books and Betty

I don't know about you, but I really love the idea of reading.  Wouldn't you agree that there is something  comfortable about grabbing a book, a blanket and a tall glass of ice water and settling into your favorite chair to explore the unturned pages at hand?  On nights like tonight, when I really don't have a lot going on, it should be  easy to peruse my bookshelf of unread novels and cozy up on my porch with uninterrupted time to let the story take hold.  However, my brain is a little too full these days to take comfort in the simplicity and adventure the act of reading a novel has to offer me, so instead I find myself paging through my cookbooks over a cup of Italian ice.   Out of all of the many recipe-rich cookbooks sitting proudly on the top shelf of my pantry, the one that gets the most attention and use, is a cookbook I bought myself kind of on a fluke last year.

 

I am obviously not a bride yet, but this cookbook has brought a lot of joy and domestic adventure to my life.  While revisiting some of my favorite recipes this evening I realized that I never blogged about one of my all-time-Betty-favorites: Sesame noodle salad.  This salad is so good that I actually called a couple of my friends to come over and eat it with me immediately after making it so that I could marvel in its deliciousness with good company.  I mean, it's no secret that I love the salty tang of Asian food, so I guess it's not surprising that these noodles have become a permanent fixture in my recipe rotation.    Plus, Betty labeled this one 'low fat' which means that it's totally worth making again, right?! 

Sesame Noodle Salad 

Sesame Dressing

3 tablespoons vegetable oil 

3  tablespoons soy sauce 

1 tablespoon balsamic or rice vinegar 

1 tablespoon sesame oil 

4 1/2 teaspoons sugar 

1 1/2 teaspoons grated gingerroot

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) 

Salad

8 to 9 oz angel hair pasta 

2 medium carrots, shredded (1 cup) 

1 small cucumber, cut into thin slices 

2 medium green onions, thinly slices (2 tablespoons) 

1. In a small bowl, stir all dressing ingredients until well mixed; set aside. 

2. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and rinse in cold water.  

3. In a large serving bowl, toss noodles, dressing and remaining salad ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate until serving. 

rhubarb cake

I think we can all agree that long weekends are wonderful for a plethora of reasons.  I took advantage of three days of freedom by sleeping a lot, visiting with some of my favorite friends, cleaning my apartment and spending some extended time in my kitchen (because no long weekend is complete without some extra kitchen time). 

I have been experimenting with rhubarb in hopes of determining what my favorite concoction of this seasonal fruit is.   After three attempts at different rhubarb-focused baked goods, I have landed on what I am naming "my" rhubarb cake.   I am claiming it only because I plan on baking this cake at least once every rhubarb season and serving it to anyone who will eat it, but I am more than willing to let you claim it as your own, (because I believe that you and your friends will love this cake as much as me and my friends did!).  
Rhubarb Cake 
1 egg
1 cup sour cream 
1/4 tsp salt 
1 1/2 cups flour 
1 1/4 cups sugar 
2 cups rhubarb, raw 
1 tsp baking soda 
Mix as for cake.  Pour in greased 9x13 pan. 
Topping: 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup coconut.  Mix and spread on cake.  Bake at 350 degrees about 35 minutes.  

Yum!