Fall is Here! (Allegedly)

The First Day of Autumn came some while ago and there was even an adorable animated Google Doodle to commemorate the occasion!  It's a little strange to think of autumn, Halloween and fall-ish things when the kids and I are walking home from school here in Southern California.  The sun is shining very brightly and with the weather at 90F, there is not even a hint of that crisp, smoky air that usually accompanies this time of year.

To celebrate the arrival of a new season, I baked this ginger apple cake.  Yes, I will cling to any excuse to bake something sweet.

The cake was a big success and it packed well for the kids to enjoy at school the next day.  Upon tasting, I remarked, "Wow, this tastes better than I thought it would.  It's pretty good!"  Dr. Obvious gushed, "No, it's not pretty good.  It's freakin' amazing."  Now, to me, if a dessert is "freakin' amazing" and there isn't any chocolate in it, I think that is freakin' amazing.  It's certainly noteworthy, at the very least.

Ginger Apple Cake – Food 52.com by "drbabs"

• 3 large apples (I used Honeycrisp and Fuji.)
• 4 tablespoons turbinado sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter + ~2 TB butter + more for pan
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (if you want more of a gingery kick; optional)
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (I peeled a 2 inch piece and grated it with a microplane grater)
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 10 walnut halves

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9” springform pan. If you are concerned about your springform pan leaking, wrap the bottom with aluminum foil.
2. Core and peel apples, and cut into thin slices. Melt ~2 TB of butter in saucepan and cook until it is lightly browned. Stir in apple slices until all slices are covered with browned butter. Sprinkle ~2 TB turbinado sugar over apples, and continue to saute, stirring occasionally, till apples are softened and most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger (if using) and salt. Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar till fluffy. Beat in two eggs. Beat in lemon zest, ginger, molasses, rum, and vanilla extract. (The mixture will look curdled. It's OK.)
5. Stir in the flour mixture a little at a time, stirring after each addition so the batter is thick and smooth. Fold in the milk and yogurt till batter is smooth and thoroughly combined.
6. Scrape half the batter into the prepared springform pan. Cover with apple slices, and spread the other half of the batter over the apples. Smooth top with spatula. Place walnut halves on the top of the cake, and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar over the top of the cake.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake may slightly pull away from the sides of the pan.
8. Transfer to a cooling rack. Run a knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it completely from the sides of the pan. Open the ring and remove it. If you want to remove the cake from the base of the springform pan, wait until it has cooled completely, then slide a long thin spatula between the cake and the base. Use a large spatula to then move it to a serving plate.
9. Serve as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a blob of barely sweetened softly whipped cream.

Asian Delights!

Big changes for us - Dr. Obvious has become a civilian and now we're living in the Los Angeles area in San Gabriel Valley near Pasadena.  For the first time in our lives, we're close to an abundance of Asian grocery stores, bakeries, cafes and restaurants.  We love exploring the new delicacies and seeing what treats abound.

Baby Octopus!

Little Man saw these baby octopi at 99 Ranch and exclaimed, "Let's get that!  Pleeeease?!"  My reply (naturally), "You know that you're going to have to eat that, right?"  "Yes, yes, I know.  Come on, Mommy!"  Well, we bought the little guys.  I sliced them open and took out their glands or stomach sacks or whatever those things are that are lodged in their "heads."  Wow, those octopi smell STRONG.  My hands reeked like I'd been on a fishing boat for 5 days.  That smell, by the way, does not wash off easily.

So was all the effort worth it?  The smell?  Um, no.  We love squid and scallops.  These, however, were tough and didn't really taste delicious.  But everyone in the family ate them and we chalked it up as a fun adventure.

Rambutan or Dr Seuss Tree Fruit

Speaking of new adventures, Sweet Pea has a new favorite fruit these days.  They're known as rambutan.  The Chinese call them "Hong Mo Dan" which translates to "Red Hairy Fruit."  We like them better than lychee because they're not as cloying and somehow taste more refreshing.  Little Man named them Dr Seuss Tree Fruit which made us all giggle whenever we ate them after dinner.

Marvelous Meatballs!

Ah, the struggle perpetuates.  The search for the convenient weeknight meal that all 4 of us will enjoy spans on some kind of infinite road to the skyline!

So, this was not a complete home run for all 4 of us.  The 2 grown ups liked these meatballs, and the 2 little ones ate them without complaint...I think they gave them an 8.5 out of 10.  These days, I consider that a victory.

I like this concept because it provides a template for numerous possibilities.  You could do ground lamb with dried apricot.  You could do ground turkey with dried apples.  Basically, you are taking some kind of ground meat and pairing it with a dried fruit that's been chopped up.  Feel free to add chopped fresh or dried herbs as well!

Marvelous Pork Meatballs with Dried Pineapple

1 lb ground pork
1/4 cup dried pinapple, chopped
handful of minced green onion or 2 shakes onion powder
splash soy sauce


1.  Get the broiler ready.  Prepare a broiler-safe baking tray with foil.  Mix all ingredients in a bowl and make about 20 meatballs, placing them on the baking tray.

2.  Broil the meatballs for about 8 minutes until done.  Serve with fresh vegetables, pita or tortilla, yogurt, and fresh herbs.