Salmon Sashimi, Kim Chee, Edamame for Me

Stopped by Oto's Japanese Market today. Ray Yamamoto is a sushi/sashimi/nigiri wizard! They have the best fish!! This guy was leaving with a huge sushi roll/sashimi party platter that was gorgeous. Anyway...I was hungry so this is what's for dinner. Okay...I am making a rice noodle soup with Japanese veggies too. Dave and I are just snackin on this.

Sundays with Marlena Spieler-Russian Poppy Seed Cake

I don't bake. It's too precise for me. I like to just "throw stuff in" if I feel like it.
One and 1/2 cups of poppy seeds!
I screwed up right away..poppy seeds were supposed to go in last...like "folded in".
The cake sort of fell a bit in the middle...but I just put some whipped cream in there.
It was seriously delicious. My husband and in-laws were "popperly" impressed...and shocked. I found this link and photos of poppy seed cake...but can't read it. I think my cake looks darker because I failed to fold the seeds in. Some recipes request that one puts the seeds in milk and heat them up together. hmmmmmm. I read that Esther (Old Testament) fasted using poppy seeds and that poppy seeds have been used in cakes for ages...literally.

This cake is traditionally called Mohn Torte.


Ingredients: Serves 6-8

1 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup superfine sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups poppy seeds
1 and 1/2 TBS grated lemon rind
1/2 cup half n half (or milk)
1/2 cup melted but cooled unsalted butter
2 TBS veggie oil
1 tsp of powdered sugar for dusting the cake ( I used a loose leaf tea holder to sift it thru)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Sift together the salt, flour, and salt (I forgot to do this)
3. Use a electric mixer to blend together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla..about 4 minutes.
4. Now fold in the poppy seeds and lemon rind...stir gently.
5. I then slowly added the sifted ingredients into the wet ones...alternating the half n half and veggie oil as the beater was on slow. Then fold in the melted butter to that mixture.
6. Pour it into a 9 " round tin and bake for 40 minutes or until firm....I stuck a toothpick in and it came out clean so figured it was done. Let it sit on a rack and firm up a bit more. You can invert it onto a nice plate and then dust with powdered sugar... I used one of the cake pans where the bottom comes out....don't know what they are called. Hey...I really don't bake.

This poppy seed cake is best served with tea....and I'd add some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream...or both!

Please take the time to check out my blogger buddies offerings from Jewish Cooking! Eileen at Just the Two of Us and Shankari at Sacramento Spice.

You Know You Might be a Redneck if...

You get your cologne from magazines you steal at the dentists office. (scratch n sniff)

Grilldave is a Weber Man

My in-laws went to Taylor's Market and brought home beef filet's for our anniversary!
Grilldave cooked them perfectly med. rare on the Weber. These are thick steaks people! They had that crispy kind of char on the outside and that tender lusciousness on the inside. Like I'm gonna go vegan. We made a blue cheese butter for the filet's. Beautiful tenderloin!!
But then, on the other side he marinated and then grilled these gargantuan portabello shrooms. Which did I choose to eat?
He even lightly grilled these bunching onions from the garden...this is the 'before' photo. Great in the salad.
And sometimes...if it is raining, he likes a pan-seared rib-eye. Just as delicious.

Maybe I should get him that new Weber grill that he wants.