Orange - Olive Oil Cake

 

In my past culinary experiments, in an effort to add healthy ingredients to my family meals I attempted substituting olive oil for vegetable oil in my loaf cakes such as banana bread.

Cut - Void - Blue Pencil - Delete - Scratch That - Unsuccessful

I had no clue that perhaps olive oil may be heavier than vegetable oil. It pretty much sank to the bottom of the baking pan and stayed there.  The loaf was fully baked and not undercooked but it was not appetizing.

I have played around researching other recipes and came up with this set of ingredients to create a moist and creamy everyday cake, and yes it includes olive oil. This is perfectly eaten on its own as a light morning breakfast pastry, embellished with a slathering of orange icing, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or with a healthy blanket of sugar macerated fresh ripe strawberries poured over a generous slice. The combination of fresh orange slices and olive oil is a classic dessert in Mediterranean cuisine. My husband born in England carries with him his definitively British appetite for warm "Bird's" <click link> custard poured over cubes of a simple vanilla cake. This sweet treat will replace even your favorite pound cake. Serves 10.

Adult Tuna Sandwich

 

Pan Bagnat is a colorful Provencal layered sandwich of good quality canned tuna, an aromatic olive salad in vinaigrette and hard boiled eggs. If the aroma is familiar to you this is roughly the sandwich version of Salade Nicoise.  Pan Bagnat translates to bathed bread to give you some idea how the vinaigrette influences the dish, but this is by no means a sloppy sammy. It is a healthier alternative to a traditional tuna sandwich with mayonnaise and pleasing to an adult palate. This admittedly is TALLBlonde's favorite food group: the sandwich.

Best made in advance if you can curb your appetite so that the flavors meld and flow into a tangy sourdough baguette. Tuna used must be a good quality albacore packed in olive oil as albacore tends to have a dry quality so olive oil is preferable to water-packed. Whenever cooking with olive oil, always purchase California olive which is certified 100% olive oil and not cut with other oils. EVOO from other countries are not always pure olive oil.

Party Skewer Salads

 

I am going to admit it right here, right now, I borrowed this from AllRecipes. But hey, when there is a great idea it should be shared.  These salads are clever, attractive on any table, easy to eat and if you are throwing a party you can serve several different salad variations with ease. If your party guests are standing while attempting to eat, than these salad recipes eliminate the balancing act of placing one hand on the paper plate, one hand on the fork and balancing a glass of wine on their head. Served on long sandwich length toothpicks with a colored frill or 5-inch bamboo skewers.

So fasten your seatbelt, there are 11 recipes to race through and I am sure you will find two or three you will try at your next party-

Tater Salad Dressing

 

Completely packed with flavor and a little heat, TALLBlonde not only uses this for potato salad but it makes a tasty tuna sandwich. It has also become my favorite tartar sauce for deep fried fish, just add 2 tsp. dried tarragon.  I suggest emptying a full jar of mayonnaise and refilling the jar with this great creamy creation, double the recipe.

One cup of this dressing is perfect for 1 large potato or 2 medium potatoes.  Peel potato, cut into one-inch dice and boil in salted water until soft in the center but before it falls apart in the boiling water.  Drain and mix in dressing while potatoes are warm so dressing soaks in.

Kofta & Salad - ISRAEL

Third in a three part series centering on typical food served in Israel. Everyone loves Kebabs (Kofta)  and here is TALL Blonde's version. I have previously tried recipes and felt the flavor components needed to be ramped up. That is my first contribution, the second contribution to this recipe is the option to consider using ground lamb instead of ground beef, some optional flavor suggestions and the elimination of the skewer so anyone can make these without the requirement of a grill. These patties make terrific sliders smothered with a little plain yogurt and diced green onions or spicy green harissa (recipe link below)

If you wish to try your hand at preparing a complete meal, check on my other recipes titled "Isreal Step One" and "Israel Step Two" for complimentary side dishes: Pita Bread, Tabbouleh, and Green Harissa.  I have included a recipe for refreshing Israeli Salad below.

Tabbouleh - ISRAEL

 

Three part recipe series on dishes found in Israel.  There are more self described vegetarians and vegans in this country than any other single country in the world, true fact. 

This recipe is a classic Tabbouleh traditionally made with cracked bulgar wheat.  I make this recipe with Quinoa as a gluten free option. So good, you will serve it in a martini glass.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

 

TALL Blonde has been baking in my head the ultimate, unctuous, throw everything to the wall cookie for a couple years.  Have you ever eaten a cookie and thought, this would be better if you added (fill in the blank). I tried to assemble all those "ifs" right here.  I purposely developed this cookie recipe for a small commitment of ingredients and time. Sometimes I get in the mood for a home baked cookie to fill the kitchen with that wonderfully sweet smell but you may be low on ingredients, or for me I would rather not take time to bake several episodes of cookie trays in succession.  One and done is sometimes a very good thing.

The butter used in this recipe is unsalted, but if you like that salt and sweet combination go for the salted butter version.  You may substitute dark brown sugar over light brown sugar but I think the flavor may be a bit too heavy. Always, always pre-toast nuts before using in any recipe, and that include this one.  Be careful not to burn them.

Curry Chicken Salad

Honey Curry Chicken Salad with Ginger, Almonds, Grapes and Celery.

An old classis and still wildly yummy for the tummy.