Carrot Layer Cake

I make carrot cake so infrequently that I never remember which recipe I used. This is an attempt to stop that trend :) I know for sure I have used Orangette's recipe (a lot of work but good, and has a funny memory attached because my cat stood on it and ate a chunk of it through plastic wrap while it sat on the counter overnight).

I wanted to make a carrot layer cake for my partner and me for our 10th wedding anniversary celebration at home. Me having COVID and needing to quarantine kind of limited our plans a bit (we've hit double digits and wanted to do something extra special!) but I felt well enough to want to contribute somehow. I picked this recipe because it was small enough that I wouldn't have to do any math to refigure it for the size I wanted (6 in/15 cm diameter 2-layer cake) -- many recipes I found were either a single layer or 3 layers, and three pans seemed overwhelming to me dishes wise and also because the cake is only for 2 people. Plus I was still sick and made plans to do this the same day so I didn't want to overcomplicate things.

Shout out to the Great British Baking Show for being an eternal wellspring of motivation. It always seems to be able to give me a big push to get in the kitchen and actually make what I am thinking about making.

Notes:

• I did not have fresh ginger so I used 1/2 tsp of powdered.
  
• I used a different recipe for icing than the one the recipe suggests because I had ingredients bought before I picked a recipe, and I didn't plan for mascarpone. The Cream Cheese Frosting I used is really great structurally for building a layer cake, but after having it on a couple of cakes like this I think it might be a little too sugary/rich to use in such large quantities. (Normally I use it to decorate gingerbread cookies.) I halved the recipe and it frosted this cake generously, with a little bit (maybe 1/3 to 1/2 cup) left over.
• I decorated the cake with toasted walnuts and loved it, especially since there were no nuts in the cake itself. It adds something to offset the sweetness of the frosting.
  

Verdict: The cake itself baked a little funny -- parts of it looked straight up burnt when I pulled it out of the oven. Almost like the sugar started separating out from the batter. This might have been from the butter I used to grease the pans, too. However, the finished product ultimately tasted good, if a bit rich, and worked well as a layer cake. If making a layer cake will probably try a different recipe next time even if I have to do some math. And I really gotta stop using this cream cheese frosting, even though it's really good in smaller quantities on cookies.

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RECIPE: My Perfect Carrot Cake (I Am a Food Blog)

Cabbage Roll Soup

My mom made this soup and brought me some the last time she came to visit me, and I liked it so much I asked her to teach me to make it. I used some of the tomatoes she grew and gave me to make my own batch. She cobbled together a few different recipes from her collection and sent me all of them, including her handwritten version. I fleshed out the directions a bit more and added bay leaf because it sounded good. I never liked beef vegetable soup from a can very much but I LOVE this. I also love that it doesn't taste like canned tomato sauce.

There's just nothing quite like your mom bringing you homemade food even when you are a grown adult. :)

Notes:

• I used chicken and onion broth because I didn't have beef broth/bouillon when I cooked it. You can use a vegetable based broth for vegetarian/vegan soup.
  
• I used only the beef but really want to try it with beef + rice sometime. You can leave out the meat and make it with just rice for a vegetarian/vegan version. Make sure to add extra water or broth if you add rice because the rice absorbs liquid, and you want it to still have some broth after the rice cooks.
• I used about 1 tbsp dried parsley instead of fresh because I didn't have fresh.

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RECIPE:

Cabbage Roll Soup
from my mom
Serves 6

2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 large onion, diced
6-8 cups chopped green cabbage (about 1 lb, about 2/3 of a medium head of cabbage)
2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp each dried basil and dried oregano (or 1 tsp Italian seasoning)
½ tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
4 cups vegetable or beef broth (more if you add rice, 5-6 cups total)
14 oz diced fresh tomato (canned is also OK)
3 tbsp brown sugar (cut down or omit if using canned tomatoes)
1 bay leaf
½ cup dry long grain white rice (optional)
1 lb ground beef (optional)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced

Heat oil in soup pot. Add celery, carrot, and onion and sauté until softened and onions are translucent. Add garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and black pepper and stir to combine. Add cabbage and cook until cabbage has sweated (about 5 minutes), then add broth, tomatoes, sugar, bay leaf, and rice (if using). Bring to a boil, then turn down heat, cover, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes or until flavors have melded and rice is fully cooked. (If using rice, it will probably be more like 20 minutes.) If using ground beef, brown it in a separate pan while the soup is simmering, then set aside. Remove bay leaf from soup, then stir in lemon juice and parsley and browned ground beef (if using). Serve hot.

Chinese Style Tomato and Egg Stir Fry

A coworker who came to study in the U.S. from China sometimes brings this to work for lunch, and she made it sound so comforting and tasty that I wanted to try it for myself. It's apparently a very popular home cooked dish in China, and can be eaten for any meal of the day.

Notes:

• I ended up using garlic chives from my garden because I didn't have any scallions in the house at the time I had all the other ingredients.
• I used freshly picked summer tomatoes and I imagine that's what this tastes best with.
• I do not have a wok so I used a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.
  

Verdict: It was quick, easy, and satisfying. It strikes me as a late summer version of Niratama Donburi, which I love. I would happily make and eat this again.

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RECIPE: Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry (The Woks of Life)

Cucumber Salad with Red Wine Vinegar

I wanted to make a cucumber salad that didn't involve having to salt and wait and squeeze out the water from the cucumbers, and decided to give this one a try.

Notes:

• I didn't read the directions and just mixed everything together right away and it tasted fine.
• Served with Stuck Pot Rice and Lentils, Spiced Beef Meatballs, and garlic-lemon yogurt and it was fantastic.
  

Verdict: Simple and clean flavors, and I think it would go well with lots of things. Definitely keeping it around for another time.

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RECIPE: Cucumber Salad (Marcia Kiesel/Food & Wine Magazine)

Corn Salad with Chile and Lime

This was one of those recipes that caught me in the right place at the right time. I saw it and immediately went out to buy the ingredients to make it.

Notes:

• I used my broiler to char the corn and it took maybe 7-10 minutes.
• I used feta cheese since I couldn't find cotija.
  
• I served it with marinated grilled/pan fried chicken.
  

Verdict: This was INCREDIBLY GOOD and I will absolutely be making it again, especially in August when the corn here is at its best.

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RECIPE: Corn Salad with Chile and Lime (Smitten Kitchen)

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

Recording this so that I remember that I tried it.

I had been wanting to try this recipe for a very long time, and finally got around to it. I was really underwhelmed though, and not just because I'd been waiting forever to try it. Maybe with premium ingredients it would have been better since it's so simple, but I'm not sure I'll go to the trouble again. Even Smitten Kitchen has a few duds I guess.

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RECIPE: Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter (Smitten Kitchen)

Basic Brownies

Wanted brownies very suddenly and decided to make these on account of how quickly they are supposed to come together.

Notes:

• Threw a splash of clear imitation vanilla extract in there to really get them to taste like box mix brownies (this is the ONE thing about brownies from a mix that I just really love even if I know it's kinda trashy).
  

Verdict: A nice basic brownie that's very easy to make, and really similar to ones I've been missing. Next time I want to try them with chocolate icing and chopped walnuts on top for an exact copycat of the ones I can't buy anymore.

Edit 5/5/23: I made these again and loved them just as much as the first time. I also used them as the base of a brownie sundae (with vanilla ice cream, homemade hot fudge sauce, bourbon soaked cocktail cherries). God tier snacking.

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RECIPE: My Favorite Brownies (Smitten Kitchen)