasion brunch item.  But the real winner was the dinner I made on Halloween.  This did not actually come from the Moosewood cookbook, but from the classic Joy of Cooking.  New England Clam Chowder, served with my own Sourdough bread, and Pecan Pie for dessert.  Warning, if anyone comes to dinner soon they may be served this!  We could not manage to snack any more when we headed over to my friend's for a party in which the dressed-up version of Amy Sedaris was practicing "hospitality under the influence."  Very well I might add, that fondue was really tempting me!

 

A Week of Food

I thought I made some very tasty dinners this week and I have a few more good ones planned so I thought I would share.  Ever since getting married and having much more time, no architecture school, I have been cooking more.  Also, I discovered cookbooks!  I had cookbooks before, but I mainly rifled through the pictures when hungry; rarely did I use their valuable information as a tool.  Following recipes, no matter  how loosely I chose to follow them, is a huge help and it is fun.  The cookbooks I turn to the most are the Joy of Cooking and FOOD Everyday, a Martha Stewart cookbook I received as a bridal shower gift.  I also ask the good cooks in my family.  Sorry I don't have any pictures, I will start taking photos of pretty or especially delicious dishes.

Monday:     Salmon Fillets with a brown sugar mustard glaze
                  Rice Pilaf    -Mom's recipes

Tuesday:     Red beans and Rice (from scratch)   -Joy of Cooking

Wednesday: Went to the Matador for happy hour Margaritas and
                   Calamari, just snacked afterwards

Thursday:     Fried Rice with Baby Bok Choi
                    Chinese Eggplant in the Style of Fish   -Mrs. Chiangs's
                    Szechwan Cookbook

Today:         Scalloped Potatoes    -Joy of Cooking
                   Shredded Beet and Carrot Salad   -FOOD Everyday

Saturday:    Vegetable Bean Stew    -Laura Potter
                   Corn Bread