Shiny Happy Memories

Warning: Dangerous levels of glorious food imagery coming up - beware of getting mesmerized.

Blood oranges. Just the name itself is beyond fascinating to me. You see them so rarely in my neighborhood grocery, that when I saw them a few days ago, I couldn't believe my luck. I couldn't have missed them. There they were, in all their ruddy, blush-colored glory, sitting right next to their sherbet-hued cousins from Florida. Blood oranges work really well in salads, marmalades and savory dishes, because they are not as sweet or acidic as regular oranges. They're pretty high in antioxidants too. But forget all that mumbo-jumbo ... would you please just look at them?! I realize I'm running the risk of sounding like I'm still in grade school, but isn't nature cool?! The answer is YES! Naturally gorgeous food like this just begs to be photographed, turned into a painting, sculpture, any kind of art, and even have a line or two of poetry dedicated to it. Personally, I want to find fabrics of those colors - the sunset color of the skin, the deep burgundy of the flesh - and wear them! And oh yes, eat them ... food like this needs to be savored.

Kristin from Picky Cook has the perfect recipe for a Blood Orange Yogurt Cake, which is so easy to make. I just followed her instructions, and got inspired by her amazing photos. Seriously, if you think my shots of this recipe are decent, you will be blown away by hers!

The other reason I chose to make something with blood oranges at this time is because it suits this month's Sugar High Fridays theme (hosted by Heather from Diary Of A Fanatic Foodie), which is inspired by our travels. And one of my favorite travel destinations so far has been southern California (one of the few places in the world that grows blood oranges, apart from Italy), and it holds a really special place in my heart. DH and I actually had our first vacation together there, and our stay on Catalina Island is the most memorable for me. The view as you approach the island by boat is truly stunning, and for a moment you forget you're still in the US - it's more like Fantasy Island, with those lush green hills in the back. We had a grand time there, because that was where we went for our first snorkeling adventure. Even though it was February and we had to wear full scuba suits to get into the water, it was still the experience of a lifetime. Then we went kayaking around the island. We even managed to spot a true-blue bald eagle! All in all, it was a magical time for DH and I, and even after all these years, we still consider our California trip as being truly special for us.

Approaching the harbor at Catalina Island, California

Blood Orange Yogurt Cake (all credit humbly goes to Kristin's recipe)

Click Here For Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I let my regular yogurt sit in a cheese-cloth covered strainer for 15 mins)

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

3 extra-large eggs

zest of three blood oranges

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed blood orange juice

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/4 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. grease and flour the pan.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, blood orange zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

3. Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup blood orange juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

4. When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan.

5. While the cake is still warm, pour the blood orange-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

6. For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and blood orange juice and pour over the cake.

Verdict: So moist and tender! Interestingly, this recipe doesn't contain even an ounce of butter; instead it uses vegetable oil. And during the process, your kitchen smells like a fragrant orange orchard ... *deep breath* aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh. This is good cake, people. Great for breakfast or afternoon tea. But so far I've had it at all times of the day and found it light and refreshing, with its bright citrus flavor. Also, it doesn't require any special equipment, like a stand mixer. Me likey.

See the pretty specks of orange zest? And how about that blood orange syrup that's soaked in?

Mmmmmmm ... if I had to give a cheerful smile a color, this would be it!

Eating With The Seasons - April, Still Chilly!

April feels like an old car to me. The engine needs a kickstart to really get going. Most days it just sputters and dies out, resulting in bitterly cold days. Other days you can feel every nut and bolt moaning and groaning as it gets off to a shaky start, which means that you see a lot of grey skies and endless rain. Then once in a while, the good juices finally kick in and April's engine starts humming and it zips off like a teenager - and those are the days that I love, because it translates to sunny skies and warm days, filled with the scents of new grass and spring flowers.

Of course, till those days come around (remember, they've been pretty rare so far around my neck of the woods), I know I can rely on the ooey-gooey-cheesy-goodness of my Beef & Spinach Lasagne to get me through. I've decided to feature this recipe as my entry for this month's Eating With The Seasons (hosted by the lovely blogger Maninas: Food Matters) because it features a healthy dose of lovely, earthy spinach and sweet carrots. And, here's what I really like about it, it's still warm and comforting enough to get you through the chilly April weather. I think I'll also submit this for Presto Pasta Nights, because it's one of those generous events that allows you to submit one entry to multipe food blog events. Created by Ruth from Once Upon A Feast, the next round-up will be hosted by Hillary from Chew On That.

On a side note, may I just say something? I know I know, it's my blog, I can say whatever I want - well almost, but that's another story. Anyway, I digress. I wanted to give a shout-out to whoever invented the "no-boil" lasagne noodles! HIYOOOO! Those things are awesome! Why have I not been making lasagne with them my entire life?! I'll tell you why. Years ago, when I first decided to make lasagne by myself, I used a recipe that called for these so-called "no boil" lasagne sheets. Dubious at first, I trotted off to my local grocery store to hunt down these fabled noodles. And I don't know what game the Big Guy was playing with me that day, but my grocery store didn't have any such pasta, nor did the very UNhelpful grocery store clerks have a clue as to what I was talking about (pppfftttt ... teenagers!). So I just thought, this recipe is WRONG! And foolishly went back to using my regular lasagne sheets, which used to fall apart during the boiling process and were basically a pain. Recently however, I discovered the "no-boil" lasagne in my pasta aisle at the grocery store and POUNCED! One word. Genius. My lasagnas have never been better because of them. Yes yes, feel free to laugh at my expense because you've been using this product for years now, but better late than never for me, right? Right?! (note to self: learn to keep up, you idiot)

Beef and Spinach Lasagna (using the recipe from Food Mayhem - really creative, fellow New Yorkers; currently going through some site improvement. Thanks for a GREAT recipe guys!)

Meat Sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound 11 ounces (90% lean) ground beef
1 (28oz) can crushed tomato with basil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf

Cheese & Spinach Filling
10 ounces frozen spinach, blanched, drained and cooled
1 pound shredded whole milk mozzarella
15oz tub of whole milk ricotta

Assembly
9x13 baking dish
16 (no boil) lasagna sheets (8"x4" each)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a medium pot on medium high heat. Stir in onions, bay leaf and soften for about a minute. Add carrots and stir around for another minute. Stir in tomato paste until well distributed.

2. Add ground beef and stir around until browned, about 5 minutes.

3. Add crushed tomatoes and garlic. Bring to boil. Stir and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove from heat and remove bay leaf. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F while meat sauce cools a bit.

Cheese & Spinach Filling:

1. Ring out spinach with paper towels.

2. In a medium sized bowl , combine spinach, mozzarella, and ricotta.

Assembly:

1. Spread 1 cup of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan.

2. Lay 4 sheets of lasagna down.
3. Spread 1/3 of cheese and spinach filling on top of lasagna sheets. Spread a little more than 1 cup of meat sauce on top.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 two more times. Lay another layer of lasagna sheets on top. Cover with remaining meat sauce. Spread remaining cheese mixture on top. If you have parmesan, sprinkle it on top now.

5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake for another 5 minutes (I turned on the broiler for 5 mins). Take it out of the oven. Continue grinning and jumping with joy about how gorgeous it looks and smells. Let it cool for 5-10 mins, then cut yourself a big cheheeeeeesy chunk!

Verdict: Everybody loved this dish. No matter if they were 5 year olds or 50 year olds, everyone who tried this, really really enjoyed it. And it's ridiculously easy! Plus, it's got to be healthy, what with all that spinach and carrot mixed in there, right?! And let's not forget about those "no boil" noodles! I've made this lasagna several times now, and have never gone wrong with it. It feels so damn good to find a recipe that you can always count on to please any crowd.