A Tasty Dinner that I am Proud of
Today, Ryan and I were discussing an article he had come across that told of the extra benefits of eating certain healthy foods along with another healthy food. For instance, salmon and garlic, red wine and apples, etc. Here is the link to that article. Anyways, I decided I wanted some salmon oven roasted with garlic for tonight's repast. As I was getting started, I had to deal with the dog, Lucy. She's very cute and likes to run around all over the house, which is hard for her because we have wooden flooring, and she just skitters about everywhere. I will have to take a video and throw that up here one day for a laugh.
Once Lucy was worn out enough for her to not be tripping me, I started on the sides. I had originally thought pasta would be good, but changed my mind and reached for some potatoes. I cut them into bite-sized chunks and put them in a baking dish with several sprigs of rosemary, an onion, some kosher salt, and a generous helping of extra virgin olive oil. Some of the onions came out rather crispy, which made me think I should have perhaps reached in there with a spoon and mixed things up a bit, but that is all in the past now. The onions that survived, along with the potatoes and rosemary were mighty tasty.
I like to add a few green options when I can, we are trying to be healthy here! I wrapped broccoli and mushrooms in foil along with more olive oil, salt, and some spice mix from Penzeys (I can't remember which one I used for this!). Here is the Penzeys website. The broccoli came out a little mushy, I didn't thaw it properly and maybe I over cooked it, but it still tasted fine with everything else I was throwing onto the plates. In this picture you can see the steam coming off it it, it was fresh out of the oven, yum...
Lastly, the salmon. I found out that I did not have any fresh garlic, so I was forced to re-think what I was doing with the fish. I decided to give it a good rub on both sides with kosher salt and a healthy dose of the Caribbean Jerk spice from Penzeys. It was mighty tasty, flaky and moist inside, and just crispy enough on the outside. I was very happy with it. Everything heaped up on a plate with a fresh crispy Caesar salad really hit the spot.
Today, Ryan and I were discussing an article he had come across that told of the extra benefits of eating certain healthy foods along with another healthy food. For instance, salmon and garlic, red wine and apples, etc. Here is the link to that article. Anyways, I decided I wanted some salmon oven roasted with garlic for tonight's repast. As I was getting started, I had to deal with the dog, Lucy. She's very cute and likes to run around all over the house, which is hard for her because we have wooden flooring, and she just skitters about everywhere. I will have to take a video and throw that up here one day for a laugh.
Once Lucy was worn out enough for her to not be tripping me, I started on the sides. I had originally thought pasta would be good, but changed my mind and reached for some potatoes. I cut them into bite-sized chunks and put them in a baking dish with several sprigs of rosemary, an onion, some kosher salt, and a generous helping of extra virgin olive oil. Some of the onions came out rather crispy, which made me think I should have perhaps reached in there with a spoon and mixed things up a bit, but that is all in the past now. The onions that survived, along with the potatoes and rosemary were mighty tasty.
I like to add a few green options when I can, we are trying to be healthy here! I wrapped broccoli and mushrooms in foil along with more olive oil, salt, and some spice mix from Penzeys (I can't remember which one I used for this!). Here is the Penzeys website. The broccoli came out a little mushy, I didn't thaw it properly and maybe I over cooked it, but it still tasted fine with everything else I was throwing onto the plates. In this picture you can see the steam coming off it it, it was fresh out of the oven, yum...
Lastly, the salmon. I found out that I did not have any fresh garlic, so I was forced to re-think what I was doing with the fish. I decided to give it a good rub on both sides with kosher salt and a healthy dose of the Caribbean Jerk spice from Penzeys. It was mighty tasty, flaky and moist inside, and just crispy enough on the outside. I was very happy with it. Everything heaped up on a plate with a fresh crispy Caesar salad really hit the spot.
Red Velvet Cake, the Answers We Were Waiting For
I believe in my last post I said something along the lines of I wanted to find out if it has only been red as long as there was food coloring around. Even if I didn't,
I did the research and I'm going to share it! According to wikipedia and other websites that I looked at, the cake would originally have a slight red tint due to the buttermilk and vinegar reacting with the anthocyanin in the cocoa.Anthocaynin is a water soluble pigment that can appear red, purple, or blue according to their pH. Hooray for Science! Before dutch processed cocoa was easily had, the red color from the reactions was a lot more pronounced. However, all recipes had red food coloring listed as an ingredient. When the cake was first created, the natural tinting (without food coloring) probably led to the name of the cake.
A few articles also stated that during WWII when sugar was strictly rationed, recipes called for grated or boiled beets or perhaps baby food, which would also help the cake retain it's moisture.
One last little tidbit, it seems that the recipes for Red Velvet Cake and Devil's Food Cake are vastly similar, the obvious difference being the amount of chocolate added to the Devil's Food. I don't think I've created a Devil's Food Cake from scratch, as my significant other does not much like chocolate when it comes to confections. I've been stuck baking wraith-like white cakes, which really pains my soul :(.
Wrap it up!
I hope you enjoyed my step by step showing off of my dinner, and the things I learned about Red Velvet Cake. I thought it was pretty interesting, colored cakes are fun and fantastical. One last thing, I will share a link that gave me 3 hours of entertainment this morning. I started with this compilation, which then gave me links to other interesting furniture and houses and etc, and I just couldn't stop looking. I love sleek, modern furniture that you won't see in most homes, and I am dying to eventually have a place of my own so that I can hopefully have some beautiful pieces like ones I saw here. Wish me luck on that one!
ありがとう,
Janiece
I hope you enjoyed my step by step showing off of my dinner, and the things I learned about Red Velvet Cake. I thought it was pretty interesting, colored cakes are fun and fantastical. One last thing, I will share a link that gave me 3 hours of entertainment this morning. I started with this compilation, which then gave me links to other interesting furniture and houses and etc, and I just couldn't stop looking. I love sleek, modern furniture that you won't see in most homes, and I am dying to eventually have a place of my own so that I can hopefully have some beautiful pieces like ones I saw here. Wish me luck on that one!
ありがとう,
Janiece
Looks tasty.
ReplyDeleteYou would have been so proud of simon and I last night. I made salmon and portabella mushrooms in that marandade, and simon made baked asparagus and spinach pilaf. It was tasty and healthy!
Janiece look how you inspire us!
That looks so tasty. We really should work on consuming things other than mac and cheese in our household.
ReplyDelete<3 Sarah
Good info. I have wondered about the red cake before.
ReplyDeletemom